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974.6 

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1233370 


GENEALOGY  COLLECTION 


ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  1833  01147  3516 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

Allen  County  Public  Library  Genealogy  Center 


http://www.archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco11hart 


ENCYCLOPEDIA 


OP- 


CONNECTICUT  BIOGRAPHY 


,  GENEALOGICAL  — MEMORIAL 


REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZENS 


Compiled  with  the  Assistance  of  a 

Capable  Corps  of  Advisors  and  Contributors 


ILLUSTRATED 


THE  AMERICAN  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  (Inc.) 

NEW  YORK  PUBLISHERS  CHICAGO 


Joreuiorb 


EACH  one  of  us  is  "the  heir  of  all 
the  ages,  in  the  foremost  files  of 
time."  We  build  upon  the  solid 
foundations  laid  by  the  strenuous  efforts 
of  the  fathers  who  have  gone  before  us. 
Nothing  is  more  fitting,  and  indeed  more 
important,  than  that  we  should  familiar- 
ize ourselves  with  their  work  and  per- 
sonality ;  for  it  is  they  who  have  lifted 
us  up  to  the  lofty  positions  from  which 
we  are  working  out  our  separate  careers. 
"Lest  we  forget,"  it  is  important  that  we 
gather  up  the  fleeting  memories  of  the 
past  and  give  them  permanent  record  in 
well-chosen  words  of  biography,  and  in 
such  reproduction  of  the  long  lost  faces 
as  modern  science  makes  possible. 

Samuel  H.\rt. 


1233370 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BROWNING,  John  Hull, 

Enterprising  Bnsiness  Man. 

The  names  of  the  chronicle  that  follows 
have  all  had  honored  and  notable  repre- 
sentatives in  the  Connecticut  common- 
wealth, and  the  pages  of  her  history  are 
open  in  hearty  welcome  to  the  records 
compiled  therein.  Browning,  Hazard, 
Hull  and  Sisson  are  patronymics  standing 
in  distinction  and  prominence  throughout 
all  New  England,  and  Connecticut  has 
had  her  share  of  worthy  service  and  de- 
voted loyalty  from  their  members. 

The  surname  Browning  is  Anglo- 
Saxon,  and  in  its  older  form  would  ap- 
pear to  be  the  German  word  Bruning, 
which  later  came  to  be  rendered  in  vari- 
ous ways,  as  Bruning,  Bruening,  Browne- 
ing,  Brimming,  Brininge,  Browninge,  etc. 
The  earliest  form  of  the  name,  according 
to  the  poet,  Robert  Browning,  was  "De 
Bruni,"  which  was  the  name  in  Norman 
French  of  one  of  the  ancient  German 
tribes  which  inhabited  the  northern  part 
of  the  country  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic 
sea.  According  to  the  scholar,  John 
Aaron  Browning,  the  form  of  the  word  in 
High  German  is  Brauning  and  in  Low 
German  is  Bruning,  names  still  often 
found.  In  the  English  home  of  the  fam- 
ily the  name  was  anglicized  to  Browning. 
The  word  Bruning  probably  refers  to  the 
complexion  of  the  skin  or  the  hair  of  the 
people  originally  socalled.  The  "brun" 
meaning  brown,  and  the  suffix  "ing"  mean- 
ing relating  to,  the  significance  of  the  name 
would  be  relating  to  those  of  brown 
complexion.  Some  scholars,  however, 
contend  that  "ing"  is  a  diminutive  signi- 
fying "less,"  so  that  those  designated 
Bruning  would  be  described  as  less  brown 


than  their  neighbors.  The  Anglo-Saxon 
word  Browning  may  have  the  same  mean- 
ing ascribed  to  Bruning,  but  "ing"  in 
Anglo-Saxon  is  the  word  for  meadow  or 
low  pasture  land,  such  as  surrounds  the 
shores  of  the  Baltic.  As  the  Brunings 
originally  came  from  that  locality,  the 
word  may  have  referred  to  them  as  the 
inhabitants  of  the  low  meadows  or  pasture 
lands  whence  they  came.  The  Browning 
arms  are  recorded  as  follows : 

Arms — Barry  wavy  of  six  argent  and  azure. 

Crest — ^A  sinister  arm  from  the  elbow,  issuing 
from  a  cloud  in  the  dexter,  holding  the  hand  above 
a  serpent's  head,  erect  from  the  middle,  and  look- 
ing towards  the  sinister  proper. 

(I)  Nathaniel  Browning,  son  of  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Browning,  of  London,  Eng- 
land, was  born  in  London,  England,  about 
1618.  Mrs.  Browning  and  her  husband 
would  appear  both  to  have  been  Non- 
Conformists,  and  the  prosecution  that  fol- 
lowed them  was  probably  the  inducing 
cause  that  led  Nathaniel  Browning  to 
embark  for  America  soon  after  he  came 
of  age,  or  in  the  year  1640,  when  he  was 
about  twenty-two  years  old.  He  landed 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  from  there 
went  to  Portsmouth,  Rhode  Island.  The 
reason  for  his  going  was  probably  that 
his  subsequent  father-in-law,  William 
Freeborn,  was  also  a  Puritan,  or  Non- 
Conformist,  and  had  sailed  from  Ipswich, 
England,  in  1634,  when  he  was  forty 
years  old,  and  his  wife  Mary,  thirty-five 
years  old. 

The  first  mention  that  we  have  of 
Nathaniel  Browning  in  the  records  of 
Rhode  Island  is  in  1645,  when  it  is  stated 
that  he  purchased  a  dwelling  house  and 
two  lots  in  Warwick  for  three  pounds  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


wampum.  The  wampum  consisted  of 
strings  of  carefully  selected  shells,  con- 
sidered and  used  as  money  by  the  Indians. 
In  1654  he  was  made  a  freeman.  This 
implied  a  good  deal  at  the  time,  as  the 
colonies  were  very  young,  and  not  only 
the  Indians  were  in  the  vicinity,  fre- 
quently visiting  the  settlements,  but  also, 
what  was  more  to  be  dreaded,  many  per- 
sons of  uncertain  character  were  continu- 
ally coming  from  England  to  America 
who  threatened  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the 
settlements.  As  any  person  who  was 
made  a  freeman  was  taken  into  the  coun- 
cil and  government  of  the  colony,  such 
persons  were  only  admitted  by  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  and  after  having  taken  an 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  government  here 
established  ;  and  it  was  very  important  for 
the  protection  of  their  wives  and  children 
as  well  as  their  property  that  no  such  per- 
sons should  be  admitted  as  freeman.  This 
custom  continued  until  the  second  charter 
in  1692  made  Massachusetts  a  royal 
province.  He  died  at  Portsmouth,  Rhode 
Island,  about  1670,  when  about  fifty-two 
years  old. 

Nathaniel  Browning  married,  about 
1650,  Sarah  Freeborn,  second  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  Freeborn,  who  sailed 
from  Ipswich,  England,  in  1634.  Two 
children  were  born  to  Nathaniel  and 
Sarah  Browning:  William,  of  whom 
further;  Jane,  born  about  1655. 

(II)  William  Browning,  son  of  Nathan- 
iel and  Sarah  (Freeborn)  Browning,  was 
born  about  165 1,  at  Portsmouth,  Rhode 
Island.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  lived  at 
North  Kingston,  Rhode  Island.  In  1684 
he  was  made  a  freeman,  and  the  records 
show  that  he  exchanged  lands  in  1685. 
The  record  also  shows  that  on  February 
26,  1688,  he  sold  to  Robert  Fisher  twenty 
acres.  He  died  in  1730,  in  the  eightieth 
year  of  his  age.     His  will,  dated  January 


12,  1730,  proved  February  8,  1730,  reads 
in  part  as  follows : 

To  wife,  Sarah,  thirty  pounds  yearly  for  life;  to 
eldest  son,  Samuel,  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in 
South  Kingston,  one  hundred  pounds,  and  to  have 
also  ten  pounds  paid  by  his  brother  John ;  to  son 
William  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  South 
Kingston  on  which  he  now  dwelleth ;  to  son  John  a 
hundred  acres  at  Point  Judith,  where  he  dwelleth ;  to 
daughter  Sarah  three  hundred  pounds ;  to  deceased 
daughter  Hannah  Knowles  children,  Rebecca  and 
Hannah,  a  hundred  pounds  at  eighteen,  equally 
divided ;  to  three  sons  the  rest  of  the  estate  equally. 

William  Browning  married  (first),  in 
1687,  Rebecca  Wilbur,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel and  Hannah  (Porter)  Wilbur,  grand- 
daughter of  Samuel  Wilbur  and  John 
Porter,  both  of  whom  were  original 
settlers  of  Portsmouth.  He  married 
(second)  Sarah,  surname  unknown,  who 
died  in  1730.  Issue,  all  by  first  marriage: 
I.  Samuel,  born  February  9,  1688.  2. 
Hannah,  born  July  16,  1691.  3.  William, 
born  September  29,  1693.  4.  Sarah,  born 
April,  1694.    5.  John,  of  whom  further. 

(Ill)  John  Browning,  youngest  son  of 
William  and  Rebecca  (Wilbur)  Brown- 
ing, was  born  March  4,  1696,  at  South 
Kingston,  Rhode  Island.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  lived  in  South  Kingston,  near 
the  seacoast.  In  1774  he  was  made  a 
freeman,  and  the  records  show  that  on 
March  8,  1738,  he  bought  of  Jeffrey 
Hazard  a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres,  giv- 
ing £2000  for  it.  He  sold,  October  20, 
1741,  to  Stephen  Hazard,  for  £3000,  a 
tract  of  land  of  a  hundred  acres,  and  April 
27,  1741,  he  deeded  to  his  son  Jeremiah 
forty  acres  of  the  land  bought  of  Jeffrey 
Hazard,  a  relative  of  his  wife.  In  later 
years  the  Hazard  family  became  very 
wealthy  by  manufacturing  woolens,  their 
principal  mill  being  at  Peace  Dale,  Rhode 
Island.  In  his  will,  dated  August  23, 
1770,  proved  April  14,  1777,  he  deeded  to 
his  grandsons,  Thomas  and  William,  sons 


IBrotumnn 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


I 


of  Thomas,  deceased,  all  his  lands  in 
South  Kingston,  being  part  of  his  home- 
stead farm,  about  a  hundred  acres,  and  to 
them  fourteen  acres  salt  marsh  in  Charles- 
ton. John  Browning  was  buried  in  the 
little  Quaker  burying  ground  at  South 
Kingston,  Rhode  Island,  near  the  factory, 
a  small  granite  headstone,  dug  from  the 
hills  nearby,  marking  the  spot  where  he 
lies.  The  name  "John  Browning"  is  all 
that  is  carved  upon  it,  while  at  his  side 
a  small  mound  of  earth  marks  the  resting 
place  of  his  wife,  Ann  (Hazard)  Brown- 
ing, with  no  tombstone  at  all  to  mark  the 
spot.  John  Browning  died  in  1777,  at 
Exeter,  Rhode  Island,  in  his  eighty-first 
year. 

John  Browning  married,  April  21,  1721, 
Ann  Hazard,  born  February  28,  1701, 
daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Sarah  (Smith) 
Hazard.  (See  Hazard  line.)  Issue:  i. 
Thomas,  of  whom  further.  2.  Sarah  Eliza- 
beth, born  1724.  3.  Jeremiah,  born  1726. 
4.  Hannah,  born  1728.  5.  Martha,  born 
1732.  6.  Ann,  born  1734.  7.  Eunice,  born 
1740.  8.  John,  born  September  15,  1742. 
9.  Mary,  born  1744.  10.  Ephriam,  born 
September  20,  1746. 

(IV)  Thomas  Browning,  eldest  son  of 
John  and  Ann  (Hazard)  Browning,  was 
born  in  1722,  at  Kingston,  Rhode  Island. 
He  was  a  farmer  at  Hopkinton,  Rhode 
Island,  and  was  made  a  freeman  in  1742. 
In  religion  he  was  a  Quaker.  He  was 
ensign  of  Company  I,  South  Kingston, 
Third  Regiment,  in  May,  1743,  and  was 
made  captain  of  his  company  in  May, 
1747.  He  is  mentioned  as  justice  of  the 
peace  at  Little  Compton  in  June,  1749. 
He  died  in  1770,  at  South  Kingston, 
Rhode  Island,  aged  fifty-two  years.  He 
left  no  will,  but  the  inventory  of  his  per- 
sonal estate  showed  that  it  amounted  to 
£650. 

Thomas  Browning  married  (first) 
Mary  Browning,  daughter  of  William  and 


Mary  (Wilkinson)  Browning.  He  mar- 
ried (second),  July  2,  1769,  Anna  Hoxie, 
daughter  of  Solomon  and  Mary  Hoxie,  of 
Richmond,  Rhode  Island.  Issue  by  first 
marriage :  i.  Robert,  born  1757.  2. 
Thomas,  born  1761.  3.  William  Thomas, 
of  further  mention.  4.  Annie,  born  1767. 
Issue  by  second  marriage:  i.  Joshua,  born 
1770. 

(V)  William  Thomas  Browning,  third 
son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Browning) 
Browning,  was  born  at  South  Kingston, 
Rhode  Island,  May  11,  1765.  He  was  left 
an  orphan  when  he  was  six  years  old, 
and  went  to  live  with  his  uncles,  who 
were  also  his  guardians.  He  lived  part  of 
the  time  with  his  uncle,  Jeremiah  Brown- 
ing, and  part  of  the  time  with  his  uncle, 
John  Browning.  When  eleven  years  of 
age  his  guardians  sold  a  farm  for  him  for 
a  very  large  amount  for  those  days,  and 
the  money  was  stored  in  his  guardian's 
house  in  South  Kingston,  in  gold  and 
silver  coins.  This  was  during  the  War 
of  the  Revolution,  and  the  State  govern- 
ment sent  officers  with  soldiers  and  took 
the  money,  leaving  in  its  place  continental 
currency,  which  was  stored  in  barrels  in 
the  garret  of  the  house.  When  he  moved 
from  South  Kingston  he  went  to  Preston 
township,  Connecticut,  and  bought  a  farm 
there.  He  built  a  new  farm  house  on  the 
dividing  line  between  the  townships  of 
Preston  and  North  Stonington,  so  that 
one-half  of  the  house  was  in  one  town- 
ship and  one-half  in  the  other.  This  after- 
wards became  known  as  the  old  Brown- 
ing homestead,  and  is  still  standing  in 
very  good  condition,  occupied  by  a  Mr. 
Richardson.  The  barrels  of  continental 
money  he  took  with  him  and  stored  in  the 
garret  of  his  new  home.  He  died  January 
2,  1826,  on  his  farm  in  Preston. 

William  T.  Browning  married,  Decem- 
ber 29,  1784,  Catherine  Morey,  daughter 
of    Robert    Morey,   of    Newport,    Rhode 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Island.  Issue:  i.  Catherine,  born  Janu- 
ary 28,  1786.  2.  Mary,  bom  February  4, 
1788.  3.  Thomas,  born  April  21,  1790.  4. 
Elizabeth,  born  July  i,  1792.  5.  Sarah, 
(twin),  born  Augfust  9,  1794.  6.  Ann, 
(twin),  born  August  9,  1794.  7.  William, 
bom  August  25,  1796.  8.  Thomas  M., 
born  June  17,  1798.  9.  Joshua,  born  July 
17,  1800.  ID.  John  Hazard,  of  whom 
further.  11.  Latham  Hull,  born  April  13, 
1804.  12.  Oren,  born  March  31,  1806.  13. 
Benjamin  Franklin,  born  February  18, 
1808.  14.  Susan  A.,  born  November  8, 
1810. 

(VI)  John  Hazard  Browning,  son  of 
William  Thomas  and  Catherine  (Morey) 
Browning,  was  born  July  28,  1801,  at  the 
Browning  homestead  near  Preston  City, 
Connecticut.  He  grew  up  on  his  father's 
farm  near  Preston  City,  and  when  five  or 
six  years  old  met  with  an  accident  by 
falling  into  a  deep  well,  which  nearly  cost 
him  his  life.  He  taught  school  for  sev- 
eral years  before  starting  in  business,  and 
began  his  commercial  career  in  Milltown, 
Connecticut,  in  1821,  where  he  ran  a  gen- 
eral store,  dealing  largely  in  yarn  spun 
by  the  farmers'  wives.  Shortly  after  his 
marriage  he  moved  to  New  London,  Con- 
necticut, and  there  continued  a  general 
merchandise  business.  In  1833  he  moved 
to  New  York  City  and  started  in  the  dry 
goods  business  at  the  corner  of  Fulton 
and  Water  streets,  as  Browning  &  Hull. 
In  1849  he  closed  his  business  and  went 
into  the  general  merchandise  in  Cali- 
fornia, along  with  Oliver  Jennings  and 
Benjamin  A.  Brewster,  whom  he  sent  out 
to  California  for  the  purpose.  He  re- 
mained in  New  York  City  manufacturing 
cloth  and  buying  other  supplies  which  he 
shipped  to  the  store  in  California.  The 
store  was  burned  three  times  without  fire 
insurance,  and  the  stock  was  a  total  loss. 
This  business  was  very  prosperous,  but 
he  withdrew  from  it  and  all  active  affairs 


in  1857,  except  as  a  special  partner  with 
his  eldest  son  in  the  clothing  business, 
which  was  conducted  by  Hanford  & 
Browning.  Afterwards  this  firm  became 
Browning,  King  &  Company,  and  now 
has  stores  in  nearly  all  the  principal  cities 
of  the  United  States.  He  died  March  22, 
1877. 

John  Hazard  Browning  married  (first), 
September  21,  1829,  Eliza  Smith  Hull,  of 
Stonington,  Connecticut,  daughter  of 
Colonel  John  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Smith) 
Hull,  the  latter  of  Waterford,  Connecti- 
cut; she  died  April  21,  1875  (see  Hull 
VIII).  John  Hazard  Browning  married 
(second)  Isabelle  Rutter,  daughter  of 
William  Rutter,  of  New  York  City,  Janu- 
ary II,  1876.  Issue,  all  by  first  marriage: 
I.  John  W.,  born  March  5,  1831,  died  in 
1833.  2.  William  Charles,  born  November 
I3>  1835.  3.  Edward  Franklin,  born  June 
21,  1837.  4.  Ann  Elizabeth,  born  Febru- 
ary 13,  1839.  5.  John  Hull,  of  whom 
further. 

(VII)  John  Hull  Browning,  youngest 
child  of  John  Hazard  and  Eliza  Smith 
(Hull)  Browning,  was  born  December  25, 
1841,  in  Orange,  New  Jersey,  where  the 
family  had  been  for  some  time  estab- 
lished. After  pursuing  a  course  in  the 
New  York  Academy,  he  embarked  upKsn  a 
business  career  in  his  twentieth  year, 
entering  the  wholesale  clothing  firm  of 
William  C.  Browning  &  Company,  which 
business  was  very  successful,  and  John 
Hull  Browning  ultimately  became  inter- 
ested in  various  financial  and  business 
enterprises.  Soon  after  1883  he  succeeded 
the  late  Charles  G.  Sisson  as  president  of 
the  Northern  Railroad  of  New  Jersey, 
which  position  he  occupied  twenty-two 
years.  He  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  East  &  West  Railroad  of  Alabama, 
and  for  twenty  years  was  president  of 
the  Richmond  County  Gas  Company,  in 
what  is  Greater  New  York.     For  some 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


time  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Cherokee 
Iron  Company  of  Cedartown,  Georgia, 
and  he  was  a  director  in  the  Citizen's 
National  Bank  of  Englewood,  New  Jer- 
sey. Mr.  Browning  made  his  home  in 
New  York  City,  but  maintained  an  attrac- 
tive summer  home  at  Tenafly,  New  Jer- 
sey. He  was  deeply  interested  in  organ- 
ized charitable  work,  both  in  New  York 
and  New  Jersey,  and  in  association  with 
his  wife  erected  a  fresh  air  children's 
home  at  Tenafly.  While  he  was  essen- 
tially a  business  man,  a  director  in  many 
profitable  enterprises,  Mr.  Browning  al- 
ways had  time  for  a  reasonable  amount 
of  recreation,  and  devoted  much  thought 
and  care  to  benevolent  work  in  the  inter- 
est of  mankind  in  general.  He  was  twice 
a  presidential  elector,  and  prior  to  his 
marriage  was  active  in  the  Masonic  order. 
He  died  suddenly  in  the  Erie  ferryhouse 
at  the  foot  of  Chambers  street.  New  York 
City,  October  26,  1914,  on  his  way  home. 
John  Hull  Browning  married,  October 
19,  1871,  Eva  B.  Sisson,  daughter  of 
Charles  Grandison  and  Mary  Elizabeth 
(Garrabrant)  Sisson  (see  Sisson  on  a  fol- 
lowing page).  They  were  the  parents  of 
a  son,  John  Hull  Browning,  Jr.,  bom 
October  6,  1874.  died  June  10,  1917. 

(Tho   Hazard    Line). 

Arms — Azure,  two  bars  argent;  on  a  chief  or 
three  escallops  gules. 

Crest — An  escallop  gules. 

The  family  of  Hassard,  Hassart,  or 
Hazard,  is  of  Norman  extraction.  At  the 
time  of  the  Conquest  they  were  sitting  on 
the  borders  of  Switzerland,  and  were  dis- 
tinguished by  the  ancient  but  long  extinct 
title  of  Duke  de  Charante.  Two  bearing 
this  title  visited  the  Holy  Land  as  cru- 
saders. The  Hazards  in  this  country 
belong  chiefly  to  Rhode  Island,  where  the 
original  Thomas  Hazard  settled  in  1639. 
Tradition  says  that  Thomas  Hazard  was 


accompanied  by  a  nephew,  the  ancestor 
of  the  New  York  and  southern  branches 
of  the  family.  In  Rhode  Island  the  name 
is  one  of  the  most  numerous  in  the  State. 
Mrs.  Mary  Hazard,  of  South  Kingston, 
Rhode  Island,  grandmother  of  Governor 
Hazard,  died  in  1739,  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  years,  and  could  count  up  five 
hundred  children,  grandchildren,  great- 
grandchildren, and  great-great-grandchil- 
dren, of  whom  two  hundred  and  five  were 
then  living. 

(I)  Thomas  Hazard,  the  first  American 
ancestor,  born  in  England  in  1610,  came 
from  England,  some  say  Wales,  and  set- 
tled in  Rhode  Island,  in  1635.  His  name 
is  first  found  in  Boston  in  1635.  In  1638 
he  was  admitted  a  freeman  of  Boston ;  in 
1639  he  was  admitted  freeman  of  New- 
port, Rhode  Island,  and  in  1640  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  General  Court 
of  Elections.  He  died  in  1680.  Thomas 
Hazard  married  (first)  Martha,  surname 
unknown,  who  died  in  1669.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  Martha  Sheriff,  widow  of 
Thomas  Sheriff,  who  died  in  1691.  Issue, 
probably  all  by  first  marriage:  i.  Robert, 
of  whom  further.  2.  Elizabeth,  married 
George  Lawton.  3.  Hannah,  married 
Stephen  Wilcox,  son  of  Edward  Wilcox. 
4.  Martha,  married  (first)  Ichabod  Potter, 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Dorothy  Potter; 
(second)  Benjamin  Mowry,  son  of  Roger 
and  Mary  Mowry. 

(II)  Robert  Hazard,  eldest  son  of 
Thomas  and  Martha  (Sheriff)  Hazard, 
was  born  in  1635,  in  England  or  Ireland. 
He  was  admitted  a  freeman  of  Ports- 
mouth, Rhode  Island,  and  appears  to  have 
been  a  prominent  man  in  the  colony,  and 
was  a  large  landowner.  He  built  a  big 
house  in  Kingston,  Rhode  Island,  which 
stood  for  a  century  and  a  half.  The  house 
had  a  long  L  in  which  was  a  capacious 
chimney  with  two  stone  seats  where,  tra- 
dition says,  the  little  slave  children  were 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


wont  to  sit.  Robert  Hazard,  according  to 
the  deeds  given  to  his  sons  and  others, 
owned  more  than  a  thousand  acres  of 
land.    He  died  in  1710. 

Robert  Hazard  married  Mary  Brownell, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ann  Brownell. 
She  died  January  28,  1739,  at  the  age  of 
one  hundred  years,  having  lived  to  see 
five  hundred  of  her  descendants,  as  previ- 
ously stated.  She  appears  to  have  been 
remarkable  in  more  ways  than  one,  for 
the  "Boston  Gazette"  dated  February  12, 
1739,  says  of  her:  "She  was  accounted  a 
very  useful  Gentlewoman,  both  to  the 
Poor  and  Rich  on  many  accounts,  and 
particularly  amongst  Sick  Persons  for  her 
Skill  and  Judgment,  which  she  did 
Gratis."  Issue:  i.  Thomas,  born  in  1660, 
died  in  1746;  married  Susannah  Nichols. 
2.  George,  married  Penelope  Arnold, 
daughter  of  Caleb  and  Abigail  Arnold, 
and  died  in  1743.  3.  Stephen,  married 
Elizabeth  Helme,  and  died  September  20, 
1727.  4.  Martha,  married  Thomas  Wil- 
cox, and  died  in  1753.  5.  Mary,  married 
Edward  Wilcox,  and  died  before  1710.  6. 
Robert,  married  Amey,  surname  un- 
known, and  died  in  1710.  7.  Jeremiah,  of 
whom  further.  8.  Hannah,  married  Jef- 
frey Champlin. 

(Ill)  Jeremiah  Hazard,  fifth  son  and 
seventh  child  of  Robert  and  Mary 
(Brownell)  Hazard,  was  born  March  25, 
1675.  He  lived  at  Kingstown,  Rhode 
Island,  and  like  others  of  the  family  he 
owned  much  land,  some  of  which  re- 
mained with  his  descendants  for  genera- 
tions. He  died  February  2,  1768,  aged 
ninety-three  years. 

Jeremiah  Hazard  married  Sarah  Smith, 
daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Mary  ( Geready) 
Smith.  Issue:  i.  Mary,  born  March  12, 
1696,  died  in  1771.  2.  Ann,  born  February 
28,  1701 ;  married  John  Browning,  of 
South  Kingston  (see  Browning  III).  3. 
Robert,     born    April     i,     1703,     married 


Patience  Northup.  4.  Sarah,  born  Janu- 
ary II,  1706,  married,  October  24,  1728, 
Robert  Moore.  5.  Martha,  born  October 
8,  1708.  6.  Hannah,  born  in  April,  1714; 
married  Samuel  Watson.  7.  Susannah, 
born  May  21,  1716. 

(The  Hull  Line). 

Arms — -Sable,  a  chevron  ermine  between  three 
talbots'   heads   erased   argent. 

Crest — ^A  talbot's  head  erased  argent  between 
two  laurel  branches  proper  united  at  the  top. 

It  is  claimed  by  some  that  people  who 
spell  their  name  Hull  are  derived  from  the 
same  stock  as  those  who  spell  their  name 
Hill  and  Hall,  etc.  In  support  of  this 
theory,  old  records  are  cited,  showing  the 
spelling  of  names  as  de  la  Hille,  de  la 
Hall,  de  Hill,  de  Hall,  de  Halle,  Hall  and 
Hill  and  de  Hulle  and  de  la  Hulle,  Hule 
and  Hull.  It  is  also  claimed  that  the 
Saxon  word  "atte"  is  the  equivalent  of 
the  Norman  word  "de"  or  "de  la"  and  the 
surname  Hill,  Helle,  Hulle,  or  Hulls 
means  a  hill  or  hills.  Atte  Hull  therefore 
would  appear  to  mean,  of  the  hills  or 
from  the  hills.  The  probabilities  are, 
however,  that  Hull,  Hill  and  Hall  are  and 
have  always  been  the  names  of  separate 
and  distinct  families,  themselves  divided 
into  other  families  of  the  same  name,  hav- 
ing no  connection  with  each  other  except 
where  they  belonged  to  the  same  locality. 
The  ancestors  of  those  bearing  the  name 
of  Hull  were  among  the  settlers  and 
founders  of  this  country.  They  took  part 
in  the  formation  of  the  government  in  the 
early  colonies  as  well  as  in  the  first  war 
of  the  colony  of  Connecticut  against  the 
Pequot  Indians ;  their  descendants  again 
served  in  King  Philip's  War,  and  later  in 
the  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  wars,  and 
have  held  in  both  civic  and  military  affairs 
of  this  country  positions  of  which  their 
descendants  may  be  proud. 

(I)  Rev.  Joseph  Hull,  the  immigrant 
ancestor  of  one  well  known  American  line 


8 


HULL 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


bearing  the  name  of  Hull,  was  born  in 
Somersetshire,  England,  about  1594.  He 
matriculated  at  St.  Magdalen  Hall,  Ox- 
ford, May  12,  1612,  aged  seventeen  years, 
and  was  installed  rector  of  Northleigh 
diocese  of  Exeter,  Devonshire,  England, 
April  14,  1621.  On  March  20,  1635,  he 
sailed  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his 
wife  Agnes,  aged  twenty-five  years,  who 
was  his  second  wife,  and  two  sons,  five 
daughters,  and  three  servants,  from  Wey- 
mouth, bound  for  New  England,  with  a 
company  composed  of  sixteen  families 
and  numbering  one  hundred  and  four  per- 
sons, chiefly  west  country  people.  They 
arrived  in  Boston  Harbor,  May  6,  1635. 
On  their  arrival  at  Boston  a  grant  was 
obtained  to  establish  a  plantation  at  Wes- 
saguscus,  and  here,  with  others  from 
Boston  and  Dorchester,  they  soon  gath- 
ered into  a  church  organization  with  Mr. 
Hull  as  their  pastor.  In  September  of  the 
same  year  Mr.  Hull,  with  other  prominent 
residents  of  his  community,  took  the 
freeman's  oath,  and  their  plantation  was 
erected  into  a  township  and  "decreed 
hereafter  to  be  called  Weymouth."  The 
new  church  did  not  meet  with  favor  from 
its  Puritan  neighbors.  Dissension  quickly 
arose  within  the  church  itself,  instigated 
by  the  authorities  outside,  and  in  less  than 
a  year  the  Separatists  had  called  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Jenner,  of  Roxbury,  to  be  their 
pastor,  and  Mr.  Hull  relinquished  his 
charge  and  withdrew.  He  obtained  a 
grant  of  land  in  Hingham,  the  adjoining 
town,  and  after  a  brief  season  of  preach- 
ing at  Bass  River,  now  Beverly,  he  gave 
up  his  ministerial  labor  and  turned  his 
attention  to  civic  affairs.  He  evidently 
possessed  the  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen,  for  he  was  twice  elected 
deputy  to  the  General  Court,  and  in  1638 
was  appointed  one  of  the  local  magis- 
trates of  Hingham.  In  June,  1639,  the 
Plymouth  court  granted  authority  to  Mr. 


Joseph  Hull  and  Thomas  Dimoc  to  erect 
a  plantation  at  Barnstable,  on  Cai>e  Cod. 
Mr.  Hull  was  elected  freeman  and  deputy 
for  Barnstable  at  the  first  General  Court 
held  at  Plymouth.  For  a  time  he  sup- 
ported his  family  by  agriculture  and  the 
raising  of  cattle  and  horses.  Turning 
once  more  to  the  ministry,  he  preached 
for  a  long  time  at  the  Isle  of  Shoals.  Re- 
turning to  Barnstable,  he  accepted  a  call 
at  Yarmouth  and  moved  his  family  there, 
but  as  the  call  was  not  for  a  recognized 
church  organization,  it  aroused  the  hos- 
tility of  the  authorities  and  Mr.  Hull 
was  excommunicated  by  the  Barnstable 
Church  in  1641.  He  withdrew  to  the 
more  friendly  association  of  the  Maine 
colony.  For  a  time  he  was  settled  at  the 
Isle  of  Shoals,  and  in  1643  was  called  to 
York,  Maine,  as  minister.  In  1652  Mr. 
Hull  returned  to  England  and  was  given 
the  living  at  St.  Burian,  in  Cornwall, 
where  he  remained  until  after  the  Restora- 
tion. In  1662  he  returned  to  America  and 
was  settled  as  minister  at  Oyster  River, 
now  Dover,  New  Hampshire.  Here, 
among  his  old  friends,  he  passed  the  clos- 
ing years  of  his  life  in  quietness  and 
esteem.  He  died  at  York,  Maine,  Novem- 
ber 19,  1665. 

Rev.  Joseph  Hull  was  twice  married, 
but  the  names  of  both  his  wives  remain 
unknown.  The  first  died  in  England,  and 
he  married  again,  about  1635.  Issue:  i. 
Joanna,  born  in  England,  married  (first) 
at  Sandwich,  Massachusetts,  Colonel  John 
Bursley,  of  Barnstable.  Married  (second) 
Dolor  Davis.  2.  Joseph,  born  in  England, 
settled  at  York,  Maine.  3.  Tristram,  of 
whom  further.  4.  Temperance,  born  in 
England.  5.  Elizabeth,  born  in  England. 
6.  Grisselds,  born  in  England.  7.  Dorothy. 
8.  Benjamin,  born  in  Hingham.  9.  Naomi, 
born  in  Barnstable.     10.  Ruth. 

(II)  Captain  Tristram  Hull,  second  son 
of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Hull,  was  born  in  Eng- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land,  in  1626.  He  was  a  selectman  of 
Barnstable,  a  military  officer,  and  left 
property  to  the  value  of  £1150  2s.  5d., 
sterling,  a  large  amount  in  those  days.  In 
February,  1656,  he  was  fined  for  reliev- 
ing some  persecuted  Quakers  of  Boston. 
He  joined  the  Society  of  Friends. 

Captain  Tristram  Hull  married,  but  the 
name  of  his  wife  is  unknown.  Issue:  i. 
Mary,  born  in  Yarmouth,  September  16, 
1645 ;  married  Joseph  Holley,  of  Sand- 
wich. 2.  Sarah,  born  in  March,  1650,  at 
Barnstable ;  married  Robert  Burgess,  of 
Linn.  3.  Joseph,  of  whom  further.  4. 
John,  born  in  Barnstable  in  March,  1654; 
married,  in  London,  October  23,  1684, 
Alice  Tidemann.  5.  Hannah,  born  in 
Barnstable,  February,  1656  ;  married,  Sep- 
tember 15,  1674,  Joseph  Blish,  and  died 
November  15,  1733. 

(III)  Joseph  (2)  Hull,  eldest  son  of 
Captain  Tristram  Hull,  was  born  at  Barn- 
stable, in  June,  1652.  He  was  made  a 
freeman  in  1696,  and  was  governor  assist- 
ant in  1699  and  from  1701  to  1703.  He 
suffered  much  persecution  because  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  of 
which  community  he  was  a  minister.  In 
1681  he  was  fined  for  beating  the  sheriflF 
who  had  persecuted  him  as  a  Quaker.  He 
died  at  South  Kingston,  Rhode  Island, 
about  1709.  Joseph  (2)  Hull  married,  in 
October,  1676,  Experience  Harper,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Harper,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  Quakers  to  suffer  in  body  and  estate, 
and  was  in   1660  banished  from  Boston. 

(IV)  Tristram  (2)  Hull,  son  of  Joseph 
(2)  and  Experience  (Harper)  Hull,  was 
born  in  1677,  lived  in  Westerly,  and 
owned  lands  there.  He  died  in  1718. 
Tristram  (2)  Hull  married  Elizabeth 
Dyer,  daughter  of  Charles  Dyer,  son  of 
William  Dyer,  whose  wife  Mary  was 
executed  on  Boston  Common,  January  i, 
1660,  because  she  was  a  Quakeress. 

(V)  Stephen  Hull,  son  of  Tristram  (2) 


and  Elizabeth  (Dyer)  Hull,  was  bom  at 
Westerly,  Rhode  Island,  in  1715.  He  lived 
at  South  Kingston,  and  witnessed  many 
stirring  events  during  the  Revolutionary 
War.  He  died  in  1798.  Stephen  Hull 
married  Martha  Clark. 

(VI)  Latham  Hull,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Martha  (Qark)  Hull,  was  born  at  South 
Kingston,  Rhode  Island,  in  1750.  He  died 
at  North  Stonington  in  1807.  Latham 
Hull  married  (first)  Anna  Wheeler.  He 
married  (second)  Desire  Williams,  born 
January  24,  1751,  a  lineal  descendant  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  Tilley,  both  of  whor^ 
were  passengers  on  the  "Mayflower." 
Issue :  I.  Jeremiah,  married  Keturah 
Randall  Williams.  2.  John  W.,  of  whom 
further. 

(VII)  Colonel  John  W.  Hull,  son  of 
Latham  and  Desire  (Williams)  Hull,  was 
born  in  January,  1789.  He  lived  at  North 
Stoningfton,  Connecticut,  and  served  in 
the  army,  being  colonel.  John  W.  Hull 
married  (first)  Elizabeth  Smith,  of 
Waterford,  Connecticut,  granddaughter  of 
Charles  Stewart  and  Hannah  Williams 
Smith.  He  married  (second)  Nancy 
York.  Issue  by  first  marriage :  i.  Eunice, 
married  Benjamin  Franklin  Browning, 
brother  of  John  Hazard  Browning.  2. 
John  Pomery,  married  Harriet  Jane 
Argall,  of  New  York  City.  3.  Eliza 
Smith,  of  whom  further.  Issue  by  second 
marriage :  4.  Jesse  Y.  Lathrop.  5. 
Charles  S.  6.  Ann,  married  (first)  Eras- 
tus  Hewitt;  (second)  Latham  Stewart. 
7.  Elmire,  married  William  Argall. 

(VIII)  Eliza  Smith  Hull,  daughter  of 
Colonel  John  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Smith) 
Hull,  was  born  May  26,  1812.  She  was 
a  woman  of  great  literary  accomplish- 
ments. She  died  April  21,  1875.  Eliza 
Smith  Hull  married,  September  21,  1829, 
John  Hazard  Browning,  when  she  was 
seventeen  and  he  was  twenty-eight  years 
old  (see  Browning  VI). 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SISSON,  Charles  G., 

Man  of  Great  Enterprise. 

Arms — Per  fesse  embattled  or  and  azure,  three 
griffins'  heads   erased   counterchanged. 

Crest~A  griffin's  head  erased  or. 

Motto— Hope  for  the  best.  (The  motto,  Si 
sonent  tubae  paratus.  has  been  sometimes  used  over 
the  crest). 

This  family  name  was  probably  derived 
from  Soissons,  a  province  of  France,  the 
progenitors  of  the  English  branches 
doubtless  having  come  to  Britain  vsrith 
William  of  Normandy.  In  the  poll  tax 
returns  of  Howdenshire  (Yorkshire)  for 
the  year  1739  the  following  names  are 
found :  Johannes  Sisson,  Robertus  Cis- 
son,  Henricus  Sisson,  Thomas  Cysson, 
and  William  Cisson.  An  English  gene- 
alogist concludes  that  in  one  instance  the 
name  is  derived  from  Syston,  a  populous 
village  in  Leicestershire,  but  here  again 
the  real  origin  leads  to  France.  The  Eng- 
lish Sissons  were,  as  a  rule,  non-conform- 
ists and  engaged  in  commerce. 

(I)  Richard  Sisson,  the  first  of  the 
name  in  America,  is  of  record  at  Ports- 
mouth, Rhode  Island,  where  on  May  17, 
1653,  he  was  admitted  a  freeman  of  the 
town.  On  July  2,  1653,  he  was  on  a  jury 
that  found  in  the  case  of  Thomas  Brad- 
ley (discovered  dead  on  the  highway) 
"that  by  extremity  of  heat  the  said 
Thomas  was  overcome  and  so  perished  by 
himself  in  the  wilderness."  On  July  6, 
1658,  he  bought  of  William  Hall  one 
three-hundredth  of  the  island  of  Quonon- 
oquett  (Conanicut),  and  one  three  hun- 
dredth of  Dutch  Island,  and  two  years 
later  he  disposed  of  this  property  and  a 
like  amount  in  the  same  locality.  In  1667 
he  served  on  the  grand  jury,  being  then  at 
Dartmouth,  Massachusetts,  and  in  1668, 
at  the  age  of  sixty  or  thereabouts,  he  gave 
the  following  testimony:  "John  Archer, 
being  at  my  house,  did  speak  as  foUow- 


eth,  and  said  the  deed  of  gift  made  by 
Namumpan  to  John  Sanford  and  himself 
was  a  cheat,  and  the  intent  thereof  was 
to  deceive  Namumpan,  squaw  Sachem,  of 
her  land  ;  and  they  were  to  have  both  corn 
and  peague  to  secure  her  land,  from 
Wamsutta  or  Peter  Talman,  and  was  to 
resign  up  the  deed  at  her  demand."  In 
1671  he  was  surveyor  of  highways.  He 
died  in  1684.  The  inventory  of  his  estate 
amounted  to  £600  igd,  and  included  one 
Indian  servant,  valued  at  £10,  and  one 
negro  servant  valued  at  £28.  His  wife 
Mary  died  in  1692.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children:  i.  George,  of  whom 
further.  2.  Elizabeth,  born  April  8,  1650; 
married,  1670,  Caleb  Allen.  3.  James, 
died  in  1734;  married  Elizabeth  Hatha- 
way.   4.  John,  died  in  1687 ;  married  Mary 

.     5.  Anne,  died  in   1713,  married 

Peleg  Tripp.  6.  Mary,  died  in  1674;  mar- 
ried Isaac  Lawton. 

(II)  George  Sisson,  son  of  Richard  and 
Mary  Sisson,  was  born  in  1644,  and  died 
September  7,  1718.  About  1667  he  went 
with  his  father  to  Dartmouth,  and  after 
remaining  a  few  years  returned  to  Ports- 
mouth. In  1671  he  was  on  the  grand  jury 
at  Dartmouth,  and  in  the  same  year  was 
on  a  committee  to  view  the  damage  done 
the  Indians  by  the  horses  and  dogs  of  the 
English.  In  this  year,  too,  he  sold  prop- 
erty in  Portsmouth  for  three-eighths  of 
one  share  in  Dartmouth.  George  Sisson 
in  1684  was  on  a  jury  which  found  a  ver- 
dict on  a  dead  Indian  "that  he  murdered 
himself,"  etc.  On  June  24,  1687,  he  was 
appointed  administrator  of  his  brother 
John's  widow,  Mary.  In  the  same  year 
he  was  constable,  in  1688  grand  juryman, 
in  1690,  1702,  1705,  and  1707  deputy,  and 
in  1703  justice  of  the  peace.  His  will, 
made  August  20,  1718,  disposed  of  an 
estate  of  £451  i8s.  8d.,  the  homestead 
farm  given  to  Richard,  his  eldest  son. 
This     property,    lying    in     Portsmouth, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Rhode  Island,  has  descended  from  father 
to  son  to  the  present  time. 

George  Sisson  married  Sarah  Lawton, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Lawton.  She  died 
July  5,  1718.  Children:  i.  Elizabeth, 
born  August  18,  1669,  died  in  1752 ;  mar- 
ried Jeremiah  Clark.  2.  Mary,  born  Octo- 
ber 18,  1670,  died  in  1718.  3.  Ann,  born 
December  17,  1672 ;  married  Philip 
Weeden.  4.  Hope,  born  December  24, 
1674;  married  William  Sanford.  5. 
Richard,  born  September  10,  1676,  died  in 
1752;  married  Ann  Card.  6.  Ruth,  born 
May  5,  1680,  married  Richard  Tew.  7. 
George,  born  March  23,  1683 ;  married 
(first)  Mercy;  (second)  Lydia  Cole.  8. 
Abigail,  born  March  23,  1685,  died  August 
30,  1723 ;  married  William  Tew.  9. 
Thomas,  of  whom  further.  10.  John,  born 
June    26,    1688,    died    in    1784;    married 

Rebecca .    11.  James,  born  July  26, 

1690,  married  Deborah  Cook. 

(III)  Thomas  Sisson,  son  of  George 
and  Sarah  (Lawton)  Sisson,  was  born 
September  10,  1686,  and  died  in  1775. 
Under  his  father's  will  he  inherited  prop- 
erty in  Newport,  and  there  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life.  His  wife,  Jane, 
died  in  1758.  Children:  i.  Giles,  2.  Wil- 
liam, of  whom  further.  3.  Thomas.  4. 
Peleg.     5.  Rebecca. 

(IV)  William  Sisson,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Jane  Sisson,  was  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  well  known  resident  of  Stonington, 
Connecticut,  where  he  married  and  where 
his  children  were  born,  as  follows:  I. 
Oliver,  born  March  30,  1738.  2.  Nathan, 
born  April  14,  1740.  3.  Hannah,  born 
June  17,  1742.  4.  William,  of  whom 
further.  5.  Benajah,  born  September  17, 
1746.  6.  James,  born  August  15,  1748.  7. 
Abigail,  born  October  24,  1750.  8.  Jona- 
than, born  May  2,  1753.  9.  Hannah,  bom 
June  17,  1755.  10.  Thomas,  born  April  4, 
1758,  died  October  2,  1841. 

(V)  William   (2)   Sisson,  son  of  Wil- 


liam (i)  Sisson,  was  born  July  12,  1744, 
and  died  October  15,  1798.  He  was  a 
leading  merchant  at  Stonington,  and 
prominent  in  military  aflFairs.  William 
Sisson  married,  April  10,  1766,  Mary  or 
Marcy  Noyes,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
or  Marcy  (Breed)  Noyes,  descendant  of 
James  Noyes,  who  came  to  England  in 
1634  in  the  "Mary  and  John."  Children: 
I.  Gilbert,  of  whom  further.  2.  Marcy, 
born  April  15,  1771.  3.  Lucy,  born  Janu- 
ary 28,  1773.  4.  Abigail,  born  July  il, 
1775.  5.  Huldah,  born  February  28,  1778. 
6.  Nancy,  born  July  9,  1780.  7.  William, 
born  April  29,  1784.  8.  Polly,  born  May 
20,1787.  9.  Hannah,  born  August  25, 1792. 
(VI)  Major  Gilbert  Sisson,  son  of  Wil- 
liam (2)  and  Mary  (Noyes)  Sisson,  was 
born  at  Stonington,  March  13,  1769,  and 
died  September  11,  1840.  He  was  a  not- 
able figure  for  decades  in  the  public  life 
of  the  town  and  a  leader  in  its  military 
activity.  Major  Gilbert  Sisson  married, 
March  22,  1791,  Desire  Maine,  daughter 
of  Amos  and  Abigail  (Brown)  Maine,  of 
Stonington,  and  a  descendant  of  Ezekiel 
Maine,  founder  of  the  family  of  America, 
and  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Stoning- 
ton. She  was  born  March  31,  1772,  and 
died  November  17,  1842.  Children :  i. 
Polly,  born  November  17,  1791,  died 
August  17,  1794.  2.  Esther,  born  Decem- 
ber 8,  1793,  died  February  18,  1875;  mar- 
ried William  Lewis.  3.  Betsey,  born  Sep- 
tember 19,  1796;  married  Clark  D. 
Thompson.  4.  Noyes,  born  September  21, 
1798,  died  August  7,  1872;  married  (first) 
Eliza  Browning,  (second)  Rachel  Avery. 

5.  Gilbert,  born  September  i,  1800,  died 
July  27,  1876;  married  Elizabeth  Lewis. 

6.  William,  bom  September  6,  1802,  died 
April  6,  1875 ;  married  Abbie  Browning. 

7.  Lucy  A.,  died  November  26,  1890 ;  mar- 
ried Henry  Bliven.  8.  Charles  Grandison, 
of  whom  further.  9.  Emily,  born  June  7, 
1809,   died    February    19,    1855 ;   married 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Robert  A.  Bliven.  lo.  Benjamin  F.,  born 
April  20,  181 1,  died  September  8,  1885; 
married  (first)  Marritta  York;  (second) 
Margaret  Milliard.  11.  Cyrus  S.,  born 
March  5,  1813,  died  March  22,  1813.  12. 
Oliver  A.,  born  May  i,  1816,  died  in  1885  ; 
married  (first)  Mary  M.  Segar;  (second) 
Sarah  M.  Perry. 

(VII)  Charles  Grandison  Sisson,  son 
of  Major  Gilbert  and  Desire  (Maine) 
Sisson,  was  born  in  Stonington,  Connecti- 
cut, April  15,  1807,  and  died  August  21, 
1874.  Mr.  Sisson  was  a  projector,  con- 
tractor, and  railroad  president,  and  one  of 
the  foremost  citizens  of  New  Jersey  dur- 
ing a  residence  in  that  State  of  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century. 

Charles  Grandison  Sisson  married 
(first)  Martha  Wheeler,  daughter  of  Asa 
and  Polly  (Brown)  Wheeler,  of  Stoning- 
ton ;  (second)  Mary  Hewitt,  daughter  of 
Elias  and  Polly  (Miner)  Hewitt,  of  Ston- 
ington ;  (third)  Mary  Elizabeth  Garra- 
brant,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  in 
1836,  daughter  of  Myndert  Garrabrant, 
and  member  of  an  old  Knickerbocker 
family.  She  died  in  1870.  Charles  Grand- 
ison Sisson  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Garra- 
brant) Sisson  were  the  parents  of  Eva  B. 
Sisson,  who  married  John  Hull  Brown- 
ing  (see   Browning  VII). 


PORTER,  Rev.  Noah, 

Clergyman,  Edncator,  Anthor. 

Arms — Argent,  on  a  fess  sable,  between  two  bar- 
rulets  or,  three  church  bells  of  the  first. 

Crest — A  portcullis  proper,  chained  or. 

Motto — Vigilante  et  virtute.  (By  watchfulness 
and  braverj')- 

Genealogists  trace  the  origin  of  this 
family  to  the  Norman  Conquest,  to  one 
William  de  la  Grande,  a  Norman  knight 
who  fought  at  Hastings  in  the  train  of 
William  the  Conqueror,  and  for  his  ser- 


vices was  given  lands  at  or  near  Kenil- 
worth  in  Warwickshire.  His  son  held 
the  court  office  of  grand  porteur  under  the 
reign  of  King  Henry  from  1130  to  1140, 
and  when  the  adoption  of  surnames  be- 
came prevalent  throughout  England  took 
the  name  of  his  office.  It  would  be  an 
extravagant  exaggeration  to  assert  that 
all  the  English  Porters  and  their  Ameri- 
can descendants  are  the  progeny  of  Wil- 
liam de  la  Grande,  but  beyond  any  doubt 
the  families  of  the  name  who  have  figured 
prominently  in  English  life  and  afifairs  for 
centuries,  as  well  as  several  branches  of 
the  New  England  Porters  trace  an 
authentic  lineage  to  this  progenitor. 

The  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut 
Porters  have  included  many  persons  of 
note  in  the  learned  professions,  and  in 
civic  and  military  life.  By  far  the  most 
distinguished  member  of  the  family  in 
recent  generations  was  the  late  Noah 
Porter,  D.  D.,  noted  scholar  and  educator, 
the  eleventh  president  of  Yale  University, 
son  of  Rev.  Noah  Porter,  D.  D.,  and 
brother  of  Miss  Sarah  Porter,  the  founder 
of  the  celebrated  Porter  School  at  Farm- 
ington,  Connecticut.  In  the  American 
Revolution,  members  of  the  Porter  family 
of  New  England  were  zealous  and  active 
patriots.  At  the  first  fire  of  the  British  at 
Lexington  a  Porter  fell,  and  the  first 
name  inscribed  on  the  monumental  tablet 
of  the  slain  at  Bunker  Hill  is  that  of  a 
Porter. 

Rev.  Noah  Porter,  above  mentioned, 
was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Robert  Porter, 
founder  of  the  family  in  America. 

(I)  Robert  Porter,  immigrant  ancestor 
and  founder,  was  a  native  of  England. 
The  exact  date  of  his  coming  to  New 
England  is  not  known.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  the  ancient  town  of 
Farmington,  Connecticut,  and  one  of  its 
eighty-four  original  proprietors,  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  playing  a  leading  role 


13 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  civic  and  religious  affairs  in  the  little 
community.  He  was  one  of  the  seven 
pillars  of  the  church,  but  at  a  later  date 
left  it  to  settle  in  Mattatuck,  now  Water- 
bury,  where  he  was  granted  a  lot  in  1684. 
His  property  extended  from  what  is  now 
West  Main  street  to  Grove  street.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  proprietor  inhabi- 
tants of  Waterbury.  Robert  Porter  died 
in  Waterbury  in  1689,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  the  oldest  man  in  the  com- 
munity. He  married  Mary  Scott,  and 
among  their  children  was  Thomas,  men- 
tioned below. 

(II)  Thomas  Porter,  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  (Scott)  Porter,  was  born  in  1650, 
in  Farmington,  Connecticut.  He  married 
Abigail  Cowles,  who  was  born  in  1664, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Abigail  (Stanley) 
Cowles,  and  granddaughter  of  John 
Cowles. 

(III)  Robert  (2)  Porter,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Abigail  (Cowles)  Porter,  was  born 
in  1697.  He  married  Sarah  Smith,  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  Smith. 

(IV)  Deacon  Noah  Porter,  son  of  Rob- 
ert (2)  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Porter,  was 
born  in  1733,  and  died  in  1818.  He  was 
prominent  in  religious  affairs,  and  was 
one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Farming- 
ton  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  married 
Rachel  Merill. 

(V)  Rev.  Noah  (2)  Porter,  D.  D.,  son 
of  Deacon  Noah  (i)  and  Rachel  (Merill) 
Porter,  was  born  in  Farmington,  Connec- 
ticut, in  1781,  and  died  there  in  1866.  He 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1803  ^t  Yale 
College,  and  carried  off  highest  honors. 
After  pursuing  studies  preparatory  to 
entering  the  ministry,  he  was  settled  over 
the  Congregational  church  in  his  native 
town,  and  remained  at  its  head  until  his 
death,  his  pastorate  covering  a  period  of 
more  than  sixty  years.  In  1828  he  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
from    Dartmouth    College.      For    nearly 


forty  years  from  1823  to  1862,  he  was  a 
Fellow  of  Yale  College,  and  during  the 
greater  part  of  that  time  served  on  its 
most  important  committees.  He  was  one 
of  the  foremost  divines  in  New  England 
in  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
and  it  was  in  his  study  at  Farmington  on 
the  fifth  of  September,  1810,  that  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions  was  organized  and  held 
its  first  meeting.  Noah  Porter  married 
Mehitable  Meigs,  daughter  of  Captain 
Giles  and  Anne  (Green)  Meigs,  of  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut.  The  wife  of  Noah 
Porter  was  a  descendant  in  the  sixth  gen- 
eration of  Rev.  Samuel  Whiting  and 
Elizabeth  (St.  John)  Whiting.  The  lat- 
ter traced  a  distinguished  lineage  through 
twenty  generations  from  King  Henry  I 
of  France.  They  were  the  parents  of 
Noah,  mentioned  below. 

(VI)  Rev.  Noah  (3)  Porter,  D.  D.,  son 
of  Rev.  Noah  (2)  and  Mehitable  (Meigs) 
Porter,  was  born  in  Farmington,  Connec- 
ticut, December  14,  181 1.  He  received 
his  early  educational  training  under 
Simeon  Hart,  principal  of  the  Farming- 
ton  Academy,  and  for  a  short  time 
studied  under  John  H.  Lathrop,  who 
afterwards  became  chancellor  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin.  He  also  studied 
under  the  direction  of  Elisha  N.  Sill.  In 
1824,  following  a  fashion  common  among 
the  prominent  New  England  families  of 
the  day,  Noah  Porter  was  received-  into 
the  family  of  an  uncle.  Dr.  Humphrey, 
president  of  Amherst  College,  one  of 
whose  sons  took  the  place  of  Noah  Porter 
in  the  Porter  family  in  Farmington.  Here 
he  studied  under  Ebenezer  Snell,  who 
afterwards  became  professor  of  Natural 
Philosophy  at  Amherst  College.  With 
the  exception  of  one  or  two  terms  spent 
in  the  school  in  Middletown,  Connecticut, 
Noah  Porter  received  his  elementary  edu- 
cation and  made  his  preparation  for  col- 


14 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lege  under  some  of  the  foremost  educators 
of  the  day,  who  fostered  in  him  an  inher- 
ited love  of  learning  and  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  his  subsequent  notable  career  as 
an  educator.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
he  matriculated  at  Yale  College,  entering 
with  the  class  of  1831,  which  possessed 
an  unusual  number  of  brilliant  students. 
He  took  high  rank  as  a  scholar,  winning 
the  esteem  of  the  faculty,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  his 
classmates,  among  whom  he  formed  many 
warm  attachments  which  proved  lifelong. 
Following  his  graduation,  Dr.  Porter 
became  rector  of  the  Ancient  Latin 
School  in  New  Haven,  which  was  founded 
in  1660,  and  is  now  known  as  the  Hop- 
kins Grammar  School.  His  ability  as  an 
instructor  and  especially  his  success  in 
administering  discipline  in  a  school 
which  was  proverbially  unruly,  brought 
him  considerable  renown  in  educational 
circles  in  New  Haven.  In  1833  he  was 
elected  tutor  in  Yale  College,  and  for  two 
years  served  in  the  capacity  of  Greek 
instructor  to  the  somewhat  famous  class 
of  1827.  While  tutoring  he  pursued  the 
regular  course  in  theology  in  the  Yale 
Divinity  School  under  Dr.  Nathaniel  W. 
Taylor,  and  in  April,  1836,  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry.  Shortly  afterwards  he 
was  installed  in  the  pastorate  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  in  New  Milford,  Con- 
necticut, one  of  the  largest  in  the  State. 
During  the  seven  years  of  his  identity 
with  this  parish.  Dr.  Porter's  fame  spread 
gradually  beyond  the  borders  of  the  State, 
and  he  became  recognized  as  one  of  the 
eminent  divines  of  New  England.  It  was 
while  settled  over  this  rural  church  that 
he  began  his  writings,  which  were  pub- 
lished extensively  in  the  leading  periodi- 
cals of  the  day  and  which  attracted  to  him 
wide  attention  as  an  original  and  vigorous 
thinker  on  theological  and  philosophical 
subjects. 


In  1843,  ^^-  Porter  was  called  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  South  Congregational 
Church  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  remained  until  1846.  In  the 
latter  year  he  accepted  the  chair  of  mental 
and  moral  philosophy  at  Yale,  and  during 
the  twenty-five  years  of  his  occupancy 
rose  to  a  position  of  undisputed  leadership 
in  educational  circles  in  America  and  to 
country-wide  recognition  as  an  author 
and  writer  on  philosophy  and  meta- 
physics. When  in  1871  Professor  Wool- 
sey  resigned  as  president  of  Yale,  Dr. 
Porter  was  universally  regarded  as  his 
natural  successor,  both  because  of  his 
eminent  reputation  as  a  scholar  and  edu- 
cator, and  because  of  his  thorough 
acquaintance  with  all  the  traditions  of  the 
college  and  his  sympathy  with  them..  His 
views  on  the  subject  of  college  education 
were  set  forth  in  his  inaugural  address 
and  in  his  writings  on  American  colleges. 
His  administration  was  marked  by  a 
progressive  conservatism,  which  while  it 
forged  forward  in  great  strides  along  the 
paths  of  progress  and  advancement,  pre- 
served a  decent  regard  for  the  achieve- 
ments and  associations  of  the  past.  Many 
important  changes  were  made  under  his 
direction  in  the  methods  of  instruction. 
Under  his  guidance  the  college  prospered 
exceedingly,  several  costly  buildings  were 
erected,  and  the  corps  of  instructors 
greatly  enlarged.  The  Department  of 
Philosophy  and  Arts  was  reconstructed  to 
include  instruction  for  graduate  students. 
The  different  departments  of  the  college 
were  officially  recognized  by  the  corpora- 
tion, having  "attained  to  the  form  of  an 
university."  These  are  only  a  few  of  the 
vital  changes  which  took  place  under  Dr. 
Porter.  In  1886  he  resigned  his  office, 
finding  its  duties  too  onerous  for  a  man 
of  his  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr. 
Dwight.  However,  he  retained  his  pro- 
fessorship of  philosophy  and  maintained 


IS 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  active  interest  in  the  university  to  the 
time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Porter  was  a  clear  and  virile 
thinker,  and  wielded  a  powerful,  facile 
and  apparently  indefatigable  pen.  His 
writings  cover  the  widest  range,  and  a 
complete  bibliography  includes  at  least 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  separate 
volumes,  essays,  reports  and  lectures. 
Some  of  his  most  notable  works  are  "The 
Human  Intellect,"  "Books  and  Reading," 
"Science  and  Sentiment,"  "Elements  of 
Moral  Science,"  "Life  of  Bishop  Berke- 
ley," and  "Kant's  Ethics,"  a  critical  ex- 
position. His  best  known  work,  how- 
ever, is  "The  Human  Intellect,  with  an 
Introduction  Upon  Psychology  and  the 
Human  Soul"  (1868),  comprehending  a 
general  history  of  philosophy,  and  follow- 
ing in  part  the  "common-sense"  philos- 
ophy of  the  Scottish  school,  while  accept- 
ing the  Kantian  doctrine  of  intuition  and 
declaring  the  notion  of  design  to  be 
a  priori.  He  also  edited  several  successive 
editions  of  Webster's  Dictionary  from 
1847  until  his  death.  His  reputation  as  a 
philosopher  and  theologian  was  world- 
wide, while  his  knowledge  of  the  classics, 
of  New  England  history,  and  English 
etymology,  was  exceptionally  deep.  He 
published  in  1840  a  "Historical  Discourse 
in  Commemoration  of  the  200th  Anniver- 
sary of  the  Settlement  of  Farmington ;" 
he  was  the  author  of  the  "Educational 
System  of  the  Puritans  and  the  Jesuits," 
published  in  1851 ;  a  "Review  of  the 
Philosophy  of  Herbert  Spencer;"  and  a 
"Review  of  Evangeline,"  published  in 
1882.  Dr.  Porter  was  undoubtedly  one  of 
America's  most  scholarly  metaphysicians. 
His  labors  as  a  lexicographer  in  connec- 
tion with  the  revision  of  the  second  and 
later  editions  of  "Webster's  Unabridged 
Dictionary  of  the  English  Language" 
were  very  arduous  and  brought  him  great 
honor    and    fame,    as    well    as    universal 


recognition  of  his  scholarly  attainments. 
The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was 
conferred  upon  him  by  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York  in  1858,  and  that  of 
Doctor  of  Laws  by  the  Western  Reserve 
College  in  1870,  by  Trinity  College  of 
Connecticut  in  1871,  and  by  the  Univer- 
sity of  Edinburgh  in  1886,  the  year  after 
that  famous  institution  of  learning  cele- 
brated its  tercentenary. 

There  were  few  men  better  known  or 
more  deeply  revered  in  the  city  of  New 
Haven  than  Dr.  Porter.  He  was  a  vital 
figure  in  the  public  life  of  the  city  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  through 
his  efforts  to  secure  cooperation  between 
the  University  and  the  city.  He  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  the  New  Haven  City 
Missions,  and  identified  himself  through- 
out the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in 
the  city  with  every  movement  designed  to 
advance  civic  welfare. 

In  1836,  Dr.  Porter  married  Mary 
Taylor,  of  New  Haven,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Nathaniel  W.  Taylor,  D.  D.  (see  Taylor 
VI).  On  coming  to  New  Haven  in  1846, 
he  took  up  his  residence  on  Hillhouse 
avenue,  where  his  wife  passed  away  in 
1888,  aged  seventy-six  years,  and  where 
he  died  four  years  later.  Both  are  buried 
in  the  Taylor  family  lot  in  the  Grove 
Street  Cemetery,  New  Haven.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Porter  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren:  I.  Martha  Day,  who  resided  in  the 
old  Porter  homestead  on  Hillhouse 
avenue.  New  Haven ;  her  death  occurred 
November  6,  1922.  2.  Rebecca  Taylor, 
deceased.  3.  Nathaniel  Taylor,  deceased 
in  early  childhood.  4.  Sarah,  died  just 
before  reaching  womanhood. 

Noah  Porter,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  died  at  his 
home  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  at  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty  years,  to  the  close 
of  his  career  a  revered  and  vital  figure  in 
the  life  of  the  university  and  city.  He 
left  to  his  State  a  priceless  legacy  in  his 


16 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


contribution  to  the  literature  of  the  world, 
and  the  effective  work  which  he  had  done 
in  the  upbuilding  of  one  of  America's 
most  famous  educational  institutions — 
Yale  University.  His  name  is  graven 
indelibly  on  the  annals  of  literature  and 
education  in  America,  and  his  influence  is 
to  be  traced  and  clearly  recognized  in  the 
careers  of  hundreds  of  men  who  sat  under 
him  at  Yale. 

(The  Taylor  Line). 

Arms — Ermine  on  a  chief  dancette  sable  a  ducal 
coronet  or,  between  two  escallops  argent. 

Crest — A  demi-lion  rampant  sable  holding  be- 
tween the  paws  a  ducal  coronet  or. 

Motto — Optissima  quaeqiie  Deus  dabit.  (What- 
ever God  gives  is  best). 

This  surname  is  of  the  occupative  class, 
and  had  its  rise  originally  in  the  trade 
name  "taylor,"  a  cutter  of  cloth,  or  maker 
of  garments.  The  Old  French  tailleur,  a 
cutter,  gave  to  Medieval  English  the 
forms  tailor  and  taylor,  the  former  of 
which  survives  and  by  a  well  established 
custom  is  now  understood  to  be  the  trade 
name,  and  the  latter  of  which  with  many 
variations  became  the  surname.  Ancient 
English  rolls  and  registers  abound  with 
the  name,  and  as  a  result  Taylor  is  the 
fourth  commonest  patronymic  in  Eng- 
land, giving  precedence  only  to  Smith, 
Jones  and  Williams.  The  Hundred  Rolls, 
1273,  give  the  following  variations: 
Taillar,  Taillour,  Taillur,  Tailur,  Taliur, 
Tayllour,  Tailur,  Talur,  Talyur,  Tayler, 
Taylur,  and  Taylour.  The  name  is  found 
among  all  classes  in  England.  Numerous 
branches  of  the  family  are  entitled  to  bear 
arms,  and  in  former  generations  were 
extensive  land  owners. 

The  New  England  Taylors  comprise 
the  progeny  of  several  progenitors,  and 
although  not  numerous  have  figured 
prominently  in  the  history  of  several 
colonies  and  States  for  two  and  a  half 
centuries.  The  Connecticut  family  of  the 
Conn.  11 — 2 


name  is  composed  largely  of  the  descend- 
ants of  John  Taylor,  of  Windsor,  and  in 
successive  generations  has  produced  a 
superior  stock  which  has  left  its  mark 
upon  professional,  public  and  religious 
life  in  the  State.  The  late  Rev.  Nathaniel 
W.  Taylor,  professor  of  theology  at  Yale 
College,  and  perhaps  the  foremost  and 
most  influential  divine  of  his  day  in  New 
England,  was  a  lineal  descendant  in  the 
six  generation  of  John  Taylor,  founder  of 
the  family  in  America. 

(I)  John  Taylor,  immigrant  ancestor 
and  progenitor,  was  born  in  England.  He 
came  to  America  with  Rev.  Ephraim 
Hewitt  in  1639,  and  in  the  following  year 
was  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Wind- 
sor, Connecticut.  John  Taylor  was  one 
of  the  ill-fated  company  that  sailed  from 
New  Haven  in  the  first  ship  built  by  the 
colony,  called  the  "Phantom  Ship,"  and 
was  never  heard  of  thereafter.  He  was 
survived  by  a  widow  and  two  sons ;  the 
elder,  James,  went  to  Northampton, 
Massachusetts,  and  was  the  founder  of  a 
large  family  there. 

(II)  Thomas  Taylor,  son  of  John  Tay- 
lor, removed  to  Norwalk,  Connecticut. 
His  was  one  of  the  eight  families  which  in 
the  spring  of  1685  made  the  first  perma- 
nent settlement  in  Danbury.  He  was  a 
prominent  and  useful  citizen  there  all  his 
life.  Thomas  Taylor  died  in  Danbury, 
in  January,  1735,  at  the  venerable  age  of 
ninety-two  years.  He  married,  in  Nor- 
walk, Rebecca  Ketcham,  daughter  of 
Edward  Ketcham,  of  Stratford. 

(III)  Daniel  Taylor,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Rebecca  (Ketcham)  Taylor,  was  born 
in  1676.  The  following  record  appears 
in  a  Connecticut  journal  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  August  17,  1770,  and  is  now 
preserved  in  the  Yale  College  Library: 

On  Lord's  Day  morning,  12th  instant,  departed 
this  life  Mr.  Daniel  Taylor  of  Danbury  in  Con- 
necticut, aged  94,  wanting  about  two  months.    He 


17 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  a  respected  farmer,  and  an  unblemished  char- 
acter, and  much  esteemed  for  integrity  and  piety. 
He  was  father  to  Captain  Daniel  Taylor  of  Dan- 
bury  and  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Taylor  of  New  MU- 
ford. 


Daniel   Taylor   married    (first) 
Benedict;  (second)  Starr. 


(IV)  Rev.    Nathaniel    Taylor,    son   of 

Daniel  and  (Starr)   Taylor,  was 

born  in  Danbury,  Connecticut.  He  was 
graduated  from  Yale  with  class  of  1745, 
and  shortly  afterward  began  his  prepara- 
tion for  the  ministry.  On  June  29,  1748, 
he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  in  New  Milford,  and  filled 
this  post  until  his  death  on  December  9, 
1800,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
Rev.  Nathaniel  Taylor  was  one  of  the 
leading  divines  of  his  day  in  Connecticut. 
Portraits  of  himself  and  his  wife,  painted 
by  the  English  artist  Earl  are  in  the  pos- 
session of  his  descendants.  One  repre- 
sents him  in  the  pulpit,  holding  in  his 
hand  his  Bible,  which  he  was  never  with- 
out when  preaching.  Some  of  his  ser- 
mons have  been  preserved  as  originally 
written,  in  a  perfectly  formed  yet  minute 
hand  on  sheets  of  paper  small  enough  to 
fit  within  the  covers  of  his  Bible.  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Taylor  married  (first)  Tamar 
Boardman,  daughter  of  Rev.  Daniel 
Soardman,  who  died  June  27,  1795,  aged 
seventy-two  years.  He  married  (second) 
Zippora  (Strong)  Bennett,  member  of  a 
prominent  Long  Island  family. 

(V)  Colonel  Nathaniel  (2)  Taylor,  son 
of  Rev.  Nathaniel  (i)  and  Tamar  (Board- 
man)  Taylor,  was  born  in  New  Milford, 
Connecticut,  in  1753.  He  married  (first) 
Anne  Northrop,  August  31,  1774.  She 
was  born  April  14,  1751,  and  died  April 
10,  1810,  aged  fifty-nine  years.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  Susanna  Gunn,  widow  of 
Abner  Gunn.  He  was  the  only  son  who 
was  not  educated  at  Yale,  preferring  to 
engage  in  business  as  an  apothecary  and 


druggist,  which  business  he  followed  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  was 
often  called  Dr.  Taylor,  and  was  an  hon- 
ored and  respected  figure  in  the  life  of 
New  Milford.  His  granddaughter,  wife 
of  President  Porter,  of  Yale,  wrote  of 
him: 

He  died  when  I  was  too  young  to  remember 
him,  and  not  residing  in  the  same  place  my  knowl- 
edge of  his  life  and  character  are  limited.  I  only 
know  that  he  was  respected  and  loved,  and  was  a 
kind  and  indulgent  husband  and  father;  and  judg- 
ing from  his  letters  found  among  my  father's 
papers,  he  must  have  been  a  person  of  religious 
principle,   if  not  a  professing  Christian. 

Large  portraits  of  Colonel  Nathaniel 
Taylor  and  his  wife,  painted  by  Earl,  are 
in  the  possession  of  the  family. 

(VI)  Rev.  Nathaniel  Williams  Taylor, 
D.  D.,  son  of  Colonel  Nathaniel  (2)  and 
Anne  (Northrop)  Taylor,  was  born  in 
New  Milford,  Connecticut,  June  23,  1786. 
After  graduating  from  Yale  College  in  the 
class  of  1807,  he  lived  for  several  years 
with  Dr.  Dwight,  acting  as  his  secretary 
and  reading  divinity  under  his  directions. 
As  pastor  of  the  First  Church  of  New 
Haven,  1812-22,  he  gained  a  great  reputa- 
tion as  a  preacher,  and  actively  favored 
revivals.  Dr.  Bacon  described  his  ser- 
mons as  "solid  and  massive,  full  of  linked 
and  twisted  logic,  yet  giving  out  at  every 
point  sharp  flashes  of  electric  fire."  From 
November,  1822,  he  was  Dwight  Pro- 
fessor of  Didactic  Theology  at  Yale 
College.  He  was  the  father  and  chief 
apostle  of  "the  New  Haven  theology" 
which  was  the  liberalism  of  his  time  and 
communion — a  modified  Calvinism,  devel- 
oped from  Edward,  harmonizing  the 
"exercise  scheme"  of  Buxton,  and  insist- 
ing on  the  freedom  of  the  will.  These 
views  as  set  forth  in  the  "Christian  Spec- 
tator," (1819-39),  in  his  class  lectures,  and 
especially  in  an  address  to  the  clergy  in 
1828,  were  strenuously  opposed  by  Nen- 


18 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


net  Tyler,  Leonard  Woods,  and  others. 
Despite  these  contraditions,  Dr.  Taylor 
was  perhaps  the  leading  and  most  influ- 
ential divine  of  New  England  in  his  day, 
though  his  modesty,  which  had  delayed 
his  entrance  into  the  ministry,  also  pre- 
vented him  from  publishing.  He  received 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
Union  College  in  1823.  His  works,  edited 
in  1858-59,  by  his  son-in-law,  Dr.  Noah 
Porter,  include  "Practical  Sermons ;" 
"Lectures  on  the  Moral  Government  of 
God,"  two  volumes  and  "Essays  and 
Lectures."  A  memorial  by  Drs.  Bacon, 
Fisher  and  Dutton  was  printed  in  1858, 
and  Kingsley's  "Yale  College"  (1878), 
contains  a  sketch  of  him  by  Professor 
B.  N.  Martin. 

Rev.  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor  married 
Rebecca  Maria  Hine.  Their  daughter, 
Mary  Taylor,  became  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Noah  Porter,  in  1836.  (See  Porter  VI). 
Rev.  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor  died  in  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  March  10,  1853. 

(The  Whiting  Line). 

Arms — Per  saltire  ermine  and  azure,  in  the 
fesse-point  a  leopard's  head  or,  in  chief  three 
plates. 

Crest — A  bear's  head. 

There  is  no  family  in  America  to-day 
of  Anglo-Saxon  stock  which  traces  a 
more  notable  or  distinguished  lineage 
than  the  Whitings.  The  family  comprises 
the  descendants  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Whiting,  D.  D.,  the  famous  Puritan 
divine,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  (St.  John) 
Whiting,  only  daughter  of  the  Rt.  Hon. 
Sir  Oliver  St.  John,  of  Cayshoe,  Knight, 
Devonshire,  England.  Elizabeth  St.  John 
was  of  the  blood  of  kings,  tracing  descent 
in  an  illustrious  line  from  Charlemagne, 
Alfred  the  Great  of  England,  Henry  I  of 
France,  and  William  the  Conqueror;  she 
was  paternallv  descended  from  Hugh  de 
Port,  who   possessed   fifty-five   lordships 


in  the  County  of  Hants  in  the  time  of 
William  the  Conqueror,  and  was  a  kins- 
woman of  Oliver  Cromwell,  John  Hamp- 
den, of  ship-money  fame,  Edmund  Waller, 
the  poet,  and  Colonel  Edward  Whalley, 
one  of  the  regicide  judges. 

Rev.  Samuel  Whiting  presents  to  us 
one  of  the  finest,  most  benignant  and 
lovable  figures  in  the  early  history  of  New 
England.  He  was  an  English  gentleman 
of  culture  and  assured  position.  Finding 
the  religious  persecution  in  the  mother 
country  odious,  he  left  a  home  and  posi- 
tion in  every  respect  enviable,  to  seek 
freedom  of  conscience  in  the  New  World. 
The  story  of  h-s  ministry  in  Lynn,  Massa- 
chusetts, exceptionally  well  preserved 
through  public  record  and  the  journals  of 
his  contemporaries,  proves  him  to  have 
been  one  of  the  few  of  the  early  Puritan 
divines  who  came  to  America  for  freedom 
of  worship,  who  did  not  ally  themselves 
with  the  ecclesiastical  tyranny  which 
sprang  up  in  the  Bay  Colony.  He  was 
an  influence  throughout  his  life  for  the 
broadening  of  Puritan  beliefs,  an  advo- 
cate of  tolerance  in  a  day  when  tolerance 
was  deemed  a  crime,  and  his  career  shed  a 
stream  of  light  and  injected  a  bit  of 
sweetness  and  joy  into  the  grim  religion 
whose  principal  devotees  found  diversion 
in  holding  up  before  the  people  pictures 
of  eternal  damnation. 

Rev.  Samuel  Whiting  came  of  a  family 
which  was  established  in  Linconshire, 
England,  in  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  and  was  prominent  in  life  and 
affairs  there  up  to  the  period  of  American 
emigration.  The  surname  Whiting,  with 
numerous  variations,  appears  in  English 
rolls  and  registers  of  as  early  date  as  1085. 

(I)  Rev.  Samuel  Whiting,  the  founder, 
was  born  on  November  20,  1597,  in  the 
city  of  Boston,  Lincolnshire,  England, 
which  had  been  the  chief  place  of  resi- 


19 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


dence  of  his  family  since  the  sixth  year 
of  the  reign  of  Edward  III  (1333),  and 
probably  earlier.  Early  in  April,  1636, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren, he  left  England.  They  arrived  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  May  26,  1636.  In 
the  following  November,  Mr.  Whiting 
was  established  as  minister  of  the  church 
in  Saugust,  which  was  soon  afterward 
called  Lynn  in  his  honor.  In  December, 
1636,  he  was  admitted  a  freeman  and  soon 
after  established  his  permanent  residence 
opposite  the  meeting  house  in  Shepard 
street.  For  forty-three  years  he  minis- 
tered to  the  spiritual  wants  of  Lynn,  and 
throughout  this  period  was  the  best  be- 
loved figure  in  its  life  and  affairs.  We 
get  some  of  our  finest  pictures  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Whiting  both  as  man  and  min- 
ister from  the  invaluable  journal  of  one 
of  his  parishioners,  Mr.  Turner:  The  fol- 
lowing entry  was  made  shortly  after  Mr. 
Whiting's  death: 

Decemr  ye  12 :  Yester  even  died  ye  dear  & 
reverend  Mr.  Whiting.  He  hath  laboured  among 
us  this  fortie  yeare  and  upwards,  and  mch  beloved 
both  here  and  abroad.  Hjs  godlie  temper  was  seen 
in  ye  sweet  smile  yt  he  alwaies  wore.  Hjs  learn- 
ing was  great.  In  ye  Hebrewe  jt  hath  been  said 
none  on  this  side  of  ye  water  could  come  up  to 
him.  He  greatlie  labored  for  ye  children,  and  for 
manie  yeares  would  haue  as  manie  as  he  could 
come  to  hjs  house  on  everie  Lord  his  day  after  ye 
publique  worship  was  over,  and  be  catechized  and 
instructed  by  him  in  Bible  truths.  And  on  week 
dales  he  also  instructed  ye  children,  such  as  would, 
in  Latin  and  other  learning  of  ye  schooles.  He 
was  not  fond  of  disputations  and  wotdie  wran- 
glings  about  doctrine,  but  laid  down  hjs  poynts 
plainlie  and  then  firmlie  defended  them  by  ye 
Scriptures,  not  taking  ye  time,  as  ye  manner  of 
some  is,  to  tell  how  others  look  upon  ye  same  and 
then  to  tell  how  false  was  ye  eye  with  wch  they 
looked.  He  writ  some  things  yt  come  out  in 
print,  and  all  testified  to  their  being  sound  in  doc- 
trine, liberal  in  sentiment,  and  plain  and  practicall. 

Mr.  Whiting  was  of  a  quiet  temper  and  not  mch 
given  to  extasies,  but  yet  he  would  sometimes  take 
a  merrie  part  in  pleasant  companie.  Once  coming 
among  a  gay  partie  of  young  people  he  kist  all  ye 


maides  and  said  yt  he  felt  all  ye  better  for  it 
And  I  think  they  too  felt  all  ye  better  for  it,  for 
they  did  hug  their  armes  around  hjs  neck  and  kiss 
him  back  again  right  warmlie;  they  all  soe  loved 
him. 

He  was  a  man  of  middle  size,  dark  skin  and 
straight  fine  hair.  Hjs  hands  were  white  and  soft, 
mch  like  some  fine  ladys.  In  preaching  he  did  not 
mch  exercise  his  bodie.  But  hjs  clear  voice  and 
pleasant  way  were  as  potent  to  hold  fast  ye  thought 
of  old  and  young.  He  had  great  care  in  his  dress 
while  preaching,  saying  yt  his  hearers  should  not 
be  made  to  haue  their  eyes  upon  an  unseemlie  ob- 
ject, lest  ye  good  instruction  might  be  swallowed 
up  in  disgust.  And  for  a  reason  like  unto  yt  he 
would  also  have  his  discources  in  mild  and  win- 
ning wordes.  In  generall  ye  sermon  would  be  an 
hoour  and  a  half  long  and  ye  long  praier  another 
half  houre,  wch  wyt  ye  reading  of  ye  scriptures 
and  ye  singing  would  made  ye  whole  above  two 
hours ;  ye  hour-glass  upon  ye  pulpitt  tellint  ye 
time. 

Ye  towne  was  called  Lin  in  compliment  to  Mr. 
Whiting,  who  came  here  from  Lin  in  old  Norfolki.. 

Dr.  Mather,  in  his  "Magnalia,"  first 
published  in  1702,  pays  tribute  to  Mr. 
Whiting,  as  follows: 

And  he  (Mr.  Whiting  was  no  less  a  man  of 
temper  than  a  learning :  the  peculiar  sweetness  and 
goodness  of  his  temper  must  be  deemed  an  essen- 
tial stroke  in  his  character :  he  was  wonderfully 
happy  in  his  meek,  his  composed,  his  peacable  dis- 
position :  and  his  meekness  of  wisdom  outshone  all 
his  other  attainments  in  learning;  for  there  is  no 
humane  literature  so  hardly  attained  as  the  dis- 
cretion of  man  to  regulate  his  anger.  His  very 
countenance  had  an  amiable  smile  continually 
sweetening  of  it;  and  his  face  herein  was  but  the 
true  image  of  his  mind,  which,  like  the  upper 
regions,  was  marvellously  free  from  the  storms 
of  passions. 

William  Whiting,  one  of  his  lineal  de- 
scendants, president  of  the  New  England 
Historic-Genealogical  Society,  in  his 
"Memoir  of  Rev.  Samuel  Whiting,  D.  D., 
and  of  his  wife,  Elizabeth  St.  John," 
closes  his  masterly  work  with  the  follow- 
ing tribute: 

A  man  of  God,  and  an  honorable  man, 

Of  whom  both  Englands  may  with  reason  boast 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Elizabeth  (St.  John)  Whiting,  to  whom 
Rev.  Samuel  Whiting  was  married  in 
Boston,  England,  August  6,  1629,  was 
born  in  Cayshoe,  Bedfordshire,  England, 
the  daughter  of  the  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  Oliver 
St.  John,  Knight,  A.  D.,  1605.  Remark- 
able for  her  beauty,  her  dignity  and  her 
commanding  presence,  Elizabeth  St.  John 
received  in  her  youth  an  education  which 
in  those  days  was  rare  among  women. 
Brought  up  in  affluence,  with  all  the  refine- 
ments of  cultured  society,  she  was  the  fit 
companion  of  scholars  and  statesmen,  to 
many  of  whom  she  was  connected  by  ties 
of  relationship.  Even  in  her  old  age  she 
did  not  lose  her  youthful  fondness  for  the 
great  poets  of  England — Chaucer,  Spen- 
cer, and  Shakespeare,  and  others  of  lesser 
fame — with  whose  works  her  husband's 
library  in  Lynn  was  stored.  Discussion 
was  not  wanting  in  this  branch  of  the  St. 
John  family,  whereby  to  educate  a  high- 
spirited  woman.  The  mother  of  Eliza- 
beth was  the  daughter  of  a  learned  and 
eminent  Doctor  of  Divinity  of  Bedford- 
shire, whose  sympathies  were  in  favor  of 
moderate  reform.  Her  uncle  was  a  no 
less  thorough  radical  than  Cromwell  him- 
self. On  the  mind  of  a  lady  whose  house 
could  claim  the  same  ancestry  was  that  of 
the  Tudors,  and  embraced  in  its  genea- 
logical tree,  not  only  ten  of  the  sover- 
eigns of  Europe,  but  many  of  the  most 
renowned  nobility  of  ancient  England,  it 
would  have  been  excusable  if  the  influence 
of  family  pride  and  of  historical  associa- 
tions had  been  strong  in  favor  of  the  royal 
cause ;  but  in  the  heart  of  a  woman  who 
had  the  power  of  comprehending  the 
principles  of  religious  truth  and  political 
science,  of  a  high-born  lady,  who  had  the 
good  sense  to  recognize  the  trifling  value 
of  worldly  distinctions  when  compared 
with  the  higher  nobility  stamped  by  God 
himself  upon  every  truly  Christian  soul, 
the   grandeur   of   the    Puritan    faith,    the 


earnest,  passionate  cry  for  religious  liberty 
with  which  its  heroic  apostles  willingly 
gave  up  the  comforts,  advantages,  and 
honors  of  their  native  land,  and  plunged 
bravely  into  a  storm  of  troubles,  "for 
conscience  sake," — the  touching  eloquence 
with  which  they  plead  for  an  honest  gov- 
ernment and  a  tolerant  Church,  perhaps, 
also,  a  feeling  of  sympathy  with  the  per- 
secuted but  courageous  clergymen,  whose 
chivalric  spirit  she  knew  full  well,  com- 
bined to  overmaster  her  ancestral  pride, 
to  quench  her  ambition,  and  to  break  the 
charm  of  her  English  home.  Her  alle- 
giance may  have  been  divided,  but  her 
heart  went  with  the  Puritans. 

In  "The  New  England  Historical  and 
Genealogical  Register,"  vol.  xiv.,  p.  61,  it 
is  stated  that  Elizabeth  St.  John  was  a 
sixth  cousin  to  King  Henry  VII.  Through 
the  Beauchamps  she  descended  from  the 
Earls  of  Warren  and  Surrey  from  the 
Earls  of  Warwick,  from  William  the 
Conqueror,  and  from  King  Henry  I  of 
France.  Indeed,  her  pedigree  is  traced 
to  William  the  Conqueror  in  two  distinct 
lines ;  and  in  her  were  united  the  lineage 
of  ten  of  the  sovereigns  of  Europe — a  con- 
fluence of  noble  blood  not  often  witnessed. 
And  yet  she  appears  to  have  passed  her 
days  here  at  Lynn,  undisturbed  by  am- 
bitious yearnings,  cleaving  lovingly  to 
her  worthy  husband,  and  sedulously  per- 
forming the  duties  of  a  laborious  pastor's 
wife.  Surely,  here  is  an  example  of 
humility  for  some  of  the  worldlings  who 
now  traverse  our  streets,  swelling  with 
pride  if  they  can  trace  their  lineage  to  an 
ancestor,  who  bore,  however  ignobly, 
some  small  title,  or  who  happened  to 
possess  however  unworthily,  a  few  more 
acres  or  a  few  more  dollars  than  the  multi- 
tude around  them. 

William  Whiting  concludes  his  remarks 
upon  his  worthy  ancestress  as  follows : 


I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Beautiful  in  person,  and  of  cultivated  mind, 
heroic  but  gentle,  respected  and  "beloved  by  all  as 
she  were  a  tender  mother,"  fearless  of  personal 
danger  but  of  sensitive  delicacy  towards  others  too 
high-spirited  to  submit  to  the  dictation  of  British 
prelates  but  too  sincere  a  believer  in  the  Prince  of 
Peace  to  provoke  or  endure  controversy  which 
could  be  honorably  avoided,  this  noble  woman  gave 
her  heart  to  her  "godly  husband"  and  her  life  to 
aid  him  in  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel.  To  that 
work  she  brought  a  clear  head,  a  strong  hand,  a 
Christian  soul.  By  her  disinterested  devotion  to 
the  welfare  of  others,  she  was  justly  entitled  to 
the  reverence  of  posterity,  and  was  worthy  of  be- 
ing one  of  the  founders  of  a  free  commonwealth. 
No  lady  ever  came  to  these  colonies,  of  higher 
lineage,  of  more  elegant  culture,  or  of  more  lovely 
and  Christian  character.  For  the  royal  and  noble 
blood  which  flowed  in  her  veins,  for  the  good  for- 
tune which  surrounded  her  with  the  attractions  of 
aristocratic  luxury,  and  gave  the  advantage  of 
liberal  culture,  she  has  no  especial  claim  to  honor ; 
but  for  that  serious  and  religious  disposition  which 
led  her  to  improve  these  advantages,  to  store  her 
mind  with  learning,  and  to  give  her  thoughts  to 
subjects  far  above  the  ordinary  pursuits  or  the 
frivolous  pleasures  of  youth,  and  for  that  moral 
heroism  which  led  her,  the  only  daughter  of  an 
illustrious  family,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years, 
to  turn  away  from  her  ancestral  halls  that  she 
might  share  the  fortunes  of  a  God-serving  Puritan 
minister  of  the  gospel,  whose  contest  with  '  the 
bishops  had  already  begun,  when  she  chose  to  face 
the  grim  uncertainties  of  the  future,  and  to  cast 
her  lot  with  his, — we  cannot  withhold  from  her 
the  just  tribute  of  our  respect  and  admiration. 

(II)  Rev.  Samuel  (2)  Whiting,  son  of 
Rev.  Samuel  (i)  and  Elizabeth  (St.  John) 
Whiting,  was  born  in  Shirbeck,  England, 
March  25,  1633;  he  studied  with  his 
father  in  Lynn,  and  was  graduated  from 
Cambridge  in  1653,  taking  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  in  1656.  He  was  ordained 
minister  of  Billerica,  November  11,  1663. 
The  same  year  he  was  admitted  a  freeman 
in  the  Massachusetts  Colony.  He  went 
to  Billerica  in  1658,  and  was  employed  as 
preacher  there  until  his  ordination  on  the 
date  named  above.  Here  he  remained 
almost  fifty  years  after  1663,  and  was 
esteemed,  as  Dr.  Cotton  Mather  says,  "a 


reverend,  holy,  and  faithful  minister  of 
the  gospel."  He  preached  the  Artillery 
Election  sermon  in  1682.  Mr.  Whiting 
died  February  28,  1713,  at  the  age  of 
almost  eighty  years.  On  November  12, 
1656,  he  married  Dorcas  Chester,  of 
Charlestown,  Massachusetts.  They  were 
the  parents  of  ten"  children,  among  whom 
was  Elizabeth,  mentioned  below. 

(Ill)  Elizabeth  Whiting,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Samuel  (2)  and  Dorcas  (Chester) 
Whiting,  was  born  October  6,  1660.  In 
1702,  she  married  Rev.  Thomas  Clark,  of 
Chelmsford.  Among  their  descendants 
were  Rev.  Dr.  Porter,  president  of  Yale 
College ;  George  B.  Butler,  Esq.,  coun- 
sellor-at-law,  of  New  York,  and  Charles 
E.  Butler,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  law  partner 
of  William  M.  Evarts. 

(The  SL   John  Line). 

Arms — 'Argent,  on  a  chief  gules  two  mullets  or. 

Crest — On  a  mount  vert  a  falcon  rising  or, 
belled  of  the  last,  ducally  gorged  gules. 

Supporters — Two   monkeys  proper. 

Motto — Data  fata  secutus.  (Following  his  pre- 
scribed fate). 

This  famous  English  family,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  distinguished  in  the 
kingdom,  descends  paternally  from  Hugh 
de  Port,  who  held  fifty-five  lordships  in 
County  Hants  in  the  time  of  William  the 
Conqueror.  Hugh  de  Port's  vast  estates 
are  tabulated  in  the  Domesday  Book, 
under  the  article  of  terra  Hugonis  de 
Port,  which  is  the  more  singular  as  he 
was  evidently  a  native  Englishman  since 
he  held  at  least  two  manors,  Cerdeford 
and  Eschetune,  in  Hants,  from  his  ances- 
tors before  the  Norman  invasion.  Hugh 
de  Port  was  survived  by  a  son  Henry, 
who  was  the  father  of  John  de  Port, 
whose  son,  Adam  de  Port,  was  a  powerful 
feudal  baron  seated  at  Basing  in  Hants. 
Adam  de  Port  married  Mabel,  the  daugh- 
ter and  sole  heiress  of  Reginald  de  Aure- 
val,  by  Muriel,  the  only  daughter  and  heir- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ess  of  Roger  St.  John.  William  de  Port, 
the  eldest  son  of  Adam  de  Port,  the  repre- 
sentative of  so  many  great  families,  one  of 
which  was  allied  to  the  Norman  kings, 
assumed  the  surname  of  his  maternal 
grandmother,  viz.,  St.  John,  writing  him- 
self Willielmus  de  Sancto  Johanne,  filius 
ethaeres  Adoe  de  Port.  The  St.  Johns 
were  inferior  to  no  family  in  descent  or 
power.  William  de  Saint  John  accom- 
panied King  William  when  he  came  to 
seize  the  crown  of  Harold,  and  then  en- 
joyed the  very  honorable  place  of  grand 
master  of  the  cavalry,  for  which  reason  he 
took  for  his  cognizance  the  horse  hames 
or  collars.  His  name  appears  on  the  roll 
of  Battle  Abbey  with  others  that  attended 
their  sovereign  at  the  battle  of  Hastings, 
which  decided  the  fate  of  the  kingdom 
and  placed  the  crown  of  the  English  king 
upon  the  head  of  the  Norman  duke.  The 
Ports,  or  St.  Johns,  kept  up  their  posi- 
tion, continuing  to  increase  their  riches 
and  greatness  by  the  noblest  alliances, 
and  became  relations  of  the  royal  house 
of  Tudor,  through  the  marriage  of  Sir 
Oliver  St.  John  with  Margaret  De  Beau- 
champ,  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Somerset 
and  great-granddaughter  of  John  of 
Gaunt. 

At  the  time  of  Colonial  emigration,  the 
St.  John  family  occupied  a  position  of 
prominence  and  influence  in  English  af- 
fairs. Sir  Oliver  St.  John,  brother  of 
Elizabeth  (St.  John)  Whiting,  was  Chief 
Justice  of  England  during  the  Common- 
wealth, and  argued  the  famous  ship- 
money  case  against  King  Charles. 

The  surname  St.  John  is  derived  from 
St.  John  in  Normandy,  the  seat  of  Wil- 
liam de  St.  John,  founder  of  the  family 
in  England.  The  St.  John  pedigree  here 
attached  covers  twenty  generations,  from 
the  progenitor  to  Elizabeth  (St.  John) 
Whiting,  ancestress  of  the  Whitings  of 
America : 


(I)  William  De  St.  John,  the  founder, 
was  one  of  the  Barons  who  accompanied 
William  the  Conqueror  to  England.  He 
held  the  honorable  post  of  Grand  Master 
of  the  Artillery  of  the  invading  army.  He 
married  Olivia  de  Fiegiers. 

(II)  John  De  St.  John,  Lord  of  Stan- 
ton. 

(III)  Roger  De  St.  John  married 
Cicely  de  Haya. 

(IV)  Muriel  De  St.  John  married  Regi- 
nald de  Aureval. 

(V)  Mabel  De  Aureval,  daughter  of 
Reginald  De  Aureval  and  Muriel  De  St. 
John,  married  Adam  de  Port,  Baron  of 
Basing,  in  the  County  of  Southampton. 
He  was  a  son  of  John  de  Port,  and  grand- 
son of  Henry  de  Port.  The  latter  was  a 
son  of  Hugh  de  Port,  a  Baron  in  the  time 
of  William  the  Conqueror,  and  owner  of 
fifty-five  lordships  in  the  County  of  South- 
ampton. 

(VI)  William  De  Port  assumed  the 
surname  of  St.  John,  and  was  Baron  St. 
John  of  Basing.  He  married  Godchild 
Paganal. 

(VII)  Robert  De  St.  John  was  second 
Baron  of  Basing,  38,  Henry  III.  He  mar- 
ried the  daughter  and  heiress  of  William 
de  Cantilupe. 

(VIII)  William  St.  John,  of  Faumont, 
County  Glamorgan,  married  Isabel  Cob- 
martin. 

(IX)  Sir  John  St.  John,  Knt. 

(X)  Sir  John  St.  John,  Knt.,  married 
Elizabeth  Humfreville,  coheiress  to  the 
lordship  of  Penmark. 

(XI)  Sir  Oliver  St.  John,  Knt.,  lord  of 
Penmark. 

(XII)  Sir  John  St.  John,  Knt.,  lord  of 
Penmark. 

(XIII)  Sir  Oliver  St.  John,  Knt.,  of 
Bletsoe,  County  Bedford,  married  Mar- 
garet, daughter  of  John  De  Beauchamp, 
of  Bletsoe,  and  sister  and  heir  of  John  De 
Beauchamp,  of  Bletsoe,  heir  male  and  rep- 


23 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


resentative  of  Roger  De  Beauchamp,  who 
was  summoned  to  Parliament  as  Lord  De 
Beauchamp,  1363  to  1379.  Margaret  (De 
Beauchamp)  St.  John  married  (second)  in 
1440,  John  Beaufort,  Duke  of  Somerset, 
and  was  the  mother  of  Margaret,  Coun- 
tess of  Richmond,  mother  of  Henry  VII. 

(XIV)  Sir  John  De  St.  John  married 
AHce,  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  Brads- 
haigh,  of  Haigh,  County  Lancaster ;  she 
descended  in  the  fourteenth  generation 
from  Sir  John  Bradshaigh. 

(XV)  Sir  John  De  St.  John,  K.  B.,  of 
Bletsoe,  married  Sibyl,  daughter  of  Mor- 
gan ap  Jenkins  ap  Philip. 

(XVI)  Sir  John  St.  John  married  Mar- 
garet, daughter  of  Sir  William  Walde- 
grave,  K.  B.,  of  Smallbridge,  Suffolk. 
Margaret  Waldegrave  traced  a  most  dis- 
tinguished ancestry.  She  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Warine  de  Waldegrave, 
Reginald  de  Wentworth,  Lord  Badles- 
mere,  Guy  de  Croun,  Harold  de  Vaux,  the 
Lords  of  Tibetot,  Lords  of  Ros,  William 
the  Lion  of  Scotland,  King  Henry  I,  the 
Empress  Matilda,  King  Henry  II,  King 
John,  King  Henry  III,  King  Edward  I, 
the  Earls  of  Gloucester,  and  Hugh,  Earl 
of  Winchester. 

(XVII)  Oliver  St.  John  was  elevated 
to  the  peerage,  January  13,  1558-59,  by  the 
title  of  Lord  St.  John,  of  Bletsoe.  The 
designation  of  the  barony  has  been 
spelled  variously  Bletsho,  Bletshoe,  Blet- 
soe, and  Bletso,  in  which  latter  form  it 
now  appears  on  the  Roll  of  the  Lords. 
Oliver  St.  John  was  one  of  the  peers  who 
sat  in  judgment  upon  Thomas,  Duke  of 
Norfolk,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 
He  died  sometime  before  May  23,  1582. 
He  married  (first)  before  January,  1548- 
1549,  Agnes,  daughter  of  John  Fisher,  and 
granddaughter  and  heir  of  Sir  Michael 
Fisher,  Knight. 

(XVIII)  Rt.  Hon.  Thomas  St.  John, 
son  of  Oliver,  ist  Lord  St.  John,  was  the 


grandfather    of     Elizabeth     (St.    John) 
Whiting. 

(XIX)  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  Oliver  St.  John,  of 
Cayshoe,  Bedfordshire,  married  Sarah 
Bulkley,  of  Odell,  Bedfordshire.  She  was 
a  sister  of  Rev.  Edward  Bulkley,  D.  D., 
of  Odell,  and  aunt  of  Rev.  Peter  Bulkley, 
the  first  minister  of  Concord,  Massachu- 
setts. The  Bulkleys  were  of  honorable 
and  noble  descent.  Sarah  Bulkley  was 
of  the  ninth  generation  from  Robert  Bulk- 
ley,  one  of  the  English  barons,  who,  in 
the  reign  of  King  John,  was  lord  of  the 
manor  of  Bulkley,  in  the  County  Palatine 
of  Chester. 

(XX)  Elizabeth  St.  John,  daughter  of 
the  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  Oliver  and  Sarah  (Bulk- 
ley)  St.  John,  was  born  in  Cayshoe,  Bed- 
fordshire, England,  in  1605.  She  became 
the  wife  of  Rev.  Samuel  Whiting,  A.  M., 
and  accompanied  him  to  New  England, 
where  she  died  in  Lynn,  Massachusetts, 
in  1677. 

(The  Warren  Line). 

Arms — Gules,  a  lion  rampant  argent,  a  chief 
compony  counter-compony  or  and  azure. 

Crest — A  demi-eagle  displayed  cheeky  argent  and 
azure. 

Motto — Virtus  mihi  scutum.  (Virtue  is  to  me  a 
shield). 

The  history  of  the  Warren  family  is 
exceeded  in  interest  and  antiquity  by  that 
of  no  ancient  English  house.  The  sur- 
name Warren  is  of  Norman-French 
origin,  and  is  derived  from  Gareme  or  Gar- 
renne.  There  is  at  present  a  village  called 
Garenne  in  the  same  district,  and  it  is 
here  that  the  origin  of  the  family  has 
been  fixed  by  historians.  The  ancient 
baronial  seat  of  the  de  Warrenes  stood  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river  Garenne,  and  as 
late  as  the  year  1832  some  of  the  ruins 
were  standing.  The  surname  has  as- 
sumed different  forms  from  time  to  time. 
It  first  appears  in  England  with  William 
de  Warrenne,  a  Norman  nobleman,  who 
came  to  England  with  William  the  Con- 


24 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


queror,  to  whom  he  was  related  both  by 
marriage  and  common  ancestry.  An 
ancient  genealogy  of  the  family  traces  the 
lineage  of  this  William  de  Warrenne  back 
to  the  year  900  A.  D.,  when  his  Scandin- 
avian ancestors  are  said  to  have  settled  in 
Normandy.  Scandinavian  origin  of  the 
Norman  family  is  acceded  by  eminent 
genealogists,  and  is  embodied  in  the  pedi- 
gree of  the  English  house  as  drawn  up 
by  W.  Flower,  Norroy  King  of  Arms; 
and  R.  Glover,  Somerset  Herald,  of  Eng- 
land, in  1580. 

The  following  account  of  the  early  fam- 
ily is  taken  from  the  work  of  the  late  Rev. 
Dr.  Israel  Perkins  Warren,  of  Portland, 
Maine : 

The  family  of  Warren  has  been  traced  by  Eng- 
lish writers  to  a  Norman  baron  of  Danish  extrac- 
tion. The  Normans  and  Danes  were  united  in 
their  efforts  to  make  a  settlement  in  the  northern 
part  of  France  and  ultimately  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing a  footing  in  that  part  of  the  country  from 
which  the  Normans  took  the  name  of  Normandy. 
One  of  these  barons  became  connected  by  marriage 
with  considerable  families,  as  is  related  in  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  an  English  author:  "The  Dan- 
ish knight  had  Gunnora,  Herfastus,  Wevia,  Werina, 
Duvelina,  and  Sainfra.  Of  these,  Gunnora  mar- 
ried Richard,  Duke  of  Normandy,  who  had  Rich- 
ard, the  father  also  of  Richard,  who  dying  without 
issue  was  succeeded  in  the  dukedom  by  his  brother 
Robert,  the  father  of  William  the  Conqueror;  who 
by  Maud,  daughter  of  Baldwin,  Earl  of  Flanders, 
had  Robert,  Duke  of  Normandy ;  Richard,  Duke 
of  Bernay,  in  Normandy;  William,  King  of  Eng- 
land; Henry,  King  of  England;  and  several 
daughters,  one  of  whom,  Gundred,  was  married  to 
William,  the  first  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey. 
Werina,  according  to  a  large  pedigree  drawn  up 
and  signed  by  W.  Flower,  Norroy  and  R.  Glover, 
Somerset  Herald,  in  1580,  married  Asmundde  Com- 
mitiis  villa.  *  *  *  Gundred,  wife  of  William, 
first  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey,  in  England,  was 
a  descendant  of  Charlemagne,  and  the  fourth 
daughter  of  William  the  Conqueror  and  his  wife 
Maud,  daughter  of  Baldwin,  Earl  of  Flanders. 
We  may  therefore  believe  that  William  de  War- 
renne was  one  of  the  principal  and  confidential 
auxiliaries  of  William,  from  whom  he  had  received 
the  title  of  Earl  before  coming  to  England.     He 


took  an  important  part  in  the  battle  of  Hastings, 
A.  D.  1066,  and  in  payment  for  his  services,  which 
were  evidently  highly  estimated  by  the  Conqueror, 
received  immense  land  grants.  He  is  mentioned  in 
the  Domesday  Book  as  possessing  lands  in  almost 
every  county  in  England,  comprising  in  all,  accord- 
ing to  Hume,  three  hundred  lordships.  He  had 
lands  in  Shropshire,  Essex,  Suffolk,  Oxford,  Hants, 
Cambridgeshire,  Bucks,  Huntingdon,  Bedfordshire, 
Norfolk,  Lincoln,  and  York.  He  selected  his  resi- 
dence in  the  village  of  Lewes,  County  Surrey,  and 
there  erected  his  beautiful  castle,  the  ruins  of 
which  are  still  to  be  seen  standing  on  an  eminence 
surrounding  the  town.  Although  the  principal 
parts  are  demolished,  its  gates  are  still  standing, 
showing  the  massive  construction.  William,  Earl 
of  Warren  and  Surrey,  and  his  wife  Gundred 
erected  the  priory  in  the  town  of  Lewes,  and  he 
continued  his  benefactions  to  it  during  his  life. 
Gundred  died  on  May  27,  1085,  and  was  buried  in 
the  chapter  house  of  the  Priory  of  l^wes.  County 
Surrey.  Her  tombstone  is  still  in  existence.  Wil- 
liam died  June  24,  1088.  His  epitaph  is  still  in 
existence,  although  the  gravestone  is  lost  or  de- 
stroyed. In  1845  the  coffers  containing  the  bones 
of  the  earl  and  countess  were  disinterred  and  are 
now  in  the  church  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  South- 
over. 

Between  William,  first  Earl  of  Warren 
and  Surrey,  and  Richard  Warren,  of  the 
"Mayflower,"  the  American  progenitor, 
seventeen  generations  elapse.  Between 
William,  first  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey, 
and  Elizabeth  (St.  John)  Whiting,  ances- 
tress of  the  New  England  Whitings 
herein  under  consideration,  nineteen  gen- 
erations elapse. 

(The  Warren  Pedigree). 

Showing  the  alliances  with  Gundred, 
daughter  of  William  the  Conqueror,  and 
Isabel,  member  of  the  noble  French 
house  of  de  Vermandois. 

(!)  The  progenitor,  a  Danish  knight,  was 
among  those  who  succeeded  in  obtaining 
a  footing  in  Normandy,  and  became  allied 
through  marriage  with  some  of  the  fore- 
most families  of  noble  lineage  in  Europe. 
He  was  the  father  of:  i.  Gunnora  (see 
Pedigree    A,    II).      2.    Herfastus,    men- 


25 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tioned  below.     3.  Wevia.    4.  Werina.     5. 
Duvelina.    6.  Sainfra. 

(II)  Herfastus,  son  of  the  progenitor. 

(III)  A  daughter  who  married  Walter 
de  Saint  Martin. 

(IV)  William  De  Warren,  Earl  of 
Warren  in  Normandy,  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ralph  de  Torta. 

(V)  William  (2)  De  Warren,  son  of 
William  (i)  De  Warren,  married  Gun- 
dred,  daughter  of  William  the  Conqueror, 
and  became  the  first  Earl  of  Warren  and 
Surrey  in  England. 

(VI)  William  (3)  De  Warren,  son  of 
William  (2)  De  Warren  and  Gundred, 
daughter  of  the  Conqueror,  succeeded  his 
father  in  his  title  and  lands,  and  became 
the  second  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey. 
He  married  Isabel,  daughter  of  the  fifth 
Earl  of  Vermandois,  in  France.  (See 
Pedigree  B,  VIII). 

(VII)  Roger,  Earl  of  Warwick,  mar- 
ried Gundred. 

(VIII)  Walerian,  Earl  of  Warwick, 
married  Alice  de  Harcourt. 

(IX)  Alice  De  Newburg,  daughter  of 
Walerian,  Earl  of  Warwick,  married  Wil- 
liam, Baron  of  Hanslop. 

(X)  Isabel  Mauduit,  their  daughter, 
married  William  De  Beauchamp,  descend- 
ant in  the  seventh  generation  of  Hugh  De 
Beauchamp,  founder  of  the  family.  She 
was  the  common  ancestress  of  King 
Henry  VII,  of  England,  and  Elizabeth 
(St.  John)  Whiting,  who  were  sixth 
cousins. 

(XI)  Walter  De  Beauchamp,  son  of 
William  De  Beauchamp  and  Isabel  Mau- 
duit, married  and  had  Roger  De  Beau- 
champ. 

(XII)  Roger  De  Beauchamp. 

(XIII)  Roger  (2)  De  Beauchamp. 

(XIV)  John   De   Beauchamp. 

(XV)  Margaret  De  Beauchamp,  daugh- 
ter of  John  De  Beauchamp,  married  (first) 
Sir  Oliver  St.  John,  son  of  Sir  John  St. 


John,  Lord  of  Penmark,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  Sir  John  De  St.  John,  men- 
tioned below.  She  married  (second) 
John,  Duke  of  Somerset;  their  daughter. 
Lady  Margaret  Beaufort,  became  the  wife 
of  Edmund,  Earl  of  Richmond,  and  the 
mother  of  King  Henry  VII,  of  England. 
(XVI)  Sir  John  De  St.  John,  son  of  Sir 
Oliver  St.  John  and  Margaret  De  Beau- 
champ, is  No.  14  of  the  St.  John  Pedigree. 
(See  St.  John). 

(Pedigree  A). 

(I)  A  Danish  Knight,  founder  of  the 
line. 

(II)  Gunnora,  his  daughter,  became  the 
wife  of  Richard,  Duke  of  Normandy. 

(III)  Richard,  Duke  of  Normandy,  son 
and  heir  of  Richard,  Duke  of  Normandy, 
and  Gunnora,  his  wife,  was  the  father  of 
Richard,  Duke  of  Normandy,  who  dying 
without  issue  was  succeeded  in  the  duke- 
dom by  his  brother,  Robert. 

(IV)  Robert,  Duke  of  Normandy,  son 
of  Richard,  Duke  of  Normandy,  surnamed 
Robert  the   Devil. 

(V)  William,  Duke  of  Normandy,  and 
King  of  England,  surnamed  the  Con- 
queror, was  born  in  1027  or  1028,  the  son 
of  Robert,  Duke  of  Normandy;  he  mar- 
ried Maud,  daughter  of  Baldwin  V,  Earl  of 
Flanders.  (See  Pedigree  C,  XVI).  Their 
children  were:  i.  Robert.  2.  Richard, 
Duke  of  Bernay,  in  Normandy.  3.  Wil- 
liam, King  of  England,  surnamed  Wil- 
liam Rufus.  4.  Henry,  King  of  England. 
5.  Cecelia.  6.  Alice.  7.  Constance.  8. 
Agatha.    9.  Gundred,  mentioned  below. 

(VI)  Gundred,  daughter  of  William 
the  Conqueror,  and  Maud  (or  Matilda), 
his  wife,  was  married  in  France,  to  Wil- 
liam, first  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey, 
who  accompanied  the  Conqueror  to  Eng- 
land, and  was  the  recipient  of  bounteous 
favors  at  his  hands.  (See  Warren  Pedi- 
gree V). 


2b 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(Pedigree  B). 

(I)  Robert  Fortis,  or  Robert  the 
Strong,  Count  of  Anjou  and  Orleans. 

(II)  Robert  I,  865-923,  King  of  France 
or  King  of  the  Franks,  was  the  younger 
son  of  Robert  the  Strong. 

(III)  Hugh  the  Great,  Duke  of  the 
Franks,  and  Count  of  Paris,  died  in  956, 
was  the  son  of  King  Robert  I,  of  France, 
and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Cape- 
tian  house,  and  its  power  in  France. 

(IV)  Hugh  Capet,  938-996,  King  of 
France  and  founder  of  the  Capetian  dyn- 
asty, was  the  eldest  son  of  Hugh  the 
Great,  by  his  wife  Hadwig.  He  married 
Adelaide,  daughter  of  William  III,  Duke 
of  Aquitaine. 

(V)  Robert  II,  King  of  France,  was  a 
son  of  Hugh  Capet,  King  of  France. 

(VI)  Henry,  K'ng  of  France. 

(VII)  Hugh,  Earl  of  Vermandois,  son 
of  Henry,  King  of  France,  and  brother  of 
Philip,  King  of  France.  He  was  Fifth 
Earl  of  Vermandois,  by  right  of  his  wife 
Adela,  who  was  the  daughter  and  heiress 
of  Herbert,  fourth  Earl  of  Vermandois. 
The  house  of  Vermandois  is  one  of  the 
most  ancient  and  famous  of  the  early 
French  noble  houses,  and  is  descended  in 
direct  male  line  from  the  Emperor  Charle- 
magne ;  Hugh  the  Great,  Earl  of  Verman- 
dois, was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  first 
crusade,  and  died  at  Tarsus  in  Cicilia,  in 
1 102. 

(VIII)  Isabel,  daughter  of  Hugh  the 
Great  and  Adela,  daughter  of  the  fourth 
Earl  of  Vermandois,  was  married  to  Wil- 
liam De  Warren,  second  Earl  of  Warren 
and  Surrey  in  England.  Through  this 
alliance,  the  Warrens  were  connected 
with  the  blood-royal  of  France.  (See  War- 
ren Pedigree  VI). 

(Pedigree  C). 

Descent  of  Gundred,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror,  and  wife  of  William, 


first  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey,  from  the 
Emperor  Charlemagne,  most  illustrious 
member  of  the  Carolingian  dynasty, 
which  appears  in  history  in  the  year  613, 
and  gained  the  throne  of  France  in  751, 
holding  it  for  more  than  two  hundred 
years,  or  until  987,  when  it  was  ousted 
by  the  Capetian  dynasty. 

(I)  Pepin  I,  who  died  in  640,  was  the 
founder  of  the  line.  He  was  mayor  of  the 
palace  to  the  youthful  Dagobert  I,  whom 
Clothaire  II  had  placed  over  the  kingdom 
of  Austrasia.  He  returned  from  Aqui- 
taine, where  he  had  sought  refuge,  when 
Dagobert  became  sole  king  in  629,  at  the 
latter's  death  (639),  and  governed  Aus- 
trasia, in  Sigebert's  name,  until  his  death 
in  the  following  year. 

(II)  Begga,  daughter  of  Pepin  I,  mar- 
ried Adalgiselus,  son  of  Arnulf,  Bishop  of 
Metz,  and  was  the  mother  of  Pepin  II. 

(III)  Pepin  II,  son  of  Adalgiselus  and 
Begga,  was  for  many  decades  almost  the 
entire  master  of  Gaul,  extending  widely 
the  Frankish  suzerainty.  He  was  a  great 
churchman,  and  did  much  to  spread 
Christianity.     He  died  December  16,  714. 

(IV)  Charles  Martel,  688-741,  Frankish 
ruler,  was  a  natural  son  of  Pepin  II,  and 
one  of  the  most  famous  figures  in  medie- 
val history;  he  died  at  Quierzy,  October 
22,  741,  shortly  after  having  divided  the 
Frankish  kingdom  between  his  two  sons. 
He  was  a  fearless  and  able  leader,  and 
under  his  rule  vast  strides  were  made  in 
the  system  of  government,  and  Chris- 
tianity was  spread  to  a  greater  extent 
than  ever  before.  The  deeds  of  conquest 
and  bravery  of  Charles  Martel  and  his 
grandson  Charlemagne  are  immortalized 
in  the  Chansons  de  Geste,  where,  how- 
ever, the  two  are  often  confused,  so  strik- 
ing were  the  points  of  resemblance  in 
their  characters.  To  the  elder  of  his  two 
sons,  Charles  Martel  gave  Austrasia,  Ale- 
mannia,  and  Thuringia,  with  suzerainty 


27 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


over    Bavaria ;    the    younger,    Pepin,    re- 
ceived Neustria,  Burgundy  and  Provence. 

(V)  Pepin  III,  son  of  Charles  Martel, 
surnamed  the  Short,  died  in  768.  In  747 
the  abdication  of  his  brother  Carloman 
left  Pepin  sole  master  of  the  Prankish 
kingdom,  although  he  was  not  its  king. 
In  751  he  removed  the  feeble  Childeric 
III  from  the  throne  to  a  monastery,  and 
had  himself  crowned  by  St.  Boniface,  a 
ceremony  new  to  France,  which  had 
hitherto  elected  its  monarchs,  and  which 
gave  him  an  immense  prestige.  His 
reign  was  marked  by  many  important 
religious  and  civil  events,  and  he  headed 
many  notable  ecclesiastical  reforms.  Pepin 
died  on  September  24,  768,  leaving  two 
sons,  Charles  (Charlemagne)  and  Carlo- 
man. 

(VI)  Charlemagne  (Charles  the  Great), 
Roman  Emperor,  and  King  of  the  Franks, 
was  the  elder  son  of  Pepin  the  Short, 
King  of  the  Franks,  and  Bertha  or  Ber- 
trada,  daughter  of  Charibert,  Count  of 
Laon.  Some  authorities  give  the  date  of 
his  birth  as  April  2,  742.  On  the  death  of 
his  brother  Carloman,  in  December,  771, 
Charles  was  at  once  recognized  as  King 
of  all  the  Franks.  In  774,  after  conquer- 
ing Desiderius,  King  of  the  Lombards,  he 
took  to  himself  the  title  of  King  of  the 
Lombards,  to  which  he  added  the  dignity 
of  "Patrician  of  the  Romans,"  which  had 
been  granted  to  his  father.  In  800, 
Charlemagne  entered  Rome  for  the  stated 
purpose  of  restoring  discipline  in  the 
church,  in  which  strife  was  rampant.  His 
interest  in  ecclesiastical  affairs  was  con- 
tinuous. On  Christmas  Day,  800,  he  was 
crowned  in  St.  Peter's  by  Pope  Leo  III, 
Emperor  and  Augustus,  amid  the  accla- 
mations of  the  crowd.  For  several  de- 
cades previous  he  had  been  the  real  ruler 
of  Rome,  however.  His  rule  was  well 
ordered  and  everywhere  beneficial,  and 
under  it  great  progress  was  made  in  civil- 


ization. In  806  he  made  a  division  of  his 
territories  among  his  three  legitimate 
sons,  which  however,  was  nullified  by  the 
death  of  Pepin  in  810,  and  Charles  in  the 
following  year.  He  then  named  the  re- 
maining son  Louis  as  his  successor.  On 
January  28,  814,  he  died,  and  on  the  same 
day  his  body  was  buried  in  the  Church 
of  St.   Mary  at  Aix. 

He  was  a  regular  observer  at  religious 
rites,  and  a  generous  almsgiver.  Charle- 
magne took  a  prominent  part  in  the  theo- 
logical controversies  of  the  time,  and  was 
responsible  for  the  addition  of  the  clause 
filioque  in  the  Nicene  Creed.  Innumer- 
able legends  have  grown  up  around 
Charlemagne,  in  which  he  is  represented 
as  a  warrior  performing  superhuman 
feats,  a  ruler  dispensing  perfect  justice 
and  as  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  religion. 

(VII)  Louis  I,  surnamed  "The  Pious," 
Roman  Emperor,  third  son  of  the  Em- 
peror Charlemagne  and  his  wife  Hilde- 
garde,  was  born  at  Chasseneuil,  in  Cen- 
tral France,  in  778.  He  was  prominent 
in  ecclesiastical  affairs,  although  an  able 
military  leader,  and  earned  the  title  of 
"Pious"  by  his  attempt  to  purify  and 
reform  monastic  life,  and  by  his  great 
liberality  to  the  church.  In  819  he  mar- 
ried Judith,  daughter  of  Welf  I,  Count  of 
Bavaria,  who  in  823  bore  him  a  son 
Charles,  afterward  called  "the  Bald."  He 
died  June  20,  840. 

(VIII)  Charles  the  Bald,  Roman  Em- 
peror and  King  of  the  West  Franks,  was 
the  son  of  Louis  I  and  Judith,  and  was 
born  in  823.  In  840  he  married  Ermun- 
trude,  daughter  of  the  Count  of  Orleans, 
and  she  died  in  869.  He  was  a  prince  of 
excellent  education,  and  a  friend  of  the 
church.  Opinions  differ  widely  as  to  his 
ability  as  a  military  leader  and  ruler. 

(IX)  Judith,  daughter  of  Charles  the 
Bald,  married  Baldwin  I,  of  Flanders, 
surname   Bras-de-fer   (Iron  Arms).     He 


28 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  a  brave  and  daring  warrior  under 
Charles  the  Bald,  and  on  marrying  Judith 
was  made  Margrave  of  Flanders  by  his 
father-in-law.  Baldwin  was  the  first  of 
a  line  of  strong  rulers,  who  at  some  time 
early  in  the  tenth  century  exchanged  the 
title  of  margrave  for  that  of  count.  He 
defended  the  west  borderland  of  the 
Prankish  dominion  against  the  incursions 
of  the  Northmen. 

(X)  Baldwin  II,  also  surnamed  the 
Bald,  also  maintained  a  strong  defence 
against  the  Northmen  from  his  strong- 
hold at  Bruges.  He  strengthened  the 
dynastic  importance  of  his  family  by 
marrying  Aelthryth,  daughter  of  Alfred 
the  Great,  King  of  England.  (See  Pedi- 
gree D,  XIV). 

(XI)  Armulph  the  Great,  son  of  Bald- 
win II,  ruled  jointly  with  his  brother 
Adolphus  for  a  short  period,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  entire  inheritance.  His 
reign  was,  like  that  of  his  father  and 
grandfather,  filled  with  warfare  against 
the  Northmen,  and  he  took  an  active  part 
in  the  struggles  of  Otto  I  against  Hugh 
Capet.  In  his  latter  years  he  placed  the 
government  in  the  hands  of  his  son  Bald- 
win. He  married  Alisa,  daughter  of  the 
Count  of  Vermandois. 

(XII)  Baldwin  III,  son  of  Armulph  the 
Great,  had  a  short  but  exceedingly  full 
reign.  He  did  much  for  the  commercial 
and  industrial  development  of  Flanders, 
and  established  the  first  Flemish  weavers 
and  fullers  at  Ghent,  also  instituting 
yearly  fairs  at  Ypres,  Bruges  and  other 
places.  He  died  in  961,  and  on  his  death 
the  old  Count  of  Vermandois  spent  the 
remaining  years  of  his  life  in  securing  the 
succession  of  his  grandson,  Armulph  II. 

(XIII)  Armulph  II,  surnamed  the 
Younger,  married  Susanna,  daughter  of 
Berengarius  II,  King  of  Italy.  He  died 
in  989,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 

(XIV)  Baldwin    IV,    surnamed    Bar- 


batus,  or  Bearded,  fought  successfully 
against  the  Capetian  King  of  France,  and 
Henry  II,  who  was  obliged  to  give  him 
in  fief  Valenciennes,  the  burgraveship  of 
Ghent,  and  the  land  of  Waes  and  Zee- 
land. 

(XV)  Baldwin  V  was  a  powerful 
prince,  and  greatly  extended  his  powers 
by  war  and  alliances,  obtaining  valuable 
territory  from  Henry  IV.  On  the  decease 
of  Henry,  he  was  appointed  regent  dur- 
ing the  minority  of  Philip  I.  He  married 
Adela,  daughter  of  Robert  II,  of  France, 
and  granddaughter  of  Hugh  Capet.  (See 
Pedigree  B,  V). 

(XVI)  Maud  or  Matilda,  daughter  of 
Baldwin  V  and  Adela,  daughter  of  Robert 
II,  of  France,  married  William  the  Con- 
queror, and  with  him  shared  the  English 
throne  until  her  death  in  1083. 

(XVII)  Gundred,  daughter  of  William 
the  Conqueror,  and  Maud  of  Flanders,  his 
wife,  became  the  wife  of  William  De  War- 
ren, first  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey,  in 
England. 

(Pedigree  D). 

Descent  of  Gundred,  wife  of  William 
De  Warren,  first  Earl  of  Warren,  from  the 
ancient  kings  of  Wessex,  England, 
through  Alfred  the  Great. 

(I)  Cerdic,  founder  of  the  West  Saxon 
kingdom,  or  Wessex,  is  described  in 
ancient  records  as  an  "ealdorman"  who  in 
the  year  495  landed  with  his  son  Cynric 
in  Hamptonshire,  England,  where  he  was 
at  once  attacked  by  the  Britons.  In  the 
year  508  he  defeated  the  Britons  with 
great  slaughter,  and  again  in  519,  aided 
by  fresh  arrivals  of  the  Saxons,  gained 
another  decisive  victory  and  took  the  title 
of  king.  His  last  work  was  the  Conquest 
of  the  Isle  of  Wight.  All  the  sovereigns 
of  England,  with  the  exception  of  Canute, 
Hardicanute,  the  two  Harolds  and  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror,  are  said  to  be  de- 
scended from  Cerdic. 


29 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(II)  Cynric  succeeded  his  father  as 
King  of  Wessex,  and  defeated  the  Britons 
at  Salisbury  in  552,  and  again  at  Beran- 
burh,  probably  Barbury  Hill,  in  556. 
At  his  death  in  560  he  was  succeeded  by 
his  son  Ceawlin. 

(III)  Ceawlin,  King  of  the  West 
Saxons,  is  first  mentioned  in  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  Chronicle,  under  the  date  556,  as 
fighting  with  his  father  Cynric  against 
the  Britons,  at  Barbury  Hill.  On  becom- 
ing king  in  560,  he  began  a  career  of  con- 
quest, and  extended  his  kingdom  greatly. 
In  591  he  suffered  defeat  and  lost  the 
northern  part  of  his  kingdom.  In  592  he 
was  driven  from  Wessex,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  killed,  possibly  in  an  attempt 
to  regain  it. 

(IV)  Cuthwin. 

(V)  Ceowald. 

(VI)  Cenred. 

(VII)  Ingild. 

(VIII)  Eoppa. 

(IX)  Eofa. 

(X)  Ealhmund,  King  of  Kent,  is  men- 
tioned in  a  charter  dated  784. 

(XI)  Ecgbert,  son  of  Ealhmund,  died 
in  839.  He  was  King  of  the  West  Saxons, 
and  succeeded  to  the  throne  in  802  after 
the  death  of  Beorhtric.  His  reign  was 
one  of  conquest  and  lasted  thirty-seven 
years.  He  was  succeeded  on  his  death  in 
839  by  his  son  Athelwulf.  Ecgbert  spent 
many  years  of  his  youth  at  the  court  of 
the  Emperor  Charlemagne,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  thorough  training  in  kingly 
offices.     He  married  Raedburgh. 

(XII)  Athelwulf,  King  of  the  West 
Saxons,  succeeded  his  father  Ecgbert  in 
A.  D.  839.  His  reign  was  chiefly  occu- 
pied with  struggles  with  the  Danes.  In 
855  he  journeyed  to  Rome  with  Alfred, 
and  on  his  return  to  Britain  married 
Judith,  daughter  of  Charles  the  Bald, 
Roman  Emperor  and  King  of  the  West 
Franks.      His    first    wife    was    Osburga, 


daughter  of  Oslac,  and  she  was  the 
mother  of  Alfred  the  Great.  Judith  sub- 
sequently became  the  wife  of  Baldwin  I, 
of  Flanders.  (See  Pedigree  C,  IX). 
Athelwulf  died  in  858.  He  was  noted  for 
his  piety,  and  donated  much  to  the  Roman 
See.  His  rare  illuminated  Gospels  bound 
in  ivory  are  among  the  wonders  of  his  age. 

(XIII)  Alfred  the  Great,  King  of  Eng- 
land, and  the  greatest  and  most  beloved 
figure  in  its  early  history,  was  born  in  the 
year  848,  in  Wantage,  the  fourth  son  of 
Athelwulf  and  his  first  wife  Osburga. 
His  entire  reign  was  devoted  to  freeing 
England,  first  from  the  Danes,  and  later 
from  the  demoralizing  effects  of  their 
savage  onslaughts.  He  revived  learning 
and  education,  which  had  fallen  into 
decay  under  the  Danes,  and  made  several 
attempts  to  restore  the  church  to  its 
former  place  in  England.  He  initiated 
many  notable  military  reforms,  and  ac- 
complished the  great  task  of  civil  reor- 
ganization. In  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice he  was  most  careful,  as  is  testified 
both  by  history  and  legend.  He  also 
earned  the  title  of  "protector  of  the  poor," 
by  his  deeds  of  charity  and  benevolence. 
Many  of  his  literary  works  and  transla- 
tions still  survive,  and  show  him  to  have 
been  a  man  of  fine  intellectuality.  He  was 
almost  certainly  the  author  of  the  Saxon 
Chronicle  and  the  Saxon  Martyrology. 
For  the  greatness  of  his  achievements  and 
the  fineness  of  his  life  there  is  no  other 
monarch  in  the  whole  line  of  English 
kings  who  equals  Alfred,  or  is  there  an- 
other figure  in  history  more  truly  deserv- 
ing of  the  epithet  Great.  In  868,  Alfred 
married  Aelhswith,  daughter  of  Athelred 
Mucin,  who  is  called  Ealdorman  of  the 
Gaini,  an  unidentified  district. 

(XIV)  Aelthryth,  daughter  of  Alfred 
the  Great,  married  Baldwin  II,  of 
Flanders.  (See  Pedigree  C,  X).  She 
died  June  7,  929. 


30 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BUCKINGHAM,  William  A., 

Civil  War  GoTermor  of  Connecticut. 

William  Alfred  Buckingham  was  born 
at  Lebanon,  New  London  county,  Con- 
necticut, May  28,  1804,  eldest  son  of  Sam- 
uel Buckingham  and  Joanna  Matson,  of 
Lyme,  Connecticut.  His  father  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  in  Lebanon,  and  owned 
a  shad  fishery  at  the  mouth  of  the  Con- 
necticut river. 

Young  Buckingham  attended  the  local 
schools  and  Bacon  Academy,  Colchester, 
Connecticut.  He  taught  in  a  district 
school  for  one  winter,  and  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  three  years,  and  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  took  a  clerkship  in  a  store  in 
Norwich,  followed  by  a  short  service  as 
clerk  in  New  York,  then  returning  and 
engaging  in  dry  goods  business  on  his 
own  account.  In  1830  he  added  the  man- 
ufacture of  ingrain  carpets,  and  carried 
his  business  successfully  through  the 
great  crisis  of  1837.  In  1848  with  two  or 
three  associates  he  began  the  manufacture 
of  rubber  shoes  and  was  connected  with 
that  industry  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

His  public  career  began  in  1849,  when 
he  was  elected  mayor  of  Norwich,  to 
which  office  he  was  reelected  in  1850,  1856 
and  1857.  He  was  a  Republican  presi- 
dential elector  in  1856.  In  1858  he  was 
elected  Governor,  to  which  office  he  was 
chosen  for  eight  consecutive  terms,  re- 
ceiving in  the  last  a  majority  unprece- 
dented in  the  history  of  the  State,  and  no 
one  in  Connecticut  since  Oliver  Wolcott 
(1818-27)  having  held  the  office  so  long. 

At  the  outset  of  the  Civil  War,  his  lofty 
character  and  large  credit  was  a  potent 
aid  toward  the  promptness  of  Connecti- 
cut in  forwarding  the  first  completely 
equipped  regiment  furnished  by  any  State. 
The  Legislature  not  being  in  session  at 
the  opening  of  the  war,  he  pledged  his  pri- 


vate means  at  the  banks  to  provide  funds 
for  the  equipment  of  his  troops,  and  the 
banks  showed  their  patriotism  and  con- 
fidence in  him  by  prompt  and  full  re- 
sponse. The  successive  quotas  of  Con- 
necticut, under  calls  of  the  President  for 
volunteers,  were  always  more  than  filled, 
and  her  troops  equipped  with  wonderful 
promptness.  Directed  by  the  "War  Gov- 
ernor," as  he  was  and  is  still  called,  fifty- 
three  thousand  sons  of  Connecticut  went 
to  the  field — almost  one-half  of  her  able- 
bodied  men  fit  to  bear  arms — and  in  a 
state  of  such  complete  preparedness  as  to 
elicit  the  repeated  commendation  of  the 
national  authorities.  President  Lincoln 
said  of  him :  "We  always  like  to  see  Gov- 
ernor Buckingham  in  Washington.  He 
takes  up  no  superfluous  time.  He  knows 
exactly  what  he  needs,  and  makes  no  un- 
reasonable demands."  Such  remarks  were 
frequently  emphasized  by  Secretary  Stan- 
ton, of  the  War  Department.  The  corre- 
spondence of  Governor  Buckingham  with 
the  President  and  Secretary  further  dem- 
onstrates the  source  of  his  influence 
through  the  aiTectionate  respect  in  which 
they  held  him.  In  response  to  a  letter 
sent  him  during  one  of  the  darkest  periods 
of  the  war  Secretary  Stanton  wrote :  "In 
the  midst  of  toil  and  care  that  wearies  my 
spirit  and  exhausts  my  strength,  such 
words  of  comfort  revive  and  strengthen 
me  greatly."  During  those  fateful  four 
years  Governor  Buckingham  never  for 
a  moment  wavered  in  his  belief  that  the 
government  must  and  would  succeed. 

The  war  ended  and  the  afifairs  of  Con- 
necticut with  the  general  government 
well  adjusted.  Governor  Buckingham  de- 
clined further  reelection.  In  1868  he  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  and 
although  never  before  in  Congress,  his 
record  as  "War  Governor"  insured  at 
once  a  flattering  recognition  by  his  col- 


31 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


leagues,  and  a  wide  influence.  He  was 
made  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
Indian  affairs  during  a  period  when  pub- 
lic attention  was  earnestly  fixed  upon  the 
responsibilities  of  our  government  toward 
its  wards,  and  threw  himself  with  great 
intensity  into  the  work.  Those  who 
would  make  the  necessities  of  the  Indian 
their  own  greedy  opportunity  found  in 
him  no  friend.  As  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  commerce  his  extensive  and 
practical  experience  gave  weight  and  au- 
thority to  his  opinions.  He  was  not  an 
orator;  but  his  speeches  were  marked  by 
clearness,  force  and  great  earnestness. 

He  was  a  corporate  member  of  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions  ;  president  of  the  Amer- 
ican Missionary  Association,  the  Western 
College  and  Education  Society,  and  mod- 
erator of  the  first  national  council  of  Con- 
gregational churches,  at  Boston,  in  1865. 
He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Sec- 
ond Congregational  Church,  and  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Broadway  Church  of 
Norwich,  in  which  he  was  an  officer  until 
his  death. 

He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Norwich  Free  Academy  and  president 
of  its  board  of  trustees.  He  gave  gener- 
ously to  Yale  College  and  a  chair  was 
named  in  his  honor  in  the  Divinity  School 
of  that  institution.  The  secret  of  Gov- 
ernor Buckingham's  influence  lay  in  the 
wonderful  balance  of  his  powers,  physi- 
cal, intellectual  and  moral.  He  was  every- 
where and  always  the  impersonation  of 
courtesy.  His  power  of  reaching  the  core 
of  a  difficult  question  was  almost  intui- 
tive ;  and  his  tact  in  dealing  with  men 
under  trying  circumstances  was  extraor- 
dinary. His  love  for  children  was  very 
strong ;  he  would  sometimes  leave  the 
writing  of  an  important  state  paper  to 
frolic  in  his  library  with  an  interrupting 


grandchild.  The  gentleness  of  his  man- 
ner would  have  led  a  superficial  observer 
to  underrate  his  strength  of  character.  It 
was  in  the  fervid  expression  of  his  intens- 
est  convictions  that  the  full  man  was 
revealed. 

Governor  Buckingham  was  married,  at 
Norwich,  September  27,  1830,  to  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Dwight  and  Eliza  (Coit) 
Ripley,  by  whom  he  had  two  children : 
William,  born  October,  1836,  and  died  in 
December,  1838;  Eliza  Coit,  born  Decem- 
ber 8,  1838.  She  married  General  Wil- 
liam A.  Aiken,  one  of  Governor  Bucking- 
ham's staff  during  the  Civil  War,  and 
who  was  the  first  to  reach  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment with  dispatches  from  the  North, 
when  Washington  was  beset  with  ene- 
mies, and  the  approaches  to  the  capital 
were  obstructed.  He  delivered  these  dis- 
patches in  person  to  President  Lincoln. 
Mrs.  Buckingham  died  April  ig,  1868. 
The  family  life  of  Governor  Buckingham 
was  most  attractive,  the  spirit  of  the 
household  being  one  of  cheerfulness,  kind- 
ness and  boundless  hospitality.  He  died 
at  his  home  in  Norwich,  Connecticut, 
February  5,  1857,  a  short  time  before  his 
senatorial  term  was  completed.  The  day 
of  his  funeral  was  observed  throughout 
the  State,  and  was  of  general  mourning  in 
the  city  of  his  residence.  His  hospitable 
home,  which  had  included  among  its 
guests  Lincoln,  Grant,  Garfield,  and  many 
other  notable  men,  was  thronged  for 
hours  by  a  ceaseless  procession  of  the 
high  and  the  lowly,  to  take  a  last  look  at 
the  face  they  had  loved  and  reverenced. 
Upon  his  monument  in  Yantic  Cemetery 
in  Norwich  is  this  inscription :  "William 
Alfred  Buckingham,  Governor  of  Connec- 
ticut (1858-1866),  United  States  Senator 
(1869-1875).  His  courage  was  dauntless. 
His  will  inflexible.  His  devotion  to  duty 
supreme.    His  faith  in  God  absolute." 


32 


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JJanning 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BANNING,  David, 


Man  of  Varied  Activities. 

Anns — Argent,  two  bars  sable,  each  charged  with 
as  many  escallops  or. 

Crest — On  a  mount  vert,  an  ostrich  argent,  hold- 
ing in  the  mouth  a  key  or. 

The  Banning  coat-of-arms  without  the 
supporters  were  granted  to  Pawle  Bayn- 
inge,  of  London,  in  1588,  by  Cooke,  ac- 
cording to  the  publications  of  the  Harle- 
ian  Society,  although  there  is  doubt  as  to 
Cooke  having  filled  the  office  of  herald  at 
that  time.  This  latter  point  is  immate- 
rial, as  the  arms  are  properly  registered 
and  recorded. 

The  Banning  chart,  of  which  the  author 
is  not  given,  but  who  apparently  did  the 
work  for  Pierson  W.  Banning,  of  Los 
Angeles,  California,  gives  John  Banning 
as  a  brother  of  James  and  Richard  Ban- 
ning and  names  him  as  of  Talbot  County, 
Maryland.  He  is  a  son  of  "John  Doe" 
Banning  (Stephen  was  grandfather  of 
John  Banning,  of  Talbot  County,  Mary- 
land). "John  Doe"  Banning  was  a  son  of 
Stephen  Banning  (of  England  in  1714). 
He  was  a  son  of  Stephen  Banning,  who 
died  in  England  in  1688.  His  wife,  Mary 
Banning,  was  of  England.  He  was  a  son 
of  John  Banning  (received  the  degree  of 
B.  A.  from  Oxford  in  1620)  (Subsidiary 
Rolls,  1642).  He  was  a  son  of  John  Ban- 
ning, of  Burbage,  England,  in  1613.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  Banning  of  Burbage, 
England,  in  1565.  He  was  a  son  of  Robert 
Banning,  of  Burbage,  England,  in  1539, 
who  was  named  as  an  old  man  in  1565. 

The  name  Banning  is  one  of  greatest 
antiquity.  It  is  of  Danish  origin,  apply- 
ing in  early  times  to  a  class  called  hero 
worshippers,  and  signifying  a  home  or 
dwelling.  Reference  to  it  is  found  in  the 
"Scot  and  Bard  Songs,"  the  earliest  bal- 
lads on  record,  where  it  says  "Becca  ruled 
the  Banning."  This  Becca  was,  no  doubt, 
Conn.  11 — 3  33 


the  hero  or  ruler  of  the  Banning  clan  of 
Vikings. 

The  distinctive  Anglo-Saxon  termina- 
tion "ing"  has  always  marked  the  name, 
and  in  general  it  has  suffered  very  slight 
changes  throughout  its  many  hundred 
years  of  existence  and  travel  into  differ- 
ent countries.  Whatever  changes  have 
occurred  are  due  to  misspelling  or  to  the 
natural  accommodation  to  the  languages. 
In  Holland  there  appears  Banningh,  Ban- 
ningk,  Bannick,  and  earlier,  Benningh, 
Benningk,  and  Bennick.  In  Denmark 
many  Bannings  live  to  this  day,  no  doubt 
descendants  of  the  first  Bannings  known, 
and  in  England  there  are  found  Bayninge, 
Banninge,  and  Baninge.  Germany  shows 
Bonning,  Banninger,  Baninger,  Behning, 
Benning,  while  in  this  country  is  Bran- 
ning,  formerly  De  Branning,  a  French 
variety,  and  from  Iceland  come  Bannon, 
Bannin,  Branigan,  and  others  of  similar 
sound. 

It  is  supposed  that  about  the  fourth  or 
fifth  century  some  of  the  Bannings  mi- 
grated from  their  native  place,  now  known 
as  Denmark,  to  what  is  at  present  called 
Holland,  which  was  but  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant. Here  they  must  have  lived  for 
nearly  a  thousand  years  before  coming 
into  prominence ;  at  least  no  trace  of  the 
name  has  been  found  in  history  until 
about  1386,  w;hen  Gerrit  Banningh,  a  cloth 
merchant  of  Nienwendyk,  who  came  from 
a  hamlet  named  Banningh  by  the  Stadt  of 
De  Venter,  and  finally  located  in  Amster- 
dam, is  mentioned  as  being  the  progenitor 
of  the  Banning  families  in  Holland,  who 
governed  that  country  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent  for  nearly  three  hundred  years. 
(De  Vroedschatap  Van  Amsterdam,  by 
Herr  Elias,  director  of  the  State  Archives 
of  Amsterdam,  Pub.  by  Vincent  Loosjes, 
about  1895,  in  Haarlam,  Holland,  2  vols.) 

Rembrandt's      famous      painting,     the 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


"Night  Watch,"  shows  as  the  central 
figure  Captain  Franz  Banning-Coq,  who, 
although  dying  at  an  early  age,  made  his 
power  and  influence  felt  in  a  most  won- 
derful way.  This  picture  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  represent  a  rally  of  the  gTiard  at 
night  from  the  guard  house,  which  a  name 
on  the  picture  states,  but  in  fact  represents 
the  members  of  a  gun  club  as  they  are 
about  to  leave  their  old  quarters  just  prior 
to  moving  into  their  new  quarters  on  Sin- 
gel  Street.  This  picture  was  painted  in 
1642.  The  name  was  given  it  when  the 
picture  was  discovered  many  years  after 
it  had  been  painted,  in  an  old  attic,  and 
the  real  purport  of  the  picture  was  un- 
known, but  recent  discoveries  establish 
the  above  statement  as  to  its  meaning. 
At  that  time  it  was  customary  for  prom- 
inent organizations  to  have  paintings 
made  of  their  members  in  groups.  Franz 
Banning's  mother  was  a  Banning  of  the 
noble  families,  and  married  an  apothecary 
named  Coq,  from  Bremen,  against  the 
wishes  of  her  parents.  Their  son  Franz, 
of  his  own  accord,  prefixed  his  last  name 
by  his  mother's  name.  Banning,  making  it 
a  hyphenated  name. 

From  Holland,  Franz  Banning-Coq 
went  to  Basel,  where  he  studied  law.  Re- 
turning to  Amsterdam  he  soon  became  an 
alderman,  then  a  magistrate,  and  in  a 
short  time  burgomaster.  The  King  of 
Frankreich  raised  him  to  the  nobility. 
He  built  the  building  now  used  as  the 
King's  Palace,  but  which  at  that  time  was 
the  City  Hall  or  Governor's  headquarters. 
He  died  at  an  early  age,  childless,  in  the 
midst  of  an  already  wonderful  career. 

Another  famous  painting  by  Van  der 
Heist,  entitled  "Celebrating  the  Peace  of 
Munster,  or  Conclusion  of  the  30  Year 
War,"  which  hangs  alongside  of  the 
"Night  Watch"  in  the  Royal  Museum  at 
Amsterdam,  has  as  its  central  figure  Jacob 


Banning,  the  Standard  Bearer,  which  pic- 
tures the  members  of  a  gun  club  gathered 
at  a  banquet  to  celebrate  the  Westphalian 
Peace  in  1648. 

The  Banning  coat-of-arms  may  be  seen 
on  the  ceiling  of  the  throne  room  in  the 
King's  palace  in  Amsterdam  to  this  day, 
as  well  as  in  church  windows,  on  grave- 
stones, and  in  many  other  places.  At 
some  unknown  date,  probably  about  1500, 
the  Bannings  went  to  England  and  settled 
at  what  is  now  called  Banningham  in 
Norfolk.  At  the  present  time  no  traces 
of  the  Bannings  can  be  found  there,  but 
are  clearly  traceable  to  Midland  and  Lon- 
don, from  which  places  the  different 
branches  now  in  existence  seem  to  have 
come. 

The  Bannings  in  England  became  prom- 
inent in  military  and  social  life  during  the 
sixteenth  century,  taking  an  active  part 
in  the  Crusade  to  the  Holy  Land,  for 
which  a  coat-of-arms  was  granted  in  Lon- 
don in  1588.  Two  Peerages  also  were 
created,  both  becoming^  extinct  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  first  Peerage 
was  conferred  on  Sir  Paul  Bayning,  Lord 
Mayor  of  London,  who,  in  his  Patent  of 
Nobility,  reverted  to  the  original  spelling 
Banning,  and  became  Viscount  Banning. 
His  country  seat  was  near  Banningham, 
in  Norfolk. 

One  branch  of  the  family  in  England 
is  about  extinct,  there  being  but  one  male 
member  now  living,  and  it  is  thought  his 
only  son  is  dead.  Another  branch  has  for 
many  years  been  of  local  importance, 
having  for  several  generations  held  in  the 
family  the  highly  coveted  ofiice  of  post- 
master of  Liverpool,  besides  other  posi- 
tions of  importance  in  the  governmental 
service. 

Sometime  in  the  seventeenth  century 
Bannings  came,  supposedly  from  Eng- 
land, Ireland,  Scotland,  and  elsewhere,  to 


34 


1233370 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


America.  As  to  the  places  from  which 
they  came  nothing  is  definitely  known 
with  one  exception,  but  some  of  them  are 
thought  to  have  come  from  Midland  or 
London.  It  seems  almost  certain  that  the 
first  Bannings  in  America  came  from 
England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  as  the  given 
names  are  English,  or  at  least  more  com- 
mon in  England  than  elsewhere,  e.  g., 
Edward,  James,  John,  and  Samuel.  Some- 
time prior  to  1678  an  Edward  Banning 
settled  in  Talbot  County,  Maryland, 
which  was  but  a  few  years  after  Lord 
Baltimore  was  granted  a  charter  for  col- 
onization purposes  by  the  King  of  Eng- 
land. About  1700  there  is  a  record  of  a 
James  Banning  being  in  the  same  county 
that  Edward  Banning  came  to.  About 
this  same  time  two  other  Bannings  are 
known  of  in  or  near  Lyme,  Connecticut, 
by  name  Samuel  and  John  Banning. 
These  last  three,  by  tradition,  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  brothers,  which,  if  a 
fact,  makes  it  more  than  likely  that  they 
were  sons  of  Edward  Banning,  of  Talbot 
County,  Maryland.  Some  forty  odd  years 
later  a  Benoni  Banning  settled  in  Talbot 
County,  Maryland.  He  came  from  Dub- 
lin, Ireland,  to  which  place  his  father  is 
thought  to  have  come  from  Scotland  or 
England,  but  about  1790  John  Banning, 
who  was  born  August  15,  1760,  in  Staf- 
ford, England,  came  to  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.  His  son  Daniel  lived  in 
Pittsburgh  or  Philadelphia,  but  of  his 
descendants  nothing  is  known.  There  is 
in  Los  Angeles  County,  California,  and  in 
Pennsylvania,  a  town  named  Banning, 
and  in  California  a  military  camp  by  that 
name. 

Some  years  after  James  Banning,  and 
about  the  time  Benoni  Banning  was 
known  of  in  Maryland,  there  appeared 
Bannings  in  Delaware.  It  is  not  unlikely 
that  they  may  have  come  from  those  in 


Maryland,  as  these  two  states  are  geo- 
graphically one,  but  if  they  did  not,  it  is 
possible  that  they  migrated  from  Holland, 
where  there  were  so  many  Bannings. 
From  the  names  of  some  of  their  descend- 
ants, it  is  contended  that  they  are  of  Dutch 
origin,  and  as  Delaware  was  early  settled 
by  the  Dutch,  this  may  be  the  case.  From 
the  Delaware  Bannings  there  have  come 
two  branches,  one  a  branch  in  California, 
and  a  branch  now  in  Delaware  and  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania.  There  is  a  strong 
likelihood  that  Phineas  Banning  was  a 
brother  of  Benoni  Banning,  and  his  bro- 
ther, James  Banning,  who  came  to  Talbot 
County,  Maryland. 

This  family  was  originally  of  Neyland 
in  Suffolk.  Richard  Bannyng,  or  Bayn- 
ing,  dwelt  at  Dedham  about  the  end  of  the 
fifteenth  century.  His  son,  Richard,  mar- 
ried Anne  Raven,  daughter  and  co-heir  of 
Robert  Raven,  of  Creting  St.  Mary's  in 
Suffolk,  and  had  Richard  of  Dedham,  who 
married  Anne  Barker,  daughter  of  John 
Barker,  of  Ipswich,  by  whom  he  had 
Paul  (Andrew,  a  very  eminent  merchant 
in  Mincing  Lane,  who  died  without  issue 
December  21,  1610,  aged  sixty-seven.  See 
under  Powers  in  Little  Waltham). 

Paul  Bayning  was  a  citizen  and  Alder- 
man of  London,  and  one  of  the  Sheriffs  of 
that  city  in  1593.  He  accumulated  a  very 
great  fortune  by  merchandising,  so  ad- 
vantageous was  trade  even  in  its  infancy, 
that  Sir  Thomas  Gresham,  Sir  Andrew 
Judde,  Thomas  Sutton,  founder  of  the 
Charter-house,  and  our  two  brothers,  Paul 
and  Andrew,  laid  immense  and  incredible 
riches  by.  These  two  have  a  monument 
erected  to  their  memory  in  the  chancel 
of  the  Church  of  St.  Olave,  Hart  Street, 
by  which  it  appears  that  Paul  died  Sep- 
tember 3,  1616,  aged  seventy-seven.  He 
had  two  wives.  The  first  was  a  daughter 
of  a  Mowfe,  of  Needham,  or  Creting,  in 


35 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Suffolk,  by  whom  no  issue  is  recorded. 
His  second  wife  was  Susan  Norden, 
daughter  and  heir  of  Richard  Norden,  of 
Miftley  (remarried  after  his  decease  to 
Sir  Francis  Leigh,  Knight  and  Bart).  He 
died  October  i,  1616,  and  was  buried  in 
St.  Olave's  Church,  above  mentioned, 
leaving  his  only  son  and  heir,  Sir  Paul 
Bayning,  Knight,  then  aged  upwards  of 
thirty. 

Sir  Paul  Bayning  was  created  a  Baronet 
November  25,  1612,  constituted  Sheriff  of 
Essex  in  161 7,  advanced  to  the  title  of 
Baron  Bayning,  of  Horksley,  in  Essex, 
February  27,  1627-28,  and  to  the  further 
dignity  of  Viscount  Sudbury,  in  Suffolk, 
March  8,  1627-28.  He  married  Anne 
Glemham,  daughter  of  Sir  Henry  Glem- 
ham.  Knight,  by  Anne  (Sackville)  Glem- 
ham, daughter  of  Thomas,  Earl  of  Dor- 
set, by  whom  he  had  five  children:  i. 
Paul,  his  son  and  heir.  2.  Cecily,  married 
Henry  Pierpont,  Viscount  Newalk,  eldest 
son  of  Robert,  Earl  of  Kingston.  3.  Anne, 
married  Henry  Murray,  Esq.,  one  of  the 
grooms  of  the  bed-chamber  to  King 
Charles  I,  afterwards  created,  March  17, 
1673,  Viscountess  Banning,  of  Foxley.  4. 
Mary,  married  (first)  William  Villers, 
Viscount  of  Grandison,  second  to  Chris- 
topher Villiers,  Earl  of  Anglesea,  third  to 
Arthur  Gorge,  Esq.  5.  Elizabeth,  married 
Francis,  Lord  Dacre ;  created,  September 
6,  1680,  Countess  of  Shepey. 

Sir  Paul  Bayning  died  at  his  house  on 
Mark  Lane,  July  29,  1629,  possessed  of  a 
very  large  real  estate,  as  appears  by  the 
following  particulars : 

The  manor  and  almost  the  whole  parish  of  Lit- 
tle Bentley:  Dikeley  hall,  Stones,  Sheddinghow, 
Old  hall.  New  hall.  Abbots,  etc.,  in  Maningtree, 
and  parishes  adjoining:  The  manor  of  Hamp- 
stalls,  in  Weeks:  The  manors  of  Great  Horkes- 
ley,  Boxsted,  River-hall,  etc. :  The  manor  of  Small- 
land-hall,  alias  Marshes,  in  Hatfield  Peverell: 
The  manor  of  Powers,  and  Shepcote,  in  Little 
Waltham:    The  manor  of  Great  Lees  with  Lyon- 


hall,  and  other  great  estates  there:  in  Woodham 
Ferrers,  the  manor  of  Champions,  and  estates 
called  Burrs,  Illgars,  and  Latchleys:  The  manor 
of  Gingjoyberd-laundry,  alias  Blunts  in  Butsbury, 
and  Stock:  half  the  manor  of  Famham.  And 
other  estates  and  woods  in  Tendering,  Thorpe, 
Roding-Beauchamp,  Willingale  Doe,  Fifield.  The 
rectories  of  Bradfield.  And  the  advowsons  of  the 
Churches  of  Little  Bentley,  Great  Lees,  Stock, 
Mistley,  Bradfield,  in  Suffolk.  The  manor  and 
rectory  appropriate  of  Laxfield :  The  manor  of 
Rumborough :  Divers  lands,  tenements,  etc.,  in 
Laxfield  aforesaid,  Creting,  Needham,  Barking, 
Afpall,  Thorndon,  Thwaight,  Houlton,  Aldring- 
ham,  Wiffet,  Rumborough,  Speckhall,  Credeston, 
Westhall,  Hallesworth,  Leiston,  Knoddishill,  Thev- 
erton,  Kellishall.  In  Hertfordshire :  Tenements 
and  lands  at  Huxworth,  with  the  advowson  of  the 
church.  Inquis.  6  Caroli,  September  4,  n°  158.  He 
also  had  an  immediate  personal  estate  of  £153  15s., 
viz.  in  debts  £136,751  iss.,  and  in  ready  money 
£17,000,  without  the  jewels,  plate,  and  household 
stuff. 

His  widow  was  remarried  to  Dudley 
Carleton,  Viscount  Dorchester.  His  son 
and  heir,  Paul,  Viscount  Bayning,  was 
born  in  161 6,  paid  the  king  £18,000  for  the 
fine  of  his  wardship,  and  for  charges  about 
the  same,  £  185.  He  died  at  Bentley  Hall, 
June  II,  1638,  and  was  buried  in  a  vault 
in  this  church.  By  his  Lady  Penelope, 
only  daughter  and  heir  of  Sir  Robert 
Naunton,  Knight,  Master  of  the  Court  of 
Wards  and  Liveries,  and  once  Secretary 
of  State  (remarried  afterwards  to  Philip, 
Earl  of  Pembrook)  he  had  two  daughters, 
Anne,  and  Penelope,  born  in  November, 
after  his  decease.  Anne,  the  eldest,  was 
married  to  Aubrey  de  Vere,  the  twentieth 
and  last  Earl  of  Oxford,  of  that  most 
noble  and  ancient  family.  Her  large  for- 
tune was  a  reasonable  and  necessary  sup- 
ply and  recruit  to  the  estate  of  that  fam- 
ily, which  had  been  greatly  impaired  and 
almost  ruined  by  the  passionate  extrav- 
agance of  his  ancestor,  Edward,  Earl  of 
Oxford,  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign.  But 
by  this  Lady,  who  died  in  September, 
1659,  he  had  no  surviving  issue.     Pene- 


36 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lope,  the  youngest  daughter,  was  married 
to  John  Herbert,  Esq.,  youngest  son  of 
PhiHp,  Earl  of  Pembrook  and  Montgom- 
ery ;  remarried  to  John  Wentworth,  Esq. 
She  died  in  1657,  without  issue. 

This  estate  became  the  property  of  the 
Earl  of  Oxford  and  his  Lady  (Newcourt, 
Vol.  II,  p.  52).  They  caused  to  be  pulled 
down  the  stately  and  magnificent  seat  of 
Bentley  Hall,  which  had  been  erected  by 
Paul  Bayning,  Esq.,  in  the  reign  of  King 
James  I,  and  sold  the  materials,  where- 
with many  houses  in  Colchester  and  else- 
where are  still  adorned. 

Phineas  Banning  came  from  England 
and  settled  in  Dover,  Delaware,  where  his 
son,  John  Banning,  was  born  in  1740,  and 
there  died  February  15,  1791.  John  Ban- 
ning was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  the 
State  of  Delaware  from  1777  until  his 
death  ;  treasurer  of  Kent  County ;  military 
treasurer;  town  commissioner;  member 
of  the  Council  of  Safety,  and  member  of 
the  first  Electorial  College,  casting  Dela- 
ware's vote  for  George  Washington  as 
President  of  the  United  States.  In  the 
Revolution  he  was  one  of  the  foremost 
patriots,  "Contributing  liberally  both  in 
money  and  services  to  organizing  and 
establishing  the  State  government  of  Del- 
aware, and  is  said  to  have  been  considered 
the  'banker  of  the  State.'  When  the  Con- 
tinental Army  was  disbanded,  and  the 
soldiers  had  nothing  but  the  depreciated 
script,  it  is  said  that  he  stood  on  the  steps 
of  the  old  Academy  of  Dover  and  gave 
them  hard  money  for  their  notes,  thus  try- 
ing to  redeem  his  nation's  credit."  He 
married,  in  1766,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Alford) 
Cassius,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Charity 
Alford.  She  was  a  woman  of  great 
beauty ;  "indeed,"  a  gentleman  of  note 
said  "she  was  the  most  beautiful  woman 
he  had  ever  seen  in  Europe  or  America. 
.    .    .    Sarah   Banning,  her  daughter  by 


her  second  husband,  who  married  Hon. 
Henry  Moore  Ridgely,  was  highly  edu- 
cated and  accomplished,  and  inherited 
much  of  her  mother's  beauty.  When  Mr. 
Ridgely  was  in  the  United  States  Senate 
they  were  spoken  of  as  the  handsomest 
couple  in  Washington  society."  Mrs. 
Banning  married  (third)  Dr.  William  Mc- 
Kee,  many  persons  and  families  of  prom- 
inence being  represented  among  their  de- 
scendants. 

For  examples  of  the  sheer  power  of  in- 
domitable wills,  fierce  courage,  and  un- 
conquerable persistence  in  the  moulding 
of  careers  out  of  the  untried  resources  of 
virgin  fields  we  must  turn  to  the  Great 
West  and  Middle  West.  No  other  section 
of  the  country  has  given  us  such  shining 
examples  of  work  of  strong  men,  true  in 
coping  with  the  almost  overwhelming 
forces  of  nature  and  circumstance.  The 
history  of  the  Western  Reserve  is  one  of 
romance  and  achievement  incomparable 
with  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  country. 
"Self-made,  self-reliant,  sturdy  and  rug- 
ged men  have  been  its  product,  and  it  is  to 
these  men  that  the  upbuilding  and  de- 
velopment of  the  West  into  the  important 
factor  in  the  world's  work  which  it  is  to- 
day is  due."  To  every  man  who  has  con- 
tributed a  share  toward  the  great  task  of 
bringing  the  West  out  of  a  vast  wilder- 
ness, teeming  with  opportunity,  yet  offer- 
ing untold  resistance  before  it  was  har- 
nessed to  the  uses  of  man,  is  due  a  deep 
gratitude  and  thankfulness,  which  can  be 
no  more  adequately  expressed  than  in 
preserving  for  later  generations  the  story 
of  his  work  and  achievement. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  Western  Re- 
serve to  settlers,  the  family  of  Banning 
has  been  prominent.  The  late  David 
Banning,  one  of  the  prominent  business 
men  and  financiers  of  the  city  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  during  the  latter  and  mid- 


37 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


die  decades    of    the  nineteenth   century, 
was  a  descendant  in  the  third  generation. 

(I)  Samuel  Banning,  of  Lyme,  Con- 
necticut, in  common  with  the  traditions 
of  other  Bannings,  is  believed  to  have 
come  from  his  native  England  to  America 
about  1700,  being  one  of  the  three  broth- 
ers so  often  mentioned.  He  located  in  or 
near  Lyme,  Connecticut,  upon  his  arrival 
in  America,  where,  like  John  Banning, 
many  of  his  descendants  are  to  be  found 
to  this  day,  while  not  a  few  have  scattered 
to  New  York  State,  Ohio,  California,  and 
elsewhere.  Among  the  descendants  of 
this  line  a  considerable  number  of  those 
of  most  brilliant  attainments  can  be 
found ;  this  includes  medical,  musical  and 
scholarly  lines,  and  has  established  a  high 
average  among  them.  He  moved  from 
Lyme  to  East  Hartland,  Connecticut ;  was 
killed  by  lightning;  and  is  buried  in  East 
Hartland.  Children:  i.  Elizabeth.  2.  Sam- 
uel, of  whom  further.    3.  Abner.  4.  David. 

(II)  Samuel  (2)  Banning,  son  of  Sam- 
uel Banning,  was  born  about  1710,  in 
Lyme,  Connecticut.  He  married  two  or 
three  times,  having  in  all  ten  children. 
He  moved  to  East  Hartland,  Connecti- 
cut, about  1765,  where  he  died  on  the  farm 
of  his  son  David,  about  1800,  being  buried 
at  East  Hartland,  Connecticut.  Children: 
I.  Samuel.  2.  Abner,  of  whom  further.  3. 
David.  4.  Irene.  5.  Daughter.  6.  Daughter. 
7.  Daughter.  8.  Rhoda.  9.  Rebecca.  10. 
Daughter. 

(III)  Abner  Banning,  son  of  Samuel  (2) 
Banning,  was  born  about  1755,  in  East 
Hartland,  Connecticut.  He  was  in  the  i8th 
Regiment,  Connecticut  Militia,  from  Au- 
gust 18,  1776,  to  September  14,  1776,  in 
Captain  Hutchan's  company.  He  married 
Annah  Sparrow,  of  East  Haddam,  Con- 
necticut, in  the  First  Church  of  Christ, 
April  2,  1777  (see  Sparrow  VI).  She  was 
born  April  19,  1751,  and  lived  in  Connecti- 


cut. Children:  i.  Malinda.  2.  Benjamin. 
3.  Ashel,  of  whom  further.  4.  Morgan. 
5.  Calvin.    6.  Samuel. 

There  were  twenty  families  that  left 
East  Hartland,  Connecticut,  for  Ohio ; 
they  settled  in  Vernon  and  Hartford, 
Trumbull  County,  Ohio. 

(IV)  Ashel  (Arbel)  Banning,  son  of 
Abner  and  Annah  (Sparrow)  Banning, 
was  born  June  22,  1780,  in  East  Hartland, 
Connecticut.  He  married  (first)  Amelia 
Wilcox.  This  marriage  took  place  soon 
after  coming  to  Ohio,  and  they  settled  in 
Vernon.  He  married  (second)  Dency 
Crosby,  born  April  22,  1791,  who  died 
February  25,  1868,  in  Gustavus,  Ohio. 
They  lived  in  Vernon,  Ohio.  He  died 
May  7,  1873,  '"  Gustavus,  Ohio,  the  result 
of  being  struck  on  the  head  by  a  falling 
timber.    The  Crosby  arms  are  as  follows : 

Arms — Sable,  a  chevron  ermine,  between  three 
rams  passant  argent. 

Crest — A  ram  as  in  the  arms. 

Motto — Liberty  under  thy  guidance,  the  guid- 
ance of  the  lamb  of  God. 

Children  of  the  first  wife :  i.  Abner  Wil- 
cox. 2.  Amelia.  3.  Melinda.  Children  of 
second  wife:  4.  David,  of  whom  further. 
5.  Jeremiah  W.,  deceased.  6.  Timothy,  de- 
ceased. 7.  Mary  A.,  deceased,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Benjamin  H.  Peabody.  8.  Con- 
verse. 9.  Stoddard,  of  Geneva,  Ohio,  now 
deceased.  10.  Malinda,  married  Newton 
Robens,  and  is  now  deceased. 

(V)  David  Banning,  son  of  Ashel  and 
Dency  (Crosby)  Banning,  was  born  in 
Vernon,  Ohio,  April  1 1 ,  1819.  He  spent  his 
childhood  in  the  healthy  atmosphere  of  his 
father's  large  farm,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  local  district  schools.  He 
was  a  boy  of  studious  tastes,  a  constant 
reader,  and  constant  searcher  after  knowl- 
edge, and  these  characteristics  remained 
with  him  during  his  long  life.  After  com- 
pleting the  decidedly  inadequate  course 


38 


(^ti>$(i^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


which  the  public  school  offered,  he  con- 
tinued his  education  during  his  spare 
hours  at  home  and  at  work.  David  Ban- 
ning secured  his  first  employment  in  a 
general  store  in  his  native  town  operated 
by  Stoddard  Stevens,  and  here  he  acted 
in  the  capacity  of  clerk  for  a  few  years. 
Leaving  the  employ  of  Stoddard  Stevens, 
he  spent  a  period  in  the  employ  of  the 
Federal  Government. 

David  Banning's  connection  with  the 
city  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  dated  from  April 
1847,  when  the  city  gave  but  faint  indica- 
tions of  the  splendid  future  which  was 
before  it,  and  the  great  proportions  to 
which  it  would  grow.  He  watched  care- 
fully the  steady  growth  of  its  great  in- 
dustries and  commercial  enterprises,  play- 
ing a  quiet  and  effective  part  in  the  great 
work.  His  arrival  in  Cincinnati  antedated 
the  laying  of  the  first  railroad  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  State.  Shortly  after  his  com- 
ing to  the  city  he  entered  on  his  first  busi- 
ness venture,  forming  a  partnership  with 
his  brother,  Jeremiah  W.  Banning.  The 
two  embarked  in  a  commission  business, 
with  their  headquarters  located  on  Wal- 
nut Street,  between  Front  and  Second 
streets.  The  business  met  with  a  high 
degree  of  success,  and  after  a  short  period 
the  partnership  was  dissolved,  the  two 
brothers  henceforward  conducting  their 
operations  separately. 

Mr.  Banning  immediately  organized 
another  business,  which  for  a  period  of 
twenty-five  years  he  continued  to  direct. 
From  comparatively  obscure  beginnings, 
through  the  business  talent  and  construc- 
tive policies  of  management  of  Mr.  Ban- 
ning, the  business  grew  to  large  propor- 
tions, and  occupied  a  position  of  import- 
ance among  the  largest  enterprises  of  its 
kind  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  He  was 
eminently  fitted  for  business  life,  and  the 
handling  of  large  affairs,  by  reason  of  his 


ability  to  judge  clearly  and  quickly  the 
relative  merits  of  any  proposition  brought 
before  him,  his  breadth  of  vision,  and  his 
persistence,  once  his  decision  to  act  had 
been  taken.  He  was  a  business  man  of 
the  self-made  type,  a  man  of  broad  toler- 
ance and  human  understanding,  a  leader 
who  was  instinctively  obeyed.  He  invited 
and  received  the  confidence  of  his  em- 
ployees, many  of  whom  he  advised,  and 
many  of  whom  he  aided  toward  inde- 
pendent business  ventures.  He  easily 
inspired  confidence  and  support,  first 
through  the  marked  and  well  known 
honesty  of  his  dealings,  and  second 
through  the  success  of  all  his  under- 
takings. David  Banning  was  known 
throughout  the  city  of  Cincinnati  and  the 
larger  commercial  cities  of  Ohio  as  a  man 
of  the  strictest  integrity.  Although  not 
connected  actively  or  officially  with  the 
public  life  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  Mr. 
Banning  was,  nevertheless,  a  factor  of 
importance  in  the  city's  growth  and  de- 
velopment. He  was  looked  to  as  one  of 
its  foremost  citizens,  and  accorded  a  place 
as  such.  He  was  connected  in  executive 
capacities  with  many  of  the  large  finan- 
cial and  commercial  enterprises  of  the 
city,  and  was  for  thirty-two  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Fourth 
National  Bank  of  Cincinnati,  his  connec- 
tion with  that  institution  dating  from  its 
founding,  in  which  he  took  an  active  in- 
terest. 

Mr.  Banning  was  a  Republican  in  polit- 
ical affiliation,  and  kept  well  abreast  of 
the  times,  though  he  took  no  active  part 
in  the  political  life  of  the  city.  He  was 
active,  however,  in  social  and  fraternal 
interests.  The  name  of  his  friends  was 
legion,  and  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
Cincinnati,  March  8,  1901,  was  the  cause 
of  deep-felt  and  wide-spread  grief. 

David  Banning  married,  in  Erie,  Penn- 


39 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sylvania,  April  28,  1847,  Asenath  C.  Brad- 
ley (see  Bradley  VIII),  born  June  16, 
1824,  daughter  of  Dr.  Moore  Bird  Brad- 
ley, of  Waterford,  Pennsylvania,  one  of 
the  foremost  physicians  in  the  State. 
Mrs.  Banning  was  a  member  of  one  of 
the  old  Colonial  families  of  that  region  of 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania;  she  died  in 
Cincinnati,  November  13, 1909.  Children  : 
I.  Charles,  deceased.  2.  Blanche,  de- 
ceased. 3.  Kate,  who  resides  in  Cincin- 
nati. 4.  Starr,  deceased.  5.  Harry,  de- 
ceased. 6.  William,  twin  of  Harry,  de- 
ceased. 

(The  Bradley  Line). 

Arms — Gules,  a  chevron  argent  between  three 
boars'  heads  couped  or. 

Bradley  is  a  local  name  found  largely  in 
Yorkshire,  Gloucestershire,  Lincolnshire, 
Wiltshire,  and  Staffordshire.  It  is  a 
local  name  signifying  the  Broad-lea,  from 
the  old  English  brad  and  leah.  Bradley 
is  the  name  of  parishes  and  towns  in 
Berkshire,  Cheshire,  Derbyshire,  Lei- 
cestershire, Lincolnshire,  Staffordshire, 
and  Hampshire.  The  first  mention  in 
England  of  the  name  Bradley  is  in  1183  at 
the  feast  of  St.  Cuthbert  in  Lent,  when  the 
Lord  Hugh,  Bishop  of  Durham,  caused  to 
be  described  all  the  revenues  of  his  Bish- 
opric. The  survey  of  Hugh  Pudsey,  called 
Bolton  Buke,  mentions  in  Wolsingham, 
Roger  de  Bradley  who  held  forty  acres  at 
Bradley.  The  family  in  England  has  been 
one  of  the  first  in  importance  for  many 
centuries.  In  the  visitation  of  Yorkshire, 
1563-64,  there  is  mention  of  Isabel,  daugh- 
ter of  Sir  Francis  Bradley,  who  married 
Arthur  Normanton,  of  Yorkshire.  John 
Bradley  was  bishop  of  Shaftsbury  in  1539. 
Alexander  Bradley  resided  in  the  see  of 
Durham  in  1578,  and  about  the  same  time 
Cuthbertus  Bradley  was  curate  of  Bar- 
bardi  Castle. 

In  an  account  of  the  Pudsey  family  of 


Bolton,  County  York,  is  found  the  fol- 
lowing note:  "John  de  Podeshay  was 
killed  on  Joucros'  Moor  in  1279.  Walter 
de  Bradelegh  of  Carleton,  in  Craven,  was 
present." 

Robert  de  Bradeleye  was  of  County 
Cambridge  in  1273.  Brice  de  Bradeleghe 
was  of  County  Somerset  in  1273.  Wil- 
liam de  Bradelegh  was  of  County  Devon 
temp,  Henry  III.  Wilhelmus  Brodelegh, 
of  Yorkshire,  in  1379;  Agnes  Bradelay,  of 
Yorkshire,  in  1379;  Richard  de  Bradleghe, 
of  County  Somerset,  i  Edward  III ;  Henry 
de  Bradleye,  County  Somerset,  i  Edward 
III. 

In  Ravenser,  County  York,  in  1297, 
was  William  de  Bradeley,  while  John  de 
Bradeley  was  of  Staynelay  (Stainley), 
County  York,  at  the  same  time.  Emma 
de  Bradley  was  of  Thornton,  as  was 
Roger  de  Bradley.  In  1344  Robert  Brad- 
eley was  living  at  Bolton,  County  York, 
England,  where  his  name  appears  in  the 
case  of  John  de  Pudesay  against  Richard 
de  Shotelesworth.  In  1394  John,  Lord  of 
Coven,  granted  his  manor  in  Coven  with 
all  of  his  lands  to  John  Bradley,  of  Penk- 
rich,  and  William  de  Hyde,  of  Brewood, 
for  which  they  are  to  pay  him  a  rose  at 
midsummer.  John  Bradley  was  of 
Labrone  or  Harmbeye,  County  York,  in 
1550:  Thomas  Bradley,  of  Wadyngton, 
County  York,  in  1555 ;  and  Richard  Brad- 
ley and  Ann,  his  wife,  were  of  Bradford, 
County  York,  in  1569. 

The  following  wills  are  found  in  County 
York,  England :  Edmund  Bradeley,  No- 
vember 9,  1471  ;  John  de  Bradeley,  of  Es- 
yngton,  May  6,  1405  ;  John  Bradeley,  of 
Gonthwate,  parish  of  Penyston,  August 
I,  1491  ;  Horme  Bradeley,  rector  of  Raw- 
mersh,  April  24,  1483 ;  Thomas  Bradlay, 
buried  at  Wodkirk,  August  3,  1509;  Wil- 
liam Bradlay,  of  York,  December  i,  1467; 
Patrick  Bradley,  of  York,  July  13,  1446; 


40 


^0raiJ>(eu 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Joan  Bradley,  widow  of  Patrick  Bradley, 
January  22, 1465  ;  Roger  Bradley,  of  York, 
January  21,  1436. 

In  the  Harleian  Society  Publications, 
Volume  XII,  containing  the  "Visitation 
of  County  Warwick,"  England,  pages 
354-55,  are  found  the  arms  and  pedigree 
of  the  family  of  Bradley,  which  has  many 
grounds  of  probability  of  being  that  fam- 
ily from  which  the  New  Haven  Bradleys 
are  immediately  descended. 

The  pedigree  is  as  follows : 

William  Bradley,  of  Sheriff-Hutton, 
County  York,  England. 

William  Bradley  of  the  city  of  Coven- 
try, County  Warwick,  married  Agnes 
Margate.  Children:  i.  Francis,  married 
Francesca  Watkins.  2.  Thomas,  married 
Maria  Cotes.    3.  William,  of  whom  further. 

William  (2)  Bradley,  son  of  William 
and  Agnes  (Margate)  Bradley,  was  born 
in  Coventry,  England.  He  married  Jo- 
hanna Waddington.  Children :  i.  Wil- 
liam, believed  to  be  the  American  pro- 
genitor. 2.  Anna.  3.  Magdalen.  4.  Eliza- 
beth. 5.  Letticia.  6.  An  infant,  born  Sep- 
tember I,  1619. 

Pedigree  of  the  Bradleys  of  Bradley, 
County  Lancaster: 

John  Bradley,  born  about  1465.  of  Brad- 
ley, County  Lancaster.  He  married  Cath- 
erine Caterall.  Children:  i.  Thomas,  of 
whom  further.    2.  Allan.    3.  John. 

Thomas  Bradley,  of  Bradley,  was  born 
about  1490.  He  married  Grace  Sherborne, 
daughter  of  Hugh  Sherborne.  Children : 
I.  John,  of  whom  further.  2.  Hugh.  3. 
Thomas.    4.  Anne.    5.  Helene. 

John  Bradley,  born  about  1520,  was  liv- 
ing in  1567.  He  had  a  son  John,  of  whom 
further. 

John  Bradley  settled  in  Bryning, 
County  Lancaster.  He  had  a  son  John, 
of  whom  further. 

John  Bradley,  of  Bryning,  gent.,  mar- 


ried and  had  a  son  James,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

James  Bradley  married  Ellen  Tildesley, 
and  they  had  children:  i.  Edward,  slain 
at  the  battle  of  Marston  Moor.  2.  Thomas. 
3.  John.  4.  Richard.  5.  Jane.  6.  Anne. 
7.  Helen. 

Dugdale's  Visitation  of  Yorkshire 
names  the  Bradleys  of  Ackworth. 

John  Bradley,  of  the  Bradleys  of  Berk- 
shire, was  in  King  Henry  VIII's  army 
upon  an  English  expedition  to  France. 
His  sons  were:  i.  Richard.  2.  Henry,  of 
whom  further.    3.  Abel. 

Henry  Bradley,  of  Okehingham,  County 
Berks,  died  in  1645.  He  married  Bar- 
bara Lane.  Children:  i.John.  2.  Thomas, 
of  whom  further. 

Thomas  Bradley,  chaplain  to  Charles  I, 
was  rector  of  Ackworth.  He  was  born  in 
1598.  He  matriculated  at  Exeter  College, 
Oxford,  in  1617;  received  his  B.  A.,  June 
21,  1620;  and  his  D.  D.,  December  20, 
1642.  He  was  rector  of  Castleford  in 
1630,  and  of  Ackworth  in  1643.  A  great 
Royalist,  he  was  expelled  from  his  livings 
during  the  period  of  the  Commonwealth, 
but  they  were  returned  at  the  restoration. 
He  married  Frances,  daughter  of  John, 
Lord  Savile,  of  Pomfret.  Children:  i. 
Thomas,  a  merchant  in  Virginia.  2. 
Savile.  3.  Frances.  4.  Barbara.  The 
Bradleys  of  Louth,  Lincolnshire,  trace  to 
Robert  Bradley,  of  Louth. 

The  line  continues  through  Thomas 
Bradley,  of  Louth,  a  merchant,  who  had 
the  following  children:  i.  Nicholas.  2. 
Thomas,  of  whom  further. 

Thomas  Bradley,  of  Louth,  a  merchant, 
was  born  in  1503.  He  married  Alice  Et- 
ton.  They  were  the  parents  of  a  son, 
John,  of  whom  further. 

John  Bradley,  of  Louth,  one  of  the 
assistants  of  that  town,  died  in  1590.  He 
married  Frances  Fairfax,  and  had  the  fol- 


41 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lowing  children:  i.  John,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 2.  Thomas,  of  whom  further.  3. 
Anne.    4.  Elizabeth.    5.  Mary. 

John  Bradley,  son  of  John  and  Frances 
(Fairfax)  Bradley,  an  eminent  physician 
and  a  graduate  of  Cambridge,  married 
Anne  Freeman.  They  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children :  i.  Henry.  2. 
Thomas,  born  in  1583.  3.  Frances,  born 
in  1585.    4.  Matthew,  born  in  1588. 

Thomas  Bradley,  son  of  John  and 
Frances  (Fairfax)  Bradley,  of  Louth, 
married  Ann  Chapman,  sister  and  co-heir 
of  Sir  Peter  Chapman,  of  London.  They 
had  the  following  children :  i.  John,  born 
in  1576.  2.  Anne.  3.  Elizabeth,  born  in  1584. 
4.  Audrey,  born  in  1590. 

There  are  several  distinct  branches  of 
the  Bradley  family  in  the  United  States, 
the  founders  of  which  came  from  Eng- 
land. The  first  Bradleys  in  the  American 
Colonies  are  said  to  have  come  from  the 
market  town  of  Bingley,  in  the  West  Rid- 
ing of  Yorkshire.  About  the  beginning 
of  the  seventeenth  century  William  Brad- 
ley was  born  in  B  ingley.  According  to  tra- 
dition handed  down  in  different  branches 
of  the  family,  he  was  a  friend  of  Crom- 
well, and  the  History  of  Bingley,  Eng- 
land, states  that  he  was  a  major  in  the 
Parliamentary  Army,  and  removed  to 
New  Haven,  Connecticut.  William  Brad- 
ley resided  for  a  time  in  Branford  and 
Guilford,  later  removing  to  New  Haven, 
where  he  took  up  his  residence  in  what  is 
now  North  Haven  and  had  large  landed 
interests  there.  He  was  the  first  land- 
owner in  the  village.  Founders  of  other 
branches  of  the  Bradleys  are :  Francis 
Bradley,  ancestor  of  the  Fairfield  family, 
and  Daniel  Bradley,  founder  of  the  Haver- 
hill, Massachusetts,  Bradleys. 

Burke's  Armory  gives  fifteen  coats-of- 
arms  for  the  name  Bradley.  The  arms 
borne  by  the  Connecticut  Bradleys  and 


the  descendants  of  William  and  Francis 
Bradley  are  given  above.  The  symbolic 
description  of  the  arms  is  as  follows : 
The  shield  is  red — red  in  heraldry  denotes 
boldness,  daring  blood  and  fire — "a  burn- 
ing desire  to  spill  blood  for  God  and 
Country."  Silver  stands  for  purity,  jus- 
tice and  peace.  The  chevron  represents 
the  rafters  of  a  roof  and  was  often  given 
to  ambassadors  and  eminent  statesmen 
as  a  reward  for  the  protection  (as  under  a 
roof)  they  gave  their  king  and  country. 
The  boar  symbolizes  a  well-armed,  un- 
daunted and  courageous  warrior,  who  re- 
sists his  enemies  bravely  and  never  thinks 
of  flight,  the  same  as  the  boar,  who  will 
fight  to  the  bitter  end.  The  Bradley  arms 
are  engraved  on  the  silver  tankard  owned 
by  the  granddaughter  of  the  first  William 
Bradley,  of  New  Haven.  They  are  the 
same  as  the  armorial  bearings  "Confirmed 
by  the  Deputies  of  Camden  ...  to 
Francis  Bradley  of  Coventry,  grandson  of 
William  Bradley,  County  York,  'Her, 
Visitation.' " 

(I)  William  Bradley,  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  was  born  in  England,  about 
1620.  He  settled  in  New  Haven,  and 
married  there,  February  18,  1645,  Alice 
Pritchard,  daughter  of  Roger  Pritchard, 
of  Springfield,  Massachusetts.  He  died  in 
1690,  and  she  in  1692.  Children,  with  dates 
of  baptism:  i.  Joseph,  January  4,  1646. 
2.  Isaac,  1647  (?).  3.  Martha,  October, 
1648.  4.  Abraham,  of  whom  further.  5. 
Mary,  April  30,  1653.  6.  Benjamin,  April 
8,  1657.  7.  Hester  (or  Esther),  September 
29,  1659.  8.  Nathaniel,  February  26,  1660- 
61.    9.  Sarah,  June  21,  1665. 

(II)  Abraham  Bradley,  son  of  William 
Bradley,  was  baptized  October  24,  1650, 
and  died  October  19,  1718.  He  married, 
December  25,  1673,  Hannah  Thompson, 
born  September  22,  1654,  died  at  New 
Haven,  October  26,  1718.    Abraham  Brad- 


42 


(H^fronvi? 


90X1 


more 


H^ir^ 


itrarjs 


ENLYCLOPKDJA  UF  BlUGKAl'llY 


and  removed  to  New  VorK  :>tai<'  »  • 
married,  November  7,  1751,  Amy  'nionMi 
Sim  (see  Thompson  V).  Children:  i. 
T\\:\rh\fn<!,,  born  June  8,  1752.     i.  Anop, 

10,  1754,  died  young.    .^  James. 

irther.    4.  Anne,  born  Novem- 

wiiin    James    Bradley,   son   of 

■Thompson)  Bradley,  was 

■■'■■.  and  died  about  i8i8, 

The  first  settlers 

Tr'!i,tM:M  l'  ,iinty, 
\ip- 


as  a  deacon  in  the  First  (now  called 
I   r)  Church  of  New  Haven,  Connecti- 
t,  and  at  one  time  Justice  of  the  Feace. 
:s  will  was  dated  December  5.  1716,  and 
d  in  the  New  Haven  F': 
.  iber  18,  1718.     (Rei. 
<1;5,  liber  4,  page  546, »     Ii 
■lowing  clause :    "As  a  tok 
o  ye  first  church  of  Chri-;t 
i  I  give  my  silver  cup,  or  t! 
■o  be  improved  at  ye  Lof' 
after  my  decease."     Childn 
.  New  Haven:     i.  John,  of  who;;i  , 
"er.     2.  Daniel,  born  in  1679,  died   ' 
■  r  2,  1723.    3.  Hannah,  bom  Novcn; 
1682.    4-  Lydia,  born  NovenOSe;^/.*  HlT 

.   .\braham,  born  April  9,  1693.  7.  Esth<;r, 

•  nn  John    Bradley,   son    of    Deacon 
;m  and  Hannah  (Thompson)  Brad- 
is  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecti- 
cui.    k-tober  12,  1674.     He  marriedl^ftof^CIlVf?-^'  "^^'"'''' "'    '  ' 
trn  ■  .r  22,  1698.  Sarah  Hc^^.,^^gi,t^fi,o|;,,     0;")   P^^ 
-erHolt.     Children:     i-  §5fi^q  ^ii.fe^^^ 
further.  2.  John,  born  September  lo,     '^y-  was  T)orn  in  179c 
702.   3.  Dorcas,  born  November  4,  i:?5^[.[^  *'™^  °"  ^*^  father's  i;..r.i,  he  t. 
;  Jason,  born  August  10,  i7o8.   5.  Jeb'iQlL  "  attention  to  the  study  of  medicin 
'"'■'^'^^^  fe'lVia^mS,  Ss'/Ji'S'fl.^'iftYafli'  ]9r'"Pe1«?sMlarrf:"nil.  . 
-    .  mber  28,  1714.  •"    Manlffi^fln^'On?^/' fifff^F' tfeiVt'" 

(IV)  Enos' Bradley,  son  of  John^aiyt.r-)^^*^''^^'''^'    ^^'^   County,    Penr. 
rah  (Holt)  Bradley,  was  born  Decern-      ^'*iere   he    attained    leadinsr    p- 
'^'i*"!^'??o'f,''l°i5li'=  hW  ?il"#^;i^"'F^f k'v^'e'tt,™  iflaee4?ni$<*^#if«'  -  bik'i{fert> 
mnecticut.     He  married,  December   ^       i^^"  ^^  '■'-'^^  "^"^  "^  the  o 


circr, 

of  whom 


I 


;2i,  Ellen  Skidmore  (See  Skidmore  HI). 

hildren:      i.   Sibyl,   born   November  8, 

722.    2.  Griffin,  born  November  9,  1724: 

arried  Mabel  Thompson,  sister  of  wif*- 

;  Ariel.  3.  Enos,  born  December  jo,  17'Jt' 

Ariel,  of  whom  further.    5.  Fllen.  !•■  '-r 

fmber  4,    1731.     6.    Gamalie'.    horn 

nary  19,  1734.     7.  Oliver,  born  No- 

•  .er  I,  1736. 

.1  Ariel   Bradley,  son  of  Enos  and 

-I   (Skidmore)   Bradley,  was  born   m 

Haven,  Connect-'-"'    '<    ■   •    i'    '—i<). 


first     Protestant     Ej) 
Waterford,  Pennsyl'. 
first  officers.     J' 
children :  i.  Asi 
:i.  I>arwin. 

VUV-    ^^^'•■    • 


L-iurc  three  estotl* 
:;d  the  tun  m  hi« 


43 


THOMPSON. 

Anns — Or,  on  a  fesse  dancette  azure  tliree  estoiles  argent,  on  a  canton  of  the 
second  the  sun  in  his  splendour. 

Crest — A  cubit  arm  erect  vested  gules  curfed  argent,  holding  in  the  hand  five 
ears  of  wheat  or. 

Motto — In  luininc  luccni. 

SKIDMORE. 
Anns- — (niles.  three  stirrups,  leathers  and  buckles  or. 
Crrst — A  unicorn's  head  erased  sable,  platee. 

BIRD. 
Arms — .\rgent,  on  a  chevron   engrailed  gules  between   three  lions   rampant 
sable  as  many  fluers-de-lis  or. 

VICARS. 

Anns — Sable,  on  a  chief  dancette  or,  two  cinquefoils  gules,  a  border  engrailed 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ley  was  a  deacon  in  the  First  (now  called 
Center)  Church  of  New  Haven,  Connecti- 
cut, and  at  one  time  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
His  will  was  dated  December  5,  1716,  and 
proved  in  the  New  Haven  Probate  Court, 
November  18,  1718.  (Recorded  Probate 
Records,  liber  4,  page  546.)  It  contained 
the  following  clause :  "As  a  token  of  my 
love  to  ye  first  church  of  Christ  in  New 
Haven  I  give  my  silver  cup,  or  the  value 
of  it,  to  be  improved  at  ye  Lord's  table; 
yt  is  after  my  decease."  Children,  born 
at  New  Haven:  i.  John,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 2.  Daniel,  born  in  1679,  died  No- 
vember 2,  1723.  3.  Hannah,  bom  Novem- 
ber 8,  1682.  4.  Lydia,  born  November  28, 
1685.  5.  Ebenezer,  born  September  9, 1689. 
6.  Abraham,  born  April  9,  1693.  7-  Esther, 
born  March  19,  1696. 

(III)  John  Bradley,  son  of  Deacon 
Abraham  and  Hannah  (Thompson)  Brad- 
ley, was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecti- 
cut, October  12,  1674.  He  married,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1698,  Sarah  Holt,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  Holt.  Children:  i.  Enos,  of 
whom  further.  2.  John,  born  September  10, 
1702.  3.  Dorcas,  born  November  4,  1704. 
4.  Jason,  born  August  10,  1708.  5.  Jehiell, 
born  September  19,  1710.  6.  Phineas,  born 
September  28,  1714. 

(IV)  Enos  Bradley,  son  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Holt)  Bradley,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 28,  1701,  and  lived  in  New  Haven, 
Connecticut.     He   married,  December  2, 

1721,  Ellen  Skidmore  (See  Skidmore  III). 
Children:      i.   Sibyl,   born    November  8, 

1722.  2.  Griflin,  born  November  9,  1724; 
married  Mabel  Thompson,  sister  of  wife 
of  Ariel.  3.  Enos,  born  December  20,  1726. 
4.  Ariel,  of  whom  further.  5.  Ellen,  born 
November  4,  1731.  6.  Gamaliel,  born 
February  19,  1734.  7.  Oliver,  born  No- 
vember I,  1736. 

(V)  Ariel  Bradley,  son  of  Enos  and 
Ellen  (Skidmore)  Bradley,  was  born  in 
New  Haven,  Connecticut,  March  8,  1729, 


and  removed  to  New  York  State.  He 
married,  November  7,  1751,  Amy  Thomp- 
son (see  Thompson  V).  Children:  i. 
Thaddeus,  born  June  8,  1752.  2.  Anne, 
born  June  10,  1754,  died  young.  3.  James, 
of  whom  further.  4.  Anne,  born  Novem- 
ber 9,  1763. 

(VI)  Captain  James  Bradley,  son  of 
Ariel  and  Amy  (Thompson)  Bradley,  was 
born  June  17,  1756,  and  died  about  1818, 
aged  sixty-two  years.  The  first  settlers 
of  Johnston  Township,  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio,  were  a  family  named  Bradley.  Cap- 
tain James  Bradley  came  from  Salisbury, 
Connecticut,  in  1802-03.  The  family 
stopped  at  Canfield,  Johnston  Township, 
for  a  short  time,  finally  settling  in  the 
western  part  of  the  township.  He  mar- 
ried Asenath  Bird  (See  Bird  VI).  Chil- 
dren: I.  Thaddeus.  2.  Dr.  Moore  Bird, 
of  whom  further.  3.  Dr.  Ariel,  born  in 
1793;  married,  in  1828,  Laura  Barstow. 

(VII)  Dr.  Moore  Bird  Bradley,  son  of 
Captain  James  and  Asenath  (Bird)  Brad- 
ley, was  born  in  1790.  After  laboring  for 
a  time  on  his  father's  farm,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  study  of  medicine,  study- 
ing under  Dr.  Peter  Allan.  He  practiced 
in  Mansfield,  Ohio,  later  removing  to 
Waterford,  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  attained  leading  professional 
place  and  where  his  death  occurred.  In 
1827  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
first  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of 
Waterford,  Pennsylvania,  and  one  of  its 
first  officers.  He  married  and  had  two 
children:  i.  Asenath  C,  of  whom  further. 
2.  Darwin. 

(VIII)  Asenath  C.  Bradley,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Moore  Bird  Bradley,  married 
David  Banning  (see  Banning  V). 

(The  Thompson  Line). 

Arms — Or,  on  a  fesse  dancette  azure  three  estoils 
argent,  on  a  canton  of  the  second  the  sun  in  his 
splendour. 


43 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Crest — A  cubit  arm  erect,  vested  gules  cuffed 
argent,  holding  in  the  hand  five  ears  of  wheat  or. 
Motto — In  lumine  lucem. 

The  family  of  Thompson  in  Kent  spelled 
the  name  Thomson,  and  the  change  to 
the  present  form  was  made  in  America. 
Thomas  Thompson,  of  Sandwich,  County 
Kent,  merchant,  had  a  son,  Thomas. 
Thomas  Thompson,  of  Sandwich,  married 
a  daughter  of  a  Mansfield.  Arms  were 
granted  to  him  in  1600.  He  had  children  : 
Henry,  Anne,  and  Thomas. 

Henry  Thompson,  named  above,  had 
sons,  John,  Anthony,  and  William. 
Thomas  Thompson,  named  last  in  the 
paragraph  above,  also  had  sons,  John, 
Anthony,  and  William.  These  names 
found  together  in  the  Thompson  family 
of  County  Kent,  and  the  fact  that  three 
brothers,  William,  Anthony,  and  John, 
came  from  England  to  America,  make  it 
seem  highly  probable  that  the  Thompsons 
of  America  descended  from  the  family  of 
Thompson  (or  Thomson)  of  Kent,  Eng- 
land. There  has  been  much  controversy 
on  this  matter,  but  extensive  research  has 
failed  to  settle  the  point,  and  almost  all 
of  those  who  have  investigated  the  Thomp- 
son pedigree  concede  the  probability  of 
descent  from  the  family  of  Kent. 

The  name  Thompson  stands  twenty- 
first  in  a  roll  of  common  surnames,  being 
rarer  than  Edwards,  but  more  common 
than  White.  Thomson  or  Thompson 
signifies  a  son  of  Thomas.  Bardsley,  in 
his  surnames  gives :  Eborard  fil  Thome, 
County  Cambridge,  1273 ;  Abraham  fil 
Thome,  County  Bedford,  20  Edward  I, 
1291 ;  Richard  fil  Thome,  County  York, 
1291 ;  Petrus  Thome,  son,  County  York, 
1379;  Johannes  Thomasson,  of  County 
York,  1379. 

There  are  large  families  of  Thompson 
in  both  Ireland  and  Scotland.  Baron 
Haversham,  created  baron  in  1696,  was  a 


descendant  of  Maurice  Thompson,  of 
Cheston,  County  Herts.  This  baronetcy 
became  extinct  in  1745.  A  Thompson  was 
Lord  Mayor  of  London  in  1737,  and 
another  in  1828.  Richard  Thompson  was 
treasurer  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  Dub- 
lin, in  1582.  Baron  Sydenham,  Governor- 
General  of  Canada,  was  a  descendant  of 
the  Thompsons  of  County  Surrey. 

(I)  Anthony  Thompson  was  born  in 
England,  and  died  in  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, in  September,  1648.  Three 
brothers,  Anthony,  John,  and  William 
Thompson,  left  England  with  the  party 
led  by  the  Rev.  John  Davenport  and  The- 
ophilus  Eaton  in  the  "Hector"  and  arrived 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  June  26,  1637. 
In  April,  1638,  they  settled  in  the  vicinity 
of  what  is  now  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
on  September  i,  1640,  when  the  settle- 
ment was  called  New  Haven.  Anthony 
Thompson,  with  a  family  of  four  persons, 
was  one  of  the  list  of  first  settlers.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  band  of  soldiers 
organized  to  protect  the  settlers  from  the 
Indians.  He  mentions  his  family  and 
brothers,  John  and  William,  in  his  will 
of  1647.  He  married  (first)  in  England. 
He  married  (second)  Catherine,  who  mar- 
ried (second)  Nicholas  Camp.  Children 
of  first  marriage:  i.  John,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 2.  Anthony,  born  December,  1634, 
died  December  29,  1654.  3.  Bridget,  born 
in  1636,  married  the  Rev.  John  Bowers. 
Children  of  second  marriage :  4.  Hannah, 
baptized  June  8,  1654;  married  a  Stanton. 
5.  Lydia,  baptized  July  24,  1647 !  married 
Isaac  Crittenden.  6.  Ebenezer,  baptized 
October  15,  1648;  married  Deborah 
Dudley. 

(II)  John  Thompson,  son  of  Anthony 
Thompson,  was  born  in  England,  in  1632, 
and  died  June  2,  1707.  He  was  called 
"mariner"  and  is  mentioned  frequently  in 
deeds,  etc.,  owning  land  in  New  Haven. 


44 


ENC  V. ..  ^.  . . ..  .M  A  OF  BIOGKAPi i  Y 

.^^  Anne  Vicars,  A'lo.^i   •.     •  -'        ^727;  unmarried  in  17  j  i 
icars.)     Children:  '.ed   October    5,   1729;   '"^ 

•,   1657;  married   Re  ■•«ney.     5.  Amy,  of  whom 

•  .  married,  in  1688,  C  ah,  born  about  1735;  ma- 

)h,  born  April  4.  if;    .       ,  judson.    7.  Rachel,  bsivi 

September,  1667,  died  ^n  i  '7i7\  probably  died  y 

•el,  of  whom  furthe-      ■  niy     Thomps"" 

I'luary  16,  1672;  man  .  Tarriet  s\ 

v.iiiiani,   born  January    1/,  '    ■■ 

•TV,  born  May  16,  1675.  .TOH^Iia-k 

111)  Captain  SamueLsTFtessrfpaaimtt  jaMn?.  bajrJoo  i>ii-5'i  1;  im  .ami-tn.i — rv.  i 
^iQjliModnltlfo^ine  r(d'iffah;;i'i'iP.bfaTB;ir';gniJ^.3ia.  .tnagiK  Jftr.f9;<  frM'r'tgi.A'— V/.v 
's   born   in   New    Haven,   ConncctuuL  7;>in  ^,i 

•.,y  12.  1669,  and  died  March  26.Svt^aKf>l 

J!^ffe«fis^rfl1  S^feefb  Cj<>j36fS6ifi"i9ii#fr33//lad  rioivodo  b  no  ,'jiiis/-.^^%MrU^ 
td  in  VVestville,  Connecticut,  for  a  tinx.-,  .3U£,§  JsFa^oi:) 

!f)9W«»|?  tfri'ftnbiitW6e,T«>  Qmhm^;&^y^^  T)q,.4i3|«^3„b63ri; a'njoairiM '^rt^iv^^O. ., 
;ii.    Re  was  made  captain  of  a-i§Qini1ii,jj[-fo  JsIq.Ef!-)  p  rtji/r  fos.TO"  h^^/\f^&yMlm!o-j 
soldie(^jooy9(I>rt^il««i,Ji&^-<Uiiii\WIjM<  )     .«W*V/ 
•  >5.  Rebecca  Bishop,  daughter  of  Lieu-     Vica^ 
Governor    James    and    Eliz/qb©^  Jl«^  f'" ' 

^v  Haven.  December  10,  .673.  and  died     spotmiss,  r^^^^^  ■^',^-,  ,„^ 
-re  April  5.  1734.    Children:  i.  Samuel^,  h0^i^5JVfiy^  ;ltr,;,h;:t  /^UvO"         " 
' -'pcember  2,  1696 ;  married  Esther     ofhciai  or  somd 
2.   Tames,  of  whom  furth^3p|.j3-^'"d  very  earh 
,-    ',      '  ',    \,  1702.;  married  Sarah       vicars  in  ■..  ..'.ntv 

.  I  .1,1,   borfl   pecember  .2^,      13/4  •^'T>rr  tn..rrrea  .i: 

17^4;  married  Lydia  Punderson.     5.  tPe-     7*)tfn5«yn W  .  »      ^"'  ^/iT^J^John  \i 
becca.  born  February  2^,  1708;  'J^J.'ff^xiR'V'^'""'^   1'^^' ■-.  "'as  rc^s<:^;5*'&t 
David   Austin.     6.  Judah,  born  June  'to.      loVd  C^'Hepe:  -i;  1574  John  Vicari:' 
171 1,  died  August  I,  1712.    7.  Judah,  bof^^^i^Ww^g*^'  t\m)m^rr->mk.]..^ 
October  5.  171^^^"^.  tW  !?gfn^'M*s^"''^  11M^i»7*ffr..iS,1^ij'.3Uifan«??-'  '■ 
18.  1717;  married  Sarah  Hitchcock.    _         bury;  ,  .     *    ,4   Mr.vgaret  \  . 
(IV)  James  Thompson,  son  of  CapM^'^'^^'-''^-         '!'.-    :'; 
..mueI-^fill^^lteeiteffJ^1or»^Wji,*d.-i'''»M^-'n'>  :2«8d-^t<'/|.  .liWi.v/  - 

.^i?  tl»)'H"^i'iWlr]^'-'S','''f6^r'aridI^3«^'^'B"'''^'*^:''''o  J"fib«  bninpa  A— »v.Vj 
737.     He  lived  in  Westville.  Covnu- •;  !"    ih'    '■V.-sifariv.^    (v    '-..igqrti.f 

Lit.     His  will  was  pro^e?f''Wf^e?f!l.<l^'|''-^'' 3*1*).  Ai»Awtt*iV  IwsoiibTr.a— o\\(.\( 
737.    He  married,  Ma^  3^,  ' /i      1,    •  '  •        '?■'•    '  ■' 

\  ilmot,  daughter  of  fl 
Heecher)  Wihnot.     < 

born  February   16,   17 

Baldwin.     2.  JaiU'-s.  ', 

1725,  died  in  1818  it      marrir 

45 


BISHOP. 

.-Irnis — Ermine,  on  a  bend  cotised  sable,  three  bezants. 

Crest — A  griffin  sejant  argent,  resting  the  dexter  claw  on  an  escutcheon  of 
the  first. 

TOMPKINS. 

Anus — Azure,  on  a  chevron  between  three  moorcocks  or  close,  three  crosses 
crosslet  sable. 

Crest — A  unicorn's  head  erased  per  fesse  argent  and  or,  armed  and  maned 
counterchanged,  gorged  with  a  chaplet  of  laurel  vert. 

Motto — Xc  tiwgiiHin  nisi  boiittm.     (Nothing  is  great  unless  it  be  good.) 

WILMOT. 
Arms — Argent,  on  a  fesse  gules  between  three  eagles'  heads  erased  sable,  as 
many  escallops  of  the  field. 

Crest — A  portcullis  azure,  chained  or. 

BEECHER. 
Ariits—\'z\re  argent  and  gules,  on  a  canton  iir  a  stag's  head  cabossed  sable. 
Crest — A    demi-lion   erased   argent,   girded    round    the   waist    with    a    ducal 
coronet  or. 

PRITCHARD. 

Arms — Ermine,  a  lion  rampant  sable. 

Crest — A  de.xter  arm  proper  holding  a  battle  axe,  handle  gules. 

HOLT. 
,4rms — Azure,  two  bars  or;  in  chief  a  cross  formee  htchee  of  the  last. 
Crest — A  squirrel  sejant  or,  holding  a  hazel  branch  sli])ped  and  fructed.  all 
proper. 

Motto — Exaltavit  humiles.     (He  exalted  the  humble.) 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


He  married  Anne  Vicars,  August  4,  1656. 
(See  Vicars.)  Children:  i.  John,  born 
May  12,   1657;  married  Rebecca  Daniel. 

2.  Anne,  married,  in  1688,  Caleb  Chidsey. 

3.  Joseph,  born  April  4,  1664.  4.  Child, 
born  in  September,  1667,  died  in  infancy. 
5.  Samuel,  of  whom  further.  6.  Sarah, 
born  January  16,  1672  ;  married  John  Mix. 
7.  William,  born  January  17,  1674.  8. 
Mary,  born  May  16,  1675. 

(III)  Captain  Samuel  Thompson,  son 
of  John  and  Anne  (Vicars)  Thompson, 
was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
May  12,  1669,  and  died  March  26,  1749, 
being-  buried  at  Goshen,  Connecticut.  He 
lived  in  Westville,  Connecticut,  for  a  time, 
removing  from  there  to  Goshen,  Connec- 
ticut. He  was  made  captain  of  a  company 
of  soldiers.  He  married,  November  14, 
1695,  Rebecca  Bishop,  daughter  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor James  and  Elizabeth 
(Tompkins)  Bishop.  She  was  born  in 
New  Haven,  December  10,  1673,  and  died 
there  April  5,  1734.  Children:  i.  Samuel, 
born  December  2,  1696;  married  Esther 
Ailing.  2.  James,  of  whom  further.  3. 
Amos,  born  May  3,  1702;  married  Sarah 
Ailing.  4.  Gideon,  born  December  25, 
1704;  married  Lydia  Punderson.  5.  Re- 
becca, born  February  23,  1708;  married 
David  Austin.  6.  Judah,  born  June  10, 
171 1,  died  August  i,  1712.  7.  Judah,  born 
October  5,  1713.  8.  Enos,  born  August 
18,  1717;  married  Sarah  Hitchcock. 

(IV)  James  Thompson,  son  of  Captain 
Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Bishop)  Thompson, 
was  born  January  5,  1699,  and  died  in 
1737.  He  lived  in  Westville,  Connecti- 
cut. His  will  was  proved  December  5, 
1737.  He  married.  May  30,  1723,  Harriet 
Wilmot,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Mary 
(Beecher)  Wilmot.  Children:  i.  Mary, 
born  February  16,  1724;  married  Jonah 
Baldwin.  2.  James,  born  November  21, 
1725,  died  in  1818.    3.  Hannah,  born  about 


1727;  unmarried  in  1754.  4.  Mabel,  bap- 
tized October  5,  1729 ;  married  Griffin 
Bradley.  5.  Amy,  of  whom  further.  6. 
Hezekiah,  born  about  1735  ;  married  Re- 
becca Judson.  7.  Rachel,  baptized  Octo- 
ber 2,  1737;  probably  died  young. 

(V)  Amy  Thompson,  daughter  of 
James  and  Harriet  (Wilmot)  Thompson, 
was  baptized  April  2,  1732.  She  married 
(Woodbridge  Church  Record),  November 
7,  1751,  Ariel  Bradley  (see  Bradley  V). 
In  1753  Ariel  Bradley  and  his  wife  deeded 
land  from  the  estate  of  "our  father,  James 
Thompson,  deceased." 

(The  Vicars  Line). 

Arms — Sable,  on  a  chief  dancette  or,  two  cin- 
quefoils  gules,  a  border  engrailed  ermine. 

Vicary,  Vicery,  Vicarey,  Vicars,  Vicors, 
Vicaris,  Vicaridge,  Vickerage,  Vickeridge 
are  forms  of  one  name  and,  with  many 
others  of  the  same  origin  but  of  various 
spellings,  mean  of  the  vicarage,  or  office 
of  the  vicar,  or  at  the  vicars.  They  are 
official  or  sometimes  local  names  and  are 
found  very  early  in  England.  Peter  atte 
Vicars  in  1379  was  of  County  York ;  in 
1574  Stephen  Vyccarye  married  Margaret 
Johnson  in  London;  in  1585  John  Vicary, 
of  County  Devon,  was  registered  at  Ox- 
ford College;  in  1574  John  Vicarish  mar- 
ried Margery  Gerard ;  in  1665  John  Hal- 
ton  married  Alice  Vicaridge  at  Canter- 
bury; in  1614  Margaret  Vicares  married 
William  Collins  in  London ;  Joan  Vic- 
caries  married  John  Wells  at  London  in 
1617. 

In  the  "Visitation  of  Worcester"  in 
1634  were  the  families  of  Robert  Vicaris, 
of  Astley,  and  Robert  Vickers,  of  Bewd- 
ley.  Descendants  of  these  families  were 
found  in  Astley  and  Bewdley  in  1682, 
when  the  second  visitation  of  that  county 
was  made.  John  Vicaridge,  of  "Natton," 
married,  in  1603,  Mary  Sheldon,  daughter 


45 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  William  Sheldon.  They  had  a  son, 
John,  who  was  baptized  in  1607. 

Richard  Vicaredg,  son  of  Francis  Vicar- 
edg,  was  baptized  in  Over  Ardey,  County 
Worcester,  July  30,  1653.  Walter  Vicaris, 
son  of  William  Vicaris  and  Joyce,  his 
wife,  was  baptized  September  13,  1640,  at 
Doddenham,  County  Worcester,  England. 
Anne  Vicaridge,  daughter  of  Richard  Vic- 
aridge  and  his  wife,  Anne,  was  baptized 
March  20,  1603,  at  Knightwick,  County 
Worcester,  England.  Many  others  of  the 
name  are  to  be  found  in  the  parish  regis- 
ters of  County  Worcester.  There  are  also 
Hopkins  and  Wakeman  families  (the  Vic- 
ars family  intermarried  with  these  fam- 
ilies) in  County  Worcester. 

Robert  Vicaris  married  Anne  Starry 
(they  were  both  of  Doddenham,  County 
Worcester),  June  29,  1678.  In  1608  Rob- 
ert Vicaris  was  of  Tibberton,  County 
Worcester,  and  in  1613  Robert  and  Wil- 
liam Vicaris  were  taxed  at  Tibberton.  On 
November  12,  1636,  mention  is  found  of 
Robert  Vicaris,  of  Bewdley,  Gentleman. 
(Bewdley  was  in  the  parish  of  Ribsford.) 
In  1607  Walter  Vicaris  was  of  Omberse- 
ley  (near  Bewdley)  in  County  Worcester. 

Collateral  Vicars  families  include  the 
following: 

Edward  Vickers,  of  Wakefield,  York- 
shire, married  Mary  Rawson,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Rawson,  of  Wardsend,  near  Shef- 
field, and  had  children :  Thomas,  John, 
William,  and  Anne.  Thomas  Vickers 
married  Elizabeth  Broadbent,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Broadbent,  of  Aston,  and  had  chil- 
dren: William,  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  all  liv- 
ing in  the  seventeenth  century.  Wil- 
liam Vickers,  son  of  Edward  Vickers,  was 
of  Southall  Green,  Ecclesfield,  Yorkshire. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Turbell,  daughter 
of  James  Turbell,  of  Southall,  and  had 
children  :  John,  Thomas,  Edward,  Eliza- 
beth and  Mary.     John  Vickers,  of  Don- 


caster,  attorney,  was  buried  April  21, 1668. 
He  married  Mary  Rasine,  daughter  of 
George  Rasine,  and  had  children :  John, 
George,  and  Catherine. 

Thomas  Vicars  was  of  Scrawsby  be- 
fore 1585.  His  daughter,  Alice,  married 
Thomas  Bosville,  of  Warmsworth,  Coun- 
ty York.  Joane  Vicars  married  George 
Metham,  of  Cadeby,  County  York,  about 
1550.  Mary  Vicars,  of  Brodsworth,  mar- 
ried George  Holgate,  of  Stapleton,  about 
1600. 

At  Exeter  in  the  twelfth  year  of  Henry 
I  (1228)  Walter  de  Wynemaneston  and 
his  wife,  Alice,  remitted  and  quit-claimed 
a  tract  of  land  in  County  Devon  to  Rob- 
ert le  Vicare  and  his  heirs.  The  will  of 
John  Vicary  is  recorded  in  County  Devon 
in  1547;  that  of  Robert  Vicary  in  County 
Devon  in  1592;  of  William  in  1596;  of 
Roger  in  1603  ;  of  John  in  1608;  of  Emott 
in  1619  and  Benedict  in  1624.  The  arms 
of  this  family  were  granted  in  1558.  The 
principal  seat  of  the  Devon  Vicars  or 
Vicareys  was  at  Dunkeswell,  County 
Devon.  They  are  of  the  same  parent  fam- 
ily as  are  the  Vicars  of  County  Worces- 
ter. 

William  Vicaris  (or  Vicars),  of  Bewd- 
ley, England,  is  mentioned  in  the  will  of 
William  Hopkins,  in  1647.  Walter  Vicars 
is  called  "cousin"  in  his  will.  Walter  Vic- 
ars may  have  come  to  America,  but  there 
is  no  record  of  him  in  the  New  Haven 
Colony.  The  son-in-law  of  William  Hop- 
kins, John  Wakeman,  did  come,  however, 
and  later  on  came  "the  cousin  of  his 
wife's,"  Anne  Vicars. 

Anne  Vicars,  daughter  of  Walter  Vic- 
ars, of  Bewdley,  County  Worcester,  Eng- 
land, was  born  about  1634.  She  is  also 
mentioned  as  a  "daughter  of  Walter"  in 
the  will  of  William  Hopkins.  She  came 
to  America  probably  when  between  six- 
teen and  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  was 


46 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


engaged  to  marry  John  Roberts.  He 
went  back  to  England  from  America  and 
was  not  heard  of  again.  Before  leaving 
he  gave  his  property  in  America  to  "his 
espoused  wife  Anne  Vicars."  He  left  the 
property  in  the  hands  of  John  Wakeman, 
to  be  given  to  her  if  he  did  not  return. 
She  married,  August  4,  1656,  John  Thomp- 
son (see  Thompson  II). 

(The  Bird   Line). 

Arms — Argent,  on  a  chevron  engrailed  gules 
between  three  lions  rampant  sable  as  many  fleurs- 
de-lis  or. 

Names  of  animals  have  in  all  ages  and 
among  nearly  all  nations  been  applied  as 
sobriquets  to  individuals  and  these,  in 
modern  times,  have  acquired  the  force  of 
surnames  and  thus  been  handed  down 
hereditarily.  Bird,  a  nickname,  is  from 
the  Middle  English  bird  or  brid,  perhaps 
given  to  the  original  bearer  because  of  his 
singing  propensities. 

The  Bird  family  in  England  is  very  an- 
cient and  widely  distributed.  They  are 
or  have  been  numerous  in  the  counties 
of  Chester,  Cumberland,  Derby,  Essex, 
Hereford,  Oxford,  Shropshire,  Warwick, 
Yorke.  The  ancestry  of  the  Birds  of  Pen- 
rith, County  Cumberland,  is  traced  to 
the  year  1295.  Father  William  Bird,  a 
Benedictine  monk,  was  a  candidate  for 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity  at  Ox- 
ford in  1504.  Wood  thinks  his  church  was 
at  Bath,  and  that  he  died  there  May  22, 
1525.  His  arms  are  curiously  carved  in 
stone  in  this  old  church.  There  have 
been  many  famous  men  of  this  surname 
in  every  generation  of  England  since  the 
earliest  records.  David  le  Brid  was  of 
County  Oxford  in  1273.  John  le  Brid  was 
of  the  same  county  in  that  year.  Stefan 
Brid  was  of  County  Suffolk  in  1273.  Geof- 
frey Byrd  was  of  County  Salop  in  1273. 
Henry  le  Brid  was  of  County  Somerset,  i 
Edward  III  (1327). 


The  Bird  pedigree  is  found  in  an  old 
pedigree  in  vellum  in  the  custody  of  Mr. 
James  Bird,  of  Brogham.  Henry  Bird,  of 
County  Cumberland,  England,  married 
Joan  Beauchamp,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Beauchamp,  of  Little  Croglin,  County 
Cumberland.  Their  son,  William  Bird,  of 
Little  Croglin,  County  Cumberland,  mar- 
ried Joan  Tindall,  daughter  and  co-heir 
of  John  Tindall,  of  Northumberland 
County.  Their  son,  William  Bird,  of 
Pireth,  County  Cumberland,  was  living 
in  1295.  He  married  Emma  Gospatrick, 
daughter  of  Gospatrick,  Knight  of  Cum- 
berland. Their  son,  Adam  Bird,  of  Pireth, 
married  Joane  Threlkeld,  daughter  of 
William  Threlkeld,  of  Yanworth,  County 
Westmoreland.  Their  son,  William  Bird, 
of  Pireth,  married  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
Martindale,  and  had  a  son,  Roger  Bird,  of 
Pireth.  He  married  Jane  Crakenthorpe, 
daughter  of  John  Crakenthorpe,  of  New 
Bigging,  County  Westmoreland.  They 
had  three  children,  James,  John  and  Hugh. 

The  Birds  of  Worcester  derive  from  the 
old  family  of  Cumberland.  They  bear  arms 
similar  to  the  arms  of  the  Birds  of  County 
Cumberland.  Henry  Bird,  of  Bradforton, 
near  Evesham,  County  Worcester,  was 
originally  of  the  Bird  family  of  Lincoln- 
shire. He  married  and  was  the  father  of 
William  Bird,  born  early  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  who  married  Mary  Rutter.  From 
him  descend  the  Birds  of  Gloucester  and 
the  family  that  continued  in  Worcester. 

Among  the  collateral  branches  of  the 
Bird  family  are  the  Birds  of  Gloucester- 
shire, England,  who  descend  from  the 
Cumberland  family.  William  Bird,  of 
Bradford,  County  Worcester,  married 
Mary  Rutter,  the  daughter  of  Michael 
Rutter.  Their  son,  William  Bird,  of  Eve- 
sham, County  Worcester,  married  Anne 
Cox,  daughter  of  Robert  Cox,  of  Castle- 
ton,  County  Worcester.    Their  son,  Peter 


47 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Bird,  of  Wootton-under-Edge,  County 
Gloucester,  was  born  about  1570.  He 
married  Mary  Foster,  daughter  of  Hum- 
phrey Foster,  of  County  Gloucester.  They 
were  the  parents  of  Mary,  Anne,  Susan, 
Anthony,  Gyles,  Richard,  and  William. 

The  Birds  of  Cheshire  trace  to  Randoll 
Bird,  of  Yowley,  Cheshire,  who  married 
Anne  Merbury,  daughter  of  Thomas  Mer- 
bury,  of  Merbury.  Their  son,  Richard 
Bird,  of  Yowley,  married  the  daughter  of 
a  Davenport,  and  had  a  son,  Richard  Bird, 
of  Yowley,  who  married  the  daughter  of  a 
Hocknell,  of  Duddon.  Their  son,  John 
Bird,  of  Yowley,  married  Anne  Delves, 
daughter  of  John  Delves,  of  Delves  Hall, 
and  had  John,  Thomas,  and  Richard. 

John  Bird,  son  of  John  and  Anne 
(Delves)  Bird,  lived  at  Yowley.  His  bro- 
ther, Thomas  Bird,  established  a  branch 
of  the  family  at  Crew,  Cheshire,  and  his 
youngest  brother,  Richard  Bird,  was  also 
of  Cheshire.  All  of  these  sons  of  John  and 
Anne  (Delves)  Bird  were  living  about 
1500. 

Another  family  of  Birds  in  Cheshire 
was  represented  in  1580  in  the  city  of 
Chester  by  William  Bird,  alderman  and 
justice  of  the  peace.  Of  him  it  is  recorded 
"In  the  which  servyce  (he)  demeaned 
hym  selfe  in  sutche  wise  that  bothe  of  her 
Majesties  Counscell  in  England  and  Ire- 
lande  reported  hym  to  bee  a  verey  good 
subjecte,  a  wyse  man  and  a  readye  fur- 
ther (er)  of  her  Majesties  services."  He 
was  the  son  of  another  William  Bird,  who 
was  Mayor  of  Chester  in  1557,  whose  wife 
was  Jane  Norley,  daughter  of  Raffe  Nor- 
ley,  of  Eccleston,  Cheshire.  William  (2) 
Bird  married  three  times  and  had  children 
as  follows :  John,  born  about  1640 ;  Rich- 
ard, Jane,  Alice,  Thomas,  and  Ellen. 

The  Birds  of  Yorkshire  descend  from 
George  Burd  (or  Bird),  of  New  Castle, 
merchant,  and  at  one  time  Mayor  of  New 


Castle.  He  married  Ellinor  Harbottle, 
daughter  of  Sir  Ralph  Harbottle,  and  had 
a  son,  Anthony.  Anthony  Bird  married 
Elizabeth  Hilton,  daughter  and  co-heir  of 
Hugh  Hilton,  of  Slingsby.  Their  children 
were :  George,  Mark,  Hugh,  Henry,  Isa- 
bel, Anne,  Alice,  Eleanor,  Elizabeth,  and 
were  all  born  before  1600. 

(The  Family  in  America). 

(I)  Thomas  Bird  died  about  1660.  He 
was  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  1644.  He 
married  and  had  children:  i.  Joseph.  2. 
James,  of  whom  further.  3.  Hannah,  mar- 
ried John  North.  4.  Hannah,  married  a 
Scott. 

(II)  James  Bird,  son  of  Thomas  Bird, 
died  in  1708.  He  married  Lydia  Steele. 
Children:  i.  Thomas,  of  whom  further. 
2.  Hannah,  married  Nathaniel  Morgan.  3. 
Rebecca,  married  Samuel  Lamb.  4.  Lydia, 
married  Peletiah  Morgan.  5.  Mehitable, 
married  Simon  Newell.  6.  Elizabeth,  mar- 
ried Ebenezer  Alvord.     7.  Daughter. 

(III)  Thomas  (2)  Bird,  son  of  James 
and  Lydia  (Steele)  Bird,  died  in  1725.  He 
lived  in  that  part  of  Farmington,  Con- 
necticut, afterwards  called  Northington, 
now  Avon.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
church  in  1691.  He  married,  July  3,  1693, 
Mary  Woodford.  Children:  i.  Mary.  2. 
John,  born  in  1695.  3.  Joseph,  of  whom 
further.  4.  Jonathan,  born  December  28, 
1699.  5.  Jonathan.  6.  Jonathan.  7.  Jona- 
than.   8.  Jonathan. 

(IV)  Joseph  Bird,  son  of  Thomas  (2) 
and  Mary  (Woodford)  Bird,  was  born 
December  27,  1696,  died  in  1754.  He 
lived  in  Avon,  removed  to  Litchfield,  Con- 
necticut, in  1718-19,  and  to  Salisbury, 
Connecticut,  in  1748.  He  was  chosen  nine 
times  to  the  General  Court  or  State  Legis- 
lature, and  at  his  death  he  was  Justice 
of  the  Quorum.  He  married  (first),  in 
1 72 1,  Dorcas  Norton,  daughter  of  John 


'UiJ 


ciwamore 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  Ruth  (Moore)  Norton.  She  died  in 
1750-51.  He  married  (second),  in  1752, 
Mrs.  Eldredge.  Children:  i.  James.  2. 
Mary.  3.  Thomas.  4.  Moore,  of  whom 
further.  5.  Isaac.  6.  Ruth.  7.  Joseph.  8. 
Nathanie'.    9.  Amos. 

(V)  Moore  Bird,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Dorcas  (Norton)  Bird,  was  born  in  1729, 
and  died  in  Salisbury,  Connecticut,  Sep- 
tember 3,  1756.  He  married,  in  Salisbury, 
Connecticut,  November  9,  1751,  Rebecca 
Skinner.  Children:  i.  Asenath,  of  whom 
further.  2.  Electa,  born  June  i,  1754.  3. 
Nathaniel,  born  March  25,  1756,  died  in 
infancy. 

(VI)  Asenath  Bird,  daughter  of  i\Ioore 
and  Rebecca  (Skinner)  Bird,  was  born 
December  5,  1752.  She  married  Captain 
James  Bradley.  (See  Bradley  VI). 

(The  Scudamore-Skidmore  Line). 

Scudamore  Arms — Gules,  three  stirrups,  leath- 
ered and  buckled  or. 

Crest — Out  of  a  ducal  coronet  or  a  lion's  gamb 
sable,  armed  gules. 

Skidmore  Arms — Gules,  three  stirrups,  leathers 
and  buckles  or. 

Crest — A  unicorn's  head  erased  sable,  platee. 

Skidmore  as  a  surname  is  derived  from 
'Norman-French  "Escu  d'amour,"  from 
which  came  the  original  family  of  Escuda- 
mour,  or  Scudamore.  During  the  days  of 
the  early  barons  in  England  the  family 
was  noted  for  its  excellent  horsemanship 
and  the  superior  breed  of  horses  it  pos- 
sessed. Thomas  Skidmore,  the  American 
founder,  descended  from  a  Norman  an- 
cestor, one  of  the  captains  who  came  to 
England  with  William  the  Conqueror. 
The  home  of  the  English  family  was 
mostly  in  Herefordshire. 

(I)  Thomas  Skidmore,  a  descendant  of 
Sir  Thomas  Scudamore,  of  Holme  Lacy, 
Herefordshire,  England,  was  born  about 
1600.  About  1635  he  was  of  Westerly, 
County  Gloucester,  England,  and  he  sailed 
Conn.  11-4  49 


to  America  in  the  latter  part  of  1635.  In 
1636  he  was  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
and  in  1640  he  sent  to  England  for  his 
wife  and  family.  In  1648  he  owned  a 
home  lot  in  New  London,  Connecticut,  in 
1650  had  land  in  Stratford,  Connecticut, 
and  from  there  he  moved  to  Fairfield, 
Connecticut,  and  in  1672  to  Huntington, 
Long  Island.  He  became  town  clerk  of 
Huntington,  representative  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  1673,  and  served  in  King 
PhiHp's  War  in  1676.  He  married  (first), 
in  England,  Ellen.  He  married  (second) 
Mrs.  Joanna  Baldwin,  widow  of  Daniel 
Baldwin.  He  married  (third)  Mrs.  Sarah 
Treadwell,  widow  of  Edward  Treadwell. 
Children  of  first  marriage:  i.  Thomas,  of 
whom  further.  2.  Dorothy,  married  Hugh 
Griffin.  3.  Jedidah,  married  Edward  Hig- 
bee.  4.  John.  5.  Grace,  married  John 
Goulding.    6.  Joseph. 

(II)  Thomas  (2)  Skidmore,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Ellen  Skidmore,  was  born  in 
England,  about  1625,  and  died  in  Hunt- 
ington, Long  Island,  at  an  advanced  age. 
He  owned  land  in  Huntington  and  in 
many  of  the  adjoining  settlements  also  in 
Connecticut.  He  married  Ellen.  Children  : 
I.  Thomas,  of  whom  further.  2.  Susanna. 
3.  Ellen. 

(III)  Thomas  (3)  Skidmore,  son  of 
Thomas  (2)  and  Ellen  Skidmore,  removed 
to  Connecticut,  and  lived  on  land  owned 
by  his  father.  He  was,  from  all  data 
available,  father  of  Ellen  Skidmore,  born 
in  1701-04,  who  married  Enos  Bradley,  of 
New  Haven  (see  Bradley  IV). 

(The  Sparrow  Line). 

Anns — Argent,  three  roses  gules,  a  chief  of  the 
last. 

Crest — A  yew  tree  proper. 

Through  the  line  of  Sparrow  as  traced 
hereafter  the  families  of  this  record  have 
a  connection  with  that  courageous,  God- 
fearing  band   of   Pilgrims   whose   names 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


surround  the  story  of  the  passage  and 
landing  of  the  gallant  little  "Mayflower." 
A  line  of  honor  in  its  own  right,  the  rela- 
tionship that  thus  follows  is  one  lending 
additional  distinction  to  a  proud  family 
history. 

(I)  Richard  Sparrow  died  in  Eastham, 
Massachusetts,  January  8,  1660.  He  came 
to  America  in  1632,  settling  at  Plymouth, 
and  removed  to  Eastham  in  1653.  He 
married  Pandora  and  among  their  chil- 
dren was  Jonathan,  of  whom  further. 

(II)  Captain  Jonathan  Sparrow,  son  of 
Richard  and  Pandora  Sparrow,  was  of 
Eastham,  Massachusetts.  He  was  captain 
of  a  train  band,  served  in  early  Indian 
wars,  and  was  Representative  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court  in  1668  and  for  eighteen  years 
following.  He  married  (first),  October 
26,  1654,  Rebecca  Bangs,  daughter  of  Ed- 
ward Bangs.  He  married  (second)  Han- 
nah (Prince)  Mayo,  daughter  of  Govern- 
or Thomas  Prince,  a  leading  figure  in 
Plymouth,  and  granddaughter  of  William 
Brewster,  mentioned  below.  He  married 
(third),  in  1698,  Sarah  (Lewis)  Cobb. 
Children  of  first  marriage:  i.  Rebecca, 
married  Thomas  Freeman.  2.  John,  of 
whom  further.  3.  Priscilla,  married  Ed- 
ward Gray.  4.  Lydia,  married  (first)  Wil- 
liam Freeman,  and  (second)  Jonathan 
Higgins.  5.  Elizabeth,  married  Captain 
Samuel  Freeman.  6.  Jonathan.  Children 
of  the  second  marriage:  7.  Richard,  mar- 
ried Mercy  Cobb.  8.  Patience,  married 
Joseph  Paine. 

Of  the  children  of  Jonathan  Sparrow  of 
his  first  marriage  were  Priscilla,  who  mar- 
ried Edward  Gray,  who  was  a  grandson 
of  James  Chilton,  of  the  "Mayflower," 
whose  death  took  place  on  board  that  ves- 
sel ;  and  Lydia,  who  married  Jonathan 
Higgins,  the  grandson  of  Thomas  Rogers, 
of  the  "Mayflower."  Thomas  Rogers  was 
a  native  of  England,  and  a  member  of  the 
Leyden   congregation.      He   was    accom- 


panied on  the  "Mayflower's"  voyage  by 
his  son,  Joseph,  who  became  a  resident 
of  Duxbury,  and  afterwards  lived  in  East- 
ham, Massachusetts,  on  Cape  Cod.  He 
was,  in  1647,  appointed  lieutenant  of  the 
military  company  at  Nawsett.  The  father, 
Thomas  Rogers,  died  in  the  first  sickness 
in  1621,  and  Joseph  received  his  allotment 
of  lands  in  the  division  at  Plymouth  in 
1623.  Thomas  Rogers'  other  sons,  John, 
William,  and  Noah,  afterwards  emigrated 
from  England  to  the  Plymouth  Colony 
and  settled  at  Duxbury,  Massachusetts. 

William  Brewster,  who  was  justly 
named  the  "Patriarch  of  the  Plymouth 
Colony,"  was  the  moral,  religious,  and 
spiritual  leader  of  the  Colony,  and  until 
his  death  its  trusted  guide.  His  early  en- 
vironments were  of  wealth  and  prosperity, 
therefore  he  was  not  brought  up  to  ardu- 
ous labors.  The  surname  is  derived  from 
Brewer,  Brewster,  Brewister,  meaning  a 
brewer  of  malt  liquors,  and  appears  among 
the  old  families  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
III  as  ranking  among  "the  English  landed 
gentry."  The  Suffolk  branch  of  the  fam- 
ily, through  Robert  Brewster,  of  Mutford, 
became  established  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury at  Castle  Hedingham,  located  in  Es- 
sex, and  marriage  relations  were  formed 
with  several  knighted  families.  It  is  from 
this  branch  that  Elder  Brewster  was  de- 
scended, his  coat-of-arms  being  identical 
with  the  Suffolk  family. 

His  father,  William  Brewster,  was  ap- 
pointed in  1575-76  receiver  of  Scrooby  and 
bailiff  of  the  Manor  House  there,  belong- 
ing to  the  Archbishop  Sandys,  of  the  Dio- 
cese of  York.  He  had  a  life  tenure  of  both 
these  oflSces.  Between  1583  and  1588  he 
was  made  postmaster,  and  became  known 
as  the  "Post  of  Scrooby";  he  was  master 
of  the  court  mails,  accessible  only  to  those 
connected  with  the  court.  The  office  of 
postmaster  in   those  days   was   filled   by   ?j 


SO 


SPARROW. 
Arms — Argent,  three  rose*  gules,  a  cliiet  of  the  InNt. 
Crest — A  yew  tree  proper. 

HOXEYWOOD  ( HOXYWOOD). 
Anns — Argent,  a  chevron  between  three  falcons'  heads  eraseil  azure,  beaked  or. 
Crest — A  wolf's  head  couped  ermine. 

STEELE. 
Anns — Argent,  a  bend  chequy  sable  and  ermine,  between  two  lion^'  heads 
erased  gules,  a  chief  azure. 

Crest — Out  of  a  ducal  coronet  or  a  demi-ostrich  with  wings  endorsed  gules. 

WOODFORD. 
Anns — Sable,  three  leopards'  heads  reversed  jessant  de  lis  argent. 
Crest — .A  naked  savage  wreathed  about  the  head  and  waist,  in  the  dexter  hand 
a  club,  and  in  the  sinister  a  palm  branch  in  bend,  all  jiroper. 
Motto — Libcrtate  quictcm.     (  Ease  in  liberty.) 

NORTON. 

Anns — (lules,  a  fret  argent,  over  all  a  bend  vaire. 

Crest — .A  griffin  sejant  proper,  winged  gules,  beak  and  forelegs  or. 

SKINNER. 
Arms — .*~^able,  a  chevron  or  between  three  grittins"  heads  erased  argent. 
Crest — .-\  griffin's  head  erased  argent,  holding  in  its  mouth   (beak)  a  dexter 
gauntlet. 

Motto — Xunqunm  non  paratus.     (Never  unprepared.) 


lOLR.M'liV 

. 'd  on  the  "Mayflower's"  voyage  by 
■  >n,  Joseph,  who  became  a  resident 
'f  Duxbury,  and  afterwards  lived  in  East- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  on  Cape  Cod.     He 
y      was,  in  1647,  appointed  lieutenant  of  the 
military  company  at  Nawsett.  The  father. 
''^'      Thomas  Rogers,  died  in  the  first  sicknes? 
"'"^     in  1621,  and  Joseph  received  his  allotment 
Y^QCTr/rfql^nds  in  the  division  at  Plymouth  in 
Jill   ui-       ^"~X-    Thomas  Rogers'  other  sons,  John. 
•^'^^f*'^'''^^"'''lv1ff(!rt,a'i^•{!^Y^l,^!?^4?^^vam«%mig^lted 
'    '"    '"Ton  of     ^'■^'"  Erip^.lP  ?B"'Jtiy<?(FMi>"lW\  Colony 
'        . //v^'So^ )  d^h^f/^^/bF?""^"'"''  **^ss^^^"setts. 

..A    ,„   „.,rlv   In.iian      '^'''^^'  ,  /^^Wr^WPlymoutl: 

,h,c  Qgj,.     Colony-       ...   ': '>   moral,  ferigious,  and 

pj., ,  (^,,5  ^,gfira'j-fB'''tual  leader  of  the  Colony,  and  until 

26.  1'-:;.,.  '  -.  dnutrhter  of  Ed-     vironhien'  '-wrfH-osperity. 

ward  APi»^ 4,-,-Mbr». «*;rJis^  ^fi^9B5i,^,^.^I^- ,,  i']S''f/mrn,l)''l2u '  '^'«?%rdu- 

nah  M'  ■■        ■*  ■  -'  r'^-Vr  of  Govern-     ous  lanor's.    TT'  ^  ^ed  from 

or  T'  'ff^d^ncfeS^'^'^'  ^'■c^^^'-'-'''  i-'-'e.-,  icici,  meaning  s 

Piyt,. 


married.-£iip  .    I.y  ;ime  e,stuL^ii^hcu  in  the  fifteenth  i 

'  ■  /^    ;  '"^J^^^^Ji-y  at  Castle  Hcdingham.  located  u. 

' '  fit"'' .??'("  .-i^fr^SffM.^t,*  .r»l!aiS.*n8\\v*ere  for- 

-iJ^f^r'Wt'Ii^aw.iHr^iHtiii^trtkiifefjlrT^te^J  It  is  f 

!in.    L  iiildren      this  branch  that  Elder  Brewster  wa> 

,.       .  Kirhard'.4nTiT-'^-''<it§nded,  hi.s  cuat-of-arms  being  iden! 

^^^M«o  E  urn,.r.   rUnorr-  .,}  r,f  o,.,f,,,„,  .)n.o-,i;  jjj,,:^^,!,^,,  VVr,ffife,g,  ;j^lxe,4=^gr,  wa.= 
<■  of     pointed  in  1575-76  receiver  o|^f^j9^_v 

his  h. '  "^'-^  '  ba<l<»MfihB<Ma«<?niH'^iii^iii\?je,  be!- 

ried  Edward  Gray,  who  v  -on      jng  to  the  Archbishop  Sandys,  of  the  ' 

of  James   Ch.'ton.   of   thv  t,"     cese  of  York.  He  had  a  life  tenure  of  ' 

whose  death  took  place  on  board  that  ves-  these  offices.  Between  1583  and  158" 
"•1 ;  am'  T  v,i:->  ■■•!-.>  m-  -^ir,'  Jonathan  was  made  postmaster,  and  became  kiv 
■      ■_.  .  •  t  Rogers,     as  the  "Post  of  Scrooby";  he  was  mr; 

'■  .-c  A-,.,     of  the  court  mails,  accessible  only  to  t; 

ronnected  with  the  court.    The  offi 

>..  .i;tinnM  "r     in     t'lo^o    i'l;i\->;     vv;!";    tillr 


i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


persons  of  high  social  station,  and  was  a 
position  of  much  consequence,  as  it  in- 
volved the  supplying  of  relay  of  horses 
and  the  entertainment  of  travelers.  The 
Scrooby  Manor  was  a  residence  of  im- 
portance ;  royalty  had  often  been  enter- 
tained there,  and  Cardinal  Wolsey  was 
its  inmate  for  several  weeks  after  his 
downfall.  The  paternal  Brewster  died  at 
Scrooby  in  1590.  The  birth,  marriage, 
and  death  records  of  the  parish  of  Scrooby 
are  intact  only  since  1595,  and  there  is  no 
authentic  testimony  of  the  date  of  birth 
or  the  birthplace  of  Elder  Brewster.  In 
accordance  with  an  affidavit  made  by  him 
at  Leyden  on  June  25,  1609,  in  which  he 
declares  himself  as  being  forty-two  years 
of  age,  the  date  of  his  birth  must  have 
been  in  the  last  half  of  1566  or  the  first 
half  of  1567.  That  Scrooby  was  his  birth- 
place is  a  matter  of  question,  as  there  is 
no  evidence  that  his  father  was  a  resident 
of  that  parish  prior  to  his  appointment  as 
receiver.  Young  Brewster's  education  fol- 
lowed the  lines  given  to  the  sons  of  no- 
bility and  gentry.  He  matriculated  De- 
cember 3,  1580,  at  Peterhouse,  which  was 
the  oldest  of  the  fourteen  colleges,  which 
afterward  became  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, but  he  did  not  remain  long  enough 
at  that  institution  to  receive  his  degree. 
We  find  him  after  leaving  Peterhouse  in 
the  service  of  William  Davidson,  Queen 
Elizabeth's  Secretary  of  State ;  he  accom- 
panied him  in  August,  1585,  to  the  Court 
of  The  Netherlands  on  a  diplomatic  mis- 
sion. The  downfall  of  William  Davidson 
occurred  in  1587,  and  William  Brewster, 
leaving  court  circles,  returned  to  Scrooby. 
At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  he  ad- 
ministered his  estate,  and  succeeded  him 
as  postmaster.  For  his  services  he  re- 
ceived the  munificent  salary  of  twenty 
pence  a  day,  which  was  increased  in  July, 
1603,  to  two  shillings.    He  resided  at  the 


Manor  House,  and  was  held  in  high  es- 
teem among  the  people,  associating  with 
the  gentlemen  of  the  surrounding  country, 
and  was  prominent  in  promoting  and  fur- 
thering religion.  Of  a  serious  and  re- 
ligious mind,  the  forms  and  customs  of 
the  Established  Church  became  abhorrent 
to  him,  and  he  became  interested  and  act- 
ive in  the  cause  of  the  dissenters.  Always 
loyal  to  the  home  government,  he  re- 
luctantly accepted  the  fact  that  his  con- 
scientious scruples  required  his  separa- 
tion from  the  Established  Church.  He 
helped  to  form  a  dissenting  society  which 
met  at  his  residence,  thus  forming  the 
nucleus  which  constituted  the  Plymouth 
Pilgrims.  The  meetings  were  interrupted 
by  persecutions,  continuance  of  which 
caused  a  number  of  the  Separatists  (by 
which  they  became  known),  to  agitate  in 
1607  an  emigration  to  Holland.  William 
Brewster  being  under  the  ban  of  the 
church,  became  a  member  of  a  party 
which  unsuccessfully  tried  to  sail  from 
Boston  to  Lincolnshire,  England,  and  was 
arrested  and  imprisoned.  He  was  in  pos- 
session of  considerable  property  at  this 
time,  a  large  part  of  which  was  spent  to 
regain  his  liberty  and  in  assisting  the 
poorer  members  of  the  party  to  escape  to 
Holland.  His  release  from  imprisonment 
having  been  obtained,  a  successful  at- 
tempt of  emigration  was  made  and  Hol- 
land was  reached.  After  a  short  stay 
at  Amsterdam  he  proceeded  to  Leyden, 
where  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robinson  had  estab- 
lished a  church  of  which  he  was  made  rul- 
ing elder.  He  now  found  himself  deprived 
of  most  of  his  wealth,  and  not  fitted,  like 
the  other  Pilgrims,  to  unaccustomed  hard- 
ships and  hard  labor.  His  means  had 
been  spent  in  providing  for  his  family, 
also  by  the  treachery  of  a  certain  ship 
captain  on  his  voyage  to  Leyden,  who  ap- 
propriated to  himself  most  of  his  worldly 


51 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


possessions,  including  valuable  and  choice 
books.  He  was  not,  however,  disheart- 
ened ;  his  collegiate  education  became 
available  in  this  his  hour  of  need.  He 
established  at  Leyden  a  school ;  his  knowl- 
edge of  Latin  brought  him  many  students, 
both  Danes  and  Germans,  who  desired  to 
acquire  education  in  the  English  language. 
This,  supplemented  by  his  cheerfulness 
and  contentment,  enabled  him  to  bear  the 
burden  of  straitened  finances,  and  the 
hardships  incidental  to  emigration  were 
overcome.  He  could  not  look  for  any 
financial  assistance  from  his  children,  who 
had  been  bred  to  refinement  and  culture 
and  were  not  fitted  for  toilsome  and  la- 
borious duties.  He  was  materially  bene- 
fited financially  by  the  establishment  of 
a  printing  office ;  religious  books  were 
printed  that  were  contrabanded  by  the 
English  Government,  and  the  operation 
was  closely  watched  by  the  English  Am- 
bassador, Sir  Dudley  Carleton.  Elder 
Brewster  was  sent  to  England  in  1619 
to  arrange  for  the  emigration  of  the  Pil- 
grims to  America.  The  English  Ambas- 
sador forwarded  information  of  his  de- 
parture for  England,  and  recommended 
that  he  be  apprehended  and  examined. 
His  eflForts  were  futile,  and  Elder  Brew- 
ster returned  to  Leyden  without  being 
molested. 

At  the  time  of  the  departure  of  the  Pil- 
grims for  their  future  home  in  a  new  land, 
on  account  of  his  popularity,  he  was  cho- 
sen their  spiritual  guide.  He  embarked 
on  the  "Mayflower"  with  his  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Love,  and  the 
two  youngest  members  of  his  family. 
Wrestling  and  Love,  sons,  the  latter  be- 
ing an  infant  in  arms.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  voyagers  on  the  bleak  coast  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, the  famous  Covenant  estab- 
lishing the  Pilgrim  Republic  was  drafted, 
and  William  Brewster  is  credited  as  being 
its  author.     For  the  first  nine  years  of 


the  Plymouth  settlement  he  supplied  the 
vacant  pulpit,  preaching  impressive  ser- 
mons ;  though  often  urged,  he  never  ad- 
ministered the  sacrament.  Elder  Brew- 
ster died  at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts, 
April  16,  1644.  His  wife's  death  had  pre- 
ceded his,  she  passing  away  April  17, 
1627.  The  late  years  of  his  life  were  spent 
in  Duxbury,  Massachusetts,  with  his  son. 
Love,  who  was  apparently  the  wealthiest 
man  in  that  town,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  paternal  acres  and  estab- 
lishing a  family  home.  Jonathan,  his 
eldest  son,  was  living  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death.  He  remained  in  Leyden 
at  the  time  of  the  first  emigration  of  the 
Pilgrims,  but  joined  his  father  soon  after- 
ward at  Plymouth.  He  removed  to  Con- 
necticut, and  died  at  Brewster's  Neck,  in 
tnat  province. 

(III)  John  Sparrow,  son  of  Captain 
Jonathan  and  Rebecca  (Bangs)  Sparrow, 
was  born  in  Eastham,  Massachusetts,  No- 
vember 2,  1656,  and  died  there,  his  will 
being  proved  March  19, 1734-35.  He  lived 
at  Eastham,  and  served  in  the  early  In- 
dian   wars.      He   married,    December    5, 

1683,  Apphia  Tracy,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Prence)  Tracy.  Mary  (Prence) 
Tracy  was  the  daughter  of  Governor 
Thomas  Prence  by  his  second  wife,  Mary 
(Collier)  Prence.  (His  first  wife  was  the 
daughter  of  William  Brewster.)  Chil- 
dren:     I.    Rebecca,   bom    December   23, 

1684.  2.  John,  born  August  24,  1687,  died 
young.  3.  Elizabeth,  born  January  19, 
1689.    4.  Stephen,  of  whom  further. 

(IV)  Stephen  Sparrow,  son  of  John 
and  Apphia  (Tracy)  Sparrow,  was  born 
September  6,  1694,  and  died  in  East  Had- 
dam,  Connecticut,  September  9,  1785.  He 
lived  at  Eastham,  Massachusetts,  and  re- 
moved with  his  sons  to  East  Haddam, 
Connecticut,  and  served  in  the  expedi- 
tion to  Louisburg  in  1745.  He  married, 
at  Eastham,  Massachusetts,  November  7, 


52 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1717,  Annah  Mulford,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Jr.,  and  Mary  (Bassett)  Mulford.  She 
was  born  July  28,  1691,  and  died  at  East 
Haddam,  Connecticut,  June  26,  1772.  Chil- 
dren :  I.  John,  of  whom  further.  2. 
Thomas,  born  February  5,  1720-21.  3. 
Stephen,  born  March  18,  1723;  married, 
in  1746,  Apphia  Pepper.  4.  Elizabeth, 
twin  with  Stephen.  5.  Nathaniel,  born  in 
1725,  died  at  East  Haddam,  Connecticut, 
in  1804.  6.  Richard,  born  July  16,  1727; 
married  (second),  in  1763,  Deborah  How- 
land;  he  died  before  1790,  and  his  widow 
remained  in  East  Haddam.  7.  Joshua, 
born  May  28,  1730.  8.  Apphia,  born  July 
18,  1731  ;  married  Abner  Beebe.  9.  James, 
born  October  22,  1735. 

(V)  John  (2)  Sparrow,  son  of  Stephen 
and  Annah  (Mulford)  Sparrow,  was  born 
in  Eastham,  Massachusetts,  July  6,  1719, 
and  died  in  East  Haddam,  Connecticut, 
July  25,  1764,  aged  forty-five  years.  He 
removed  from  Eastham,  Massachusetts, 
to  East  Haddam,  Connecticut,  before  1749. 
He  married  Elizabeth,  who  was  born  in 
1723,  and  died  in  East  Haddam,  October 
1 1 , 1 774,  in  her  fifty-second  year.  Children  : 
I.  Mary,  born  December  14,  1749.  2.  An- 
nah, of  whom  further.  3.  Elizabeth,  born 
December  13,  1753.  4.  John,  born  Febru- 
ary 22,  1756.  5.  Apphia,  born  May  2,  1758. 
6.  Stephen,  born  November  8,  1760.  7. 
Benjamin,  born  November  9,  1762. 

(VI)  Annah  Sparrow,  daughter  of  John 
(2)  and  Elizabeth  Sparrow,  was  born 
April  19,  1751.  She  married,  April  2,  1777, 
Abner  Banning  (see  Banning  III). 


BISHOP,  Rev.  Ethan  Ferris, 

Rector. 

It  seems  that  the  House  of  Bishop, 
particularly  those  branches  of  that  great 
house  whose  foundations  were  laid  in 
Stamford,    Bridgeport,   and   other   towns 


and  cities  of  Connecticut,  was  second  to 
none  in  the  versatility  by  which  its  mem- 
bers have  been  able  to  do  many  things 
so  well  that  they  have  stood  out  as  lights 
along  the  pathway  of  progress,  and  with 
their  lamp  of  leadership  in  one  line  of  en- 
deavor or  another,  or  in  more  than  one 
line  simultaneously,  have  illuminated  the 
highway  cast  up  by  them  and  on  which 
others  of  their  kin  or  of  their  fellows 
have  trod  to  the  goal  of  successful  achieve- 
ment. With  individuals  of  the  Bishop 
family  the  light  of  genius  has  attended 
their  way  and  by  it  they  have  been  se- 
curely and  brilliantly  led  to  accomplish 
great  things,  not  only  for  themselves  but 
also  for  the  lasting  benefit  of  their  fellow- 
men.  While  to  a  greater  or  less  degree 
this  endowment  of  life  with  the  high  re- 
ward of  one's  applied  skill  was  a  birth- 
right of  most  members  of  the  Bishop 
family  who  have  shed  luster  on  the  his- 
tory of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  it  ap- 
pears to  have  bestowed  its  most  prodigal 
of  attainments  and  successes  upon  the 
principles  of  this  memoir.  They  were 
acknowledged  to  be  without  their  peers 
in  the  realm  of  transportation — railway 
and  steamboat — and  several  members  of 
the  Bishop  family  contributed  not  a  few 
pages  to  the  annals  of  railroading  in  New 
England  and  of  steamboat  navigation  in 
the  coastal  waters  of  Massachusetts,  Con- 
necticut, and  New  York.  The  Bishop 
transportation  genii  did  more,  perhaps, 
than  any  others  to  develop  railroad  prop- 
erties in  the  theaters  of  their  operation 
during  their  day  and  generation.  They 
were,  indeed,  '"men  of  the  hour." 

Born  in  Madison,  New  Jersey,  March 
27,  1825,  died  in  Bridgeport  December  7, 
1883,  Ethan  Ferris  Bishop  was  a  son  of 
Alfred  F.  and  Mary  (Ferris)  Bishop.  His 
father  was  the  captain  of  railroad  con- 
struction who  did  more  than  any  man  of 


S3 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  day  in  opening  up  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut and  contiguous  territory  to  mod- 
ern transportation  methods.  He  made  one 
of  the  greatest  careers  of  his  generation 
as  railroad,  bridge,  and  canal  builder.  He 
was  the  builder  of  the  New  York  &  New 
Haven  Railroad  (now  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford),  the  Housatonic 
Valley  Railroad,  the  old  Berkshire,  Wash- 
ington &  Saratoga  Railroad,  and  the  Nau- 
gatuck  Railroad  (now  a  subsidiary  of  the 
New  Haven  system). 

On  the  paternal  side,  the  founder  of  the 
Bishop  family  name  in  America  was  Rev. 
John  Bishop.  He  was  a  Puritan  minister 
at  Stamford  in  1643,  accepting  the  call  by 
journeying  on  foot,  Bible  under  arm,  from 
Boston  to  Stamford.  His  Bible  is  said  to 
be  carefully  preserved  by  descendants. 
He  married  (first)  Rebecca.  He  married 
(second)  Joanna  Royce,  widow  of  Rev. 
Peter  Prudden  and  of  Captain  Thomas 
Willet.  Stephen  Bishop,  eldest  child  of 
Rev.  John  and  Rebecca  Bishop,  was  born 
in  Stamford  about  1660.  He  married 
Mercy.  John  (2)  Bishop,  eldest  child  of 
Stephen  and  Mercy  Bishop,  was  born  in 
Stamford  about  1680.  He  married  Mary 
Talmadge.  (I)  Pierson  Bishop,  who  was 
a  descendant  of  Rev.  John  Bishop,  was 
living  in  Stamford  in  1790.  He  married 
Hannah  Finch.  (II)  William  Bishop,  son 
of  Pierson  and  Hannah  (Finch)  Bishop, 
was  born  June  23,  1769,  at  Stamford,  died 
February  24,  18/14.  He  married  Susanna, 
daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Nichols) 
Scoiield.  (Ill )  Alfred  F.,  son  of  William 
and  Susanna  (Scofield)  Bishop,  was  born 
in  Stamford  December  21,  1798,  died  June 
12,  1849.  He  removed  to  New  Jersey 
when  he  was  a  young  man  and  there  he 
entered  upon  his  remarkable  career  as  a 
railroad  contractor.  He  built  the  Morris 
Canal  and  also  constructed  the  bridge 
over  the   Raritan   River  at   New   Bruns- 


wick, New  Jersey.  Having  come  to 
Bridgeport  in  1836,  he  took  upon  himself 
the  financial  burden  and  executed  the 
plans  for  building  the  Housatonic  Val- 
ley Railroad.  His  next  successful  enter- 
prise was  the  construction  of  the  Berk- 
shire, Washington  &  Saratoga  Railroad. 
In  1845,  he,  having  gathered  together  a 
number  of  highly  influential  men  of  Con- 
necticut as  fellow-incorporators,  attempt- 
ed the  construction  of  the  Naugatuck  Rail- 
road. The  first  president  of  this  railroad 
was  the  celebrated  Timothy  Dwight. 

In  1849  Mr.  Bishop  began  the  construc- 
tion of  the  New  York  &  New  Haven  Rail- 
road. While  these  two  great  pieces  of 
railroad  building  were  nearing  completion 
Mr.  Bishop  died  at  Saratoga,  New  York. 
The  New  Haven  Railroad's  directors  said 
of  him  in  1849  •  "The  work  which  owes  its 
execution  to  him  will  be  a  monument  to 
carry  down  his  name  with  honor  to  the 
future."  Mr.  Bishop  married,  October  11, 
1821,  at  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  Mary, 
daughter  of  Ethan  Ferris.  Their  children  : 
I.  Ethan  Ferris,  of  this  review.  2.  Wil- 
liam D.,  who  became  one  of  the  greatest 
executives  that  the  New  Haven  system 
has  ever  had.  3.  Henry  Bishop,  born  at 
Madison  August  26,  1839,  died  January 
17,  1895  ;  married  Maggie  Mallory,  whose 
father  had  been  Secretary  of  War  in  the 
Confederate  government. 

(IV)  Ethan  Ferris  Bishop  received  his 
preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  Madison,  New  Jersey,  and  in 
1838,  when  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age, 
he  removed  to  Bridgeport,  where  he  con- 
tinued his  schooling.  He  matriculated  at 
Yale  College  in  1845,  but  an  accident  in  his 
youth  having  impaired  his  eyesight,  he 
was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  studies.  He 
became  a  clerk  in  his  father's  office  and 
also  pursued  his  studies  in  theology,  and 
became  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Na- 


54 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tivity  at  Bridgeport.  He  continued  to 
serve  in  his  father's  office  until  the  latter's 
death  in  1849.  He  was  made  executor  of 
his  father's  estate  and  in  that  capacity 
closed  up  the  accounts  that  had  been 
left  open  when  death  interrupted  his  fa- 
ther's career  as  builder  of  railroads.  In 
1850  he  was  elected  a  director  of  the  Nau- 
gatuck  Railroad,  and  in  185 1  he  was  cho- 
sen president  of  that  road.  He  served 
that  road  as  its  executive  until  1855,  when 
he  resigned  and  engaged  in  railroading  in 
the  Middle  West.  Principal  among  the 
railroads  he  operated  were  the  Milwaukee 
&  Watertown,  the  Milwaukee  &  Chicago, 
and  the  Dubuque  &  Sioux  City.  Upon 
his  return  to  Bridgeport  he  was  reelected 
president  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad,  and 
held  that  office  from  1873  until  his  death. 
With  the  organization  of  the  Bridgeport 
Steamboat  Company  in  1865,  Mr.  Bishop 
was  made  its  president.  This  office  he 
afterward  relinquished  in  favor  of  his  son, 
Dr.  Sydney  Bishop.  In  1859  he  yielded 
to  the  desire  and  ambition  of  his  youth, 
and  he  entered  the  priesthood  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  and  he  with 
some  outside  assistance  built  the  Church 
of  the  Nativity,  which  he  served  as  rector. 
Five  years  later,  1864,  the  college  adjoin- 
ing the  church  was  finished,  and  within 
its  walls  orphans  and  needy  boys  received 
a  thorough  preparation  for  college  or  a 
business  life. 

Mr.  Bishop  held  a  large  place  in  the 
social  and  fraternal  life  of  Bridgeport 
and  the  State  of  Connecticut.  He  was 
affiliated  with  Hamilton  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar ;  St.  John's  Lodge,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons;  Jerusalem  Council, 
Royal  and  Select  Masters ;  Jerusalem 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  and  the 
Confraternity  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  In  the 
Masonic  fraternity  as  well  as  in  his  church 


connections  Mr.  Bishop  was  extremely 
active  for  the  major  part  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Bishop  married,  March  22,  1847,  ^t 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  Georgianna  Moody, 
born  in  England,  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  Frances  Moody.  Her  father  was 
born  in  England,  and  came  to  Bridge- 
port, where  he  took  up  his  home  on  North 
Avenue,  near  the  present  Mountain  Grove 
Cemetery.  He  developed  that  section, 
and  became  a  dealer  in  real  estate,  carry- 
ing on  this  line  of  business  to  a  consider- 
able extent.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight years,  and  his  wife,  who  also 
was  born  in  England,  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ethan  Ferris 
Bishop  there  were  born   three  children : 

1.  Sydney,  who  was  the  successor  of  his 
father  in  the  presidency  of  the  New  York 
and  Bridgeport  Steamboat  Company  and 
for  a  number  of  years  practiced  medicine. 

2.  Alfred,  born  June  18,  1855,  died  in  in- 
fancy. 3.  Elizabeth  Frances,  born  March 
19,  1863.  Mrs.  Georgianna  (Moody)  Bish- 
op, widow  of  Rev.  Ethan  Ferris  Bishop, 
died  January  17,  1898. 

The  father,  Alfred  F.,  and  the  son,  Ethan 
Ferris  Bishop,  it  will  be  readily  gathered 
from  this  memoir,  were  true  to  the  best 
traditions  of  the  Bishop  family.  By  their 
lives  and  deeds  they  gave  to  the  gen- 
erations in  which  they  moved  and  to 
their  successors  the  incalculable  benefits 
of  their  skill  and  industry.  Who  shall  be 
able  to  compute  the  blessings  that  have 
come  to  their  fellow-men  from  the  majes- 
tic sweep  of  those  transportation  lines, 
rail  and  water,  which  they  promoted, 
builded  and  developed  and  maintained ! 
They  were  honorable,  clean-living  men ; 
they  occupied  a  high  plane  of  moral  and 
spiritual  endeavor;  and  their  well-nigh 
marvelous  successes  in  material  things 
they  shared  with  a  lavish  hand  with  those 


55 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


with  whom  they  had  contact — in  business, 
in  social,  and  in  community  life.  The  in- 
fluence of  their  lives  upon  their  immediate 
and  upon  their  remote  beneficiaries  g'lows 
like  a  perpetual  fire  upon  the  altars  of  hal- 
lowed memory. 


FRISBIE,  Edward  Laurens, 

Manufacturer,  I<egisIator. 

Arms — Argent,  three  fleurs-de-lis  gules. 

By  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century 
the  surname  Frisbie  was  well  established 
in  several  counties  in  England,  and  we 
find  numerous  entries  in  the  Hundred 
Rolls,  1273.  The  name  is  of  local  origin, 
signifying  that  those  who  first  adopted  it 
were  residents  of  Frisby,  a  chapelry  in 
County  Leicester,  whence  families  of  the 
name  spread  into  all  parts  of  England. 
Early  entries  preserve  the  particle  "de," 
which  disappears  toward  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  century. 

The  Connecticut  Frisbies  are  the  de- 
scendants of  Edward  and  John  Frisbie, 
for  whom  long  established  tradition  claims 
a  Welsh  origin.  Both  were  signers  of  the 
Plantation  and  Church  Covenant  of  the 
town  of  Branford,  Connecticut,  in  Janu- 
ary, 1668,  and  both  became  the  progeni- 
tors of  families  which  have  wielded  power- 
ful influences  in  the  life  of  Connecticut 
since  the  earliest  days  of  the  Colony.  The 
late  Edward  Laurens  Frisbie,  well  known 
manufacturer  and  public  man  of  Water- 
bury,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Edward 
Frisbie,  who  came  from  Wales  and  settled 
in  the  Hartford  Colony  soon  after  its 
establishment,  and  who,  in  1644,  was  one 
of  a  party  that  purchased  Totoket  (now 
Branford)  and  organized  a  town  govern- 
ment there.  The  line  descends  through 
Elijah  Frisbie,  the  first  of  the  name  to 
settle  in  Waterbury. 

(I)  John  Frisbie,  the  first  of  the  direct 


line  to  whom  it  has  been  possible  to  trace, 
was  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Branford. 
He  married  Abigail  Culpepper,  and  among 
their  children  was  Elijah,  mentioned  be- 
low. 

(II)  Elijah  Frisbie,  son  of  John  and 
Abigail  (Culpepper)  Frisbie,  was  born  in 
Branford,  and  resided  there  until  1759, 
when  he  removed  to  Wolcott.  Here  he 
lived  on  the  Waterbury  Road  until  his 
death  on  February  15,  1800,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one  years.  Elijah  Frisbie's  house 
stood  in  the  historic  Bronson's  Meadow 
until  1801.  A  stone  was  set  in  the  bound- 
ary line  between  Waterbury  and  Wolcott 
at  that  date,  "where  the  center  of  the 
house  was."  Elijah  Frisbie  married  (first) 
Abigail  Culver  (see  Culver  IV),  who  died 
April  19,  1771 ;  (second)  Elizabeth  Ives, 
who  died  October  11,  1776;  (third)  Lydia 
Redfield. 

(HI)  Reuben  Frisbie,  son  of  Elijah  and 
Abigail  (Culver)  Frisbie,  was  born  in 
Branford,  Connecticut,  and  removed  to 
Waterbury  with  his  father,  settling  on 
Bronson's  Meadow,  where  he  resided  un- 
til his  death.  He  married  (first)  Eliza- 
beth Wakelee,  May  25,  1769.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Wakelee,  and 
died  in  Waterbury,  November  22,  1778. 
(See  Wakelee  IV.)  He  married  (second) 
Ruth  Seward,  daughter  of  Amos  Seward, 
on  June  3,  1779.  Reuben  Frisbie  died 
September  id,  1824,  aged  seventy-eight 
years. 

(IV)  Daniel  Frisbie,  son  of  Reuben  and 
Elizabeth  (Wakelee)  Frisbie,  was  born 
in  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  January  16, 
1771.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
prominent  resident  of  Waterbury.  He 
married,  September  29,  1794,  Eunice  Hill, 
daughter  of  Lieutenant  Jared  Hill  (see 
Hill  V).  Daniel  Frisbie  died  November 
15,  1850. 

(V)  Laurens  Frisbie,  son  of  Daniel  and 


56 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Eunice  (Hill)  Frisbie,  was  born  in  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  August  2,  1800.  He 
married,  in  1821,  Artimesia  Welton,  who 
was  born  April  15,  1798,  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard, Jr.,  and  Sarah  (Gunn)  Welton;  she 
was  a  descendant  of  John  Welton,  the 
founder,  through  Richard,  Eliakim,  Rich- 
ard, and  Richard.  Their  children  were : 
I.  Sarah  Mariend.  born  September  22, 
1822.  2.  Edward  Laurens,  of  further  men- 
tion. 3.  Felicia  Ann,  born  July  31,  1827. 
(VI)  Edward  Laurens  Frisbie,  son  of 
Laurens  and  Artimesia  (Welton)  Fris- 
bie, was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut, 
August  22,  1824.  He  spent  his  childhood 
on  his  father's  farm,  was  educated  in  the 
local  schools,  and  on  completing  his  stud- 
ies returned  to  farming.  In  1847,  ^t  the 
age  of  twenty-three  years,  he  entered  the 
kettle  department  of  the  Waterbury  Brass 
Company,  where  he  remained  until  the 
summer  of  1848,  when  the  old  method  of 
manufacturing  kettles  by  stamping  was 
superceded  by  a  machine  for  spinning 
them.  In  the  spring  of  1849  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Brown  &  Elton,  and  was 
engaged  in  casting  brass  and  German 
silver  with  this  firm  until  it  was  dissolved 
and  the  new  firm  of  Brown  Brothers 
formed.  Under  the  new  organization  he 
was  made  foreman  of  the  casting  depart- 
ment. His  connection  with  Brown  Broth- 
ers covered  a  period  of  thirty  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  rose  rapidly  to  a  posi- 
tion of  influence  in  the  firm,  eventually 
taking  a  leading  part  in  its  management. 
In  1854  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
business,  and  thenceforward  until  his  re- 
tirement from  active  business  life  in  1883, 
he  directed  the  policies  of  the  firm.  During 
the  greater  part  of  this  period  he  was  act- 
ively and  prominently  identified  with  nu- 
merous industrial  and  financial  enterprises 
in  Waterbury.  Mr.  Frisbie  was  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Waterbury 
Savings  Bank,  and  for  several  years  was 


its  president.  He  was  a  prime  factor  in  the 
movement  which  resulted  in  the  founding 
of  the  Dime  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he 
was  a  trustee  until  his  death.  He  was 
also  a  director  of  the  Manufacturers'  Na- 
tional Bank  and  was  its  president  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  In  1854  Mr.  Frisbie 
made  his  entrance  into  public  life  in  Wa- 
terbury, as  the  representative  of  his  dis- 
trict in  the  Connecticut  State  Legislature. 
From  this  time  forward  he  took  an  active 
and  influential  part  in  the  official  affairs 
of  Waterbury,  serving  in  various  public 
offices,  and  lending  his  support  continu- 
ously to  all  movements  which  had  for 
their  end  the  betterment  of  civic  condi- 
tions. In  1872  he  was  reelected  to  the 
Legislature.  Mr.  Frisbie  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  before  the 
incorporation  of  Waterbury  as  a  city. 
Under  the  city  government  he  served  as 
a  member  of  the  City  Council,  and  as  a 
member  of  numerous  boards  and  commit- 
tees. He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Assessors  and  justice  of  the  peace  for 
many  years.  Mr.  Frisbie  was  a  democrat 
of  the  Jefifersonian  school,  and  until  his 
death  was  a  prominent  leader  in  the  coun- 
cils of  his  party.  In  religious  belief  he 
was  an  Episcopalian ;  when  St.  John's 
Parish  was  divided  and  Trinity  Parish 
formed,  he  became  a  vestryman  in  the 
newly-established  church  and  was  later 
one  of  its  wardens.  Despite  the  varied 
and  insistent  nature  of  his  public  service 
and  his  business  and  financial  interests, 
Mr.  Frisbie  was  essentially  a  home-lover, 
finding  his  greatest  enjoyment  at  his  own 
fireside.  His  home  was  the  center  of  a 
wide  and  cultured  circle  of  friends.  A 
man  of  deep  sympathies,  sincere  in  his 
purpose  and  steadfast  in  his  attachments, 
Mr.  Frisbie's  friends  were  legion,  and  his 
death  caused  genuine  sorrow  among  hun- 
dreds. 

On  February  11,  1850,  Mr.  Frisbie  mar- 


57 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ried  (first)  Hannah  A.  Welton,  daughter 
of  Hershel  Welton,  of  Wolcott;  she  died 
July  ID,  1857.  Two  of  their  four  children 
died  in  infancy;  two  attained  majority. 
Children:  i.  Mary  A.,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Ellis  Phelan.  2.  Edward  Laurens, 
a  resident  of  Waterbury. 

Mr.  Frisbie  married  (second)  Josephine 
Deming,  daughter  of  Abner  Deming,  of 
Derby;  she  died  October  14,  1872,  leav- 
ing one  daughter,  Josephine.  On  October 
2,  1884,  Mr.  Frisbie  married  (third)  Emily 
J.  Welton,  daughter  of  George  Wales  and 
Mary  (Graham)  Welton,  of  Waterbury 
(see  Welton  VII).  Mrs.  Frisbie  is  a 
member  of  the  Melicent  Porter  Chapter, 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
holding  a  life  membership  in  the  chapter. 
She  is  also  a  member  of  the  Woman's 
Club,  and  was  at  one  time  its  president, 
the  third  woman  to  hold  the  office.  She 
has  long  been  active  in  the  benevo- 
lent and  philanthropic  efforts  of  Trinity 
Church,  and  has  been  a  generous  donor  to 
all  such  endeavors  in  Waterbury.  Mrs. 
Frisbie  is  widely  and  eminently  known  in 
the  more  conservative  social  circles  of 
the  city.  Edward  Laurens  Frisbie  died 
at  his  home  in  Waterbury,  April  13,  1909. 

(The  Welton  Line). 

Arms — Argent,  a  mullet  gules,  on  a  chief  of  the 
second  a  demi-lion  rampant  of  the  field. 

Crest — A  demi-lion  rampant  argent,  guttee  de 
sang. 

The  surname  Welton,  of  local  origin, 
and  therefore  of  ancient  date,  appears  in 
medieval  English  registers  of  as  early 
date  as  the  Hundred  Rolls,  1273,  where 
we  find  the  entry — Roger  de  Weltone — 
for  County  Bedford.  Parishes  of  the 
name  flourished  in  the  thirteenth  century 
in  Counties  Oxford,  Lincoln,  Northants, 
and  in  the  East  Riding  of  Yorkshire.  The 
particle  "de"  was  eventually  dropped,  and 


the  name  in  its  present  form  has  figured 
in  English  life  and  affairs  for  over  seven 
hundred  years. 

The  American  Weltons,  distinctively  a 
Connecticut  family,  comprise  the  progeny 
of  one  John  Welton,  an  Englishman  of 
substance,  whose  descendants  have  played 
notable  parts  in  the  public,  professional, 
and  business  life  of  Connecticut  Colony 
and  Commonwealth  for  two  and  a  half 
centuries.  The  line  of  ancestry  traced 
herein  is  that  of  the  late  George  Wales 
Welton,  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Wa- 
terbury Brass  Company,  and  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  Waterbury  in 
the  middle  decades  of  the  last  century. 

(I)  John  Welton,  immigrant  ancestor 
and  progenitor,  was,  according  to  family 
tradition,  originally  a  resident  of  Say- 
brook,  whence  he  removed  early  to  Farm- 
ington.  Here  he  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers,  and  in  1672  was  one  of  the  eighty- 
four  proprietors  of  the  town.  In  1674  he 
was  a  signer  of  the  articles  of  agreement. 
John  Welton  shared  in  all  the  allotments 
except  the  first,  and  was  probably  in  Mat- 
tatuck  as  early  as  1679.  Here  he  was  one 
of  the  twenty-five  who  pledged  them- 
selves to  pay  the  salary  of  Mr.  Peck,  the 
first  minister.  In  1691  he  was  a  member 
of  the  local  militia,  with  the  rank  of  cor- 
poral. In  1708  he  was  selectman,  and  for 
eight  years,  between  1698  and  1714,  filled 
the  ofiice  of  town  constable.  He  lived 
on  the  south  side  of  West  Main  Street. 
His  house  lot,  containing  two  acres,  was 
bounded  on  the  east  by  land  of  Thomas 
Judd,  Jr.,  west  by  land  of  Abraham  An- 
druss,  Sr.,  and  north  and  south  by  the 
highway.      John    Welton    married    Mary 

;  she  died  October  18,  1716.    They 

were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  six  of 
whom  were  born  in  Farmington  before 
the  removal  of  the  family  to  Waterbury. 
John  Welton  died  June  18,  1726;  his  son 


58 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


George  was  administrator  of  the  estate. 
He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
early  settlement  at  Waterbury. 

(II)  Richard  Welton,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  Welton,  was  born  September  27, 
1679,  and  is  reputed  to  have  been  the  first 
child  of  English  parents  born  in  Water- 
bury.  In  May,  1699,  and  in  1723,  he  became 
a  townsman.  He  was  apparently  a  car- 
penter by  trade  and  was  also  a  sergeant 
of  militia.  He  first  bought  the  house  and 
a  lot  of  three  acres  on  the  corner  of  Grove 
and  Willow  streets  of  his  brother  Stephen, 
for  which  he  gave  "a  horse  and  a  young 
stear  and  a  parcel  of  timber,"  on  August 

I,  1703.  In  1711,  "in  consideration  of  a 
two  year  old  hefFer,"he  conveyed  the  land 
(no  mention  is  made  of  the  house)  to  John 
Scovill.  In  1708  he  had  purchased  the 
house  of  Joseph  Gaylord,  Jr.,  in  Buckshill, 
and  removed  there.  Richard  Welton  mar- 
ried Mary  Upson,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Upson. 

(III)  Richard  Welton,  son  of  Richard 
and  Mary  (Upson)  Welton,  was  born  in 
Waterbury,  January  5,  1701.  He  was  a 
prosperous  landowner  and  farmer.  On 
November  3,  1724,  he  married  Anne  Fen- 
ton,  (see  Fenton  II).     He  died  January 

II,  1766. 

(IV)  Captain  John  Welton,  son  of 
Richard  and  Anne  (Fenton)  Welton,  was 
born  January  26,  1726-27,  in  Waterbury, 
Connecticut.  He  was  a  farmer  of  Buck- 
shill. From  an  early  period  he  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Episcopal  So- 
ciety, and  held  the  office  of  senior  warden. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary 
War  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  col- 
onies, became  a  moderate  Whig,  and  was 
confided  in  by  the  friends  of  Colonial  in- 
dependence. In  1784  he  was  appointed 
a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  same  year 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  of  which 
he  was  a  useful  and  much  respected  mem- 


ber for  fifteen  sessions.  It  is  said  that  few 
men  were  listened  to  with  more  deference 
than  he.  He  died  January  22,  1816.  John 
Welton  married,  January  5,  1758,  Dorcas 
Hickcox  (see  Hickcox  IV). 

(V)  Richard  Fenton  Welton,  son  of 
Captain  John  and  Dorcas  (Hickcox)  Wel- 
ton, was  born  April  17,  1767.  On  reach- 
ing manhood  he  removed  to  the  center 
of  the  town,  and  lived  on  East  Main 
Street,  near  the  west  end  of  the  lot  on 
which  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception stands.  His  lot  was  bounded  on 
the  west  by  land  of  James  Scovil's,  the 
division  line  being  about  where  the  west 
line  of  Phoenix  Alley  now  is.  About  1803 
he  established  a  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness, in  a  store  which  he  owned  on  the 
corner  of  East  and  South  Main  streets. 
About  1810,  his  health  failing,  he  gave  up 
his  business,  and  returned  to  Buckshill, 
where  he  purchased  a  small  farm.  In 
1817  he  disposed  of  this  and  removed  to  a 
farm  near  the  present  residence  of  Hiram 
E.  Welton.  Richard  F.  Welton  married 
(first)  Sarah  Anna  Hickcox.  He  married 
(second)  Anna  Porter  (see  Porter  V). 
Children  :  i.  Caroline.  2.  George  Wales, 
of  whom  further.    3.  Joseph  C. 

(VI)  George  Wales  Welton,  son  of 
Richard  Fenton  and  Anna  (Porter)  Wel- 
ton, was  born  in  the  old  Welton  home- 
stead on  East  Main  Street,  Waterbury, 
August  26,  1809.  After  preparatory  stud- 
ies in  the  Buckshill  School,  he  entered  the 
Waterbury  Academy.  On  completing  his 
studies,  he  turned  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  until  1845  was  engaged  success- 
fully in  extensive  farming  operations.  In 
the  latter  year  he  was  one  of  the  prime 
movers  in  the  formation  of  the  now  fa- 
mous Waterbury  Brass  Company,  and 
until  1857  filled  the  position  of  superin- 
tendent of  the  company's  plants.  In  1857 
he  became  superintendent  of  the  Holmes, 


59 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Booth  &  Hayden's  plant,  and  served  in 
this  capacity  for  thirteen  years.  Through- 
out this  period  he  was  a  leading  figure  in 
the  manufacturing  circles  of  Waterbury, 
a  man  whose  judgment  and  ability  were 
eagerly  sought  and  highly  respected.  Mr. 
Welton  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Plume  &  Atwood  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  a  member  of  its  board  of  direc- 
tors until  his  death.  He  was  also  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Oakville  Pin  Company. 

George  Wales  Welton  stands  out  pre- 
dominantly from  the  ranks  of  those  men 
who  directed  the  first  industrial  and  com- 
mercial growth  of  the  city  of  Waterbury, 
and  laid  the  foundation  for  its  present 
commanding  position  in  the  manufactur- 
ing life  of  New  England.  He  was  a  man 
of  long  vision,  cognizant  of  the  resources 
of  his  native  city,  and  ambitious  for  its 
development.  Every  public  movement  for 
the  advancement  of  civic  interests  had  his 
interested  support.  He  remained  aloof 
from  politics,  however. 

On  September  ii,  1837,  Mr.  Welton 
married  (first)  in  Waterbury,  Harriet  Mi- 
nor, daughter  of  Archibald  Minor,  of  Wol- 
cott,  Connecticut.  Child  :  Harriet  Minor, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Leverett  D. 
Kinea,  of  Thomaston,  Connecticut. 

On  December  22,  1840,  Mr.  Welton 
married  (second)  Mary  Graham,  who  was 
born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  daughter 
of  Cyrus  Graham  (see  Graham  III).  Chil- 
dern :  i.  Mary  Elizabeth,  became  the  wife 
of  George  E.  Bissell,  the  noted  sculp- 
tor ;  they  have  five  children :  i.  George 
Welton,  dean  of  the  Michigan  State  Col- 
lege at  Lansing,  ii.  Isabella  Graham,  at 
home.  iii.  Harry  Johnson,  iv.  Joseph 
Welton,  died  in  childhood,  v.  Percy  R., 
United  States  Army.  2.  Emily  J.,  men- 
tioned below.  3.  Ellen  Caroline,  who  mar- 
ried James  E.  Coer,  of  Waterbury.  4. 
George  Richard,  now  deceased ;  married 


Nellie  C.  Webster,  of  Thomaston ;  their 
daughter,  Gertrude  Webster  Welton,  is  a 
graduate  of  St.  Margaret's  School,  of 
Wellesley  College,  and  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan. 
Miss  Welton  is  now  a  well  known  physi- 
cian of  New  York  City,  and  is  in  charge 
of  the  X-ray  department  of  the  Polyclinic 
Hospital,  of  New  York.  5.  Child,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

(VII)  Emily  J.  Welton,  daughter  of 
George  Wales  and  Mary  (Graham)  Wel- 
ton, was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecti- 
cut, August  27,  1845.  She  married,  Octo- 
ber 2,  1884,  Edward  Laurens  Frisbie,  of 
Waterbury  (see  Frisbie  VI). 

(The  Graham  Line). 

Arms — Quarterly,  ist  and  4th  or,  on  a  chief 
sable  three  escallops  of  the  first,  for  Graham ;  and 
and  3rd  argent,  three  roses  gules,  barbed  and 
seeded  proper,  for  the  title  of  Montrose. 

Crest^A  falcon  proper,  beaked  and  armed  or, 
killing  a  stork  argent,  beaked  and  membered  gules. 

Motto — N'oublies.     (Do  not  forget.) 

Few  families,  says  Sir  Walter  Scott,  can 
boast  of  greater  historic  renown  than  that 
of  Graham.  Great  obscurity  and  numer- 
ous fables  invest  the  origin  of  the  name, 
yet  even  Sir  Robert  Douglas  repeats  the 
old  story  that  the  Grahams  are  descended 
from  the  famous  warrior,  Robert  Graham, 
who  with  his  men  breached  the  Roman 
wall  in  420  and  won  it  the  name  of 
Graham's  Dyke  in  the  time  of  Fergus  II. 
(Graham's  Dyke  is  still  the  local  name  for 
the  Roman  fortified  frontier,  consisting  of 
rampart,  forts  and  road,  which  ran  across 
the  narrow  isthmus  of  Scotland  from  the 
Firth  of  Clyde  and  formed  the  northern 
boundary  of  Roman  Britain.)  The  first 
authentic  appearance  of  the  name  in  Scot- 
tish history  occurs  circa  1143-47,  when 
William  of  Graham  was  one  of  the  wit- 
nesses of  David  I  to  the  Holyrood  Char- 
ter.     In  this   entry  the   name   is   spelled 


60 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


De  Graeme,  which  would  indicate  a  local 
origin.  The  descendants  of  this  progen- 
itor form  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
distinguished  families  in  Scotland.  They 
possess  the  dukedom,  marquisates,  and 
earldom  of  Montrose ;  marquisate  of 
Graham  and  Buchanan ;  earldoms  of 
Airth,  Kincardine,  Monteith,  and  Strath- 
ern ;  viscountcies  of  Dundas,  Dundee  and 
Preston ;  lordships  of  Aberuthven,  Kil- 
point,  etc ;  barony  of  Esk,  etc. 

The  American  families  of  the  name  de- 
scend from  several  unrelated  progenitors. 
Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  boast 
many  distinguished  Graham  families. 
Tradition  has  it  that  the  Grahams  of  Con- 
necticut descend  from  three  brothers.  One 
of  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle  within 
the  limits  of  the  colony  was  Benjamin 
Graham,  of  Hartford.  Several  members 
of  the  family  rendered  valiant  service  dur- 
ing the  American  Revolution.  Mrs.  Emily 
J.  (Welton)  Frisbie,  widow  of  the  late 
Edward  L.  Frisbie,  of  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut (see  Frisbie  VI),  descends  ma- 
ternally from  the  Graham  family. 

(I)  Jesse  Graham,  great-grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Frisbie,  was  born  in  1761,  and  was 
but  fifteen  years  of  age  on  the  outbreak 
of  the  American  Revolution.  He  enlisted 
as  a  drummer-boy,  however,  and  his  name 
appears  on  the  payroll  of  the  Fourth  Con- 
necticut Regiment,  Colonel  Zebulon  But- 
ler commanding,  as  having  received  pay 
from  January  i,  1781,  to  December  31, 
1781.  His  name  again  appears  on  the 
Census  of  Pensions,  as  returned  under 
Act  for  Taking  the  Sixth  Census  in  1840, 
at  which  time  he  was  a  resident  of  Chath- 
am, in  Middlesex  County,  and  was  sev- 
enty-nine years  old.  Jesse  Graham  was 
a  farmer  and  well-known  resident  of 
Chatham  for  several  decades.  He  mar- 
ried, and  among  his  children  was  Cyrus, 
mentioned  below. 


(II)  Cyrus  Graham,  son  of  Jesse 
Graham,  was  a  well-known  resident  of 
West  Hartford,  Connecticut.  He  married 
Fanny  Curtis,  and  they  were  the  parents 
of  Mary,  mentioned  below. 

(HI)  Mary  Graham,  daughter  of  Cyrus 
and  Fannie  (Curtis)  Graham,  was  born 
May  18,  1817,  and  died  February  13,  1892. 
She  married,  December  22,  1840,  George 
Wales  Welton,  of  Waterbury,  Connecti- 
cut (see  Welton  VI). 

(IV)  Emily  J.  Welton,  daughter  of 
George  Wales  and  Mary  (Graham)  Wel- 
ton, became  the  wife  of  the  late  Edward 
Laurens  Frisbie,  of  Waterbury  (see  Fris- 
bie VI). 

(The  Wakelee  Line). 

Arms — Argent,  on  a  cross  sable  five  lions  ram- 
pant or. 

Crest — A  lion  rampant  or,  in  the  dexter  paw  a 
tulip  gules  slipped  vert. 

The  origin  of  this  surname  is  seen  in 
the  Anglo-Saxon  waecan  or  tvaeccan, 
meaning  to  watch.  This  took  a  diminu- 
tive form  in  the  eighth  century  in  the 
early  Teutonic  as  Wachilo,  which  became 
Wakley,  Weekly,  Wakelin,  and  Wakelen. 
Wakley  and  Weekly  appear  in  Devon- 
shire and  Kent,  respectively.  Waklyn, 
Wakelyn  and  Wakelen  appear  in  Derby- 
shire and  Northampton.  Hugh  Waklyn, 
of  Eden  in  Devonshire,  lived  in  the  fif- 
teenth century  and  in  Sutton  Hundred  in 
Northamptonshire.  Thomas  Wakelin  ap- 
pears as  early  as  1375.  Thomas  Wakely, 
of  Devonshire,  was  a  member  of  Parlia- 
ment for  Navan,  in  that  shire  in  1585. 

(I)  Henry  Wakelyn  or  Wakelee,  as  the 
name  was  afterwards  written,  held  land 
in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  Stratford,  appearing 
there  before  1650.  He  held  home  lot  No. 
15  on  Main  Street  in  Stratford.  His  wife 
was  a  widow  when  she  married  him,  as 
Henry  Wakelyn  was  administrator  to  the 


61 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


estate  of  his  wife's  other  husband,  May 
15,  1650.  He  is  called  of  Hartford.  His 
wife's  name  was  Sarah,  and  she  was  liv- 
ing in  171 1.  Henry  Wakelee  died  in  1689 ; 
his  will  was  probated  July  11,  1689.  Chil- 
dren :  I.  Deliverance,  married,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1678,  Hannah  Nash.  2.  James,  of 
whom  further.  3.  Jacob,  married  Han- 
nah Peet.  4.  Patience,  married  Timothy 
Titterton.  5.  Abigail,  born  in  1666,  mar- 
ried John  Beardsley.  6.  Mary,  married  a 
Stevens.    7.  Mercy. 

(II)  James  Wakelee,  son  of  Henry  and 
Sarah  Wakelee,  of  Stratford,  Connecticut, 
was  born  about  1658,  and  died  about  1710. 
He  married  (second)  Hannah  Griffin, 
February  26,  1701-02.  Children:  i.  James, 
born  December  28,  1688.  2.  Joseph,  bap- 
tized in  June,  1689.  3.  Henry,  born  May 
15,  1691.  4.  Ebenezer,  of  whom  further. 
5.  Hannah,  married,  in  1728,  Nehemiah 
Allen. 

(HI)  Ebenezer  Wakelee,  son  of  James 
Wakelee,  removed  to  Wolcott,  Connecti- 
cut, which  was  at  that  time  called  "Big 
Plains."  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers there,  and  held  considerable  property 
in  the  town.  He  married  Elizabeth  Nich- 
ols, daughter  of  Joseph  Nichols,  of  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut.  Children:  i.  David, 
married,  February  21,  1788,  Mary  Parker. 
2.  Elizabeth,  of  whom  further.  3.  Sarah, 
married,  November  20,  1777,  Josiah 
Barnes. 

(IV)  Elizabeth  Wakelee,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  (Nichols)  Wake- 
lee, married,  in  1769,  Reuben  Frisbie,  son 
of  Elijah  Frisbie  (see  Frisbie  III). 

(The  Hill   Une). 

Arms — Gules,  two  bars  ermine,  in  chief,  a  lion 
passant  or. 

Crest — A  lion  passant  or,  holding  in  the  dexter 
paw  a  cross  gules. 

Hill  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  English  sur- 
names, and  can  be  said  to  have  been  de- 


rived from  two  sources.  The  iirst  is 
"hill,"  a  derivation  characteristic  of  a  lo- 
cality; secondly,  it  can  be  said  that  it 
came  from  the  old  Norman  hild,  which 
means  war  or  strife.  Early  records  in 
the  fourteenth  century  speak  of  Geoffrey 
de  Hil ;  and  Sir  Rowland  Hill  was  Lord 
Mayor  of  London  in  1492. 

(I)  Robert  Hill,  a  member  of  this  large 
and  noted  family,  embarked  from  Eng- 
land, July  14,  1635,  in  the  ship  "Defence," 
Edmund  Bostocke,  master,  sailing  from 
Boston,  Massachusetts.  He  is  called 
twenty  years  old  at  this  date,  and  was  in 
the  service  of  Craddock,  Governor  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  Colony.  He  was  in  Bos- 
ton until  1638,  and  at  that  time  removed 
to  the  new  colony  of  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers.  He  was  a  signer  of  the  compact, 
June  4,  1639,  and  is  recorded  as  having 
inventoried  his  brother's  (John  Hill)  es- 
tate in  1647.  He  died  in  August,  1663. 
He  married  (second),  in  1662,  Adeline, 
widow  of  Robert  Johnson.  Children:  i. 
Abiah,  baptized  January  23,  1648;  died 
young.  2.  John,  of  whom  further.  3.  Han- 
nah, born  January  18;  baptized  January- 
's, 1653.  4.  Ebenezer,  baptized  Augfust 
12,  1655  ;  married  Mercy  Brooks,  in  1677. 
5.  Nathaniel,  born  May  22,  1659;  died 
young. 

(II)  John  Hill,  son  of  Robert  Hill,  was 
born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  June  10, 
1651,  and  was  baptized  January  12,  1652. 
He  married  Hannah  Grannis,  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Hannah  (Wakefield)  Gran- 
nis, January  12,  1681.  Children:  i.  Abi- 
gail, born  December  24,  1681.  2.  Sarah, 
born  January  29,  1684.  3.  John,  born  No- 
vember 5,  1687.  4.  Mehitable,  bom  in 
August,  1690.  5.  Obadiah,  of  whom  fur- 
ther.   6.  Stephen,  born  December,  1702. 

(III)  Obadiah  Hill,  son  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Grannis)  Hill,  was  bom  in  New 


62 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Haven,  Connecticut,  October,  1697.  He 
was  living  in  1755.  He  married  Hannah 
Frost,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary 
(Tuttle)  Frost,  who  was  born  in  June, 
1706.  Children :  i.  Eunice,  born  March 
28,  1 73 1.  2.  Sarah,  born  May  20,  1732.  3. 
Mary,  born  October  5,  1733.  4.  Lieuten- 
ant Jared,  of  whom  further. 

(IV)  Lieutenant  Jared  Hill,  son  of  Oba- 
diah  and  Hannah  (Frost)  Hill,  was  born 
in  North  Haven.  Connecticut,  August  10, 
1736.  He  was  a  private  in  the  French  and 
Indian  War  and  was  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Revolution.  He  removed  to  Waterbury, 
Connecticut,  in  1784,  and  purchased  a 
farm  on  East  Mountain.  He  died  April 
20,  1816.  He  married  Eunice  Tuttle, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Mansfield) 
Tuttle,  who  lived  to  be  very  old,  and  died 
in  1829,  aged  ninety  years  (born  in  1739). 
She  was  a  person  of  rare  qualities  of  head 
and  heart,  distinguished  for  her  beauty 
and  courage  (see  Tuttle  V).  Children:  i. 
Obadiah.  2.  Charles,  died  in  Cheshire, 
Connecticut.  3.  Hannah,  married  Thomas 
Welton.  4.  Eunice,  of  whom  further.  5. 
Jared.  6.  David.  7.  Samuel  Mansfield. 
8.  Lydia,  baptized  July  6,  1796.  9.  Sam- 
uel, baptized  July  6,  1796.  And  other 
children. 

(V)  Eunice  Hill,  daughter  of  Lieuten- 
ant Jared  and  Eunice  (Tuttle)  Hill,  mar- 
ried Daniel  Frisbie  (see  Frisbie  IV). 

(The  Culver  Line). 

Crest — A  dexter  cubit  arm  holding  in  the  hand 
a  club  proper  underneath  the  crest  an  empty  shield 
argent. 

This  patronymic  is  derived  from  the 
word  Colver,  meaning  a  pigeon  or  dove. 
The  name,  although  not  very  numerous 
in  England,  appears  there  in  the  early  six- 
teenth century.  William  Culvere  is  an 
early  name  mentioned  in  the  Hundred 
Rolls. 

(I)   Edward  Colver,  the  Puritan  foun- 


der of  this  family,  emigrated  to  this  coun- 
try with  John  Winthrop,  the  younger  son 
of  the  Governor  John  Winthrop.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Col- 
ony in  1635  and  settled  in  Dedham,  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  participated  in  King  Phil- 
ip's War.  He  removed  to  Roxbury  be- 
tween 1644  and  1648,  and  finally  to  Mystic, 
Connecticut.  He  died  there  in  1685,  aged 
about  eighty-five  years.  He  married,  in 
Dedham,  Massachusetts,  September  19, 
1638,  Ann,  daughter  of  John  Ellis.  Chil- 
dren: I.  John,  born  April  15,  1640;  bap- 
tized September  19,  1641,  at  Dedham, 
Massachusetts.  2.  Joshua,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 3.  Samuel,  born  January  9,  1644; 
baptized  January  29,  i6zj4.  4.  Joseph,  bap- 
tized at  Dedham,  September  20,  1646.  5. 
Gershom,  baptized  at  Roxbury,  Massa- 
chusetts, December  3,  1648.  6.  Infant 
daughter,  baptized  at  Roxbury,  April  il, 
1652.    7.  Edward,  Jr.,  born  about  1654. 

(II)  Joshua  Colver,  son  of  Edward  and 
Ann  (Ellis)  Colver,  was  born  at  Dedham, 
Massachusetts,  January  12, 1642.  He  died 
at  Wallingford,  Connecticut,  April  23, 
171 3.  He  married,  December  23,  1672, 
Elizabeth  Ford,  daughter  of  Timothy 
Ford.  Children :  i.  Elizabeth,  born  Oc- 
tober 7,  1673 ;  died  May  2,  1676.  2.  Ann, 
born  May  15,  1677;  died  September  8, 
1677.  3.  Elizabeth,  born  August  21,  1678; 
died  April  19,  1704.  4.  Joshua,  born  Sep- 
tember 21,  1684.  5.  Samuel,  of  whom 
further.  6.  Abigail,  born  December  26, 
1686.  7.  Sarah,  born  January  23,  1688.  8. 
Ephraim,  born  September  7,  1692. 

(III)  Samuel  Culver  (as  this  line  uses 
the  name),  son  of  Joshua  and  Elizabeth 
(Ford)  Colver,  was  born  in  Wallingford, 
Connecticut,  September  21,  1684,  twin 
with  his  brother  Joshua.  He  died  July  4, 
1750.  He  married  (first)  Sarah,  who  died 
January  18,  1727;  and  (second),  January 
3,   1728,  Ruth   Sedgwick.     Children    (by 


63 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


first  marriagfe)  :  i.  Elizabeth,  born  Febru- 
ary 12,  1715;  married  (first)  Isaac  Brack- 
ett;  (second)  Daniel  Frisbie,  May  4,  1748. 

2.  Sarah,  born  December  23,  1716;  mar- 
ried, June  18,  1740,  Moses  Cook ;  died  at 
Waterbury,  Connecticut,  January  4,  1760. 

3.  Abigail,  of  whom  further.  4.  Esther, 
born  March  17,  1721  ;  died  May  5,  1741. 
5.  Caleb,  born  February  18,  1723.  6. 
Enoch,  born  January  30,  1725.  7.  Eben- 
ezer,  born  December  9,  1726.  Children 
(by  second  marriage)  :  8.  Samuel,  born 
September  25,  1728;  served  in  the  Revo- 
lution. 9.  Anna,  born  October  3,  1732; 
married,  December  25,  1751,  Stephen 
Cook.    She  died  December  10,  1769. 

(IV)  Abigail  Culver,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel and  Sarah  Culver,  vi^as  born  December 
17,  1718.  She  married  Elijah  Frisbie  (see 
Frisbie  II). 

(The  Tuttle  Line). 

Arms — Azure,  on  a  bend  doubly  cotised  argent 
a  Hon  passant,  sable. 

Crest — On  a  mount  vert,  a  bird,  proper,  in  the 
beak  a  branch  of  olive,  fruited,  or. 

Motto — Pax. 

The  derivation  of  this  name  is  seen  in 
very  ancient  application  of  tot  and  tut, 
which  was  evolved  from  Teutates,  the 
name  of  a  Celtic  God.  The  root  may  be 
seen  in  the  Greek  theos,  or  deity.  The 
combination  of  tut  with  hill,  to  form  Tut- 
hill ;  or  "the  hill  of  God"  has  been  applied 
to  certain  hills  and  places  in  England. 
Examples  are  Tutnall,  Tetnall,  and  Tar- 
tenhill.  Tuthill,  or  Tuttle,  as  a  patro- 
nymic, is  thus  traced  back  in  this  manner, 
and  is  truly  a  grand  old  name.  Tuthill, 
Tuttil,  Tutoll,  Tottle,  Tuttle,  Tatyle, 
Totehall,  etc.,  are  some  of  the  varieties 
under  which  it  presents  itself. 

The  English  Tothills  lived  in  Devon, 
beginning  with  the  fifteenth  century. 
Geoflrey  Tothill  was  alderman  of  Exeter ; 
one  branch  of  the  family  was  related  to 


the  Drake  family,  a  member  of  which  was 
Sir  Francis  Drake,  of  explorer  fame. 

(I)  William  Tuttle,  the  ancestor  of 
this  Tuttle  family,  came  to  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  July,  1635.  He  was  desig- 
nated by  the  appellation  of  Mr.,  removed 
from  Boston  in  1638  to  Quinnipiac,  and 
thence,  in  1641,  to  Hartford,  Connecticut. 
He  died  in  June,  1673,  and  his  widow  was 
granted  the  administration  of  his  estate. 
He  married  Elizabeth,  who  died  Decem- 
ber 30,  1684,  aged  seventy-two  years. 
Children:  i.  John,  of  whom  further.  2. 
Hannah,  born  in  England,  in  1632-33; 
married  (first)  in  1649,  John  Pantrey; 
married  (second)  June  23,  1654,  Thomas 
Wells,  Jr.  3.  Thomas,  born  in  England,  in 
1634-35;  married,  May  24,  1661,  Hannah 
Powell.  4.  Jonathan,  baptized  in  Charles- 
town,  Massachusetts,  July  8,  1637;  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Bell.  5.  David,  baptized  in 
Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  April  7, 
1639.  He  died  unmarried  in  1693.  6. 
Joseph,  baptized  in  New  Haven,  Connect- 
icut, November  22,  1640 ;  married,  May 
2,  1667,  Hannah  Munson.  7.  Sarah,  bap- 
tized in  New  Haven,  in  April,  1642 ;  mar- 
ried, November  22,  1663,  John  Slauson. 
8.  Elizabeth,  baptized  in  New  Haven,  No- 
vember 9,  1645 ;  married,  November  19, 
1667,  Richard  Edwards.  9.  Simon,  bap- 
tized March  28,  1647.  lO-  Benjamin,  bap- 
tized October  29,  1648;  died  (s.  p.)  June 
13,  1677.  II.  Mercy,  born  April  27,  bap- 
tized May  19,  1650;  married.  May  2,  1667, 
Samuel  Brown.  12.  Nathaniel,  baptized 
February  29,  1652;  married,  August  10, 
1682,  Sarah  Howe. 

(II)  John  Tuttle,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  Tuttle,  was  born  in  England  in 
1631,  and  died  in  East  Haven,  Connecti- 
cut, November  12,  1683.  He  had  a  house 
and  lot  in  East  Haven,  which  he  sold  in 
1662.  The  inventory  of  his  estate  gives 
his  wealth  as  being  estimated  at  seventy- 

64 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


nine  pounds.  He  married,  November  8, 
1653,  Catherine  or  Kattareen  Lane,  per- 
haps daughter  of  John  Lane,  who  was  of 
Milford  in  1640.  Children:  i.  Hannah, 
born  November  2,  1655  ;  married,  Novem- 
ber 7,  1672,  Samuel  Clark.  2.  John,  born 
September  15,  1657;  married.  May  29, 
1689,  Mary  Burroughs.  3.  Samuel,  of 
whom  further.  4.  Sarah,  born  January  22, 
1661-62;  married,  September  10,  1685, 
John  Humiston.  5.  Daniel,  born  April  13, 
1664.  6.  Mary,  twin  with  Daniel.  7. 
Elizabeth,  born  November  19,  baptized 
November  21,  1666;  married  John  Read, 
Jr.,  of  Norwalk.  8.  David,  born  Novem- 
ber 14,  1668.  9.  Susanna,  who  died  Octo- 
ber, 1683.    10.  James. 

(Ill)  Samuel  Tuttle,  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Lane)  Tuttle,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 9,  1659-60,  and  died  between  1731  and 
1733-  He  was  a  stone  mason  in  calling 
and  joined  the  church  in  New  Haven  in 
1692.  He  married  (first)  Sarah  Newman, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Newman,  who  died ; 
(second)  Abigail,  daughter  of  John  Frost, 
and  widow  of  Thomas  Barnes.  Children 
(of  first  marriage)  :  i.  Mary,  born  Janu- 
ary 31,  1684;  married,  October  i,  1704, 
Ebenezer  Frost.  2.  Jemima,  born  De- 
cember 6,  1686;  married,  in  April,  1707, 
Thomas  Jacobs.  3.  Stephen,  born  in  1688; 
married  Rachel  Mansfield.  4.  Abigail, 
born  April  4,  1692;  married,  July  23, 
1717,  Daniel  Atwater.  5.  Martha,  born 
March  18,  1694;  married,  February  15, 
^7^7<  John  Smith.  6.  Josiah,  born  April 
5,  1696;  baptized  in  December,  1697;  mar- 
ried, June  II,  1719,  Deborah  Barnes.  7. 
Sarah,  born  January  17,  1698 ;  married 
John  Moulthrop.  8.  Daniel,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

(IV)  Daniel  Tuttle,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Sarah  (Newman)  Tuttle,  was  born  Au- 
gust 23,  1702,  and  died  about  1772.  He 
married,  April  25,  1726,  Mary  Mansfield, 

Conn.  11 — 5  ^c 


daughter  of  Samuel  Mansfield.  Children  : 
I.  Samuel,  born  February  12, 1727.  2.  Dan- 
iel, married  Christian,  daughter  of  Ebe- 
nezer Norton.  3.  Mary,  married  January 
17.  1755.  Jacob  Brockett.  4.  Eunice,  of 
whom  further. 

(V)  Eunice  Tuttle,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Mary  (Mansfield)  Tuttle,  was  born 
in  1739.  She  married  Lieutenant  Jared 
Hill  (see  Hill  IV). 

(The  Fenton  Line). 

Arms — Argent,  a  cross  between  four  fleurs-de- 
lis  sable. 

Crest — A  fleur-de-lis  enfiled  with  a  ducal  coro- 
net or. 

Schenck,  in  the  valuable  history  of  Fair- 
field, Connecticut,  names  Jonathan  Fen- 
ton, or  Fanton,  as  an  early  settler  of  that 
place,  while  Holmes,  in  his  "Directory  of 
the  Ancestral  Heads  of  New  England 
Families,  1620-1700,"  cites  Robert  Fenton 
as  having  been  at  Woburn,  Massachu- 
setts, before  1688.  The  name  is  not  nu- 
merous in  New  England,  but  its  position 
has  been  at  all  times  one  of  honor  and 
respect,  while  alliance  through  marriage 
has  been  made  with  New  England's  first 
families. 

(I)  Jonathan  Fenton  married  (first) 
Sarah,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Harvey)  Hide,  of  Fairfield;  (second) 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Humphrey  Hide,  and 
widow  of  Peter  Coley.  Children :  i.  Sarah, 
baptized  November  18,  1694.  2.  Ellen, 
baptized  May  17,  1696.  3.  Anne,  of  whom 
further.  4.  Jonathan,  baptized  September 
22,  1700.  5.  Mary,  baptized  May  2,  1703. 
6.  John,  baptized  January  5,  1706-07;  died 
young.  7.  John,  baptized  October  10, 
1708. 

(II)  Anne  Fenton,  daughter  of  Jona- 
than Fenton,  was  baptized  August  14, 
1698.  She  married  Richard  Welton  (see 
Welton  III). 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(The  Hlckcox  Line). 

Hickcox-Heacock  Arms — Erminois,  an  elephant 
azure  on  a  chief  of  the  second  a  sun  between  two 
beehives  or. 

Crest — A  hind  sejant  reguardant  erminois  col- 
lared gules,  reposing  his  dexter  foot  on  a  bee- 
hive or. 

This  name  comes  from  an  old  German 
word,  ikiko,  contemporary  in  the  tenth 
century,  which  is  a  diminutive  form  of  the 
old  Friesian  ig,  a  point,  sharp  edge ;  i.  e., 
a  little  sword.  This  form  developed 
through  the  English  as  Heacock  and  Hic- 
kock.  The  name  itself  is  subject  to  a  great 
variety  of  forms.  These  range  from 
Hitchcock,  Hickock,  down  to  Hickox, 
Hicks  and  Heacock.  In  this  line  the  pat- 
ronymic is  spelled  Hickcox. 

William  Hickcox  appears  as  "Mr.  Hick- 
cock"  in  New  Haven  as  early  as  1643,  but 
returned  to  England  in  1648.  On  October 
9,  1673,  the  General  Court  at  Hartford 
received  a  petition  from  twenty-six  people 
for  a  plantation  in  a  "place  called  by  ye 
Indians  Matitacook"  (Mattatuck).  Sam- 
uel and  Joseph  Hickcox  were  signers  in 
this  petition. 

(I)  Sergeant  Samuel  Hickcox  and  Jo- 
seph Hickcox  were  very  probably  sons  of 
"Mr."  William  Hickcox,  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  and  came  to  Waterbury 
when  that  town  was  founded.  Samuel 
Hickcox  and  John  Welton  held  the  office 
of  Townsmen  or  selectmen  in  1680,  and 
Samuel  was  one  of  the  most  influential 
men  in  the  town.  He  was  sergeant  in 
the  trainband,  and  from  this  time,  1686, 
he  was  known  as  Sergeant  Samuel  Hick- 
cox. The  inventory  of  his  estate  was 
taken  February  28,  1694-95.  He  married 
Hannah.  Children:  i.  Samuel,  born  in 
1668;  married  Elizabeth  Plumb.  2.  Han- 
nah, born  in  1670;  married  John  Dudd.  3. 
Sergeant  William,  of  whom  further.  4. 
Thomas,    born    in    1674;   married    Mary 


Brunson,  March  27,  1700;  he  died  June  28, 
1728.  5.  Joseph,  born  in  1677.  6.  Mary, 
born  in  1680;  married  John  Bronson.  7. 
Elizabeth,  born  in  1682;  married  J.  Nor- 
ton. 8.  Stephen,  born  in  1683.  9.  Ben- 
jamin, born  in  1685.  10.  Mercy,  born  in 
1688.     II.  Ebenezer,  born  in  1692. 

(II)  Captain  William  Hickcox,  son  of 
Sergeant  Samuel  and  Hannah  Hickcox, 
was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  in 
1673,  and  died  November  4,  1737,  and  was 
buried  the  following  day.  He  was  a  propri- 
etor and  a  man  of  note,  grand  juror,  sur- 
veyor, constable,  townsman  many  times, 
captain  in  1727,  and  deputy  in  1728.  He 
was  always  known  as  captain.  He  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Andrews,  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham and  Rebecca  Andrews,  who  was  born 
December  16,  1762.  Children:  i.  William, 
born  February  14,  1699;  died  April  12, 
1713.  2.  Captain  Samuel,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 3.  Abraham,  born  April  5,  1704; 
died  March  16,  1713.  4.  John,  born  May 
8,  1706;  died  April  26,  1713.  5.  Rebec- 
ca, born  March  29,  1708;  married  Caleb 
Thompson,  August  16,  1731.  6.  Rachel, 
born  May  16,  1710;  married  Jonathan 
Prindle.  7.  Hannah,  born  June  7,  1714; 
married  David  Scott. 

(III)  Captain  Samuel  Hickcox,  son  of 
William  and  Rebecca  (Andrews)  Hick- 
cox, was  born  May  26,  1702,  and  died  May 
13,  1765.  He  was  called  Captain  Hickcox, 
and  he  was  the  only  son  of  William  Hick- 
cox to  survive  the  great  sickness  of  1713. 
He  married  Mary  Hopkins,  daughter  of 
John  Hopkins,  who  died  August  19,  1768. 
Children  :  i.  Mary,  born  October  30,  1721 ; 
married  Richard  Seymour.  2.  Mehitable, 
born  November  22, 1723  ;  married  Stephen 
Seymour.  3.  William,  born  January  14, 
1725-26.  4.  Abraham,  born  January  il, 
1727-28.  5.  John,  born  July  25,  1730.  6. 
Samuel,  born  September  8,  1733.  7.  Dor- 
cas, of  whom  further. 


66 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(IV)  Dorcas  Hickcox,  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain Samuel  and  Mary  (Hopkins)  Hick- 
cox, was  born  July  ii,  1736.  She  married 
Captain  John  Welton  (see  Welton  IV). 

(The  Porter  Line). 

Arms — Argent,   on  a   fesse   sable   between   two 
barrulets  or  three  church  bells  of  the  first. 
Crest — A  portcullis  argent  chained  or. 
Motto — Vigilantia  et  virtute. 

This  name  is  classified  as  a  surname  of 
office,  and  Wybert  le  Portere  or  Porteri- 
ous  is  an  early  specimen  of  this  name.  It 
is  an  ancient  English  family,  founded 
by  William  de  la  Grande,  who  came  to 
Britain  with  William  the  Conqueror. 
Ralph,  or  Roger,  la  Grande  was  Keeper 
of  the  Doors,  Grant  Porteur  at  the  court 
of  Henry  I. 

(I)  Dr.  Daniel  Porter,  who  appears 
early  in  the  colony  of  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut, was  the  first  ancestor  of  this 
branch  of  the  Porter  family  in  America. 
He  was  a  physician,  licensed  to  practice 
physic  and  chirurgery  in  1654  by  the  Gen- 
eral Court.  He  died  in  1690.  He  mar- 
ried Mary ,  and  they  were  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children:  i.  Dr.  Daniel,  of 
whom  further.  2.  Mary,  born  February 
5,  1654-55 ;  married  Eleazer  Knowles,  of 
Woodbury.  3.  Nehemiah,  born  October 
24,  1656 ;  married  Hannah  Lum,  of  Wood- 
bury. 4.  Richard,  born  March  24,  1658. 
5.  Anne,  born  in  1660-61 ;  not  married.  6. 
John,  born  November  14,  1662;  married 
(first)  Rebecca  Woodford,  and  (second) 
Martha  North.  7.  Samuel,  born  October 
24,  1665 ;  married  Abigail  Humphreys, 
and  died  March  25,  1736. 

(II)  Dr.  Daniel  Porter,  son  of  Dr.  Dan- 
iel and  Mary  Porter,  was  born  in  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  February  2,  1652-53. 
He  died  January  18,  1726-27.  He  signed 
the  articles  in  1674,  and  was  proprietor 
in  Waterbury.    He  was,  as  was  his  father 


before  him,  a  doctor;  was  surveyor  in 
1699  and  1719;  and  on  the  School  Com- 
mittee in  1706.  He  married  Deborah  Hol- 
comb,  who  died  May  4,  1765,  aged  ninety- 
three  years.  Children :  i.  Daniel,  of  whom 
further.  2.  James,  born  April  20,  1700 ; 
died  March  20,  1785.  3.  Thomas,  born 
April  I,  1702;  died  January,  1797.  4.  De- 
borah, born  March  6,  1703-04;  married 
James  Baldwin.  5.  Ebenezer,  born  De- 
cember 24,  1708;  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  John  Hull,  of  New  Haven.  6.  Ann, 
born  April  28,  1712;  married  (first) 
Thomas  Judd,  and  (second)  James  Nich- 
ols. 

(III)  Dr.  Daniel  Porter,  son  of  Dr. 
Daniel  and  Deborah  (Holcomb)  Porter, 
was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut, 
March  5,  1699,  and  died  November  14, 
1772.  He  succeeded  to  his  father's  busi- 
ness and  skill,  and  his  father  conveyed  to 
him  a  house  and  lot  on  East  Main  and 
Mill  streets.  He  married  (first)  Hannah 
Hopkins,  daughter  of  John  Hopkins,  June 
13,   1728.     She  died  December  31,   1739, 

and  he  married  (second)  Joanna  . 

Children  of  first  marriage:  i.  Preserved, 
born  November  23,  1729.  2.  Dr.  Daniel 
born  March  8,  1731 ;  died,  unmarried,  of 
smallpox,  at  Crownpoint,  in  1759.  3.  Han- 
nah, born  June  16,  1733  ;  married  Obadiah 
Scovill.  4.  Dr.  Timothy,  of  whom  further. 
5.  Susanna,  born  July  7,  1737;  married 
(first)  Daniel  Killum  ;  (second)  John  Cos- 
set. 6.  Anna,  born  December  6,  1738; 
married  David  Bronson. 

(IV)  Dr.  Timothy  Porter,  son  of  Dr. 
Daniel  and  Hannah  (Hopkins)  Porter, 
was  born  June  19,  1735,  and  died  January 
24,  1792.  He  married  Margaret  Skinner, 
daughter  of  Gideon  Skinner.  She  was 
born  in  1739,  and  died  in  1813.  Children: 
I.  Daniel,  born  September  23,  1768.  2. 
Sylvia  C,  born  February  24,  1771.  3.  Dr. 
Joseph,  born  September  3,  1772;  married 


67 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Levinia  Porter,  daughter  of  Preserved 
Porter.  4.  Olive,  born  July  26,  1775  ;  mar- 
ried Moses  Hall.  5.  Anna,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 6.  Chauncey,  born  April  24,  1779. 
7.  Timothy  Hopkins,  born  November  28, 

1785- 

(V)  Anna  Porter,  daughter  of  Dr.  Tim- 
othy and  Margaret  (Skinner)  Porter,  was 
born  April  5,  1777.  She  married  Richard 
Fenton  Welton  (see  Welton  V). 

References — Ferguson's  "Names,"  Marshall's 
"Genealogical  Guide,"  Orcutt's  "Stratford,"  Sav- 
age's "Genealogical  Dictionary,"  Manwaring's 
"Hartford  (Connecticut)  Probate  Records,"  Or- 
cutt's "Walcott,"  Hosley's  "Dr.  William  Hill," 
Hotten's  "Emigrants,"  Hoadley's  "New  Haven 
Colonial  Records,"  Grannis  Family,  New  Haven 
Vital  Records,  Tuttle  "Genealogy,"  Anderson's 
"Waterbury,  Connecticut,"  Culver  "Genealogy," 
Holmes'  "Ancestral  Heads  of  New  England  Fami- 
lies," Bronson's  "Waterbury,"  Schenck's  "Fair- 
field," "American  Families,"  Burke's  "General 
Armory,"  Matthews'  "American  Armory,"  Family 
data. 


GODFREY,  Charles  CartUdge,  M.  D. 

Physician,   Snrgeon. 

Since  1685,  Fairfield  County,  Connecti- 
cut, has  not  been  without  its  Godfrey 
families  and  since  1688  Greens  Farms  has 
been  the  family  seat.  There  Christopher 
Godfrey  owned  land  in  1686,  and  there 
generation  after  generation  of  the  ances- 
tors of  Dr.  Charles  C.  Godfrey  owned  the 
land  and  tilled  the  soil.  Christopher  God- 
frey was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Chris- 
topher Godfrey,  who  married  Margery 
Sturgess  of  Fairfield,  and  had  issue,  in- 
cluding a  son.  Lieutenant  Nathan  God- 
frey, born  September  25,  1719,  who  be- 
came one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  in- 
fluential men  of  Greens  Farms.  His 
homestead  was  near  the  summit  of  Clap- 
board Hill  and  in  1779  was  burned  by 
British  soldiers.  During  the  French  and 
Indian  War  in  1756  he  was  a  lieutenant 
and  was  at  the  storming  of  Crown  Point 
and  Ticonderoga.    His  son  Benjamin  died 


while  serving  in  the  Continental  Army. 
Lieutenant  Nathan  Godfrey  had  by  his 
second  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  (Andrews)  Nash, 
a  son  Jonathan  (i)  Godfrey,  who  was  the 
father  of  Jonathan  (2),  father  of  Rev. 
Jonathan,  and  grandfather  of  Dr.  Charles 
C.  Godfrey. 

Jonathan  (2)  Godfrey,  of  Greens  Farms, 
was  born  there  June  2,  1798,  died  August 
3,  1882.  Like  his  grandfather.  Lieutenant 
Nathan  Godfrey,  he  was  a  man  of  wealth 
and  influence  in  his  community,  active  in 
church,  charity  and  public  life.  He  was 
representative  from  the  town  of  Fairfield 
for  several  terms  and  held  many  other 
offices.  He  married,  January  19,  1823, 
Elizabeth  Hubbell,  of  Southport,  daugh- 
ter of  Aaron  and  Elizabeth  Hubbell,  of 
Southport,  town  of  Fairfield.  Their  adult 
children  were :  Rev.  Jonathan,  mentioned 
below ;  Elizabeth,  the  author  of  a  "His- 
tory of  Fairfield,"  married  Adrian  V.  S. 
Schenck,  son  of  Dr.  Ferdinand  S.  Schenck 
of  New  Jersey ;  Samuel  H.,  married  Har- 
riet A.  Godfrey ;  Mary  Catherine,  married 
Calvin  G.  Childs,  of  Norwalk,  Connecti- 
cut. 

Rev.  Jonathan  Godfrey,  of  the  sixth 
American  generation,  was  born  at  the 
village  of  Southport,  town  and  county  of 
Fairfield,  Connecticut,  February  11,  1820, 
died  January  22,  1865,  and  is  buried  at 
Fairfield.  After  completing  public  school 
study  he  entered  Trinity  College,  Hart- 
ford, there  pursuing  a  full  course,  termin- 
ating with  graduation.  He  then  took  a 
course  in  divinity,  was  ordained  a  priest 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and 
for  several  years  was  rector  of  the  Say- 
brook  Church.  Prior  to  i860  his  health 
failed  and  he  removed  to  Aiken,  South  I 
Carolina,  but  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War  in  1861  caused  the  family's  return 
to  Southport,  where  he  died  in  1865.  He 
married  Mary  Cartlidge,  born  at  Lynde 


68 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Green,  in  StaflFordshire,  England,  died  in 
Fairfield,  in  August,  1867,  four  children 
surviving  their  parents :  Dr.  Charles  C, 
mentioned  below ;  Jonathan,  a  resident  of 
Bridgeport;  Adrian,  died  in  1899;  ^"^ 
Alice  A. 

Dr.  Charles  C.  Godfrey  was  born  in 
Saybrook,  Connecticut,  February  3,  1855. 
Soon  afterward  his  family  moved  to 
Aiken,  South  Carolina,  for  the  father's 
health,  but  returned  in  1861,  locating  at 
the  family  homestead  in  Southport,  where 
the  lad  Charles  C.  attended  both  public 
and  private  schools.  He  continued  his 
preparatory  study  in  Greenfield,  Connect- 
icut, and  at  military  school  in  Hartford, 
after  which  he  entered  Sheffield  Scientific 
School,  Yale  University,  where  he  spec- 
ialized in  chemistry  and  from  whence  he 
was  graduated  Ph.  B.  class  of  '^j.  De- 
ciding upon  the  profession  of  medicine, 
he  began  study  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Robert  Hubbard,  of  Bridgeport,  in  1881, 
attended  lecture  courses  at  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, that  institution  conferring  upon 
him  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1883.  He  also 
did  post-graduate  work  at  Dartmouth 
College,  receiving  an  additional  Ph.  B. 

His  long  and  thorough  course  of  prep- 
aration ended,  Dr.  Godfrey,  on  January 
I,  1884,  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Bridgeport  in  association  with 
his  former  preceptor.  Dr.  Robert  Hub- 
bard. For  thirteen  years  they  practiced 
together  until  1897  when  the  death  of  the 
senior  member  dissolved  the  bond.  Dr. 
Godfrey  soon  afterward  admitted  Dr.  Ed- 
ward M.  Smith  as  partner  and  together 
they  have  continued  until  the  present. 

Dr.  Godfrey  ranks  high  as  a  physician 
and  surgeon,  has  a  large  clientele,  whose 
perfect  confidence  he  has  won,  and  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  institutional  work. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  surgical  staff  of 


the  Bridgeport  and  St.  Vincent  hospitals ; 
is  an  ex-president  of  the  Fairfield  County 
Medical  Society ;  member  and  ex-presi- 
dent of  the  Bridgeport  Scientific  Society ; 
American  Medical  Association ;  Connect- 
icut State  Medical  Society ;  New  York 
Academy  of  Medicine ;  and  the  Associa- 
tion of  Military  Surgeons  of  the  United 
States.  From  1890-93  he  was  surgeon  of 
the  Fourth  Regiment,  Connecticut  Na- 
tional Guard,  and  in  1903-04,  surgeon 
general  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  with 
the  rank  of  Colonel,  member  of  the  staff 
of  Governor  Chamberlain. 

Himself  a  man  of  high  intellectual  at- 
tainments. Dr.  Godfrey  has  ever  been  the 
friend  of  the  cause  of  education  and  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and 
its  vice-president,  strove  to  advance  the 
efficiency  of  the  public  schools  of  the  city. 
A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  repre- 
sented his  city  in  the  State  Legislature, 
and  in  1892-93  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Aldermen.  The  care  of  his  large  prac- 
tice and  the  pubic  service  he  has  rendered 
has  not  excluded  him  from  the  social 
life  of  his  city  but,  on  the  contrary,  he 
has  given  that  side  of  his  nature  full 
opportunity  to  develop.  He  is  a  member 
of  St.  John's  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Jerusalem  Chapter,  Royal  Arch 
Masons ;  Jerusalem  Council,  Royal  and 
Select  Masters ;  Hamilton  Commandery 
Knights  Templar ;  and  in  Scottish  Rite 
Masonry  has  attained  the  thirty-second 
degree.  His  clubs  are  the  Brooklawn 
Country,  University,  Republican,  and  Al- 
gonquin. The  current  of  his  life  flows 
smoothly  on,  professional  eminence  is  his, 
the  regard  of  his  fellow-citizens  has  been 
amply  attested,  and  a  retrospective  view 
of  his  more  than  thirty  years  of  life  in 
Bridgeport  can  bring  him  naught  but  sat- 
isfaction. 

Dr.    Godfrey    married,   April   30,    1885, 


69 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Caroline  St.  Leon  Sumner,  born  at  Great 
Batrington,  Maslsachusetts,  September  lo, 
1858,  daughter  of  Colonel  Samuel  B.  Sum- 
ner of  Bridgeport.  They  are  the  parents 
of  a  daughter,  Carrie  Lucille  Godfrey. 


CHILD,  Chester  R., 

Iiumber  Dealer,  Financier. 

Chester  E.  Child,  late  of  Putnam,  Con- 
necticut, ranks  in  that  city's  history  as 
one  of  its  most  prominent  citizens,  he 
having  done  much  to  aid  in  the  city's 
commercial  and  financial  progress. 

Chester  E.  Child  was  born  on  the  old 
Child  family  homestead  at  North  Wood- 
stock, Connecticut,  August  i,  1872,  a  son 
of  Ezra  Carpenter  and  Abby  E.  (Child) 
Child.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Wood- 
stock, and  a  descendant  of  one  of  Con- 
necticut's oldest  families.  His  entire  life 
was  devoted  to  farming,  although  his  com- 
munity interests  led  him  to  enter  public 
life  at  different  times  when  he  filled  the 
position  of  selectman  and  other  offices  in 
his  town.  He  died  in  Woodstock  in  1876. 
His  wife  was  also  a  native  of  Woodstock, 
but  now  lives  in  Putnam. 

The  son,  Chester  E.  Child,  lived  on  the 
old  farm  until  he  was  eleven  years  of  age, 
when  he  removed  to  Putnam.  There  he 
completed  his  education  in  the  city  and 
high  schools,  after  which  he  took  up  the 
profession  of  teaching.  He  taught  school 
in  Pomfret  Center  for  six  weeks,  when  he 
was  offered  a  position  by  the  officials  of 
the  First  National  Bank.  The  offer 
seemed  promising,  so  in  1889  he  resigned 
his  position  as  teacher  and  took  up  that  of 
clerk  in  the  First  National  Bank,  where 
he  remained  continuously  until  his  resig- 
nation, November  i,  1898,  at  which  time 
he  held  the  position  of  paying  teller.  He 
resigned,  however,  to  enter  the  lumber 
business,  and   later  organized   the   Child 


Lumber  Corporation,  with  which  com- 
pany he  was  actively  connected  for  a 
number  of  years  and  developed  many 
business  interests  of  importance.  In  fact, 
from  the  time  when  he  entered  upon  this 
active  connection  with  business  interests 
in  Putnam  until  his  death,  he  occupied  a 
central  place  in  the  city's  activities,  and 
his  interests  were  ever  of  a  character  that 
contributed  to  public  progress  and  im- 
provement as  well  as  to  individual  suc- 
cess. In  July,  1915,  he  became  president 
of  the  Putnam  Savings  Bank,  and  re- 
mained at  the  head  of  that  institution  un- 
til his  demise  on  May  10,  1917,  bending 
his  efforts  to  executive  direction  and  ad- 
ministrative control.  He  recognized  the 
fact  that  the  bank  which  most  carefully 
safeguards  the  interests  of  its  depositors 
is  most  worthy  of  public  patronage,  and 
he  did  everything  in  his  power  to  render 
the  patrons  of  the  bank  secure. 

Politically  Mr.  Child  was  a  staunch  Re- 
publican, believing  firmly  in  the  principles 
of  the  party,  but  he  never  cared  to  accept 
an  office.  He  held  membership  in  the 
Second  Congregational  Church,  and  his 
entire  life  was  guided  by  its  teachings.  In 
fact,  to  know  him  was  to  respect  and 
honor  him,  for  his  career  at  all  times 
measured  up  to  the  highest  standards  of 
manhood  and  of  citizenship,  and  the  same 
irreproachable  rules  governed  him  in  his 
business  relations  and  his  home  associa- 
tions. 

On  November  8,  1895,  Mr.  Child  mar- 
ried Annie  Chandler  Carpenter,  of  Put- 
nam, Connecticut,  who  was  born,  reared 
and  educated  in  that  city,  a  daughter  of 
John  Anthony  and  Marcia  J.  (Chandler) 
Carpenter.  Mr.  Carpenter  has  always 
been  spoken  of  as  one  of  Putnam's  lead- 
ing citizens,  and  he  is  also  a  descendant  of 
one  of  New  England's  old  families.  A 
more  detailed  account  of  the  Carpenter 
70 


M^  ^. 


^nx^tnitt" 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ancestry  follows  in  this  work.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Child  became  the  parents  of  four 
children,  all  born  in  Putnam :  Ruth  Car- 
penter, born  December  23,  1899;  Bertha 
Elizabeth,  born  December  19,  1906;  Edith 
Whitney,  born  December  12,  1907;  Don- 
ald Ezra,  born  January  29,  1909. 

(The  Carpenter  Line). 

"The  noble  family  of  Carpenters,  from 
which  the  Earl  of  Tyrconnel  is  descended, 
is  of  great  antiquity  in  the  County  of 
Hereford  and  other  parts  of  England.  In 
1303  (the  twentieth  year  of  the  reign  of 
Edward  I),  John  Carpenter  appeared.  He 
was  a  member  of  Parliament  in  1323,  for 
the  borough  of  Leskard,  in  Cornwall,  as 
two  years  afterwards  was  Stephen  Car- 
penter, for  Credition,  in  the  County  of 
Devon,  in  1325,  (the  ninth  year  of  the 
reign  of  Edward  II). 

"Henry  Carpenter  served,  in  1418,  for 
the  town  of  Derby  in  the  thirty-fifth  year 
of  Henry  V."  Playfair's  British  Antiqui- 
ties. 

The  Tyrconnel  branch  is  descended 
from  William  Carpenter,  of  Homme,  who 
resided  in  the  parish  of  Dilwyne,  in  Here- 
fordshire. He  died  in  1520.  He  had  a 
son,  James  Carpenter,  who  died  in  1537. 
This  James  Carpenter  had  a  son,  John 
Carpenter,  who  died  in  1540  and  left  a  son, 
William  Carpenter,  the  most  prominent 
ancestor  of  the  Tyrconnel  Carpenters, 
who  died  in  1550.  From  this  William 
Carpenter  our  family  also  claims  descent. 
The  family  remained  country  gentlemen 
for  six  generations,  until  the  birth  of 
Thomas  Carpenter,  who  bequeathed  his 
estate  on  his  death  in  1773  to  a  second 
cousin,  George  Carf>enter,  who  became 
the  first  Lord  Carpenter.  In  1761,  the 
Earldom  of  Tryconnel  in  Ireland  was 
given  to  a  third  George  Carpenter.  This 
branch  finally  became  extinct  in  1853.  See 


Davis  &  Owne's  New  Peerage,  also 
Burke's  Peerage  and  Baronetage.  The 
coat-of-arms  of  the  Carpenter  family  is 
as  follows : 

Arms— Argent,  a  greyhound  passant,  and  chief 
sable. 

Crest — A  greyhound's  head  erased,  per  fesse  sable 
and  argent. 

From  the  meagre  materials  at  hand  it  is 
impossible  for  us  to  establish,  with  that 
degree  of  precision  we  should  like,  the 
connection  between  the  English  Carpen- 
ters and  William  Carpenter,  the  ancestor 
of  the  family  in  America,  who  came  to 
Weymouth,  Massachusetts,  in  1638,  in  the 
ship  "Bevis."  But  we  think  we  have  in- 
formation enough  to  show  beyond  a  rea- 
sonable doubt  that  the  break  of  a  hundred 
years  or  so  between  John  Carpenter,  Sr. 
(a  brother  of  John  Carpenter,  the  town 
clerk  of  London),  and  William  Carpenter, 
who  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  ancestor 
of  the  American  family,  can  be  satisfac- 
torily filled.  This  granted,  we  can  trace 
the  family  back  to  John  Carpenter,  of 
1303,  the  head  of  the  ancient  line  in  Here- 
fordshire in  the  parish  of  Dilwyne,  to 
whom  the  Irish  Tyrconnels  trace  their 
descent.  This  Hereford  family  of  Car- 
penters was  very  prominent  in  affairs,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  all  matters  relating 
to  the  interests  of  the  Crown ;  probably 
no  family  in  England  stood  higher  for 
good  deeds  or  received  more  favors. 
Among  the  most  famous  of  these  Carpen- 
ters was  John,  town  clerk  of  London, 
who  died  in  1442.  But  the  English  line 
from  John  Carpenter,  1303,  became  ex- 
tinct in  1853,  and  it  is  in  America  that  the 
continuation  of  the  family  must  be  looked 
for. 

It  would  not  be  inappropriate  here  to 
insert  the  following  extract  from  the 
"History  of  the  City  of  London  School," 


71 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


concerning  John  Carpenter,  town  clerk  of 
London : 

The  corporation  of  London,  who  have  good  rea- 
son to  exult  in  the  eminent  position  which  the  City 
of  London  School  has  attained  under  their  foster- 
ing care,  have,  in  spirit  of  just  gratitude,  honored 
the  memory  of  John  Carpenter  by  causing  a  statue 
of  him  to  be  placed  in  a  conspicuous  part  of  the 
building,  with  an  inscription  which  presents  a  faith- 
ful outline  of  his  character  and  good  deeds,  and 
will  form  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  the  present 
narrative.  It  occupies  five  sides  of  an  octagonal 
pedestal  and  is  as  follows : 

To  the  memory  of  John  Carpenter,  an  eminent 
citizen  of  London  and  member  of  the  Company  of 
Mercers,  who  lived  during  the  reigns  of  Henry  V 
and  Henry  VI  and  who  bequeathed  to  the  corpo- 
ration of  this  city  certain  lands  and  tenements  for 
the  purpose  of  maintaining  and  educating  four 
boys  and  sending  them  to  the  Universities ;  from 
which  bequest  resulted  the  foundation  and  endow- 
ment of  The  City  of  London  School  under  the 
authority  of  an  Act  of  Parliament  A.  D.  MCCCC- 
XXXIV.  He  was  distinguished  by  his  general 
attainments  and  learning;  his  knowledge  of  the 
laws,  customs  and  privileges  of  this  city;  his 
integrity  of  character,  and  universal  benevolence. 
From  his  earliest  youth  he  was  devoted  to  the 
service  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  throughout  the 
course  of  his  life  proved  himself  a  ready  defender 
of  their  rights  and  a  zealous  promoter  of  their 
interests.  He  was  elected  common  clerk  or  town 
clerk  of  London,  A.  D.  MCCCCXVII,  and  held 
that  office  for  twenty-one  years,  during  which 
period  he  compiled  that  valuable  treatise  still  extant 
under  the  title  of  "Liber  Albus."  He  likewise 
represented  the  city  in  Parliament,  A.  D.  MCCCC- 
XXXVI  and  MCCCCXXXIX.  As  one  of  the 
executors  of  Sir  Richard  Whittington,  he  con- 
ferred essential  benefits  on  the  city  by  promoting 
various  public  works,  especially  the  erection  of 
conduits,  the  rebuilding  of  Newgate,  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  Hospital  of  Saint  Bartholomew,  the 
completion  of  the  Guildhall,  and  the  formation  of  a 
library  attached  thereto,  to  which  he  subsequently 
bequeathed  sundry  rare  books  for  the  benefit  of 
students  resorting  to  the  same.  In  token  of  his 
eminent  services,  he  was  honored  both  by  his  sov- 
ereign and  fellow-citizens  with  peculiar  immunities 
and  privileges.  He  left  munificent  bequests  to  the 
Charterhouse  and  the  Fraternity  of  Sixty  Priests 
in  London,  of  which  brotherhood  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, as  well  as  to  many  other  religious  establish- 
ments and  persons;  also  to  the  hospitals  of  Saint 
Mary  within  Cripplegate,  Saint  Mary  without 
Bishopsgate.  Saint  Bartholomew  in  Smithfield, 
Saint  Katherine  near  the  Tower,  and  Saint  Thomas 
in  Southwark ;  to  the  houses  for  poor  lepers  at 
Holborn,  Locks  and  Hackney,  and  for  poor  mad- 
men at  Bethlem ;  to  the  prisoners  in  Newgate, 
Ludgate,  the  Fleet,  Marshalsea  and  King's  Bench, 


and  the  Prison  of  Convicts  at  Westminster.  He 
died  on  the  Xllthof  May  MCCCCXLII;  and  was 
buried  before  the  chancel  of  the  Church  of  Saint 
Peter,  Cornhill,  of  which  parish  he  was  an  inhabi- 
tant and  a  liberal  benefactor.  Thus  his  compre- 
hensive charity  embraced  all  the  necessities  of  his 
fellowmen,  and  the  general  conduct  of  his  life 
exhibited  the  character  of  one  who  (in  the  words 
of  Holy  Writ)  desired  "To  do  justly,  love  mercy 
and  walk  humbly  with  his  God." 

(I)  William  Carpenter,  the  American 
progenitor,  was  born  in  1605 ;  his  wife 
was  Abigail ;  she  died  February  22,  1687 ; 
he  died  February  7,  1659,  in  Rehoboth, 
Massachusetts.  He  was  a  farmer.  He 
was  admitted  a  freeman  of  Weymouth, 
May  13,  1640;  was  representative  of  Wey- 
mouth in  1641  and  1643,  ^"d  from  the 
town  of  Rehoboth  in  1645 ;  constable  in 
1641.  He  was  admitted  as  an  inhabitant 
of  Rehoboth,  Massachusetts,  March  28, 
1645.  In  June  of  the  same  year  he  and 
others  were  made  freemen  of  Rehoboth. 
Governor  Bradford  (who  married  his 
cousin  Alice)  manifested  great  friendship 
for  William  Carpenter  and  favored  him 
in  all  his  measures  in  the  Plymouth  Court ; 
and  ever  after  that  it  appears,  from  all 
their  dealings  and  transactions,  whether 
private  or  public,  that  they  were  close 
friends.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  it  was 
through  the  influence  of  Governor  Brad- 
ford and  his  wife  Alice  that  William  Car- 
penter, of  Weymouth,  was  induced  to 
come  to  New  England ;  and  by  William 
Carpenter,  of  Providence,  the  Seekonk 
Plain  was  pointed  out  to  his  cousin,  Wil- 
liam Carpenter,  of  Weymouth,  on  account 
of  its  adaptability  as  a  tract  of  territory 
for  a  colony. 

During  the  two  years'  residence  in 
America,  of  William  Carpenter,  of  Prov- 
idence (before  William  Carpenter,  of 
Weymouth,  came  over),  he  must  have 
learned  about  the  soil  and  location.  Soon 
after  William  Carpenter,  of  Weymouth, 
landed,  his  attention  was  drawn  to  this 
location,  probably  by  his  cousin,  and  he 


72 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


commenced  immediately  to  go  to  work 
to  secure  it ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  but 
that  William  Carpenter,  of  Weymouth, 
had  as  much  or  more  to  do  in  settling  a 
colony  there  than  any  one  of  the  proprie- 
tors. He  was  in  the  colony  only  three  years 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  General  Court 
of  Plymouth,  and  no  doubt  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  permission  to  make  a 
purchase  of  this  territory.  In  1641  he 
was  representative  of  Weymouth  to  the 
General  Court,  and  through  his  influence 
the  permission  was  granted.  The  court 
conceded  all  that  he  asked,  as  appears 
from  an  abstract  from  the  Proprietors 
Record : 

Whereas,  The  Court  of  Plymouth  was  pleased 
in  the  year  1641  (thereabouts)  to  grant  unto  the 
inhabitants  of  Seekonk  (alias  Rehoboth)  liberty  to 
take  up  a  tract  of  land  for  their  comfortable  sub- 
sistence containing  a  quantity  of  eight  miles  square ; 
and  the  Court  was  pleased  to  appoint  Mr.  John 
Brown  and  Mr.  Edward  Winslow  to  purchase  the 
aforesaid  tract  of  land  of  Asamcum,  the  chief 
sachem  and  owner  thereof,  which  accordingly  hath 
been  effected,  and  the  purchase  paid  for  by  the 
aforesaid  inhabitants  according  to  the  Court  order. 

This  was  the  same  tract  of  land  selected 
by  Roger  Williams  when  driven  out  of 
the  Massachusetts  Colony  for  settlement, 
but  when  it  was  found  to  be  in  the  limits 
of  Massachusetts,  he  removed  to  Prov- 
idence, Rhode  Island.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  proprietors  held  in  Weymouth  before 
the  emigration  to  Rehoboth,  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  1643,  William  Carpenter 
was  chosen  proprietor's  clerk.  At  a  sec- 
ond meeting  in  Weymouth  the  same  year, 
it  was  voted  to  divide  the  real  estate  of 
Rehoboth  according  to  the  person  and 
value  of  each  settler. 

The  town  records  of  Rehoboth  com- 
menced in  1643.  The  territory  of  the 
town  included  what  is  now  called  Attle- 
boro,  Seekonk,  a  part  of  Cumberland, 
Swansey,   and    East    Providence.      Many 


of  the  Carpenter  residents  of  these  towns 
are  treated  as  being  residents  of  the  old 
town  of  Rehoboth,  though  they  may  re- 
side in  some  one  of  the  other  towns.  The 
estate  of  William  Carpenter  was  valued 
at  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  pounds  and 
ten  shillings.  He  served  as  proprietor's 
and  town  clerk  from  1643  until  1649. 

William  Carpenter,  of  Weymouth,  wit- 
nessed and  seems  to  have  drawn  the  deed 
of  a  tract  of  land  from  the  Indians  to 
John  Tower  the  elder.  His  autograph  on 
the  instrument  to  which  it  is  attached  is 
a  most  excellent  specimen  of  the  chirogra- 
phy  of  that  age.  The  legal  business  of  the 
town  or  colony  was  done  principally  by 
him  ;  he  was  accurate  in  all  his  business 
transactions.  He  paid  at  one  time  eight 
pounds  and  seventeen  shillings  and  three 
pence  towards  the  expenses  of  King  Phil- 
ip's War.  He  was  one  of  the  committee 
to  lay  out  a  road  from  Rehoboth  to  Ded- 
ham,  at  an  early  day. 

In  1645,  William  Carpenter  with  others 
was  chosen  to  look  after  the  interests  of 
the  town,  and  again  in  the  same  year  Wil- 
liam Carpenter  was  chosen  with  others  to 
hear  and  decide  on  grievances  in  regard 
to  the  division  of  land  by  lots  ;  in  the  same 
year  he  was  chosen  by  the  town  to  repre- 
sent them  in  the  court  at  Plymouth.  In 
1647  he  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  town  ;  also  again  in  1655.  The  year 
1653  was  the  first  that  his  name  was  writ- 
ten William  Carpenter,  Sr.  His  son  Wil- 
liam would  be  twenty-one  at  this  date, 
and  was  a  resident  of  the  town. 

The  first  settlement  of  the  colony  of 
Rehoboth  consisted  of  fifty-eight  mem- 
bers from  Weymouth,  Massachusetts, 
who  drew  lots  on  the  division  of  lands, 
June  31,  1644.  William  Carpenter's  name 
in  that  division  stands  as  No.  10.  By  a 
previous  vote  of  the  proprietors  in  1643, 
there  was  a  mutual  agreement  that  each 


73 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


man's  allotment  might  be  taken  up  ac- 
cording to  his  person  and  estate,  and  also 
that  each  should  bear  his  share  of  the 
public  charges  both  for  the  present  and 
future.  In  this  list  the  name  of  William 
Carpenter,  individual  No.  i6,  stood  as 
No.  48,  and  the  value  of  his  estate  was 
estimated  at  two  hundred  and  fifty-four 
pounds,  ten  shillings.  The  houses  of  this 
colony  were  built  in  a  semicircle  around 
Seekonk  Common  and  open  toward  See- 
konk  River.  This  semicircle  was  called 
"The  Ring  of  the  Town." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors  in  1644 
it  was  voted  that  nine  men  should  be 
chosen  to  order  the  prudential  affairs  of 
the  plantation,  and  that  they  should  have 
the  power  to  dispose  of  the  lands  in  lots 
of  twelve,  eight,  or  six  acres  "as  in  their 
discretion  they  think  the  quality  of  the 
estate  of  the  person  do  require."  This 
applies  to  house  lots.  It  was  further  or- 
dered that  no  person  should  sell  his  im- 
provements "except  to  such  as  the  Town 
shall  accept  of."  It  was  also  ordered  that 
"the  meeting  house  shall  stand  in  the 
midst  of  the  town."  It  appears  evident 
by  tradition  that  the  first  meeting  house 
was  built  in  the  old  graveyard  near  where 
the  tomb  now  is  and  probably  faced  to- 
ward the  South.  William  Carpenter, 
No.  18,  and  Samuel  Carpenter,  No.  23, 
were  buried  near  the  entrance  to  the 
church.  The  residence  of  William  Car- 
penter, No.  16,  appears  by  the  description 
given  in  his  will  and  by  tradition  to  have 
been  located  in  the  "Ring"  directly  east 
of  the  meeting  house.  "The  'Ring'  at  the 
present  time  (1896)  is  indicated  by  tradi- 
tion and  by  some  twelve  or  more  button- 
wood  trees  that  were  set  out  at  an  early 
day  in  front  of  the  houses ;  the  stumps  or 
roots  of  two  of  the  trees  are  all  that  is 
left  to  indicate  where  William  and  his 
son  Samuel   resided." 


At  a  meeting  the  same  year  (1644)  it 
was  ordered  "for  the  time  past  and  to 
come  that  all  workmen  that  have  worked 
or  shall  work  in  any  common  work  or  for 
any  particular  person  shall  have  for  their 
wages  for  each  day's  work  as  follows :  For 
each  laborer  from  the  first  day  of  Novem- 
ber until  the  first  day  of  February,  18 
pence  per  day  and  for  the  rest  of  the  year 
20  pence  per  day  except  in  harvest ;  for  six 
oxen  and  one  man  seven  shillings  and  six- 
pence per  day,  and  for  eight  oxen  eight 
shillings.  The  price  fixed  for  wheat  was 
four  shillings  and  six  pence  per  bushel. 
Wampum  was  fixed  at  eight  for  a  penny." 

William  Carpenter  and  his  wife  Abigail 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  the 
first  three  of  whom  were  born  in  England, 
the  next  three  were  born  in  Weymouth, 
and  Samuel,  the  youngest,  was  born  in 
Rehoboth,  Massachusetts.  They  were: 
John,  William,  Joseph,  Hannah,  Abiah, 
Abigail,  and  Samuel. 

(II)  Abiah  Carpenter  was  the  twin 
brother  of  Abigail.  They  were  born  in 
Weymouth,  April  9,  1643.  The  New  Eng- 
land Register  refers  to  "Abia  daughter, 
and  Abraham  son,  born  February  9,  1643, 
children  of  William  Carpenter."  William 
Carpenter  had  by  his  wife  Abigail  a  son 
and  daughter  born  as  stated  above  ;  one  of 
the  two  appears  on  the  records  sometimes 
as  Abiah  and  sometimes  as  Abijah,  but  al- 
ways, on  all  records  except  the  above,  as 
a  son  and  not  a  daughter.  Abraham  could 
not  be  the  daughter,  therefore  our  natural 
conclusion  is  that  the  name  Abigail  was 
given  wrongly  as  Abraham  when  re- 
corded. The  records  of  Rehoboth  do  not 
mention  an  Abraham,  and  in  the  will  of 
William  Carpenter  we  find  Abigail  men- 
tioned next  after  Abiah.  We  can  come  to 
no  rational  conclusion  but  that  Abiah  and 
Abigail  were  twins,  born  as  stated  above. 
Abiah  was  probably  married,  about  1659, 


74 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


as  his  son  Abiah  was  admitted  a  freeman 
of  Rhode  Island  in  1681.  The  indications 
are  that  he  married  for  his  second  wife 
a  sister  of  Ann  Wickes,  the  second  wife  of 
Joseph  Carpenter,  of  Mosquito  Cove, 
Long  Island,  but  have  been  unable  to  find 
any  account  of  his  marriage  on  the  Rec- 
ords of  the  Providence  Plantations. 

William  Carpenter,  in  his  will,  divided 
his  real  estate  at  Pawtuxet  between  Han- 
nah and  Abiah,  but  gave  the  largest  por- 
tion to  Abiah,  including  the  house  lot  on 
this  land  which  he  settled  (probably  the 
same  land  that  William,  his  father,  bought 
of  Benedict  Arnold,  in  1652).  Abiah  was 
sixteen  years  of  age  when  his  father  died, 
and  about  this  time  chose  the  calling  of  a 
mariner.  Possibly  it  was  for  this  reason 
that  his  father  left  him  the  "History  of 
the  World"  in  his  will.  Abiah  and  his 
wife  were  appointed  guardians  to  Mary 
Baker,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
Baker,  in  1669,  for  which  Abiah  agreed 
to  give  Mary  a  cow  calf  in  one  year,  the 
calf  to  be  one  year  old.  He  took  a  receipt 
of  William  Baker  and  his  wife  Mary  for 
a  yearling  heifer  in  1669. 

He  testified  before  the  Court-Martial 
which  sat  at  Newport  to  try  certain  In- 
dians charged  with  being  engaged  in  King 
Philip's  designs,  that  Wenanaquabin,  who 
had  been  living  with  him,  went  away 
from  his  house  some  time  in  May,  1675, 
and  he  did  not  see  him  again  nor  could  he 
hear  from  him  until  towards  winter. 
Wenanaquabin  had  been  charged  with  be- 
ing at  the  wounding  of  John  Scott  in 
Providence.  There  was  an  attack  made 
by  the  Indians  on  Carpenter's  garrison  in 
Pawtucket  at  Askaway,  January  27,  1675, 
and  they  took  a  large  number  of  cattle. 
Abiah  Carpenter  was  fined  twenty  pounds 
for  not  serving  on  a  jury.  He  was  elected 
deputy  in  1682,  and  was  on  the  Grand 
Jury,  December  13,  1687. 


Joseph  Carpenter,  of  Mosquito  Cove, 
Long  Island,  (his  brother-in-law),  sold 
land  to  Abiah  Carpenter,  November  30, 
1668.  Abiah  Carpenter  deeded  the  same 
back  to  Joseph  Carpenter,  January,  1669. 
It  is  evident  that  Joseph  Carpenter,  of 
Mosquito  Cove,  deeded  this  land  as  a  fight 
to  induce  Abiah  Carpenter,  his  brother- 
in-law,  to  move  to  Mosquito  Cove,  which 
the  latter  declined  to  accept.  It  is  very 
certain  that  Abiah  Carpenter  went  with 
Joseph  and  Hannah  Carpenter  to  Long 
Island,  but  after  the  death  of  his  sister 
Hannah  he  returned  to  Pawtuxet.  Hence 
the  exchange  of  land,  Abiah  Carpenter 
having  a  house  lot  at  Mosquito  Cove 
which  he  deeded  to  Joseph  Carpenter.  (A 
copy  of  the  deed  from  Joseph  Carpenter, 
of  Mosquito  Cove,  to  Abiah  Carpenter,  of 
Pawtuxet) : 

This  instrument  in  writing  declareth  to  all  to 
whom  it  may  concern  that  Joseph  Carpenter,  of 
Mosquito  Cove  on  Long  Island,  within  the  Colony 
of  His  Royal  Highness  James  Duke  of  York,  do 
make  and  have  made  an  exchange  of  lands  with 
my  brother-in-law,  Abiah  Carpenter,  of  Pawtuxet 
in  Rhode  Island  Colony.  The  said  land  which  I 
exchanged  with  my  brother,  Abiah  Carpenter,  is 
all  my  right  of  land  and  commonage  which  fell  to 
me  by  my  wife  by  will  of  her  father,  and  also  a 
third  part  of  my  land  which  lieth  between  the 
cove  and  the  Pawtuxet  River,  and  also  five  pounds 
to  be  paid  at  Michaelmas  following  the  date 
thereof.  I  say  I  have  made  over  from  me,  my 
heirs  and  assigns  from  all  my  right,  title  and  inter- 
est of  the  above  referred  to  lands,  to  my  said 
brother-in-law,  Abiah  Carpenter,  to  him,  his  heirs 
and  assigns  forever  and  to  hold  as  his  or  their  own 
perfect  right,  title  or  interest  and  this  as  my  real 
act  I  have  herewith  set  my  hand  and  seal  in  Oyster 
Bay,  the  8th  day  of  June,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord, 
one  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-three  and 
in  the  twenty-fourth  year  of  the  reign  of  our  sov- 
ereign King  Charles  the  Second. 

(Signed)  Joseph  Carpenter. 

We  find  by  the  marriage  record  of  his 
son,  Joseph  Carpenter,  that  Abiah  Car- 
penter died  previous  to  1702.     Land  was 


75 


I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sold  by  Oliver  Carpenter,  the  son  of  Abiah 
Carpenter,  in  1699,  the  deed  of  which 
states  that  Abiah  was  then  deceased.  We 
have  not  been  able  to  learn,  by  records  or 
tradition,  to  whom  or  at  what  time  Abiah 
Carpenter  was  married,  but  we  find  that 
his  son  Abiah  was  admitted  as  a  freeman 
of  Rhode  Island  in  1681,  which  indicates 
that  the  son  was  born  in  1660  or  before. 

(Ill)  Oliver  Carpenter,  one  of  the  eight 
children  of  Abiah  Carpenter  and  his  wife, 
was  born  about  1675,  at  Pawtuxet,  Rhode 
Island;  he  died  in  1727.  His  residence 
was  at  North  Kingston,  Rhode  Island. 
His  wife's  name  was  Sarah.  He  owned 
real  estate  in  several  townships,  as  ap- 
pears by  his  will.  He  deeded  to  his  broth- 
er, Joseph  Carpenter,  for  love,  March  18, 
1705,  six  acres  of  land  at  Pawtuxet  which 
belonged  to  his  honored  father,  Abiah 
Carpenter,  deceased.  On  July  27,  1724,  he 
deeded  land  to  his  son,  Christopher  Car- 
penter, of  East  Greenwich.  On  Novem- 
ber 23,  1724,  he  deeded  land  to  his  son, 
John  Carpenter,  of  Warwick — 130  acres 
in  East  Greenwich.  In  1727,  he  was  ad- 
ministrator to  the  estate  of  his  son,  Oliver 
Carpenter,  at  East  Greenwich.  His  son 
Oliver  probably  died  after  his  father's 
will  was  made  and  before  his  father  died. 

Abstract  of  the  will  of  Oliver  Carpen- 
ter, wife  Sarah.  Will  was  proved  No- 
vember 20,  1727 ;  his  wife  Sarah  was  the 
executrix.  His  friend,  Jeremiah  Gould, 
overseer.  To  son  Oliver  £10,  he  having 
considerable  estate.  To  son  Solomon 
£  10.  To  son  Abiah  a  legacy  at  age.  To  son 
Thomas  a  farm  in  East  Greenwich  where 
William  Sweet  dwells.  To  son  Joshua 
£200  at  age.  To  the  youngest  sons 
(names  not  mentioned)  £200  each  when 
they  come  of  age.  To  daughter  Sarah  and 
a  daughter,  name  not  legible,  £200  each. 
To  a  daughter,  name  not  legible,  £150. 

Sarah  Carpenter,  relict  of  Oliver  Car- 
penter, married  (second)   Robert  Hall. 


(IV)  Christopher  Carpenter,  second  of 
the  nineteen  children  born  to  the  marriage 
of  Oliver  and  Sarah  Carpenter,  was  born 
about  1718.  He  probably  married  Mercy 
Taylor  (or  Roberts)  in  South  Kingston, 
Rhode  Island.  They  resided  in  East 
Greenwich.  In  1737  they  went  to  Mary- 
land. He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  He 
built  the  first  house  on  the  Carpenter  farm 
in  West  Greenwich,  Rhode  Island,  which 
still  remains  in  the  family.  He  was  the 
father  of  ten  children,  born  at  East  Green- 
wich and  Kingston,  Rhode  Island. 

(V)  Robert  Carpenter,  third  son  of 
Christopher  and  Mercy  Carpenter,  was 
born  March  5,  1722,  in  East  Greenwich, 
Rhode  Island.  He  married  (first)  Charity 
Roberts,  October  26,  1755 ;  married  (sec- 
ond) Mercy.  Robert  Carpenter,  of  King- 
ston, enlisted  as  a  corporal  in  the  Conti- 
nental Army,  in  Captain  Keith's  company. 
Colonel  Michael  Jackson's  regiment; 
served  from  April  24,  1777,  to  October  7, 
1777;  reported  killed  October  7,  1777;  en- 
listed again  in  the  Continental  Army,  Cap- 
tain Aaron  Gray's  company.  Colonel  Pyn- 
chon's  regiment ;  enlisted  for  three  years, 
February  9,  1778.  He  was  the  father  of 
six  children,  all  born  in  East  Greenwich. 

(VI)  John  Carpenter,  second  child  of 
Robert  and  Charity  (Roberts)  Carpenter, 
was  born  February  11,  1758.  He  married 
Sally  Stone.  He  probably  married  (sec- 
ond) Charity.  He  was  the  father  of  ten 
children,  the  youngest  of  whom  was 
Amos. 

(VII)  Amos  Carpenter,  youngest  child 
of  John  and  Sally  (Stone)  Carpenter,  was 
born  in  West  Greenwich,  Rhode  Island, 
August  23,  1793.  He  married  (first),  June 
19,  1813,  Mary  Bailey,  born  February  29, 
1792;  died  August  3,  1855,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Bailey.  He  married  (second), 
May,  1856,  Eunice  Bailey,  sister  to  Mary, 
born  April  6,  1802,  died  December  31, 
1887.    The  Baileys  were  an  old  Rhode  Is- 


76 


BAILEY. 
Arms — Ermine,  three  bars  wavy  sable. 

Crest — -^  demi-lady  habited  gnles,  holding  in  her  dexter  hand  a  tower,  in  her 
sinister  a  laurel  branch  vert. 

CHAXDLER. 
Anns — Chequy  argent  and  azure,  on  a  bend  sable  three  lions  passant  or,  a 
canton  argent,  a  sinister  hand  couped  at  the  wrist  gules. 

Crest — A  pelican  in  her  piety  sable,  the  nest  vert  i  Fairbairn). 
Motto — Ad  mortem  fidelis.     {  Faithful  unto  death.) 

CHILD. 

Arms — Gules,  a  chevron  ermine  between  three  eagles  close  argent.  (Another 
or.) 

Crest — An  eagle  with  wings  expanded  argent,  enveloped  around  the  neck 
with  a  snake  proper. 

Motto — Imitari  quam  invidere. 


BIOGRAPHY 


..   itiat 

-'  man 

indicates 

or  before. 

the  eight 

1  his  wife, 

■<ct,  Rhode 

!  ^  residence 

Kh'jde   Island. 

He  owned 


dc; 


IV)  Christopher  Carpenter,  second  of 
the  nineteen  children  born  to  the  marriap 
of  Oliver  and  Sarah  Carpenter,  was  born 
about  1718.  He  probably  married  Mercy 
Taylor  (or  Roberts)  in  South  Kingston 
Rhode  Island.  They  resided  in  East 
Greenwich.  In  1737  they  went  to  Mary- 
land. He  was  a  blacksmith  bj'  trade.  He 
built  the  first  house  on  the  Carpenter  farm 
in  West  Greenwich,  Rhode  Island,  whici: 
still  remains  in  the  family.  He  was  tht 
father  of  ten  children,  born  at  East  Green- 
wich and  Kingston,  Rhode  Island. 

(V)   Robert  Carpenter,    third    son    of 

. Chri.stopher    and    Mercy  Carpenter,  was 

^i   townships,  as  ap-  "^'A   >*;irrh  5,  i~j-2.  in   East  Greenwich, 

"  deeded  to  his  broth-  ■^■^oMW^W'a?^  3M^^nS»Hiw0H«»8<j)i€harity 

■  -'"f?l<4  ^W'ia^''^,3k¥t4)P'i8nit>lR4W^f48  bs^(<if*fl:,'(fa«l-irij3l>;  AtwiMifei]  I'sec- 

'i'.;.  :..•   r.  1-    ,!    e^    vl.id:      oniii  Mf:x> .  .Il^y.ldaneii'drfpitiiWfeis  arflitiii^- 

i  h      ^{o^^  eiiiisted  as  a  corporal  in  the  Conti- 

•4i3JQi*'iA-HD..- ,11V.  in  Captain  Keith's  company, 

£  ,i(i  tnB^?.sq  .sno'd  a&irij:  isfrffia  bnad  b  ho  . ,3^x15  Hn& 'tBS|iG  iiffJJ>§rt!)^ii«S&.i"ient ; 
.^■^rwg  tehv/ ^rf^tE^fc6qr^oo-I)A«rfH^*?S^^'7B"',:Jd$^ft'^§bffl■^7• 
.(^•Irsd^rE'f )  )-r9v  la^ri  3fi».,Md:B(i  ^'i\c^lkh'^ipf't\!fAf4^'^fiP^t'^<^7,  en- 
(rr,,.„|,  „,.,.,  r.,M,;,.'.i  ,      V*-A3^.ft,^>HUftl«RtayiyW.  Cap- 
-'s  company,  Colonel  Pyn- 
.vi.Ufi.v  t ;  enlisted  for  three  years, 

.'sia'feMnaavmVf'ahtfeT^  nfll^dD'i«;;>m*^ife,,^'^her  of 
"  !>i>in  I'A  East  GreenAvich. 


-sJ.  Ca 


Ti. 


the 


- uh  where 

I  (•  ;son  Joshua 

youngest    sons 

"200  each  when 

ijter  Sarah  and 

€200  each. 

—.  £150. 

liver  Car- 

rt  Hall. 


■..-  ,  'luue.  He  probably  married  (sec- 
ond) Charity.  He  was  the  father  of  ten 
children,  the  youngest  of  whom  was 
Amos. 

(VII)  Amos  Carpenter,  youngest  child 
of  John  and  Sally  (Stone)  Carpenter,  was 
born  in  West  Greenwich,  Rhode  Island, 
August  23,  1793.  He  married  (first),  June: 
19,  1813,  Mary  Bailey,  born  February  29. 
1792;  died  August  3,  1855,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Bailey.  He  married  (second). 
May,  1856,  Eunice  Bailey,  sister  to  Mary, 
born  April  6,  1802,  died  December  31, 
1887.    The  Baileys  were  an  old  Rhode  Is- 


1l5ail« 


(£hnndier 


a\)\lb 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land  family,  William  Bailey,  the  Ameri- 
can ancestor,  having  come  from  London, 
England,  and  settled  in  Newport,  Rhode 
Island,  as  early  as  1655.  Joseph  Bailey, 
a  resident  of  West  Greenwich,  was  a  Rev- 
olutionary soldier. 

Amos  Carpenter  was  a  man  of  fine  phy- 
sique and  varied  attainments,  being  skilled 
as  a  shoemaker,  cooper,  and  carpenter. 
During  the  depression  of  business  in  1837 
the  family  removed  to  a  farm  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Pomfret  (now  Putnam),  Con- 
necticut, where  a  family  of  six  girls  and 
three  boys  were  brought  up  in  the  strict- 
est Puritan  ways.  Amos  Carpenter  died 
December  29,  1872. 

(VIII)  John  Anthony  Carpenter,  son 
of  Amos  and  Mary  (Bailey)  Carpenter, 
was  born  June  23,  1828,  in  West  Green- 
wich, Rhode  Island.  During  his  boyhood 
he  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  farm,  and 
attended  the  district  school.  He  attended 
Wilbraham  Academy  for  a  short  time, 
and  in  1846  went  to  Woodstock  Academy 
for  one  term.  In  the  winter  of  that  year 
he  commenced  teaching  school,  which  oc- 
cupation he  followed  for  nearly  twelve 
years  with  marked  success.  Some  of  his 
classes  in  mathematics  were  remarkable 
even  in  those  days  when  the  "three  R's" 
received  so  great  a  part  of  the  energies  of 
both  teacher  and  pupil.  He  inherited 
from  his  father  a  fine  constitution,  a  nat- 
ural adaptability  to  any  kind  of  work, 
and  a  capacity  for  hard,  unremitting  labor. 

In  1857  Mr.  Carpenter  took  charge  of 
the  counting  room  and  stores  of  M.  S. 
Morse  &  Co.,  where  he  was  employed  un- 
til July,  1866.  He  was  then  chosen  cash- 
ier of  the  First  National  Bank,  which  po- 
sition he  held  for  forty  years.  On  Octo- 
ber I,  1866,  he  was  chosen  treasurer  of  the 
Putnam  Savings  Bank,  which  had  been 
organized  but  a  short  time,  and  had  then 
between  $100,000  and  $200,000  in  de- 
posits.    He  held  the  office  of  treasurer 


about  eight  years,  when  the  deposits  ex- 
ceeded $1,000,000.  By  statute  no  person 
could  be  simultaneously  cashier  of  a  na- 
tional bank  and  treasurer  of  a  savings 
bank  with  deposits  amounting  to  $1,000,- 
000,  and  Joseph  Lippitt  was  chosen  treas- 
urer, Mr.  Carpenter  remaining  one  of  the 
trustees  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Carpenter  was  always  a  Republican 
and  an  active  party  worker ;  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  Town  Committee 
through  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  and  for 
some  time  prior  thereto,  and  in  those  try- 
ing times  he  spent  much  time  and  labor  in 
the  upbuilding  of  the  party.  He  was 
elected  judge  of  probate  for  Putnam  Pro- 
bate District  in  August,  1863,  and  held 
that  office  for  thirty-five  years.  He  had 
the  high  compliment  many  times  of  being 
nominated  by  the  caucuses  of  both  Re- 
publican and  Democratic  parties,  and  but 
one  decision  made  by  him  was  appealed 
from  and  carried  to  the  Superior  Court. 
He  was  the  first  warden  of  the  town  fire 
district,  and  assisted  in  getting  it  in  work- 
ing order.  He  was  also  one  of  the  first 
school  visitors  of  the  new  town  of  Put- 
nam, and  held  that  office  many  years. 

Mr.  Carpenter  was  active  in  the  interests 
of  improvement  in  schools,  churches,  and 
general  town  and  city  affairs,  and  was 
always  willing  to  pay  his  share  of  all  ex- 
penses. He  had  the  management  as  ad- 
ministrator or  executor  of  the  settlement 
of  many  large  estates,  several  of  over 
$100,000  and  one  of  over  $1,000,000  with- 
out being  required  to  give  bonds.  He 
was  trustee  and  guardian  for  several  large 
estates  and  managed  them  with  great  ex- 
actness and  fidelity  and  to  the  perfect 
satisfaction  of  the  parties  interested.  Mr. 
Carpenter  always  had  the  full  confidence 
of  his  townspeople,  and  his  integrity  was 
never  questioned. 

John  Anthony  Carpenter  married  (first) 
Ann  Elizabeth  Williams,  March  30,  1852 ; 


17 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


she  died  August  19,  1856.  He  married 
(second)  Marcia  J.  Chandler.  To  Mr. 
Carpenter's  first  marriage  two  children 
were  born:  i.  Nancy  Jeanette,  born  Oc- 
tober 9,  1853,  died  March  26,  1854.  2. 
Byron  Williams,  born  May  13,  1856,  the 
namesake  of  his  maternal  grandfather;  he 
married  (first)  Maria  Louisa  Aldrich, 
February  15,  1876;  she  died  July  5,  1884; 
he  married  (second)  Mrs.  Emma  M.  Good- 
speed,  August  16,  1885  ;  she  died  May  22, 
1890;  he  married  (third),  December  20, 
1890,  Mary  A.  Moffitt ;  he  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Elizabeth  W.  (Carpenter)  Roedel- 
heim.  By  his  second  wife,  Marcia  J. 
(Chandler)  Carpenter,  Mr.  Carpenter  had 
three  children,  all  now  living  in  Putnam: 
I.  Jane  Elizabeth,  born  March  10,  1866, 
married  Edgar  Morris  Warner,  clerk  in 
the  Superior  Court  for  Windham  County  ; 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  all 
now  living  in  Putnam,  CoVinecticut,  name- 
ly: Frances  Lester  (Warner)  Hersey, 
born  July  19,  1888;  Gertrude  Chandler 
Warner,  born  April  16,  1890;  John  A. 
Carpenter  Warner,  born  July  12,  1893.  2. 
Annie  Chandler,  born  December  28,  1867; 
she  married,  November  8,  1895,  Chester 
Elisha  Child,  previously  mentioned,  a 
lumber  dealer,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  four  children,  namely :  Ruth  Carpenter 
Child,  Bertha  Elizabeth  Child,  Edith 
Whitney  Child,  Donald  Ezra  Child.  3. 
John  Frederick,  born  April  9,  1870,  a 
lawyer;  he  married  (first),  December  27, 
1893,  Alice  M.  Sharpe,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  three  daughters,  namely  :  Paul- 
ine S.  Carpenter,  Alice  Maud  Carpenter, 
Mary  Carpenter;  he  married  (second) 
Elizabeth  L.  Cornwell. 

The  statements  in  Playfair,  Burke,  and 
Davis  and  Owen,  in  regard  to  the  descent 
of  the  Tyrconnel  Carpenters  from  John 
Carpenter,  of  1303,  and  also  from  William 
Carpenter,  of  Homme,  establishes  the  fact 
that  the  Homme  Carpenters  are  all  de- 


scended from  John  Carpenter,  of  1303. 
William  Carpenter,  the  great-grandson  of 
William  Carpenter,  of  Homme,  was  the 
direct  ancestor  of  the  Tyrconnel  Carpen- 
ters ;  and  his  third  son,  William  Carpen- 
ter, was  the  progenitor  of  the  Rehoboth 
branch  of  the  family. 

The  following  list  will  show  the  line  of 
Tyrconnel  Carpenters,  commencing  with 
John  Carpenter,  of  1303. 

John  Carpenter,  born  about  1303,  mem- 
ber of  Parliament. 

Richard  Carpenter,  son  of  John  Car- 
penter, born  about  1335,  a  goldsmith. 

John  Carpenter,  St.,  son  of  Richard  and 
brother  of  John  Carpenter,  town  clerk  of 
London. 

John  Carpenter,  son  of  John  Carpenter, 
St.,  born  about  1410. 

William  Carpenter,  son  of  John  Car- 
penter, born  about  1440,  died  in  1520. 
(The  William  of  Homme.) 

James  Carpenter,  son  of  William  Car- 
penter. 

John  Carpenter,  son  of  James  Car- 
penter. 

William  Carpenter,  son  of  John  Car- 
penter. 

William  Carpenter,  son  of  William  Car- 
penter, born  in  1576,  a  resident  of  London, 
who  came  over  in  the  "Bevis"  in  1638 
with  his  son  William  and  wife  Abigail, 
and  returned  in  the  same  vessel  in  which 
he  came  over. 

William  Carpenter,  the  American  pro- 
genitor. 

From :  ''A  genealogical  history  of  the 
Rehoboth  branch  of  the  Carpenter  fam- 
ily," 1898. 


MILLER,  Frank, 

Bnsiness  Man,   Financier,   Philanthropist. 

Civic,  financial,  industrial,  fraternal  and 
social  circles  were  irremediably  invaded 
by  a  severe  loss  in  the  passing  of  Frank 


78 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Miller,  on  August  13,  1921,  out  from  all 
these  scenes  of  his  activities  at  his  home 
city  of  Bridgeport,  in  which,  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  was  a  great  outstanding 
figure  of  the  community,  particularly  in 
matters  of  finance,  wherein  he  was  an 
acknowledged  peer.  Veteran  also  of  the 
Civil  War,  as  well  as  of  many  a  com- 
mercial campaign,  he  made  a  large  suc- 
cess of  his  life.  He  was  a  sound  captain 
of  finance,  a  safe  and  sane  leader  of  in- 
dustry, a  wise  counselor  of  the  citizenry 
in  their  municipal  affairs — a  positive  asset 
of  the  community.  "By  the  sudden  death 
of  Frank  Miller,"  said  the  editor  of  the 
"Bridgeport  Times"  anent  the  death  of 
this  leader  in  so  many  avenues  of  the 
city's  life,  "Bridgeport  loses  one  of  its 
oldest  and  best-known  business  men,  a 
man  of  forceful  personality,  a  keen  stu- 
dent of  financial  affairs,  and  easily  the 
dominant  figure  in  local  financial  circles. 
Largely  through  his  careful  handling  of 
its  aflfairs,  he  brought  to  its  present  posi- 
tion the  City  National  Bank,  which  now 
ranks  as  one  of  the  foremost  financial 
institutions  in  the  East.  He  was  the  most 
democratic  of  men,  and  the  door  of  his 
office  was  always  open  to  those  in  need 
of  advice  or  assistance.  Bridgeport  can 
ill  afford  to  lose  such  men  of  his  type." 
Frank  Miller  was  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  Miller,  the  founder  of  the  family 
in  America,  who  settled  in  Rowley,  Mas- 
sachusetts, as  early  as  1643.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  although  he  was  "li- 
censed to  draw  wine."  He  and  his  wife 
removed  to  Middletown,  Connecticut, 
where  he  became  the  town  miller.  He 
died  August  14,  1680.  He  married  (first) 
Isabel  (date  of  marriage  not  recorded). 
He  married  (second)  June  6,  1666,  Sarah 
Nettleton,  died  March  20,  1727-28,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six  years.  Thomas,  the  eld- 
est child  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Nettle- 


ton)  Miller,  was  born  at  Middletown,  May 
6,  1667,  and  died  September  24,  1727.  He 
caried  on  the  milling  business  of  his  fa- 
ther. He  married  (first)  March  28,  1688, 
Elizabeth,  born  December  14,  1668,  died 
February  9,  1695,  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Mary  (Sanford)  Turner.  He  married 
(second)  December  25,  1696,  Mary  Row- 
ell.  Stephen,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
(Rowell)  Miller,  was  born  at  Middletown, 
March  5,  1699,  and  died  August  15,  1783. 
It  is  supposed  that  he  was  a  saw  and  grist 
miller.  He  married,  July  2,  1730,  Anna, 
born  in  1710,  and  died  June  10,  1777, 
daughter  of  Richard  and  Hannah  (Bulk- 
eley)  Goodrich. 

Coming  down  to  the  fourth  and  fifth 
generations  in  the  lineage,  paternal  side, 
of  Frank  Miller,  one  is  made  acquainted 
with  personal  history  of  interest  in  con- 
nection with  this  memoir.  Stephen  Mil- 
ler (in  the  fourth  generation),  son  of  Ste- 
phen (i)  and  Anna  (Goodrich)  Miller, 
was  born  February  11,  1739-40,  and  died 
July  21,  1822.  He  married  (first)  Octo- 
ber II,  1761,  Thankful,  born  September 
12,  1739,  and  died  April  12,  1777,  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Mehitable  (Hubbard) 
Whitmore.  He  married  (second)  April 
2,  1780,  Lucy,  born  in  1755,  and  died  Jan- 
uary ID,  1837,  daughter  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Jones)  Roberts  of  Middle- 
town.  Stephen  (2)  Miller,  grandfather  of 
Frank  Miller,  was  an  importer  and  a  ship- 
owner. He  was  engaged  in  trade  of  im- 
mense proportions  in  rum,  sugar,  molas- 
ses, and  other  products  of  the  West  In- 
dies. He  became  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent men  of  Middletown.  During  the 
War  of  1812  he  lost  sixteen  of  his  vessels, 
sunk  or  captured  by  the  British.  Stephen 
(3)  Miller,  father  of  Frank  Miller,  and  son 
of  Stephen  (2)  and  Lucy  (Roberts)  Mil- 
ler, was  born  in  Middletown  about  July 
4,  1795,  and  died  September  26,  1877.    He 


79 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


carried  on  farming  extensively  in  Middle- 
town,  and  owned  and  operated  a  grist 
mill  and  conducted  a  lumber  business. 
He  was  associated  with  other  important 
enterprises  in  his  home  town.  At  the  age 
of  sixty  years  he  retired  from  all  active 
business  pursuits,  and  lived  at  ease  in 
Middletown  until  his  death.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  October  5,  i8zo,  Clarissa,  died 
in  August,  1825,  daughter  of  Noadiah 
Whitmore  of  Middletown.  He  married 
(second),  December  2,  1827,,  Lucretia, 
daughter  of  Elisha  and  Lucretia  (Tryon) 
Fairchild.  Children  by  the  first  marriage  : 
Stephen  Whitmore,  born  October  22, 
1821 ;  Benjamin,  born  May  6,  1824.  Chil- 
dren by  the  second  marriage :  Darius, 
Nathan  Gladwin,  Charles,  Kate  (Miller) 
Strickland  and  Frank  Miller,  deceased 
(see  forward). 

Frank  Miller,  son  of  Stephen  (3)  and 
Lucretia  (Fairchild)  Miller,  was  born  at 
Middletown,  August  3,  1848,  and  died  at 
Bridgeport,  August  13, 1921.  He  received 
his  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town.  He  afterward 
studied  at  Chase  Institute  under  the  in- 
struction of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Chase.  In 
1863,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
but  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  War  and  was  assigned 
to  the  1st  Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery. 
He  was  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
under  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  having 
participated  in  many  severe  engagements. 
He  came  to  Bridgeport  to  make  his  home 
in  the  early  70's,  and  soon  organized  a 
coal  business,  taking  into  partnership  Er- 
win  Strickland,  the  firm  becoming  known 
as  Miller  &  Strickland.  He  later  pur- 
chased the  Strickland  interest  and  the  firm 
now  became  Frank  Miller  &  Co.,  who  car- 
ried on  an  extensive  business  in  their  line 
until   1907,  when  Mr.  Miller  disposed  of 


his  interest  to  Archibald  McNeil  &  Sons. 
Mr.  Miller  then  became  active  in  other 
fields  of  endeavor,  among  which  the  lum- 
ber trade  attracted  his  major  attention, 
and  he  organized  the  Frank  Miller  Lum- 
ber Company,  which  became  one  of  the 
largest  factors  in  that  line  in  the  Bridge- 
port territory.  He  remained  as  president 
of  the  company  until  his  death.  In  1889 
Mr.  Miller  made  his  beginning  in  the 
financial  career  that  was  to  see  him  at  the 
very  top  among  the  leaders  in  banking 
affairs  in  Bridgeport.  In  that  year  he  was 
elected  a  director  of  the  City  National 
Bank,  afterward  becoming  vice-president, 
and  in  1906,  on  the  death  of  Edwin  G. 
Sanford,  Mr.  Miller  was  made  president, 
in  which  office  he  gave  invaluable  service 
until  1919,  in  which  year  his  services  be- 
ing so  highly  esteemed  he  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  board  of  directors.  Ow- 
ing to  his  sound  judgment,  keen  insight 
and  business  acumen,  his  cooperation  in 
other  lines  of  business  was  often  sought, 
and  he  became  actively  and  financially 
interested  in  a  number  of  highly  import- 
ant— some  of  them  epoch-making — enter- 
prises. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was, 
in  addition  to  being  chairman  of  the  board 
at  the  City  National  Bank,  treasurer  of 
the  Lake  Torpedo  Boat  Company  of 
Bridgeport ;  president  of  the  Citizens' 
Coal  Company  of  Waterbury,  Connecti- 
cut, and  was  an  officer  in  a  number  of 
other  business  undertakings.  While  not 
actively  engaged  in  political  affairs  of  late 
years,  Mr.  Miller  had  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
had  held  a  number  of  offices,  civic  and 
political.  These  included  membership  in 
the  Bridgeport  Board  of  Education  and 
the  Board  of  Apportionments.  He  was 
deeply  interested  in  religious  and  philan- 
thropic advance,  and  at  his  death  he  re- 
membered churches,  hospitals,  and  the 
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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Salvation  Army  of  Bridgeport  with  gifts 
totaling  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  These  bequests  have  aided  very 
materially  the  beneficiaries  in  promoting 
along  extensive  lines  the  causes  that  come 
under  their  respective  care.  Mr.  Miller 
was  an  important  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  was  affiliated  with  Corin- 
thian Lodge,  No.  104,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Jerusalem  Chapter,  No.  13, 
Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Hamilton  Com- 
mandery.  No.  5,  Knights  Templar;  Pyra- 
mid Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  No- 
bles of  the  Mystic  Shrine ;  and  a  32d  de- 
gree Scottish  Rite  Mason.  For  many 
years  he  was  an  active  member  of  Elias 
Howe  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Mr.  Miller  married,  November  29,  1869, 
at  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  Emily  Lou- 
ise Clinton  of  Woodbury,  Connecticut, 
daughter  of  Ira  A.  and  Mary  Lewis  Clin- 
ton. She  died  October  4,  1907.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  children,  all  of 
whom  are  deceased.  Mr.  Miller  married 
(second),  November  5,  1908,  at  New  York 
City,  Anne  Drew  Hallock,  daughter  of 
Henry  E.  and  Mary  Frances  Drew  Hal- 
lock,  of  Bridgeport. 

A  fitting  conclusion  of  this  review  of 
such  an  important  and  conspicuous  figure 
and  his  life  and  deeds  is  embraced  in  the 
following  tribute  paid  to  Mr.  Miller  by 
organizations  with  which  he  had  to  do 
either  directly  or  indirectly  during  his 
long  and  varied  career : 

Board  of  Directors  of  the  City  National  Bank 
OF  Bridgeport. 

Whereas,  Frank  Miller  lived  nearly  all  his  busi- 
ness life  in  Bridgeport,  and  by  his  strong  person- 
ality, broad  vision  and  active  participation  in  finan- 
cial and  public  affairs  made  himself  a  leading  spirit 
in  the  growth  and  life  of  this  city,  and 

Whereas,  In  recent  years  his  chief  business 
activity  centered  in  the  City  National  Bank,  which 
he  served  as  president  for  sixteen  years  and  direc- 
tor for  thirty-one  years,  and  whose  affairs  he 
Conn.  11 — 6  gj 


managed  with  great  fidelity  and  rare  skill ;  now, 
therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  directors  of  the  City 
National  Bank,  keenly  feel  the  irreparable  loss  of 
Frank  Miller;   and,  be  it  further 

Resolved,  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  con- 
veyed to  his  immediate  family  and  to  his  associates 
through  the  press,  and  that  these  resolutions  be 
inscribed  on  the  minutes  of  this  bank. 

Board  of  Directors  of  the 
City   National  Bank. 

Charles  E.  Hough,  President. 

L.  S.  Catlin,  Clerk. 

Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Bridgeport. 

With  profound  sorrow  we  record  the  passing 
from  this  life  of  one  of  our  most  prominent  citi- 
zens, Frank  Miller.  Mr.  Miller  was  a  conspicuous 
figure  in  the  community  through  his  active  partici- 
pation in  the  many  phases  of  communal  develop- 
ment, financial,  industrial  and  philanthropic.  He 
served  the  city  faithfully  in  numerous  official 
capacities,  and  at  the  time  of  his  passing  was  a 

member  of  the  Financial  Advisory   Board 

His  passing  from  the  scene  of  his  earthly  labors 
excites  not  only  sorrow  and  grief,  but  a  deep  sense 
of  loss,  for  his  opinions  were  of  inestimable  value, 
and  his  energy,  wisdom  and  loyalty  were  in  con- 
stant demand.  The  city  of  Bridgeport  and  all  who 
have  been  associated  with  him  in  the  many  years 
of  his  active,  resourceful  and  successful  career,  in 
the  many  industries  in  which  he  was  engaged,  will 
greatly  miss  him. 

Resolved,  That  the  Common  Council,  in  record- 
ing its  sorrow  on  the  death  of  Frank  Miller,  add 
its  testimony  to  his  sterling  qualities,  worth  and 
services. 

Resolved.  That  we  extend  our  heartfelt  sym- 
pathy to  the  bereaved  family  in  their  irreparable 
loss. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  spread  upon 
the  minutes  of  the  Common  Council  and  a  copy 
thereof  suitably  engrossed  be  presented  to  the 
bereaved  family. 

Clifford    B.    Wilson,    Mayor; 
J.  Alex.  H.  Robinson,  Clerk. 

Directors  of  the  Lake  Torpedo  Boat  Company 
OF  Bridgeport. 

Whereas,  Frank  Miller,  late  of  this  city,  was 
for  many  years  a  director  and  officer  of  the  Lake 
Torpedo  Boat  Company;    therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  service  of  Mr.  Miller  to  this 
company  in  planning  and  assisting  in  the  building 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  weapons  of  defense  for  this  country  was  con- 
sistent with  that  patriotism  which  was  an  integral 
part  of  his  entire  life  from  his  early  boyhood; 
and,  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  the  directors  of  the  Lake  Tor- 
pedo Boat  Company  mourn  the  loss  of  Mr.  Miller 
as  that  of  a  true  friend  and  earnest  fellow-worker 
and  a  patriot  with  most  lofty  ideals ;  and,  be  it 
further 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be 
spread  upon  the  minutes  of  the  company  and  that 
a  copy  be  sent  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 
The  Lake  Torpedo  Boat  Company. 
Herbert  S.  Miller,  President. 

Endowed  with  the  material  of  which 
heroes  are  made,  Frank  Miller,  though 
nearly  always  in  the  van  of  every  move- 
ment or  enterprise  in  which  he  had  been 
enlisted,  never  played  to  the  galleries. 
He  was  energized  by  that  propelling 
power  the  results  of  which  are  to  be  ob- 
served in  that  type  of  men  who  by  sheer 
force  of  character,  a  forceful  personal- 
ity and  a  compelling  capacity  for  doing 
large  things,  find  themselves  naturally  and 
logically  at  the  front.  If  self-conscious- 
ness or  an  exaggerated  retiring  manner 
restrains  them  from  forging  ahead  to  the 
place  that  they  should  fill,  their  fellows 
are  apt  to  impress  them  into  the  service 
for  which  they  are  by  nature  and  train- 
ing eminently  fitted.  It  was  so  with  Frank 
Miller;  and  for  the  very  good  reason  that 
this  was  so,  the  city  of  Bridgeport  as  a 
community,  its  financial,  industrial,  and 
municipal  institutions  have  been  inspired 
to  do  the  best  things  in  a  better  way — and 
no  man,  from  the  world  point  of  a  vision 
of  greatness,  could  have  done  more  than 
he  in  having  been  a  substantial  citizen  and 
a  source  of  inspiration  to  his  fellow-men. 


WHEELER,  Nathaniel, 

Organiser,  Head  of  Iiarge  Industry. 

Nathaniel  Wheeler,  organizer  and  pres- 
ident of  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Manufac- 


turing Company,  makers  of  Wheeler  & 
Wilson  sewing  machines,  was  born  in 
Watertown,  Litchfield  County,  Connect- 
icut, September  20,  1820,  and  died  at  his 
home  on  Golden  Hill,  Bridgeport,  in  the 
same  State,  December  31,  1893. 

(I)  He  was  of  the  seventh  generation 
of  his  family  in  America,  and  a  descend- 
ant of  Moses  Wheeler,  born  in  England  in 
1598,  who  came  to  New  England  with  a 
company  from  the  County  of  Kent.  In 
1643  he  received  a  tract  of  land  in  New 
Haven.  Some  four  or  five  years  later  he 
removed  to  Stratford.  His  deed  was  the 
first  recorded  at  Hartford  of  the  lands 
bought  from  the  Indians  at  Stratford. 
Orcutt's  "History  of  Stratford  and  Bridge- 
port," says :  "The  first  record  found  in  re- 
gard to  public  convenience  is  concerning  a 
ferry:  The  motion  made  by  Mr.  Ludlow 
concerning  Moses  Wheeler  for  keeping 
the  Ferry  at  Stratford."  He  was  a  farmer 
and  ship  carpenter,  and  established  the 
ferry  across  the  Housatonic  River.  He 
lived  to  the  age  of  one  hundred  years, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  an  ex- 
tensive landowner. 

(II)  Moses  Wheeler,  son  of  Moses 
Wheeler,  was  born  in  1651,  and  died  Jan- 
uary 30,  1724-25. 

(HI)  Samuel  Wheeler,  son  of  Moses 
Wheeler,  was  born  February  27,  1681-82, 
died  in  1721. 

(IV)  Captain  James  Wheeler,  son  of 
Samuel  Wheeler,  born  1716,  died  in 
Derby,  Connecticut,  July  9,  1768. 

(V)  Deacon  James  Wheeler,  son  of 
Captain  James  Wheeler,  born  April  6, 
1745,  died  in  Watertown  in  1819. 

(VI)  David  Wheeler,  son  of  Deacon 
James  Wheeler,  was  born  September  6, 
1789.  He  was  a  general  builder  and  far- 
mer, and  had  on  his  farm  a  small  shop 
where  he  employed  a  few  men  in  various 
ways,  including  the  making  of  wagons  and 

82 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sleighs.  He  married  for  his  first  wife 
Phoebe  De  Forest,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children:  Joseph  and  Mary.  His  second 
wife  was  Sarah  De  Forest,  of  the  same 
family,  by  whom  he  had  four  children : 
Nathaniel,  of  whom  further;  George, 
Jane  and  Belinda.  The  De  Forests  were 
descendants  of  a  Huguenot  family  of 
Avesnes,  France,  some  of  whose  numbers 
fled  to  Leyden,  Holland,  to  escape  re- 
ligious persecution.  One  of  these,  named 
Isaac  De  Forest,  son  of  Jesse  and  Marie 
(DeCloux)  De  Forest,  emigrated  from 
Leyden  to  New  Amsterdam  in  1636,  and 
there  married  Sarah  Du  Trieux.  One  of 
their  sons,  David  De  Forest,  settled  in 
Stratford,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
mother  of  Nathaniel  Wheeler. 

(VII)  Nathaniel  Wheeler,  son  of  David 
and  Sarah  (De  Forest)  Wheeler,  attended 
the  schools  of  his  native  place,  and,  as 
often  related  by  his  father,  took  his  full 
share  of  whatever  work  was  to  be  done 
on  the  farm  or  in  the  shop.  It  was 
this  helpfulness  to  others  that  prevailed 
throughout  his  life,  and  wherever  he  was 
there  were  always  numberless  examples 
of  those  to  whose  welfare  he  contributed. 
He  was  especially  solicitous  for  the 
welfare  of  those  associated  with  him. 
His  associates  and  employees  shared 
generously  in  the  fruits  of  his  success. 
He  was  early  taught,  by  one  skilled  in  the 
work,  the  elaborate  painting  then  in  vogue 
for  vehicles,  especially  sleighs.  This 
enabled  him  in  later  years  to  devise  meth- 
ods for  finishing  woods,  which  changed 
the  processes  in  this  work  throughout  the 
country,  and  in  other  countries  as  well, 
and  to  conduct  experiments,  leading  to 
the  most  successful  results  in  finishing 
the  products  of  the  Fairfield  Rubber 
Works.  On  coming  of  age  he  took  entire 
charge  of  the  business  of  the  shop,  his 
father  retiring  to  the  farm.  A  few  years  lat- 


er he  learned  die-sinking,  and  took  up  the 
manufacture  of  various  small  metallic  ar- 
ticles, largely  buckles  and  slides,  and  by 
substituting  machinery  for  hand  labor 
greatly  reduced  the  cost  of  production.  He 
was  now  well  equipped  with  a  knowledge 
of  metals,  which  qualified  him  to  direct 
work  with  marked  success  in  all  these 
branches.  In  1848  he  united  his  business 
with  that  of  Alanson  Warren  and  George 
Woodruff,  manufacturers  of  similar  arti- 
cles, the  new  firm  taking  the  name  of 
Warren,  Wheeler  &  Woodruff.  They 
bought  a  water  privilege  on  the  stream 
flowing  through  Watertown,  some  mile 
and  a  half  below  the  center,  and  erected 
a  factory  for  the  enlarged  business,  with 
Mr.  Wheeler  in  charge.  While  in  New 
York  on  business  and  looking  for  some- 
thing to  more  fully  occupy  the  new  prem- 
ises, he  was  shown  the  sewing  machine 
invented  by  Allen  B.  Wilson,  which  was 
then  on  exhibition  and  attracting  atten- 
tion. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  art  of  sewing 
by  machinery  was  American  in  its  origin 
and  development,  European  genius  had 
been  groping  toward  it  for  nearly  a  cen- 
tury before,  Weisenthal,  as  early  as  1755, 
Heilman,  Thomas  Saint  (granted  an  Eng- 
lish patent  in  1790),  Thimonier  (who 
first  obtained  a  patent  in  France  in  1830). 
Newton,  and  Archbold  of  England,  and 
possibly  others,  essayed  the  invention,  but 
not  one  of  these  pointed  the  way  to  a 
practical  sewing  machine.  Something 
was  said  to  have  been  done  by  Walter 
Hunt,  of  New  York,  as  early  as  1832 ;  but 
the  contrivance  alleged  to  have  been 
made  was  abandoned  or  neglected  until 
the  success  of  others  had  become  publicly 
known.  The  invention  of  Elias  Howe, 
patented  in  1846,  was  undoubtedly  the 
first  important  step  toward  a  practical 
machine,  but  the  perfected  "Howe"  was 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


not  patented  until  1857.  The  inventor 
who  first  reached  satisfactory  results  in 
this  field  was  Allen  B.  Wilson,  a  native  of 
Cortland  County,  New  York.  While 
working  at  his  trade  as  cabinetmaker  in 
Adrian,  Michigan,  in  1847,  he  conceived 
the  idea  of  a  sewing  machine.  He  knew 
nothing  of  what  others  had  thought  or 
done  in  this  direction.  In  1848,  in  Pitts- 
field,  Massachusetts,  while  still  working 
at  his  trade,  he  completed  the  drawings 
of  his  machine,  and  in  the  spring  of  the 
following  year  finished  his  model.  Al- 
though not  a  machinist  and  not  able  to 
procure  suitable  tools,  he  made  with  his 
own  hands  every  part  of  the  machine, 
whether  of  wood  or  metal.  Authorities 
agree  that  "this  was  the  first  machine 
ever  constructed,  meeting  to  any  extent 
the  requirements  of  a  sewing  machine." 
This  machine  enabled  the  operator  to 
control  at  will  the  direction  of  the  stitch- 
ing, and  thus  to  sew  continuous  seams  of 
any  length,  either  straight  or  curved. 
Continuing  to  improve  and  invent,  he  ob- 
tained patents  in  1850,  185 1,  1852,  and 
1854.  The  important  improvements  were 
developed  after  Mr.  Wheeler  became  in- 
terested, and  with  his  cooperation  and 
suggestion.  Impressed  with  his  first 
views  of  Mr.  Wilson's  achievement,  Mr. 
Wheeler  contracted  with  Messrs.  E.  Lee  & 
Company,  of  New  York,  then  controlling 
the  patent,  to  build  five  hundred  machines 
at  Watertown,  Mr.  Wilson  agreeing  to  re- 
move to  that  place  and  superintend  their 
manufacture.  Shortly  afterwards,  rela- 
tions with  Lee  &  Company  ceased,  and  a 
partnership  was  formed  between  Messrs. 
Warren,  Wheeler,  Woodruff,  and  Wilson, 
under  the  title  "Wheeler,  Wilson  &  Com- 
pany," for  the  manufacture  of  sewing  ma- 
chines. They  manufactured  the  original 
"Wheeler  &  Wilson  Sewing  Machines," 
and    made    them    successful.     This   was 


largely  due  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Wheeler, 
who  became  the  mercantile  head  of  the 
company,  and  led  the  improvements  into 
practical  lines.  The  introduction  of  the 
machine,  placing  it  in  factories  and  work- 
shops and  demonstrating  its  value  in  fam- 
ilies, was  carried  out  under  his  control. 
Opposition,  prejudice  and  disbelief  melted 
away  before  enterprising  activity  and  per- 
severance. In  a  brief  period  the  machine 
was  in  operation  in  New  York  and  other 
cities.  In  October,  1853,  the  business  was 
reorganized  as  a  joint  stock  company  un- 
der the  title  "Wheeler  &  Wilson  Manu- 
facturing Company."  The  capital  of  the 
corporation  was  one  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  dollars,  the  patents  being  valued 
at  one  hundred  thousand,  and  the  machin- 
ery at  sixty  thousand.  The  new  subscrib- 
ers to  this  stock,  the  foundation  of  the 
fortunes  of  so  many,  enjoyed  the  profits 
of  the  business  without  any  cost  whatever 
to  themselves,  as  they  gave  their  notes  for 
the  stock,  but  were  never  called  upon  to 
pay  any  part  of  them,  as  Mr.  Wheeler 
financed  the  business,  providing  whatever 
cash  was  necessary,  and  the  notes  were 
paid  by  the  profits  of  the  business  as  they 
became  due.  For  a  year  or  two  Mr. 
Wheeler  acted  as  the  general  manager. 
In  1855  he  became  president,  and  filled 
that  office  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life. 

About  the  time  that  the  Wheeler  & 
Wilson  machine  began  to  attract  public 
attention,  the  sewing  machine  invented 
by  Isaac  M.  Singer  became  known,  also 
the  Grover  &  Baker  sewing  machine.  All 
these  machines  contained  principles  that 
Elias  Howe  thought  were  covered  by  his 
patents,  and  he  commenced  suits  which 
brought  them  together  in  defense.  While 
these  were  being  contested,  with  the  best 
obtainable  legal  talent  in  the  country  on 
all  sides,  Mr.  Wheeler  proposed  that,  as 

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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


these  machines  varied  so  much,  they  col- 
lectively seemed  to  cover  thoroughly  the 
field  of  sewing  by  machinery,  yet  each 
obviously  had  extensive  fields  to  which 
each  was  particularly  adapted,  and  as 
Elias  Howe's  patents  strengthened  all,  it 
seemed  wise  that  all  should  respect  his 
patents  and  the  patents  and  devices  of 
each  other,  and  in  this  way  join  in  the 
defense  of  each  other's  rights.  This  plan 
was  adopted,  and  led  to  many  years  of 
successful  business  for  all  concerned.  Mr. 
Howe  for  many  years  received  a  royalty 
for  each  machine  manufactured  by  all 
these  companies,  but  for  several  years 
did  nothing  himself  in  the  way  of  manu- 
facturing. 

Mr.  Wilson,  eager  to  devote  attention 
in  other  directions  and  explore  other  fields 
of  invention,  among  which  were  cotton 
picking  machines,  illuminating  gases  and 
photography,  early  retired  from  active 
participation  in  the  business,  retaining 
stock  in  the  company  and  receiving  the 
benefit  of  dividends,  a  regular  salary 
thereafter  without  services  and  substan- 
tial sums  on  renewals  of  his  patents.  He 
invested  largely  in  building  in  North 
Adams,  Massachusetts,  the  scene  of  part 
of  his  early  life.  He  built  a  residence  on 
a  beautiful  site  overlooking  the  Nauga- 
tuck  River  opposite  the  city  of  Water- 
bury,  and  continued  to  live  there  until 
his  death,  April  29,  1888.  The  residence 
enlarged,  has  since  become  the  Water- 
bury  Hospital.  His  inventions  have  been 
declared  by  high  authorities  to  be  "as 
original,  ingenious,  and  efifective,  as  any 
to  be  found  in  the  whole  range  of  me- 
chanics." 

In  1856  the  factory  was  removed  from 
Watertown  to  Bridgeport,  Connecticut, 
the  company  buying  and  occupying  the 
works  of  the  Jerome  Clock  Company.  Mr. 
Wheeler  also  removed  thither  and  at  once 


identified  himself  with  the  interest  of  the 
city.  With  increased  factory  space  and 
improved  machinery,  the  business  ad- 
vanced with  rapid  strides.  The  capital 
stock  was  increased  from  time  to  time, 
and  in  1864  to  one  million  dollars.  Fire 
swept  a  portion  of  the  buildings  in  1875, 
but  they  were  rebuilt  immediately  on  an 
improved  plan.  Additions  were  frequent- 
ly made  until  the  company's  works  cov- 
ered a  ground  space  of  some  fifteen  acres. 
In  recognition  of  Mr.  Wheeler's  services 
in  his  department  of  industry,  he  was 
decorated  at  the  World's  Exposition  held 
in  Vienna  in  1873  with  the  Imperial  Order 
of  Francis  Joseph,  and  at  the  Paris  Expo- 
sition in  1889  he  received  the  cross  of 
the  Legion  of  Honor  of  France.  In  addi- 
tion to  many  sewing  machine  patents, 
either  as  sole  inventor  or  jointly  with 
others,  he  held  patents  for  wood  filling 
compounds,  power  transmitters,  refriger- 
ators, ventilating  cars,  heating  and  ven- 
tilating buildings.  The  system  for  ven- 
tilating school  houses,  originated  by  him, 
was  the  forerunner  of  the  best  modern 
practice,  and  was  widely  sought  after  and 
copied. 

As  a  business  man,  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
distinguished  for  his  organizing  and  ad- 
ministrative abilities,  his  energy,  enter- 
prise, foresight,  good  judgment,  and  fair 
dealings — qualities  which  were  recognized 
throughout  the  business  world.  His  so- 
licitude for  all  employed  by  the  corpora- 
tion of  which  he  was  the  head  was  espec- 
ially marked,  and  won  for  him  profound 
regard.  He  contributed  largely  to  the 
success  of  various  important  local  enter- 
prises. He  was  an  incorporator  of  the 
People's  Savings  Bank ;  a  director  of  the 
Bridgeport  City  Bank,  Bridgeport  Hy- 
draulic Company,  Bridgeport  Horse  Rail- 
way Company,  Fairfield  Rubber  Com- 
pany, Willimantic   Linen   Company,  and 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railroad  Company.  He  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  the 
Board  of  Aldermen,  and  of  the  building 
committees  of  schools  and  county  build- 
ings, and  a  commissioner  for  building  the 
State  Capitol  at  Hartford.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  and  the  first  president  of 
the  Seaside  Club ;  a  donor  to  and  one  of 
the  chief  promoters  of  Seaside  Park  of 
the  city  of  Bridgeport;  and  a.  commis- 
sioner for  its  development.  He  was  the 
principal  founder  of  the  business  of  the 
Bridgeport  Wood  Finishing  Company, 
and  through  the  invention  of  "Wheeler's 
Wood  Filler"  introduced  new  methods  in 
finishing  woods,  which  continue  to  be 
more  and  more  widely  followed.  He  was 
a  generous  contributor  to  and  for  thirty- 
three  years  a  vestryman  of  St.  John  Epis- 
copal Church.  A  Democrat  in  politics, 
Mr.  Wheeler  repeatedly  declined  nomina- 
tion to  official  positions.  He  served  in  the 
Bridgeport  Common  Council,  and  also  for 
several  terms  in  the  State  Legislature  and 
Senate.  Upright  in  every  aim,  he  com- 
manded the  esteem  of  the  people  of  his 
native  State,  and  especially  of  those  in  the 
community  in  which  for  so  long  a  period 
he  was  a  vital  and  beneficient  factor. 
Blessed  with  robust  health  until  1893,  he 
was  overtaken  by  illness  and  died  just 
as  the  year  closed. 

His  first  wife,  Huldah  Ruth  (Bradley) 
Wheeler,  of  Watertown,  Connecticut,  to 
whom  he  was  married  in  1842,  died  in 
1857.  There  were  four  children  by  this 
union:  Martha,  died  young;  Anna  B., 
died  young;  Samuel  H.,  a  sketch  of  whom 
follows ;  and  Ellen  B.  (Mrs.  Edward  W. 
Harral).  The  Bradley  coat-of-arms  is  as 
follows : 

Arms — Gules,  a  chevron  argent  between  three 
boars'  heads  couped  or. 
Crest — A  boar's  head  couped  or. 
Motto — Liber  ac  sapiens  esio. 


On  August  3,  1858,  Nathaniel  Wheeler 
married  Mary  E.  Crissy,  of  New  Canaan, 
Connecticut,  who  survived  her  husband 
until  April  20, 1910.  By  this  mariage  there 
were  four  sons :  Harry  De  Forest,  born 
April  6,  1863,  died  July  10,  1881 ;  Archer 
Crissy  and  William  Bishop,  twins,  of 
whom  further ;  and  Arthur  Penoyer,  born 
October  20,  1875,  died  July  13,  1877. 


WHEELER,  Archer  Crissy; 
WHEELER,  WiUiam  Bishop. 

Archer  Crissy  Wheeler  and  William 
Bishop  Wheeler,  the  twin  brothers,  who 
for  many  years  resided  at  No.  350  Golden 
Hill  Street,  Bridgeport,  Connecticut, 
where  Archer  Crissy  Wheeler  still  re- 
sides, were  born  on  September  14,  1864, 
in  Bridgeport,  County  of  Fairfield,  State 
of  Connecticut. 

In  1893,  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  their 
father,  his  duties  and  responsibilities  fell 
largely  upon  his  sons.  Archer  Crissy  and 
William  Bishop,  and  Samuel  H.  Wheeler, 
a  son  of  Nathaniel  Wheeler  by  a  former 
marriage  with  Huldah  Ruth  Bradley,  of 
Watertown,  Connecticut,  who  died  in 
1857- 

Like  their  distinguished  father,  these 
three  brothers  took  up  the  work  of  these 
large  interests  which  devolved  upon  them 
with  ever  increasing  scope  and  magnitude. 
Samuel  H.  Wheeler  assumed  the  active 
management  of  The  Wheeler  &  Wilson 
Manufacturing  Company,  which  was  fin- 
ally sold  to  Singer  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany in  1905.  With  their  brother-in-law, 
Edward  W.  Harral,  Archer  Crissy  and 
William  Bishop  Wheeler  continued  the 
management,  with  practically  the  entire 
ownership  of  The  Fairfield  Rubber  Com- 
pany, of  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  which  be- 
came one  of  the  largest  manufacturers  in 
its  line  of  production,  and  which  made  the 
highest  grade  of  rubber  fabric  for  auto- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mobile  and  carriage  tops  produced  in  the 
United  States.  In  1916  The  Fairfield 
Rubber  Company  was  sold  to  E.  I.  Du- 
Pont  DeNemours  &  Company,  of  Wil- 
mingfton,  Delaware. 

Besides  managing  and  developing  these 
manufacturing  interests,  these  three 
brothers  were  largely  instrumental  in  the 
present  development  of  Main  Street,  the 
principle  business  section  of  Bridgeport, 
as  it  stands  to-day.  In  1905  they  con- 
structed The  Security  Building  at  No. 
1 1 15  Main  Street,  and  gave  Bridgeport 
its  first  eight-story,  all  fire-proof,  steel 
structure.  Soon  thereafter,  Samuel  H. 
Wheeler  constructed  the  Stratfield  Hotel 
and  gave  Bridgeport  its  first  modern  fire- 
proof hotel. 

About  this  time  Archer  Crissy  and  Wil- 
liam Bishop  erected  at  No.  1140  Main 
Street  the  fire-proof  department  store  now 
occupied  by  Rockwell  &  Company.  The 
Wheeler  Block,  for  many  years  occupied 
by  the  D.  M.  Read  Company,  has  be- 
longed to  the  family  for  more  than  fifty 
years,  and  the  real  estate  holdings  and 
developments  of  the  Estate  of  Nathaniel 
Wheeler,  which  have  been  managed  by 
Archer  Crissy  Wheeler,  as  sole  surviving 
executor  of  his  father's  will,  since  the 
death  of  Samuel  H.  Wheeler,  are  located 
in  nearly  every  section  of  the  city  of 
Bridgeport. 

The  beautiful  companionship  existing 
between  these  twin  brothers  has  perhaps 
rarely  obtained,  and  was  known  and  noted 
by  and  among  all  their  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. They  lived  inseparable  lives 
and  hardly  ever  were  they  to  be  seen 
apart.  In  business  matters  their  com- 
bined judgment  was  brought  to  bear  with 
unusual  foresight,  precision  and  success, 
and  their  integrity  and  fidelity  were  rec- 
ognized by  all  with  whom  they  came  in 
contact.     They  were  unfailingly  courte- 


ous and  their  friendships  were  strong  and 
lasting.  Their  acquaintances  were  many 
and  nearly  every  acquaintance  could  be 
said  to  be  a  friend.  They  were  members 
and  liberal  supporters  of  St.  John's  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  and  were  more 
than  usually  interested  in  the  various 
charities  and  institutions  of  their  city. 
Moreover,  their  private  charities  were 
large  and  many.  With  them,  the  worthy 
who  were  in  need  could  always  find  not 
only  an  audience  but  sympathy  and  sub- 
stantial assistance  as  well.  They  were 
fond  of  outdoor  life  and  derived  much 
pleasure  from  the  study  of  its  trees  and 
shrubs  and  birds  and  flowers.  They  were 
also  much  interested  and  took  part  in 
sports  of  various  kinds,  especially  outdoor 
sports,  and  were  members  of  nearly  all  of 
the  clubs  of  Bridgeport,  and  of  clubs  of 
other  cities  besides. 

William  Bishop  Wheeler  died  Febru- 
ary 20,  1920,  and  Samuel  H.  Wheeler  died 
November  14,  1920,  leaving  Ellen  B.  Har- 
ral  and  Archer  Crissy  Wheeler  as  the  sole 
surviving  children  of  Nathaniel  Wheeler. 
For  the  Genealogy  of  Archer  Crissy  and 
William  Bishop  Wheeler,  see  Orcutt's 
"History  of  Stratford  and  Bridgeport," 
published  in  1886  by  the  Fairfield  County 
Historical  Society. 


WHEELER,  Samuel  Hickox, 
Manufacturer,  Developer  of  Real  Estate. 

Samuel  Hickox  Wheeler  was  born  in 
Watertown,  Connecticut,  September  16, 
1845.  He  died  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  No- 
vember 14,  1920.  He  died  quite  suddenly 
of  heart  trouble.  He  was  the  son  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Huldah  Ruth  Bradley,  who 
had  three  other  children.  His  father  was 
the  organizer  of  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson 
Manufacturing  Company,  makers  of  sew- 
insf  machines,  at  first  located  in  Water- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


town,  but  after  1856  at  Bridgeport,  Con- 
necticut. The  paternal  grandparents  of 
Samuel  H.  Wheeler  were  David  and  Sarah 
(De  Forest)  Wheeler,  and  he  was  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Moses  Wheeler,  one 
of  the  original  members  of  the  New 
Haven  colony,  who  came  from  England 
in  1638  and  was  among  the  first  to  whom 
land  was  allotted  in  New  Haven.  He 
moved  to  Stratford  in  1648,  where  he  died 
in  1698  at  the  age  of  one  hundred,  the 
first  of  the  immigrants  known  to  have 
lived  a  full  century.  His  wife  was  Miriam 
(Hawley)  Wheeler.  Huldah  Ruth  (Brad- 
ley) Wheeler  was  the  daughter  of  Lucius 
Brown  Bradley  and  Adelia  (Hickox) 
Bradley.  She  traced  her  ancestry  to  Wil- 
liam Bradley,  who  emigrated  to  America 
in  1637  from  Bingley,  Yorkshire,  England. 
He  moved  to  New  Haven  in  1644. 

Samuel  H.  Wheeler  was  prepared  for 
Yale  College  by  James  M.  B.  Dwight. 
He  graduated  in  the  class  of  1868.  After 
graduation  he  went  to  Chicago  and  took 
charge  of  the  business  of  the  Wheeler  & 
Wilson  Manufacturing  Company  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Farrar  &  Wheeler. 
He  withdrew  from  that  firm  at  about  1886. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  Chicago.  In  1894,  on  the  death  of 
his  father,  he  moved  to  Bridgeport,  Con- 
necticut, and  became  president  of  the 
Wheeler  &  Wilson  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. He  held  that  position  until  1905, 
when  the  company  sold  out  to  the  Singer 
Manufacturing  Company.  After  his  re- 
tirement from  the  manufacturing  busi- 
ness he  became  active  in  the  development 
of  real  estate  in  Bridgeport.  He  built  the 
Stratfield  Hotel  in  that  city.  He  was 
much  interested  in  the  subject  of  ventila- 
tion, and  the  last  few  years  of  his  life 
spent  a  great  deal  of  time  working  out  his 
theory.  He  wrote  a  pamphlet  on  the  sub- 
ject   called    "Natural    Upward    Ventila- 


tion." It  has  caused  very  favorable  inter- 
est among  those  who  are  fighting  tuber- 
culosis. His  idea  is  especially  adapted  to 
schools,  and  he  was  instrumental  in  hav- 
ing it  installed  in  many,  where  it  has 
given  much  satisfaction.  He  spent  much 
time  in  reading  and  collecting  books  on 
American  colonial  history.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution  and  the  Order  of 
Founders  and  Patriots  of  America. 

After  coming  East  to  live  in  1894  he 
made  his  home  in  Fairfield,  Connecticut. 
He  belonged  to  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
Church  of  that  place.  He  was  buried  in 
Mountain  Grove  Cemetery,  Bridgeport, 
November  17.  The  funeral  services  were 
conducted  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Chauncy  B. 
Brewster,  one  of  his  classmates. 

He  was  married  May  17,  1876,  in  Chi- 
cago, Illinois,  to  Amelia  Vernon  Rumsey, 
daughter  of  Julian  S.  Rumsey  and  Martha 
(Turner)  Rumsey.  She  died  April  23, 
1877.  They  had  one  daughter,  Amelia 
Rumsey,  who  in  1919  married  Major 
Craufurd-Stuart  of  the  British  Army.  He 
married  again,  June  18,  1844,  at  Lake 
Geneva,  Wisconsin,  Elizabeth  Theodora 
Rumsey,  the  sister  of  his  first  wife.  They 
had  three  children:  Theodora  (B.  A. 
Vassar,  191 1 — M.  D.  Johns  Hopkins, 
1916).  She  married  William  P.  Finney, 
M.  D.,  in  1916.  Nathaniel  Wheeler  (Yale 
B.  A.  1914 — LL.  B.,  1916).  Ellen  Rum- 
sey (B.  A.  Vassar,  191 5 — R.  N.  Presby- 
terian Hospital,  New  York,  1920). 


BRYANT,  Waldo  Calvin, 

Manufacturer. 

In  the  seventh  generation  from  his  im- 
migrant ancestor,  Stephen  Bryant,  born  in 
England,  a  member  of  Plymouth  Colony 
as  early  as  1632,  Waldo  Calvin  Bryant  has 
by   dint  of  inventive  genius,  hard   work 


88 


;^fe^ 


^A^    ^2>*t.^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  close  application  to  business  risen  to 
the  highly  important  position  of  president 
of  the  Bryant  Electric  Company,  a  three 
million  dollar  corporation  of  Bridgeport, 
and  during  his  long  and  successful  career 
he  has  given  to  the  world  a  number  of 
electrical  devices  which  have  enabled 
other  manufacturers  by  their  use  to  mar- 
ket with  vastly  greater  volume  the  prod- 
ucts of  their  own  plants,  and  incidentally 
to  add  to  their  wealth,  while  the  employ- 
ment of  these  devices  has  contributed  be- 
yond all  computation  to  the  comfort  and 
convenience!  of  the  mercantile  and  in- 
dustrial public  and  of  the  home-maker ; 
indeed,  wherever  electricity  has  carried 
its  modern-day  blessings,  the  Bryant  de- 
vices have  been  made  a  vehicle  of  its  ap- 
plication. Mr.  Bryant  is  a  director  in 
other  important  industries,  besides  being 
an  official  in  two  banks.  The  Bryant 
Electric  Company  has  contributed  in  a 
very  large  measure  to  the  industrial 
growth  and  the  prestige  of  the  city  of 
Bridgeport  as  a  manufacturing  center.  Its 
head  stands  high  in  favor  with  the  United 
States  government.  During  the  World 
War  he  was  appointed  chief  of  the  Bridge- 
port Ordnance  District  by  the  War  De- 
partment in  February  of  1918,  a  position 
which  he  filled  with  remarkable  ability 
until  January,  1919.  After  the  United 
States  declared  war  against  Germany,  the 
country  was  divided  into  thirteen  ord- 
nance districts.  Previous  to  this  action 
Bridgeport  had  attracted  country-wide 
attention  to  itself  because  of  its  great  out- 
put of  war  munitions.  The  Bridgeport 
district  was  officially  named  District  No. 
2  upon  the  United  States  Ordnance  De- 
partment becoming  decentralized.  Mr. 
Bryant  was  given  full  authority  for  the 
organization  of  his  district,  which  became 
the  second  in  importance  of  its  kind  in 
the  country. 


The  founder  of  the  Bryant  family  name 
in  this  country,  Stephen  Bryant,  has  his 
name  in  the  records  of  Plymouth  Colony 
in  1638.  Following  his  removal  to  Dux- 
bury,  he  was  listed  as  among  those  able  to 
bear  arms  in  1643.  He  was  admitted  a 
freeman  June  6,  1654,  at  Plymouth,  to 
which  place  he  again  had  removed  about 
1650,  He  was  a  constable  in  Duxbury 
June  6,  1654;  highway  surveyor  at  Plym- 
outh June  I,  1658;  served  on  the  jury 
March  5,  1660-61  ;  and  was  constable  at 
Plymouth  June  i,  1663.  He  married  Abi- 
gail, daughter  of  John  Shaw,  who  came 
from  England.  Their  children :  Abigail, 
born  in  Plymouth  Colony,  married  Lieu- 
tenant John  Bryant;  John;  Mary;  Ste- 
phen (2)  ;  Sarah ;  Lydia,  married  William 
Churchill ;  Elizabeth,  married  Joseph 
King.  Stephen  (2)  Bryant,  son  of  Ste- 
phen and  Abigail  (Shaw)  Bryant,  was 
born  at  Plymouth,  February  2,  1658.  He 
settled  at  Plymouth.  The  principal  facts 
of  his  record  of  existence  are  the  births  of 
his  children.  He  married  Mehitable,  sur- 
name unknown.  Their  children :  Ste- 
phen (3) ;  David  ;  William ;  Hannah  ;  Ich- 
abod ;  Timothy.  Ichabod,  son  of  Stephen 
(2)  Bryant,  was  born  in  Middleboro,  Mas- 
sachusetts, July  5,  1699.  He  was  an  an- 
cestor of  William  Cullen  Bryant,  poet  and 
journalist,  through  his  son  Philip  and 
grandson  Peter,  father  of  William  Cullen 
Bryant.  Ichabod  lived  in  Raynham,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  from  that  village  he  re- 
moved to  North  Bridgewater.  He  died  at 
Bridgewater,  Massachusetts,  November 
22,  1759.  He  married  Ruth  Staples,  who 
died  May  27,  1777.  Their  children  :  Philip, 
married  Silence  Harwood  ;  Nathan  ;  Seth  ; 
married  Elizabeth  French ;  Job,  see  for- 
ward ;  Gamaliel,  settled  in  New  Bedford, 
Massachusetts ;    Phebe,    married    Henry 

Howard  ;  Ruth,  married  Holmes ; 

Sarah,  married  Francis  Cook  ;  Anna,  mar- 


89 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ried 


Robinson ;  Prudence,  died  un- 


married. 

Job  Bryant,  son  of  Ichabod  and  Ruth 
(Staples)  Bryant,  was  born  in  Bridge- 
water  or  in  the  neighbor  town  of  Rayn- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  about  1742.  He  was 
a  blacksmith  and  a  farmer.  He  was  also 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He  married 
Mary  Turner.  Their  children :  Anna,  mar- 
ried Abiel  Phillips  of  Easton ;  Nathan,  mar- 
ried Sarah  Jordan ;  Calvin,  married  Re- 
becca Morse  ;  Job  Staples,  married  Lovice 
Pratt ;  Thirza,  married  Mannasseh  Dick- 
erman ;  Oliver,  married  Nabby,  daughter 
of  Timothy  Ames ;  Clement,  see  forward ; 
David ;  Samuel ;  Asa,  married  (first)  Me- 
hitable  Snow,  married  (second)  Betsy 
Snow,  sister  of  his  first  wife ;  Harriet, 
married  David  Dunbar,  Jr. 

Clement  Bryant,  son  of  Job  and  Mary 
(Turner)  Bryant,  was  bom  about  1785 
at  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts.  He  was 
a  blacksmith  virtually  all  his  life.  He  en- 
listed for  service  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
his  widow  received  a  pension  in  the  form 
of  a  grant  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land.  He  died  in  1837.  He  married  in 
1805,  at  Athol,  Massachusetts,  Rachel 
Wheeler,  daughter  of  Zaccheus  Wheeler. 
Their  children  :  Royal ;  Mercy  ;  George 
Quincy  Adams,  of  whom  further ;  Mary 
Ann  ;  Richard  ;  Silence  ;  Jonathan  ;  Calvin 
Turner,   of   whom    further;   and    Rachel. 

George  Q.  Adams  Bryant,  son  of  Clem- 
ent and  Rachel  (Wheeler)  Bryant,  born 
January  9,  1819,  at  North  Orange,  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  removed  to  Athol,  and 
later  to  Winchendon,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  engaged  in  house-painting  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  Calvin 
Turner.  In  i860  they  entered  the  grocery 
business  and  remained  together  in  that 
line  with  great  success  until  the  death 
of  the  brother  Calvin,  July  14,  1906, 
since  which  time  George  Q.  Adams  con- 


ducted the  business.  George  served  in  the 
Civil  War,  entering  as  a  private  and  re- 
turning as  third  sergeant.  He  married 
Louise  A.  Roby,  daughter  of  Moody 
Roby,  Peru,  Vermont.  She  died  June  20, 
1894.  They  had  no  own  children.  They 
adopted  Finette  Miller,  daughter  of  Mary 
Ann  (Bryant)  Miller,  sister  of  Mr.  Bry- 
ant. Children  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Ann 
(Bryant)  Miller:  Joseph  of  Athol;  Albert 
of  Athol ;  Finette,  married  John  W. 
Barnes,  of  Westminster,  Massachusetts. 
Calvin  Turner  Bryant,  eighth  child  of 
Clement  and  Rachel  (Wheeler)  Bryant, 
of  Athol,  Massachusetts,  and  father  of 
Waldo  Calvin  Bryant,  of  this  review,  was 
born  June  11,  1830,  at  Athol.  His  time 
outside  school  was  spent  in  his  uncle's 
chair  factory.  After  a  year  of  work  in  a 
restaurant  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts, 
he  was  employed  by  the  successor  of  the 
first  owner,  and  subsequently  bought  the 
restaurant.  He  sold  out  that  business 
and  started  another  restaurant.  After  a 
year  had  passed  he  abandoned  that  busi- 
ness and  entered  a  pistol  factory.  Tak- 
ing part  in  the  gold  rush  to  California,  he 
remained  there  from  185 1  to  1855,  and 
"made  his  pile."  He  again  went  West  in 
1856,  and  returned  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
to  Winchendon,  where  he  engaged  in 
house-painting.  In  1859  he  journeyed 
to  Pike's  Peak  in  quest  of  gold,  but  was 
unsuccessful.  He  went  on  by  ox-team 
to  California  and  remained  there  a 
year,  when  he  returned  to  Winchendon 
and  his  house-painting,  which  business 
he  conducted  until  i860,  when  he  and 
George  Q.  Adams  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery business,  which  Calvin  Turner  fol- 
lowed until  his  death,  July  14,  1906,  the 
partnership  having  been  in  existence  for 
forty-six  years.  Calvin  Bryant  was  a 
member  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Winchendon.    He  was  an  active  member 


90 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  Republican  party,  and  was  overseer 
of  the  poor  of  his  town  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Win- 
chendon  Cooperative  Bank  from  its  in- 
corporation until  his  death.  He  was  one 
of  the  town's  most  highly  respected  and 
esteemed  citizens.  Calvin  Bryant  mar- 
ried, October  9,  i860,  Almeda  Dexter,  of 
Royalston,  Massachusetts,  born  January 
2,  1830,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Wheeler 
and  Cynthia  (Walker)  Dexter.  Mr.  Dex- 
ter was  born  March  24,  1780;  died  in  i860. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  mill  owner  and  held 
many  responsible  offices  in  Royalston. 
His  wife  was  born  December  19,  1799; 
died  in  May,  1870.  The  children  of  Cal- 
vin Turner  and  Almeda  (Dexter)  Bryant: 
Flora  Almeda,  born  November  21,  1861, 
and  became  a  valued  teacher  in  the  Win- 
chendon  public  schools;  Waldo  Calvin, 
of  this  review. 

Waldo  Calvin  Bryant,  son  of  Calvin 
Turner  and  Almeda  (Dexter)  Bryant,  was 
born  December  17,  1863,  at  Winchendon, 
Massachusetts.  He  attended  the  schools 
of  his  native  town  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  shops 
of  Baxter  D.  Whitney  at  Winchendon 
and  began  to  learn  the  machinist's  trade, 
also  pursuing  his  studies  during  the 
school  terms  and  serving  at  his  trade  dur- 
ing the  vacation  periods.  After  finishing 
his  course  of  study  at  the  grammar  school 
when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  en- 
tered Cushing  Academy  at  Ashburnham, 
Massachusetts,  and  prepared  for  entrance 
to  Worcester  Polytechnic  Institute.  He 
was  graduated  from  the  institute  in  the 
class  of  1884  at  the  age  of  twenty  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  He  at 
once  secured  a  position  in  the  expert 
department  of  the  Thomson-Houston 
Electric  Company  of  Lynn,  Massachu- 
setts. He  only  held  that  position  one 
month,   and  was   transferred    to   Bridge- 


port as  assistant  to  George  Cutter  in  the 
operation  of  the  local  electric  light  plant. 
He  continued  to  fill  that  position  until  the 
spring  of  1885,  when  a  Bridgeport  com- 
pany took  charge  of  the  local  plant,  and 
he  went  to  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  to 
take  charge  of  a  part  of  the  work  of  super- 
intending the  Waterbury  Electric  Light 
Company.  He  was  with  the  Waterbury 
Company  a  little  more  than  three  years, 
and  during  that  period  he  had  invented 
the  Bryant  "push  and  pull  switch,"  which 
with  other  electric  light  supplies  he  soon 
began  to  manufactureataplant  in  Bridge- 
port. He  organized  the  Bryant  Electric 
Company,  having  only  a  small  capital, 
but  having  taken  out  patents  on  a  number 
of  electric  lighting  devices,  he  continued 
to  manufacture  them  until  July,  1889, 
when  he  incorporated  the  Bryant  Electric 
Company  with  a  capital  stock  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars. 

Under  the  skilfully  guiding  hand  of  Mr. 
Bryant  the  business  of  the  corporation 
took  on  amazing  growth,  and  it  is  rated 
as  at  the  very  forefront  of  concerns  of  the 
kind  in  this  country.  Mr.  Bryant  fills  the 
positions  of  president,  treasurer,  general 
manager  and  director  of  the  corporation. 
He  also  occupies  the  offices  of  president, 
treasurer,  general  manager  and  director 
of  the  Perkins  Electric  Switch  Manu- 
facturing Company.  He  is  a  man  of  in- 
fluence in  financial  circles,  and  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bridge- 
port, and  vice-president  and  trustee  of  the 
People's  Savings  Bank.  His  connection 
with  other  enterprises  includes  director- 
ships in  the  Bridgeport  Hydraulic  Com- 
pany, the  Bridgeport  Brass  Company,  the 
Bead  Chain  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
the  Siemon  Corporation.  He  is  a  director 
of  the  Bridgeport  Hospital,  Bridgeport 
Public  Library  and  Bridgeport  Boys' 
Club.     He  is  a  member  of  the  American 


91 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers  of  New 
York.  His  clubs  are  the  Union  League, 
Bankers'  University,  and  the  New  Eng- 
land Society  of  New  York,  the  Brook- 
lawn,  University  and  Algonquin  of 
Bridgeport,  the  Country  Club  of  Fair- 
field, Connecticut,  and  the  Metabetchouan 
Club  of  Canada. 

Mr.  Bryant  married,  April  6,  1887,  Ida 
Gerald  of  New  London,  Connecticut,  and 
they  have  two  children :  Waldo  Gerald, 
born  July  30,  1891,  and  Doris,  born  March 
26,  1902 ;  graduated  from  the  Westover 
School,  Westover,  Connecticut. 

Waldo  Gerald  Bryant,  son  of  Waldo 
C.  and  Ida  (Gerald)  Bryant,  was  born  in 
Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  July  30,  1891. 
He  was  educated  in  public  and  private 
schools  in  Bridgeport,  the  Hotchkiss 
School  and  Sheffield  Scientific  School, 
Yale  University,  class  of  1914.  In  that 
year  the  Bead  Chain  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany was  organized  and  incorporated  and 
he  became  president  and  treasurer,  posi- 
tions he  still  retains.  May  i,  1917,  he 
enlisted  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  in  the 
United  States  Naval  Reserve  Forces  as 
quartermaster,  third  class,  for  service  in 
the  World  War.  September  15,  191 7,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  submarine  base  at 
New  London,  Connecticut,  and  was  de- 
tailed for  duty  with  the  board  of  anti-sub- 
marine devices.  In  January,  1918,  he  was 
commissioned  an  ensign,  and  continued 
his  duties  with  the  same  board  in  experi- 
mental work  and  in  the  development  of 
anti-submarine  devices  until  January  i, 
1919,  when  he  was  ordered  on  inactive 
duty  until  May  i,  1921,  when  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged.  Mr.  Bryant  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Bridgeport  Trust  Company. 
His  clubs  are  the  Brooklawn  Country 
and  the  University  of  Bridgeport,  the 
Pequoit  Yacht  Club  of  Southport,  Yale 
Club  of  New  York  City,  and  the  Meta- 


betchouan Club  of  Canada.  Mr.  Bryant 
married,  October  7,  1919,  Ruth  McCaskey, 
daughter  of  Frederick  E.  and  Marietta 
(Beach)  McCaskey,  of  Toledo,  Ohio.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bryant  are  the  parents  of  two 
children :  Ruth  Ann  and  Waldo  Dexter 
Bryant. 


BISHOP.  Henry  Alfred, 

Rail'iray  Official. 

Having  as  his  American  progenitor 
Rev.  John  Bishop,  Puritan  minister  of 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  who  afterward  be- 
came the  minister  at  Stamford,  Connecti- 
cut, Henry  Alfred  Bishop,  of  the  fifth 
generation  of  descent,  has  become  one  of 
the  best-known  railroad  men  of  the  East. 
He  is  a  son  of  the  celebrated  William  D. 
Bishop,  who  as  president  of  the  New 
York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad 
Company  gave  to  that  system  one  of  the 
very  best  administrations  known  to  rail- 
road annals  in  the  United  States,  and 
brought  that  property  up  to  a  high  grade 
of  efficiency  and  a  place  of  prosperity 
which  since  never  has  been  surpassed  and 
seldom  equalled  in  all  its  history.  The 
deplorable  state  of  the  New  Haven  system 
of  these  latter  days  does  not  have  its  root 
in  the  regimes  at  the  head  of  which  were 
those  genii  of  railroading  who  were  of  the 
House  of  Bishop. 

Henry  Alfred  Bishop  has  proved  his 
worth  as  the  son  of  a  great  father,  and  in 
addition  has  demonstrated  his  own  ability 
in  managing  important  transportation 
systems.  He  has  had  much  to  do  with 
the  coordination  of  the  railroad  lines  of 
the  New  England  States,  inclusive  of  val- 
ued service  to  the  New  Haven  Railroad  in 
its  palmy  days  and  of  executive  and  man- 
agerial offices  on  railroads  of  the  Middle 
Atlantic  States.  His  contributions  to  the 
political  life  of  the  State  of  Connecticut 


92 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  his  home  city  of  Bridgeport  have  been 
marked  with  fidelity  to  the  trust  reposed 
in  him  when  he  filled  the  offices  of  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature,  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  president  of 
the  Board  of  Police  Commissioners.  His 
business,  financial,  social  and  fraternal 
associations  are  widely  varied  and  of  great 
value,  he  being  either  an  officer,  a  director 
or  a  stockholder  in  numerous  industrial 
and  financial  institutions  and  corpora- 
tions, while  in  club  life  and  in  the  realm 
of  the  more  important  fraternities  he  has 
membership  of  long  standing.  His  career 
has,  in  fact,  shed  additional  luster  on  the 
family  name  of  Bishop,  of  which  the  peo- 
ple of  Connecticut  in  general  and  of  New 
England  as  well  are  justifiably  proud. 

The  surname  Bishop  was  in  common 
use  in  England  many  centuries  ago,  and 
some  eleven  immigrants  of  that  name 
emigrated  from  there  with  their  families 
before  1650.  Rev.  John  Bishop,  minister 
of  Stamford,  who  founded  the  family 
name  in  this  country,  married  (first)  Re- 
becca, surname  unknown.  He  married 
(second)  Joanna  Royce,  widow  of  Rev. 
Peter  Prudden  and  of  Captain  Thomas 
Willet  of  Swansea.  Massachusetts.  Of  the 
first  union  there  were  six  children,  of 
whom  Stephen  was  born  in  Stamford 
about  1660.  He  married  Mercy,  surname 
unknown,  and  had  eight  children.  He 
had  a  son,  John  (2),  born  in  Stamford 
about  1680  and  married  Mary  Talmadge 
of  Stamford.  They  had  nine  children. 
From  Rev.  John  Bishop  the  direct  line 
descends  through : 

(I)  Pierson  Bishop,  lineal  descendant 
of  the  minister  of  Stamford,  was  living  in 
that  town  in  1790.  He  married  Hannah 
Finch,  and  had  children,  among  whom 
was  William. 

(II)  William  Bishop,  son  of  Pierson 
and  Hannah  (Finch)  Bishop,  born  June 


23,  1769,  at  Stamford,  died  February  24, 
1844.  He  married  Susanna,  at  Bridge- 
port, daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Nich- 
ols) Scofield.  They  had  eleven  children, 
of  whom  was  Alfred. 

(III)  Alfred  Bishop,  son  of  William 
and  Susanna  (Scofield)  Bishop,  was  born 
at  Stamford,  December  21,  1798,  and  died 
June  12,  1849.  He  had  a  great  career  as 
a  railroad  contractor  and  built  a  large 
canal  and  a  bridge  over  the  Raritan  River 
at  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  was 
the  first  and  chief  builder  of  the  New 
York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad, 
the  old  Housatonic  Valley  and  the  Berk- 
shire, Washington  &  Saratoga  Railroads, 
and  the  Naugatuck  Railroad,  which  after- 
ward became  a  division  of  the  New  Haven 
system.  He  was  the  first  member  of  the 
House  of  Bishop  to  lay  the  foundation  of 
the  family  fame  as  builders  and  execu- 
tives of  great  transportation  properties. 
He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Ethan  Fer- 
ris of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  who  died 
January  3,  1833.    They  had  three  children. 

(IV)  William  D.  Bishop,  second  son  of 
Alfred  and  Mary  (Ferris)  Bishop,  was 
born  in  Bloomfield,  New  Jersey,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1827,  and  died  February  4, 
1904.  He  was  the  greatest  of  the  Bishops 
who  had  to  do  with  the  upbuilding  and 
executive  management  of  the  New  Haven 
Railroad  System.  He  was  graduated 
from  Yale  University  in  the  class  of  1849, 
having  had  a  brilliant  career  as  a  student. 
He  was  a  skillful  debater  in  the  college's 
political  forum,  and  was  president  of  the 
Linonia  Society,  which  was  rated  as  one 
of  the  highest  honors  in  the  college  world 
of  his  time.  His  father  having  died  in 
June,  1849,  during  the  month  of  his  gradu- 
ation, the  mantle  of  heavy  responsibility 
fell  upon  his  young  shoulders — he  was 
only  twenty-two  at  the  time.  William 
D.  completed  the  contracts,  including  rail- 


93 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


roads  in  the  West.  In  his  young  man- 
hood he  became  a  director  of  the  Nauga- 
tuck  Railroad.  Next  he  filled  the  office 
of  superintendent,  and  the  directors, 
stockholders  and  the  public  saw  almost  at 
once  that  in  William  D.  Bishop  they  had 
a  "born  railroad  man."  In  1855,  six  years 
after  leaving  college,  he  was  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  Naugatuck  road,  and  he  de- 
veloped the  property  into  one  of  the  best 
paying  railroads  in  the  United  States.  He 
served  as  president  of  the  Naugatuck  for 
twelve  years,  and  in  1867  he  was  elevated 
to  the  position  of  chief  executive  of  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Rail- 
road, retaining,  however,  his  interest  in 
the  Naugatuck  Railroad,  to  whose  pres- 
idency he  was  recalled  in  1885.  The  in- 
terims on  the  Naugatuck  had  been  filled 
as  president  by  Russell  Tomlinson,  1867- 
69,  and  E.  F.  Bishop,  brother  of  William 
D.,  1869-83.  While  the  Naugatuck  was 
under  the  management  of  William  D. 
Bishop,  that  railroad  became  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  of  the  transportation 
properties  in  the  country ;  for  it  netted  the 
shareholders  a  ten  per  cent  dividend  re- 
turn, and  it  was  on  this  basis  that  it  was 
leased  to  the  New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  Railroad  in  1887.  Of  the  long 
period  of  prosperity  which  the  New 
Haven  system  enjoyed  under  the  guiding 
hands  of  the  Bishop  family  thirty-six  years 
constituted  the  tenure  of  office  of  William 
D.  Bishop  as  president,  and  in  October, 
1903,  his  health  having  become  impaired, 
he  retired  from  office  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  son,  William  D.  Bishop,  Jr.  The 
senior  Bishop's  name  remained  at  the 
head  of  the  list  of  directors  of  the  New 
Haven  until  his  death.  During  his  term 
of  office  he  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
necticut General  Assembly,  and  during 
his  membership  an  act  was  passed  con- 
solidating the  New  York  and  New  Haven 


and  the  Hartford  and  Springfield  lines. 
Later  the  Shore  Line  was  leased,  and  the 
Harlem  &  Port  Chester  and  the  Hartford 
&  Connecticut  Valley  roads  were  ab- 
sorbed into  the  New  Haven.  Mr.  Bishop 
was  a  director  for  many  years  of  the  Hou- 
satonic  Railroad,  and  was  a  director  of  the 
Bridgeport  Steamboat  Company,  which 
now  is  controlled  by  the  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company. 
He  was  founder  and  president  until  his 
death  of  the  Eastern  Railroad  Associa- 
tion, which  was  formed  to  protect  the 
railroads  of  the  East  against  patent  suits. 

Mr.  Bishop  was  an  outstanding  leader 
of  the  Democratic  Party  in  Connecticut 
of  his  time.  He  was  elected  to  Congress 
in  1857,  and  was  the  youngest  member 
of  that  body,  being  also  noted  for  his 
eloquence  in  debate,  or  in  impromptu 
speeches.  Failing  of  reelection,  he  was 
appointed  commissioner  of  patents  by 
President  Buchanan,  and  he  systematized 
his  department,  so  that  it  functioned  in 
a  highly  efficient  manner.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  the  State  of  Connecti- 
cut in  1870,  and  in  1871  he  was  elected 
representative  from  the  Bridgeport  Dis- 
trict to  the  Connecticut  Assembly.  In 
1877-78  he  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate.  He  drafted  and  promoted  the 
passage  of  the  general  railroad  law,  which 
was  declared  to  be  a  model  of  its  kind. 

Mr.  Bishop  married  Julia  Ann,  daughter 
of  Russell  and  Martha  H.  Tomlinson. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children : 
I.  Mary  Ferris,  born  October  4,  1851.  2. 
-  Alfred,  born  June  11,  1853,  died  April  18, 
1854.  3.  Dr.  Russell  Tomlinson,  born 
April  I,  1856;  married  Minnie  Lockwood, 
and  has  one  child,  Julian  Tomlinson.  4. 
William  Darius,  Jr.,  born  December  16, 
1857,  married  February  21,  1882,  Susan 
Adele,  daughter  of  Elihu  Benjamin  Wash- 
burn, and  has  children :  Natalie  W.  and> 

94  W' 


^ 


1^' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William  D.  Bishop  (3).  5.  Henry  Alfred, 
of  whom  this  review  is  made.  6.  Nathan- 
iel W.,  born  July  16,  1865  ;  married,  Octo- 
ber 31,  1889,  Anna  Lucinda,  daughter  of 
Dr.  I.  DeVer  H.  Warner  of  Bridgeport, 
and  has  children,  Warner,  Alfred,  and 
Nathaniel  W.,  Jr. 

(V)  Henry  Alfred  Bishop,  son  of  Wil- 
liam D.  and  Julia  Ann  (Tomlinson) 
Bishop,  was  born  in  Bridgeport,  Decem- 
ber 4,  i860.  He  was  educated  in  the  Hill- 
side School  of  Bridgeport,  Hurlburt's 
School  at  Lime  Rock,  Connecticut,  and 
General  William  H.  Russell's  Military 
School  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  He 
matriculated  at  Yale  University  in  the 
class  of  1884,  but  did  not  finish  his  course. 
While  at  college  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  fraternities  D  K,  Hay  Boulay, 
and  Psi  Upsilon.  His  career  as  a  railroad 
man  began  September  21,  1881,  when  he 
was  appointed  general  ticket  agent  of  the 
Naugatuck  Railroad.  In  1883  he  was 
made  purchasing  agent,  and  in  1885  as- 
sistant superintendent,  holding  all  these 
offices  until  February,  1886.  He  next  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  the  Housa- 
tonic  Railroad  and  when  that  road  had 
leased  the  Danbury  Railroad,  he  was 
made  general  superintendent  of  the  Hou- 
satonic  and  all  its  subsidiaries  or  branches. 
He  was  appointed  purchasing  agent  of  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Rail- 
road April  I,  1887,  and  held  that  office 
until  his  resignation,  March  i,  1902,  to  be- 
come the  acting  vice-president  of  the 
West  Virginia  Central  and  the  Western 
Maryland  Railroad  companies,  which  had 
been  acquired  by  a  syndicate  in  which  he 
was  interested.  He  was  afterwards  ele- 
vated to  the  vice-presidency  of  both  rail- 
roads, but  he  relinquished  his  offices  in 
December,  1903,  owing  to  his  father's  ill- 
health.  He  has,  however,  since  been  ac- 
tively connected  with  different  railroad 


companies.  He  stands  high  in  circles  of 
commanding  influence  in  the  city  of 
Bridgeport,  which  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  with  his  usual 
marked  ability.  He  was  elected  in  1886 
to  the  State  Legislature  at  Hartford.  He 
was  president  of  the  Board  of  Police  Com- 
missioners of  the  city  of  Bridgeport  from 
1888  to  1890.  He  was  a  candidate  for  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  State  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  in  1888,  and  in  1904  was  a 
candidate  for  lieutenant-governor.  For 
each  of  these  offices  he  received  a  large 
vote.  He  was  president  of  the  Bridgeport 
Board  of  Trade  in  1900-01.  He  is  the 
president  and  a  director  of  the  Bridgeport 
Public  Library  and  of  the  Bridgeport 
Boys'  Club.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Texas 
&  Pacific  Railway  Company,  Westchester 
Street  Railway  Company,  Brady  Brass 
Company,  vice-president  and  a  member  of 
the  executive  committee  of  the  Consoli- 
dated Telephone  Company  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, trustee  of  the  People's  Savings 
Bank  of  Bridgeport,  chairman  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  McNabb  Com- 
pany, a  director  of  the  Bridgeport  Gas 
Company,  director  and  member  of  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company,  director  of  the 
American  District  Telegraph  Company. 
He  was  vice-president  and  a  director  of 
the  Connecticut  National  Bank  of  Bridge- 
port, afterward  consolidated  with  the 
First  National  Bank,  of  which  he  is  a 
director.  He  is  vice-president  of  the  Her- 
rick  Combustion  Company  and  the  Pacific 
Iron  Works,  vice-president  and  a  director 
of  the  Clapp  Fire  Resisting  Paint  Com- 
pany and  a  director  of  the  Brooklawn 
Company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sinking 
Fund  Commission  and  of  the  City  Finance 
Committee  of  Bridgeport,  a  director  of 
the  Mountain  Grove  Cemetery  Associa- 
tion   and    a    trustee    of  the    Bridgeport 


95 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Orphans'  Asylum  and  the  Ladies'  Charit- 
able Society.  He  is  a  communicant  of  St. 
John's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  a 
member  of  its  vestry  and  chairman  of  its 
finance  committee.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  the  Society  of 
Colonial  Wars  and  the  BridgefKirt  Scien- 
tific and  Historical  Society.  He  is  affili- 
ated with  all  the  bodies  of  the  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  up  to  the  33d  Degree, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Contemporary  Club,  a  former 
president  and  honorary  member  of  the  Al- 
gonquin Qub,  member  of  the  Brooklawn 
Country  Club  and  a  former  president  of 
that  organization,  member  of  the  Uni- 
versity Club  of  Bridgeport,  member  and 
secretary  of  the  membership  committee  of 
the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  member  of  the 
Yale  Club  of  New  York,  the  Recess  Club, 
the  Hollenbeck  Club  of  Connecticut  and 
the  Metabetchouan  Fish  and  Game  Club 
of  Canada. 

Mr.  Bishop  married,  February  6,  1883, 
Jessie  Alvord,  daughter  of  William  E. 
Trubee,  of  Bridgeport.  Their  children:  i. 
William  Alfred,  born  1885,  died  1886.  2. 
Marguerite  Alvord,  graduate  of  Ingleside 
School,  New  Milford,  Connecticut;  mar- 
ried Dr.  H.  LeBaron  Peters,  and  has  chil- 
dren, Henry  Walker  and  William  Charles 
Peters.  3.  Henrietta.  4.  Henry  Alfred, 
Jr.,  educated  at  the  Hotchkiss  School  and 
Yale  University ;  married  Gloria  Gould, 
youngest  daughter  of  George  J.  Gould. 

The  Henry  Alfred  Bishop  residence  is 
No.  179  Washington  Avenue,  Bridgeport. 


FONES,  Hon.  CivUian,  D.  D.  S., 
Dental  Snrgeon. 

Born  in  the  same  year  that  the  city  of 
Bridgeport  was  chartered  by  the  Connect- 
icut General  Assembly  as  an  incorporated 


municipality,  and  of  which  he  was  twice 
elected  mayor.  Dr.  Civilian  Fones,  who 
became  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
municipal  affairs  of  his  time  and  one  of 
the  foremost  dentists  of  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut, was  the  father  of  a  distinguished 
son,  who,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
parent,  is  recognized  as  without  a  peer 
in  his  profession.  Dr.  Alfred  C.  Fones, 
known  throughout  the  country  as  "The 
Father  of  the  Dental  Hygienist  Move- 
ment." During  the  terms  of  office  of  the 
senior  Fones  and  his  regime  as  mayor,  the 
city  of  Bridgeport  and  its  people  became 
the  beneficiaries  of  an  era  of  remarkable 
progress  in  municipal  improvements  and 
in  the  forward  movement  of  her  institu- 
tions and  the  general  uplift  of  the  body 
politic.  It  was  mainly  through  his  efforts 
and  influence  that  Congress  was  persuaded 
to  pass  a  bill  and  make  the  appropriation 
for  the  erection  of  the  United  State  Post 
Office  and  Government  Building  at  Broad 
and  Cannon  streets,  on  the  site  of  the  old 
St.  John's  Church,  Bridgeport.  Profes- 
sionally he  rose  to  the  place  of  very  high- 
est esteem  and  confidence  in  the  city  of 
his  immediate  activities,  and  in  the  State 
his  abilities  were  recognized  by  his  ap- 
pointment for  two  terms  as  a  member  of 
the  Connecticut  State  Dental  Commission 
by  Governor  Morris  and  of  which  body  he 
was  elected  president  upon  its  organiza- 
tion. He  had  also  been  honored  with  the 
presidency  of  the  Connecticut  Valley 
Dental  Association  and  of  the  Connecti- 
cut State  Dental  Society.  When  he  died 
in  1907,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years, 
there  passed  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
figures  and  versatile  citizens  of  his  gener- 
ation in  the  city  of  Bridgeport,  and  his 
death  was  mourned  not  only  by  the  mu- 
nicipality but  also  by  men  prominent  in 
official  walks  in  the  government  of  the 
State,  while  to  the  dental  profession  there 


96 


J 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  lost  a  member  who  had  graced  it 
with  his  skill  and  with  a  rare  and  pleasing 
personality  and  splendid  fellowship. 

In  the  sixth  generation  from  his  im- 
migrant ancestor,  Captain  John  Fones, 
who  settled  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island, 
before  1659,  ^"d  afterwards  lived  at 
Jamestown  and  Kingston,  Rhode  Island, 
Civilian  Fones  was  of  French  Hugue- 
not stock,  his  paternal  great-grandfather, 
Daniel  Fones,  having  been  one  of  those 
who  became  exiles  to  England  during  the 
reign  of  Louis  XIV  and  afterwards  be- 
came an  officer  in  the  British  navy.  Upon 
his  retirement  from  the  service  of  the 
Crown  he  was  awarded  a  grant  of  fifteen 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Rhode  Island, 
where  the  old  town  of  Wickford  now 
stands,  and  on  which  he  located.  Daniel 
Fones,  his  son,  who  was  the  father  of 
Christopher,  who  was  the  father  of  Civil- 
ian Fones,  was  born  on  the  ancestral  tract. 
Christopher,  also  born  on  the  family 
homestead,  married  Sarah  A.  Marigold  of 
South  Carolina,  who  was  of  English  an- 
cestry, and  for  a  time,  while  serving  as 
architect  and  builder  in  connection  with 
a  large  contract  that  he  was  executing  in 
Toronto,  Canada,  lived  in  that  city  and 
the  vicinity,  and  it  was  while  a  temporary 
resident  there  that  his  son.  Civilian  Fones 
was  born,  October  i,  1836,  at  Belleville, 
Province  of  Ontario.  Civilian  was  reared 
in  his  father's  profession  and  business, 
but,  on  the  family  returning  to  the  United 
States  and  taking  their  residence  in 
Bridgeport,  the  son  became  identified  with 
the  pioneer  dental  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment of  Dr.  D.  H.  Porter,  where  he 
began  to  study  for  the  profession  of  den- 
tistry. Subsequently  he  entered  the  Bal- 
timore Dental  College,  whence  he  was 
graduated ;  and  for  forty-six  years  he 
practiced  his  profession  with  signal  suc- 
cess in  Bridgeport,  his  clientele  including 
Conn.  11 — 7  97 


some  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  influen- 
tial families  in  the  city  and  its  suburbs. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  first  Connect- 
icut State  Dental/  Commission,  having 
been  appointed  by  Governor  Luzon  B. 
Morris,  in  1892-93,  and  was  reappointed 
by  Governor  Coffin  for  his  second  term. 
Dr.  Fones  identified  himself  with  the 
Republican  Party  upon  its  organization, 
but  it  was  not  until  1884  that  he  held  a 
political  office.  In  that  year  he  was 
elected  to  represent  his  ward  as  council- 
man in  the  City  Government  of  Bridge- 
port. In  the  following  year  he  was  elected 
alderman,  and  he  continued  to  advance  in 
the  favor  of  the  electorate ;  for  in  1886  he 
was  elected  mayor  of  the  city,  having  the 
unusual  honor  conferred  upon  him  of  the 
support  of  both  parties.  He  overcame  the 
opposition's  majority  by  about  one  thou- 
sand votes,  and  in  the  campaign  of  the 
ensuing  year,  1887,  his  administration  re- 
ceived a  remarkable  endorsement  in  his 
reelection  by  an  increased  majority,  with 
the  virtually  united  support  from  both 
parties.  Some  of  the  improvements 
accomplished  during  his  administrations 
were  the  removal  of  the  railroad  tracks 
from  Water  Street,  the  removal  of  the  old 
Miller  Building,  the  erection  of  the  lower 
bridge  and  the  locating  of  several  gates 
and  crossings.  Both  of  his  terms  as 
mayor  were  marked  with  harmony,  and 
there  was  no  political  disturbance  by 
either  party,  so  that  his  conduct  of  the 
city's  business  was  virtually  untrammeled 
and  he  was  permitted  to  carry  out  his 
policies  without  interference.  Dr.  Fones 
was  grand  marshal  of  the  great  civic  and 
military  parade  in  1888  as  a  part  of  the 
celebration  of  the  bi-centennial  of  the  in- 
corporation of  the  borough  of  Bridgeport. 
He  was  a  member  and  had  served  as 
president  of  the  Seaside  Club  and  the 
Outing  Club.    He  was  also  a  member  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  New  York  Athletic  Club  and  was 
affiliated  with  all  the  bodies  of  the  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  inclusive  of  the 
32d  degree  Scottish  Rite.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

Dr.  Fones  married,  October  21,  1863, 
Phoebe  E.,  daughter  of  Alfred  S.  Wright 
of  New  York  City.  Their  children : 
George,  died  at  the  age  of  four  years ; 
Grace ;  and  Dr.  Alfred  C.  Fones. 


FONES,  Alfred  C,  D.  D.  S., 
Dental  Surgeon. 

It  may  be  stated  with  emphasis  that  no 
member  of  the  dental  profession,  at  least 
in  the  State  of  Connecticut,  has  done  more 
to  confer  the  benefits  of  the  advancement 
of  that  department  of  surgery  upon  the 
people  of  the  commonwealth  than  has 
Dr.  Alfred  C.  Fones,  son  of  Dr.  Civilian 
and  Phoebe  E.  (Wright)  Fones,  born  in 
Bridgeport,  December  17,  1869,  and  who 
is  acknowledged  by  his  contemporaries  to 
be  at  the  very  pinnacle  of  the  profession. 
The  great  strides  in  dental  hygiene  among 
the  school  children  of  the  city  of  Bridge- 
port and  later  among  the  schools  of  large 
communities  of  the  State  and  country  are 
traceable  to  the  professional  foresight  and 
skill  of  Dr.  Fones,  who  was  among  the 
first,  if  not  the  very  first,  to  develop  the 
idea  of  training  women  to  become  assist- 
ants to  dentists  in  prophylactic  work. 
How  much  this  progressive  step  has 
accomplished  in  promoting  the  campaign 
for  sanitation  of  the  oral  cavity  can  only 
be  measured  by  the  almost  phenomenal 
rise  in  the  health  of  the  school  population 
and  in  the  beneficent  results  of  the  edu- 
cation in  dental  hygiene  not  only  upon  the 
pupils  themselves  but  also  indirectly  upon 
the  entire  family  at  home.  The  vision 
that   Dr.   Fones  received  a   quarter  of  a 


century  ago  has  been  concretely  realized 
in  the  state-wide  adoption  of  prophylactic 
treatment  in  the  hands  of  specially  trained 
women  in  service  in  dental  establishments 
following  the  amendment  of  the  State 
dental  law,  at  his  request,  to  the  effect 
that  women  who  were  not  graduate  den- 
tists might  be  employed  in  that  depart- 
ment of  operative  work.  Such  remark- 
able results  were  attained  by  this  move- 
ment, that  Dr.  Fones  was  led  to  seek  the 
establishment  of  dental  hygiene  by  means 
of  clinics  among  the  school  children  of 
Bridgeport.  Patient  and  painstaking  at- 
tention to  the  line  of  campaign  he  had 
marked  out  was  finally  crowned  with  suc- 
cess. Dr.  Fones  is  recognized  as  an  au- 
thority on  this  subject,  and  on  it  he  has 
read  many  papers  before  dental  society 
gatherings  and  prepared  many  articles  for 
magazines  devoted  to  the  profession. 

Having  received  his  elementary  train- 
ing and  preparatory  education  in  the 
Bridgeport  schools,  Alfred  C.  Fones  en- 
tered the  New  York  College  of  Dentistry, 
whence  he  was  graduated  in  the  class 
of  1890.  He  at  once  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  association 
with  his  honored  father,  who  many 
years  before  had  become  established 
as  a  dentist  in  Bridgeport.  Some  of 
the  high  lights  in  Dr.  Fones'  career  have 
been  raised  by  the  following  incidents: 
In  1900  he  conceived  the  idea  of  training 
women  specially  for  prophylactic  work. 
He  evolved  a  system  of  instrumentation 
and  polishing  for  use  in  his  office,  and 
practiced  it  until  1905,  when  the  lack  of 
proper  amount  of  time  for  the  work  forced 
him  to  carry  out  his  original  conviction 
of  the  employment  of  a  trained  woman  for 
that  work.  He  did  so,  and  has  had  a 
highly  trained  woman  on  his  staff  at  his 
office  for  twenty  years.  He  has  made 
prophylactic  treatments  compulsory  with 


98 


'U  ^.  ^'^ 


i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  patients.  It  was  in  1907  that  as  chair- 
man of  the  legislative  committee  of  the 
Connecticut  State  Dental  Association  he 
was  able  to  secure  an  amendment  to  the 
State  dental  law  providing  for  the  legal- 
ized employment  of  women  specially 
trained  in  prophylactic  treatment  as  as- 
sistants to  dentists.  In  1900  he  inaugu- 
rated prophylactic  work  in  his  office.  Be- 
ginning in  1909,  and  after  four  years  of 
strenuous  effort,  he  secured  an  appropria- 
tion of  five  thousand  dollars  by  the 
Bridgeport  City  Council  to  the  Board  of 
Education  to  conduct  a  demonstration  of 
the  value  of  an  educational  and  preventive 
dental  clinic.  Dr.  Fones  enlisted  the  aid 
of  other  professional  men  in  order  to  make 
use  of  the  special  fund  and  to  train  the 
new  corps  of  women  prophylactic  opera- 
tors in  Dr.  Fones'  magnificently  appointed 
office  building  where  there  were  excellent 
facilities  for  such  a  class.  In  1914,  eight- 
een prominent  educators  of  the  East  gave 
their  services  gratis  to  educate  the  first 
corps  of  women  to  be  known  as  dental 
hygienists,  the  title  now  generally  applied 
to  them  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Fones  in 
preference  to  "dental  nurse,"  "prophy- 
lactic assistant,"  etc.  A  textbook  on  the 
subject  of  "Mouth  Hygiene — A  Textbook 
for  Dental  Hygienists"  was  published  and 
now  is  in  its  second  edition,  it  being  in 
use  in  many  of  the  hygienists'  training 
schools.  In  1915  Dr.  Fones  secured  an 
amendment  to  the  State  Dental  law  which 
prescribed  the  field  of  the  dental  hygienist 
and  made  provision  for  licensing  these 
women,  for  the  first  time  in  any  State  of 
the  Union.  The  movement  has  spread 
from  the  private  offices  of  dentists,  to  the 
public  schools,  to  hospitals  and  to  dis- 
pensaries. The  soldiers  in  the  World  War 
who  were  mobilized  in  Bridgeport  were 
given  the  prophylactic  treatment  by  the 
dental    hygienists    of    Connecticut,    with 


beneficial  results.  This  work  was  organ- 
ized and  conducted  by  Dr.  Fones  as  a 
free  clinic  in  his  office.  In  addition  to  this 
war  work,  Dr.  Fones  served  on  the  Dental 
Committee  of  the  Medical  Board,  Council 
of  National  Defense,  and  was  chairman  of 
the  government's  sub-committee  on  den- 
tal hygiene  for  mobilized  men  and  was 
chairman  of  the  New  England  division 
of  the  Preparedness  League  of  American 
Dentists. 

Dr.  Fones  has  served  as  chairman  of  the 
oral  hygiene  committee  of  the  National 
Dental  Association.  When  his  own 
courses  were  completed  he  cooperated 
with  the  courses  in  oral  hygiene  at  Colum- 
bia University,  in  1918-22.  In  October, 
1920,  he  was  appointed  professor  of  pre- 
ventive dentistry  at  the  Columbia  Uni- 
versity Dental  School,  and  conducted  this 
course  for  two  years.  Owing  to  the  pres- 
sure of  his  work  in  Connecticut  Dr.  Fones 
was  obliged  to  resign  his  professorship. 
In  February,  1921,  he  went  to  Honolulu, 
at  the  request  of  ex-Governor  George 
Carter  and  Mrs.  Carter,  to  suggest  a  plan 
for  dental  service  for  the  school  children 
of  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  His  suggestion 
of  a  plan  for  a  dental  hygienist  training 
school  was  carried  out  in  connection  with 
a  central  dental  infirmary  in  Honolulu, 
endowed  by  Mrs.  Carter.  The  supervisors 
of  the  training  school  were  hygienists  sent 
out  from  Bridgeport  to  conduct  the  first 
course  in  1922.  The  Hawaiian  Islands 
now  support  the  educational  and  prevent- 
ive service  in  all  public  schools  in  the  is- 
lands, and  hygienists  are  trained  for  this 
purpose  at  the  Honolulu  Dental  Infirm- 
ary. 

Dr.  Fones'  two-story  office  building  in 
Bridgeport  is  without  doubt  the  most 
unique,  artistic,  and  aseptic  building  de- 
voted to  dental  work  owned  and  operated 
by  a  dental  surgeon  in  connection  with  his 


99 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


private  practice  in  this  country,  if  not  in 
the  world.  A  printed  description  of  it  is 
wholly  inadequate  to  give  the  correct  idea 
of  the  beauty,  symmetry,  appointments, 
and  equipment  contained  in  this  archi- 
tectural and  professional  gem.  One  must 
visit  the  building,  spend  not  a  little  time 
in  inspecting  its  various  departments  and 
hearing  an  explanation  of  the  whole  and 
the  several  parts  from  Dr.  Fones  or  one 
of  his  highly  specialized  attendants.  An 
expert  in  dental  matters  has  well  said : 
"Undoubtedly  many  will  say :  'Only  a 
man  of  great  wealth  could  indulge  in  such 
an  office  building.'  The  odd  thing  is  that 
this  is  no  realized  air  castle  of  a  rich  man. 
This  building,  luxurious  as  it  is,  has  been 
constructed  and  is  managed  on  purely 
business  principles.  Everything  is  so 
systematized,  invested  capital,  cost  of 
maintenance  and  office  charges  so  har- 
monize that  a  wonderfully  unique,  abso- 
lutely aseptic,  thoroughly  professional 
dental  establishment  has  been  proven  to 
be  practical." 

Dr.  Fones  was  president  of  the  Con- 
necticut State  Dental  Association,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Connecticut  State  Dental  Com- 
mission, the  Northeastern  Dental  Asso- 
ciation, The  American  Dental  Associa- 
tion, and  is  deeply  interested  in  educa- 
tional work,  having  been  a  member  of  the 
Bridgeport  Board  of  Education  for  seven 
years  and  having  served  as  its  president  in 
1922-23.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
a  member  of  the  University  and  the 
Brooklawn  Country  Clubs  of  Bridgeport. 

A  summary  of  Dr.  Fones'  highest  pro- 
fessional— and  civic — services  to  his  com- 
munity and  country  at  large  would  quite 
properly  embrace  these  salient  facts :  He 
has  established  an  auxiliary  department 
in  dentistry  for  the  prevention  of  dental 
disease — a  new  profession  for  women 
known   as    dental    hygienists.      At    pres- 


ent there  are  ten  training  schools  for 
the  education  of  dental  hygienists,  and 
twenty-six  states  have  amended  their 
dental  laws  to  permit  these  dental  hy- 
gienists to  practice.  It  was  in  Bridge- 
port in  1914  that,  at  the  instance  of  Dr. 
Fones,  there  was  started  the  first  edu- 
cational preventive  dental  clinics  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  city.  To-day  they 
are  the  popular  vogue  over  this  country 
and  in  Europe,  the  inception  of  this  pro- 
gressive movement  having  been  in  the 
city  of  Bridgeport. 

Dr.  Fones  married,  November  16,  1892, 
Elizabeth  Harwood,  daughter  of  Henry 
Harwood,  a  banker  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 


BASSICK,  Edgar  W., 

Manufacturer. 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  Edgar  W. 
Bassick,  widely  known  industrial  captain 
and  man  of  aflPairs,  of  Bridgeport,  to  have 
been  very  happily  born.  On  the  paternal 
side  his  immigrant  ancestor  was  a  linguist 
of  note  and  became  fluent  in  seven  dif- 
ferent languages,  being  also  a  sea  trader 
to  a  considerable  extent.  His  grandfather 
was  a  prosperous  Maine  farmer,  who  gave 
each  of  his  children  a  good  education  and 
saw  them  well  started  in  life.  His  father 
was  the  discoverer  of  the  first  gold  field  in 
Australia ;  he  became  one  of  the  pioneer 
gold  mine  discoverers  and  owners  of  fa- 
mous gold  producing  mines  in  America. 
The  son,  Edgar  W.  Bassick,  whose  activ- 
ities have  ramified  over  the  American 
continent,  inherited  his  father's  and  his 
great-grandfather's  capacity  for  big  busi- 
ness, and  he  has  amplified  that  inheritance 
many-fold.  Besides  his  heavy  industrial 
investments,  he  is  prominently  identified 
with  banking  circles  in  Bridgeport.  Dur- 
ing the  World  War  he  was  one  of  the 
most  highly  valued  men  in  the  service  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  government,  being  at  the  head  of  a 
division  under  the  War  Industries  Board. 
The  origin  of  the  surname  Bassick  is 
found  in  the  French  surname  Basquet, 
meaning  a  native  of  Biscay.  In  England 
the  spelling  is  Bassack,  and  Burke  gives 
the  coat-of-arms  as  follows : 

Arms — Azure,  three  piles  wavy,  in  point  or,  on  a 
chief  of  the  first  as  many  mascles  of  the  second. 

The  family  seat  was  at  Stepney,  Mid- 
dlesex, England. 

(I)  George  Bassick,  the  first  of  the 
name  in  this  country,  emigrated  from 
England  to  Canada,  where  he  settled  on 
the  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and 
was  there  educated  by  a  Colonel  Coleman. 
He  became  noted  as  a  linguist,  being 
known  to  speak  at  least  seven  different 
languages.  It  is  said  that  he  came  to 
Prospect,  Maine,  to  act  as  interpreter.  He 
settled  at  Hampden,  Maine,  in  1790,  pur- 
chasing lot  No.  126  in  the  center  of  the 
town.  A  considerable  portion  of  his  time 
was  occupied  with  trading,  and  he  was 
lost  at  sea  on  the  vessel  "Blackbird."  He 
married  in  Maine,  Sarah  Goodell,  who  at- 
tained the  age  of  ninety  years  and  died  at 
Prospect.  According  to  the  Federal  Cen- 
sus of  1790,  he  was  still  at  Frankfort,  now 
Winterport,  Hancock  County,  Maine. 

(II)  William  Bassick,  son  of  George 
Bassick,  was  born  at  Boxport,  or  Pros- 
pect, Maine,  1790-1800,  and  died  at  Wal- 
do, Maine,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years.  He  was  reared  by  his  mother,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  district 
schools,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  at 
Prospect,  throughout  the  active  years  of 
his  life.  He  was  an  earnest,  conscientious 
man.  He  married  Polly  Chase,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Their 
children  (born  at  Prospect)  :  Eliza  Ann, 
married  Edward  Gay ;  William ;  Mary 
Jane,  married  Winthrop  Ellis ;  Nathaniel ; 


Margaret,  married  William  Adams  ;  John, 
died  young;  Ira,  died  at  the  age  of  five 
years ;  Edmund  Chase,  of  whom  further. 
(HI)  Edmund  Chase  Bassick,  born 
August  10,  1833,  son  of  William  and  Polly 
(Chase)  Bassick,  died  March  15,  1898, 
while  on  a  business  trip  to  Denver,  Colo- 
rado. His  early  life  was  spent  on  his 
father's  farm  at  Waldo,  Maine,  until  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
shipped  on  his  uncle's  vessel,  and  made  a 
voyage  around  the  world.  He  later 
shipped  as  second  mate  on  another  vessel 
and  went  to  Australia.  Although  he  was 
not  much  more  than  a  mere  boy,  it  was 
while  he  was  in  that  country  that  he  dis- 
covered the  first  gold  to  be  found  on  that 
continent.  News  of  his  discovery  was 
followed  by  the  wild  rush  to  the  gold- 
fields  that  featured  the  stirring  scenes  on 
sea  and  continent  in  the  years  around 
1850.  After  spending  six  years  in  Aus- 
tralia young  Bassick  returned  to  his  home 
in  Maine.  In  1873-74  he  was  in  Colorado, 
prospecting  its  hills  in  search  of  gold.  In 
1877  he  discovered  what  was  afterward 
known  as  the  Bassick  mine  in  Querida, 
Custer  County,  in  the  Wet  Mountain 
Valley,  near  Silver  Cliff,  Colorado.  This 
mine  developed  one  of  the  richest  pro- 
ducers of  gold  in  the  United  States.  Sub- 
sequently Mr.  Bassick  acquired  interests 
in  other  mines  all  known  as  rich  mining 
properties.  He  also  became  heavily  in- 
terested in  Colorado  coal  lands.  In  the 
fall  of  1880  Mr.  Bassick  came  to  Bridge- 
port and  acquired  the  old  Sherwood  place 
at  Hancock  and  Fairfield  avenues,  and 
later  purchased  the  beautiful  residence, 
"Lindencroft,"  built  by  the  late  P.  T. 
Barnum.  From  the  very  first  of  his  com- 
ing to  Bridgeport  Mr.  Bassick  was  a  firm 
believer  in  the  ultimate  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  city,  and  in  the  eventual 
development  on  a  large  scale  of  the  West 
lOI 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


End,  where  he  owned  large  realty  hold- 
ings. His  long  acquaintance  with  mining 
properties  had  raised  him  to  the  place  of 
expert  on  the  determination  of  the  value 
of  such  properties  ;  and  his  advice  on  these 
matters  was  eagerly  sought  by  owners 
and  prospective  investors.  He  was  a  man 
of  quiet  manner,  clear  insight,  vigorous 
action,  and  keen  judgment.  He  was  de- 
voted to  his  family  and  found  his  greatest 
pleasure  in  their  society.  He  was  an 
ardent  lover  of  flowers  and  took  great  de- 
light in  his  extensive  grounds  and  green- 
houses. He  enjoyed  an  acquaintance  that 
extended  the  country  over,  and  his  pass- 
ing was  deeply  mourned  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  married,  in  1871,  Rebecca  Eliza- 
beth (Webb)  Walters,  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick Cleveland  and  Cynthia  Davidson 
Webb.  Their  children:  Edgar  Webb,  of 
whom  further;  Frederick  Cleveland,  a 
sketch  of  whom  follows;  William  Ros- 
coe ;  and  Margaret  Harriett,  who  married 
William  H.  Parks,  of  Springfield,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

(IV)  Edgar  Webb  Bassick,  one  of  the 
leading  manufacturers  of  Connecticut  and 
a  financier  widely  known  in  that  State, 
whose  vested  holdings  are  centered  in 
some  of  the  most  important  industries  of 
the  country,  was  born  in  Elston,  Kansas, 
April  22,  1872,  and  removed  with  his  par- 
ents, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edmund  Chase  Bas- 
sick, to  Denver  in  1879,  and  later  to  Bel- 
fast, Maine.  In  1880  he  came  with  his 
parents  who  settled  in  Bridgeport,  where 
he  was  educated  at  the  hands  of  private 
tutors  and  in  the  old  Jones  School  and  in 
the  public  schools  of  Bridgeport,  conclud- 
ing his  studies  with  a  course  at  the  Peek- 
skill  Military  Academy,  Peekskill,  New 
York.  His  first  employment  was  as  office 
boy  and  billing  clerk  with  the  American 
Tube  and  Stamping  Company,  where  he 
remained  two  years.    He  then  removed  to 


Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  wholesale  and  retail  notion  busi- 
ness. After  a  year  spent  in  Kansas  City, 
at  the  request  of  Mr.  Burns,  of  the  old 
Burns  &  Silver  Company,  of  Bridgeport, 
who  asked  him  to  return  to  that  city  to 
enter  his  employ  and  to  grow  up  with  his 
increasing  business,  although  the  offer 
was  not  very  alluring,  he  accepted  it,  be- 
ginning at  the  very  bottom  rung  of  the 
ladder.  He  worked  his  way  upward  un- 
til, in  1897,  he  was  made  secretary  of  the 
company.  In  1898  his  father  died  in  Den- 
ver, and  the  son  went  West  and  took  over 
his  father's  aflfairs  and  adjusted  them 
satisfactorily ;  and  in  doing  so  he  demon- 
strated his  capacity  for  doing  things  on  a 
large  scale.  In  1900  he  returned  to 
Bridgeport  and  joined  the  Burns  &  Silver 
Company,  purchasing  a  stock  interest; 
and  a  few  years  before  Mr.  Burns'  death, 
in  191 1,  he  acquired  a  one-half  interest  in 
the  M.  B.  Schenck  Company,  castor  manu- 
facturers, of  Meriden,  Connecticut.  Upon 
Mr.  Burns'  death,  Mr.  Bassick  became 
president  of  that  company.  When  the 
World  War  burst  upon  the  nations  Mr. 
Bassick  went  to  New  York  city,  opened 
offices  and  engaged  in  the  sale  of  explos- 
ives to  the  French  government  and  of 
large  quantities  of  time  fuses  for  the 
Canadian  government.  He  next  pur- 
chased the  Universal  Castor  and  Foundry 
Company  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and 
shortly  afterward  organized  the  Bassick 
Company,  which  took  over  the  Burns  & 
Bassick  Company,  the  M.  B.  Schenck 
Company  and  the  Universal  Castor  and 
Foundry  Company,  capitalized  at  one  and 
one-half  million  dollars,  preferred,  and 
three  million  dollars,  common  stock.  Not 
long  after  the  United  States  entered  the 
World  War,  the  great  Bassick  plants  were 
mobilized  on  war  work,  manufacturing 
hand  grenades  and  harness  hardware.  Mr. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Bassick  was  appointed  chairman  of  the 
Harness  Hardware  Division  by  the  War 
Industries  Board.  He  was  also  interested 
in  a  shipbuilding  plant  at  Mobile,  Ala- 
bama. The  war  ended,  the  Bassick  Com- 
pany purchased  the  Alemite  Lubricator 
Company  of  Chicago,  and  organized  the 
Bassick  Manufacturing  Company.  In  1923 
the  Bassick  Alemite  Company's  Delaware 
corporation  was  formed  and  it  took  over 
the  plants  of  the  Bassick  Company,  the 
Bassick  Manufacturing  Company,  the 
Alemite  Products  Company  of  Canada 
and  later  the  Allyne-Zerck  Company  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  the  E.  F.  Evans 
Company  of  Detroit,  Michigan.  The  Bas- 
sick Alemite  Company  was  the  holding 
company,  and  was  the  parent  of  the  Bas- 
sick subsidiaries.  Mr.  Bassick  is  also 
identified  with  numerous  other  enter- 
prises. He  is  vice-president  of  the  Bridge- 
port Savings  Bank,  a  director  of  the  First 
National  Bank  and  a  trustee  of  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association  of  Bridge- 
port. His  clubs  are  Brooklawn  and  Fair- 
field Country  and  India  House  of  New 
York.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  and  is  a  communicant  of  St. 
John's  Episcopal  Church,  Bridgeport. 

Mr.  Bassick  married,  May  18,  1897, 
Grace  Elizabeth  Morris,  a  graduate  of 
Smith  College,  and  a  daughter  of  Mar- 
shall E.  and  Margaret  Winter  Morris  of 
Bridgeport.  Mr.  Morris  for  a  number  of 
years  was  associated  with  his  father  in 
the  Sewing  Machine  Cabinet  Company  of 
Bridgeport,  and  was  a  large  real  estate 
holder  in  that  city. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bassick  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  i.  Elizabeth  Morris  Bas- 
sick, educated  at  the  Courtland  School  in 
Bridgeport,  the  Capen  School  and  Smith 
College  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts ; 
married  Tracy  Campbell  Dickson,  son  of 


General  Tracy  C.  Dickson,  United  States 
Army ;  has  two  children :  Tracy  Campbell 
Dickson,  3d,  and  Grace  Bassick  Dickson. 
2.  Edgar  W.  Bassick,  Jr.,  born  in  Febru- 
ary, 1902,  educated  in  public  schools  of 
Bridgeport,  the  Taft  School  of  Water- 
town,  Connecticut,  and  the  Tome  School, 
Maryland.  3.  Marshall  Morris  Bassick, 
born  in  October,  1912. 


BASSICK,  Frederick  C, 

A  modern  philosopher,  no  doubt  bor- 
rowing from  ancient  opinion,  declared 
that  the  education  and  preparation  for 
life  of  any  person  should  begin  genera- 
tions before  birth,  the  meaning  being  that 
a  child  must  depend  upon  its  forebears  for 
success  in  a  great  measure.  Much  de- 
pends upon  ancestry. 

Frederick  C.  Bassick,  son  of  Edmund 
Chase  and  Rebecca  Elizabeth  (Webb- 
Walters)  Bassick,  was  born  at  Rosita, 
Colorado,  December  2,  1876.  On  his 
paternal  side  an  immigrant  ancestor  was 
a  linguist  of  note,  becoming  fluent  in 
seven  different  languages.  He  was  a  sea 
trader  to  some  extent,  and  thus  knew  the 
world.  His  grandfather  was  a  prosperous 
Maine  farmer  who  gave  each  of  his  chil- 
dren a  good  education  and  saw  them  well 
bestowed  in  life.  His  father  discovered 
the  first  gold  field  in  Australia,  and  it  was 
he  who  by  his  rich  find  started  the  great 
gold  rush  to  that  continent  in  the  early 
fifties.  Thus  he  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
gold  mine  discoverers  and  owners  of  one 
of  the  most  famous  gold  mining  enter- 
prises in  the  world.  (See  ancestry  on  a 
preceding  page.) 

Frederick  C.  Bassick,  son  of  Edmund 
Chase  and  Rebecca  Elizabeth  (Webb) 
Bassick,  was  born  in  Colorado,  as  noted. 
In  his  early  boyhood  he  removed  with  his 
parents  to   Belfast,  Maine,  and  later  to 


103 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Bridgeport.  He  was  educated  by  private 
tutors  and  the  old  Park  Institute,  the  Uni- 
versity School,  and  the  Hotchkiss  School, 
Lakeville,  Connecticut.  His  first  employ- 
ment was  with  the  Crawford  Dyeing  and 
Cleaning  Company  of  Bridgeport,  with 
which  he  remained  two  years,  when  he 
organized  the  Bridgeport  Metallic  Pack- 
ing Company,  of  which  he  became  pres- 
ident. He  continued  in  this  position  for 
five  years,  when  he  disposed  of  his  busi- 
ness and  in  1907  went  with  the  Burns  & 
Bassick  Company  to  learn  the  business. 
He  was  successful  in  this,  and  later  was 
made  secretary  and  manager.  On  the 
death  of  Mr.  Burns  he  still  continued  as 
secretary  and  manager,  and  later  became 
chief  engineer  of  the  Bassick  Company, 
retiring  from  the  organization  January  i, 
1925.  For  years  he  had  been  a  director 
of  the  company. 

Mr.  Bassick  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
a  member  of  the  Brooklawn  and  Algon- 
quin clubs,  and  the  Fairfield  Country 
Club.  February  18,  1913,  Mr.  Bassick 
married  Lillian  Cordelia  Wheeler,  daugh- 
ter of  Wilmot  C.  and  Sarah  F.  Curtis 
Wheeler,  both  of  pioneer  Connecticut 
families.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bassick  are  the 
parents  of  a  daughter,  Lillian  Cordelia 
Bassick. 


HAVENS,  Elmer  H., 

Iron  Merchant. 

Perhaps  no  man  has  contributed  more 
substantial  and  progressive  effort  to  the 
cause  of  education  in  the  city  of  Bridge- 
port than  has  Colonel  Elmer  H.  Havens, 
who  for  twenty  years  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  serving  first 
as  secretary  and  afterward  president, 
which  office  he  continues  to  fill,  so  great 
was  the  demand  of  the  people  and  of  his 
fellow  members  that  he  occupy  that  posi- 


tion, to  which  he  was  drafted  against  his 
will  following  his  two  years  of  voluntary 
retirement  after  a  continuous  service  of 
eighteen  years.  Colonel  Havens  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Hunter  &  Havens,  leading  iron  and 
steel  merchants  of  Bridgeport.  He  has 
served  his  city  in  various  important  ca- 
pacities, always  without  remuneration, 
over  a  long  period  of  years,  having  been 
a  member  of  the  City  Council  and  of  the 
Board  of  Health  before  entering  upon  his 
honorable  career  as  a  member  and  the 
executive  head  of  the  Board  of  Education. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  staff  of 
two  governors  of  Connecticut,  through 
which  service  he  attained  his  rank  of 
colonel.  He  has  also  been  a  member  of 
the  Republican  State  Committee  and  of 
the  Republican  City  Committee  of  Bridge- 
port ;  in  fact  his  record  of  service  to  State 
and  city  is  a  well  rounded  and  meritorious 
one,  to  which  he  has  generously  contrib- 
uted of  his  time  and  talents. 

Colonel  Havens  is  descended  with  other 
members  of  the  old  colonial  family  spell- 
ing their  surname  with  a  final  "s,"  this 
being  the  only  family  of  that  name  and 
period  north  of  Virginia  regularly  doing 
so,  and  his  immigrant  ancestor  was  Wil- 
liam (i)  Havens  of  England,  who  came 
to  Rhode  Island  and  was  admitted  an  in- 
habitant of  Aquidneck,  later  called  Rhode 
Island,  in  1638,  and  on  April  30,  1639,  he 
and  twenty-eight  others  signed  a  com- 
pact :  "We  ...  do  acknowledge  our- 
selves the  legal  subjects  of  His  Majesty, 
King  Charles,  and  in  his  name  do  hereby 
bind  ourselves  into  a  civil  body  politicke, 
unto  his  laws  according  to  matters  of 
justice."  William  (i)  Havens  had  a 
grant  of  four  acres  of  land  at  Portsmouth, 
Rhode  Island,  in  1644.  December  2,  1662, 
he  leased  his  dwelling  house  with  all  lands 
belonging  thereto  to  his  son  John.  His 
will  was  proved  September  25,  1683,  his 
104 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


executrix  being  his  wife  Dennis,  or  Di- 
onis,  who  died  in  1692.  Children  of  Wil- 
liam (i)  Havens:  i.  William  (2).  2. 
John,  married  Ann,  and  both  died  in  1687. 
They  had  sons  William,  John,  Nicholas, 
Daniel.  3.  Sarah,  married  John  Tyler, 
who  died  in  1700.  She  died  in  1718.  4. 
Thomas,  died  in  1704.  He  had  sons,  Wil- 
liam, Thomas,  and  Joseph.  5.  Robert; 
wife  Elizabeth  ;they  had  children,  Robert, 
Ruth  Elizabeth,  William,  George,  Joseph. 
6.  George  (2),  of  whom  further.  7.  Mary, 
married  Thomas  Cook,  and  died  in  1670. 
8.  Ruth,  married  a  Card.  9.  Dinah.  10. 
Elizabeth.  11.  Martha.  12.  Rebecca.  13. 
Margaret. 

George  (2)  Havens,  son  of  William  and 
Dionis  Havens,  was  born  at  Portsmouth, 
Rhode  Island,  and  died  on  Shelter  Island, 
New  York,  February  21,  1706-7.  He  was 
made  a  freeman  in  1680;  taxed  in  Kings- 
town, Rhode  Island,  1687 ;  constable  in 
Jamestown,  Rhode  Island,  July  15,  1695. 
He  was  on  Shelter  Island  in  1701.  He 
married,  in  1674,  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Ed- 
ward and  Elizabeth  (Mott)  Thurston, 
Quakers  of  Newport.  She  was  born  in 
March,  1655;  died  November  7,  1747.  She 
married  (second)  a  Terry,  of  Newport. 
Children,  born  in  Rhode  Island:  i.  George 
(3),  of  whom  further.  2.  Jonathan,  born 
February  22,  1681 ;  married,  January  i, 
1706-7,  Hannah  Brown.  3.  William,  died, 
unmarried,  in  1746.  4.  John,  married 
Sarah  (surname  unknown)  and  had  nine 
children.  5.  Content,  married  Cornelius 
Payne.  6.  Patience,  married  a  Soper.  7. 
Desire,  married  Henry  Gardiner,  August 
4,  1710.    8.  Abigail. 

George  (3)  Havens,  son  of  George  (2) 
and  Eleanor  (Thurston)  Havens,  died  at 
Fishers  Island,  March  14,  1734;  buried,  on 
the  i6th,  at  Groton,  Connecticut.  He  is 
said  to  have  been  born  on  Shelter  Island ; 
but  in  a  deed  given  by  George  Havens  of 


Kingstown,  Rhode  Island,  in  1701,  the 
giver  calls  himself  the  son  of  George  of 
Shelter  Island.  His  wife's  name  was 
Mary.  Their  children:  i.  Joseph.  2 
Edward,  married,  1724,  Desire  Terry.  3 
George.  4.  William.  5.  Ebenezer.  6. 
Thurston,  married,  1752,  Jerusha  Polly 
7.  John.  8.  Eleanor,  married  a  Davilt.  9 
Abigail,  married  a  Fish.  10.  Hannah.  II 
Mary.    12.  Ruth. 

Jonathan  Havens,  brother  of  George 
Havens  of  Shelter  Island,  had  a  son 
George,  a  grandson  George,  and  a  great- 
grandson  George,  of  Shelter  Island.  The 
public  records  of  Somers,  Connecticut,  in 
Volume  III,  of  "Allen's  Enfield,  Connect- 
icut," contains  the  following  tombstone 
inscriptions  in  evidence  that  George 
Havens  lived  in  that  town :  "David,  son 
of  George  and  Sarah  Havens,  died  Sep- 
tember 22,  1822,  aged  ten  weeks,"  and 
"Infant  son  of  George  and  Sarah  Havens, 
died  May  2,  1837."  George  Havens,  great- 
grandson  of  Jonathan  Havens,  married, 
November  22,  1 781,  at  Saybrook,  Connect- 
icut, Lucretia  Denison,  and  there  was  a 
Jonathan  Havens  in  New  London  County, 
Connecticut,  in  the  census  of  1790. 

Colonel  Havens'  grandfather  was 
George  (one  of  the  more  immediate  an- 
cestry) Havens,  who  was  a  resident  of 
Somers,  Connecticut.  His  son  was  George 
(2)  Oliver  Havens,  born  November  6, 
1831,  at  Somers;  died  July  31,  1918,  at 
Bridgeport.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
educated  in  the  district  schools.  In  1859 
he  came  to  Bridgeport  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Sewing 
Machine  Company,  and  he  remained  with 
that  concern  until  1912,  a  period  of  fifty- 
three  years,  when  he  retired.  He  was 
ever  interested  in  local  affairs  of  Bridge- 
port, being  also  a  Republican  in  his  poli- 
tics ;  and  he  gave  excellent  service  both  as 
councilman   and  alderman  from  the  old 


105 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Fifth  Ward  during  the  terms  of  office  of 
Mayors  Morford  and  De  Forest.  For 
several  years  he  was  chairman  of  the  old 
Barnum  School  District  in  the  days  when 
the  city  of  Bridgeport  had  many  school 
districts,  and  before  the  era  of  consolida- 
tion. He  was  a  member  of  St.  John's 
Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
for  forty-three  years  was  a  member  of 
Samuel  H.  Harris  Lodge,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  married  Clara 
M.  Moore,  daughter  of  Jonathon  and  Cla- 
rissa Moore,  of  Brookfield,  Massachusetts. 
They  were  the  parents  of  two  sons:  i. 
Frederick  W.  Havens,  of  Springfield,  Mas- 
sachusetts. 2.  Colonel  Elmer  H.  Havens, 
of  this  review. 

Elmer  H.  Havens  was  born  October  2, 
1864,  a  son  of  George  Oliver  and  Clara 
(Moore)  Havens,  and  was  educated  in 
the  grade  and  high  schools  of  Bridgeport. 
For  a  brief  period  he  was  employed  in  the 
grocery  establishment  of  Rogers  &  Mor- 
ford, and  in  1887  he  organized  the  firm  of 
Patchen  &  Havens,  iron,  steel  and  heavy 
hardware  merchants.  Two  years  later 
his  firm  was  consolidated  with  S.  S. 
Hunter,  and  the  new  organization  was 
known  as  Hunter,  Patchen  &  Havens.  In 
1912  Mr.  Patchen  retired  from  the  firm, 
and  the  business  was  carried  on  under  the 
style  of  Hunter  &  Havens.  Upon  the 
death  of  Samuel  S.  Hunter  in  1914,  his 
son,  Roland  L.  Hunter,  succeeded  to  the 
partnership,  and  the  firm  continues  to  be 
known  as  Hunter  &  Havens.  In  the  ear- 
lier days  of  the  firm's  career  the  metal 
chiefly  sold  by  them  was  wrought  iron, 
but  the  wonder  working  changes  in  ma- 
chinery, formulas  and  processes  had  de- 
veloped the  products  into  open-hearth 
steel,  which  to-day  forms  the  major  part 
of  the  firm's  merchantable  line.  The  firm 
has  an  enviable  reputation  and  is  one  of 
the  best  known  in  the  iron  and  steel  trade 


in  this  section  of  New  England.  It  has  a 
valuable  good-will,  which  is  synonymous 
with  the  large  volume  of  business  which 
it  enjoys. 

Mr.  Havens  since  attaining  his  majority 
has  always  been  an  ardent  supporter  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  continues  un- 
abated his  interest  in  municipal  affairs  in 
his  home  city  as  well  as  in  the  political 
doings  of  the  State.  He  entered  actively 
into  the  municipal  life  of  the  city  in  1891, 
when  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Council  from  the  Fifth  Ward.  In  1893 
Mayor  Taylor  appointed  him  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Health,  and  when  Mayor 
Mulverhill  came  into  office  he  appointed 
Mr.  Havens  to  succeed  himself  on  the 
Board  of  Health.  In  1903  Mr.  Havens 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  and  he  began  then  a  period  of 
service  which  has  been  of  untold  benefit 
to  the  city  in  the  administration  of  its 
school  department.  Mr.  Havens  continued 
to  be  a  member  of  the  board  until  1921, 
and  for  many  years  was  honored  with  the 
offices  of  secretary  and  president  by  his 
fellow  members.  He  voluntarily  retired, 
in  1921,  believing  that  he  had  given  his 
full  meed  of  service  in  that  capacity  to  the 
city,  but  only  two  years  elapsed  when  he 
was  drafted,  much  against  his  will,  to 
stand  for  election  to  the  same  board.  He 
was  elected  and  at  once  resumed  his  for- 
mer duties  as  president,  which  office  he 
still  retains.  During  his  incumbency 
many  reforms  have  been  instituted  and 
improvements  established ;  among  these 
are  the  building  of  the  Central  and  War- 
ren Harding  high  schools,  which  stand  as 
monuments  to  the  wise  and  beneficient 
administration  of  Bridgeport's  school  de- 
partment. Mr.  Havens  has  been  a  di- 
rector of  the  Bridgeport  Public  Library 
for  eight  years,  and  in  that  capacity  has 
given  to  that  important    center    of    the 


106 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


city's  civic  life  the  benefit  of  his  many 
years  of  experience  in  educational  matters. 
Governor  George  L.  Lilley,  in  1908,  hon- 
ored Mr.  Havens  with  an  appointment  to 
his  official  staff,  the  position  carrying  to 
the  appointee  the  rank  of  colonel.  Upon 
Governor  Lilley's  death  Colonel  Havens 
was  reappointed  by  Governor  Frank  B. 
Weeks.  His  membership  of  the  Re- 
publican State  Committee  and  of  the 
Bridgeport  Republican  City  Committee 
has  covered  a  considerable  length  of  serv- 
ice, in  which  he  has  been  of  invalu- 
able aid  to  the  political  movements  and 
achievements  of  his  party.  Colonel  Hav- 
ens is  a  director  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Bridgeport  and  is  president  of 
the  Norwalk  Company  of  South  Norwalk, 
Connecticut.  He  is  affiliated  with  the 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  affiliated  with  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Bridgeport.  His  clubs  are  the 
Algonquin  and  Brooklawn  Country, 
Bridgeport. 

Colonel  Havens  married,  June  10,  1891, 
Emma  Curtis,  daughter  of  Freeman  Lewis 
and  Georgianna  Howard  Curtis,  of  Strat- 
ford, Connecticut.  Mrs.  Havens  is  a  sis- 
ter of  Judge  Howard  J.  Curtis  of  the  Con- 
necticut Supreme  Court.  Colonel  and 
Mrs.  Havens  have  children:  i.  Helen 
Curtis,  a  graduate  of  Columbia  Univer- 
sity ;  married  Howard  Lyons  Stone  of 
Bridgeport,  and  has  children,  Donald,  de- 
ceased ;  Howard,  Jr. ;  and  Jean  Stone.  2. 
Mabel  Howard,  a  graduate  of  Wellesley 
College;  married  Garner  Kippeu  Birds- 
eye,  and  has  one  son,  John  Havens  Birds- 
eye.  3.  Kate  Elinor,  a  graduate  of  Colum- 
bia University ;  married  Dr.  George 
Cowles  Brown,  and  has  children,  Eliza- 
beth and  Curtis  Havens  Brown.  4.  Eliza- 
beth Moore,  educated  at  the  Emma  Wil- 
lard  School,  Troy,  New  York;  married 


H.  Livingston  Morehouse,  secretary  of 
the  Bridgeport  Trust  Company,  and  has 
one  son,  Bradley  Morehouse.  5.  Emmy 
Lou  Havens,  educated  at  the  Emma  Wil- 
lard  School  and  Vassar  College. 


WALDO,  George  Curtis, 

Editor. 

When  a  half  century  ago,  April  1,  1867, 
George  C.  Waldo  came  to  Bridgeport  as 
local  reporter  and  city  editor  of  the 
"Standard,"  he  began  an  association  with 
that  paper  and  with  Connecticut  journal- 
ism which  has  never  been  broken.  His 
previous  efforts  in  law  and  business  had 
not  proved  to  his  liking,  his  tastes  and 
talents  from  youth  having  been  literary 
and  his  eflForts  in  other  directions  did  not 
prove  satisfactory.  His  mother,  a  writer 
and  poetess,  encouraged  the  literary 
tastes  of  her  son  and  under  her  direction 
he  absorbed  the  best  in  English  literature, 
his  reading  of  the  poets  being  very  ex- 
tensive. When  he  finally  embarked  upon 
the  sea  of  journalism  he  had  found  his 
proper  element,  his  search  had  terminated, 
and  as  editor-in-chief  he  remained  an  act- 
ive contributor  to  the  newspaper  on  which 
he  began  his  career.  During  this  half  cen- 
tury he  took  a  part  in  every  movement 
for  the  upbuilding  of  Bridgeport,  either 
personally  or  with  his  pen,  and  in  church, 
scientific  society,  historical  society,  and 
club  he  advanced  the  particular  ,object  for 
which  each  was  organized.  While  he 
made  the  political  fortunes  of  others  and 
ardently  supported  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  Party,  he  asked  nothing  im- 
portant for  himself  and  kept  compara- 
tively free  from  the  entanglements  of  po- 
litical office. 

He  traced  his  ancestry  through  seven 
generations  to  Cornelius  Waldo,  born 
about   1624,  in  England,  it  is  supposed, 


107 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


died  in  Chelmsford,  Massachusetts,  Jan- 
uary 3,  1700-01.  Cornelius  Waldo  claimed 
descent  from  John,  brother  of  Peter  Wal- 
do, founder  of  the  Waldenses  in  France, 
1 170.  Cornelius  Waldo  is  first  of  record 
at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  July  6,  1647. 
The  line  of  descent  from  Cornelius  Waldo, 
the  founder,  is  through  his  son,  John 
Waldo,  a  soldier  of  King  Philip's  War,  a 
deputy  to  the  General  Court  from  Dun- 
stable, Massachusetts,  in  1689;  later  a 
settler  in  Windham,  Connecticut.  He 
married  Rebecca  Adams,  daughter  of 
Captain  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Graves) 
Adams,  who  survived  him.  The  line  con- 
tinues through  Edw^ard  Waldo,  third  son 
of  John  Waldo,  a  teacher,  farmer,  lieu- 
tenant of  militia  and  Assemblyman  of 
Windham,  and  his  first  wife.  Thankful 
(Dimmock)  Waldo;  their  son,  Shubael 
Waldo,  and  his  wife,  Mary  (Allen)  Waldo ; 
their  son,  Daniel  Waldo,  of  Chester- 
field, New  Hampshire,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  and  his  wife,  Hannah  (Carl- 
ton) Waldo;  their  son  Shubael  (2)  Waldo, 
of  Chesterfield,  New  Hampshire,  and  his 
first  wife,  Rebekah  (Crosby)  Waldo; 
their  son,  Josiah  Crosby  Waldo,  and  his 
first  wife,  Elmira  Ruth  (Ballou)  Waldo, 
they  the  parents  of  George  Curtis  Waldo, 
of  Bridgeport. 

Josiah  Crosby  Waldo  was  born  Decem- 
ber 5,  1803,  at  Chesterfield,  New  Hamp- 
shire, died  August  28,  1890,  at  New  Lon- 
don, Connecticut.  He  studied  under  the 
Rev.  Hosea  Ballou,  of  Boston,  became  a 
minister  of  the  Universalist  Church  and 
gave  his  life  to  the  propagation  of  that 
faith.  His  work  was  widespread  in  his 
early  years,  covering  the  large  cities  and 
towns  of  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Indiana  and 
part  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee.  He  was 
a  pastor  of  the  First  Universalist  Church 
of  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  1835  to  1839,  and 
pastor  of  the  First  Universalist  Society  in 


West  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  1841-47, 
and  from  1849  to  1854  labored  in  Troy, 
New  York,  and  afterward  for  several 
years  in  New  London.  He  published  over 
one  hundred  controversial  sermons,  took 
part  in  many  public  debates,  organized 
several  church  societies  and  is  credited 
with  first  generally  introducing  ahe  Uni- 
versalist faith  in  the  West.  He  estab- 
lished and  for  many  years  published  a 
weekly  paper  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  "The 
Sentinel  and  Star  in  the  West,"  which 
subsequently,  through  successive  consoli- 
dations became  the  "Cincinnati  Times- 
Star,"  and  until  his  death  was  active  in 
the  work  of  his  church.  He  married 
(first),  October  26,  1831,  at  Boston,  El- 
mina  Ruth  Ballou,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Hosea  and  Ruth  (Washburn)  Ballou ;  she 
was  a  cousin  of  Eliza  Ballou,  mother  of 
President  James  A.  Garfield.  Mrs.  Waldo, 
born  April  3,  1810,  at  Portsmouth,  New 
Hampshire,  died  at  New  London,  Con- 
necticut, June  29,  1856;  she  was  a  woman 
of  fine  intellectuality,  a  writer  of  verse, 
the  periodicals  of  her  day  welcoming  her 
poems.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Josiah  Crosby 
Waldo  were  the  parents  of  Ella  Fiducia 
Oliver,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years  ;  George  Curtis,  of  further  mention ; 
Clemintina  Grace ;  Frances  Rebecca,  and 
Maturin  Ballou  Waldo. 

George  Curtis  Waldo,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  son  of  the  Rev.  Josiah  Crosby 
Waldo  and  his  first  wife,  Elmina  Ruth 
(Ballou)  Waldo,  was  born  in  Lynn,  Mas- 
sachusetts, March  20,  1837.  He  com- 
pleted public  school  courses  at  West 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  prepared  for 
college  at  Troy  Academy,  then  entered 
Tuft's  College,  whence  he  was  graduated 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  class  of  i860.  Later  he 
was  awarded  Master  of  Arts  in  course 
and  in  1900  his  alma  mater  conferred  upon 
him  the  honorary  degree  of  Litt.  D.    After 


108 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


graduation    from    Tuft's    he    began    the     first  high  school  building  was  erected  on 


study  of  law  in  the  offices  of  A.  C.  Lippit, 
of  New  London,  but  his  study  was  inter- 
rupted by  his  enlistment  in  Company  E, 
2d  Regiment  Connecticut  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, Colonel  A.  H.  Terry,  under  whom 
he  served  as  corporal  during  the  cam- 
paign of  1861.  He  was  ready,  but  im- 
paired health  prevented  his  reenlistment 
and  he  retired  from  the  service  at  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term,  three  months. 

After  his  return  from  the  army  he  re- 
sumed the  study  of  law,  then  for  a  time 
also  read  medicine  in  New  London,  then 
engaged  in  business  for  several  years, 
finally  in  1867  locating  in  Bridgeport, 
there  finding  his  true  sphere.  He  began 
his  journalistic  career  as  local  reporter 
and  city  editor  of  the  Bridgeport  "Stand- 
ard," two  years  later  became  associate 
editor  under  the  Hon.  John  D.  Candee, 
and  upon  Mr.  Candee's  death  in  1888,  suc- 
ceeded him  as  editor-in-chief  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Standard  Association,  the 
owning  corporation.  The  "Standard"  be- 
came one  of  the  important  dailies  of  New 
England.  As  president  of  the  corporation 
he  conserved  the  material  interests  of  the 
paper  and  as  editor  maintained  a  policy 
that  caused  his  paper  to  be  widely  quoted 
in  journals  throughout  the  country.  In 
politics  the  paper  and  its  editor  agreed 
(which  is  not  always  the  case)  and  both 
were  loyal  supporters  of  the  Republican 
party.  For  twenty-six  years  Dr.  Waldo 
was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Board 
of  Shell  Fish  Commissioners  and  for 
twenty  of  those  years  president  of  the 
board ;  he  was  also  for  twelve  years  one 
of  the  trustees  of  the  Insane  Hospital  at 
Norwich,  Connecticut. 

In  civic  affairs  he  pursued  the  same  dig- 
nified course  and  served  his  city  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Education.  That  serv- 
ice continued  for  five  years  and  when  the 


Congress  Street  he  was  one  of  the  com- 
mittee in  charge,  representing  town  and 
school  board.  He  was  for  fourteen  years 
a  director  in  the  Bridgeport  Public  Li- 
brary. He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Bridgeport  Scientific  Society,  was  for  five 
years  its  secretary,  and  at  the  time  the 
Historical  Society  merged  with  the  Scien- 
tific Society  he  was  vice-president  of  the 
former.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the 
old  Electric  Club ;  ex-president  of  the 
Seaside  and  Press  clubs  ;  for  several  years 
was  an  official  of  the  Republican  Club; 
was  a  director  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  and  since  1876  a  vestry- 
man of  Christ  Episcopal  Church,  serving 
five  years  as  junior  warden.  He  retained 
his  membership  and  interest  in  that  fast 
disappearing  body  of  gallant  men,  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Club  of 
Connecticut.  His  fraternities  were  Phi 
Beta  Kappa  and  Zeta  Psi,  and  he  held 
membership  in  many  other  organizations, 
fraternal,  literary  and  professional. 

Dr.  Waldo  married,  in  1874,  in  New 
Orleans,  Louisiana,  Annie  Frye,  daughter 
of  Major  Frederick  and  Matilda  (Brooks) 
Frye,  formerly  residents  of  Bridgeport, 
and  a  great-granddaughter  of  Colonel 
James  Frye,  of  Andover,  Massachusetts, 
who  commanded  a  regiment  at  Bunker 
Hill.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Waldo  were  the  par- 
ents of  four  children  :  Selden  C,  deceased; 
Rosalie  Hillman,  married  Roland  H.  Mal- 
lory ;  Maturin  Ballou ;  and  George  Cur- 
tis (2). 

To  the  last  of  his  long  life  Mr.  Waldo 
retained  his  youthful  vitality  of  thought 
and  mind.  With  memory  unfailing  and 
spirits  unimpaired,  he  kept  up  to  the  last 
his  daily  habit  of  writing  for  the  news- 
papers and  his  column  was  looked  for- 
ward   to   by    hundreds  of  Bridgeporters 


109 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


whose  letters  of  inquiry  and  approval 
testified  their  interest. 

His  final  years  of  life  were  passed  at  the 
home  of  his  son,  George  Waldo,  Jr.,  in 
Black  Rock,  Bridgeport,  where  he  died 
on  April  2,  1921.  Civic  and  professional 
bodies  paid  him  honor  as  he  was  laid  at 
rest  in  the  family  burial  plot  in  Mountain 
Grove  Cemetery,  Bridgeport. 

Mr.  Waldo's  name  and  his  professional 
tradition  are  carried  on  by  his  son,  George 
C.  Waldo,  Jr.,  who  succeeded  his  father  as 
editor  of  the  "Bridgeport  Standard,"  and 
later  editor-in-chief  of  the  "Bridgeport 
Post  and  Telegram,"  which  position  he 
now  holds. 


McNEIL,  Archibald, 

Coal  Dealer. 

The  McNeils  of  Bridgeport  have  in  the 
honored  head,  Archibald  (3)  McNeil,  an 
octogenarian  descendant  of  the  Scottish 
clan  of  that  name,  who  has  been  a  lead- 
ing man  of  the  city  in  business  and  poli- 
tics and  among  the  foremost  men  in  the 
councils  of  the  State  for  more  than  three 
decades.  Essentially  a  self-made  man, 
Mr.  McNeil  has  risen  virtually  by  his  own 
merits  to  the  important  place  that  he  oc- 
cupies in  the  commercial,  social  and  mu- 
nicipal life  of  Bridgeport  and  in  the  com- 
monwealth. Robust  of  mind  and  body, 
aggressive  in  the  better  meaning  of  that 
term,  progressive  in  his  worthy  ambition 
to  excel  in  business,  possessing  strong 
convictions  of  the  advantages  accruing  to 
dealer  and  buyer  in  the  application  of  the 
rule  of  strict  honesty,  a  clear  thinker,  a 
wise  legislator  when  a  member  of  tht 
local  board  of  government  and  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  Mr.  McNeil,  though  far 
advanced  in  years,  is  an  outstanding  and 
important  figure,  to  whom  his  three  sons 
and   his   fellow   citizens   may   point   with 


pride  as  a  worthy  example  of  that  which 
is  best  in  the  body  politic. 

Mr.  McNeil  comes  of  ancient  Scottish 
ancestry.  It  is  the  theory,  held  by  some 
members  of  the  now  widely  ramifying 
family,  that  the  McNeils  of  this  country 
can  trace  their  lineage  to  the  pure-blood 
MacNeills  of  Barra  and  the  MacNeills  of 
Gigha,  generally  admitted  to  have  a  com- 
mon origin.  Archibald  (3)  McNeil  is  in 
the  fifth  generation  from  Archibald  (i) 
McNeil,  founder  of  the  Connecticut  line 
and  a  highly  successful  trader  with  the 
West  Indies,  who  became  a  prominent 
citizen  and  a  public  official  of  New  Haven. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  in  this  con- 
nection that  in  the  mother  country  the  old 
stock — Americanized  to  McNeil^ — ^still  is 
vigorous  in  its  descendants,  who  occupy 
high  social  standing,  and  have  figured 
conspicuously  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
nation  politically,  commercially  and  spir- 
itually. The  virility  of  the  family  has 
been,  and  still  remains,  remarkable  for 
strength  of  character,  patriotism  and  lon- 
gevity. The  late  General  Sir  John  Car- 
stairs  McNeill  was  of  the  house  of  Mc- 
Neill of  Colonsay.  It  is  to  be  supposed 
that  the  family,  on  account  of  its  branches 
and  the  diversity  of  service,  has  a  number 
of  coats-of-arms.  Burke,  in  his  "General 
Armory,"  gives  the  arms  of  McNeil  (Fear 
Fergus,  Scotland)  as : 

Arms — Quarterly,  first  and  fourth,  azure,  a  lion 
rampant  argent;  second,  argent,  a  sinister  hand 
couped  fesseways  in  chief  and  in  base,  wavy  azure 
a  salmon  naiant  of  the  first ;  third,  or,  a  galley, 
her  oars  in  action  gules,  on  a  chief  of  the  last 
three  mullets  of  the  first. 

Crest — An  armed  man,  from  the  shoulder  issu- 
ing, holding  a   dagger  point  upwards,  all   proper. 

Motto — Vincere  vel  mori.     (To  conquer  or  die.) 

Honor  is  the  warriors  meed, 
Or  spar'd  to  live,  or  doom'd  to  die ; 

Whether  'tis  his  lot  to  bleed. 
Or  join  the  shout  of  victory; 

Alike  the  laurel  to  the  truly  brave 

That  binds  the  brow  or  consecrates  the  grave. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(I)  Archibald  McNeil,  founder  of  the 
Connecticut  line,  was  of  Branford,  where 
in  1735  he  purchased  lands.  Subsequently 
he  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  New  Haven, 
was  assessor  in  1740  and  surveyor  of 
highways  in  1746,  and  was  conspicuous  in 
real  estate  transactions.  A  circumstance 
of  particular  interest  is  his  participation 
as  one  of  the  "brothers"  in  founding  the 
first  lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
in  Connecticut  (now  known  as  Hiram 
Lodge  No.  i)  at  a  meeting  "held  at  Jehiel 
Tuttle's  in  New  Haven  on  the  festival  of 
St.  John  the  Evangelist,  1750."  This  was 
only  seventeen  years  after  the  institution 
of  Free  Masonry  in  the  American  Colo- 
nies (which  occurred  at  Boston,  July  3, 
1733)-  Archibald  McNeil  was  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  trade  with  the  West 
Indies,  in  partnership  with  Samuel  Cook 
(who  was  named  as  executor  of  his  will), 
and  was  owner  and  supercargo  of  the  ship 
"Peggy  and  Molly."  He  died  in  the  Is- 
land of  Jamaica  in  the  latter  part  of  1752, 
and  his  will  was  probated  in  July,  1753, 
by  his  widow,  who  was  placed  under  bond 
of  three  thousand  pounds  sterling,  in- 
dicative of  a  very  considerable  estate  for 
those  times.  He  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Samuel  and  Abigail  (Whiting) 
Russell,  and  widow  of  Benjamin  Fenn ; 
and  it  was  at  the  house  of  her  father  that 
the  founders  of  Yale  College  held  their 
first  meeting,  he  having  been  a  member 
of  that  distinguished  company.  She  was 
born  in  1708.  Children:  Archibald  (2), 
born  September  20,  1736;  Charles,  bap- 
tized January  18,  1739;  Charles,  baptized 
November  i,  1741 ;  John,  born  August  2, 
1745.  baptized  August  4,  1745,  removed 
to  Armenia  precinct,  Dutchess  County, 
New  York ;  Samuel,  baptized  October  9, 
1749,  of  Litchfield,  Connecticut. 

(II)  Archibald  McNeil,  eldest  child  of 
Archibald   (i)   and  Mary   (Russell)    Mc- 


Neil, was  born  in  Branford,  Connecticut, 
September  20,  1736,  and  baptized  October 
10  following.  He  lived  in  New  Haven 
and  Milford,  and  was  a  large  property 
owner ;  died  before  July  3,  1782,  when  the 
executor  of  his  estate  was  appointed.  On 
July  3,  1776,  he  enlisted  in  the  Continental 
forces.  He  married.  May  2,  1758,  at  New 
Haven,  Sarah  Clark.    Child :  William. 

(III)  William  McNeil,  son  of  Archi- 
bald and  Sarah  (Clark)  McNeil,  born  in 
New  Haven,  May  13,  1759.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  Yale  College,  class  of  1777,  and 
in  the  old  Yale  catalog  is  described  as  a 
sea  captain.  During  the  Revolution 
(January  30,  1782,  to  August  13,  1783)  he 
served  as  a  gunner  on  the  American  pri- 
vateer "Marquis  de  Lafayette,"  under 
Captain  Elisha  Hinman.  In  the  brief  war 
of  the  United  States  with  France  he  was 
again  on  the  same  vessel,  which  was  cap- 
tured by  the  enemy,  and  with  others  he 
was  for  some  time  confined  in  a  French 
prison.  On  account  of  this  event  he  was 
one  of  those  who  figured  in  the  celebrated 
French  spoliation  claims.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  business  in  Derby,  Connecticut. 
His  death  occurred  in  or  before  1808.  He 
married,  in  New  Haven,  Huldah  Augur. 
Children  (the  order  of  their  birth  not  be- 
ing exactly  known) :  Abraham  Archibald, 
born  July  21,  1802;  William ;  Maria,  mar- 
ried, September  12,  1824,  Russell  Bradley, 
of  New  Haven;  John,  had  a  daughter, 
Elizabeth,  who  married  John  E.  Wylie,  of 
New  Haven ;  Henry ;  Nancy,  married  R. 
Dickinson. 

(IV)  Abraham  A.  McNeil,  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Huldah  (Augur)  McNeil,  was 
born  in  Derby,  July  21,  1802.  In  early 
life  he  was  supercargo  of  vessels  in  the 
West  Indies  trade,  sailing  out  of  New 
Haven.  Removing  after  1825  to  Bridge- 
port, he  became  a  prominent  citizen  of 
that  community.     For  some  time  he  was 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


associated  in  the  shoe  manufacturing 
business  with  Samuel  Hodges,  his  wife's 
uncle.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  system 
of  lighthouses  in  Bridgeport  Harbor,  and 
for  many  years  before  his  death  was  the 
keeper  of  the  lighthouse  at  the  entrance 
of  the  harbor.  Mr.  McNeil  died  in  Bridge- 
port May  II,  1873.  He  married  in  Bridge- 
port, November  25,  1827,  Mary  Ann, 
daughter  of  Captain  William  Hulse,  who, 
in  1813,  was  lost  at  sea  with  all  the  crew 
of  the  brig  "William,"  sailing  out  of 
Bridgeport.  She  was  born  November  11, 
1811,  died  in  July,  1892.  Children:  i. 
Charles  Hubbell,  born  December  14, 1828; 
was  engaged  in  business  pursuits,  being 
for  many  years  associated  with  his  brother 
Archibald ;  twice  married,  but  had  no  is- 
sue ;  his  widow  married  (second)  Captain 
Alvin  P.  Hunt.  2.  John,  born  October  9, 
1830 ;  many  years  harbor  master  of  Bridge- 
port, and  a  highly  public-spirited  citizen, 
especially  active  in  all  movements  for  the 
improvement  of  the  harbor ;  married,  1865, 
Anna,  daughter  of  James  and  Anna  Maria 
(Barnes)  Scofield  of  New  York,  and  is 
survived  by  one  daughter,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Rev.  Louis  N.  Booth  of  Bridge- 
port. 3.  Samuel  William,  born  March  16, 
1832,  deceased.  4.  Eliza  Maria,  born  Jan- 
uary 9,  1834,  died  March  6,  1835.  5. 
Josiah  Hoyt,  born  February  9,  1835,  died 
August  24,  1836.  6.  and  7.  (twins)  born 
August  31,  1837,  Augustus,  died  August 
18,  1838,  and  Sidney  Adolphus,  deceased, 
who  was  a  citizen  of  Bridgeport  and 
keeper  of  the  lighthouse,  and  is  survived 
by  his  widow.  8.  Mary  Hoyt,  born  Octo- 
ber 20,  1839,  died  November  25,  1840. 
9.  Mary  Hoyt,  December  12,  1840,  de- 
ceased. 10.  Archibald  (3),  of  whom  fur- 
ther. II.  Maria  Longworth,  born  Decem- 
ber 25,  1845,  deceased ;  married  Lester  J. 
Bradley  ;  no  surviving  children.  12.  Sarah, 
born  August  28,  1848,  died  in  1853. 


(V)  Archibald  (3)  McNeil,  in  the  fifth 
generation  from  his  American  forebear, 
Archibald  (i)  McNeil,  was  the  tenth  child 
of  Abraham  Archibald  and  Mary  Ann 
(Hulse)  McNeil,  and  was  born  at  Bridge- 
port, July  2,  1843.  Having  received  his 
preliminary  education  at  Sellick's  School, 
Bridgeport,  he  attended  the  famous 
Thomas  School  at  New  Haven  and  the 
Hopkins  Grammar  School  of  that  city, 
being  graduated  from  the  last-named 
school  in  the  class  of  i860.  He  next 
entered  the  ship-chandlery  store  of  his 
brother,  Charles  H.  McNeil,  which  then 
was  situated  opposite  the  old  railroad  sta- 
tion and  steamboat  landing  at  Bridgeport. 
In  1863  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  brother,  the  firm  name  being  McNeil 
Brothers,  wholesale  dealers  in  fruit  and 
produce.  In  1876  the  brothers,  having 
looked  afield  for  the  enlargement  of  their 
business  relations  and  activities,  removed 
to  New  York  City  and  located  at  84  Broad 
Street,  under  the  style  of  Archibald  Mc- 
Neil &  Company,  wholesale  dealers  in  but- 
ter and  cheese.  A  wider  domain  of  trade 
lured  them  to  a  much  broader  field  of 
operations,  and  in  1879  they  engaged  in 
the  export  and  import  business  with  Cuba, 
making  the  principal  commodities  of  their 
trade  bituminous  coal  and  produce.  Dis- 
continuing the  establishment  in  New 
York  City  in  1888,  Mr.  McNeil  returned 
to  Bridgeport,  and  in  that  city  he  estab- 
lished a  coal  business,  which  since  has 
grown  to  large  proportions.  Later  he  in- 
corporated the  business  under  the  style 
of  Archibald  McNeil  &  Sons  Company, 
Incorporated,  the  other  members  of  the 
concern  being  Mr.  McNeil's  three  sons, 
Archibald  (4),  Kenneth  W.  and  Roderick 
C.  Through  years  of  honest  effort,  pains- 
taking devotion  to  business,  active  par- 
ticipation in  the  civic  and  social  life  of 
the  city,  Mr.  McNeil  attained  a  high  place 
112 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  busi- 
ness public  and  the  political  body.  He 
became  a  conspicuous  citizen,  and  with- 
out the  element  of  self-seeking  playing  an 
obtrusive  part  in  his  life,  he  rose  to  a  place 
of  prominence  in  the  community.  He  be- 
came closely  identified  with  the  best 
movements  politically,  and  he  allied  him- 
self with  the  Democratic  party.  He  was 
never  forthputting  of  himself  for  public 
office,  but  he  has  on  several  occasions 
been  impressed  into  service  as  a  candidate 
of  his  party,  and  has  ever  in  public  office, 
as  in  his  business  affairs,  conducted  him- 
self with  dignity  and  great  efficiency.  He 
became  extremely  popular  with  the  elec- 
torate in  his  constituencies,  and  this  popu- 
larity obtains  until  the  present  day.  His 
first  public  office  came  in  1872,  when  he 
was  elected  to  represent  the  old  Second 
Ward  in  the  Common  Council  of  Bridge- 
port. In  i8g6,  when  William  Jennings 
Bryan  made  the  first  of  his  numerous  at- 
tempts to  win  the  Presidency,  Mr.  McNeil 
was  a  candidate  for  the  Connecticut  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  He  was  defeated,  but  had 
the  gratification  of  having  run  four  hun- 
dred votes  ahead  of  his  ticket.  In  1897 
he  was  offered  the  Democratic  mayoralty 
nomination,  but  he  refused  to  make  the 
run.  In  1902  he  was  elected  to  the  Con- 
necticut State  Senate  by  a  large  majority, 
and  he  was  reelected  in  1906,  "defeating 
the  Republican  State  leader  in  a  district 
probably  the  wealthiest,  most  conserva- 
tive and  most  consistently  Republican  in 
the  State."  He  was  nominated  by  his 
party  associates  for  president  pro  tempore 
of  the  State  Senate,  and  by  this  act  was 
chosen  the  Democratic  leader  of  that 
body.  The  following  encomium  was  given 
of  his  record  of  service  in  the  State 
Senate. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  there  have  been  many 

times  when  Senator  McNeil,  abandoning  the  posi- 

Conn.  11 — 8  I 


tion  assumed  by  some  of  his  best  friends,  has 
fought  almost  alone  for  some  measure  which  he 
believed  to  be  right,  or  against  some  measure  he 
thought  to  be  wrong.  And  his  whole  legislative 
record  has  been  a  steady  and  determined  refusal  to 
advocate  or  countenance  any  measure,  which,  in 
his  opinion,  would  not  be  entirely  for  the  best 
interests  of  the  State  or  its  institutions. 

Mr.  McNeil  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Eclectic  Club,  thus  becoming  a 
charter  member,  and  has  served  as  its 
president.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Seaside 
Club  and  the  Algonquin  Club,  and  served 
the  latter  body  as  its  first  president,  hav- 
ing occupied  that  office  for  two  years.  For 
four  years,  1874-1877,  he  was  commodore 
of  the  old  Bridgeport  Yacht  Club,  and  he 
became  a  governor  of  the  Bridgeport 
Yacht  Club  and  served  as  its  commodore 
in  1899- 1900.  He  is  a  member  of  General 
Silliman  Chapter,  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

Mr.  McNeil  married,  October  2,  1881,  at 
New  York  City,  Jean  McKenzie,  daugh- 
ter of  George  J.  Clan  Ranald  of  New  York 
City.  Their  children:  i.  Archibald  (4), 
born  in  New  York,  June  i,  1883.  2.  Ken- 
neth Wylie,  born  in  Bridgeport,  Septem- 
ber 14,  1885.  3.  Roderick  Clan  Ranald, 
born  in  Bridgeport,  March  20,  1888. 


HUBBELL,  Harvey, 

Mannfacturer, 

Harvey  Hubbell,  president  and  treas- 
urer of  Harvey  Hubbell,  Incorporated, 
enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  foun- 
der and  head  of  one  of  the  leading  in- 
dustries of  that  important  manufacturing 
center  of  Connecticut,  the  city  of  Bridge- 
port. The  products  of  his  concern,  par- 
ticularly his  electrical  specialties,  are  in 
general  use  throughout  this  country  and 
in  many  foreign  parts  of  the  world.  Vir- 
tually all  the  appliances  or  devices  manu- 
factured at  his  plant  are  the  creation  of 

13 


L 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Hubbell's  inventive  genius,  which  has 
made  possible  the  inception,  growth  and 
influence  of  his  establishment.  High 
standards  of  quality  of  materials  and 
workmanship  and  conscientious  super- 
vision of  the  manufacturing  details  and 
marketing  of  the  products  are  the  ele- 
ments which  have  entered  into  and  en- 
compassed the  success  that  has  attended 
the  progress  of  this  business.  One  of  the 
most  highly  prized  of  the  numerous  testi- 
monials that  have  been  bestowed  upon 
Harvey  Hubbell,  Incorporated,  is  the  fol- 
lowing, from  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  concern's  very  prac- 
tical and  highly  patriotic  aid  in  war  work 
which  helped  win  the  World  War: 

The  War  Department  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  in  this  award,  recognizes  the  distin- 
g^uished  service,  loyalty  and  efficiency  in  the  per- 
formance of  war  work  by  which  Harvey  Hubbell, 
Incorporated,  aided  materially  in  obtaining  victory 
for  the  arms  of  the  United  States  of  America  in 
the  war  between  the  Imperial  German  Government 
and  the  Imperial  and  Royal  Austro-Hungarian 
Government. 

It  has  been  a  matter  of  tradition  in  the 
Hubbell  family  for  centuries  that  its  pro- 
genitor was  a  Dane ;  though  whether  he 
was  a  Hubba  or  a  warrior  Harald  Hub- 
bald,  who  came  to  England  with  Canute, 
the  Danish  King,  who  reigned  over  Eng- 
land (995-1033  A.  D.),  is  not  recorded — 
at  least  in  England.  The  "Domesday 
Book"  of  William  the  Conqueror,  made  in 
1086,  records  the  name  of  Hugo  Hubald 
as  holding  land  at  Ipsley,  Warwickshire, 
England,  before  the  Norman  invasion 
(1066  A.  D.)  of  Osbern,  son  of  Richard, 
and  this  same  land  was  in  the  possession 
of  his  descendants  at  Ipsley  in  the  direct 
male  line,  passing  to  the  eldest  son  of 
each  succeeding  generation  until  Novem- 
ber 10,  1730,  when  the  direct  male  line 
became  extinct.     This  Hugo  Hubald  (or 


Hubbald)  was  the  founder  of  the  Hubball 
family  in  England  and  of  the  Hubbell 
family  in  America. 

Harvey  (2)  Hubbell,  of  this  review,  is 
the  son  of  Harvey  (i)  and  Caroline 
(Pinto-Hadley)  Hubbell,  and  the  seventh 
in  line  of  descent  from  Richard  (the  First) 
Hubbell,  his  immigrant  ancestor,  who 
came  from  England  to  America  between 
1631  and  1639.  From  Richard  (the  First) 
the  line  descends  through : 

(II)  James  Hubbell  of  Stratford,  Fair- 
field County,  Connecticut,  born  in  1673, 
died  October,  1777,  at  New  Milford,  Con- 
necticut, son  of  Richard  (i)  Hubbell.  He 
married  Patience,  daughter  of  Henry 
Summers  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 
She  was  born  in  1683  and  died  September 
29,  1753-  Children:  Andrew,  of  whom 
further;  Abiah,  born  August  11,  1708; 
Sarah,  born  September  12, 171 1 ;  Elnathan, 
born  September  22,  1717;  Patience,  born 
April  8,  1722. 

(III)  Andrew  Hubbell  of  Stratford, 
Fairfield  County,  Connecticut,  born  June 
22,  1706,  died  in  1776-77,  was  the  son  of 
James  Hubbell.  He  married  (first)  Sarah 
who  died  July  20,  1736.  Children,  by  the 
first  marriage:  Elijah,  born  May  9,  1727; 
Jerusha,  born  May  19,  1729,  married 
Seeley;  Parnach,  born  January  22,  1730; 
Hannah,  born  November  12,  1732,  mar- 
ried Beers,  died  before  1777;  Sarah,  born 
August  5,  1734.  Andrew  Hubbell  married 
(second)  December  2,  1736,  Mary  Welles. 
She  was  born  in  1714.  Children  by  the 
second  marriage :  Gideon,  born  October 
6,  1737;  James,  born  November  6,  1738; 
Andrew  (2),  born  February  7,  1740; 
Sarah,  born  November  18,  1741 ;  Matthew, 
of  whom  further ;  Abiah,  married  Wood- 
cock ;  Mary,  married  Northrup ;  Rhoda, 
married  Bennett. 

(IV)  Matthew  Hubbell  of  Easton  (then 
Huntington),  Fairfield  County,  Connecti- 


114 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cut,  was  born  April  17,  1745,  died  April 
12,  1812,  a  son  of  Andrew  Hubbell.  He 
married  Abigail  Burton,  born  in  1758, 
died  February  20,  1812.  Children:  Gideon 
Summers,  of  whom  further ;  Andrew 
Read ;  David  Burton,  died  November  9, 
1825 ;  Ruth,  married  Winton,  died  Decem- 
ber 5,  1812 ;  Hannah,  married  Lyon,  died 
July  5,  1846. 

(V)  Gideon  Summers  Hubbell,  of 
Easton,  Fairfield  County,  Connecticut, 
was  born  July  3,  1768,  died  in  Bloomfield, 
Ohio,  January  25,  1842,  a  son  of  Matthew 
Hubbell.  He  married  (first)  Sarah  Tread- 
well,  born  May  2,  1762,  died  October  19, 
1805.  Children,  by  the  first  marriage : 
Burton,  born  July  30,  1788,  died  Novem- 
ber 27,  1859;  Philena,  born  February  14, 
1790,  died  in  1873 ;  Preston,  born  May  20, 
1792;  Nathan,  died  August  14,  1821 ; 
Zalmon,  born  October  27,  1794;  Harvey 
(i),  of  whom  further;  Eruxton,  born  May 
7,  1800,  died  October  23,  1800;  Washing- 
ton, born  March  19,  1803 ;  Preston,  died 
August  17,  1829;  Malvina,  died  June  29, 
1823.  Gideon  Summers  Hubbell  married 
(second)  Sarah  Wheeler,  born  May  15, 
1775,  died  October  5,  1846.  Child  by  the 
second  marriage :  Sarah,  born  June  14, 
1807. 

(VI)  Harvey  Hubbell  (i)  of  Long 
Hill,  Fairfield  County,  Connecticut,  born 
March  6,  1797,  died  July  2,  1882,  was  a 
son  of  Gideon  Summers  and  Sarah  (Tread- 
well)  Hubbell.  He  married  (first)  Polly 
Sherman,  January  5,  1819.  He  married 
(second)  Caroline  (Pinto)  Hadley,  Octo- 
ber 22,  1855.  After  he  received  a  common 
school  education  he  served  four  years  as 
an  apprentice  in  the  tailoring  trade  to  his 
father  at  Easton,  Connecticut.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  years,  in  company  with 
three  young  men,  he  started  for  the  then 
"far  off  State  of  Ohio"  to  seek  his  fortune. 
They  made  the  journey  in  thirty-three 
days,  walking  leisurely    from    place    to 


place,  until  Harvey  (i)  Hubbell  arrived 
at  Columbus.  There  he  plied  his  trade  of 
tailor,  and  within  two  years  of  his  arrival 
he  returned  to  Connecticut  to  marry,  in 
1819,  the  young  woman  to  whom  he  al- 
ready was  engaged,  Polly,  daughter  of 
David  Sherman  of  Trumbull,  Connecticut. 
His  father  entreated  him  to  abandon  the 
idea  of  returning  to  the  West  and  to  re- 
main in  Connecticut  for  his  sake.  Like  a 
dutiful  son  that  he  was,  he  did  as  his 
father  desired  and  settled  in  Weston  and 
there  worked  industriously  at  his  trade. 
He  was  a  man  of  unusual  ability  and  at- 
tained prominence  and  position  in  the 
community.  He  was  made  a  captain  of 
militia  and  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  1836  he  disposed  of  his  tailor- 
ing business  in  Easton  and  removed  to 
New  York  City,  where  he  was  given 
charge  of  a  large  clothing  house  in  the 
New  Orleans  trade,  subsequently  becom- 
ing a  partner,  the  concern  being  known 
as  Taylor,  Hubbell  &  Co.  In  1862,  shar- 
ing the  general  losses  that  resulted  from 
the  Civil  War,  he  removed  from  New 
York  City  to  Long  Hill,  Connecticut, 
where  he  established  a  factory  for  the 
manufacture  of  men's  underwear.  He 
was  about  twenty-two  years  of  age  when 
he  married  Polly  Sherman.  They  had 
children:  i.  Orange  Scott  Hubbell.  2. 
Charles  Elliott  Hubbell.  3.  Harriet  At- 
wood  Hubbell.  4.  John  Wesley  Hubbell. 
5.  Wilbur  Fish  Hubbell.  By  his  second 
wife  he  had  children :  6.  Carrie  L.,  died 
February  24,  1857,  at  the  age  of  five 
months,  fifteen  days.  7.  Harvey  (2)  Hub- 
bell, of  this  review.  8.  Carrie,  died  De- 
cember I,  1882,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years.  Polly  (Sherman)  Hubbell  died 
October  27,  1854,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six 
years.  Caroline  (Pinto-Hadley)  Hubbell, 
born  July  30,  1819,  died  October  22,  1905, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 

(VII)   Harvey    (2)     Hubbell,    son    of 


"5 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Harvey  (i)  and  Caroline  (Pinto-Hadley) 
Hubbell,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  December  20,  1857.  His  education 
was  received  at  Easton  Academy,  Easton, 
Connecticut,  at  Eastman's  Business  Col- 
lege, Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  and  at 
Cooper  Institute,  New  York  City.  In  his 
early  life  he  displayed  an  aptitude  for 
mechanics,  and  this  was  especially  notice- 
able, following  his  school  days,  when  he 
gave  it  full  rein  to  the  end  that  he  might 
become  fully  accomplished  along  his 
chosen  line  of  work.  His  gift  for  doing 
things  mechanical  was  first  principally 
employed  in  the  designing  and  manufac- 
ture of  printing  presses  with  the  Potter 
Printing  Works  and  the  Cranston  Print- 
ing Press  Works  of  Norwich,  Connecti- 
cut. For  a  time  he  was  with  John  Roach 
&  Son,  ship  and  marine  engine  builders, 
of  New  York  City  and  Chester,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Following  his  days  of  labor  he 
formed  the  commendable  and  profitable 
habit  of  devoting  his  evenings  to  study 
and  drafting,  by  which  he  familiarized 
himself  with  the  theoretical  as  well  as 
with  the  practical  side  of  his  vocation. 
His  capacity  for  perfecting  inventions 
soon  manifested  itself,  and  he  went  to 
Bridgeport,  where  in  a  humble  way  he 
began  the  manufacture  of  two  articles 
which  he  had  designed  and  had  patented. 
This  small  and  unpretentious  beginning 
was  actually  the  inception  of  his  career 
as  an  inventor  and  manufacturer.  He  de- 
voted himself  assiduously  to  his  business, 
and  his  keen  eye  perceived  the  possibili- 
ties of  commercializing  the  electrical  in- 
dustry, then  in  its  infancy.  To  the  elec- 
trical needs  of  the  time  Mr.  Hubbell  ap- 
plied his  knowledge  of  mechanics,  and  al- 
most without  conscious  effort  on  his  part 
he  found  himself  a  beneficiary  of  the 
transition  into  this  new  field  of  science. 
Domestic  and  industrial  appliances  were 


in  demand  for  general  use,  and  the  de- 
mands increased  by  leaps  and  bounds. 
Mr.  Hubbell  diverted  his  time,  talents  and 
energy  in  the  direction  of  supplying  that 
demand,  and  to  his  lines  of  manufacture 
he  added  numerous  electrical  specialties. 
Among  his  patented  devices  which  have 
come  into  general  use  are  the  Hubbell 
Pull  Socket  and  the  Hubbell  Interchange- 
able Attachment  Plug,  besides  many  other 
articles  made  practical  with  the  use  of 
electricity.  Mr.  Hubbell  was  the  first  to 
make  rolled  thread  machine  screws  with 
automatic  machinery,  and  a  part  of  his 
manufacturing  plant  is  given  to  this  spec- 
ial line.  One  of  the  chief  secrets  of  Mr. 
Hubbell's  successful  career  is  his  deter- 
mination to  keep  pace  with  the  developed 
needs  of  the  industry — electrical  and  me- 
chanical. He  maintains  a  close  personal 
touch  with  all  departments  of  his  busi- 
ness, letting  no  important  detail  go  un- 
supervised, whether  it  be  engineering, 
manufacturing  or  selling.  Therein  lies 
the  genius  of  the  Hubbell  establishment ; 
it  is  distinctively  the  creature  of  his  own 
brain  and  the  child  of  his  own  culture. 
The  prestige  and  good-will  that  attach  to 
the  business  have  come  to  it  through 
nearly  four  decades  of  faithful  devotion 
and  intelligent  application.  The  business 
was  incorporated  under  its  present  style 
in  1905. 

Mr.  Hubbell  is  a  member  of  the  Associ- 
ated Manufacturers  of  Electrical  Supplies. 
He  is  a  communicant  of  the  United 
Church  of  Bridgeport  and  a  member  of 
its  finance  committee.  He  is  of  the  Re- 
publican persuasion  of  politics.  His  clubs 
are  the  Electrical  Manufacturers',  Auto- 
mobile Club  of  America,  Union  League  of 
New  York  City  and  the  Brooklawn  and 
Algonquin  of  Bridgeport. 

Mr.  Hubbell  married,  December  2, 1896, 
Louie  E.   Edwards,  daughter  of  Robert 


116 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  Sereta  (Edwards)  Edwards  of  Port 
Jefferson,  New  York.  They  have  one 
son,  Harvey  (3)  Hubbell,  Jr.,  born  May 
23,  1901,  in  Bridgeport;  educated  in  pri- 
vate schools  and  graduated  from  the 
Choate  School  of  Wallingford,  Connecti- 
cut ;  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
Hubbell  organization  at  Bridgeport ;  a 
member  of  the  Brooklawn  Club. 

The  House  of  Hubbell  has  its  official 
headquarters  and  plant  at  State  Street 
and  Bostwick  Avenue,  and  the  Hubbell 
family  residence  is  No.  262  Park  Avenue, 
Bridgeport. 


LOCKHART,  Dr.  Reuben  A., 

Pbysician. 

Beloved  in  a  wide  circle  of  permanent 
friendships  and  highly  esteemed  for  his 
real  worth  as  a  member  of  the  medical 
profession,  whose  life  and  labors  among 
the  people  of  Bridgeport  and  its  vicinity 
had  embraced  a  period  of  nearly  thirty- 
five  years,  during  which  time  he  had  en- 
deared himself  to  thousands  to  whom  he 
had  ministered.  Dr.  Reuben  A.  Lockhart 
laid  aside  the  mantle  of  service  he  had 
worn  so  becomingly,  November  6,  1924, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years,  when  seem- 
ingly he  was  in  the  prime  of  life  and  at 
the  height  of  his  powers,  both  as  a  unit  of 
the  medical  profession  and  as  a  citizen 
who  could  ill  be  spared  from  a  community, 
many  of  whose  people  felt  a  personal  loss 
when  he  was  removed  from  their  midst. 
The  public's  sense  of  affliction  caused  by 
the  death  of  Dr.  Lockhart  is  expressed  in 
the  tribute  voiced  by  another : 

On  all  sides  ....  when  the  news  of  Dr.  Lock- 
hart's  death  became  generally  known  there  were 
many  sincere  expressions  of  sympathy.  As  an 
examiner  for  one  of  the  insurance  companies 
which  caters  particularly  to  the  working  classes, 
he  had  been   a  welcome   visitor   in   hundreds   of 


homes,  where  his  sympathetic  attitude  made  and 
retained  for  him  innumerable  warm  friendships. 

He  was  a  prodigious  worker  and  intensely 
devoted  to  the  highest  ideals  of  his  profession.  His 
personality  was  of  the  wholesome  and  friendly 
type,  and  in  all  circles  which  he  frequented  he  was 
an  ornament 

In  his  passing  the  medical  profession  loses  one 
of  its  most  valuable  members  and  the  city  a  citizen 
who  always  strove  for  the  best. 

Reuben  A.  Lockhart  was  a  fine  example 
of  the  initiative,  force  of  character  and 
energy  of  the  Canadian  born  youth  who 
have  in  such  great  numbers  become 
grafted  into  the  body  politic  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  born  in  Halifax,  Nova 
Scotia,  September  18,  1870,  being  one  of 
three  children  of  his  parents,  who  when 
he  was  five  years  of  age  removed  with 
their  family  from  Halifax  to  Bridgeport. 
In  the  city  of  Bridgeport,  after  the  family 
had  settled  in  their  new  home,  the  senior 
Lockhart  engaged  in  the  retail  grocery 
business.  His  son  Reuben  attended  the 
public  schools  of  the  city  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Bridgeport  high  school  in 
the  class  of  1888.  In  the  autumn  of  1888 
he  matriculated  at  Yale,  and  after  he  had 
completed  his  medical  course,  he  was 
graduated  in  1891  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine.  In  his  high  school 
days  and  while  a  student  of  Yale,  Dr. 
Lockhart  was  something  of  a  celebrity 
because  of  his  athletic  prowess.  At  the 
high  school  he  was  captain  of  the  foot- 
ball team  and  at  Yale  he  was  catcher  on 
the  varsity  baseball  team.  He  was  recog- 
nized not  only  as  an  able  student  but  also 
as  possessing  strength  and  skill  which 
added  to  the  prestige  of  his  alma  mater's 
athletic  department. 

Dr.  Lockhart  took  up  the  practice  of  his 
profession  immediately  upon  his  gradua- 
tion from  the  Yale  department  of  medi- 
cine. He  made  the  city  of  Bridgeport,  his 
by  right  of  adoption,  the  scene  of  his  pro- 


117 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


fessional  and  civic  activities.  While  yet  a 
young  man  in  the  field  of  medical  practice 
Dr.  Lockhart  conquered  many  a  hill  of 
difficulty,  and  he  recorded  numerous  tri- 
umphs over  early  hardships  while  he  was 
winning  his  way  into  the  confidence  of  the 
people  whom  he  so  earnestly  desired  to 
serve  with  the  best  that  he  could  give 
them  of  his  native  talent  and  acquired 
skill.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  he 
had  won  many  laurels  and  numerous 
friends.  His  patients  and  other  acquaint- 
ances found  in  him  a  loyal  and  true  friend, 
a  wise  counselor  in  their  hours  of  illness 
and  a  sincere  and  sympathetic  comforter 
in  times  of  deepest  trial.  "His  kind  deeds 
and  genial  personality  will  be  remembered 
for  many  years  to  come."  In  1891  Dr. 
Lockhart  was  appointed  a  medical  ex- 
aminer for  the  John  Hancock  Life  Insur- 
ance Company.  He  continued  in  that  as- 
sociation until  the  time  of  his  death.  Dur- 
ing his  incumbency  he  had  gone  into 
thousands  of  homes  containing  applicants 
for  insurance,  and  by  his  tact,  friendly  as 
well  as  formal  offices,  he  had  added  to  his 
already  long  list  of  close  and  enduring 
friendships. 

Dr.  Lockhart  was  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Heptasophs,  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  3,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  Samuel  Harris 
Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows; Joseph  Dowling  Lodge,  Knights  of 
Pythias;  Ivy  Grove  Lodge,  Woodmen's 
Circle ;  the  Foresters  of  America,  the 
Bridgeport  and  Fairfield  County  Medical 
associations,  Yale  Alumni  Association, 
Delta  Epsilon  Iota  fraternity,  Nu  Sigma 
Nu  Medical  Fraternity,  the  Brooklawn 
and  Algonquin  clubs,  and  of  the  staff  of  the 
Bridgeport  Hospital.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  served  on  the  board  of 
Aldermen  and  the  Board  of  Education  of 
the    city    of    Bridgeport;  a    member  of 


Washington    Park    M.    E.    Church    and 
trustee  of  Trinity  M.  E.  Church. 

Dr.  Lockhart  married,  June  13,  1894, 
Elizabeth  Uschman,  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick and  Henrietta  Loezer  Uschman,  one 
of  the  well  known  and  older  residents  of 
Bridgeport.  To  them  were  born  two  sons : 
R.  Harold  Lockhart,  born  November  25, 
1902,  a  medical  student  at  Yale,  and  Royal 
Arthur  Lockhart,  born  June  8,  1900. 


WATSON,  General  Thomas  Lansdell, 
Banker  and  Broker. 

The  city  of  Bridgeport  has  produced 
many  notable  characters  who  have  loomed 
large  in  the  world  of  finance  and  industry, 
but  none  has  occupied,  perhaps,  a  larger 
place,  inclusive  of  the  American  metrop- 
olis, than  did  General  Thomas  L.  Watson, 
born  in  Bridgeport  December  13,  1847, 
died  December  10,  1919,  who  became  a 
power  in  financial  institutions,  an  execu- 
tive of  a  number  of  large  organizations, 
vice-president  of  the  New  York  Consoli- 
dated Stock  Exchange  and  brigadier-gen- 
eral of  the  Connecticut  Brigade  of  the 
National  Guard,  in  which  position,  as  in 
all  others,  he  distinguished  himself  for 
unusual  ability.  General  Watson  was  of 
that  type  of  men  who  accomplish  things 
by  sheer  force  of  native  capacity  plus  a 
rich  fund  of  information  that  came  to  him 
through  long  years  of  valued  experience 
with  men  and  affairs  on  high  planes  of 
endeavor.  Like  so  many  men  who  have 
risen  from  humble  beginnings  to  places 
of  trust  and  responsibility,  in  which  they 
have  merited  the  confidence  reposed  in 
them  by  their  associates,  the  while  they 
more  securely  and  with  remarkable  suc- 
cess erected  the  basis  of  their  career.  Gen- 
eral Watson  made  every  move  count  for  all 
that  was  worth  from  every  ounce  of  worth 
that  was  in  him  as  he  patiently  and  with 


118 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


courage  and  fortitude  ascended  the  lad- 
der on  whose  bottom  rung  he  had  set  his 
foot  in  the  days  of  his  youth.  In  con- 
nection with  a  commendable  ambition  to 
succeed  in  life  he  was  fired  with  an  earnest 
desire  to  be  of  the  best  service  possible 
in  him  to  his  fellow  men,  and  especially 
to  those  organizations  with  which  he  was 
associated  first  as  an  employee  and  later 
as  a  holder  of  superior  positions.  It  was 
this  quality  of  intelligent  and  unselfish 
devotion  to  the  cause  at  hand  that  con- 
tributed in  no  little  degree  to  the  splendid 
record  he  had  made  in  the  field  of  finance 
and  in  military  affairs  and  in  religious  cir- 
cles. He  was  noted  also  for  his  almost 
ceaseless  activity  throughout  his  long  life 
of  seventy-two  years,  and  by  many  of  his 
former  associates  in  his  different  enter- 
prises he  is  remembered  alike  for  his  re- 
markable capacity  for  work,  his  celerity 
of  movement  and  clarity  of  judgment  as 
well  as  for  his  other  personal  character- 
istics. 

Son  of  Dr.  William  Lansdell  and  Jean- 
ette  (Nichols)  Watson,  his  father  having 
been  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Bal- 
timore, Maryland,  and  his  mother  a  de- 
scendant of  the  well-known  Nichols  fam- 
ily of  Greenfield  Hill,  Thomas  L.  Watson 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Bridgeport,  and  then 
entered  the  Military  Institute  at  Milford, 
Connecticut.  With  a  view  to  making  life 
in  the  army  his  profession,  it  was  sup- 
posed that  he  would  fill  a  cadet's  uniform 
at  West  Point,  but  owing  to  a  serious 
accident  he  was  obliged,  much  against 
his  will,  to  forego  a  federal  soldier's  career 
and  instead  entered  the  business  world, 
where  he  was  destined  to  make  a  brilliant 
record.  His  first  employment  in  the 
sphere  of  business  was  in  the  position  of 
clerk  at  the  Farmers'  Bank  of  Bridgeport. 
From  that  institution  he  advanced  to  a 


more  lucrative  and  responsible  position 
at  the  City  National  Bank  of  Bridgeport. 
He  had  now  accumulated  a  valuable  store 
of  knowledge  of  banks  and  banking,  and 
after  a  period  of  service  at  the  City  Na- 
tional he  resigned  his  position  to  become  a 
partner  in  the  private  banking  and  broker- 
age business  with  Daniel  Hatch.  Novem- 
ber I,  1866,  the  firm  of  Hatch  &  Watson 
began  to  do  business  in  Bridgeport.  Fol- 
lowing the  death  of  Mr.  Hatch,  the  busi- 
ness was  carried  on  by  Mr.  Watson,  the 
name  being  changed  to  T.  L.  Watson  & 
Company.  General  Watson  had  begun 
to  look  further  afield  in  his  desire  to 
enlarge  his  business,  and  in  1879  he  ex- 
tended his  interests  to  New  York  City, 
at  55  Broadway,  where  he  became  head 
of  the  brokerage  firm  of  Watson  &  Gib- 
son. This  house  continued  in  successful 
operation  over  a  period  of  years,  and 
through  his  association  with  important 
business  men  and  large  affairs  in  New 
York  City  and  Bridgeport,  General  Wat- 
son came  to  hold  many  positions  of  high 
responsibility  and  trust  in  both  cities. 

He  served  the  City  National  Bank  as 
one  of  its  directors ;  he  was  an  auditor  of 
the  City  Savings  Bank,  treasurer  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  and  treasurer  of  the  St. 
John's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  build- 
ing fund,  and  for  many  years  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  vestry.  All  the  foregoing  of- 
fices were  held  in  the  city  of  Bridgeport. 
He  was  also  a  director  of  the  American 
Loan  and  Trust  Company  of  New  York, 
a  director  for  several  years  of  the  New 
York  Consolidated  Stock  and  Petroleum 
Exchange  and  of  its  predecessors,  and  has 
served  as  chairman  of  its  finance  commit- 
tee and  as  a  vice-president.  He  afterward 
purchased  a  seat  on  the  New  York  Stock 
Exchange,  and  being  elected  to  member- 
ship, he  became  one  of  the  most  active 
and  esteemed  operators  of  that  organiza- 


119 


L 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tion.  He  was  president  of  an  Illinois  gas 
and  water  company,  and  president  of  the 
Fairfield  Agricultural  Society  for  many 
years. 

General  Watson  made  an  enviable  rec- 
ord in  the  Connecticut  National  Guard.  He 
enlisted  in  the  old  4th  Regiment  May  28, 

1877,  as  a  member  of  the  staff  of  Colonel 
R.  B.  Fairchild  with  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant. He  afterward  was  appointed  aide 
on  the  staff  of  General  S.  R.  Smith,  com- 
mander   of    the    Connecticut  Brigade   in 

1878,  with  the  rank  of  captain.  His  next 
advancement  was  to  the  colonelcy  of  the 
4th  Regiment,  to  which  office  he  was 
elected  and  which  he  held  until  March  i, 
1890,  when  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Bulkley  to  be  commander  of  the  Con- 
necticut Brigade,  which  was  composed 
of  four  regiments  of  infantry,  three  com- 
panies of  heavy  artillery  and  a  number  of 
separate  companies.  His  high  position  in 
the  State's  military  establishment  was 
marked  with  highly  improved  efficiency 
of  the  military  bodies,  a  zeal  and  an  en- 
thusiasm which  were  significant  of  the 
splendid  morale  of  the  troops.  General 
Watson  received  his  honorable  discharge 
from  the  service  in  1897. 

In  the  club  circles  in  which  General 
Watson  moved  he  was  a  popular  and  in- 
fluential member.  He  had  served  as  pres- 
ident of  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  as 
commodore  of  the  Larchmont  Yacht  Club 
and  as  fleet  captain  of  the  Atlantic  Yacht 
Club.  He  had  served  as  vice-president 
and  president  of  the  Union  League  Club 
of  New  York,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Pilgrim  Society,  the  New  England  Soci- 
ety, the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  New 
York  Yacht  Club,  Lotus  Club  and  of  the 
Brooklawn  Country  and  Seaside  clubs  of 
Bridgeport.  General  Watson  was  of 
strong  Republican  faith  in  his  political 
preferments  and   practices,   but  he   con- 


sistently with  his  policy  steadfastly  de- 
clined to  accept  the  honor  of  election  to 
public  office,  which  he  might  have  graced 
with  rare  ability,  if  he  had  but  given  his 
word  to  his  large  and  influential  follow- 
ing. 

General  Watson  married  Alice  Cheever 
Lyon,  daughter  of  Hanford  Lyon  of 
Bridgeport.  To  them  were  born  two 
children :  Arthur  Kent  Lansdell  Watson, 
and  Alice  Lyon,  who  married  Paul  Armit- 
age. 

Out  of  his  varied  walks  of  life  there 
has  departed  a  figure,  stalwart  and  com- 
manding, who  left  the  impress  of  a  force- 
ful life  upon  numerous  diversified  en- 
deavors— the  honors  that  came  to  Gen- 
eral Watson  and  the  measure  of  success 
that  resulted  from  his  own  capacity  for 
hard  work  intelligently  done  rejoiced  the 
hearts  of  his  multitude  of  friends  in  the 
city  of  New  York  and  throughout  the 
State  of  Connecticut.  His  life  and  deeds 
comprise  another  chapter  in  the  illumin- 
ated annals  of  the  city  of  Bridgeport. 


KIRKHAM,  Thomas  Atwood, 
Manufacturer. 

Long  before  the  New  World  was  dis- 
covered the  Kirkham  name  was  a  prom- 
inent and  honorable  one  in  England.  "At 
the  time  of  Henry  III,  and  probably  much 
earlier,  they  had  their  residence  at 
Ashcombe  under  Haldon  Hill,  and  of 
this  they  were  possessed,"  according  to 
Prince's  "Worthies  of  Devon,"  C.  1700. 
They  continued  to  be  its  lords  for  four 
hundred  years  after  the  death  of  that 
monarch.  Later,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  I 
Sir  Nicholas  Kirkham  removed  his  dwell- 
ing unto  Blagdon,  which  was  the  long  con- 
tinued seat  of  this  name  and  family ;  an- 
other property  belonging  to  them  was  at 
Honiton.  The  most  interesting  personage 


^ 


i 


777  0,^ 


Co/  vyi^^wytyh^<^i^>'y-^~ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  this  knightly  race  was  Sir  John  Kirk- 
ham,  made  high  sheriff  of  the  county  by 
Henry  VIII  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  his 
reign  (1523).  He  made  the  noble  and 
large  benefaction  of  All  Hallows  ;  he  with 
Elizaeus  Harding,  clerk,  by  their  deed 
bearing  date  20th  July,  1523.  The  same 
year  he  was  sheriff  he  did  grant  and  feo- 
fee  and  confirm  unto  certain  persons 
named  in  the  same  deed  about  nineteen 
tenements  in  houses  and  lands  lying  in 
the  parish  of  Honiton  aforesaid,  that  the 
said  feofee  should  employ  and  bestow 
from  time  to  time  all  the  rents  and  profits 
arising  and  issuing  out  of  the  said  estates 
for  and  towards  the  reparation  and  main- 
taining the  chapel  of  All  Hallows.  But 
then  this  gift  is  not  so  confined  to  this 
particular  use,  but  also  extended  to  such 
other  good  and  charitable  purposes  within 
the  said  town  and  parish  as  shall  be 
thought  fit  and  convenient  by  the  feofees. 
What  other  acts  of  charity  or  piety  he 
did,  or  what  brave  exploits  he  performed, 
or  exemplary  virtues  he  was  eminent  for, 
I  nowhere  find.  They  are  now  all  swal- 
lowed up  in  oblivion ;  the  upshot  of  all  is 
that  he  died  and  lieth  interred  in  the  aisle 
of  the  south  side  of  the  Parish  Church  of 
Paignton. 

At  Paignton  stands  the  old  Parish 
Church  built  in  the  time  of  Henry  V. 
This  contains  "the  glorious  Kirkham 
Chantry"  with  the  stone  parclose  screen. 
The  tomb  of  the  Kirkham  family  is  within 
the  Chantry  ornamented  with  their  ar- 
morial bearings,  with  the  cross  and  crown 
and  the  motto:  Spes  et  Corona.  The 
eastern  and  western  bays  of  the  parclose 
screen  each  contain  two  recumbent  efii- 
gies  which  tradition  says  are  those  of  Sir 
John  Kirkham,  who  died  in  1529,  and  his 
lady ;  of  his  father.  Sir  Nicholas  Kirk- 
ham, who  died  in  1515,  and  his  lady. 

Among  the  first  settlers  of  Connecticut 


from  England  was  Thomas  Kirkham,  of 
Wethersfield.  The  first  English  settlement 
was  made  in  1635.  There  are  no  records 
to  show  whether  or  not  Thomas  Kirkham 
came  there  direct  from  England  or  came 
from  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  with  the 
original  settlers ;  probably  the  latter  is 
correct,  as  he  is  referred  to  in  a  will  made 
in  Wethersfield  in  1640.  He  evidently 
then  was  an  established  resident.  He 
probably  was  a  cabinet-maker  or  joiner, 
as  the  testator  names  him  as  executor  and 
leaves  in  his  will  a  sum  of  money  to  be 
paid  him  for  making  his  coffin.  From 
that  time  on  the  Kirkham  family  has  fig- 
ured prominently  in  military,  financial, 
industrial,  and  professional  affairs  of 
Connecticut  and  of  the  nation.  A  father 
and  his  son  gave  their  lives  to  their  coun- 
try in  the  war  of  the  Revolution ;  Henry 
Kirkham,  the  father,  died  of  camp  fever 
at  Saratoga,  and  John,  the  son,  enlisted  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  and  received  a 
wound  from  which  he  never  recovered. 
His  death,  thirty-seven  years  later,  was 
caused  by  the  closing  of  the  gunshot 
wound,  which  had  never  healed.  The 
family  has  been  identified  with  Wethers- 
field and  with  Newington,  which  was  the 
western  part  of  Wethersfield  till  it  be- 
came a  separate  town  in  1870,  in  an  un- 
broken line  since  the  first  settlement  till 
the  death  of  John  S.  Kirkham  in  1918. 
The  home  farm  is  still  in  the  possession 
of  the  family,  and  Judge  John  H.  Kirk- 
ham of  New  Britain  still  represents  the 
family  in  Hartford  County.  In  all  gen- 
erations the  family  name  has  been  em- 
bellished by  leadership  in  the  various  call- 
ings, as  soldiers,  scholars,  churchmen, 
municipal  officers,  legislators  and  indus- 
trialists, who  have  borne  the  name  of 
Kirkham.  They  have  left,  and  still  are 
maintaining  a  lofty  standard  of  family 
pride  and  virtue. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Thomas  Atwood  Kirkham,  successful 
business  man  of  Bridgeport,  whose  an- 
cestral line  goes  back  to  the  original 
Kirkham,  who  came  from  England  early 
in  the  seventeenth  century  and  trans- 
planted the  family  tree  to  the  beautiful 
Connecticut  Valley — in  that  region  local- 
ized by  the  city  of  Hartford  and  the  towns 
of  Newington  and  Wethersfield — is  pres- 
ident and  treasurer  of  the  Berkshire 
Fertilizer  Company  of  Bridgeport,  which 
business  he  founded  thirty  years  ago,  and 
has  other  varied  and  important  business 
interests,  being  a  director  of  a  num- 
ber of  corporations  in  Bridgeport  and 
elsewhere.  His  interest  in  the  com- 
plex life  of  the  city  of  Bridgeport, 
while  not  politically  active,  is  keen  and 
intelligent,  and  his  civic  duty  is  per- 
formed with  that  fidelity  which  ranks 
him  among  the  substantial  citizens  of  the 
community.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Brooklawn  Country  Club,  and  for  twenty- 
eight  years  a  member  of  the  old  Seaside 
Club. 

The  first  Kirkham,  for  the  purposes  of 
this  review,  was: 

(I)  Thomas  (i)  Kirkham,  who  came 
from  England  to  Wethersfield,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1640,  or  earlier.  He  was  tax- 
gatherer  in  1648-9.  He  died  in  1677  or 
earlier. 

(II)  Thomas  (2)  Kirkham,  son  of 
Thomas  (i)  Kirkham,  married,  March  24, 
1684,  Jane  Butler.  He  was  appointed 
town  shepherd  March  21,  1689,  and  at  one 
time  was  constable. 

(III)  Henry  (i)  Kirkham,  son  of 
Thomas  (2),  married,  December  21,  1719, 
Martha,  daughter  of  Samuel  Burr  of  Hart- 
ford. She  died  June  2,  1759.  He  fought 
in  the  French  and  Indian  wars. 

(IV)  Henry  (2)  Kirkham,  son  of  Henry 
(i),  was  born  August  30,  1728.  He  mar- 
ried Eunice  Butler,  October  31,  1757  (or 


'59).  He  was  in  General  Gates'  Northern 
Army  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  present 
at  Burgoyne's  surrender.  He  died  of 
camp  fever  at  Saratoga,  New  York. 

(V)  John  Kirkham,  son  of  Henry  (2) 
Kirkham  and  his  wife  Eunice,  was  born 
November  5,  1760.  He  enlisted  in  the 
army  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  as  a  musician — 
he  was  a  fifer — and  served  till  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  was  wounded  (tradition 
has  it  that  he  was  shot  while  in  a  tree 
fifing  to  his  comrades  in  arms)  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Monmouth,  New  Jersey.  When  he 
was  given  his  honorable  discharge  from 
the  service  he  walked  from  Newburgh, 
New  York,  to  his  home  in  Newington, 
Connecticut,  though  lame  from  the  ef- 
fects of  his  wound,  which  never  healed 
until  the  week  before  his  death,  June  8, 
1815.  He  married,  June  28,  1785,  Jen- 
nette,  daughter  of  Captain  Jonathan  Stod- 
dard, a  Revolutionary  officer.  She  was 
born  August  29,  1767;  died  June  8,  1818. 

(VI)  William  Kirkham,  son  of  John 
and  Jennette  (Stoddard)  Kirkham,  was 
born  March  29,  1788,  at  Newington ;  died 
in  1868  at  Newington  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  In  1815  he  married  Sophia,  daugh- 
ter of  Joshua  and  Elizabeth  (Cook)  Lef- 
fingwell  and  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Lef- 
fingwell,  one  of  the  founders  of  Norwich, 
Connecticut.  She  died  November  14, 1880, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  At  New- 
ington Center  is  the  beautiful  Mill  Pond, 
a  natural  lake,  fed  by  a  brook  of  spring 
water  from  Cedar  Mountain  and  teeming 
with  trout  and  other  fish.  This  body  of 
water  owes  its  existence  to  a  wonderful 
ledge  of  rock  which  extends  across  the 
lower  end  of  the  pond,  with  a  perpen- 
dicular outward  face,  giving  a  fall  of  more 
than  twenty  feet.  The  top  of  the  ledge 
is  of  uniform  width  and  is  wide  enough 
to  be  used  as  a  driveway.    It  is  a  natural 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


dam,  and  is  so  adapted  for  that  purpose 
that,  one  seeing  it  for  the  first  time,  would 
think  it  had  been  designed  and  built  by 
man.  There  is  but  one  other  freak  of 
nature  similar  to  this  in  the  country.  In- 
dians, before  they  were  crowded  out  by 
the  white  man,  lived  on  the  banks  of  this 
pond,  and  hunted  and  fished  there  for  a 
livelihood.  This  pond  with  the  ledge  and 
the  meadow  under  it  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  William  Kirkham  by  the  death 
of  his  father  in  1815.  That  same  year  he 
married  and  built  a  new  home  on  the 
street  at  the  east  end  of  the  "ledge"  on  the 
bank  of  the  pond.  This  house  recently 
burned  after  standing  more  than  one  hun- 
dred years.  There  was  a  big  water-wheel 
that  gave  power  for  running  the  mill, 
which  was  used  for  making  cloth  and  also 
cider,  cider  vinegar  and  cider  brandy. 
This  was  William  Kirkham's  home  for 
the  major  part  of  twenty-five  years.  But 
the  inclinations  of  Mr.  Kirkham  were 
more  toward  the  vocation  of  a  teacher 
than  a  business  life,  and  for  about  thirty 
years  he  taught  school  at  Hartford  and 
in  other  places  in  Connecticut  and  in 
Springfield,  Massachusetts.  After  teach- 
ing in  Springfield  a  number  of  years,  mak- 
ing his  home  while  there  with  his  brother 
John,  he  moved  his  family  to  Springfield, 
about  1835,  and  they  all  lived  there  for 
several  years.  The  moving  was  done  in 
the  winter,  the  household  goods  being 
transported  by  ox-sled  for  thirty-two 
miles,  and  Mrs.  Kirkham  and  the  children 
by  horse  and  sleigh.  Because  Mr.  Kirk- 
ham was  teaching  in  Springfield,  the  bur- 
den of  moving,  closing  the  house,  dispos- 
ing of  a  small  but  varied  assortment  of 
livestock,  fell  upon  his  wife.  Her's  was 
the  self-sacrificing  life  of  the  unapplauded 
heroine. 


He  sings  to  the  wide  world,  and  she  to  her  nest. 
In  the  nice  ear  of  nature  which  song  is  the  best? 


William  Kirkham  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  Church  and  prominent  in 
church  circles.  He  had  an  excellent  tenor 
voice,  and  had  been  taught  music  by  his 
father.  He  was  a  fifer  in  the  Governor's 
Footguard  for  many  years.  In  1840  he 
sold  the  Mill  Pond  property  and  bought 
a  farm  on  the  main  street  of  Newington 
Center  which  still  is  held  by  his  descend- 
ants. Of  the  children  borne  him  by  his 
wife  Sophia,  seven  grew  to  maturity. 

(VII)  John  Stoddard  Kirkham,  son  of 
William  and  Sophia  (Leffingwell)  Kirk- 
ham, was  born  April  6,  1826,  at  Newing- 
ton;  died  February  8,  1918.  His  educa- 
tion was  acquired  at  the  old  Newington 
Academy  and  in  schools  of  Hartford  and 
Springfield,  Massachusetts.  He  was  a 
"Forty-niner"  and  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany organized  and  headed  by  Major 
Horace  Goodwin  of  Hartford  that  made 
that  historic  trip  in  a  schooner,  owned  and 
fitted  out  by  the  company,  around  Cape 
Horn  to  California  in  the  quest  of  gold. 
The  journey  "around  the  Horn"  occupied 
six  months,  the  first  port  of  call  being 
Rio  de  Janeiro.  Arriving  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  ship  was  abandoned  and  John 
Stoddard  Kirkham,  in  a  company  com- 
posed of  six  friends,  went  into  the  moun- 
tains, where  they  were  very  successful  in 
their  search  for  gold.  They  later  engaged 
in  the  ambitious  venture  of  damming  and 
turning  from  its  course  the  Sacramento 
River.  They  succeeded  in  their  undertak- 
ing, only — on  the  night  the  job  was  fin- 
ished— to  have  the  dam  swept  away  by  a 
freshet  that  roared  down  from  the  moun- 
tains in  a  resistless  torrent.  Youth,  a 
good  constitution  and  powerful  physique 
have  their  limitations,  and  as  a  result  of 
working  in  the  ice-cold  water  from  the 
melting  snow  of  the  mountains,  John 
Stoddard  Kirkham  was  stricken  with 
pneumonia,  and  this  attack  was  followed 


i 


123 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


by  chronic  dysentery.  His  life  was  des- 
paired of,  and  his  body  wasted  almost  to  a 
skeleton.  He  started  for  home.  He  got 
passage  on  a  sailing  ship  bound  for  Cen- 
tral America,  where  he  landed  and  spent 
some  time  recuperating  his  health  and 
waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  cross  to  the 
Atlantic  side  of  the  isthmus.  The  day 
he  landed  he  bought  a  coarse  grass  sack 
holding  a  bushel  of  sweet  oranges  for  ten 
cents,  including  the  sack.  He  told  of  hav- 
ing sucked  one  hundred  oranges  that  first 
day,  and  declared  that  almost  immedi- 
ately he  was  cured  of  the  chronic  com- 
plaint that  had  refused  to  respond  to 
medicine.  That  grass  sack  was  taken 
home  and  preserved  for  many  years.  Mr. 
Kirkham  crossed  the  isthmus  by  way  of 
ox-carts  and  Lake  Nicaragua.  The  ox- 
carts were  made  with  wooden  axles,  the 
wheels  were  solid  sections  sawed  from 
large  round  logs.  A  native  ran  alongside, 
pulling  large  green  leaves  from  the  road- 
side and  thrusting  them  into  the  axles  to 
take  the  place  of  grease  and  to  alleviate 
the  screaming  of  the  wheels.  The  route 
followed  was  strewn  with  the  machinery 
and  tools  that  had  been  left  by  Commo- 
dore Vanderbilt  when  he  abandoned  his 
attempt  to  construct  the  Nicaraguan  ca- 
nal. John  Stoddard  Kirkham  arrived  at 
his  old  home  early  in  185 1,  and  entered 
with  a  will  the  vocation  of  farming  on  his 
father's  property,  and  on  a  farm  adjoining, 
which  he  bought.  He  also  followed  in 
his  father's  footsteps  by  teaching  school 
for  a  number  of  winters.  The  farm  still 
is  in  the  possession  of  the  Kirkham  fam- 
ily. In  1870  Mr.  Kirkham  played  a  prom- 
inent part  in  bringing  about  the  incorpo- 
ration of  Newington  as  a  separate  town. 
He  was  an  ardent  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  a  leader  in  municipal 
aflfaivs  in  his  locality.  He  was  the  first 
town  clerk  of  Newington,  and  filled  that 


office  for  many  years.  He  was  also  chair- 
man of  the  school  board  and  acting  school 
visitor.  He  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  1877  and  served  his  district 
in  the  State  Senate  in  1887.  He  was  a 
candidate  for  lieutenant-governor  on  the 
ticket  with  Governor  Luzon  B.  Morris  at 
the  time  when  the  rule  was  in  effect  that 
required  a  majority  over  all  to  elect  a 
candidate  for  State  office.  He  received  a 
plurality,  but  the  election  was  thrown  in- 
to the  Legislature,  and  the  minority  can- 
didates were  declared  elected.  Mr.  Kirk- 
ham was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut 
State  Board  of  Agriculture  for  many 
years.  He  was  a  charter  member  and  for 
many  years  secretary  of  the  State  Dairy- 
men's Association.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Newington  Grange,  Pa- 
trons of  Husbandry.  He  was  a  deacon 
and  for  many  years  treasurer  of  the  New- 
ington Congregational  Church  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  School.  He  mar- 
ried, December  i,  1859,  Harriet  P.  At- 
wood,  born  May  17,  1827,  died  December 
I,  1882,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Prudence 
(Kellogg)  Atwood,  of  the  Atwood  fam- 
ily, whose  members  were  pioneer  settlers 
of  Hartford  and  Newington.  Their  chil- 
dren:  I.  Frances  H.,  married  Henry 
Laurens  Kellogg,  of  Newington,  both  de- 
ceased. 2.  Thomas  Atwood.  3.  John  H., 
who  is  a  prominent  attorney  of  New  Brit- 
ain, Connecticut.  4.  Mary  Atwood  (de- 
ceased), married  Roderick  Whittlesey 
Hine  of  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Yale  College,  and  who  for  many 
years  has  been  superintendent  of  schools 
at  Dedham,  Massachusetts. 

(Vni)  Thomas  Atwood  Kirkham,  son 
of  John  Stoddard  and  Harriet  Prudence 
(Atwood)  Kirkham,  was  born  March  7, 
1862,  at  Newington,  Connecticut.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town  and  at  the  New  Britain  High 
[24 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


School,  whence  he  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1880.  He  became  identified  with 
Bridgeport  in  a  business  way  in  1882,  al- 
though he  made  his  home  in  Newington 
until  1895,  when  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Bridgeport.  As  a  boy  his  ambition  was 
to  be  a  farmer,  and  one  would  have  to 
look  far  to  find  a  more  attractive  farm 
than  the  one  he  was  born  on.  For  a 
dozen  years  he  managed  his  father's  farm, 
his  father  being  interested  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  in  other  pursuits.  This 
love  of  the  soil  has  never  left  him,  and  in 
spite  of  a  busy  life,  he  has  always  found 
some  time  for  farming.  Going  from 
school  back  to  the  farm,  it  was  a  natural 
sequence  that  drew  him  into  the  fertilizer 
business.  From  1882  to  1895  he  acted  as 
traveling  salesman  for  the  National  Fer- 
tilizer Company  of  Bridgeport.  In  1895 
he  formed  a  partnersip  with  John  A. 
Barri,  who  was  one  of  the  incorporators 
and  treasurer  of  the  National  Fertilizer 
Company,  under  the  name  of  the  Berk- 
shire Mills  Company,  for  the  purpose  of 
manufacturing  fertilizers  and  dealing  in 
grain  and  coal.  They  rebuilt  the  old 
Berkshire  Mill  at  North  Bridgeport  and 
operated  it  until  1890,  when  the  partner- 
ship was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent, 
Mr.  Barri  retaining  the  coal  and  grain,  and 
Mr.  Kirkham  the  fertilizer  business.  Mr. 
Kirkham  then  conducted  the  fertilizer 
business  individually  under  the  name  of 
Berkshire  Fertilizer  Company.  In  1900 
Mr.  Kirkham  bought  water-front  property 
on  Harbor  Street,  on  Cedar  Creek,  Black 
Rock  Harbor.  He  erected  a  plant,  built 
a  dock,  and  thought  he  had  room  for  fu- 
ture expansion ;  but  the  business  grew  so 
rapidly  that  soon  he  was  cramped  for 
space,  and  in  1910  he  bought  of  the  Hep- 
penstall  Forge  Company  the  plant  of  the 
old  Bridgeport  Forge  Company  at  the 
foot  of  Howard  Avenue,  on  the  east,  or 


water  side  of  the  street.  This  present 
location  with  railroad  sidings  and  five 
hundred  and  forty  feet  of  water-front  pro- 
vides ample  facilities  for  taking  care  of 
the  larger  business  of  to-day,  which  has 
continued  to  grow  uninterruptedly.  The 
company  also  has  built  and  operates  a 
castor  oil  plant  for  the  manufacture  of 
castor  oil.  The  castor  meal,  which  is  a 
by-product,  is  used  as  a  fertilizer.  The 
business  was  incorporated  in  1913  with 
Thomas  A.  Kirkham  as  president  and 
treasurer,  which  offices  he  still  fills.  Mr. 
Kirkham  is  a  member  of  the  United  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Bridgeport. 

Mr.  Kirkham  married.  May  23,  1906, 
Fanny  Leffingwell  Brown,  daughter  of 
Martin  and  Elizabeth  (Kirkham)  Brown 
of  New  Britain,  Connecticut. 


MANWARING,  Hon.  Moses  Warren, 
Senator,   City    Treasurer,   Business   Man. 

The  sudden  death  of  Moses  Warren 
Manwaring  on  January  23,  1925,  took 
from  Bridgeport  a  citizen  widely  known 
and  respected  in  business  and  political 
circles  for  his  active  and  unwearied  con- 
cern in  civic  matters  and  his  high  unself- 
ishness and  personal  integrity.  He  repre- 
sented the  best  type  of  citizen,  and  his 
passing  was  felt  not  only  by  his  friends 
as  a  personal  loss,  but  by  many  who 
scarcely  knew  him  as  a  loss  to  the  city 
which  he  had  served  for  years  in  many 
capacities. 

He  was  born  in  East  Lyme,  Connecti- 
cut, August  18,  1845,  of  Allen  W.  and 
Lydia  (Warren)  Manwaring.  On  his 
mother's  side  he  was  descended  from 
Richard  Warren,  one  of  the  first  arrivals 
in  the  "Mayflower,"  from  Moses  Warren, 
captain  in  the  Revolutionary  Army ;  and 
from  Moses  Warren,  son  of  the  preceding, 
who  aided  Moses  Cleveland  in  making  a 


125 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


survey  of  "New  Connecticut,"  later  Ohio. 
It  was  this  Moses  Warren  who  provided 
its  name  for  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland, 
and  for  whom  the  city  of  Warren,  Ohio, 
was  named. 

Moses  W.  Manwaring  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  at  East  Lyme  and  New 
London.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
in  East  Lyme,  and  came  to  Bridgeport  in 
1869  to  engage  with  the  late  Andrew 
Morehouse  in  the  building  business.  Their 
firm  built  many  of  the  houses  on  the  East 
Side,  in  the  section  which  was  developed 
by  P.  T.  Barnum  and  General  Noble. 
Later  Moses  Manwaring  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Union  Metallic  Cartridge 
Company,  and  had  charge  of  erecting 
many  of  its  present  buildings.  In  1891 
he  bought  out  the  Curtis  Brothers'  plumb- 
ing and  heating  business,  and  erected  the 
brick  block  on  East  Main  Street  now 
owned  by  the  Bridgeport  Arion  Singing 
Society.  In  191 1  he  was  chief  organizer 
of  the  American  Bank  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  the  first  president. 
He  retired  from  business  in  1919,  selling 
out  to  Horace  J.  Wellington. 

He  held  many  political  offices.  In  the 
mayoralty  of  P.  T.  Barnum  he  was  a 
Councilman,  and  was  later  for  several 
terms  Alderman  from  the  old  Fifth  Ward. 
In  1906-1910  he  was  chairman  of  the  Con- 
gress Street  Bridge  Commission,  and  had 
the  distinction  of  returning  to  the  city 
unspent  a  considerable  part  of  the  appro- 
priation. He  represented  the  Twenty- 
third  District  in  the  Connecticut  Senate, 
1909-1910.  For  six  years,  1913-1919,  he 
was  treasurer  of  the  city.  Besides  polit- 
ical offices  he  was  president  of  both  local 
and  State  organizations  of  the  Master 
Plumbers'  Association  and  the  Business 
Men's  Association.  He  was  an  organizer 
and  for  some  years  treasurer  of  the 
Bridgeport  Protective  Association. 


He  married,  December  11,  1872,  Em- 
meline  Louise  Comstock,  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  John  Jay  Comstock  of  East  Lyme. 
They  had  two  daughters,  one  of  whom, 
May  Louise,  died  in  infancy,  and  the 
other,  Elizabeth  Wheeler  Manwaring,  is  a 
member  of  the  faculty  of  Wellesley 
College. 


WARNER,  Donald  Judson, 

Secretary   of   State. 

One  of  the  oldest  of  English  surnames, 
the  name  of  Warner  is  found  in  the 
Domesday  Book,  and  there  have  been  two 
suppositions  to  the  derivation  of  this 
name,  one  being  that  it  was  derived  from 
Warriner,  the  keeper  of  a  warren,  and 
other  antiquarians  claim  the  following 
derivation :  "It  appears  that  near  the 
boundary  of  Wales,  in  the  southwest  sec- 
tion of  England,  there  dwelt  a  race  of 
people  who  were  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  To  protect  themselves  from 
the  surrounding  savage  tribes,  these  peo- 
ple were  forced  to  appoint  from  among 
themselves  the  most  athletic  and  discreet 
men,  who  might  go  out  into  the  surround- 
ing country  and  warn  people  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  enemy.  Hence  the  name 
Warner,  and  this  explanation  of  the  origin 
and  significance  of  the  name  corresponds 
with  the  derivation  from  the  old  high 
German  Warjan,  meaning  to  defend,  as 
given  by  Zeuss.  It  seems  likely  that  the 
name  is  derived  from  the  ancient  German 
and  like  all  historic  names  was  spelled  in 
a  variety  of  ways.  In  the  seventh  century 
we  find  the  old  form,  Warin,  Guarin, 
Warne,  and  Wern,  and  at  a  later  date, 
Warrerner,  Warner  and  Werner,  the  lat- 
ter also  being  common  English  forms  of 
the  name.  The  arms  of  the  Warner  fam- 
ily are: 


126 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Arms — Or,  a  bend  engrailed  between  six  roses, 
gules. 
Motto — Non  nobis  iantum  nati. 

These  were  emblazoned  on  their  shields 
and  are  also  found  carved  in  several  parts 
of  the  ceiling  of  the  South  Isle  of  the 
Church  of  Great  Waltham,  England. 
Burke  gives  the  significance  of  the  motto 
as  "we  are  not  born  for  ourselves  alone." 

(I)  Andrew  Warner,  the  immigrant  an- 
cestor, was  born  in  England  about  1600,  a 
son  of  John  Warner  of  Hatfield,  Glouces- 
ter, England,  and  came  from  there  to 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  in  1630  or 
1633,  becoming  a  proprietor  of  Cam- 
bridge in  that  year.  He  was  admitted  a 
freeman  May  14,  1634,  and  in  1635  was 
living  in  Cambridge  on  the  northerly  side 
of  Eliot  Street,  and  also  owned  several 
other  lots  in  Cambridge.  In  December, 
1636,  he  sold  his  property  and  removed 
to  Hartford,  Connecticut,  thence  remov- 
ing to  Hadley,  Massachusetts,  about  1659, 
of  which  town  he  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers, and  where  he  died  December  18, 
1684. 

(II)  Lieutenant  Daniel  Warner,  son  of 
Andrew  Warner,  was  born  about  1640. 
He  went  in  1659  with  his  father  to  Had- 
ley, and  settled  in  that  part  of  the  town 
afterwards  called  Hatfield,  where  he  died 
April  30,  1692.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
owner  of  much  land. 

(III)  John  Warner,  son  of  Lieutenant 
Daniel  Warner,  was  born  in  Hatfield  in 
April,  1677.  He  married,  in  1716,  Me- 
hitable  Richardson,  and  settled  in  East 
Haddam,  Connecticut,  where  he  died  in 
March,  1750.  His  wife  died  March  10, 
1776,  and  both  are  buried  about  three 
miles  southeast  of  Chapman's  Ferry. 

(IV)  Rev.  Noadiah  Warner,  son  of 
John  Warner,  was  born  in  East  Haddam, 
January  12,  1728-29,  and  died  at  Newton, 
Connecticut,  February  2,  1794.  In  1759, 
he  graduated  from  Yale  Divinity  School 


and  was  installed  pastor  of  the  church  at 
Danbury,  Connecticut,  in  1762,  later  serv- 
ing at  Hoosac  and  Trumbull.  In  1781, 
he  bought  a  farm  at  Newton,  his  church 
having  been  taken  over  to  store  rebel  pro- 
visions in,  and  retired  to  his  farm.  Rev. 
Mr.  Warner  married  Elizabeth  De  Forest, 
September  17,  1761,  and  she  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1812.  She  was  of  Huguenot  de- 
scent from  Jesse  De  Forest,  born  in  1575, 
who  removed  from  France  to  Holland  in 
161 5,  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Huguenot  Colony  that  settled  in  New 
York  in  1623.  Mrs.  Warner  was  also  de- 
scended from  John  Peet,  who  came  from 
Duffield,  England,  to  Stratford  in  1635. 

(V)  Harvey  De  Forest  Warner,  son  of 
Rev.  Noadiah  Warner,  was  born  in  Dan- 
bury,  August  I,  1769,  and  died  at  Salis- 
bury, Connecticut,  March  30,  1859.  He 
engaged  in  farming  and  also  was  the 
owner  of  an  iron  ore  mine.  He  married 
(first)  December  10,  1796,  Elizabeth  Clark 
born  September  4,  1778,  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel Carey  and  Sarah  Clark  of  Salis- 
bury, and  grand-daughter  of  Gamaliel  and 
Elizabeth  (Carey)  Clark  of  Milford.  Mrs. 
Warner  died  June  2,  1821. 

(VI)  Donald  Judson  Warner,  son  of 
Harvey  De  Forest  Warner,  was  born  in 
Salisbury,  September  15,  1819,  and  died 
there  March  31,  1904.  In  1842,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Litchfield  County  Bar  and 
engaged  in  practice  in  Salisbury.  He  was 
judge  of  the  District  Court  and  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  eight  years 
and  several  times  served  as  representa- 
tive. He  was  appointed  quarter-master- 
general  by  Governor  Buckingham  but 
never  qualified  to  this  office.  On  Novem- 
ber 16,  1847,  he  married  Lois  Camp  Tick- 
nor  Ball,  born  in  Salisbury,  March  27, 
1829,  died  January  13,  1880,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Sophia  Buckingham  (Tick- 
nor)  Ball,  a  descendant  of  Rev.  Robert 
Ball,  a  clergyman  from  the  north  of  Ire- 


127 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land ;  she  was  adopted  by  an  uncle,  Ben- 
ajah  Ticknor,  fleet  surgeon  in  the  navy 
under  Commodore  Decatur. 

(VII)  Donald  Ticknor  Warner,  eldest 
son  of  Donald  J.  and  Lois  Warner,  was 
born  in  Salisbury,  December  15,  1850,  and 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of 
that  town  and  the  Salisbury  Academy. 
In  the  class  of  1872,  he  entered  Trinity 
College  at  Hartford,  but  owing  to  ill 
health  was  unable  to  complete  his  course. 
He  took  up  the  study  of  law  under  the 
able  perceptorship  of  his  father  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1873.  He  practiced 
his  profession  in  association  with  his 
father  until  the  latter  was  appointed 
judge,  and  in  1890  Mr.  Warner  formed  a 
partnership  with  Howard  Fitch  Landon 
under  the  firm  name  of  Warner  &  Lan- 
don. From  June,  1896,  to  March,  1917, 
he  was  State's  Attorney  for  Litchfield 
County,  being  appointed  Judge  of  the 
Superior  Court  in  the  latter  year.  From 
1885  to  1917,  Judge  Warner  was  also 
Judge  of  the  Probate  Court ;  is  President 
of  the  Litchfield  County  Bar  Association, 
and  from  November,  1874,  to  1885,  served 
as  postmaster.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  served  the  interests  of  that 
party  in  the  State  Senate  in  1895  and  1897, 
being  chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Commit- 
tee both  sessions.  He  is  treasurer  of  the 
Salisbury  Cutlery  Company ;  president  of 
the  Lakeville  Water  Company,  and  holds 
the  same  office  with  the  Lakeville  Gas 
Company ;  director  of  the  National  Iron 
Bank  of  Falls  Village,  Connecticut.  Judge 
Warner  attends  St.  John's  Episcopal 
Church  of  Salisbury,  and  is  also  one  of  the 
financial  agents  of  the  parish. 

He  married,  October  4,  1884,  Harriet 
E.  Wells,  born  November  14,  1857,  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Harrison) 
Wells,  and  their  children  were :  Donald 
Judson,  born  July  24,  1885,  of  extended 


mention  below ;  Elizabeth  Harrison,  born 
November  2"],  1886,  wife  of  Irving  Kent 
Fulton  of  Salisbury;  Lois  Caroline,  born 
June  30,  1888 ;  Mary  Virginia,  February  5, 
1891 ;  Philip  Wells,  November  2,  1893  \ 
Jeanette  De  Forest,  born  December  3, 
1896. 

(VIII)  Donald  Judson  Warner,  eldest 
son  of  Judge  Donald  T.  and  Harriet 
(Wells)  Warner,  was  born  in  Salisbury 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and 
was  also  under  private  tutors.  He  at- 
tended the  Hotchkiss  School  where  he 
prepared  for  Yale  College  and  graduated 
from  that  institution  in  1906;  two  years 
later  he  graduated  from  the  Yale  Law 
School  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Winsted  the  same  year.  He  engaged  in 
practice  in  Salisbury,  the  third  genera- 
tion of  his  family  in  succession  to  follow 
this  profession  in  that  town,  and  in  1908 
was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  and  still  holds  this 
office.  He  was  Secretary  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut  in  1921-1923,  and  has  long 
been  an  active  member  of  the  town  com- 
mittee. 

Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  Mont- 
gomery Lodge,  No.  13,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons;  the  Hartford  Club; 
the  Graduates  Club  of  New  Haven;  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution ;  and 
the  Connecticut  Historical  Society. 

Mr.  Warner  married  Lois  Church  Sco- 
ville  of  Salisbury  and  they  attend  the 
Episcopal  Church  there,  of  which  Mr. 
Warner  is  a  member  of  the  Vestry  and 
assistant  clerk  of  the  parish. 


BURNHAM,  William  Edward, 
Business  Executive. 

Place  names  were  first  adopted  by  the 
French  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  were 
taken  from  the  estates  of  those  who  used 


128 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


them.  The  custom  of  using  surnames 
was  introduced  into  England  at  the  time 
of  the  Norman  Conquest,  and,  as  in 
France,  the  first  names  used  were  place 
names.  The  name  Burnham  was  first 
assumed  in  England  shortly  after  the 
Conquest,  and  is  Anglo-Saxon  in  deriva- 
tion. Walter  de  Veutre,  first  bearer  of 
the  name,  came  to  England  in  the  army 
of  William  the  Conqueror,  in  the  train  of 
his  cousin,  Earl  Warren,  who  was  the  son- 
in-law  of  the  Conqueror.  At  the  institu- 
tion of  the  feudal  system  of  land  tenure 
under  the  Norman  regime,  Walter  de 
Veutre  was  made  Lord  of  several  Saxon 
villages,  among  which  was  the  village  of 
Burnham,  where  he  took  up  his  residence 
and  became  known  as  de  Burnham.  Burn- 
ham is  derived  from  Beorn  or  Burn,  old 
Anglo-Saxon  meaning  a  bear.  According 
to  Ferguson  the  patronymic  signifies 
"chief,  hero,  man."  In  Anglo-Saxon  the 
name  is  Beornham,  Byrbham,  etc.,  and  is 
at  present  variously  spelled  Burnham, 
Bernham,  Berham,  and  Barnham.  The 
family  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  hon- 
orable in  England,  and  is  entitled  to  bear 
arms  by  royal  patent. 

Arms — Gules   a   chevron   between   three   lions' 
heads  erased  or. 
Crest — A  leopard's  head  erased  proper. 

Burke  records  a  different  coat-of-arms 
for  Burnham  of  Suffolk  and  several  vari- 
ations of  the  above  arms  for  various 
branches  of  the  family. 

(I)  Thomas  Burnham,  immigrant  an- 
cestor and  founder  of  the  family  in  Amer- 
ica, was  born  in  Hatfield,  Herefordshire, 
England,  in  1617.  There  is  authentic  rec- 
ord of  Thomas  Burnham  in  an  old  docu- 
ment, dated  November  20,  1635,  when  he 
"imbarqued  for  the  Barbadoes,  in  the  Ex- 
pedition, Peter  Blacklee,  Master,  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  and  Supremacy,  Ex- 
Conn.  11 — 9 


amined  by  the  Minister  of  the  town  of 
Gravesend."  The  first  record  of  him  in 
America  appears  in  the  year  1649,  when 
he  was  in  Hartford,  and  served  as  bonds- 
man for  his  servant,  Rushmore,  "that  he 
should  carry  good  behavior."  From  the 
fact  that  he  brought  servants  to  America, 
it  is  established  that  Thomas  Burnham 
was  a  man  of  means,  and  he  is  also  known 
to  have  been  a  man  of  excellent  education 
and  mentality ;  he  practiced  as  a  lawyer 
for  several  years  after  coming  to  America. 
In  1659  he  purchased  an  extensive  tract 
of  land  now  lying  principally  in  the  towns 
of  East  Hartford  and  South  Windsor. 
This  he  purchased  from  Tantonimo,  the 
chief  sachem  of  the  Potunke  tribe,  and 
held  it  under  a  deed  from  the  aforemen- 
tioned chief,  and  later  in  1661,  under  a 
deed  from  six  of  his  successors  and  allies, 
by  which  they  renounce  "all  our  right  and 
title  in  those  lands  aforesayd  unto  Thomas 
Burnham  and  his  heirs."  During  the  time 
that  the  land  was  in  his  possession  Thom- 
as Burnham  was  forced  to  prosecute  sev- 
eral lawsuits,  supported  by  the  govern- 
ment. It  was  finally  ordered  divided,  but 
he  refused  to  give  it  up,  thereby  prolong- 
ing the  contest  for  a  longer  period.  At  a 
town  meeting  in  Hartford  in  1688,  the  in- 
habitants sanctioned  the  appointment  "of 
a  Committee  in  behalf  of  this  town,  to 
treat  with  Thomas  Burnham,  Senior,  up- 
on his  claim  to  the  lands  on  the  East  side 
of  the  Great  River."  On  this  vast  tract 
he  erected  a  house  which,  during  the  In- 
dian War  of  1675,  was  one  of  five  which 
were  fortified  and  garrisoned.  He  was  a 
man  of  considerable  prominence  in  the 
official  life  of  the  town,  and  in  1649,  1656, 
1659  and  1660,  was  the  plaintifif  in  several 
court  actions,  in  which  he  usually  de- 
fended himself.  In  1659  he  was  attorney 
for  Jeremy  Adams,  of  Northampton,  and 
in  1662  defended  Abigail  Betts,  in  a 
129 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


charge  of  blasphemy ;  for  his  successful 
defense  of  her,  "for  saving  her  neck,"  the 
court  condemned  him  to  "ye  prison-keep." 
The  sentence  was  not  carried  out,  but  he 
was  deprived  of  citizenship  for  a  period, 
and  prohibited  from  acting  as  attorney 
for  others.  In  1665  he  served  on  the  jury. 
In  1662  he  gave  bonds  to  keep  the  peace, 
because  of  a  complaint  against  him  for 
abuse  in  the  case  of  Abigail  Betts.  Some 
of  the  land  originally  purchased  from  the 
Indians  by  Thomas  Burnham  is  still  in 
the  possession  of  the  Burnham  family. 
Thomas  Burnham  married  Anna  Wright 
in  1639.  She  was  born  in  England  in 
1620,  came  to  America  with  her  husband, 
and  died  here  on  August  5,  1703.  He  died 
on  June  24,  1688,  before  his  death  dividing 
the  greater  part  of  his  estate  among  his 
children  by  deed.  His  wife  did  not  pro- 
duce his  will  immediately  after  his  death 
when  it  was  called  for  by  the  court.  It 
was  proved  by  witnesses  in  June,  1690. 

(II)  Richard  Burnham,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Anna  (Wright)  Burnham,  was  born 
in  America  in  1654  and  died  on  April  28, 
1731.  He  married  Sarah  Humphries, 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Priscilla  (Grant) 
Humphries,  of  Windsor,  Connecticut,  on 

June   I,  .     He  inherited  extensive 

land  holdings  from  his  father,  and  on 
May  29,  171 1,  with  three  of  his  brothers, 
he  received  a  deed  of  land  from  three 
women.  In  1721  Richard  Burnham  re- 
ceived another  deed  of  land,  from  John 
Morecock.  In  1730,  in  place  of  lands 
taken  by  the  town  of  Windsor,  the  pro- 
prietors of  five  miles  of  land  on  the  east 
side  of  the  great  river,  in  the  township  of 
Hartford,  conveyed  to  the  heirs  of  Thom- 
as Burnham  the  title  to  two  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  acres  of  land.  Richard 
Burnham  was  a  wealthy  property  owner 
and  prominent  in  local  affairs. 

(III)  Lieutenant    Richard    (2)     Burn- 


ham, son  of  Richard  (i)  Burnham  and 
Sarah  (Humphries)  Burnham,  was  born 
July  6,  1692,  and  died  February  11,  1754. 
He  married  Abigail  Easton,  on  May  5, 
1715 ;  she  was  born  March  16,  1687.  He 
married  (second)  Hannah  Goodwin  or 
Hannah  Risley.  His  second  wife  died 
on  March  28,  1784.  In  1738  Richard 
Burnham  was  confirmed  by  the  general 
assembly  to  be  lieutenant  of  the  third 
company  in  the  first  regiment  in  the  col- 
ony. He  was  an  important  man  in  the 
affairs  of  the  community,  as  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  on  December  26,  1716,  he, 
with  Roger  Wolcott,  Captain  Stoughton 
and  Ensign  Burnham,  was  "appointed  to 
dignify  the  seats  in  the  Meeting  House." 
He  received  a  deed  of  land  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Connecticut  River  from  the 
administrators  of  the  estate  of  John 
Easton,  his  wife's  father,  in  1726.  A  deed 
of  land  to  him  from  Joseph  Keeney  is  also 
recorded. 

(IV)  Elisha  Burnham,  son  of  Lieuten- 
ant Richard  (2)  Burnham,  was  born  on 
June  22,  1717,  and  died  on  July  18,  1770. 
He  received  much  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hartford  from  his  father,  to  which  he 
added  by  purchase.  Elisha  Burnham  was 
noted  in  the  community  for  his  size  and 
extraordinary  strength.  He  married,  on 
February  5,  1742,  Sarah  Olmstead,  daugh- 
ter of  Deacon  Joseph  and  Hannah  (Marsh) 
Olmstead  of  East  Hartford.  She  was 
born  November  10,  1716,  and  died  at  the 
home  of  her  daughter  at  Hartford  Neck, 
on  September  3,  1810,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-four  years.  Elisha  Burnham 
died  in  an  epidemic  of  fever  which  swept 
Hartford  in  1770.  On  November  i,  of  the 
same  year,  the  court  granted  letters  of  ad- 
ministration on  his  estate  to  Joseph 
Church,  Jr.,  who  gave  bonds  with  Elisha 
Burnham,  son  of  the  deceased. 

(V)  George   Burnham,  son  of    Elisha 
130 


i 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  Sarah  (Olmstead)  Burnham,  was 
born  August  13,  1753,  and  died  on  March 
10,  1830.  He  married  Nancy  Bigelow. 
She  was  married  November  16,  1775,  and 
died  on  January  16,  1800,  aged  forty-five 
years. 

(VI)  Charles  Burnham,  son  of  George 
and  Nancy  (Bigelow)  Burnham,  was  born 
on  June  18,  1786,  and  died  May  29,  1852. 
He  married  (first)  Hannah  White,  who 
was  born  February  20,  1786,  and  died 
October  16,  1812,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six. 
He  married  (second)  Persis  White,  daugh- 
ter of  Preserved  White  of  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  where  she  was  born  April 
30,  1792.  Charles  Burnham  was  one  of 
the  inspectors  in  the  United  States  ar- 
mory at  Springfield,  and  was  thoroughly 
respected  and  honored  in  the  community. 

(VH)  Edward  Goodwin  Burnham,  son 
of  Charles  and  Persis  (White)  Burnham, 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Hampden  County 
Massachusetts,  on  June  2,  1827,  died  in 
Bridgeport  February  28,  1908.  He  spent 
the  early  years  of  his  life  in  Springfield, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  local 
public  schools  there.  At  a  very  early  age 
he  became  interested  in  mechanical  occu- 
pations, and  devoted  a  large  portion  of  his 
time  to  study  and  experiment  in  that 
field.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he 
went  to  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  and  ap- 
prenticed himself  to  the  firm  of  Hines, 
Newman  &  Hunt,  to  learn  the  machinist's 
trade.  After  serving  his  apprenticeship 
he  left  the  aforementioned  firm  and  en- 
tered the  United  States  Armory  at  Spring- 
field as  a  machinist,  later  becoming  a  con- 
tractor. Mr.  Burnham  resigned  his  posi- 
tion in  the  armory  several  years  later  and 
removed  to  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  In 
Bridgeport,  he  became  connected  with  the 
manufacturing  firm  of  Dwight,  Chapin  & 
Company,  then  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  appendages  for  rifles  for  the  United 


States  Government.  The  company  later 
extended  the  work  to  include  the  mak- 
ing of  firearms.  This  was  during  the 
Civil  War,  and  the  business  was  greatly 
strengthened  and  increased  by  extensive 
orders  for  war  munitions. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Burnham 
severed  his  connections  with  Dwight, 
Chapin  &  Company,  and  became  inter- 
ested in  the  manufacture  of  steam,  gas 
and  water  fittings,  in  partnership  with 
Charles  F.  Belknap  of  Bridgeport.  The 
business  grew  with  such  rapidity  that 
shortly  after  the  inception,  the  corpora- 
tion of  Belknap  and  Burnham  was  formed 
with  Mr.  Burnham  as  president.  Mr.  Burn- 
ham was  a  man  of  considerable  inventive 
genius,  and  skilled  in  the  handling  of 
problems  in  manufacturing.  Under  his 
management  the  business  of  the  firm 
went  forward  in  such  strides  that  in  1874 
the  Eaton,  Cole  &  Burnham  Company 
was  formed  with  greatly  increased  cap- 
ital, and  enlarged  factory  accommoda- 
tions. Mr.  Burnham  was  vice-president 
of  the  new  concern  at  the  time  of  its  or- 
ganization, but  later  became  president, 
which  post  he  held  until  he  resigned  from 
active  business  life,  in  1905.  During  the 
time  of  his  presidency  Mr.  Burnham 
greatly  advanced  the  efficiency  of  the 
plant,  and  raised  the  working  force  to 
fourteen  hundred  men.  The  firm  was  one 
of  the  principal  industries  of  the  city  of 
Bridgeport,  and  one  of  the  largest  of  its 
kind  in  the  State  of  Connecticut,  employ- 
ing over  twenty-four  hundred  men. 

As  the  head  of  a  corporation  of  such 
size  and  prominence  in  the  life  of  the 
city  of  Bridgeport,  Mr.  Burnham  was  in- 
fluential in  the  executive  councils  of  other 
large  interests  of  the  city,  and  also  in 
public  life.  He  was  vice-president  of  the 
United  Illuminating  Company,  president 
of    the    Bridgeport    Crucible    Company, 


131 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


vice-president  of  the  Bridgeport  Hospital 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Bridgeport  Protestant 
Orphan  Asylum,  and  a  director  of  the  City 
National  Bank.  In  addition  to  the  ab- 
sorbing duties  of  his  business,  Mr.  Burn- 
ham  gave  much  time  and  energy  to  honest 
and  unselfish  service  of  public  interests, 
and  he  was  recognized  throughout  the 
city  as  a  man  of  sterling  character  as  well 
as  unusual  ability  in  public  service.  In 
1887  he  was  elected  State  Senator  of  the 
Connecticut  Legislature  and  served  in 
this  capacity  for  two  years.  He  also 
served  on  the  Bridgeport  Board  of  Public 
Works  for  several  years.  Prior  to  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party, 
he  was  a  staunch  Whig,  but  on  the  forma- 
tion of  the  latter,  transferred  his  allegi- 
ance, and  to  the  time  of  his  death  re- 
mained the  best  type  of  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Burnham  was  a  member  and  vestry- 
man of  St.  John's  Church  of  Bridgeport. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Seaside  Club, 
the  Algonquin  Club  and  the  Bridgeport 
Yacht  Club,  and  was  a  keen  sportsman. 
He  gave  generously  but  unostentatiously 
to  charities  and  before  his  death  presented 
a  large  and  valuable  building  to  the 
Bridgeport  Hospital. 

In  September,  1853,  Edward  Goodwin 
Burnham  married  Mary  Ferree,  born  July 
5,  1826,  died  June  12,  1899,  daughter  of 
Uriah  and  Syble  Russell  Ferree,  of  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts.  Their  children : 
Mary  W.,  married  Henry  D.  Henshaw ; 
Carrie  Bell,  married  John  A.  Ten  Eyck; 
and  William  Edward,  of  whom  further. 
Edward  Goodwin  Burnham  died  in 
Bridgeport,  February  28,  1908.  The  fol- 
lowing excerpt  is  taken  from  the  Bridge- 
port Standard  of  that  date :  "Mr.  Burn- 
ham's  life  was  marked  by  many  splendid 
qualities,  and  above  all  by  his  great  gen- 
erosity and  his  broad  charity,  which  was 
the  greater  for  being  of  the  unobtrusive 


kind.  Since  his  retirement  from  business 
he  has  given  away  a  large  sum  of  money 
in  useful  charity.  Among  his  public 
works  was  the  erection  of  one  of  the 
wings  of  the  Bridgeport  Hospital,  but 
that  was  a  small  undertaking  compared 
to  the  steady  stream  of  help  which  has 
flowed  from  time  to  time  to  the  poor  and 
needy,  always  quietly,  the  satisfaction 
coming  to  Mr.  Burnham  in  the  perform- 
ance of  the  deed  and  not  in  the  receiving 
of  public  credit  for  it." 

(VIII)  William  Edward  Burnham,  son 
of  Edward  Goodwin  and  Mary  (Ferree) 
Burnham,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Mas- 
sachusetts, on  November  25,  1856.  Mr. 
Burnham,  Sr.,  removed  from  Springfield 
to  Bridgeport  in  i860,  and  William  E. 
Burnham  attended  the  schools  of  that 
city,  public  and  private,  and  later  studied 
for  two  years  at  Seabury  Institute  in  Say- 
brook,  Connecticut.  His  career,  like  his 
father's,  has  been  devoted  to  mechanics 
and  manufacture.  Very  early  he  deter- 
mined on  the  mechanical  field  for  his  life 
work,  and  secured  his  first  employment 
in  this  line  in  the  iron  fitting  department 
of  Eaton,  Cole  &  Burnham,  of  which  his 
father  was  president.  Convinced  that  thor- 
ough acquaintance  with  every  phase  of 
the  work  of  the  place  was  the  only  basis 
on  which  to  build  his  career,  Mr.  Burn- 
ham began  on  the  lowest  rung  of  the  lad- 
der, rising  gradually  through  positions  of 
varying  responsibility  to  the  capacity  of 
vice-president,  assistant  treasurer  and 
manager.  During  the  term  of  his  service 
and  connection  with  it,  the  firm  Eaton, 
Cole  &  Burnham  became  one  of  the  larg- 
est and  most  important  of  the  enormous 
and  extensive  brass  and  iron  industries  of 
the  entire  State  of  Connecticut.  In  1905 
the  year  of  his  father's  retirement,  Mr. 
Burnham  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  com- 
pany to  the  Crane  Company  of  Chicago, 
132 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Illinois,  and  since  then  has  given  the 
greater  portion  of  his  time  to  a  large  iium- 
ber  of  interests  with  which  he  is  con- 
nected. He  is  president  of  the  Pacific 
Iron  Works,  director  of  the  First  National 
Bank,  director,  for  past  twenty-five  years, 
of  the  Bridgeport  Hospital,  and  director 
of  the  Bridgeport  Public  Library  and 
Bridgeport  Boys'  Club. 

Mr.  Burnham  has  served  the  city  of 
Bridgeport  faithfully  and  well  in  the  fol- 
lowing official  capacities :  In  1897,  he  was 
appointed  park  commissioner  and  served 
for  seven  years ;  and  has  served  on  board 
of  apportionment  and  taxation,  and  on 
board  of  contracts  and  supplies  for  several 
years,  retiring  in  1925.  In  1908  he  was 
elected  delegate  to  the  Republican  Na- 
tional Convention ;  in  1909  he  was  one  of 
the  Republican  presidential  electors,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Republican  Central 
State  Committee.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Knights  Templar,  Pyramid  Tem- 
ple of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine; 
the  Order  of  Elks ;  the  Algonquin  of 
Bridgeport;  the  Union  League  Club  of 
New  Haven,  and  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club. 

William  Edward  Burnham  married 
Hattie  J.  Keifer,  on  December  10,  1884, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Effie  Jane  (Decker) 
Kiefer,  old  residents  of  Bridgeport.  Their 
home  is  on  Fairfield  Avenue,  Bridgeport. 
They  are  members  of  St.  John's  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church.  Mrs.  Burnham 
died  January  17,  1923. 

Mr.  Burnham  is  one  of  the  substantial, 
highly  respected,  and  progressive  busi- 
ness men  of  the  city  of  Bridgeport,  and 
of  the  type  of  enterprising  excutive  that 
has  been  responsible  for  the  extraordinary 
development  of  the  city  two  decades. 
Bridgeport  is  now  the  largest  and  most 
important  manufacturing  city  in  the  en- 
tire State,  and  this  fact  is  due  largely  to 


the  presence  in  the  city  of  such  men  as 
William  Edward  Bumham's  type. 


ACHESON,  Edward  Campion, 

Saffragan  Bishop   of   Conneotiont. 

One  of  the  most  active  and  useful  of- 
ficials of  the  Anglican  Church,  Bishop 
Acheson  and  his  talented  wife  are  among 
the  leading  citizens  of  Middletown  in  all 
good  work,  calculated  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  community  and  of  the 
State.  Edward  Campion  Acheson  was 
born  in  1858  in  Woolwich,  England,  of 
Irish  parents,  and  reared  in  Ireland.  In 
1881  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Can- 
ada and  was  in  business  for  a  time  at 
Toronto.  For  some  time  a  student  at  the 
University  of  Toronto,  he  graduated  in 
1888  from  Wyckliflfe  College  at  Toronto, 
a  divinity  school.  In  1892  he  received  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  from  the  University  of 
New  York,  being  at  that  time  a  curate  at 
St.  George's  Church  of  that  city.  He  was 
ordained  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
priesthood  by  Bishop  Sweatman  of  To- 
ronto, June  16, 1888.  For  one  year  he  was 
a  curate  at  All  Saints  Church  at  Toronto. 
In  1892  he  was  called  to  the  church  of  the 
Holy  Trinity  at  Middletown,  Connecti- 
cut, as  rector,  and  continued  in  this  posi- 
tion until  his  consecration  as  Suflfragan 
Bishop.  With  an  active  mind  and  deeply 
engrossed  in  his  work,  he  rapidly  grew  in 
the  esteem  not  only  of  his  parish,  but  of 
his  fellow  citizens  generally.  One  who 
knew  him  well  said:  "He  is  first  of  all, 
a  man.  His  beneficences  have  extended 
to  people  of  every  denomination  and  every 
creed.  Going  about  doing  good  is  his  re- 
ligion." In  these  brief  words  is  summed 
up  the  character  of  the  man  and  cause  for 
the  respect  and  esteem  in  which  he  is  held 
is  revealed. 

While   he   was   rector  of   Trinity,  the 


133 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


present  parish  house  and  rectory  were 
built ;  also  a  parish  house  in  the  Staddle 
Hill  district,  and  on  Warwick  Street.  He 
was  consecrated  Bishop,  November  4, 
191 5,  being  the  two  hundred  eighty-third 
American  Bishop.  He  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  Wesleyan 
University  and  on  November  i,  1916,  this 
degree  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Trinity 
College  of  Hartford.  His  activities  in 
church  affairs  are  numerous  and  he  has 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Church  Revision  Fund;  was  vice-presi- 
dent of  a  Church  Auxiliary  and  is  a  trustee 
of  Berkeley  Divinity  School.  While  a 
student  at  the  University  of  Toronto, 
Bishop  Acheson  was  active  in  the  militia 
service  of  the  Province,  was  a  member  of 
Company  K,  the  university  company,  of 
the  Queen's  Own  Regiment,  and  distin- 
guished himself  for  bravery  under  fire 
during  the  second  Riel  Rebellion,  for 
which  he  received  a  medal  from  Queen 
Victoria.  During  the  recent  World's  War, 
his  military  and  patriotic  spirit  led  him 
into  many  activities  and  he  served  as 
Field  Director  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
in  this  country.  At  its  outbreak  he  was 
stranded  in  Italy  with  many  other  Ameri- 
can tourists,  and  was  appointed  by  Am- 
bassador Page  on  a  commission  to  relieve 
American  tourists  and  arrange  for  their 
transportation  to  this  country.  Because 
of  his  executive  ability  and  his  cheerful 
and  hopeful  disposition,  he  was  particu- 
larly valuable  to  this  organization.  He 
is  affiliated  with  St.  John's  Lodge,  No. 
2,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ; 
and  Cyrene  Commandery,  No.  8,  Knights 
Templar,  of  Middletown. 

Bishop  Acheson  was  married,  June  8, 
1892,  in  Canada,  to  Eleanor  Gooderhan, 
daughter  of  George  Gooderhan,  a  mer- 
chant of  Toronto.  Mrs.  Acheson  is  a 
leader  in  many  of  the  uplifting  activities 


of  Middletown,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  the  Visiting  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion, and  has  been  very  active  in  Red 
Cross  work,  in  community  service  and 
other  movements  along  the  lines  of  these 
organizations.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Acheson 
are  the  parents  of  a  daughter  and  two 
sons:  Margaret  C,  Dean  G.,  and  Ed- 
ward C. 


PECK,  Howard  Sydney, 

Public  Servant. 

A  scion  of  one  of  the  oldest  Connecti- 
cut families,  Mr.  Peck  is  an  exponent  of 
the  steady  virtues  which  have  for  three 
centuries  distinguished  the  Puritan  fa- 
thers of  New  England.  Among  the  first 
settlers  of  New  Haven,  in  1638,  was 
Henry  Peck,  probably  a  relative  of  Dea- 
con William  Peck,  who  settled  there  in 
the  same  year.  They  are  supposed  to 
have  been  members  of  Rev.  John  Daven- 
port's flock  that  came  with  Governor 
Eaton  in  the  ship  "Hector,"  arriving  at 
Boston,  June  26,  1637.  Henry  Peck  signed 
the  fundamental  agreement  of  the  settlers 
of  New  Haven,  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  the 
colony.  A  portion  of  his  home  lot,  on 
what  is  now  George  Street,  is  still  in  pos- 
session of  his  descendants.  His  will  is 
dated  October  30,  165 1,  and  he  died  soon 
after  that  day.  His  third  son,  Benjamin 
Peck,  was  baptized  September  5,  1647, 
and  lived  in  that  part  of  New  Haven 
known  as  "Sperry  Farms,"  now  the  town 
of  Woodbridge.  His  will,  made  March 
30,  1730,  was  proved  April  5,  following. 
He  married  March  29,  1670,  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  Sperry  of  New  Haven, 
born  March  14,  1650.  Benjamin,  eldest 
child  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  Peck,  was 
born  January  4,  1671,  in  (then)  New 
Haven,   and   settled    in   "Norwich   West 


134 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Farms,"  now  Franklin,  about  1700,  in 
which  year  he  was  made  a  freeman  there. 
He  was  a  man  of  ability,  wealth  and  in- 
fluence, and  died  May  3,  1742,  having  sur- 
vived his  wife  Mary  by  fourteen  years. 
She  died  March  3,  1728.  Their  second 
son,  Benjamin  Peck,  born  December  4, 
1710,  settled  in  Canterbury,  Connecticut. 
He  married,  November  3,  1736,  Martha 
Carrier,  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Carrier, 
a  remarkable  man  in  both  England  and 
America.  He  was  born  as  early  as  1635, 
was  noted  for  his  fleetness  of  foot,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  body  guard  of 
Charles  I.  After  he  was  one  hundred 
years  old  he  walked  a  distance  of  eighteen 
miles,  from  Colchester  to  Glastonbury, 
carrying  a  sack  of  corn  and  stopping  only 
once  on  the  way.  He  was  in  Billerica, 
Massachusetts,  in  1665,  in  Andover  in 
1692,  later  at  Colchester,  Connecticut, 
where  he  died  March  16,  1735,  "aged  over 
one  hundred  years."  He  married.  May 
7,  1674,  Martha  Allen  of  Andover,  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  and  Faith  Allen.  She 
was  executed  as  a  witch  at  Salem,  August 
19,  1692.  Their  son,  Thomas  Carrier, 
married,  at  Andover  June  19,  1705,  Susan- 
na Johnson,  who  was  born  December  30, 
1682,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Lovejoy)  Johnson  of  Andover.  Their 
daughter  became  the  wife  of  Benjamin 
Peck,  as  before  related.  Their  eldest 
child,  Reuben  Peck,  was  born  October  17, 
1737.  in  Canterbury,  where  he  made  his 
home.  He  married,  December  6,  1759, 
Charity  French,  born  May  20,  1736,  in 
Norwich,  daughter  of  Abner  and  Sarah 
(Sluman)  French  of  that  town.  Sarah 
Sluman,  born  January  31,  1704,  in  Nor- 
wich, daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah 
(Pratt)  Sluman,  was  married  November 
6,  1723,  to  Abner  French.  Jesse  Peck, 
third  son  of  Reuben  and  Charity  Peck, 
born   October  3,    1764,   lived   in   Canter- 


bury and  married  March  31,  1795,  Sarah 
Carver,  born  December  14,  1775,  daughter 
of  Gideon  and  Abigail  (Hovey)  Carver 
of  Canterbury.  She  was  admitted  ("wife 
of  Jesse  Peck")  to  the  Westminster 
Church  of  Canterbury  in  January,  1808. 

Joseph  Peck,  fourth  son  of  Jesse  and 
Sarah,  was  bom  May  14,  1807,  in  Canter- 
bury (according  to  Canterbury  records) 
May  15,  1808,  by  family  records,  and  lived 
a  short  time  in  Pawlet,  Vermont.  He  also 
resided  in  Litchfield  and  Rocky  Hill, 
Connecticut,  and  settled  permanently  on 
Farm  Hill,  in  the  town  of  Middletown, 
where  he  was  a  successful  farmer  and 
died  October  26,  1876.  He  purchased 
tracts  of  timber  land  and  did  a  large  busi- 
ness in  lumber  and  railroad  ties,  beside 
furnishing  wood  for  locomotives  on  the 
main  line  and  Berlin  branch  of  the  New 
Haven  Railroad.  A  man  of  industry  and 
business  ability,  he  filled  an  important 
place  in  the  community.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church,  a  Repub- 
lican in  political  principle,  but  never 
sought  political  preferment.  He  married, 
January  i,  1843,  Harriet  Winchester,  born 
September  24,  1820,  died  November  24, 
1861,  daughter  of  Joel  and  Sophia  (Arm- 
strong) Winchester  of  Pawlet. 

The  pioneer  ancestor  of  the  Winchester 
family  was  John,  who  is  found  of  record 
at  Muddy  River,  now  Brookline,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1637,  when  he  was  made  a 
freeman  there.  In  1638  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery 
Company  of  Boston,  lived  in  Hingham  in 
1647-48  and  in  1655  was  again  at  Muddy 
River.  He  joined  the  church  with  his 
wife  in  1674,  held  various  town  offices  and 
died  April  25,  1694,  aged  over  eighty.  He 
married,  October  15,  1638,  in  Scituate, 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Richard  Scales.  She 
died  in  Brookline  September  18,  1697. 
Josiah,  third  son  of  John  Winchester,  was 


135 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


born  March  27,  1655,  and  died  February 
22,  1728.  He  married  December  10,  1678, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Ann  Lyon, 
born  1650,  died  July  27,  1730.  Their 
third  son,  Amariah  Winchester,  baptized 
April  8,  1688,  died  after  January,  1773, 
probably  in  Connecticut.  He  married, 
December  15,  1714,  in  Boston,  Sarah 
Seaver,  born  December  4,  1696,  daughter 
of  John  and  Sarah  Seaver.  Andrew  Win- 
chester, third  son  of  Amariah  and  Sarah 
born  February  4,  1723,  died  May  18,  1793. 
He  married  Joanna,  daughter  of  Ebenezer 
Williams  of  New  London.  Their  eldest 
child,  Andrew  Winchester,  born  October 
16,  1750,  settled  at  Pawlet,  Vermont,  in 
1786,  and  died  1827.  He  married  Lydia 
Carver,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  Joel 
Winchester,  born  1790.  He  married  Sophia 
Armstrong  of  Castleton,  Vermont,  and 
their  third  daughter,  Harriet,  became  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Peck,  as  previously  noted. 
Howard  S.  Peck,  fourth  son  of  Joseph 
and  Harriet  (Winchester)  Peck,  was  born 
April  20,  1858,  in  Middletown,  where  he 
has  made  his  home  to  the  present  time. 
His  attendance  at  the  public  schools  ended 
before  the  completion  of  his  eighteenth 
year,  and  he  has  since  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  practical  affairs  of  life,  to  his 
own  profit  and  that  of  the  community. 
Until  1881  he  remained  on  the  paternal 
farm,  and  for  the  succeeding  eleven  years 
was  employed  by  the  Middletown  Silver 
Plate  Company.  For  fifteen  years  he 
occupied  the  paternal  homestead,  and  sold 
milk  in  the  city,  delivering  from  one  hun- 
dred to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
quarts  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
in  the  year.  He  continues  to  manage  the 
farm,  a  portion  of  which  is  rented.  Mr. 
Peck  was  early  drafted  by  his  townsmen 
for  the  public  service  and,  after  serving 
as  assessor  and  member  of  the  board  of 
relief  several  years,  he  was  elected  select- 


man. In  1912  he  was  chosen  first  select- 
man, and  has  since  filled  that  responsible 
position.  The  care  of  the  roads  and  mul- 
titude of  interests  of  the  large  and  popu- 
lous town  furnish  ample  employment  for 
his  natural  executive  qualities,  and,  when 
not  traversing  the  field  of  his  responsibili- 
ties, he  is  daily  found  in  his  office  in  the 
municipal  building.  In  the  social  life  of 
the  town  and  city,  he  bears  an  active  part, 
and  is  a  supporter  of  the  "North"  Congre- 
gational Church,  with  which  his  family  is 
identified,  and  holds  membership  in  sev- 
eral fraternal  and  benevolent  bodies. 
Among  these  are  included :  St.  John's 
Lodge,  No.  2,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Apollo  Lodge,  No.  33,  Knights 
of  Pythias;  Middletown  Lodge,  No.  771, 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks ; 
and  Mattabessett  Grange,  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  Mr.  Peck  has  consistently 
supported  the  principles  avowed  by  the 
Republican  party  in  public  aflfairs  and  has 
been  influential  in  shaping  the  manage- 
ment of  local  affairs.  In  his  active  career 
he  has  suffered  no  serious  illness,  and  is 
still  in  prime  order  for  action. 

Howard  S.  Peck  married,  September 
12,  1882,  Carrie  Doud,  born  in  South 
Farms,  Middletown,  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel S.  and  Sarah  (Roberts)  Doud. 
Nathaniel  S.  Doud  was  born  in  Madison, 
November  24,  1827,  died  June  15,  1921, 
married  Sarah  Roberts,  born  September 
II,  1833,  died  July  10,  1891,  daughter  of 
William  and  Clarissa  (Blake)  Roberts, 
who  were  married  December  4,  1823.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Peck  were  the  parents  of  three 
sons  and  two  daughters :  Grace  Frances, 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two,  while  the 
wife  of  Richard  A.  Ray.  Joseph  Norman 
is  a  plumber  in  Middletown,  residing  near 
his  father.  Horace  Howard  has  been 
with  the  Russell  Manufacturing  Company 
since  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  also 


136 


r 


^^^Ly^.-^..w€^e^  ,x»^  c^ko.t^<>c-*^t-^r 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


resides  near  his  father.  Harry  Doud  is 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  motors  at 
Detroit,  Michigan.  Helen  Louise  died  at 
the  age  of  three  years,  three  months  and 
three  days. 


TRUMBULL,  Alexander  H., 
Manufacturer. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  example  of  the 
Trumbull  family,  now  widely  dispersed 
throughout  the  United  States,  and  numer- 
ous members  of  which  have  become  prom- 
inent in  the  industrial  world,  in  the  field 
of  letters  and  in  political  and  professional 
activities.  A  branch  of  the  Trumbull 
family,  migrated  from  Great  Britain, 
probably  in  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth 
or  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  to 
Ulster  County,  Ireland.  There,  Hugh  H. 
Trumbull,  father  of  Alexander  H.  Trum- 
bull was  born  and  on  emigrating  to  Amer- 
ica, settled  in  West  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, afterward  removing  to  Plainville, 
Connecticut.  He  was  a  strong,  intensively 
religious  and  substantial  citizen  of  the 
communities  where  he  carried  on  his  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  was  the  father  of 
seven  sons,  of  whom  is  Alexander  H. 
Trumbull,  of  this  review,  president  of  the 
Connecticut  Electric  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany of  Bridgeport,  which  ranks  as  one 
of  the  most  important  concerns  of  its  kind 
in  New  England,  while  its  head  is  also 
recognized  as  an  industrial  leader  of  this 
section  of  the  country.  From  a  small  be- 
ginning in  Bantam,  Connecticut,  where 
the  concern  still  maintains  that  unit  of 
its  establishment,  the  Connecticut  Elec- 
tric Manufacturing  Company  now  sends 
its  products  all  over  the  world  and  has 
offices  at  a  number  of  strategic  points  in 
this  country.  The  company  also  operates 
its  own  pottery  plant  at  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  where  it  manufactures  the  porce- 


lain used  in  the  production  of  its  elec- 
trical devices  at  Bridgeport. 

Alexander  H.  Trumbull  is  a  son  of 
Hugh  H.  and  Mary  (Harper)  Trumbull. 
His  father  was  born  in  Ireland.  After  his 
arrival  in  America  he  first  took  up  his 
residence  in  West  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
where  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  and  oper- 
ated a  farm  on  a  considerable  scale  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  was  a  communicant 
of  the  West  Hartford  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  He  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  seven  sons :  John  H.,  present 
Governor  of  Connecticut ;  Henry ;  Frank ; 
Alexander  H.,  of  this  review ;  James,  who 
died  in  April,  1916;  Isaac  B.,  who  was 
drowned  when  the  Lusitania  was  sunk 
while  making  a  trip  to  England  in  May, 
1915;  and  George.  All  of  the  surviving 
sons  are  engaged  in  manufacturing. 

Alexander  H.  Trumbull,  son  of  Hugh 
H.  and  Mary  (Harper)  Trumbull,  was 
born  in  West  Hartford,  Connecticut,  Oc- 
tober 12,  1878.  His  father,  having  re- 
moved with  his  family  from  West  Hart- 
ford to  Plainville,  Connecticut,  sent  the 
son  Alexander  to  the  public  schools  of 
that  town.  He  attended  his  classes  until 
he  arrived  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  when 
he  left  school  and  became  associated  with 
his  brothers  in  the  electrical  business  at 
Hartford.  He  early  demonstrated  a  re- 
markable capacity  for  things  mechanical, 
particularly  with  the  application  of  elec- 
tricity. His  genius  for  organization  also 
began  to  be  active  at  the  beginning  of  his 
career.  In  1904  he  launched  out  into 
business  for  himself  as  an  electrical 
contractor  at  Torrington,  Connecticut, 
shortly  before  absorbing  the  business  in- 
terests of  his  brothers  at  Hartford.  In 
1906,  in  association  with  his  brother,  Isaac 
B.  Trumbull,  he  organized  in  the  town  of 
Bantam,  the  Connecticut  Electric  Manu- 
facturing Company,  which  was  destined 


^Z7 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  become  one  of  the  most  important  con- 
cerns of  its  kind  in  this  section  of  the 
United  States.  In  December,  1912,  the 
Trumbull  brothers,  finding  it  necessary  to 
expand  their  plant  under  the  increasing 
demand  for  their  products,  removed  from 
Bantam  the  major  part  of  their  establish- 
ment to  Bridgeport,  where  the  company 
engaged  in  a  more  extensive  manufacture 
of  its  ow^n  inventions,  which  consist  prin- 
cipally of  switches,  sockets,  etc.,  in  addi- 
tion to  other  devices.  Under  the  skilfully 
guiding  hand  of  Alexander  H.  Trumbull, 
the  business  has  made  remarkable  strides. 
Upon  the  organization  of  the  company 
Mr.  Trumbull  was  elected  president,  and 
still  occupies  that  office.  He  himself  is 
the  inventor  of  a  number  of  wiring  de- 
vices in  the  electrical  line  which  are  in 
use  throughout  the  country.  The  envi- 
able reputation  which  has  come  to  the 
Connecticut  Electric  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany is  due  in  very  large  part  to  the  in- 
troduction and  manufacture  of  numerous 
important  inventions  in  the  electrical  field 
which  were  perfected  and  brought  out  by 
Mr.  Trumbull  and  his  late  brother,  Isaac 
B.  Trumbull. 

Mr.  Trumbull  is  a  member  of  the 
Bridgeport  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
State  Chamber  of  Commerce,  also  of  the 
Manufacturers'  Associations,  both  local 
and  national ;  the  Association  of  Manu- 
facturers of  Electrical  Supplies.  He  is 
affiliated  with  American  Lodge,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  of  Stratford,  and  is  a 
vestryman  and  a  member  of  the  board  of 
finance  of  Christ  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  of  Stratford,  Connecticut.  His 
clubs  are  the  Algonquin  of  Bridgeport, 
the  Cupheag  of  Stratford,  and  the  Strat- 
ford Mill  River  Country  Club,  being  also 
a  member  of  the  board  of  governors  of  the 
latter  club. 

Mr.  Trumbull    married,    December    6, 


1905,  Mary  J.  Smith,  a  daughter  of  An- 
drew and  Jane  (Kilbourne)  Smith  of 
Litchfield,  both  of  whom  were  members 
of  old  Connecticut  families.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Trumbull  are  the  parents  of  two  children : 
Marian,  born  November  27,  1906,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Stratford  High  School,  and 
now  (1925)  a  student  at  the  Wykham- 
Rise  School  for  Girls  at  Washington, 
Connecticut,  and  Donald  Trumball,  born 
June  18,  1910,  who  is  attending  the  Gun- 
nery School  at  Washington,  Connecticut. 


CURRY,  James  A., 

Iiaxryer. 

Prominent  among  the  enterprising,  en- 
ergetic, and  successful  lawyers  of  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  is  James  A.  Curry,  of 
the  law  firm  of  Curry  &  Curry.  Mr.  Curry 
was  born  in  that  city,  January  24,  1890, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Ann  (Flannigan) 
Curry.  The  former  was  born  in  Bally- 
cumber,  Queen's  County,  Ireland,  and 
died  in  November,  1915,  aged  sixty-four 
years.  He  was  about  seventeen  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  America  with  hi? 
brother,  Peter,  and  located  in  Hartford. 
There  Mr.  Curry  learned  the  trade  of 
brass  moulder  at  the  Colt  Patent  Fire- 
arms Company,  where  he  remained  for 
almost  twenty  years.  He  became  exceed- 
ingly expert  in  combining  metals  to  give 
special  qualities  for  special  uses.  Though 
never  trained  in  the  modern  technical 
sense,  he  was  naturally  possessed  of  keen 
observation  and  an  analytical  mind,  and 
these  qualities  gave  him  such  a  command 
of  his  business  that  requests  came  to  him 
from  all  over  the  country  to  work  out 
metal  formulae.  He  was  the  one  to  first 
make  a  metal  to  be  successfully  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  link  chains.  Mr. 
Curry  worked  out  the  formula  for  the 
metal  for  the  first  gatling  gun  manufac- 

138 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tured.  When  the  Colt  Company  had  the 
contract  for  the  making  of  government 
guns,  he  mixed  the  metals.  In  the  late 
"  'eighties,"  Mr.  Curry  resigned  from  the 
position  of  Superintendent  of  the  Colt 
Brass  foundry,  a  position  which  he  had 
held  for  many  years,  and  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  on  his  own  account. 
He  had  always  been  thrifty,  and  with 
keen  foresight  had  invested  his  savings  in 
property  which  greatly  enhanced  in  value, 
and  the  income  from  this  property  was  re- 
invested with  the  same  discriminating 
judgment.  It  was  very  seldom  that  Mr. 
Curry  sold  a  piece  of  property. 

He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
served  two  terms  in  the  Common  Council. 
Mr.  Curry  married  Ann  Flannigan  and  of 
their  family  of  ten  children,  nine  grew  to 
maturity,  i.  John,  a  graduate  of  Notre 
Dame  University.  He  was  a  lawyer  and 
died  in  191 1,  unmarried.  2.  Ann,  wife  of 
Joseph  G.  Woods  of  New  Britain.  3. 
William  P.,  married  Ann  Golden.  He 
was  alderman  for  several  terms  and  is 
now  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness in  Hartford.  4.  Margaret,  deceased 
wife  of  Truman  D.  Cowles  of  Hartford. 
5.  Mary,  who  lives  at  home.  6.  Thomas 
B.,  graduate  of  Notre  Dame  Law  De- 
partment in  1914.  He  had  taken  special 
academic  work  before  entering  the  law 
school,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the 
same  year  he  graduated.  He  is  now  in 
partnership  with  his  brother,  James  A., 
who  is  more  particularly  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Thomas  Curry  married  An- 
gela Jane  Connor  and  has  a  daughter, 
Angela  Jane.  7.  James  A.,  of  extended 
mention  below.  8.  Edward  P.,  of  Hart- 
ford, engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 
He  married  Mary  Doyle  and  is  the  father 
of  two  children.  9.  Teresa,  a  graduate  of 
St.  Mary's  College,  Indiana,  now  engaged 
in  social  service  work  with  the  Diocesan 
Bureau  of  Social  Service  in  Hartford.  The 


mother  of  this  family  died  in  August,  191 7. 

James  A.  Curry  attended  the  grammar 
and  high  schools  of  Hartford  and  St. 
Thomas  Seminary.  After  completing  his 
courses  at  these  institutions,  he  went  to 
Colorado  where  he  worked  for  a  year  as 
a  surveyor  in  Routt  County.  At  the  death 
of  his  brother,  John  Curry,  he  returned  to 
the  East  and  the  following  September 
entered  the  Law  School  at  Notre  Dame 
University  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1914  and  admitted  to  the  bar  the  fol- 
lowing year.  At  the  same  time  he  formed 
his  present  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Thomas  Curry,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Curry  &  Curry  and  they  engage  in  a  gen- 
eral practice  of  their  profession. 

Although  comparatively  a  young  man, 
Mr.  Curry  has  been  very  active  in  public 
affairs  and  has  been  a  staunch  supporter 
of  the  Democratic  party.  For  two  terms 
he  served  as  assistant  chairman  of  the 
County  Committee  and  also  served  as 
secretary  to  Mayor  Richard  Kinsella. 

Mr.  Curry  married  Mary  Agnes,  daugh- 
ter of  Honora  Mahoney  of  Rawlins,  Wy- 
oming, and  neice  of  Senator  Patrick  Sul- 
livan of  Caspar,  Wyoming.  The  latter  is 
also  a  Republican  National  Committee- 
man. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curry  are  the  parents 
of  a  daughter,  Mary  Agnes,  and  of  a  son, 
John  Patrick  Curry.  Mrs.  Curry  holds 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  and  B.  M.  received 
from  St.  Mary's  College. 

Mr.  Curry's  fraternal  affiliations  are 
with  the  Knights  of  Columbus ;  the  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks; 
and  the  Royal  Arcanum.  With  his  family 
he  attends  St.  Joseph's  Cathedral. 


OTIS,  John  M., 

Banker. 

There  is  an  erroneous  impression  that 
New  England,  with  its  greatly  enlarged 
cities  and  a  vast  increase  in  population. 


139 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


has  almost  lost  the  leavening  influence  of 
its  original  settlers,  but  a  canvass  of  that 
part  of  the  country  will  show  an  amazing 
number  of  the  descendants  of  that  hardy- 
race,  with  which  is  included  the  "May- 
flower" stock  that  aids  materially  in  the 
forefront  of  its  enterprise  and  character- 
izes its  citizenship. 

Among  the  many  prominent  men  in 
Connecticut  who  hark  back  to  the  foun- 
ders of  the  land  in  ancestry  is  John  M. 
Otis,  president  of  the  Mechanics  and 
Farmers'  Bank  of  Bridgeport.  Mr.  Otis 
has  all  his  adult  life  been  connected  with 
that  bank  and  banking  interests  generally. 
He  comes  of  Revolutionary  stock,  and  is 
a  great-great-grandson  of  Stephen  Otis, 
who  was  one  of  the  minute  men  of  Con- 
cord, Massachusetts,  and  Lexington,  the 
very  vital  engagements  which  preceded 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill — men  whose 
deeds  even  today  thrill  Americans.  Later 
this  Revolutionary  hero  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Long  Island,  where  he  was  cap- 
tured by  the  British,  dying  when  still  held 
by  them.  John  M.  Otis'  line  is  traced 
down  through  Robert,  Richard  and  Mar- 
shall Otis,  but  its  anterior  history  is  very 
interesting. 

The  family  name  of  Otis,  Otes,  Ottys, 
is  derived  from  the  old  Anglo-Norman 
Christian  name  Oto,  Odo,  Oto  de  Bayley, 
and  is  on  record  as  early  as  about  1300. 
Andreas  Otes  is  in  the  Hundred  Rolls  of 
County  Norfolk,  A.  D.  1273,  and  Otes  de 
Howorth  in  the  poll-tax  of  Yorkshire, 
1379.  The  coat-of-arms  of  Otis  (Ottys)  is : 

Arms — Azure,  a  cross  engrailed  argent  between 
four  crosslets  fitchee,  or. 

Robert  Otis,  born  in  England  in  1696, 
appears  in  Lyme,  Connecticut,  before 
1737.  He  is  said  to  have  served  as  a 
wagoner  in  the  Revolution,  but  the  mili- 
tary record  given    is    probably    that    of 


Robert,  Jr.  "He  died  at  Lyme,  181 1,  aged 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  years."  (See 
Robert,  Jr.)  Robert,  Sr.,  married,  in  1737, 
Margaret  Sabin.  His  diary  has  for  Sun- 
day, November  15,  1741 :  "Robert  Otis 
and  Mary  Daton  publisht."  This  entry 
perhaps  referred  to  a  second  wife.  "Rob- 
ert," his  son,  over  sixteen,  and  his  wife, 
are  in  the  census  of  1780.  A  partial  list 
of  his  children  born  at  Lyme :  Robert,  Jr., 
born  1740;  enlisted  May  i,  1777,  in  the 
Connecticut  Line,  Captain  Ely's  company, 
for  three  years ;  reenlisted  in  Captain 
Richard  Douglass'  company,  serving  from 
January  i  to  May  4,  1781,  and  he  was 
among  those  drafted  from  the  Fifth  Con- 
necticut Regiment  to  serve  under  Mar- 
quis de  la  Fayette  in  Virgfinia  at  the  end 
of  the  war,  in  October,  1781.    He  married 

Lydia  ,  and  had  a  son,  John.     He 

and  his  wife  may  have  been  the  subjects 
of  the  diary  entry  of  "Robert"  quoted 
above,  in  1790.  Stephen  (2)  Otis,  son 
of  Robert  and  (Mary  Daton?)  Otis,  bom 
at  Lyme,  1738,  died  at  Halifax,  Ver- 
mont, in  1831.  The  lineage  book  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution 
says  that  he  served  from  Lyme  for  twen- 
ty-nine days  in  Captain  Joseph  Jewett's 
company  at  the  Lexington  Alarm,  begin- 
ning in  April,  1775.  He  was  at  the  battle 
of  Long  Island,  August  27,  1776,  but  in 
the  roll  after  the  battle  this  was  recorded : 
"Sergeant  Stephen  Ottis  missing."  He 
married,  about  1760,  Lucy  Chandler.  He 
was  representative  of  Halifax,  Vermont, 
1812-17.  Partial  list  of  children  born  at 
Lyme :  Arannah,  served  in  Colonel  Sam- 
uel Canfield's  regiment  at  West  Point, 
New  York,  September,  1781,  enlisting 
from  East  Haddam ;  he  appeared  as 
"Arime"  in  the  roll,  and  married  Eliza- 
beth Adams.  His  second  child  was  Caro- 
line, born  in  1764,  died  1834.  Robert  (3) 
said  to  be  the  son  of  Stephen  and  Lucy 
140 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(Chandler)  Otis.  Seth,  married  Chloe 
Taylor.  Stephen,  who  served  from  Gro- 
ton  and  Saybrook.  Little  is  known  of 
Robert  (3).  He  is  said  to  have  been  the 
father  of  a  Richard  who  remained  in 
Lyme.  A  Richard  Otis  was  born  in  Lyme 
Jn  1775-  He  settled  in  Canaan,  New  York. 
Richard  (4)  Otis,  said  to  have  been  the 

son  of  Robert  and Otis,  was  born 

at  Lyme,  but  there  is  no  record  of  his 
death. 

John  M.  Otis'  grandfather  was  Rich- 
ard Otis,  a  farmer  born  in  Lyme,  Con- 
necticut. He  married  Nancy  Palmer,  of 
the  Walter  Palmer  line  of  Stonington, 
Connecticut.  They  were  the  parents  of 
Marshall  Otis,  born  in  Lyme  in  1831,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  He 
was  reared  on  the  farm,  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  learned  the  trade  of  a 
carpenter  in  Groton,  Connecticut.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two  he  moved  to  Newtown, 
Connecticut,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Otis  &  Gillette,  contractors  and 
builders.  Their  business  was  successful, 
and  they  constructed  many  buildings  in 
Newtown  and  vicinity.  Mr.  Otis  was 
active  in  church  affairs  and  a  strong  Con- 
gregationalist.  He  married  Mary  J.  Gil- 
lette, a  descendant  of  Jonathan  Gillette, 
of  Windsor.  They  were  the  parents  of 
two  children :  John  M.  and  Jennie  Otis, 
who  married  I.  H.  Camp,  of  Waterbury, 
Connecticut,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Marion. 

John  M.  Otis  was  born  at  Newtown, 
Connecticut,  October  21,  1855.  His  early 
education  was  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town.  He  entered  Yale  University 
in  1876,  and  after  three  years  attendance 
was  taken  ill  and  was  forced  to  give  up 
his  studies.  In  1880  he  located  in  Bridge- 
port and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Me- 
chanics and  Farmers'  Savings  Bank.  Here 
he  continued  in  various   positions  until 


1907,  when  he  was  made  assistant  treas- 
urer, which  position  he  ably  filled  until 
1922,  when  he  was  elected  president,  suc- 
ceeding the  late  John  L.  Wessels.  For 
twenty-one  years  Mr.  Otis  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  Bridgeport  Hospital,  re- 
signing in  1920.  He  is  now  (1925)  a 
director  in  that  institution.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion ;  of  the  Park  Street  Congregational 
Church.  October  21,  1886,  Mr.  Otis  mar- 
ried Carrie  F.  Beers,  of  Newtown.  One 
daughter,  Mildred  E.  Otis,  a  graduate  of 
the  Bridgeport  High  School  and  Welles- 
ley  College,  class  of  1910.  She  married 
Dr.  Robert  C.  Lewis,  a  professor  in  the 
Colorado  State  University.  They  have 
children :  Robert,  Elizabeth,  Marshall, 
John,  and  Roy. 


RAFTERY,  Oliver  Henry,  D.  D., 
Episcopal    Clergyman. 

For  a  period  of  thirty-three  years.  Dr. 
Raftery  ministered,  not  only  to  Trinity 
parish  of  Portland,  but  was  the  friend  and 
well-wisher  of  all  the  people  of  the  town. 
He  was  among  the  first  to  welcome  the 
new  resident,  ready  to  perform  any  kind- 
ness, and  always  wistful  for  the  well- 
being  of  old  and  young.  Known  to  all, 
he  was  everywhere  respected  and  loved. 
His  death  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years 
was  widely  regretted  and  caused  a  great 
shock  to  the  community. 

Oliver  Henry  Raftery  was  born  May 
31,  1853,  at  Achill  Island,  in  Northern 
Ireland,  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine 
Raftery.  The  father  was  a  missionary  in 
Northern  Ireland,  where  he  spent  his  ac- 
tive years  and  died  when  the  son  was  a 
small  boy.  Soon  after,  the  latter  came 
with  relatives  to  America,  and  his  boy- 
hood was  spent  in  New  York  City.  He 
received    some   schooling   there   and,    as 


141 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


soon  as  prepared,  became  a  student  at 
Cheshire   Academy,    Cheshire,    Connecti- 
cut, whence  he  went  to  Trinity  College, 
Hartford,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1873.    Three  years  later  he  was  gradu- 
ated from  Berkeley  Divinity  School.  Mid- 
dletown,  and  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop 
Williams.     In   1877  ^^  was  ordained   to 
the  priesthood  and  became  rector  of  St. 
Peter's  Church,  Cheshire,  where  he  con- 
tinued ten  years,  practicing  the  same  lov- 
able works  which  made  him  so  beloved  in 
Portland.    To  Trinity  Parish,  in  the  latter 
town,  he  came  in  1886,  and  continued  his 
labors  in  its  behalf  until  a  few  days  be- 
fore his  death,   May   17,   1919.     In   1908 
Trinity  College  conferred  upon  him  the 
well  earned  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 
Dr.  Raftery  was  a  familiar  figure  on  the 
streets  of  the  town  and  his  visits  were  not 
confined  to  the  members  of  his  parish,  his 
kind  words  were  for  everybody  and  every- 
body was  his  friend.     Dr.  Raftery  partic- 
ipated in  many  ways  in  the  work  of  the 
diocese,  and  in  the  promotion  of  local  in- 
terests   outside   the   church.      He    was   a 
member  of  the  Portland  school  board  and 
director  of  the  Buck  Library,  the  public 
library  of  the  town.     For  twenty  years, 
from  1898  to  1918  he  was  archdeacon  of 
Middlesex  County.     From   1895  to  1907 
he  was  deputy  to  the  General  Convention 
and,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  one 
of  the  examining  chaplains  of  the  diocese. 
He  retained  membership  in  the  Psi  Up- 
silon  college  fraternity  and  was  a  member 
of  Warren  Lodge,  No.  51,  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, of   Portland.     He   maintained   a 
non-partisan    interest    in    public    affairs, 
aiming  and  hoping  to  secure  the  best  gov- 
ernment. 

At  a  service  when  a  tablet  in  memory 
of  Dr.  Raftery  was  unveiled,  held  in  Trin- 
ity Church,  Portland,  May  8,  1921,  the 
sermon  was  delivered  by  his  classmate, 
predecessor  a?  rector,  and  lifelong  friend. 


Rev.  Frederick  W.  Harriman,  D.  D.,  rec- 
tor emeritus  of  Grace  Church,  Windsor. 
These  loving  words  of  a  confrere  were 
based  upon  the  words  of  St.  Paul  in  II 
Timothy,  2:15:  A  workman  that  needeth 
not  to  be  ashamed. 

....  God  has  use  for  many  kinds  and  types  of 
ministers ;  and  if  a  man  can  find  the  right  field  of 
work  for  which  he  is  adapted,  his  success  will  be 
assured  and  his  happiness  will  be  great. 

Among  the  various  descripti.ons  of  ministers  in 
the  New  Testament  I  desire  to  select  one  that  does 
justice  to  the  long  and  honorable  service  of  him 
whom  we  commemorate  to-day;  one  that  fits  accu- 
rately his  personal  character,  attainments  and 
activities.  More  than  one  might  well  be  applied  to 
him.  By  his  long  and  liberal  education  he  was 
"thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works" ;  and 
the  results  of  his  training  and  devotion  justified 
St.  Paul's  ideal  for  Timothy,  and  rendered  him  "a 
workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed."  I  feel 
that  it  is  but  moderate  praise,  amply  deserved,  to 
characterize  Dr.  Raftery  as  "a  workman  that  need- 
eth not  to  be  ashamed."  There  are  men  at  work 
in  all  departments  of  life  who  cannot  be  thus 
described  with  any  regard  for  truth  ....  and  I 
fear  that,  in  every  profession  and  occupation,  at 
all  times,  there  are  "slackers"  who  need  to  be 
ashamed,  and  to  whom  in  the  day  of  judgment  the 
Son  of  God  will  certainly  not  say,  "Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant." 

Dr.  Raftery  was  always  a  good  worker — a  very 
diligent  and  thorough  worker.  My  acquaintance 
with  him  began  in  1869,  when  he  entered  Trinity 
College,  in  the  class  just  after  mine.  He  studied 
hard  and  lived  very  quietly.  We  of  his  fraternity 
knew  him  best  and  esteemed  him  highly.  In  1873 
he  graduated  second  in  his  class,  delivering  a 
Latin  salutatory  oration  which  was  unusually 
bright  and  original,  even  witty.  I  remember  that 
about  that  time  he  seemed  to  develop  new  powers, 
became  less  silent  and  more  genial. 

In  1886  I  laid  down  my  rectorship  here  in  Port- 
land, and  was  much  gratified  when  Mr.  Raftery 

was  called  to  succeed  me On  the  twentieth 

day  of  March,  1886,  he  began  his  second  and  last 
rectorship,  which  was  to  be  so  fruitful  and  full  of 
honor.      The    parish   has  ....  been    united    and 

peaceful May  we  not  say  of  Dr.  Raftery, 

as  the  psalmist  said  of  Moses :  "Lo,  he  fed  them 
with  a  faithful  and  true  heart,  and  ruled  them  pru- 
dently with  all  his  power?" 

It  is  not  always  that  good  workmanship  receives 
recognition  and  human  applause.     Some  faithful, 


142 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


able  and  laborious  ministers  never  reap  much 
earthly  reward,  or  see  the  fruits  of  their  planting. 
To  such  the  hymn  says : 

Men  heed  thee,  love  thee,  praise  thee  not ; 
The  Master  praises :   what  are  men  ? 

Your  rector  had  his  share  of  honors  such  as  the 
Church  can  bestow  upon  those  who  achieve 
visible  success  in  the  sacred  ministry.  Trinity 
College  gave  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 
The  Church  in  Middlesex  County  made  him  Arch- 
deacon, which  office  he  filled  for  twenty  years — 
five  successive  terms.  The  Diocese  elected  him 
deputy  to  the  General  Convention  four  times.  He 
was  an  examining  chaplain,  appointed  by  the  bishop 
to  test  the  fitness  of  candidates  for  Holy  Orders. 
The  Episcopal  Academy  at  Cheshire  made  him  a 
trustee.  The  Church  Scholarship  Society  was  glad 
to  have  him  serve  as  one  of  its  directors  in  the 

work  of  granting  loans  to  divinity  students 

Doctor  Raftery's  executive  ability  found  ample 
exercise  as  Archdeacon  of  Middlesex,  with  over- 
sight of  its  various  missions.  His  learning  was 
useful  in  examining  divinity  students.  His  knowl- 
edge of  history  and  his  sound  judgment  came  in 
play  when  taking  part  in  the  legislative  functions 

of  the  General  Convention I  think  a  Divine 

blessing  rests  upon  a  parish  and  a  rector  who  com- 
plete thirty-three  years  together  in  harmony  and 
united  efforts  for  the  Kingdom  of  Christ.  Happy 
is  he  who  is  permitted  to  round  out  such  a  period 
— a  third  of  a  century ;  happy  is  he  who  dies  in  the 

harness  as  he  did Happy  is  the  parish  that 

can  look  back  over  thirty-three  years  of  harmony 
under  one  respected  and  beloved  pastor,  during 
which  the  Church  was  indeed  "edified"  or  built  up 
by  mutual  activity  and  conscientious  service  to 
God  and  man.  And  all  that  time  the  domestic  life 
at  the  rectory  has  been  a  model  of  mutual  affection 
and  a  sustaining  power  to  the  rector  himself. 

In  1881  Mr.  Raftery  married  Mary  E. 
Clark,  daughter  of  Dr.  William  N.  Clark 
of  Augusta,  Georgia.  She  died  without 
issue.  He  married  (second),  in  1891, 
Adelaide  Emery  Brainard,  of  Portland, 
daughter  of  the  late  Benjamin  F.  and 
Amelia  Ann  (Davis)  Brainard  of  that 
town,  descended  from  Daniel  Brainard, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of  Had- 
dam,  Connecticut,  elsewhere  mentioned 
at  length.    One  child  of  this  marriage  died 


in  infancy,  and  two  survive:  i.  Harold 
Brainard,  a  graduate  of  Salisbury  School 
and  of  Trinity  College,  served  in  the 
United  States  navy  during  the  recent 
World  War.  2.  Elizabeth  Brainard  Raf- 
tery, a  graduate  of  Westover  School  in 
Middlebury,  Connecticut,  and  Wellesley 
College. 


SANFORD,  Charles  G. 

Ancestral  History 

The  Sanford  family  of  which  Mr.  San- 
ford  is  a  descendant,  date  their  ancestry 
back  to  Thomas  Sanford,  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  de  Sanford,  a  follower  of  William, 
Duke  of  Normandy,  mentioned  on  the 
Role  of  Battle  Abbey,  October  14,  1076. 
A  descendant,  Thomas  Sanford,  came  to 
Boston  in  1631,  settled  in  Milford,  Con- 
necticut, in  1639,  died  there  in  1681,  and 
from  him  the  Connecticut  Sanfords  trace 
their  ancestry.  Glover  Sanford,  grand- 
father of  Charles  G.  Sanford,  was  the 
third  son  of  LiflFe  and  Huldah  Blackman 
Sanford,  and  was  born  in  that  part  of  the 
town  of  New  Milford  now  known  as 
Bridgewater,  March  3,  1797.  His  father, 
Liffe  Sanford,  served  seven  years  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  was  present  at 
the  execution  of  Major  Andre.  He  died 
December  3,  1815.  After  the  death  of  his 
father.  Glover  Sanford  apprenticed  him- 
self to  his  brother,  John  B.,  in  the  adjoin- 
ing town  of  Brookfield  to  learn  the  trade 
of  hatter,  being  then  eighteen  years  of 
age,  and  in  1820  began  business  in  the 
town  of  Salisbury.  In  1823  he  returned 
to  his  native  town  where  for  a  period  of 
forty-seven  years  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  hats,  having  associated 
with  him  his  four  sons,  Charles  H.,  Homer 
B.,  Frederick  S.,  and  Edwin  G.,  which 
composed  the  well  known  firm  of  Glover 
Sanford  and  Sons.     In  1870,  for  want  of 

143 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


better  facilities,  the  firm  removed  to 
Bridgeport,  and  in  this  business  Glover 
Sanford  continued  until  his  death. 

In  the  affairs  of  his  town  he  always 
took  a  lively  interest ;  in  politics,  a  staunch 
Democrat,  twice  a  representative  to  the 
State  Legislature.  He  was  the  first  post- 
master of  his  town,  his  first  commission 
being  issued  during  the  administration  of 
President  Jackson.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  incorporators  of  the  Bank  of 
Litchfield,  Connecticut,  and  a  director 
until  a  few  weeks  of  his  death.  He  was 
one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  town  of 
Bridgewater,  in  1856,  and  one  of  the  first 
selectmen.  He  was  self-reliant,  perse- 
vering, of  keen  business  foresight,  a  pub- 
lic-spirited, honorable  and  upright  man, 
and  always  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand 
to  others.  His  habits  kept  him  from  the 
infirmities  of  age,  and  he  died  May  30, 
1878,  aged  eighty-one  years.  February, 
.1821,  he  married  Betsey  Lake,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Mabel  Lake,  of  Brookfield. 


ROGERS,  John  WilUam, 

Faithfnl   Official. 

For  more  than  forty  years  a  resident  of 
Middletown,  Mr.  Rogers  has  established 
a  reputation  as  a  sound  business  man  and 
has,  naturally,  been  called  upon  to  handle 
public  affairs.  In  this  he  has  maintained 
the  same  standard  as  that  governing  his 
own  concerns,  and  the  confidence  of  his 
fellows  has  been  justified  and  enhanced. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  some  of  the  oldest 
and  influential  families  of  New  England, 
partaking,  thus,  of  those  qualities  making 
for  success  and  leadership.  The  name  of 
Rogers  may  have  been  of  French  origin 
derived  from  Roger  I  of  Sicily  and  Ca- 
labria, born  about  1031  in  Normandy, 
France.  Some  say  it  is  derived  from  the 
Prankish  word  Hruod,  Hrother  in  North 


German,  Ruhm  in  modern  German,  mean- 
ing fame  or  glory.  Another  meaning  as- 
cribed to  it  is  "one  whose  word  is  reli- 
able." It  is  among  the  most  ancient 
names  in  both  England  and  America,  as 
well  as  most  numerously  found.  No  less 
than  eleven  by  the  name  of  John  Rogers 
were  among  the  seventeenth  century  im- 
migrants in  this  country.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  the  president  of  Har- 
vard College  in  1683.  None  of  the  immi- 
grants of  the  name  have  been  able  to 
establish  descent  from  the  martyr,  John 
Rogers,  who  was  burned  at  Smithfield, 
England,  in  1555,  though  several  families 
have  traditions  to  that  effect.  Probably, 
the  earliest  American  Rogers  was  Thomas 
who  came  over  in  the  "Mayflower"  ac- 
companied by  his  son  Joseph,  and  died  in 
1621. 

Robert  Rogers  was  in  Newbury,  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  1651,  with  his  wife  Susanna, 
and  died  December  23,  1663.  Their  sec- 
ond son,  Thomas  Rogers,  was  born  July 
9,  1652,  in  Newbury,  where  he  resided, 
and  died  October  15,  1735,  in  his  eighty- 
fourth  year.  He  married.  May  18,  1677, 
Ruth  Brown,  who  was  born  May  26,  1662, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Rebecca  (Bailey) 
Brown  of  Newbury.  Thomas  Rogers,  Jr., 
eldest  child  of  Thomas  and  Rebecca,  born 
August  15,  1678,  lived  in  Newbury  and 
there  married,  August  18,  1702,  Hannah 
Long,  born  April  6,  1684,  daughter  of 
Abiel  and  Hannah  (Hill)  Long  of  that 
town.  Robert  Long  was  a  freeman  of 
Newbury  in  1645,  was  a  deacon  of  the 
church  there,  and  died  of  smallpox  De- 
cember 27,  1690.  He  married,  in  1647, 
Alice  Stevens,  who  died  three  weeks  after 
him.  Their  eldest  son,  Abiel  Long,  was 
born  February  19,  1650,  and  married,  Oc- 
tober 27,  1682,  Hannah  Hill.  They  were 
the  parents  of  Hannah  Long,  wife  of 
Thomas  Rogers,  Jr. 
144 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Amos  Rogers,  son  of  Thomas,  Jr.,  and 
Hannah,  was  born  October  30,  1724,  and 
died  in  1809.  He  married,  November  22, 
1748,  Abigail  Brown,  born  April  17,  1724, 
daughter  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  (Morse) 
Brown.  Stephen  Brown,  born  July  i, 
1702,  in  Newbury,  son  of  John  and  Mary, 
married,  February  26,  1722,  Sarah  Morse, 
who  was  born  October  i,  1706,  daughter 
of  William  and  Sarah  (Merrill)  Morse. 
The  name  of  Morse  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  invention  of  the  electric 
telegraph  and  is  otherwise  distinguished 
in  relation  to  science,  literature  and  all  in- 
fluences that  make  for  the  betterment  of 
the  condition  of  mankind.  Its  bearers 
have  been  noted  for  their  maintenance  of 
the  standards  set  by  their  Puritan  fathers. 
Anthony  Morse  of  Newbury,  Massachu- 
setts, came  from  Marlboro,  Wiltshire, 
England,  and  settled  in  Newbury  in  1635, 
with  his  brother  William,  both  registering 
as  shoemakers.  They  sailed  from  Lon- 
don, England,  in  the  ship  "James,"  April 
5,  1635.  Anthony  Morse  built  a  house 
in  what  is  called  "Newbury  Old  Town," 
about  one-half  mile  south  of  the  old  ceme- 
tery, on  a  slight  eminence  in  a  field  which 
is  still  called  "Morse's  Field."  Traces  of 
the  house  a  few  rods  from  the  road  are 
still  visible.  His  will  is  on  file  in  Salem. 
He  died  October  12,  1686,  in  Newbury. 
His  first  wife,  Mary,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  mother  of  his  children.  The  fifth 
son.  Deacon  Benjamin  Morse,  was  born 
March  28,  1640,  in  Newbury,  where  he 
resided  and  was  deacon  of  the  church, 
was  made  a  freeman  in  1673,  subscribed 
to  the  oath  of  fidelity  and  allegiance  in 
1668  and  1678,  and  was  still  living  No- 
vember 22,  1707.  He  married  August  26, 
1667,  Ruth  Sawyer,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 16,  1648,  daughter  of  William  and 
Ruth  (Binford)  Sawyer.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Newbury  Church  in  1674. 
Conn.  11 — 10 


Deacon  William  Morse,  third  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Ruth,  was  born  January  23, 
1674,  in  Newbury,  where  he  made  his 
home  and  died  May  20,  1749.  He  mar- 
ried. May  12,  1696,  Sarah  Merrill,  who 
was  born  October  15,  1677,  in  Newbury, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Clough) 
Merrill,  granddaughter  of  Nathaniel  Mer- 
rill, born  in  1610.  in  England,  and  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  Newbury,  in  1635. 
His  wife  was  Susannah  Wellerton,  whose 
name  is  also  written  in  early  records  as 
Wilterton  and  Williston.  Sarah  Morse, 
second  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah, 
became  the  wife  of  Stephen  Brown  and 
the  mother  of  Abigail  Brown,  wife  of 
Amos  Rogers. 

Amos  Rogers,  eldest  child  of  Amos  and 
Abigail  (Brown)  Rogers,  was  born  No- 
vember 3,  1749,  in  Newbury,  where  he 
lived  and  married,  December  28,  1769, 
Mary  Davis,  who  was  born  July  31,  1750, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Ruth  (Brown) 
Davis. 

Joshua  Rogers,  son  of  Amos,  Jr.,  and 
Mary  (Davis)  Rogers,  was  born  July  21, 
1777,  in  Newbury,  and  lived  in  the  ad- 
joining town  of  Hampstead,  New  Hamp- 
shire. He  married  Nabby  Currier,  born 
January  16,  1783,  in  Haverhill,  Massachu- 
setts, daughter  of  Reuben  and  Lydia  (At- 
wood)  Currier.  Their  son,  Ezekiel  Cur- 
rier Rogers,  was  born  June  28,  1800,  in 
Hampstead,  and  lived  in  Concord  and 
other  towns  in  that  State.  He  married 
Lavina  Leavitt,  and  they  were  the  parents 
of  George  Leavitt  Rogers,  who  was  born 
December  8,  1836,  in  Concord.  The  last 
named  engaged  in  the  trucking  business 
in  Plymouth,  New  Hampshire,  whence 
he  removed  to  Middletown.  Connecticut, 
in  1880.  Here  he  built  up  a  handsome 
business  in  storage  and  trucking,  which  he 
continued  until  a  short  time  before  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1912,  in  Ash- 
US 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land,  New  Hampshire,  near  Plymouth,  in 
his  seventy-sixth  year.  He  married  Han- 
nah Lambert,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Margery  (Clark)  Lambert,  who  survives 
him. 

John  W.  Rogers,  son  of  George  L.  and 
Hannah,  was  born  April  21,  1877,  in  Ply- 
mouth, New  Hampshire,  and  was  a  small 
boy  when  his  parents  removed  to  Middle- 
town,  where  his  whole  business  career  has 
been  developed.  Until  thirteen  years  old 
he  was  a  diligent  student  in  the  city 
schools,  and  has  since  given  close  atten- 
tion to  the  business  established  by  his 
father,  of  which  he  took  charge  more  and 
more  as  advancing  age  compelled  the  lat- 
ter to  relinquish  its  cares.  With  ready 
business  tact,  he  has  made  friends  and  his 
business  has  grown  and  flourished.  He 
gives  employment  to  fourteen  men  and 
several  motor  vehicles,  and  his  monster 
vans  are  much  in  evidence  about  the 
streets  of  the  city  and  surrounding  towns. 
His  present  handsome  residence  on  South 
Main  Street  was  purchased  in  1920,  and 
is  the  abode  of  hospitality  and  good  cheer. 
Mr.  Rogers  has  always  taken  a  lively 
interest  in  the  progress  and  prosperity  of 
Middletown,  and  has  been  called  upon 
by  his  fellows  to  take  part  in  the  manage- 
ment of  its  affairs.  His  political  affilia- 
tions are  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
he  has  been  chosen  to  fill  various  offices, 
including  those  of  councilman,  alderman 
and  representative  of  the  town  in  the 
State  Legislature.  In  the  election  of  Jan- 
uary, 1924,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the 
city  by  a  handsome  majority,  and  was  im- 
mediately installed  in  office  by  his  pred- 
ecessor. In  all  matters  given  into  his 
charge,  whether  public  or  private,  Mr. 
Rogers  has  sought  to  pursue  the  straight 
and  just  course,  and  the  trust  reposed  in 
him  by  the  public  has  never  been  be- 
trayed.    He  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the 


Baptist  Church,  and  is  affiliated  with  sev- 
eral of  the  fraternal  and  benevolent  or- 
ganizations of  the  city,  including  St. 
John's  Lodge,  No.  2,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Washington  Chapter,  No.  6, 
Royal  Arch  Masons ;  and  Cyrene  Com- 
mandery.  No.  8,  Knights  Templar.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Apollo  Lodge,  No.  33, 
Knights  of  Pythias ;  Middletown  Lodge, 
No.  771,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  ;  and  Arawanna  Tribe,  No.  17,  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  married  to  Emma  E. 
Eastwood,  who  was  born  September  29, 
1875,  i"  Middletown,  daughter  of  John  T. 
and  Mary  S.  (Taylor)  Eastwood,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  England,  and  the  latter  of 
Greenwich,  New  York.  John  T.  East- 
wood was  born,  1830,  in  England,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Hannah  Eastwood,  and 
was  a  house  painter.  He  died  July  11, 
1883,  in  Middletown,  as  the  result  of  a 
fall.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  are  the  parents 
of  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  namely:  i. 
George  Eastwood,  born  February  10, 
1897.  2.  Theodore  Eastwood,  January  28, 
1901.  3.  Ruby  Taylor,  October  11,  1906. 
Theodore  E.  married  Dora  Grillam  and 
has  a  daughter,  Jean,  born  1925. 


DICKERMAN,  William  Elihu, 
Mannfacturer,  Iiegislator. 

Born  of  a  fine  old  New  England  family, 
whose  generations  since  early  Puritan 
days  aided  in  the  economic,  agricultural 
and  political  development  of  Connecticut, 
William  Elihu  Dickerman  made  for  him- 
self an  enviable  place  in  his  native  com- 
munity. 

He  was  the  ninth  in  the  line  of  Dicker- 
mans  descending  from  the  original  Thom- 
as Dickerman  who  settled  in  Dorchester 
Massachusetts,  about  1635  and  whose  son, 
Abraham,    came    to    New    Haven    about 


146 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1658.  Abraham  married  Mary  Cooper, 
daughter  of  John  Cooper,  one  of  the  orig- 
inal grantees  of  the  town  of  New  Haven, 
and  from  this  union  sprang  a  host  of  de- 
scendants including  in  their  numbers  men 
of  such  prominence  as  members  of  Con- 
gress, ministers,  magistrates,  writers, 
Wall  Street  financiers,  railroad  and  in- 
dustrial corporation  officials,  State  Legis- 
lators, etc.  Abraham's  youngest  son.  Cap- 
tain Isaac  Dickerman,  was  a  deputy  to  the 
Connecticut  General  Assembly  for  fifty- 
nine  terms,  outstripping  the  longest  rec- 
ord of  any  other  deputy  by  twenty-six 
terms.  He  was  also  one  of  the  committee 
to  arrange  for  the  transfer  of  Yale  Col- 
lege from  Saybrook  to  New  Haven  in 
1716  and  made  a  gift  of  two  acres  of  land 
to  assist  the  college  in  getting  established 
in  New  Haven. 

Isaac  had  considerable  property  near 
Mt.  Carmel  about  seven  miles  north  of  the 
New  Haven  green  opposite  which  he  lived 
and  about  1735  his  second  son,  Jonathan, 
went  out  there  to  improve  the  lands  and 
establish  a  home.  In  those  historic  years 
just  before,  during  and  right  after  the 
Revolution,  Lieutenant  Jonathan  Dicker- 
man  played  an  important  part,  being  at 
various  times  surveyor,  lister,  assessor, 
tj^hingman,  selectman,  grandjuryman,  in- 
spector, member  of  the  committee  which 
voted  New  Haven's  approval  of  the  as- 
sociation entered  into  by  the  Continental 
Congress  at  Philadelphia,  and  one  of  the 
eight  members  of  the  Special  Committee 
on  Admitting  to  Inhabitancy,  whose  re- 
port constitutes  one  of  the  town's  most 
important  documents. 

Among  Jonathan's  children  who  were 
in  the  Revolution  was  Enos,  his  oldest 
child,  who  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
British  and  died  in  New  York  in  1776. 
Following  in  the  direct  line  came  Enos, 
son  of  Enos,  a  farmer,  and  Elihu,  son  of 


Enos,  a  large  land  owner,  civil  engineer 
assisting  on  the  Farmington  Canal,  Dea- 
con of  the  Mt.  Carmel  Congregational 
Church  for  twenty-five  years,  and  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  He  moved  to  North 
Haven  on  the  Ridge  Road  in  1848  al- 
though his  son,  Elihu  Justus,  was  born  in 
Mt.  Carmel.  Elihu  Dickerson  was  born 
May  14,  1802,  and  married  Sylvia  Hum- 
iston,  who  was  born  February  3,  1805. 
His  son,  Elihu  Justus,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 6,  1828,  taught  school  in  his  youth 
and  later  farmed.  He  married  Grace  An- 
geline  Blakeslee,  born  March  8,  1831,  who 
died  April  18,  1889,  seventeen  years  after 
the  death  of  her  husband  on  September 
12,  1872. 

The  maternal  grandparents  of  William 
Elihu  Dickerman,  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical record,  were  Zophar  Blakeslee, 
born  March  8,  1803,  died  February  15, 
1875,  and  his  wife  Sarah  Brockett  Blake- 
slee, born  in  1808,  died  August  11,  1876. 
Zophar  Blakeslee  was  the  son  of  Zophar 
and  Sybil  Brockett  Blakeslee,  Zophar  be- 
ing a  wagon  and  carriage  builder  and 
blacksmith  in  the  days  when  horse  power 
ran  machinery.  On  both  sides  the  family 
was  Congregationalist  in  religious  faith. 
The  children  of  Zophar  and  Sarah  Brock- 
ett Blakeslee  were :  Zerah  Thomas 
Blakeslee,  a  farmer;  Hermenea ;  Grace 
Angeline ;  Henry  E. ;  and  Charles  Edgar. 

William  Elihu  Dickerman,  son  of  Elihu 
Justus  and  Grace  Angeline  (Blakeslee) 
Dickerman,  was  born  in  North  Haven 
November  3,  1861,  in  the  house  on  the 
Ridge  Road  where  his  brother  and  sister 
still  live.  His  brothers  and  sisters  were : 
Sarah  Elizabeth,  born  May  8,  1858 ;  Ro- 
bert Ellsworth,  born  September  27,  1863 ; 
Grace  Emma,  born  April  18,  1867,  died 
March  13,  1895 ;  Julia  Maria,  born  April 
22,  1872,  died  November  2,  1872. 

His  early  childhood  was  spent  on  the 

147 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


farm  and  his  first  schooling  obtained  at 
the  country  district  school,  later  attend- 
ing Mrs.  Henry  G.  Dickerman's  private 
school  in  Mt.  Carmel.  His  eagerness  for 
knowledge  took  him  to  high  school  in 
New  Haven  where  his  aptitude  for  learn- 
ing and  rapid  grasp  of  subjects  enabled 
him  to  gain  this  education  while  going 
back  and  forth  from  his  home  in  the 
country  and  helping  on  the  farm.  On 
account  of  the  early  death  of  his  father 
he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  studies  and 
go  to  work.  For  a  short  time  he  taught 
school.  He  also  worked  in  the  country 
store  of  Joseph  Pierpont  in  North  Haven 
village  for  a  while. 

About  November,  1882,  Mr.  Dickerman 
became  established  with  the  firm  of 
Morgan  &  Humiston  in  New  Haven, 
dealers  in  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  He 
first  started  as  a  bookkeeper  but  rapidly 
assumed  more  responsibility  and  in  April, 
1885,  the  business  was  incorporated  with 
Fred'k  J.  Morgan  as  president,  Wm.  E. 
Dickerman,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and 
Oswin  W.  Humiston,  superintendent,  each 
owning  one-third  of  the  stock.  Mr. 
Humiston  resigned  after  a  year  or  two 
and  Mr.  David  F.  Wiser  came  in  as  secre- 
tary shortly  afterward,  the  company  how- 
ever retaining  the  same  name  it  was  in- 
corporated under  which  it  carries  to  this 
day.  This  business  was  established  in 
1870  as  Bowman  &  Company  and  changed 
hands  a  number  of  times  but  never  grew 
very  rapidly  until  Mr.  Dickerman  became 
associated  with  it.  Then  however,  through 
his  hard  work,  likeable  personality  and 
square  dealing,  it  increased  so  fast  that 
in  less  than  ten  years  they  were  doing 
most  of  the  business  in  town  in  their  line. 
It  was  then  located  at  Nos.  142-144  State 
Street  but  needing  larger  quarters,  in  1900 
they  erected  their  own  spacious  building 
at  Nos.  30-42  Prout  Street,  where  it  has 
been  ever  since. 


Although  most  of  the  time  from  eight 
o'clock  or  earlier  in  the  morning  until  ten 
o'clock  at  night  was  spent  at  his  business 
in  New  Haven  he  kept  himself  in  good 
physical  condition  by  arising  at  six  every 
week-day  morning  and  working  in  the 
garden  or  about  the  grounds  of  his  home 
in  North  Haven.  He  never  retired  before 
eleven  or  twelve  o'clock  and  seemed  to 
get  along  satisfactorily  with  about  six 
hours  sleep  six  days  a  week,  observing  the 
Sabbath  religiously  as  a  day  of  rest  as 
his  forefathers  had  done  for  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years.  In  spite  of  his  close  ap- 
plication to  his  business  he  found  time 
to  participate  in  public  affairs  in  which  he 
was  always  interested.  He  was  well 
known  by  most  of  the  residents  of  his 
native  town  and  his  kindliness  and  good 
will  made  everybody  his  friend.  A  test 
of  his  popularity  was  made  on  two  dif- 
ferent occasions.  The  first  time  was  in 
1896  when  he  decisively  defeated  the  fore- 
most politician  of  the  town  for  the  office 
of  chairman  of  the  Republican  Town 
Committee,  and  the  second  in  1900  when 
he  overwhelmed  the  wealthiest  man  and 
greatest  landholder  in  the  vicinity  for  the 
nomination  of  Representative  to  the  State 
Legislature.  Practically  every  living  voter 
in  the  town  came  out  for  this  caucus,  the 
like  of  which  had  never  before  been  seen. 
His  exceptional  ability  was  recognized  in 
the  Legislature  by  his  appointment  as 
clerk  of  the  important  Committee  of  Fi- 
nance. His  insight  into  the  log-rolling 
methods  of  politics  dampened  much  of 
his  ardor  for  public  affairs  so  that  with 
the  demands  of  his  continually  increasing 
business  he  gave  up  active  participation 
in  politics  although  he  was  continually 
consulted  regarding  town  affairs,  and 
acted  as  Registrar  of  voters  during  1903 
and  1904. 

He  was  a  member  of  Hiram  Lodge  of 
Masons  in  New  Haven,  an  active  com- 


148 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


municant  of  the  North  Haven  Congre- 
gational Church,  agent  of  the  First  Ec- 
clesiastical Society,  and  chairman  of  the 
building  committee  to  replace  the  struc- 
ture which  burned  in  191 1.  He  led  an 
active,  healthy  life  and  came  to  an  un- 
timely end  on  December  9,  1913,  from  an 
accidental  gunshot  wound  from  which  he 
never  regained  consciousness. 

William  E.  Dickerman  married  in  the 
Hamden  Plains  Methodist  Church,  April 
8,  1884,  Lillian  Alice  Snow,  born  at  Ham- 
den, November  25,  1862,  who  survives  her 
husband.  Mrs.  Dickerman  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Albert  R.  Snow,  a  mason  and  con- 
tractor, a  descendant  of  the  Adams  family 
of  Suffield,  Connecticut,  and  his  wife, 
Hulda  (Warner)  Snow,  whose  grand- 
father, Samuel  Warner,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolution. 

For  a  year  or  two  after  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickerman  lived  in 
what  is  known  as  the  center  of  North 
Haven  near  the  green  and  here  their 
first  child.  Grace  Lillian,  was  born  May 
I,  1886.  Towards  fall  of  that  year  they 
moved  to  New  Haven,  residing  on  Orange 
Street,  near  Canner  Street,  not  far  from 
East  Rock.  Their  second  child,  Elihu 
Elias,  was  born  here  November  18,  1887. 
Early  in  the  year  1888  they  moved  back 
again  to  the  old  home  town  of  North 
Haven,  purchasing  the  Fowler  place  be- 
side the  Quinnipiack  River,  where  the 
family  has  lived  ever  since.  The  old  house 
was  torn  down  and  a  new  one  built  in 
1900  so  that  with  the  improvements  that 
have  been  made  in  the  grounds  this  home- 
stead of  fourteen  acres  is  regarded  as  the 
most  beautiful  in  town. 

There  were  but  two  children,  Grace 
Lillian,  who  after  completing  the  high 
school  course  in  Meriden  attended  St. 
Lawrence  University  at  Canton,  New 
York,    and    Elihu     Elias,    who     attended 


Boardman  Manual  Training  High  School 
and  New  Haven  High  School,  graduated 
from  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of  Yale 
University  in  1909,  was  in  the  insurance 
business  for  four  years,  and,  upon  the 
death  of  his  father,  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  The  Morgan  &  Humiston  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  now  president. 

A  kindly  man,  modest,  unassuming,  but 
full  of  good  works,  Mr.  Dickerman  was 
known  and  loved  throughout  the  town. 
His  party  knew  it  could  count  on  his 
support  for  worthwhile  legislation ;  his 
church  could  call  on  him  in  time  of  need 
and  be  sure  of  generous  aid.  His  friends 
and  the  poor  knew  of  his  constant  readi- 
ness to  help,  and  to  his  family  he  was  the 
wise  guide,  the  ambitious  provider,  and 
the  faithful  friend. 


EDGERTON,  Francis  Daniels, 
Pbysician  and  Surgeon. 

Among  the  most  successful  and  highly 
honored  physicians  of  Middlesex  County, 
the  late  Dr.  Edgerton  enjoyed  a  high  rep- 
utation as  a  citizen  as  well  as  a  healer, 
and  was  held  in  confidence  and  esteem  by 
all  his  contemporaries,  professional  or 
non-professional.  He  was  descended  from 
a  very  old  Connecticut  family,  which  was 
founded  by  Richard  Edgerton  of  Nor- 
wich, where  he  was  one  of  the  founders. 
He  came  from  England  and  was  located 
first  in  Massachusetts,  whence  he  re- 
moved to  Norwich  among  the  early  set- 
tlers. He  married,  April  7,  1653,  Mary 
Sylvester,  and  their  eldest  son,  John  Ed- 
gerton, was  born  June  12,  1662,  in  Nor- 
wich, and  died  there  in  May,  1692,  near 
the  close  of  his  thirtieth  year.  He  mar- 
ried March  20,  1690,  Mary  Renalls  (Rey- 
nolds) born  April,  1664,  daughter  of  John 
Renalls  of  Norwich.  She  manied  (sec- 
ond), December  30,   1697,  Samuel   Loth- 


149 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


rop.  John  Edgerton,  only  child  of  John 
and  Mary  was  born  February  26,  1691, 
and  married,  December  28,  1714,  Ruth 
Adgate,  who  was  born  March  27,  1693,  in 
Norwich,  eldest  child  of  Thomas  and 
Ruth  (Brewster)  Adgate.  Ruth  Brewster 
was  born  September  16, 1671,  third  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  and  Anne  (Dart)  Brew- 
ster. Benjamin  Brewster,  born  January 
17,  1633,  died  September  14,  1710,  in  Nor- 
wich. Ann  (Dart)  Brewster  died  May 
9,  1709.  Benjamin  Brewster,  son  of  Jon- 
athan Brewster,  was  born  August  12, 
1593.  '"  Scrooby,  England,  and  died  1659 
in  Connecticut.  He  married,  April  10, 
1624,  Lucretia  Oldham  of  Darby,  Eng- 
land. John  Brewster  was  the  eldest  child 
of  Elder  William  Brewster  of  the  famous 
"Mayflower"  party,  the  organizer  and 
head  of  the  Plymouth  Pilgrims  of  1620. 
The  name  of  Brewster  appears  among  the 
oldest  families,  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
III  as  ranking  among  the  English  landed 
gentry.  As  early  as  1375  John  Brewster 
lived  in  the  parish  of  Henstead  in  Suf- 
folk, England,  and  in  the  reign  of  Richard 
II  John  Brewster  was  prebend  of  God- 
wich,  in  the  county  of  Norfolk.  By  mar- 
riage the  Norfolk  branch  was  connected 
with  several  distinguished  houses  of 
Ivlolkham.  Robert  Brewster  owned  lands 
in  Henstead  and  from  the  Suffolk  branch 
lines  are  established  at  Castle  Heding- 
ham  in  Essex,  where  it  was  connected 
with  several  knightly  families. 

It  was  supposed  that  Elder  William 
Brewster,  probably  of  this  connection, 
was  born  at  Scrooby  in  Nottinghamshire, 
where  he  was  active  in  the  organization 
of  dissenters  from  the  established  church. 
In  1607  he  was  imprisoned  at  Boston  in 
Lincolnshire  for  his  activity  against  the 
established  religious  order.  With  great 
difficulty  and  expense,  his  release  was  se- 
cured and  he  went  to  Leyden,  whence  he 


came  with  the  Pilgrim  band  to  Plymouth, 
Massachusetts.  In  early  life  he  held  a 
responsible  position  in  the  service  of  Wil- 
liam Davidson,  one  of  Queen  Elizabeth's 
ambassadors,  and  afterward  a  secretary  of 
state.  From  this  service  he  went  to 
Scrooby,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been 
his  native  village  and  there  aided  in  form- 
ing the  company  which  first  settled  at 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts.  His  eldest 
son,  Johnathan,  born  at  Scrooby,  some 
thirteen  miles  distant  from  Doncaster  in 
Yorkshire,  came  to  Plymouth  in  1621  and 
in  June,  1636,  had  command  of  the  Plym- 
outh trading  house  on  the  Connecticut 
River.  He  gave  notice  to  Governor  John 
Winthrop  of  the  evil  designs  of  the  Pe- 
quots.  Later  he  settled  at  Duxbury,  Mas- 
sachusetts, which  he  represented  in  the 
General  Court  in  1639.  Before  1649  he 
was  a  resident  of  New  London,  Connecti- 
cut, where  he  was  selectman  in  that  year 
and  where  he  died  before  September.  His 
wife,  Lucretia  Oldham,  was  the  mother  of 
Benjamin  Brewster,  born  November  17, 
1633,  in  Duxbury.  He  settled  on  his 
father's  homestead  at  Brewster  Neck, 
which  he  acquired  by  purchase,  the  farm 
originally  in  the  town  of  New  London, 
now  in  Ledyard,  then  a  part  of  the  former 
town.  He  was  much  in  the  public  serv- 
ice ;  long  deputy  to  the  General  Court, 
lieutenant  of  the  New  London  troop,  later 
captain  of  the  Norwich  Military  Com- 
pany. He  married,  February  28,  1660, 
Anne  Darte,  who  was  probably  the  widow 
of  Ambrose  Darte  of  Boston.  The  lat- 
ter's  wife  was  Anne  Adis,  daughter  of 
William  Adis  of  Cape  Anne.  Ruth,  sec- 
ond daughter  of  Benjamin  Brewster,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Thomas  Adgate  and  the 
mother  of  Ruth  Adgate,  who  married 
John  Edgerton  of  Norwich.  Her  second 
son,  Elisha  Edgerton,  was  born  February 
28,  1727,  in  Norwich,  and  married  there, 


150 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


May  9,  1753,  Elizabeth  Lord,  born  Au- 
gust 24,  1731,  eldest  daughter  of  Cyprian 
and  Elizabeth  (Backus)  Lord. 

Simon  Edgerton,  eldest  child  of  Elisha 
and   Elizabeth,  was  born  December   14, 
1753.    '"    Norwich,    and    married    there 
February  7,    1792,   Lucy  Griswold,   who 
was    born    February    26,    1765,    second 
daughter    of    Abel     and     Ruth    (Avery) 
Griswold,  descendants  of  two  prominent 
families    of    the    New    London   section. 
Francis  G.,  third  son  of  Simon  and  Lucy 
(Griswold)  Edgerton  was  born  March  23, 
1797,  in  Norwich,  and  died  at  East  Hamp- 
ton, Connecticut,  in  1870.    He  began  the 
study  of  medicine    with    Dr.    Philomen 
Tracy  and  was  later  with  Dr.  William  P. 
Eaton,  both  of  Norwich,  and  after  attend- 
ing courses  of  lectures  at  New  Haven  in 
1824  and  1825,  received  his  diploma.    The 
death  of  Dr.  Richmond  of  East  Hampton 
left  a  vacancy  and  Dr.  Edgerton  located 
there,  where  he  continued  in  practice  un- 
til the  end  of  his  life,  becoming  one  of  the 
best  known  physicians  of  his  section.    He 
was    a    man    of    commanding    presence, 
standing   over   six   feet    in    height    with 
weight   in   proportion   and   by   his   intel- 
lectual force  and  personal  probity  gained 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow 
citizens.    He  was  a  supporter  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  one  of  the  most  pub- 
lic-spirited of  citizens  and  acted  in  polit- 
ical    movements     with     the     Republican 
Party.     He  married  Marietta  Daniels,  a 
native   of   East    Hampton.      She   was    a 
woman  of  much  independence  and  origin- 
ality and  after  the  death  of  her  husband 
she  continued  to  manage  the  homestead 
farm  for  a  period  of  thirty  years,  dying 
there   in    1900   at   the   advanced    age   of 
eighty-nine  years. 

Dr.  Francis  Daniels  Edgerton  was  born 
August  26,  1838,  at  East  Hampton,  the 
only  child  of  Dr.  Francis  G.  and  Marietta 

15 


Edgerton,  and  was  reared  under  intelli- 
gent direction,  enjoying  superior  educa- 
tional privileges  of  which  he  made  excel- 
lent use.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he 
entered  the  celebrated  preparatory  school 
of  Daniel  H.  Chase  in  Middletown,  was 
subsequently  a  student  at  Wilbraham 
Academy  and  the  academy  at  East  Green- 
wich, Rhode  Island.  In  1857  he  entered 
Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown,  and 
was  graduated  four  years  later  from  its 
classical  course.  His  early  life  had  been 
passed  in  the  home  of  a  busy  physician 
and  after  completing  his  college  course  he 
settled  down  to  a  systematic  study  of 
medicine  under  his  father's  instruction. 
Later  he  attended  the  regular  course  of 
lectures  at  Berkshire  Medical  College  in 
Massachusetts,  and  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Vermont,  from 
which  institution  he  received  his  first  di- 
ploma as  a  doctor  of  medicine.  About  this 
time  the  Civil  War  engaged  his  attention 
and  he  passed  an  examination  and  be- 
came assistant  surgeon  to  the  21st  Con- 
necticut Volunteer  Infantry  and  was  duly 
commissioned.  Circumstances  over  which 
he  had  no  control  prevented  his  entering 
active  service  and  during  the  winter  of 
1863-64  he  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
a  branch  of  Columbia  University,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of 
the  latter  year,  receiving  a  second  di- 
ploma. In  April  of  that  year  he  passed  a 
competitive  examination  under  the  com- 
missioners and  continued  eighteen  months 
in  the  service  of  the  city  of  New  York  in 
Bellevue  Hospital  and  in  the  hospitals 
on  Blackwell's  Island.  Having  completed 
thus  a  very  thorough  preparation,  Dr. 
Edgerton  located  in  Middletown,  July  6, 
1866,  succeeding  Dr.  John  Ellis  Black, 
who  removed  to  New  York  City. 

Dr.   Edgerton's   superior  qualifications 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


were  soon  manifest  to  the  medical  profes- 
sion, as  well  as  to  a  multitude  of  patients, 
and  his  practice  extended  rapidly  until 
his  time  was  very  closely  occupied.  In 
fact,  it  is  probable  that  his  death,  which 
occurred  January  19,  1905,  was  hastened 
by  his  very  close  application  to  the  de- 
mands of  his  numerous  patients.  For 
twenty-four  years  he  was  located  on 
Washington  Street  and  in  1890  purchased 
the  house  which  is  now  No.  loi  Broad 
Street,  and  continued  to  reside  there  af- 
terward. His  success  was  the  natural 
result  of  his  intelligent  application  and 
industry.  He  was  never  idle  and  when 
not  actively  engaged  with  patients  he  was 
devoted  to  study  or  to  some  effort  for  the 
promotion  of  the  public  interest.  His 
genial  disposition  and  invariable  cheerful 
demeanor  coupled  with  his  faithful  atten- 
tion to  his  patients,  not  only  gained  their 
confidence  and  love,  but  was  a  powerful 
element  in  aiding  their  recovery.  His 
very  courteous  and  generous  treatment  of 
his  contemporaries  made  him  much 
sought  after  in  consultation  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  no  other  practitioner  in  Mid- 
dlesex County  had  such  an  extensive  list 
of  patients  or  the  ability  to  make  a  greater 
number  of  daily  visits.  In  manner  modest 
and  quiet,  his  judgment  was  ever  ready 
and  his  success  was  remarkable.  In  the 
various  medical  associations  of  the  com- 
munity he  was  active  and  useful,  serving 
from  1873  to  '^'^77  as  clerk  of  the  Middle- 
sex County  Medical  Society  and  from 
1876  to  1882  as  treasurer  of  the  State 
Medical  Society,  and  under  his  adminis- 
trations both  these  organizations  were 
greatly  advanced  in  a  financial  way  as 
well  as  in  all  other  departments. 

On  the  organization  of  the  State  In- 
dustrial School  for  Girls  at  Middletown, 
Dr.  Edgerton  was  appointed  attending 
physician   and  continued  in  that   service 


until  the  end  of  his  life.  In  1878  he  was 
chosen  to  deliver  the  annual  address  be- 
fore the  graduating  class  of  Yale  Medical 
School.  For  three  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Pharmacy  Commission. 
In  1893  he  was  elected  vice-president  of 
the  State  Medical  Society  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  was  made  its  president.  Very 
active  in  the  local  medical  association, 
he  was  made  president  of  the  Middlesex 
County  Hospital  Society,  whose  project 
-  for  the  establishment  of  a  hospital  in  Mid- 
dletown was  happily  carried  to  success 
during  his  lifetime.  He  was  seldom  ab- 
sent from  the  meetings  of  any  of  the  soci- 
eties with  which  he  was  identified,  and 
contributed  largely  to  the  literature  of 
the  profession.  Among  his  valuable 
papers,  was  one  read  at  the  centennial 
of  the  State  Society,  May  27,  1892,  at 
New  Haven,  in  which  he  discussed  his 
successful  treatment  of  a  case  of  diph- 
theritic croup.  His  services  were  re- 
peatedly in  demand  on  commissions  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor,  to  determine  the 
mental  soundness  of  State  prisoners.  As 
becomes  every  patriotic  citizen,  Dr.  Ed- 
gerton entertained  a  lively  interest  in  the 
conduct  of  public  affairs.  His  first  pres- 
idential vote  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, and  he  continued  a  constant  sup- 
porter of  Republican  principles,  though 
never  accepting  a  nomination  for  any 
civic  office.  In  the  midst  of  his  great 
activities  Dr.  Edgerton  found  temporary 
recreation  in  music,  and  made  occasional 
trips  to  New  York  or  Boston,  where  he 
was  enabled  to  hear  some  of  the  greatest 
performers  of  his  day.  This  did  not 
cause  any  neglect  of  patients,  because  he 
always  returned  on  an  early  train  and 
resumed  without  break  his  daily  round  of 
visits.  About  every  third  year  he  made 
a  short  summer  trip  to  Europe  and  in  this 
way  crossed  the  ocean  many  times.     In 

52 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


most  of  these  trips  he  was  accompanied 
by  some  member  of  his  family,  and  dur- 
ing the  later  visits  he  placed  his  sons 
under  favorable  surroundings  for  the  com- 
pletion of  their  professional  equipment. 

Like  his  father,  Dr.  Edgerton  was  tall  in 
stature  and  of  heavy  weight,  but  was  quick 
and  light  of  foot,  due  largely  to  his  careful 
and  correct  living.  He  was  a  total  abstainer 
from  the  use  of  stimulants  and  always 
brought  to  bear  upon  cases  in  his  charge  a 
pure  and  strong  mind  in  a  healthy  body.  A" 
contemporary  physician  once  said  of  him  : 
"I  never  heard  him  utter  one  word  of  de- 
traction or  disparagement  of  a  brother 
practitioner."  Of  easy  and  agreeable  man- 
ners, a  pleasing  speaker,  choice  in  lan- 
guage and  convincing  in  argument,  his 
public  addresses  were  highly  appreciated. 

Dr.  Francis  D.  Edgerton  was  mar- 
ried, November  5,  1868,  to  Amelia  Du- 
pont  Cruger,  a  native  of  New  Orleans, 
daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Henrietta 
(Cruger)  Cruger,  descended  from  some 
of  the  oldest  and  best  families  in  New 
York.  She  passed  away  at  the  family 
home  in  Middletown,  September  21,  1919. 
The  children  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Edgerton 
are  justifying  the  promise  of  such  excel- 
lent parentage,  and  the  educational  oppor- 
tunities afforded  them.  The  eldest,  Henry 
Cruger  Edgerton,  born  May  21,  1870, 
graduated  from  Wilson's  School  on  High 
Street  in  Middletown  and  is  now  tilling 
the  old  family  homestead  in  East  Hamp- 
ton. Francis  C,  the  second,  graduated 
from  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  in  1894, 
from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  1898,  and  was  two  years  house 
surgeon  at  Bellevue  Hospital  in  New 
York.  He  continued  his  studies  under 
tutors  in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  returning 
to  New  York  began  practice  there  as  a 
physician.  He  was  made  resident  phy- 
sician at  the  Sloan  Maternity  Hospital, 


was  subsequently  elected  assistant  sur- 
geon of  the  Cornell  University  Medical 
Clinic.  He  is  now  established  on  Fifty- 
eighth  Street,  near  Fifth  Avenue.  He  has 
a  daughter,  Frances  Cruger.  John  War- 
ren Edgerton,  third  child  of  Dr.  Francis 
D.,  graduated  from  Trinity  College  in 
1894,  receiving  the  degrees  of  B.  A.  and 
M.  A.,  subsequently  taking  the  latter  de- 
gree from  Yale.  In  that  institution,  he 
completed  three  years  of  post-graduate 
work,  was  graduated  from  the  Yale  Law 
School  in  the  class  of  1900  with  the  degree 
of  LL.  B.  cum  laude.  At  the  time  of  his 
graduation,  he  was  a  tutor,  and  also  de- 
livered lectures  on  legal  subjects  before 
the  New  York  Bankers'  Association.  He 
was  also  engaged  to  lecture  at  the  West 
Point  Military  Academy  and  in  attempt- 
ing to  fill  all  these  engagements  broke 
down  his  health  so  that  he  was  obliged 
to  give  up.  He  died  in  July,  1919,  at  his 
home  in  New  Haven.  He  married  Marion 
Gallaudet  of  Hartford,  youngest  child  of 
the  late  Dr.  Edward  Miner  Gallaudet  of 
that  city.  Of  the  five  children  of  John  W. 
Edgerton,  two  sons  and  two  daughters 
are  now  living. 


EDGERTON,  Henry  Cruger, 

Agriculturist,  Stock  Breeder. 

The  eldest  child  of  the  late  Dr.  Francis 
D.  Edgerton  of  Middletown,  Mr.  Edger- 
ton was  born  May  21,  1870,  in  that  town, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood.  After  at- 
tending two  years  at  the  Middletown 
High  School,  he  was  three  years  a  student 
at  "The  Gunnery,"  a  very  high  class  school 
for  boys  founded  by  Dr.  Gunn  at  Wash- 
ington, Connecticut;  he  entered  upon 
a  business  career,  starting  as  a  clerk  in 
the  office  of  I.  E.  Palmer,  a  large  manu- 
facturer of  Middletown.  Here  he  gained 
a  valuable  business  experience,  and  sub- 


153 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sequently  he  traveled  widely  as  a  sales- 
man in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Palmer,  for  a 
period  of  five  years.  At  the  urgent  re- 
quest of  his  father,  he  settled  upon  the 
paternal  acres  in  East  Hampton,  wrhere 
he  still  resides.  For  several  years  he  en- 
gaged in  breeding  Ayrshire  cattle,  in 
which  he  was  successful,  and  is  still  a 
member  of  the  Ayrshire  and  Brown  Swiss 
Cattle  associations.  Mr.  Edgerton  is  now 
a  dealer  in  thoroughbred  saddle  horses, 
making  a  pastime  of  fitting  up  and  selling 
the  best  specimens  of  their  kind.  He  is 
an  enthusiastic  horseman,  and  his  wife  is 
also  an  equestrienne,  usually  accompany- 
ing him  in  rides  about  the  scenic  sections 
of  Central  Connecticut.  Mr.  Edgerton 
has  never  attempted  to  mix  in  the  conduct 
of  public  affairs,  though  he  is  a  steadfast 
Republican  and  endeavors  to  forward  the 
public  interests  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  the  principles  he  believes  in.  The 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  East 
Hampton  occupies  land  donated  by  the 
Edgerton  family,  and  he  is  a  supporter 
of  the  faith.  The  bell  in  the  church  was  a 
gift  to  the  parish  from  his  mother.  The 
original  family  residence  on  the  Edgerton 
farm  at  East  Hampton  has  been  re- 
modeled and  beautified  by  its  present  oc- 
cupants, and  constitutes  one  of  the  most 
desirable  rural  homes  in  the  State.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Edgerton  divide  their  time  in 
summer  between  this  mansion  and  their 
handsome  summer  home  at  Westbrook, 
and  winters  find  them  in  California  or 
other  milder  climes.  Wherever  they  may 
go,  they  are  welcomed  for  their  fine  and 
genial  manners  and  intelligent  person- 
ality. 

Mr.  Edgerton  was  married,  in  1914,  to 
Mrs.  Annie  E.  (Day)  Hotchkiss,  widow  of 
Frank  Hotchkiss  of  Seymour,  Connecti- 
cut, and  daughter  of  the  late  Edmund  and 
Annie  E.  (Melcher)  Day  of  the  same  place. 


Edmund  Day  was  the  original  manu- 
facturer of  the  famous  Waterman  Ideal 
fountain  pen.  He  was  descended  from 
Robert  Day,  born  about  1604,  who  came 
from  Ipswich,  England,  in  the  ship 
"Elizabeth"  to  Boston,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  Mary,  aged  twenty-eight.  He 
was  admitted  a  freeman  at  Cambridge 
May  6,  1635,  and  was  one  of  the  original 
settlers  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  where 
he  was  living  as  early  as  1639.  There  he 
died  in  1648,  aged  forty-four.  His  second 
wife,  Editha  Stebbins,  was  a  sister  of 
Deacon  Edward  Stebbins.  She  married 
(second)  Deacon  John  Maynard  and 
(third)  in  1658,  Elizur  Holyoke  of  Spring- 
field, where  she  died  October  24,  1688. 
Thomas,  son  of  Robert  Day,  born  about 
1638,  resided  in  Springfield,  where  he 
died  December  27,  171 1.  He  married, 
October  27,  1659,  Sarah  Cooper,  daughter 
of  Lieutenant  Thomas  Cooper,  who  was 
born  1617,  came  to  Boston  in  1635,  settled 
at  Springfield  in  1641,  and  was  killed  by 
Indians  when  they  burned  Springfield. 
Sarah,  wife  of  Thomas  Day,  survived  him 
about  fifteen  years,  dying  November  21, 
1726.  Ebenezer,  sixth  son  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  Day,  was  born  September  5,  1677, 
in  Springfield,  lived  in  West  Springfield 
and  died  there  September  i,  1763.  He 
married  April  18,  1700,  Mercy  Hitchcock, 
and  their  youngest  child,  Timothy  Day, 
was  born  September  5,  1720.  His  home 
was  in  West  Springfield,  where  he  died 
September  29,  1797.  He  married,  Febru- 
ary 6,  1747,  Sarah  Munn,  of  Deerfield, 
born  November  14,  1724,  died  October  4, 
1800,  sixth  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Thankful  (Nims)  Munn,  granddaughter 
of  John  and  Abigail  (Parsons)  Munn, 
great-granddaughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Abigail  (Burt)  Munn.  Benjamin  Munn 
was  in  Hartford,  1639,  ^t  Springfield, 
1649.    His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Henry 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Burt,  ancestor  of  a  large  progeny  prom-      bridge.     Theophilus  Goodyear,  third  son 


inent  at  Springfield  and  throughout  the 
nation.  Edmund  Day,  youngest  child  of 
Timothy  and  Sarah  Day,  born  January 
17,  1767,  in  West  Springfield,  where  he 
made  his  home  and  died  September  2, 
1831.  He  married,  January  16,  1794,  Bede 
Hitchcock,  born  1767,  third  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Phebe  (Ives)  Hitchcock,  de- 
scended from  Matthias  Hitchcock,  the 
pioneer,  through  Nathaniel,  Nathaniel, 
Caleb,  and  Jacob.  Julius  Day,  second  son 
of  Edmund  and  Bede  Day,  born  May  10, 
1797,  in  Springfield,  and  lived  there.  He 
married,  January  15,  1824,  Lois  Goodyear, 
born  August  17,  1794,  only  daughter  of 
Austin  and  Susanna  (Pardee)  Goodyear 
of  Hampden  and  West  Springfield.  The 
Goodyear  family,  famous  in  the  produc- 
tion of  rubber  wares,  is  descended  from 
Stephen  Goodyear,  who  was  forty-third 
on  the  list  of  freemen  at  New  Haven 
in  1638,  was  a  large  landowner  in  1641, 
and  was  one  of  the  London  merchants 
who  fostered  the  New  Haven  colony,  and 
died  in  England  in  1658.  From  1643  to 
1658  he  was  deputy  governor  of  the  col- 
ony. His  first  wife,  Mary,  was  lost  on  the 
"phantom  ship"  which  sailed  from  New 
Haven  and  was  never  heard  of  again.  In 
1648  he  married  Margaret,  widow  of  Cap- 
tain George  Lamberton,  commander  of 
the  "phantom  ship."  Lieutenant  John 
Goodyear,  son  of  Stephen  and  Mary,  born 
March  8,  1650,  in  New  Haven,  died  there 
January  14,  1702.  He  married,  June  26, 
1683,  Abigail  Gibbard,  born  August  18, 
1660,  daughter  of  William  and  Ann 
(Tapp)  Gibbard.  Their  fourth  son,  The- 
ophilus Goodyear,  born  1698  in  New 
Haven,  died  there  April  22,  1757.  He 
married,  December  16,  1725,  Esther 
Sperry,  born  1703,  granddaughter  of  Rich- 
ard Sperry  of  New  Haven,  proprietor  of 
"Sperry's  Farms"  in  what  is  now  Wood- 


of  Theophilus  and  Esther,  born  May  29, 

1731.  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He 
married  Sarah  Munson,  born  March   18, 

1732,  died  December  i,  1775,  daughter  of 
Joel  and  Mary  (Morris)  Munson  of  New 
Haven.  Their  third  son,  Austin  Good- 
year, was  born  April  23,  1759,  in  Ham- 
den,  and  married,  in  April,  1790,  Susanna 
Pardee,  who  was  born  February  7,  1760. 
Their  daughter,  Lois  Goodyear,  became 
the  wife  of  Julius  Day,  as  previously 
related. 

Edmund  Day,  third  son  of  Julius  and 
Lois  Day,  born  December  12,  1831,  in 
West  Springfield.  He  married,  June  18, 
1863,  Annie  E.  Melcher,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Susan  (Brown)  Melcher  of 
Springfield.  Annie  E.  Day,  senior  daugh- 
ter of  Edmund  and  Annie  E.  Day,  became 
the  wife  of  Henry  C.  Edgerton,  as  above 
stated. 


TERRILL,  Moses  Weld, 

Manufacturer. 

The  grandson  and  namesake  of  an  ef- 
ficient business  man  of  Middlefield,  Con- 
necticut, Mr.  Terrill  was  trained  in  busi- 
ness methods,  and  is  following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  those  who  went  before  him,  man- 
aging a  large  business  enterprise  with 
profit.  He  is  a  descendant  of  an  old  New 
England  family,  which  has  been  traced 
back  several  centuries  in  England.  The 
name  is  of  French  origin  and  was  derived 
from  a  village  not  far  from  Paris,  where 
Ralf  de  Tirel  had  his  castle  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  eleventh  century.  He  was 
descended  from  Charlemagne  and  Alfred 
the  Great  of  England.  Sir  Walter  Tyr- 
rell went  with  William  the  Conqueror  to 
England  in  1066,  and  was  prominent  in 
the  battle  of  Hastings  in  that  year.  From 
him  the  English  families  are  descended. 


155 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


The  name  appears  under  a  great  variety 
of  spellings  in  England  and  America, 
such  as  Tyrel,  Tyrrell,  Terrell,  Tirrell, 
and  others.  In  the  early  records  of  Essex 
County,  Massachusetts,  it  often  appears 
as  Thurrall,  and  under  this  name  it  went 
thence  to  the  ancient  town  of  Windham, 
Connecticut,  where  the  first  of  this  family 
now  known  is  discovered.  In  Cromwell's 
time  several  moved  to  Ireland,  whence 
they  soon  after  came  to  America.  These 
included  three  brothers,  William,  James, 
and  John.  Lewis  Terrill,  probably  a  son 
of  one  of  these,  born  about  1700-1710,  set- 
tled in  Mansfield,  part  of  the  old  town  of 
Windham,  and  married  (second),  May  30, 
1745,  Anna  Simons.  The  second  son  of 
this  union,  Arad,  was  born  August  23, 
1750,  in  what  is  now  Coventry,  and  lived 
several  years  in  Hampden,  formerly  a 
part  of  Hampshire  County,  Massachu- 
setts, whence  he  moved  to  Benninglon 
County,  Vermont.  There  he  died,  leaving 
a  numerous  family  and  he  has  many  de- 
scendants in  that  State.  He  was  a  black- 
smith and  farmer,  industrious  and  pros- 
perous. In  1790  the  census  shows  he  was 
living  in  Rupert,  Bennington  County.  He 
married  Jemima  Brace,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children.  The  eldest  of 
these,  Timothy  Terrill,  was  born  August 
7,  1770,  in  Hampden,  was  a  farmer  in 
Rupert,  a  Congregationalist  and  Whig, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 
He  married,  November  22,  1792,  in  Ru- 
pert, Martha  Leavitt.  Their  second  child 
and  eldest  son,  Moses  Terrill,  was  born 
May  9,  1799,  in  Rupert,  purchased  a  tract 
of  land  near  the  paternal  homestead, 
which  he  cleared  and  tilled  until  his  death, 
in  1883.  He  was  largely  self-educated, 
after  attaining  his  majority,  was  industri- 
ous and  shrewd,  acquired  a  competence, 
and  was  influential  and  public-spirited. 
In   early   life   he   was   a   Democrat,   later 


joined  the  Liberty  party,  and  was  a  Re- 
publican from  the  organization  of  that 
party.  He  represented  his  town  in  the 
State  Legislature.  He  married,  in  Octo- 
ber, 1825,  Matilda  Weld,  born  April  14, 
1801,  in  Cornish,  New  Hampshire,  daugh- 
ter of  Moses  and  Miriam  (Harding)  Weld, 
who  moved  to  Vermont  in  181 1.  She  was 
a  descendant  of  Joseph  Weld,  of  Welsh 
stock,  who  came  from  Suffolk,  England, 
to  Massachusetts  in  1636,  when  he  became 
a  freeman.  He  rendered  important  serv- 
ice to  the  colony  and  received  valuable 
estates  in  Roxbury  as  a  reward  and  was 
the  richest  man  in  the  colony  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  stands  third  on  the 
original  roll  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company,  and  was  chosen  en- 
sign at  its  organization,  on  the  first  Mon- 
day of  June,  1638.  The  family  is  traced 
back  to  1352,  when  William  Weld  was 
high  sheriff  of  London.  In  1637  Joseph 
Weld  was  representative  of  Roxbury  in 
the  general  court  and  several  years  fol- 
lowing, and  was  captain  of  militia.  He 
was  a  son  of  Edmund  Weld  of  Sudbury, 
Suffolk,  England,  and  died  October  7, 
1646.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  died  in  Octo- 
ber, 1638.  John  Weld,  eldest  son  of 
Joseph,  born  October  28,  1623,  in  Eng- 
land, came  to  America  in  1638,  was  a  free- 
man in  1650,  served  in  King  Philip's  War 
and  died  September  20,  1691.  He  married, 
December  24,  1647,  Margaret  Bowen, 
daughter  of  Griffith  Bowen,  who  came 
from  Wales  and  lived  in  Boston.  Lieu- 
tenant Joseph  Weld,  second  son  of  John 
Weld,  born  September  15,  1650,  died  b'^- 
fore  1719,  when  his  widow  married  a  set, 
ond  husband.  He  married,  November  27, 
1679,  Sarah  Faxon  of  Braintree,  daughter 
of  Richard  and  Elizabeth  Faxon,  grand- 
daughter of  Thomas  Faxon  who  became  a 
freeman  of  Braintree  in  1657  and  died 
October  14,  1675.    John  Weld,  second  son 


156 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Faxon)  Weld,  born 
August  19,  1689,  married,  December  3, 
1812,  Elizabeth  Child,  scion  of  one  of  the 
old  families  of  Roxbury.  Moses  Weld, 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Child)  Weld, 
born  March  27,  1722,  moved  in  old  age  to 
Cornish,  New  Hampshire,  where  he  died 
May  10,  1806.  He  married,  December  6, 
1748,  Elizabeth  Holbrook,  born  January 
13,  1727,  died  July  11,  1763.  Their  second 
son,  Moses  Weld,  born  January  15,  1757, 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  a  noted 
singer  and  chorister,  many  years  deacon 
of  the  Baptist  Church  of  Cornish,  and 
also  long  clerk  of  the  town.  He  died  June 
22,  1839,  in  Morristown,  Vermont.  He 
married,  May  17,  1781,  Miriam  Harding, 
who  died  June  26,  1845.  Their  youngest 
child,  Matilda,  born  April  14,  1801,  in 
Cornish,  became  the  wife  of  Moses  Ter- 
rill,  as  above  noted.  Moses  Weld  Terrill, 
eldest  child  of  Moses  and  Matilda  (Weld) 
Terrill,  was  born  October  2,  1826,  in  Mor- 
ristown, Vermont,  and  attended  the  pub- 
lic school  of  his  native  town.  As  he  was 
not  robust,  he  was  sent  to  school  at  the 
academy  in  Johnson,  Vermont,  for  a  year, 
and  had  two  terms  of  instruction  in  a 
select  school.  He  began  his  business  ca- 
reer in  a  general  store  at  Morristown, 
where  he  continued  two  years  and  was 
next  employed  in  a  similar  establishment 
at  Wolcott,  Vermont.  In  partnership  with 
W.  G.  Ferrin  he  purchased  the  business, 
which  was  sold  out  at  the  end  of  a  year 
and  Mr.  Terrill  established  a  general  store 
in  Morristown,  which  he  conducted  suc- 
cessfully twelve  years.  In  1861  he  took 
an  interest  in  the  manufacture  of  a  clothes 
wringer  invented  by  Rev.  E.  Dickerman 
of  Morristown  and,  in  the  same  year,  se- 
cured a  third  partner  in  the  person  of 
David  Lyman  of  Middlefield,  Connecti- 
cut. The  business  was  established  in  Mid- 
dlefield, under  the  name  of  the  Metropoli- 


tan Washing  Machine  Company,  later 
called  the  Metropolitan  Manufacturing 
Company,  with  Mr.  Terrill  as  president. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Lyman  in  1871, 
Mr.  Terrill  became  treasurer,  and  con- 
tinued in  both  capacities  until  1891,  when 
the  concern  became  merged  in  the  Ameri- 
can Wringer  Company,  when  he  retired 
from  active  business.  In  October  of  the 
same  year  he  became  a  large  stockholder 
in  the  Rogers  Manufacturing  Company 
of  Rockfall  and  was  elected  its  president, 
but  did  not  take  an  active  part  in  the  man- 
agement. In  1892  he  moved  from  Middle- 
field  to  Middletown,  where  he  died  Sep- 
tember 7,  1905.  Mr.  Terrill  always  strove 
to  perform  his  duty  as  a  citizen  and  was 
active  in  many  progressive  movements. 
His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  the 
Free  Soil  candidate  and  he  was  an  earnest 
supporter  of  Republican  principles.  In 
1855-56  he  represented  Morristown  in  the 
Vermont  Legislature,  and  served  in  the 
Connecticut  Assembly  in  i860,  1867  and 
1883.  In  Middlefield  he  acted  as  first 
selectman,  assessor,  justice  of  the  peace, 
school  visitor  and  member  of  the  board  of 
relief.  An  active  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  he  contributed  generously  to  the 
building  fund  in  Middlefield,  and  was  a 
valued  member  of  the  church  in  Middle- 
town.  Mr.  Terrill  married,  at  Morris- 
town, July  17,  1848,  Almira  Ortensia  Fer- 
rin, born  June  24,  1826,  daughter  of  John 
and  Hannah  (Jacobs)  Ferrin,  the  former 
a  member  of  the  Vermont  Legislature. 
She  died  March  6,  1896,  in  Middletown. 

Willis  Edward  Terrill,  second  son  of 
Moses  Weld  and  Almira  O.  (Ferrin)  Ter- 
rill, was  a  very  active  and  useful  citizen  of 
Middletown  and  Middlefield.  He  was 
born  June  16,  1851,  in  Morristown,  and 
was  eleven  years  old  when  he  went  with 
his  parents  to  Middlefield.  *With  good 
educational    opportunities,     he     became 

57 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


shipping  and  stock  clerk  of  the  Metro- 
politan Manufacturing  Company  in  Mid- 
dlefield  in  1871,  and  continued  three  years. 
For  eight  years  following  he  operated  a 
general  store  in  Middlefield,  and  after- 
ward conducted  a  mercantile  business  at 
Eustis,  Florida,  eight  years,  serving  as 
alderman  of  the  city.  In  1891  he  became 
a  stockholder  in  the  Rogers  Manufactur- 
ing Company  and  was  made  secretary, 
treasurer  and  manager,  continuing  until 
the  death  of  his  father  in  1895,  when  he 
became  president  and  continued  to  act  as 
treasurer  until  his  death,  January  17, 1919. 
He  was  a  director  of  the  Middlesex 
County  National  Bank,  of  the  Farmers' 
and  Mechanics'  Savings  Bank  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Ecclesiastic  Society,  all  of 
Middletown,  in  which  city  he  lived  from 
1892. 

Frederick  Weld  Terrill,  third  son  of 
Moses  Weld  and  Almira  O.  (Ferrin)  Ter- 
rill, born  April  30,  1853,  in  Morristown 
and  went  with  the  family  to  Middlefield 
when  eight  years  old.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  and  Wilbraham  Academy 
and  assisted  in  the  tillage  of  his  father's 
farm  three  years.  For  some  ten  years  he 
was  employed  by  the  American  Wringer 
Company,  and  was  with  the  Rogers 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  which  he  is 
still  a  stockholder,  until  1916,  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  labor  on  account  of  the 
condition  of  his  health.  He  is  a  trustee 
of  the  Middlefield  Methodist  Church,  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  represented 
the  town  in  the  General  Assembly,  also 
in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1892. 
He  married,  in  November,  1872,  Mary  Ida 
Louise  Skinner  of  Middlefield,  born 
March  8, 1853,  died  March  19, 1903,  daugh- 
ter of  Albert  and  Almira  (Bailey)  Skin- 
ner. All  the  children  of  this  marriage 
are  a  credit  to  their  parents.  They  were : 
I.  Ivy  L.,  wife  of  Selden  Johnson  of  Hart- 


ford, now  deceased.  2.  Moses,  of  further 
mention.  3.  Lily  M.,  residing  with  her 
father.  4.  Whitman  Earl,  foreman  of  the 
Collins  Company,  Collinsville,  Connecti- 
cut. 5.  Almira  A.,  wife  of  Harrison 
Beamer  of  Hartford.  6.  Paul  F.,  adver- 
tising manager  of  the  Houghton  &  But- 
ton Company  of  Boston.  7.  Marie  Ward, 
widow  of  Harold  Cummings,  now  resid- 
ing with  her  father. 

Moses  Weld  Terrill,  eldest  son  of  Fred- 
erick Weld  Terrill,  was  born  February  18, 
1875,  in  Middlefield,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools  and  was  later  a  student 
at  Wilbraham  Academy  and  Hacketts- 
town  Institute,  New  Jersey.  On  attain- 
ing his  majority  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Rogers  Manufacturing  Company, 
where  he  proceeded  to  learn  the  details 
of  the  business,  under  the  tutelage  of  his 
uncle,  Willis  E.  Terrill.  After  eight  years 
in  the  shop,  he  became  shipping  clerk  and, 
later,  did  clerical  work  in  the  office.  In 
time  he  became  the  superintendent  and 
in  1919  became  treasurer  and  manager 
of  the  establishment.  Previous  to  1915 
the  establishment  was  devoted  to  the 
manufacture  of  bone  goods  and  fertilizer. 
In  the  year  named  the  fertilizer  business 
was  sold  to  the  Rogers  &  Hubbard  Com- 
pany and  at  the  same  time  the  latter's 
bone  novelty  business  was  transferred  to 
the  Rogers  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  it  continues.  His  home  is  in  Rock- 
fall,  and  he  attends  the  worship  of  the 
Methodist  Church  in  Middlefield.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  steadfast  Republican,  but  is 
essentially  a  business  man,  with  no  in- 
clination to  accept  proffered  public  office. 
The  record  in  business,  in  social  affairs  of 
his  forebears  is  being  continued  by  Mr. 
Terrill,  and  he  is  an  esteemed  citizen  and 
straightforward  business  man.  He  has 
attained  high  degrees  in  the  great  Ma- 
sonic  organization,   is   a   member  of   St. 


158 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


John's  Lodge,  No.  2,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Washington  Chapter,  No.  6, 
Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Cyrene  Command- 
ery,  No.  8,  Knights  Templar;  and  Sphinx 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Hartford.  He  is 
also  affiliated  with  Apollo  Lodge,  No.  33, 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  Terrill  married,  April  19,  1900,  Lil- 
lian Eva  Johnson,  born  in  Versailles,  Con- 
necticut, daughter  of  Theodore  and  Rose 
(Wilson)  Johnson. 


COUGHLIN,  William  Joseph, 
Attorney. 

Among  the  leading  Hibernian  families 
of  Middletown  is  that  of  Coughlin,  which 
has  been  actively  identified  with  business 
affairs  for  over  half  a  century.  John 
Coughlin  came  from  County  Cork,  Ire- 
land, before  1850,  and  settled  in  Portland, 
Connecticut,  where  his  son,  William  John 
Coughlin  was  born  August  19,  1850.  He 
grew  up  in  that  town  attending  the  pub- 
lic schools  until  he  was  ten  years  of  age, 
when  he  became  an  apprentice  to  the  tin- 
ner's trade.  After  mastering  this  busi- 
ness, he  was  employed  in  the  capacity  of 
tinner  for  some  years  by  the  Providence 
and  Fishkill  Railroad,  and  in  1871  en- 
gaged in  business  in  Middletown  with  a 
partner,  dealing  in  stoves  and  tinware 
and  conducting  operations  as  a  plumber. 
After  two  years  he  continued  in  business 
independently,  and  about  1888  embarked 
in  the  undertaking  business  on  the  site 
still  occupied  by  his  sons  near  the  upper 
end  of  Main  Street,  Middletown,  also  con- 
tinuing the  tinning  and  plumbing  busi- 
ness until  his  death,  which  occurred  De- 
cember 27,  1913.  He  married  Harriet 
Elizabeth  D'Arcy,  who  was  born  in 
County  Queens,  Ireland,  and  came  to 
America  when  two  years   old  with  her 


father,  Michael  D'Arcy,  who  settled  in 
Middletown.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Civil  War  and  died  from  disease  con- 
tracted in  the  army.  She  is  still  living  in 
Middletown.  The  family  has  always  been 
identified  with  St.  John's  Roman  Catholic 
Parish  of  that  city  and  Mr.  Coughlin  was 
active  in  city  affairs,  serving  as  water 
commissioner,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  was  sinking  fund  commissioner  of 
the  city  of  Middletown.  His  sons  have 
been  and  are  still  active  in  business  affairs 
in  the  city. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest. 
His  second  child,  Elizabeth,  a  graduate 
of  Wesleyan  University,  and  now  mar- 
ried to  William  A.  Redden,  a  practicing 
attorney  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  They 
have  one  child,  Miriam.  John  B.  Cough- 
lin, the  second  son,  married,  resides  in 
Middletown  and  with  his  brother  Arthur 
M.,  conducts  the  business  formerly  of 
their  father.  Arthur  M.  was  a  student  at 
Holy  Cross  College  and  is  married.  Sara 
F.  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Gerald  F.  Bransfield 
of  Middletown.  Robert  E.,  the  youngest 
son,  served  in  the  great  World  War  in 
the  165th  Company,  the  old  69th  of  New 
York,  was  eighteen  months  in  France  and 
was  slightly  wounded  while  in  the  serv- 
ice. Henrietta  D.,  the  youngest,  the  wife 
of  Louis  F.  Quirk,  who  was  lieutenant  in 
the  American  Army  of  Occupation  abroad. 

William  Joseph  Coughlin,  born  Octo- 
ber 18,  1876,  in  Middletown,  attended  the 
parochial  school,  graduated  at  the  public 
high  school,  1894,  student  at  the  Holy 
Cross  College,  Worcester,  Massachusetts, 
for  two  years  and  graduated  from  Yale 
University,  Department  of  Law,  in  the 
class  of  1899.  He  has  been  engaged  in 
the  active  practice  of  law  in  his  native 
city  since  that  time  and  has  been  active  in 
promoting  the  progress  of  city  affairs. 
During  the  years  from  1905  to  1907  and 

159 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


from  1909  to  1917  he  was  prosecuting 
attorney  of  the  City  Court  and  from  1917 
he  has  been  clerk  of  the  City  Court  and 
was  appointed  June  9,  1919  as  assistant 
clerk  of  the  Superior  Court.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and 
the  Middletown  Yacht  Club.  On  August 
31,  1916,  he  married  Eva  L.  Wallmo,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania.  They  have  no 
children. 


BLAKESLEE,  Robert  N., 

state  Representative. 

Although  a  well  known  business  man 
and  present  State  Representative,  Robert 
N.  Blakeslee  made  his  entrance  into  pub- 
lic life  through  the  medium  of  journalism 
and  was  long  connected  with  "Bridgeport 
Farmer"  and  "Bridgeport  Post."  When 
in  1890  he  left  the  counting  room  of  the 
"Farmer"  to  become  treasurer  and  assist- 
ant general  manager  of  the  newly  formed 
Post  Publishing  Company,  the  "Farmer" 
editorially  commented  upon  the  fact  that 
he  was  not  required  to  furnish  a  bond,  a 
splendid  tribute  to  his  character.  He  is 
a  descendant  of  ancient  New  England  an- 
cestors and  in  his  own  right  has  won 
honorable  standing  among  the  leading 
men  of  his  city. 

Robert  N.  Blakeslee,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Maria  Blakeslee,  was  born  November  9, 
1856,  and  was  educated  at  Hartford  High 
School.  He  became  a  bookkeeper  in  the 
office  of  the  "Bridgeport  Post"  in  1886, 
that  paper  then  being  edited  and  owned 
by  the  Hills  brothers,  George  W.  and 
Henry  M.  Later  Mr.  Blakeslee  entered 
the  counting  room  employ  of  the  Bridge- 
port "Farmer,"  continuing  until  Septem- 
ber 15,  1891,  when  he  became  treasurer 
of  the  Post  Publishing  Company,  a  stock 
company  formed  to  take  over  the  Hills' 
interests   and   publish   the   "Post."     The 


new  company  consisted  of  George  W. 
Hills,  president;  Henry  M.  Hills,  vice- 
president  ;  Frank  W.  Bolande,  secretary ; 
Robert  N.  Blakeslee,  treasurer ;  all  men 
of  experience  in  the  conduct  of  a  news- 
paper. Mr.  Bolande  became  managing 
editor  of  the  "Post,"  Mr.  Blakeslee,  in 
addition  to  his  duties  as  treasurer,  becom- 
ing assistant  general  manager.  The  com- 
pany published  both  the  "Evening  Post" 
and  the  "Morning  Telegram,"  therefore 
his  office  was  no  sinecure.  He  was  very 
successful  in  securing  new  business  for 
both  papers  and  by  fair  treatment  won  the 
support  of  the  business  men  of  the  city. 
As  treasurer  he  ably  administered  the 
finances  of  the  company  and  much  of  its 
success  may  justly  be  traced  to  the  wis- 
dom and  uprightness  of  the  financial  head. 

In  1914  Mr.  Blakeslee  disposed  of  his 
interests  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
other  activities,  now  being  head  of  a  pros- 
perous trucking  enterprise.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  has  ever  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  public  affairs.  In  1916 
he  was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for 
representative  from  Bridgeport  and  at  the 
November  polls  was  returned  a  victor. 
He  is  serving  his  second  term  as  an  Alder- 
man, representing  the  Fifth  District. 

Mr.  Blakeslee  married  Minnie  O.  Nich- 
ols, daughter  of  William  B.  and  Lucy 
Middlebrooks.  There  are  two  daughters 
and  a  son. 


SHERMAN,  Freeman  Collins, 
Public   UtiUty  Official. 

In  New  Haven,  where  Freeman  Collins 
Sherman  was  for  a  quarter  of  a  century 
officially  connected  with  the  New  Haven 
Gas  Light  Company,  an  association  ended 
by  his  retirement  in  1903,  he  was  known 
not  only  for  efficient  and  able  service  in 
a  capacity  intimately  touching  the  public 
160 


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(2^,^y<jy^^iA.-miJ /Q^ 


Vl^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


welfare,  but  for  participation  in  civic  af- 
fairs whose  object  was  the  promotion  of 
the  general  good.  There  in  Hartford,  and 
in  their  earlier  places  of  residence,  Mrs. 
Sherman,  who  survived  her  husband  ten 
years,  gave  of  devoted  service  to  her 
church  and  to  all  forms  of  well-doing  in  a 
spirit  of  selflessness  and  kindliness  that 
made  her  beloved  of  all  who  knew  her. 
Freeman  Collins  Sherman  and  Marcia  S. 
Sherman  walked  the  path  of  life  in  a  union 
of  love  that  found  its  expression  in  mutual 
helpfulness  and  in  sharing  whatever  of 
substance  came  to  them  with  others,  and 
when  death  removed  the  strong  arm  upon 
which  she  had  leaned  and  that  had  at 
times  been  extended  to  her  for  aid,  Mrs. 
Sherman  continued  her  way  alone,  in- 
creasing, if  that  were  possible,  the  out- 
pouring of  sympathy  and  cheer  that  had 
long  been  her  gift  to  all  about  her. 

The  Sherman  family  is  of  old  New 
England  record  and  Cape  Cod  residence, 
and  of  the  generation  to  which  Freeman 
Collins  Sherman  belonged  there  were  two 
or  three  sons  who  followed  the  sea,  and 
another  who  journeyed  West,  where  he 
followed  ranch  life.  Freeman  Collins 
Sherman  was  born  in  Ware,  Massachu- 
setts, March  20,  1833,  in  the  old  Moss 
parsonage.  He  attended  school  in  his 
birthplace  and  for  one  year  pursued  a 
course  in  Boston  University,  as  a  young 
man  becoming  interested  in  gas  lighting 
in  Ware.  For  one  year  thereafter  he  was 
connected  with  the  same  line  in  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  and  subsequently,  for 
eleven  years,  in  Brookline,  Massachusetts, 
then  pursuing  the  same  business  in 
Worcester,  Massachusetts.  From  Worces- 
ter he  came  to  the  New  Haven  Gas  Light 
Company  and  began  twenty-five  years  of 
service  that  brought  him  to  the  office  of 
superintendent,  which  he  held  until  his  re- 
Conn.  11—11  161 


tirement  April  i,  1903.  Mr.  Sherman  was 
extremely  well  versed  in  all  technical  mat- 
ters dealing  with  gas  supply  as  a  public 
utility,  and  was  regarded  by  his  associates 
in  this  field  as  an  expert  authority.  He 
was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
New  England  Association  of  Gas  Engi- 
neers, and  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Gas 
Lighting  of  New  York,  his  ingenuity  and 
resourcefulness  being  responsible  for 
many  forward  steps  in  the  New  Haven 
system.  He  was  a  Republican  in  political 
faith,  although  never  an  office  holder,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  the  Redeemer,  which  he  joined 
by  letter,  in  1875,  also  belonging  to  the 
New  Haven  Congregational  Church  Club. 
He  met  all  of  the  demands  of  good  citi- 
zenship with  a  ready  cooperation  in 
effort  for  the  common  good,  and  by  his 
fellows  in  business,  social  and  fraternal 
life  was  held  in  unvarying  regard.  He 
affiliated  with  Athelston  Lodge,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  of  Worcester,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Mr.  Sherman  married,  in  Greenwich, 
Massachusetts,  on  Thanksgiving  Day, 
1857,  Marcia  S.  Douglass,  born  March  17, 
1836,  died  in  Hartford,  December  5,  1921, 
daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Eucla  (New- 
ton) Douglass,  her  father  a  farmer  of 
Greenwich,  Massachusetts,  her  mother 
born  in  Paxton,  that  State.  After  the 
death  of  her  husband,  which  occurred  in 
New  Haven,  December  18,  191 1,  Mrs. 
Sherman  came  to  Hartford,  bringing  her 
membership  to  Center  Church,  and  here 
continuing  her  religious,  charitable  and 
neighborly  work  until  she  sustained  the 
injury  that  resulted  in  her  death.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sherman  were  the  parents  of :  i. 
Charles  Douglass,  born  in  Brookline, 
Massachusetts,  June  4,  1867;  educated  in 
the   Polytechnic  Institute  of  Worcester, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Massachusetts,  after  which  he  became 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  New- 
Haven  Gas  Company.  He  now  lives  at 
the  Highland  Court  Hotel,  Hartford.  2. 
Edward  F.,  born  July  10,  1870;  educated 
in  the  Boston  Technical  School,  served 
with  the  Hackensack  (New  Jersey)  Gas 
Light  Company,  the  East  Portland  (Ore- 
gon) Gas  Company,  as  superintendent, 
now  interested  in  orange  growing  in  Al- 
hambra,  California,  where  his  home  is 
one  of  the  beautiful  show  places  of  the 
district.    He  married  Mrs.  Florinda  Lysle. 


STEVENS,  Burr  Edward, 
Pablisher. 

In  the  history  of  the  life  of  Burr  E. 
Stevens  is  found  another  example  of  the 
result  of  industry  and  pertinacity  in  the 
pursuit  of  an  aim.  He  was  born  January 
20,  1875,  in  Russell  County,  Kansas,  the 
eldest  son  of  Frederick  C.  and  Harriet  A. 
(White)  Stevens.  The  father  was  born 
in  1846,  in  London,  England,  and  came  to 
America  in  1867,  settling  at  Bridgeport, 
Connecticut,  where  he  was  employed  as  a 
carpenter,  later  as  a  contractor  in  the 
Howe  sewing  machine  shops.  When  the 
Kingman  colony  was  organized  to  settle 
in  Kansas,  Mr.  Stevens  joined  it  and  set- 
tled in  Russell  County,  that  State,  where 
he  engaged  in  stock  growing  and  agri- 
culture for  a  period  of  twenty  years.  A 
member  of  the  same  colony  was  Harriet 
A.  White,  born  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut, 
in  1859,  daughter  of  Henry  A.  and  Mary 
E.  (Smith)  White.  She  was  married  to 
Mr.  Stevens  in  March,  1873,  ^^^  came 
with  him  to  Bridgeport,  this  State,  and 
died  there  in  1916,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  years.  Mr.  Stevens  was  employed 
by  the  Post  Publishing  Company  of 
Bridgeport  in  its  mechanical  department 
until    his   retirement    in    1910.      He   died 


there  in  1922,  aged  seventy-six  years.  His 
children  numbered  eight  sons  and  four 
daughters,  of  whom  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters  grew  up  and  are  now  living. 
The  eldest  of  these,  Burr  E.  Stevens,  re- 
ceived most  of  his  formal  education  in 
the  frontier  schools  of  Kansas,  and  early 
turned  his  attention  to  industry.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  years  he  became  an  ap- 
prentice in  the  office  of  the  Bridgeport 
"Post,"  to  learn  the  art  of  printing,  and 
his  faithful  attention  to  his  duties  is 
evidenced  by  his  rapid  advancement  in 
the  establishment.  At  the  end  of  twenty- 
six  years'  service,  when  he  left  to  engage 
in  business  elsewhere,  he  was  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  Post  Publishing  Company,  in 
charge  of  the  mechanical  department  of 
the  plant.  From  assistant  foreman  he 
was  advanced  to  foreman,  and  from  1916 
to  1919  was  vice-president  and  mechanical 
superintendent.  In  the  last  named  year 
he  went  to  Middletown,  and  organized  the 
Press  Publishing  Company,  having  pur- 
chased the  plant  and  good  will  of  the  Mid- 
dletown "Press,"  in  association  with 
Elmer  S.  Hubbell,  a  former  associate  in 
business.  A  certain  amount  of  stock  was 
taken  by  Middletown  merchants  and 
others,  and  the  history  of  the  newspaper 
under  new  management  is  one  of  pros- 
perity and  good  will.  Mr.  Stevens  is 
president  of  the  company,  Mr.  Hubbell 
is  secretary.  With  an  able  corps  of  edi- 
tors and  mechanical  experts,  every  de- 
partment operates  with  regularity,  and 
the  Middletown  "Press"  is  one  of  the  r 
best  representatives  of  its  field  found  in 
the  newspaper  industry  anywhere  in  the 
country.  Outside  of  this  establishment 
Mr.  Stevens  has  investments  in  Western 
ranching,  and  all  his  interests  have  been 
acquired  unaided,  except  by  natural  apti- 
tude, by  faithful  application  and  a  con- 
sideration of  the  rights  of  others.     He  is 


162 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


found  every  day  at  his  post,  giving  espe- 
cial attention  to  the  operation  of  the  me- 
chanical department  of  the  "Press"  plant. 

Upon  settling  in  Middletown,  he  pur- 
chased a  home  on  Park  Place,  and  began 
assuming  his  share  in  the  social,  moral 
and  material  development  and  progress  of 
the  town.  In  fact,  the  "Press"  carries  a 
progressive  policy,  and  seeks  to  develop 
a  spirit  of  enterprise  in  the  community. 
Mr.  Stevens  is  a  regular  attendant  at  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  and  is  af- 
filiated with  the  leading  fraternal  bodies 
of  the  city,  including  St.  John's  Lodge, 
No.  2,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  ;  Wash- 
ington Chapter,  No.  6,  Royal  Arch 
Masons ;  Cyrene  Commandery,  No.  8, 
Knights  Templar ;  Columbia  Council,  No. 
9,  Royal  and  Select  Masters ;  all  of  Mid- 
dletown, and  Sphinx  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Hartford.  He  is  a  member  of 
Job  Sahara,  a  club  composed  of  Shriners, 
of  Central  Lodge,  No.  12,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  Priscilla  Rebekah 
Lodge,  No.  12,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  ;  and  Middletown  Lodge,  No.  771, 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
and  of  the  Middletown  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  Rotary  Club  of  Middletown. 
Politically,  his  principles  are  those  of  the 
Republican  Party,  but  he  does  not  en- 
courage partizan  preference  in  the  selec- 
tion of  local  officials.  He  has  dodged  any 
political  preferment  offered  him,  and  has 
used  his  best  endeavors  and  influence  to 
procure  faithful  and  competent  managers 
of  public  concerns.  While  the  "Press"  is 
outspokenly  independent,  it  shows  no 
partizan  favor  in  approval  of  justice  and 
condemnation  of  unjust  or  impractical 
measures  in  legislation. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  married  (first),  1918, 
to  Miss  Anna  M.  Held,  who  was  born  in 
January,  1873,  in  New  York  City,  daugh- 


ter of  John  L.  and  Christine  (Bruner) 
Held,  died  June,  1924,  in  Middletown, 
leaving  a  son  and  three  daughters, 
namely:  Ethel  Mildred,  Anna  Marie,  Ed- 
ward Burr,  and  Beatrice  Harriet.  Mr. 
Stevens  married  (second),  August  18, 
1925,  in  New  York  City,  Bertha  M. 
Schneider,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ferdinand  Schneider,  of  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut. 


WEEKS,  Frank  Bentley, 
Sixty-fourth    Governor    of   Connecticut. 

The  name  of  Weeks  is  one  of  the  oldest 
in  New  England,  and  it  is  very  fitting  that 
one  bearing  this  ancient  name  should 
occupy  the  highest  office  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut,  during  his  career.  There 
were  several  immigrant  ancestors  of  the 
name,  all  of  whom  left  large  progeny,  and 
the  name  is  found  in  the  early  records 
under  a  great  many  different  spellings. 
The  ones  chiefly  used  now  being  Weeks, 
Weekes,  and  Wicks.  In  the  early  gen- 
erations in  England  it  was  very  often 
spelled  Wyke.  According  to  the  English 
authorities  the  Devonshire  family  of 
Weeks  was  descended  from  Robert  Le 
Wrey,  who  was  living  in  1135,  the  first 
year  of  the  reign  of  King  Stephen,  and 
was  undoubtedly  of  Norman  blood.  Pre- 
sumably his  father  came  into  England 
with  William  the  Conqueror.  Late  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  this  family  had  a 
seat  in  North  Wyke,  in  Tawton  Hundred, 
some  twenty  miles  west  of  the  city  of 
Exeter. 

Thomas  Weeks,  who  came  from  Eng- 
land in  1637,  is  the  ancestor  of  Frank  B. 
Weeks,  on  the  paternal  side,  and  he  also 
traces  to  several  other  distinguished  fam- 
ilies through  his  maternal  lines. 

Honorable  Frank  B.  Weeks  was  born 
January  20,  1854,  in  Brooklyn,  New  York. 


163 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  son  of  Daniel  L.  and  Frances  M.  (Ed- 
wards) Weeks.  He  attended  school  there 
and  also  a  military  academy.  At  the  lat- 
ter he  learned  the  habits  of  discipline  that 
were  ever  useful  to  him  in  his  after  life. 
He  was  but  a  lad  of  thirteen  years  when 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Middletown, 
Connecticut,  and  in  that  city  he  attended 
the  high  school.  He  also  attended  private 
and  military  schools.  Daniel  L.  Weeks, 
his  father,  fully  appreciated  the  need  of 
equipping  a  young  man  for  a  business  life, 
and  he  sent  his  son  to  the  most  famous 
commercial  college  of  that  day,  East- 
man's, at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1872.  The  young 
man  had  always  taken  an  interest  in  good 
literature  and  was  very  well  read  on  many 
subjects,  so  that  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
entered  upon  life  with  a  good  business 
education  and  a  large  fund  of  useful 
knowledge.  In  1874  he  became  assistant 
to  the  superintendent  of  the  Connecticut 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Middle- 
town,  continuing  for  six  years.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  a  trustee  of  this  in- 
stitution and  is  chairman  of  the  board. 
In  1880  he  became  associated  with  George 
A.  Coles  in  a  grain  and  milling  business, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Coles  &  Weeks. 
This  association  continued  for  fifteen 
years  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  pub- 
lic and  private  obligations  of  Mr.  Weeks 
had  become  so  great  that  he  was  obliged 
to  give  his  entire  attention  to  them. 

Mr.  Weeks  was  the  Representative 
from  Connecticut,  appointed  by  Governor 
Coffin  and  chairman  of  the  commission  to 
the  Cotton  States  Exposition  at  Atlanta, 
Georgia,  in  1895.  ^^  served  two  years  as 
a  member  of  the  Common  Council  of 
Middletown,  and  was  the  first  President 
of  its  Board  of  Trade.  In  1904  he  was  a 
Republican  presidential  elector  and  four 
years  later  was  elected  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of  Connecticut.    There  is  only  one 


other  man  in  the  State  who  was  similarly 
placed,  and  who  was  called  upon  to  take 
the  important  office  of  chief  executive  at 
so  short  a  notice.  Governor  Lilley  died 
April  21,  1909,  but  previous  to  this  time 
he  had  been  in  ill  health  and  much  of  the 
responsibility  and  cares  of  the  office  fell 
on  the  capable  shoulders  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Weeks.  He  did  not  hesitate  or 
attempt  to  shirk,  but  manfully  shouldered 
the  burden  and  the  manner  in  which  he 
carried  on  the  duties  of  his  office  reflected 
credit,  not  only  on  himself,  but  also  upon 
those  who  were  responsible  for  placing 
him  in  that  office.  He  was  honored  by 
Wesleyan  University  of  Middletown,  who 
conferred  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  upon  him 
in  1909,  and  he  is  a  trustee  of  that  insti- 
tution. 

Mr.  Weeks  is  a  director  and  president 
of  the  Middletown  Savings  Bank,  director 
of  the  Middlesex  Mutual  Insurance  Asso- 
ciation of  Middletown,  and  president  of 
the  Walter  Hubbard  Realty  Company  of 
Meriden.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Uni- 
versity Club  of  Middletown,  the  Repub- 
lican Club  of  New  York,  the  New  Eng- 
land Society  of  New  York,  the  Society  of 
Colonial  Wars,  and  a  charter  member  of 
the  Middlesex  County  Historical  Society. 
In  1912  and  1916  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Republican  conventions. 

He  married,  November  4,  1874,  Helen 
Louise  Hubbard,  daughter  of  J.  Warren 
Hubbard  of  Middletown.  They  are  at- 
tendants of  the  Congregational  Church. 

In  his  business  and  public  career  Mr. 
Weeks  has  achieved  much,  and  has  shown 
the  characteristics  of  a  true  man. 


TUCKER,  LeRoy  Minor, 
Fanner. 

Among  the  industrious,  progressive  and 
successful  farmers  of  the  Westfield  dis- 
trict, Mr.  Tucker  represents  one  of  the 


164 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


oldest  families  of  New  England,  de- 
scended from  Robert  Tucker,  who  was 
born  in  1604  in  England  and  was  in  Wey- 
mouth, Massachusetts,  as  early  as  1635. 
In  1662  he  removed  to  Milton,  where  he 
purchased  one-hundred  and  seventeen 
acres  consisting  of  several  parcels  and 
was  the  first  town  clerk  of  that  town, 
serving  in  that  capacity  for  several  years. 
He  represented  the  town  in  the  general 
court,  was  active  in  church  affairs  and 
died  March  11,  1682,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  He  married  Elizabeth  Allen, 
and  their  third  son,  Benjamin  Tucker, 
born  in  1646,  in  Weymouth,  settled  at 
Roxbury.  He  was  among  the  purchasers 
from  the  Indians  of  various  tracts,  had 
land  in  what  is  now  Woodstock,  Con- 
necticut, and  in  Spencer,  Lester  and  Hard- 
wick,  Massachusetts.  He  died,  February 
27,  1714,  leaving  an  estate  valued  at 
fourteen  hundred  ninety-one  pounds  and 
two  shillings.  He  married  Ann,  daughter 
of  Edward  and  Mary  (Eliot)  Payson,  the 
latter  a  sister  of  the  Apostle,  John  Eliot. 
Benjamin  Tucker,  oldest  child  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Ann,  born  March  8,  1670,  in 
Roxbury,  inherited  lands  purchased  by 
his  father  from  the  Indians,  lived  in 
Lester,  where  he  died  in  1728.  He  was 
chosen  constable  in  1710,  but  refused  to 
serve,  for  which  he  was  fined  five  pounds. 
He  married  (second)  Elizabeth  Williams 
of  Roxbury.  Their  second  son,  Stephen 
Tucker,  born  September  23,  1705,  in  Rox- 
bury, settled  in  Lester  and  married.  May 
31,  1739,  Hannah  Parks.  Their  eldest  son, 
Stephen  Tucker,  was  born  March  9,  1741, 
in  Lester,  and  was  probably  a  sea-faring 
man  in  early  life.  Later  he  settled  in 
what  is  now  North  Madison,  Connecticut, 
and  was  married  in  Killingworth,  January 
25,  1767,  to  Elizabeth  Ward.  They  were 
undoubtedly  the  parents  of  James  W. 
Tucker,  born  about  1785,  who  resided  on 


what  is  known  as  Town  Hill  in  North 
Madison,  where  he  was  a  farmer  through 
his  life.  He  married,  about  1807,  Ruth 
Coe,  who  was  born  June  3,  1786,  in  what 
is  now  Middlefield,  Connecticut,  descend- 
ant of  Robert  Coe.  His  son,  Robert  Coe, 
was  the  father  of  Captain  John  Coe,  born 
May  10,  1658,  in  Stratford,  who  was  less 
than  two  years  of  age  when  his  father 
died.  With  his  step-father  and  mother, 
he  removed  to  New  Haven,  where  he  re- 
mained until  he  became  of  age,  when  he 
took  possession  of  lands  inherited  from 
his  father  in  Stratford.  He  married,  De- 
cember 20,  1682,  Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Hawley,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
Captain  Joseph  Coe,  born  February  2, 
1687,  in  Stratford,  who  became  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  that  town.  He  was  com- 
missioned Captain  of  Militia  in  1729,  and 
died  July  15,  1754.  He  married,  Novem- 
ber 21,  1708,  in  Stratford,  Abigail  Robin- 
son, born  April  3,  1690,  in  Guilford, 
daughter  of  David  and  Abigail  (Kirby) 
Robinson,  died  July  6,  1775.  David 
Robinson  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Durham,  Connecticut.  Their  second  son 
Captain  David  Coe,  born  February  18, 
1716,  in  Durham,  settled,  in  what  is  now 
Middlefield  about  1740,  was  a  successful 
farmer,  was  commissioned,  in  May,  1764, 
captain  of  the  i6th  Company  in  the  6th 
Regiment  of  Connecticut  Militia.  Too 
late  to  participate  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  he  was  active  in  promoting  the 
cause  of  the  colonies.  He  married,  in 
1740,  Hannah  Camp,  born  November  15, 
1720,  died  October  16,  1808,  daughter  of 
Nathan  and  Rhoda  (Parsons)  Camp. 
Nathan  Coe,  eldest  son  of  David  and  Han- 
nah (Camp)  Coe,  born  May  19,  1742,  in 
what  is  now  Middlefield,  was  a  farmer 
there  until  his  death,  December  10,  1796. 
He  married,  July  22,  1767,  Abigail  Par- 
sons, born    July    17,    1746.     Ruth    Coe, 


165 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


youngest  child  of  Nathan  and  Abigail 
(Parsons)  Coe,  born  in  1786,  became  the 
wife  of  James  Ward  Tucker,  as  previonsly 
related.  Henry  Tucker,  eldest  son  of 
James  W.  and  Ruth  (Coe)  Tucker,  was 
born  August  20,  181 1,  in  North  Madison 
and  was  bound  out  at  the  age  of  nine 
years  to  Deacon  Rossiter,  with  whom  he 
lived  until  eighteen  years  old.  He  had 
limited  opportunities  for  attendance  at 
the  district  school,  and  after  leaving 
Deacon  Rossiter  was  employed  as  a  farm- 
hand by  Levi  Fowler,  at  Northford,  Con- 
necticut. Later  he  settled  in  Durham, 
where  he  was  joined  by  his  sisters,  Abbie 
and  Ruth,  who  kept  house  for  him,  and 
worked  as  tailoresses  at  home.  He  was 
economical  and  industrious,  and  with  his 
savings  purchased  a  wood  lot  in  the  west 
side  of  Durham,  where  for  two  years  he 
engaged  in  cutting  wood  and  burning 
charcoal.  With  the  proceeds  of  this  ven- 
ture he  purchased  a  house  and  small  farm 
on  Main  Street,  Durham,  the  second  north 
of  the  Congregational  Church.  Besides 
his  own  land,  he  tilled  other  sections, 
which  he  rented,  and  in  time  built  a  house 
occupied  as  the  Congregational  parson- 
age, in  which  he  lived  for  a  short  time. 
Subsequently,  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
three  hundred  acres,  one-half  mile  east  of 
Durham  Main  Street,  and  engaged  quite 
extensively  in  agriculture  and  stock  grow- 
ing. He  also  operated  a  saw  mill,  driven 
by  water  power.  He  died  February  11, 
1892,  and  his  body  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Durham  Cemetery.  In  early  life  he  was 
a  Whig,  became  one  of  the  original  sup- 
porters of  the  Republican  party,  repre- 
sented the  town  in  i86g,  and  filled  various 
town  offices,  including  that  of  first  Se- 
lectman. Active  in  the  Congregational 
Church,  he  was  a  liberal  contributor  to 
its  support,  and  often  entertained  the 
clergymen  of  that  sect  at  his  home.     He 


married,  March  19,  1838,  Rosilla  Riedell, 
who  was  born  April  7,  1817,  in  Thompson, 
Connecticut,  died  March  28, 1895,  and  was 
buried  beside  her  husband. 

Henry  V.  Tucker,  eldest  son  of  Henry 
and  Rosilla  (Riedell)  Tucker,  was  born 
October  19,  1841,  and  settled  in  West- 
field  section  of  Middletown,  where  he 
engaged  quite  successfully  in  farming. 
He  married  Clara  Casey  Bacon  of  West- 
field,  daughter  of  Daniel  Minor  and  Har- 
riett Blake  (Hall)  Bacon  of  Westfield. 
She  now  resides  in  New  Britain.  She  is 
a  granddaughter  of  Benjamin  and  Lucy 
A.  (Wilcox)  Bacon,  mentioned  at  length 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Benjamin  Bacon 
built  the  house  in  which  LeRoy  Minor 
Tucker  now  resides,  about  two  hundred 
years  ago.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
South  Church  of  Middletown,  very  pious, 
was  formerly  a  Whig,  and  later  a  Repub- 
lican. He  was  the  father  of  Daniel  M. 
Bacon,  born  January  7,  1799,  died  March 
4,  1873.  He  attended  the  district  school 
and  the  Middletown  city  schools  and  was 
a  member  of  the  North  Church,  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  captain  in  the  militia  for 
a  period  of  thirteen  years,  and  was  al- 
ways thereafter  known  as  Captain  Minor 
Bacon.  He  married,  August  2,  1826,  Har- 
riett Blake  Hall,  born  August  2,  1805, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Catherine  (Sav- 
age) Hall,  descendant  of  one  of  the 
pioneer  families  of  Middletown,  which  is 
mentioned  at  considerable  length  else- 
where in  this  work.  The  founder  of  the 
family  in  this  country  was  John  Hall, 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Hartford, 
later  of  Middletown,  who  was  the  father 
of  Richard  Hall,  born  in  England,  in  1620, 
died  March  27,  1691,  in  Middletown.  He 
was  a  weaver,  a  large  land  owner  and 
lived  between  Court  and  College  streets, 
his  land  extending  westward  to  High 
Street.  His  wife,  Mary,  died  March  30, 
166 


I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1691.  Their  third  son,  born  in  September, 
1658,  in  Middletown,  died  March  14,  1740. 
He  married,  December  6,  1683,  Phoebe 
Ward,  born  May  17,  1663,  eldest  daughter 
of  WilHam  and  Phoebe  Ward,  died  May 
14,  1741.  Their  eldest  son,  Samuel  Hall, 
born  November  25,  1696,  married  (sec- 
ond), August  26,  1731,  Abigail  Starr,  born 
October  10,  171 1,  eldest  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Abigail  (Bolton)  Starr,  grand- 
daughter of  Comfort  Starr,  founder  of  the 
family  in  Middletown  (see  Starr).  Her 
eldest  child,  fourth  son  of  Samuel,  was 
Samuel  Hall  (3),  born  August  20,  1732, 
married  May  7,  1755,  Lois  Alvord,  born 
April  I,  1736,  third  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Submit  Alvord.  Thomas  Alvord, 
born  August  28,  1683,  was  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Joanna  (Taylor)  Alvord, 
grandson  of  Alexander  Alvord  of  Wind- 
sor, who  came  from  Somersetshire,  Eng- 
land. Jonathan  Hall,  second  son  of  Sam- 
uel and  Lois  (Alvord)  Hall,  born  March 
14,  1767,  died  in  1863,  married  Catherine 
Savage  and  was  the  father  of  Hannah 
Blake  Hall,  wife  of  Daniel  Minor  Bacon, 
as  above  noted.  For  many  years  he  was 
engaged  in  business  in  Middletown,  first 
in  the  firm  of  Montague  &  Hall,  later 
many  years  independently. 

LeRoy  Minor  Tucker,  son  of  Henry 
V.  and  Clara  C.  (Bacon)  Tucker,  was  bom 
June  19,  1877,  in  the  house  in  which  he 
now  resides,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
Westfield  district,  where  he  has  ever 
since  resided.  He  attended  the  district 
school  of  Staddle  Hill  and  the  Middle- 
town  High  School  and  was  subsequently 
a  student  at  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  Storrs,  Connecticut,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1896.  He  settled  on  the 
home  farm  and  has  had  very  few  vaca- 
tions. He  engages  in  general  farming  and 
participates  himself  in  the  labors  inci- 
dent to  his  business.     He  has  done  much 


work  upon  the  roads.  For  twenty-two 
years  he  peddled  milk  in  Middletown,  and 
since  he  ceased  that  occupation,  he  has 
engaged  largely  in  grain  growing.  In 
1921  he  produced  one  hundred  acres  of 
small  grains.  He  engaged  quite  exten- 
sively in  the  construction  of  silos  and  is 
always  busy.  He  is  a  member  of  Matta- 
bessett  Grange  of  Middletown,  in  which 
he  has  served  as  assistant  steward,  and 
of  Apollo  Lodge,  No.  33,  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
North  Church  of  Middletown.  A  Repub- 
lican in  politics  he  has  ever  refused  to  be 
a  candidate  for  office,  and  devotes  him- 
self to  the  demands  of  his  extensive  busi- 
ness. 

He  married,  August  10,  1905,  Ida  D. 
Scoville,  born  in  Maromas,  daughter  of 
Frank  S.  and  Harriett  (McKenstry)  Sco- 
ville.    They  have  no  children. 


PASCALL,  Richard  Henry, 
Manufacturer. 

At  the  head  of  the  leading  manufactur- 
ing industry  of  Portland,  of  which  he  has 
been  many  years  manager,  and  as  citizen 
of  undoubted  patriotism  and  moral  worth, 
Captain  Pascall  enjoys  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all  who  are  privileged  to  know 
him.  He  was  born  October  6,  1841,  in 
Fenton,  Staffordshire,  England,  a  son  of 
Richard  and  Margaret  (Pickering)  Pas- 
call.  The  father,  born  in  1800,  died  in 
England  in  1844.  He  was  a  man  of  un- 
usual mechanical  skill,  the  only  one  of  his 
father's  family  to  exhibit  such  ability,  and 
the  son  inherited  some  of  this  talent. 
Margaret  Pickering,  wife  of  Richard  Pas- 
call  and  aunt  of  the  late  Thomas  R.  Pick- 
ering, founder  of  the  Pickering  Governor 
works,  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  char- 
acter. Left  with  seven  children  to  care 
for,  by  the  early  death  of  her  husband, 
167 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


she  reared  them  to  lives  of  usefulness. 
She  was  born  in  1800  and  died  in  1859,  in 
New  York  City.  Her  senior  son,  Thomas 
Pascall,  lived  many  years  in  New  York, 
where  he  died.  A  daughter,  Margaret 
Pickering  Pascall,  founder  of  the  Pascall 
Institute,  on  Lexington  Avenue,  New 
York,  was  long  at  its  head. 

Richard  H.  Pascall,  junior  son  of  his 
parents,  was  but  seven  years  of  age  when 
he  came  with  his  widowed  mother  and 
her  family  to  America.  His  youth  was 
passed  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he 
enjoyed  the  benefit  of  public  schools  and 
the  free  academy,  now  known  as  the  Col- 
lege of  the  City  of  New  York.  His  strong 
mechanical  bent  was  early  manifested, 
and  was  developed  by  a  course  in  me- 
chanics at  Cooper  Institute.  In  1862  he 
left  this  institution  to  enlist  in  defense  of 
the  integrity  of  the  nation,  becoming  a 
member  of  Company  A,  71st  New  York 
Volunteer  Infantry.  After  the  completion 
of  his  term  of  enlistment  in  1863,  he  be- 
came sergeant  of  Company  K,  37th  New 
York  Volunteers.  This  was  one  of  the 
regiments  called  home  from  the  front 
to  suppress  the  draft  riots  in  New  York 
City.  After  peace  was  established  Mr. 
Pascall  joined  the  New  York  Militia  and 
rose  through  the  various  grades  until  he 
became  Captain,  receiving  his  commission 
from  Governor  Fenton  in  1870.  This  serv- 
ice was  broken  by  his  removal  to  Con- 
necticut in  that  year.  In  October,  1865, 
Captain  Pascall  became  associated  with 
his  cousin,  Thomas  R.  Pickering,  in  the 
production  of  the  Pickering  Governor  for 
steam  engines.  This  governor  was  a  re- 
markable innovation  in  mechanics,  and 
has  grown  steadily  in  use  until  the  Port- 
land factory  is  the  one  with  the  largest 
production  in  the  United  States  of  gov- 
ernors distributed  to  every  civilized 
country.     When  the  plant  was  removed 


from  New  York  to  Portland  in  1870  to 
occupy  a  new  factory  built  for  the  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Pascall  was  foreman,  and  he 
became  superintendent  in  1878.  Long 
before  1903  the  original  Portland  plant 
had  become  too  small  to  accommodate 
the  work,  and  in  that  year  an  entirely 
new  plant  of  brick  and  stone  was  con- 
structed, adjoining  the  Air  Line  Rail- 
road, with  switching  facilities,  where 
greater  convenience  and  increased  capac- 
ity were  secured.  May  i,  1888,  the  busi- 
ness was  incorporated  as  The  Pickering 
Governor  Company,  with  Thomas  R. 
Pickering  as  president.  Upon  his  death 
in  1895,  John  H.  Hall  succeeded  him  and 
was  in  turn  succeeded  by  Mr.  Pascall  in 
1903.  Through  the  superior  business  abil- 
ity of  Mr.  Hall  and  the  skillful  manage- 
ment of  the  plant  by  Mr.  Pascall,  the 
production  and  sales  were  greatly  in- 
creased, being  doubled  in  one  year.  In 
1890  the  first  private  electrical  plant  in 
Portland  was  established  at  this  factory, 
and  an  independent  system  of  fire  pro- 
tection is  also  maintained.  Captain  Pas- 
call was  a  director  and  vice-president  of 
the  Portland  First  National  Bank  many 
years,  that  was  later,  in  1925,  merged  in 
The  Portland  Trust  Company,  when  he 
became  chairman  of  the  board. 

He  has  always  been  deeply  interested 
in  advancement  of  educational  facilities 
for  the  town,  taking  leadership  in  pro- 
moting and  carrying  to  completion  the 
erection  of  a  modern  building  of  brick  and 
stone  for  use  of  the  grades  and  accommo- 
dation of  the  town  high  school,  and  as 
chairman  greatly  advancing  the  standing 
of  the  town  schools. 

With  natural  determination  and  fixed 
principles  he  has  always  sustained  the 
Republican  party  as  the  exponent  of  his 
ideas  in  good  government,  but  has  rarely 
consented  to  be  a  candidate  for  office. 
168 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  1906  he  represented  the  town  in  the 
State  Legislature.  He  is  a  member  of 
Trinity  Episcopal  Church  of  Portland,  of 
Portland  Lodge,  No.  35,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  and  of  Mansfield 
Post,  No.  53,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
of  Middletown,  in  whose  welfare  he  has 
always  felt  a  deep  interest.  In  Free  Ma- 
sonry he  has  attained  high  degrees,  being 
affiliated  with  Warren  Lodge,  No.  51, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Portland ;  Washington  Chapter,  No.  6, 
Royal  Arch  Masons ;  and  Cyrene  Com- 
mandery.  No.  8,  Knights  Templar,  of 
Middletown ;  also  Sphinx  Temple,  An- 
cient Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Hartford.  Captain  Pascall  was 
married,  Decemebr  27,  1864,  in  New  York, 
to  Marie  A.  Lasher,  a  native  of  German- 
town,  New  York,  descended  from  one  of 
the  Knickerbocker  families  of  the  Empire 
State.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children  (of  whom  three  survive)  namely : 
Marie  Ella,  Bessie  Pickering,  and  George 
Chester.  The  senior  daughter  is  the  wife 
of  Stephen  S.  Hall  (q.  v.)  vice-president 
and  treasurer  of  the  Pickering  Governor 
Co. ;  the  junior  of  Walter  H.  Penfield  (q. 
V.)  vice  president  of  the  Colts  Arms  Co., 
of  Hartford ;  and  the  son  is  secretary  of 
The  Pickering  Governor  Company,  all 
residing  in  Portland. 


PASCALL,  George  Chester, 

Manufacturer. 

As  secretary  of  The  Pickering  Governor 
Company  of  Portland,  Mr.  Pascall  is  mak- 
ing a  record  as  a  sterling  business  man, 
having  already  established  himself  among 
his  fellows  as  a  good  citizen  and  true 
friend.  The  only  son  of  Richard  H.  Pas- 
call, whose  record  appears  above,  he  was 
born  August  22,  1881,  in  Portland,  where 
his  primary  education  was  secured,  in- 


cluding the  high  school  course.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1900  at  the  Hotch- 
kiss  School  at  Lakeville,  Connecticut,  and 
soon  found  employment  in  the  office  of 
Colt's  Patent  Firearms  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Here 
he  served  three  years  as  a  clerk,  thus 
gaining  considerable  knowledge  of  busi- 
ness affairs  and  an  experience  ever  since 
valuable  to  him.  Close  application  had 
somewhat  impaired  his  physical  vigor, 
and  he  made  a  trip  to  Texas,  where  he 
quickly  recovered.  On  the  first  of  Janu- 
ary, 1904,  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Pickering  Governor  Company,  as  general 
clerk,  and  was  made  secretary  of  the 
company  in  1921.  Here  he  has  taken 
from  the  shoulders  of  his  honored  father 
much  of  the  burden  of  affairs  for  many 
years  borne  by  the  elder,  whose  ability 
and  perseverance  have  done  so  much  to 
build  up  and  carry  on  the  concern.  The 
junior  Mr.  Pascall  is  diligent  and  efficient, 
and  is  appreciated  as  such  by  all  con- 
nected with  the  office.  He  bears  his  part 
in  carrying  on  the  beneficient  influences 
of  the  community,  supporting  every 
worthy  movement.  He  is  a  vestryman  of 
Trinity  Church,  sustains  his  share  of  vari- 
ous community  services  and  helped  in 
every  way  to  sustain  the  government  in 
prosecuting  the  nation's  share  in  the  re- 
cent great  World  War.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  world-known  Masonic  fraternity, 
affiliating  with  Warren  Lodge,  No.  51, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Portland,  of  which  he  has  served  in  the 
stations  up  to  junior  deacon ;  Washington 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  Middle- 
town  ;  Cyrene  Commandery,  No.  8,  and 
Sphinx  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Hartford. 
While  not  a  seeker  for  public  honors,  Mr. 
Pascall  feels  that  every  citizen  should 
bear  his  part  in  securing  good  govern- 


169 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ment,  and  supports  Republican  principles 
and  policies,  as  the  best  means,  in  his 
judgment,  to  secure  that  end. 

Mr.  Pascall  was  married,  June  i,  1910, 
to  Helen  Boughton,  who  was  born  in 
Hannibal,  Missouri,  daughter  of  Henry  C. 
and  Harriet  (Chamberlain)  Boughton  of 
that  city.  Her  grandfather,  Sanford  L. 
Boughton,  was  born  August  27,  1810,  and 
settled  at  Warsaw,  New  York,  in  1840. 
He  was  a  friend  of  education,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  Warsaw 
from  the  inception  of  its  union  school  in 
1853  until  his  death,  September  26,  1859. 
He  married  Maria  A.  Roberts,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  Henry  C.  Boughton. 
The  latter,  born  July  15,  1845,  was  ap- 
prenticed to  a  printer  in  Warsaw,  and  set- 
tled in  Hannibal,  Missouri,  where  he  en- 
gaged successfully  in  the  book  and  sta- 
tionery business  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  September  17,  1923.  He  mar- 
ried, March  4,  1873,  Harriet  Chamberlain, 
who  was  born  in  Brattleboro,  Vermont, 
and  survives  him. 

Mrs.  Pascall  is  a  member  of  the  general 
association  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  of  Missouri.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pascall  are  the  parents  of  a  son, 
Richard  Boughton  Pascall,  born  January 
4,  1912.  He  is  a  member  of  Troop  21, 
Boy  Scouts  of  America. 


WAKEMAN,  Howard  Nichols, 
Ua-wyer,  Historian. 

Accomplished  in  his  profession  as  a 
general  practitioner  in  the  law,  his  train- 
ing and  experience  in  both  the  States  of 
Connecticut  and  New  York  being  re- 
corded as  of  a  very  high  order  of  value  in 
their  legal  interests,  Howard  Nichols 
Wakeman,  long  in  practice  at  the  Con- 
necticut bar,  is  a  factor  for  progress  in 
the  civic  life  of  this  State,  and  he  has  held 


important  State  and  township  office  in  a 
service  of  broad  benefit  to  the  community. 
Learned  in  the  historical  lore  of  a  State 
abounding  with  distinguished  Colonial 
and  Revolutionary  records,  Mr.  Wake- 
man  is  not  only  widely  known  as  the  cura- 
tor of  the  archives  of  Bridgeport  and  its 
neighborhood,  but  he  is  one  of  the  best  in- 
formed of  the  State's  historians  concern- 
ing the  Plantation  and  Provincial  eras, 
and  those  immediately  following,  in  Con- 
necticut's remarkable  story  of  settlement 
and  growth.  Mr.  Wakeman,  one  of  the 
accomplished  editors  of  this  work,  is  a 
son  of  Zalmon  Wakeman,  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools,  and  who  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  Susan  (Warner)  Wakeman. 

Howard  Nichols  Wakeman  was  born 
November  21,  1856,  at  Greenfield  Hill,  in 
the  town  of  Fairfield,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools.  He  prepared  for  his 
profession  in  the  Law  School  of  Yale  Uni- 
versity, where  he  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1888,  with  his  degree  Bachelor  of 
Laws,  and  upon  his  admission  to  the  Con- 
necticut bar  in  1887  he  at  once  began  the 
practice  of  law  in  this  State.  Mr.  Wake- 
man was  also  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
New  York  bar  in  1904,  and  from  that  date 
to  1914,  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Law- 
yers' Title  and  Trust  Company.  He  is 
active  in  financial  matters,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  South- 
port  Savings  Bank. 

Mr.  Wakeman's  interest  in  the  political 
life  of  the  State  has  been  notably  mani- 
fested in  Legislature  and  as  a  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  at  Hartford  in 
1897 ;  and  he  has  also  served  as  personal 
tax  collector  of  the  town  of  Fairfield. 

Prominently  associated    with    the    in- 

jcreasingly  valuable  program  of  work  of 

the   Bridgeport  Scientific  and  Historical 

Society,  Mr.  Wakeman  holds  the  office  of 

170 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


secretary  of  that  society.     He  is  a  com- 
municant   of    the    Protestant   Episcopal 
Church. 
m  Howard    Nichols    Wakeman    married, 

October  28,  1891,  Grace  Melville  Hall, 
daughter  of  Henry  Hall  and  Catherine 
(Silliman)  Hall.  Their  children  are:  i. 
Tallmadge  Nichols  Wakeman,  born  July 
23,  1892.  2.  Katherine  DeForest  Wedel- 
staedt,  born  May  12,  1895.  3.  Clara  Lacey 
Wakeman,  born  February  9,  1899. 


MYLCHREEST,  Joseph  Warren, 
Director    of   Public    Works. 

A  native  of  Middletown,  Mr.  Myl- 
chreest  has  attained  a  prominent  position 
among  the  citizens  of  the  city,  and  is 
actively  useful  in  the  direction  of  its  ma- 
terial interests,  while  contributing  his 
share  to  its  moral  and  social  development. 
His  forebears  were  among  the  leading 
people  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  one  being 
among  the  first  seven  Manx  settlers.  The 
present  detailed  knowledge  of  the  family 
begins  with  John  Mylchreest,  who  was 
the  father  of  William  Mylchreest,  a  con- 
tractor who  built  many  of  the  engine 
houses  at  the  mines  of  Manxland.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  and  his 
wife,  Catherine  (Davidson),  also  a  native 
of  Man,  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen 
children,  the  second  of  whom  was  Wil- 
liam Mylchreest,  born  August  8,  1842,  at 
Kirk  German.  Up  to  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  he  attended  an  excellent  school  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  early  began  receiv- 
ing instruction  from  his  father  in  the 
mason's  art.  When  twenty-two  years  old 
he  went  to  Liverpool,  whence  he  soon 
moved  to  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England, 
where  he  continued  at  his  trade  and  re- 
ceived instruction  in  draughting  and  ge- 
ometry at  a  night  school.     Returning  to 


his  native  place,  he  continued  there  until 
1869,  when  he  set  sail  with  his  bride  for 
the  United  States.  The  voyage  was  made 
on  the  steamer  "Australasia"  of  the 
Cunard  line,  and  they  arrived  at  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  after  a  passage  lasting 
eight  days  and  six  hours,  on  April  9,  1869. 
Seven  days  later  found  them  in  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut,  where  Mr.  Mylchreest 
continued  a  most  industrious  and  success- 
ful career  until  advancing  age  compelled 
him  to  retire,  and  died  January  13,  1922. 
After  working  six  days  in  the  Middle- 
sex quarry  of  Portland,  he  found  employ- 
ment as  a  bricklayer,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  some  time  in  Middletown  and 
Hartford.  In  1869  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Hugh  McConochie  and  James 
Moore,  to  engage  in  building  operations, 
under  the  style  of  McConochie,  Moore  & 
Mylchreest,  and  the  association  was  con- 
tinued some  nine  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  Mr.  Moore  withdrew,  and  the 
business  was  continued  a  similar  period 
by  McConochie  &  Mylchreest.  Follow- 
ing this  Mr.  Mylchreest  was  sole  pro- 
prietor of  the  business,  being  ultimately 
succeeded  by  his  sons,  by  whom  it  is  still 
carried  on.  Many  of  the  most  substantial 
buildings  in  Middletown  are  monuments 
to  his  skill,  among  which  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation building,  several  structures  of 
Wesleyan  University,  numerous  resi- 
dences, two  wings  of  the  State  Hospital 
and  the  German  Lutheran  Church.  In- 
cluded in  his  operations  were  thirteen 
buildings  of  his  own,  which  he  sold  or 
rented.  Thirty  years  after  his  arrival  in 
Middletown,  he  erected  his  substantial 
residence  on  Brainerd  Avenue  and  in  the 
same  year  he  put  up  the  fire  engine  house 
on  Main  Street,  one  of  the  best  buildings 
of  its  kind  in  New  England.  Several  of 
the  fraternity  houses  adjacent  to  the  col- 


171 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lege  are  samples  of  his  skill.  A  faithful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  a  use- 
ful citizen  and  a  good  husband  and  father 
passed  away  when  he  died.  A  consistent 
Republican  in  political  principle,  Mr.  Myl- 
chreest  served  in  1898  and  1899  as  alder- 
man of  the  city. 

He  was  married,  March  25,  1869,  at  his 
native  place,  to  Ann  Senogles,  born  April 
9,  1850,  in  the  same  locality,  being  the 
twelfth  of  the  thirteen  children  of  Joseph 
and  Catherine  (Mylchreest)  Senogles, 
their  fifth  daughter  and  the  only  one  of 
the  family  to  come  to  the  United  States. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mylchreest  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Joseph  Henry  Mylchreest,  second  son 
of  William  and  Ann  (Senogles)  Myl- 
chreest, was  born  October  5,  1871,  in  Mid- 
dletown,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  years,  he  laid  aside  his  books  to 
engage  in  mason  work,  which  has  occu- 
pied his  time  since.  He  continued  in  the 
employ  of  his  father  until  1906,  when  he 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  including 
the  father  and  sons.  He  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  construction  of  several  col- 
lege buildings  and  fraternity  houses,  the 
Central  National  Bank  building  and 
others.  Mr.  Mylchreest  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  is  a  Past  Grand  of 
Central  Lodge,  No.  12,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  body  he  is  a 
trustee,  and  of  Souheag  Encampment,  No. 
6,  same  order,  and  was  chairman  of  the 
building  committee  of  the  order  which 
purchased  and  remodeled  the  former 
Universalist  Church  for  the  uses  of  the 
order.  He  is  identified  with  the  local  blue 
lodge,  chapter,  council  and  commandery 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Lady  Wash- 
ington Chapter,  Eastern  Star,  and  Sphinx 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of 


the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Hartford.  He  has 
always  been  a  busy  man,  with  little  time 
for  other  than  his  private  aflFairs,  but  has 
ever  sought  to  further  progfressive  move- 
ments, without  taking  any  political  office, 
and  consistently  supports  Republican 
principles  and  policies. 

Mr.  Mylchreest  married,  February  12, 
1893,  Sarah  Anne  Barrow,  who  was  born 
in  Sheffield,  England,  daughter  of  Alfred 
and  Sarah  Anne  (Bailey)  Barrow,  with 
whom  she  came  to  America  when  four 
years  old.  Alfred  Barrow,  born  Septem- 
ber I,  1849,  was  superintendent  of  the 
Soby  Saw  works  in  Sheffield  some  forty 
years,  and  died  in  Middletown  April  5, 
1912.  His  wife  died  November  26,  1922, 
aged  seventy-two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mylchreest  are  the  parents  of  two  sons, 
namely:  i.  William  B.,  chief  draughts- 
man in  the  New  York  office  of  the  late 
Henry  Bacon,  designer  of  the  Lincoln 
monument  at  Washington.  2.  Joseph 
Warren. 

J.  Warren  Mylchreest,  director  of  pub- 
lic works  of  the  city  of  Middletown,  was 
born  December  21,  1894,  in  Middletown, 
where  he  grew  up  and  went  through  the 
public  schools,  graduating  from  the  high 
school.  He  was  a  student  at  Norwich 
University,  Northfield,  Vermont,  and  Cor- 
nell University,  Ithaca,  New  York,  grad- 
uating from  the  latter  in  1917,  with  degree 
of  Architectural  Engineer.  He  enlisted, 
May  15,  1917,  in  the  309th  Infantry,  spent 
three  months  in  training  camp  at  Madison 
Barracks,  and  was  made  second  lieuten- 
ant. He  was  at  Camp  Dix  with  the  78th 
Division,  at  Camps  Devens  and  Augusta, 
and  made  numerous  trips  about  the  coun- 
try in  government  service.  He  was  pro- 
moted first  lieutenant  in  August,  1918, 
and  was  discharged  April  21,  1919.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  was  employed  as  junior  en- 
172 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


gineer  by  the  Connecticut  State  Highway 
Department  for  six  months,  and  was  with 
the  Ellison  Construction  Company  of 
Hartford  one  year.  For  six  months  he 
was  a  construction  engineer  of  the  South- 
ern New  England  Telephone  Company, 
and  left  this  employment  to  become  direc- 
tor of  public  works  at  Middletown  in 
1922.  He  has  charge  of  the  streets,  water 
works  and  other  departments  of  city  serv- 
ice. The  elimination  of  the  grade  cross- 
ing on  Bridge  Street,  Middletown,  is  one 
of  the  projects  to  which  he  has  given 
much  attention,  and  the  final  adoption  of 
a  plan  and  commencement  of  operations  is 
due  chiefly  to  his  determination  and  per- 
severance, against  the  objections  of  some 
parties  in  interest.  The  improvement  of 
the  city  water  service  is  now  engaging 
his  attention,  and  his  fertile  brain  is  con- 
stantly planning  improvements  in  the 
public  service. 

Mr.  Mylchreest  is  affiliated  with  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  is  a  steadfast  Re- 
publican politically.  He  is  identified 
with  the  principal  Masonic  bodies,  from 
St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  2,  to  Cyrene  Com- 
mandery,  No.  8,  and  including  Sphinx 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Hartford.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Central  Lodge,  No.  12, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  and 
Middletown  Lodge,  No.  771,  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  In  all  rela- 
tions of  life  he  is  energetic  and  faithful, 
and  enjoys  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
his  contemporaries. 

He  married,  February  7,  1919,  Grace 
Ellen  Burch,  who  was  born  September 
5,  1894,  in  Spencer,  Massachusetts,  daugh- 
ter of  Manly  Erastus  and  Mary  (Sweet) 
Burch,  the  latter  a  native  of  Hatfield, 
Massachusetts.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mylchreest 
are  the  parents  of  a  son,  Joseph  Warren, 
Junior. 


AVERY,  Edward  C, 

Business  Man. 

There  is  no  name  in  New  England 
history  borne  with  more  worthy  distinc- 
tion than  that  of  Avery.  Its  members 
have  occupied  those  places  of  prominence 
that  lend  lustre  to  a  family  name,  and 
have  performed  those  daily  duties  of  good 
citizenship  that  contribute  even  more 
surely  to  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of 
the  community.  The  origin  of  this  name 
in  England  has  not  thus  far  been  fully  de- 
termined, some  authorities  stating  that  it 
was  derived  from  Aviarus.  which  means  a 
keeper  of  birds,  while  others  assert  that 
the  storehouse  in  which  the  forage  for  the 
king's  horses  was  deposited  was  called 
the  avery  prior  to  the  conquest.  It  is 
quite  probable,  however,  that  the  Saxon 
personal  name  Alberic,  which  became 
Latmlzed  into  Albericus,  was  softened 
during  the  Norman  rule  into  Aubrey,  and 
finally  acquired  its  present  form  of 
spelling. 

A  branch  of  this  family  was  founded 
in  New  Hampshire  by  John  Avery,  born 
in  Groton,  Massachusetts,  September  17, 
1705,  who  settled  in  Stratham,  New 
Hampshire,  in  young  manhood.  He  was 
of  the  fourth  American  generation,  de- 
scended from  Christopher  Avery,  founder 
of  the  family  in  America,  through  his  son, 
Captain  James  Avery,  and  his  grandson, 
Samuel  Avery,  all  of  whom  held  import- 
ant places  in  public  life.  This  is  probably 
the  line  whence  sprang  Robert  Avery, 
born  near  Franconia  Notch,  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  1804.  He  grew  to  manhood  in 
New  Hampshire  and  shortly  before  his 
marriage  moved  to  Burke,  New  York. 
There  he  engaged  in  farming  on  a  fifty- 
acre  tract  of  land,  which  was  a  wedding 
present  to  his  wife  from  her  father.  He 
married  Maria  Estabrook  (see  Estabrook 


173 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


line).  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  six  attained  mature 
years :  Sally,  married  Amos  Hoadley, 
of  Westville,  New  York,  both  deceased ; 
Samuel,  deceased ;  Silas,  a  resident  of 
Manchester,  New  Hampshire  ;  Hiram,  de- 
ceased ;  Emily,  married  James  Rogers, 
both  deceased,  and  resided  in  Vermont- 
ville,  New  York ;  Joel  E.,  of  whom  fur- 
ther;  and  Hoel  (twins),  the  latter  dying 
in  infancy. 

Joel  E.  Avery,  son  of  Robert  and  Maria 
(Estabrook)  Avery,  was  born  in  Burke, 
Franklin  County,  New  York,  November 
15,  1848.  As  a  boy  of  fourteen  years  he 
was  employed  for  a  year  in  a  saw  mill  in 
the  Adirondack  woods,  and  when  but 
seventeen  years  of  age  was  in  charge  of  a 
gang  of  twenty-six  men.  In  1870  he 
moved  to  Granby,  Connecticut,  and 
worked  for  three  years  on  a  farm,  then 
moving  to  Hartland  and  residing  there 
for  twenty-three  years  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising.  He  returned 
to  Granby  for  three  years  still  as  a  farmer, 
and  in  April,  1899,  he  located  in  New 
Britain,  establishing  in  milk  dealing  on  a 
small  scale.  His  operations  have  steadily 
widened  and  now,  the  oldest  milk  dealer 
in  the  city,  he  has  four  regular  routes. 
His  business  is  conducted  under  the  name 
of  Joel  Avery  &  Son,  and  has  five  em- 
ployees in  addition  to  Mr.  Avery  and  his 
son.  Mr.  Avery  continued  in  the  work  of 
delivery  in  person  until  about  four  years 
ago,  and  he  is  still  active  in  collecting  the 
farm  supply  from  local  dairymen.  Mr. 
Avery  is  held  in  high  regard  in  the  busi- 
ness fraternity  of  New  Britain,  and  there 
is  no  man  of  aflfairs  in  the  city  in  whose 
word  greater  dependence  is  placed.  He 
has  never  been  attracted  to  public  office, 
but  in  private  life  has  lost  no  opportunity 
to  contribute  to  the  progress  of  the  com- 
mon good.    He  is  the  possessor  of  a  medal 


made  from  captured  German  cannon, 
which  was  awarded  by  the  United  States 
Government  for  efficient  participation  in 
the  Liberty  Loan  campaigns.  Mr.  Avery 
is  probably  the  only  member  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  Methodist  denomination  now  in 
New  Britain. 

He  married  Ella  F.,  daughter  of  Luther 
A.  and  Nancy  (Woodruff)  Parker.  Nancy 
Woodruff  was  a  daughter  of  Alanson 
Woodruff,  of  Avon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Avery 
have  a  son,  Edward  C,  the  only  one  of 
their  children  to  reach  maturity. 

Edward  C.  Avery,  son  of  Joel  E.  and 
Ella  F.  (Parker)  Avery,  was  born  in  Hart- 
land,  Connecticut,  March  3,  1882.  He  was 
educated  in  public  schools  and  for  four 
years  thereafter  was  in  the  employ  of  P. 
and  F.  Corbin,  of  New  Britain.  The  fol- 
lowing nine  months  were  spent  with  the 
Union  Manufacturing  Company,  and  he 
was  then  for  two  years  on  the  road  in  the- 
atrical work.  His  voice  had  attracted  the 
attention  of  an  old  singing  master  of  New 
Britain,  who  gave  him  his  first  instruc- 
tion, and  he  later  studied  under  A.  Leo- 
pold, a  well  known  voice  culturist  of 
Hartford,  developing  a  second  bass  voice 
of  unusual  quality  and  strength.  While 
on  the  road  he  was  a  member  of  a  local 
quartet  which  appeared  in  every  State  of 
the  Union,  and  at  engagements  in  all  of 
the  large  cities.  Tiring  of  the  irregular 
life  of  theatrical  and  concert  work,  with 
the  attendant  inconveniences  and  discom- 
forts of  constantly  travelling,  he  left  the 
stage  and  took  a  commercial  course  in 
Huntsinger's  Business  College  at  Hart- 
ford. Later  he  became  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  milk  business,  and  on 
May  13,  1906,  the  present  partnership  was 
formed.  Mr.  Avery  has  relieved  his  father 
of  many  of  the  arduous  responsibilities  of 
their  prosperous  business  and  has  con- 
tributed  a    full   share   to    its   upbuilding. 


174 


e^ 


c^y^^-o^^^^^^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


From  1900  to  1908  Mr.  Avery  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Council  No.  8,  Senior  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics,  and  with 
his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church. 

Edward  C.  Avery  married  Mabel  Fer- 
ris, daughter  of  Oscar  and  Charlotte 
(Avery)  Ferris,  her  mother  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Avery,  brother  of  Joel  E.  Avery. 
They  were  the  parents  of:  Edward,  born 
March  7,  1910;  Myrtle  Florine,  born  April 
25,  191 1 ;  Harold  Raymond,  born  March 
2,  1916. 

(The  Estabrook  Line). 

Thomas  Estabrook,  born  in  Enfield, 
County  Middlesex,  England,  came  to 
America  in  1660  and  died  January  28, 
1720-21.  He  lived  at  Swanzey,  Massachu- 
setts, and  was  a  selectman  in  1681.  He 
married  Sarah  Temple,  of  Concord,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  among  their  children  was 
Thomas. 

Thomas  (2)  Estabrook,  son  of  Thomas 
(i)  and  Sarah  (Temple)  Estabrook,  was 
born  August  6,  1685.  He  married,  De- 
cember 18,  1707,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Parker, 
and  among  their  children  was  Thomas. 

Thomas  (3)  Estabrook,  son  of  Thomas 
(2)  and  Elizabeth  (Parker)  Estabrook, 
was  born  April  2,  1713.  He  married,  about 
1743,  Prudence,  surname  unknown,  and 
among  their  children  was  Joel. 

Joel  Estabrook,  son  of  Thomas  (3)  and 
Prudence  Estabrook,  was  born  in  West- 
ford,  Massachusetts,  March  3, 1748-49.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
He  married,  at  Chelmsford,  Massachu- 
setts, February  4,  1778,  Abigail  Under- 
wood, of  Chelmsford.  Issue :  Abigail  U., 
born  1779;  Sophia,  born  1781 ;  Polly,  born 
1782;  Susanna,  born  1784;  Joel,  of  whom 
further;  Sarah,  born  1790. 

Joel  (2)  Estabrook,  son  of  Joel  (i)  and 
Abigail     (Underwood)     Estabrook,    was 


born  in  Westford,  Massachusetts,  April 
I,  1778.  Among  his  children  was  Maria. 
Maria  Estabrook,  daughter  of  Joel 
Estabrook,  married  Robert  Avery  (see 
Avery  line). 


MAZZOTTA,  Salvatore, 

liarge  Bnilder. 

In  the  career  of  this  subject  is  illustra- 
ted again  the  principle  of  American  boast, 
namely  that  one  can  make  something  of 
himself,  physically,  mentally  and  morally, 
if  he  have  the  necessary  ambition,  de- 
termination and  stamina.  With  these 
qualities  comes  always  success  in  material 
things. 

Salvatore  Mazzotta  was  born  February 
12,  1879,  in  Melilli,  province  of  Syracusa, 
Italy,  Island  of  Sicily,  a  region  swept  by 
the  warm  Mediterranean  breezes.  His 
father  Carmelo  Mazzotta,  was  a  mason 
builder  all  his  life  in  Melilli,  where  he  died 
in  1903,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His 
wife,  Emanuella,  born  in  the  same  town, 
was  a  daughter  of  Vincenzo  and  Mariana 
Nocera.  Vincenzo  Nocera  was  a  mason 
all  his  life  and  died  in  Melilli.  Emanuella 
Mazzotta  died  in  1910,  aged  seventy-one 
years.  Salvatore  Mazzotta  was  privileged 
to  attend  school  until  nine  years  of  age, 
when  he  began  to  learn  the  mason's  trade 
under  instruction  of  his  father.  Very 
early  in  life  he  began  to  cherish  visions 
of  escape  from  his  environment,  ever  his 
eyes  were  turned  longingly  toward 
America,  the  land  of  opportunity,  and  he 
persevered  in  his  ambition  to  strike  out 
in  the  world.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
he  began  to  realize  his  desire  to  improve 
himself  by  travel.  An  older  brother  was 
then  in  Bulgaria,  and  thither  Salvatore 
turned  his  steps.  For  a  period  of  two 
years  he  worked  as  a  mason  in  railroad 
construction  near  Sofia  and  then  returned 


175 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  his  native  place.  His  stay  here  was  but 
short  and,  in  late  January,  1900,  he  set 
out  for  America,  landed  at  New  York,  and 
reached  his  objective  at  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut, February  18,  of  that  year.  Here 
he  encountered  by  far  the  most  severe 
cold  he  had  thus  far  experienced.  With 
no  knowledge  of  the  prevailing  language 
of  the  country,  with  labor  plentiful  and 
little  in  demand,  his  case  presented  dis- 
couragements, but  with  the  hope  and  de- 
termination of  youth  he  awaited  the  open- 
ing of  the  season's  activities.  About  a 
month  after  his  arrival  he  found  employ- 
ment with  a  contracting  firm  which  had 
need  of  workers  with  pick  and  shovel ; 
he  labored  under  hard  taskmasters,  who 
looked  only  for  results,  while  a  dozen 
waited  to  fill  every  vacancy  in  the  force. 
Though  his  hands  blistered  and  bled, 
young  Mazzotta  gave  competent  service 
and  earned  the  approval  of  his  employers. 
After  two  months  of  this  employment  he 
found  opportunity  to  work  at  his  trade, 
which  gladly  he  would  have  accepted, 
even  at  a  reduction  in  pay,  though  he  was 
advanced  fifty  cents  per  day  (to  two  dol- 
lars), and  built  unaided  the  towers  sus- 
taining the  gates  in  the  State  Hospital 
water  works.  From  this  time  forward  he 
found  rather  steady  employment,  as  every 
employer  found  him  willing  and  ambi- 
tious to  give  service.  In  the  autumn  of 
the  same  year  he  went  to  Hartford,  where 
he  found  employment  at  another  advance 
of  fifty  cents  per  day.  His  prime  object 
in  going  to  Hartford  was  to  secure  the 
benefit  of  night  school,  where  he  might 
increase  his  knowledge  of  the  language 
and  fit  himself  for  better  opportunities 
in  life.  In  school  he  was  just  as  diligent 
as  at  work,  and  made  rapid  advancement 
in  knowledge  of  English,  working  each 
day  and  going  to  Middletown  once  a 
week  to  visit  a  sister  living  there.     Re- 


turning to  Middletown,  he  was  several 
years  in  the  employ  of  Denis  O'Brien,  a 
large  mason  contractor,  with  whom  he 
grew  in  favor,  and,  after  less  than  two 
years  with  him,  was  placed  in  charge  of 
jobs.  He  set  the  stone  work  of  the  Had- 
dam  Library,  the  chapel  of  St.  John's 
Church  and  many  other  buildings  in  and 
about  Middletown.  In  1909  a  long  strike 
of  building  mechanics  in  Middletown  very 
much  hindered  operations,  and  Mr.  Maz- 
zotta became  impressed  with  the  idea  of 
becoming  his  own  master,  which  long 
had  been  a  cherished  ambition.  After 
some  casting  about  he  secured  a  job  at 
the  corner  of  Union  and  South  streets, 
where  he  laid  the  cellar  and  first  story 
walls  of  a  building,  and  he  found  by  the 
end  of  the  year  that  it  is  more  profitable 
to  handle  one's  own  business.  He  built 
concrete  sidewalks,  and  no  job  was  too 
small  to  receive  his  faithful  and  efficient 
attention.  His  reputation  for  reliable 
work  grew,  and  jobs  came  to  him  unso- 
licited. In  191 1  he  erected  a  two-story 
brick  block  on  the  south  side  of  Wash- 
ington Street,  for  J.  W.  Stueck.  In 
1915  a  much  more  pretentious  block 
arose  under  Mr.  Mazzotta's  management 
— "Stueck's  Tavern" — on  the  north  side 
of  Washington  Street.  Many  fine  blocks 
have  been  erected  under  contract  by  Mr. 
Mazzotta,  a  few  of  which  may  be  here 
mentioned,  including  the  Meech  &  Stod- 
dard elevator,  homes  of  the  Middletown 
Yacht  and  Highland  Country  clubs, 
Poliner's  store  on  the  northerly  end  of 
Main  Street.  In  192 1  he  began  the  con- 
struction of  an  addition  to  the  group  of 
buildings  constituting  the  Connecticut 
State  Hospital,  a  fire-proof  structure,  said 
to  be  the  finest  in  New  England,  and  is 
now  (1924)  constructing  the  Nurses' 
Home,  another  equally  fine  building  of 
the  same  group,  each  of  these  contracts 
176 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


involving  some  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  In  1924  he  finished  his  contract 
for  erection  of  the  Middletown  Silk  Com- 
pany's new  mill — a  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lar undertaking,  also  the  State  Trade 
School,  on  Church  Street,  a  handsome  and 
thoroughly  modern  structure,  and  the 
contract  for  the  construction  of  the  new 
North  End  School  building,  on  a  bid  of 
$131,193.  Among  his  own  enterprises 
may  be  mentioned  the  erection  of  a  hand- 
some three-story  brick  flat-house  on 
Spring  Street,  and  the  recent  purchase 
of  the  Douglass  homestead  on  Broad 
Street,  which  he  has  remodeled,  providing 
three  handsome  tenements.  In  1921,  hav- 
ing purchased  a  tract  on  the  west  side  of 
Prospect  Street,  he  opened  a  street  run- 
ning westward  from  Prospect  Street  and 
rejoining  that  thoroughfare,  forming  three 
sides  of  a  rectangle  and  known  as  Maz- 
zotta  Place.  On  this  tract  he  erected  the 
elegant  home  of  Dr.  William  E.  Wrang. 
In  1922-23  he  erected  for  his  own  family 
a  beautiful  home,  which  they  occupied 
July  I,  1923.  This  is  one  of  the  finest 
private  residences  in  the  city,  overlooking 
the  valley  of  the  Sabetha  River  and  the 
mountains  to  the  west  and  southwest. 
The  first  story  and  chimneys  are  of  native 
stone,  which  was  also  used  in  construct- 
ing the  fireplace  in  the  parlor;  the  upper 
story  is  of  stucco,  and  the  whole  is  finely 
planned  for  convenience  and  beauty,  and 
its  furnishings  evince  a  refined  taste. 
Among  the  paintings  are  marine  views, 
scenes  from  American  life,  some  of  which 
were  executed  in  Rome,  and  superior 
tapestries  from  the  Old  World.  Its  sun 
parlor,  on  the  south,  is  a  model  of  taste 
and  utility,  floored  with  tiles  from  the  old 
custom  house  and  postoffice  building  of 
Middletown,  which  Mr.  Mazzotta  demol- 
ished. Another  relic  from  the  same  build- 
ing is  the  flagstaff,  which  forms  one  item 

Conn.  11 — 12 


in  the  tasteful  decorations  of  the  home 
grounds.  The  stone  work  in  which  it  is 
set  affords  a  beautiful  basin  for  flowering 
plants,  and  the  shrubbery  and  blooms 
working  into  the  decorations  are  a  delight 
to  the  eye. 

Blessed  with  fine  native  instincts,  self- 
cultivation  has  made  a  gentleman  of  Mr. 
Mazzotta,  and  his  naturally  genial  dispo- 
sition and  unvaried  upright  dealings  have 
drawn  to  him  many  friends,  whose  esteem 
he  easily  retains.  His  business  reputation 
is  unsmirched,  and  he  is  in  a  position  to 
enjoy  life's  richest  blessings.  With  his 
family  Mr.  Mazzotta  worships  at  St. 
John's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Sons  of  Italy, 
and  Italio-American  Club.  A  sound  Re- 
publican, he  was  placed  in  nomination  in 
1922  for  the  office  of  city  councilman  and, 
though  he  polled  the  largest  vote  on  his 
ticket,  he  was  defeated  with  the  whole 
Republican  ticket  in  the  landslide  of  that 
year.  He  was  again  nominated  in  1923 
and  elected  by  a  large  majority,  only  one 
candidate  receiving  more  votes — by  a 
margin  of  five.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
council  committee  on  streets,  and  of  a 
special  committee  on  city  and  town  plan- 
ning, being  especially  fitted  for  service  on 
the  latter  by  his  fine  taste  and  good  judg- 
ment. His  public  spirit  is  evidenced  by 
his  offering  the  use  of  a  tract  of  land  near 
Spring  Street  to  the  Social  Service 
League,  for  use  as  a  public  playground. 

In  1906  Mr.  Mazzotta  felt  that  he  had 
been  sufficiently  prospered  to  assume  the 
responsibilities  of  a  family  and,  in  Novem- 
ber of  that  year,  he  revisited  the  home  of 
his  childhood  and  was  there  married, 
February  2,  1907,  to  Angelina  DiStefano, 
who  was  born  there,  March  31,  1887, 
daughter  of  Sebastiano  and  Anna  (Mes- 
177 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sina)  DiStefano.  Soon  after  the  wed- 
ding they  came  to  Middletown,  and  Mrs. 
Mazzotta  at  once  set  about  learning  the 
use  of  the  English  language.  She  has 
proven  herself  a  worthy  helpmate  in  her 
husband's  progress,  and  their  children  are 
being  reared  as  good  American  citizens; 
they  are :  Sabastiano  George,  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  191 1 ;  and  Emanuella  Maria, 
February  4,  1913. 


BAILEY,  Edgar  L., 

Business  Man. 

A  descendant,  in  two  lines,  of  the  old 
Bailey  family  of  Haddam,  Mr.  Bailey  in- 
herited the  native  business  instinct  of  the 
Yankee  and  also  the  stable  character 
which  has  distinguished  the  natives  of 
New  England.  He  was  born  February 
17,  1847,  ii^  Higganum,  Connecticut,  the 
son  of  Richard  M.  and  Lucy  Maria 
(Bailey)  Bailey,  who  were  not  near  rel- 
atives. The  descent  of  the  mother  has 
been  traced  as  follows :  The  name  Bailey 
had  its  origin  in  the  office  of  bailiff  or 
steward,  an  occupation  of  much  honor  and 
dignity  in  old  English  times.  The  name 
of  Henry  le  Bailie  is  found  in  writs  of 
parliament.  A  pioneer  of  Virginia  was 
William  Bailey  who  was  born  about  1579, 
in  England,  and  removed  to  Virginia  in 
the  ship  "Prosperous."  His  son,  Thomas 
Bailey,  settled  in  New  London,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1651.  He  was  founder  of  the 
Groton  family  of  that  name. 

John  Bailey  appears  in  the  records  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  1648,  when  he 
was  a  viewer  of  ladders  and  chimneys,  an 
important  post,  since  chimneys  were  built 
of  sticks  and  mud,  and  it  was  necessary 
to  keep  ladders  and  make  frequent  inspec- 
tion of  chimneys  as  a  precaution  against 
fires.  John  Bailey  was  constable,  an 
office    involving    collection    of    taxes,    in 


1656-57.  About  1662  he  settled  in  Had- 
dam, being  one  of  the  twenty-eight  orig- 
inal proprietors  of  the  town,  and  lived  in 
what  is  now  Higganum.  His  will  was 
dated  June  17,  1696,  and  inventory  of  his 
property,  made  August  29,  of  the  same 
year,  placed  its  value  at  £  186,  los.  and  6d. 
His  wife  was,  probably,  Lydia,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Smith. 

John  Bailey,  son  of  John,  lived  in  Had- 
dam, and  married  Elizabeth  Bate,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Beckwith) 
Bate  of  that  town.  John  Bate  (name  now 
written  Bates)  was  undoubtedly  a  son  of 
Joseph  Bate  of  Haddam.  The  name  was 
common  in  England  several  centuries  be- 
fore the  departure  of  the  Pilgrims  for 
America.  In  New  England  it  was  some- 
times spelled  "Baitt."  It  is  supposed  to 
have  come  from  Bate  or  Batte,  a  contrac- 
tion of  Bartholomew.  About  the  time  of 
the  Revolution,  it  came  into  common  use 
as  Bates.  Between  1630  and  1640  five 
men  named  Bate  settled  in  Boston  or  its 
neighborhood.  John  Bate  of  Lydd,  Kent, 
England,  died  between  July  31,  and  Sep- 
tember 17,  1522.  His  second  son,  Andrew, 
died  there  about  February  22,  1533.  The 
latter's  third  son,  John  Bate,  was  buried 
there  March  i,  1579.  He  married,  Octo- 
ber 28,  1546,  Mildred  Ward,  who  was 
buried  June  2,  1577,  nearly  two  years  be- 
fore her  husband.  Their  eldest  son,  John 
Bate,  described  as  a  yeoman,  died  March 
2,  1614,  at  Lydd.  He  married,  June  6, 
1580,  Mary  Martine,  and  their  second 
son,  Joseph  Bate,  baptized  in  December, 
1582,  at  Lydd,  was  the  pioneer  of  the  fam- 
ily in  America.  In  1635  he  came  to  Dor- 
chester, Massachusetts,  where  he  was 
made  a  freeman  in  the  following  year, 
served  as  selectman  in  1637-38  and  1642, 
and  died  in  1655.  He  married  (license 
issued  September  13,  1603)  Alice  Glover 
of  Saltwood,  England,  born  1583,  died 
78 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


August  14,  1657,  in  Dorchester.  Their 
youngest  child,  Joseph  Bate,  baptized 
December  16,  1624,  at  Lydd,  was  living 
in  Dorchester  in  1648,  was  subsequently 
at  "Thirty-mile  Island,"  now  Haddam, 
and  at  Saybrook  from  1669  to  1677.  No 
doubt  he  was  the  father  of  John  Bate, 
who  died  January  15,  1719,  father  of 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Bailey. 

Ephraim  Bailey,  second  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Bate)  Bailey,  was  born  Janu- 
ary I,  1691,  and  lived  in  Haddam,  where 
he  married,  October  3,  1716,  Deborah 
Brainard,  born  April  3, 1698,  eldest  daugh- 
ter and  second  child  of  James  and  De- 
borah (Dudley)  Brainard,  granddaughter 
of  Daniel  Brainard,  born  in  1641,  prob- 
ably in  Braintree,  England,  the  pioneer 
of  Haddam. 

William  Bailey,  eighth  son  of  Ephraim 
and  Deborah  (Brainard)  Bailey,  married 
Betsey  Horton,  and  lived  in  Haddam, 
where  his  son,  Christopher  Bailey,  was 
born  in  March,  1756,  and  died  April  18, 
1840.  He  married,  November  26,  1782, 
his  second  cousin,  Naomi  Bailey,  born 
1763,  died  September  29,  1825,  daughter 
of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Cook)  Bailey, 
granddaughter  of  Ephraim  and  Deborah 
Bailey,  above  mentioned.  Christopher 
Bailey,  youngest  child  of  Christopher  and 
Naomi  Bailey,  was  born  December  17, 
1797,  in  Haddam,  and  married,  June  4, 
1824,  Anne  Tryon,  of  Middletown.  She 
was  born  about  1800,  and  died  February 
17,  1871,  aged  seventy-one.  This,  prob- 
ably, led  to  his  settlement  at  Middletown. 
The  records  show  a  deed  dated  Novem- 
ber ID,  1826,  by  which  he  received  from 
Josiah  M.  Hubbard  one  and  one-half 
acres  of  land  in  Middletown,  the  consider- 
ation being  $13.50.  Presumably  he  was  a 
mechanic,  and  required  only  ground  on 
which  to  place  a  residence.  Lucy  Maria 
Bailey,  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Anne 
(Tryon)  Bailey,  was  born  in  March,  1825, 


in  Haddam,  became  the  wife  of  Richard 
M.  Bailey,  and  died  February  10,  1895,  in 
Middletown. 

Richard  M.  Bailey,  husband  of  Lucy 
Maria  Bailey,  born  in  Haddam,  and  was  a 
mechanic  residing  in  Middletown.  From 
1856  to  i860  to  he  was  in  Arlington, 
Vermont,  and  sought  to  prepare  his  son 
for  a  worthy  place  in  life. 

Edgar  L.  Bailey  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools  of  Arlington  and  the  private 
school  of  Daniel  Chase,  which  prepared  so 
many  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Middle- 
town  for  college  and  for  active  life.  After 
a  course  in  Eastman's  Business  College  at 
Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  Edgar  L.  Bailey 
began  his  business  career  in  the  employ  of 
the  Russell  Manufacturing  Company  of 
Middletown,  with  which  establishment 
he  continued  for  a  period  of  fifty-two 
years.  This  long  association  is  ample 
evidence  of  his  integrity,  industry  and 
business  capacity.  For  six  years  he  was 
employed  as  bookkeeper  and  then  became 
a  traveling  salesman,  in  which  capacity 
he  continued  forty-six  years.  Because  of 
his  almost  continuous  absence  from  home, 
Mr.  Bailey  had  little  opportunity  to 
mingle  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  com- 
munity but  he  was  an  earnest  Republican 
in  political  principle  and  ever  ready  to 
sustain  with  voice  and  thought  that  party. 
He  was  an  active  member  of  the  great 
Masonic  brotherhood,  in  which  he  at- 
tained the  rank  of  Knights  Templar,  and 
his  burial  ceremonies  were  conducted  by 
the  local  Commandery  of  that  branch  of 
the  order.  He  died  June  12,  1918,  and 
among  his  benefactions  was  a  legacy  for 
the  equipment  of  an  operating  room  in  the 
Middlesex  Hospital.  He  also  left  a  legacy 
to  St.  Luke's  Home,  one  of  the  greatest 
institutions  for  the  alleviation  of  suffering 
in  Middletown,  and  also  to  the  District 
Nurses'  Association,  another  medium  of 
great  public  good.    Mr.  Bailey's  greatest 


179 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


benefaction,  which  he  had  long  cherished, 
was  the  dedication,  June  i8,  1918,  of  the 
Bailey  Memorial  Hall  of  Olivet  Church 
at  East  Arlington,  Vermont.  In  this  he 
was  faithfully  seconded  by  his  amiable 
wife. 

Mr.  Bailey  was  married  in  1875  at 
Arlington  to  Miss  Miriam  S.  Webb, 
daughter  of  Reuben  and  Rhoda  (Bowker) 
Webb  of  that  town.  She  is  the  great- 
granddaughter  of  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  that  town.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey  were 
members  of  the  South  Congregational 
Church  of  Middletown.  One  who  knew 
them  intimately  penned  the  following 
beautiful  tribute  to  Mr.  Bailey  and  his 
wife: 

Some  years  ago  there  grew  up  together  in 
Arlington,  Vermont,  a  boy  and  girl.  They  went 
to  school  together  and  became  fast  friends,  and 
finally  married  and  moved  away  to  another  New 
England  town— Middletown,  Connecticut.  Here 
they  lived  for  many  years.  Mr.  Bailey  occupied  a 
prominent  position  in  the  business  life  of  the  city 
and  the  years  went  on  happily  full  of  joy  and 
comfort.  But  they  never  forgot  the  home  of  their 
youth  in  the  little  town  among  the  green  hills. 
For  years,  Mr.  Bailey  had  nourished  the  plan  of 
building  a  memorial  hall  in  connection  with  the 
church  in  Arlington,  which  he  had  attended  in  his 
youth  and  where  his  father  had  died  a  happy 
Christian.  But  alas,  it  was  not  to  be.  Before  he 
could  carry  out  his  plans,  he  has  passed  away. 
"God's  finger  gently  touched  him  and  he  slept." 
And  now  his  wife  has  found  comfort  in  her  loss 
in  carrying  out  the  plans  her  husband  had  so  much 
at  heart,  and  today  the  work  is  finished ;  this  new 
memorial  hall  stands  as  a  monument  to  the  memory 
of  that  Christian  gentleman,  Edgar  L.  Bailey,  a 
memory  which  will  be^  held  by  generation  after 
generation  of  men  and  women  who  shall  come  to 
this  hall  from  time  to  time  to  find  recreation  and 
pleasure  in  the  various  entertainments  which  shall 
here  take  place. 

His  soul,  at  last,  has  found  a  glad  release, 
From  earthly  cares  and  now  is  full  of  peace. 
And  in  the  days  that  are  to  come  may  all 
Who  meet  together  here,  within  this  hall. 
Think  kindly  of  the  friend  now  passed  away. 
Whose  monument  we  dedicate  to-day. 

— Oscar  Kuhns,  Middletown,  Conn. 


The  program  of  the  dedication  services 
of  Bailey  Memorial  Hall  was  as  follows: 

Pastor:  To  the  glory  of  God,  our  Father,  the 
giver  of  all  good  gifts,  to  the  honor  of  Jesus 
Christ,  His  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour;  to  the 
praise  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  source  of  Life  and  Light. 

People:  We  dedicate  this  hall.  For  cheer  to 
those  who  are  friendless,  for  strength  to  those 
who  are  tempted;  for  arousing  the  conscience 
against  all  evil;  we  dedicate  this  hall.  For  the 
strength  of  the  Church's  social  life,  for  the  recrea- 
tion of  all  ages  and  classes,  for  Christian  cheer 
and  fellowship,  we  dedicate  this  hall;  for  the 
advancement  of  the  community  spirit,  for  the 
extension  of  the  church's  influence,  for  the  gath- 
ering of  all  to  the  Master's  fold,  we  dedicate  this 
hall,  as  a  tribute  of  love  and  gratitude  to  the  kind 
and  generous  donors  of  this  hall,  and  a  heartfelt 
offering  to  God,  the  source  of  all  goodness.  We, 
the  people  of  Olivet  Church  and  congregation, 
renewing  the  consecration  of  ourselves  and  our 
service,  dedicate  this  hall  in  the  name  of  the  Father 
and  of  the  Sun  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit.    Amen. 

The  address  was  given  by  Hon.  J.  K. 
Batchelder. 


DYER.  KIRK  Worrell, 

Motor    Mannfactnrer. 

For  the  past  ten  years  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  business  interests  of  Middle- 
town,  Mr.  Dyer  has  established  himself 
in  the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  con- 
temporaries. He  is  descended  from  one 
of  the  first  American  families  early  estab- 
lished in  Rhode  Island.  The  first  in  this 
country  was  William  Dyer,  who  was  born 
in  London,  England,  where  he  was  a  mer- 
chant, handling  millinery  and  dry  goods. 
In  December,  1635,  he  settled  at  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  whence  he  removed  to 
Portsmouth,  Rhode  Island,  being  one  of 
the  original  company  which  settled  that 
place,  a  signer  of  the  compact  made 
March  7,  1638,  for  the  government  of  the 
Colony,  and  on  June  5,  1639,  he  joined  in 
a  similar  compact  for  the  settlement  of 
Newport,  where  he  was  granted  land.    He 


180 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  secretary  of  the  Portsmouth  and 
Newport  Colony,  from  1640  to  1647,  S^^- 
1  eral  recorder  in  1648  and  attorney-general 
i  from  1650  to  1653,  inclusive.  In  1661-62 
he  was  a  commissioner  and  from  1664  to 
1666,  inclusive,  was  a  deputy  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court.  He  was  general  secretary  of 
the  Colony  in  1664,  1665,  1668  and  died  in 
1677.  His  first  wife,  Mary,  was  one  of  the 
martyrs,  executed  on  Boston  Common, 
May  31,  1660.  Their  eldest  child,  Samuel 
Dyer,  baptized  December  20,  1635,  in 
Boston,  lived  in  Newport  and  Kingstown, 
Rhode  Island,  and  died  in  1678.  He  was 
appointed.  May  21,  1669,  one  of  two  con- 
servators of  peace  with  the  Narragansett 
Country  and  was  long  active  in  promot- 
ing its  settlement.  He  married  Anne 
Hutchinson,  daughter  of  Captain  Edward 
and  Catherine  (Hanby)  Hutchinson,  bap- 
tized November  19,  1643,  granddaughter 
of  the  famous  Anne  Hutchinson  of  the 
RTassachusetts  Bay  Colony,  great-grand- 
daughter of  Rev.  Francis  Marbury  and 
grand-niece  of  the  poet  Dryden.  She  was 
descended  from  Edward  Hutchinson  of 
Alford,  England,  through  his  son,  Wil- 
liam Hutchinson,  and  his  wife,  Anne  Mar- 
low.  Edward  Dyer,  third  son  of  Samuel 
and  Anne  (Hutchinson)  Dyer,  born  in 
1670,  was  a  house  carpenter  and  owned 
a  farm  in  North  Kingstown,  Rhode  Is- 
land. He  married  Mary  Green,  who  was 
born  July  8,  1677,  in  Warwick,  daughter 
of  William  and  Mary  (Sayles)  Green,  a 
great-granddaughter  of  Roger  Williams. 
Edward  Dyer,  eldest  child  of  Edward  and 
Mary  (Green)  Dyer,  born  January  6,  1701, 
in  North  Kingstown,  lived  in  that  town, 
was  made  a  freeman  May  i,  1722,  and  was 
deputy  to  the  General  Court  in  1748.  He 
was  the  father  of  Edward  Dyer,  born 
1725,  in  North  Kingstown,  made  a  free- 
man in  1752.  He  married,  November  29, 
1750,  Elizabeth  Fish,  who  was  probably  a 


daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Mary  Fish  of 
South  Kingstown.  Their  fifth  son,  Henry 
Dyer,  born  July  12,  1759,  in  North  Kings- 
town, was  a  pioneer  settler  in  Shaftsbury, 
Vermont.  He  was  a  man  of  much  mental 
capacity  and  as  a  youth  was  so  eager  for 
knowledge  that  he  traveled  three  miles 
twice  a  day  in  order  to  attend  school.  He 
was  very  much  interested  in  mathematics 
and  was  often  wont  to  calculate  in 
his  mind  mathematical  problems  quicker 
than  his  sons  could  master  them  with 
pencil.  He  settled  in  Manchester,  Ben- 
nington County,  Vermont,  where  he  had 
a  fine  farm  and  died  January  2,  1855.  He 
married,  March  19,  1787,  Sarah  Coy,  and 
they  had  children:  Moses,  Anna,  Olive, 
Lydia,  Rufus,  Dennis,  David,  Daniel, 
Louis  and  Heman. 

Heman  Dyer,  grandson  of  Henry  and 
Sarah  (Coy)  Dyer,  was  born,  1847,  in  Man- 
chester, where  he  grew  up,  attending  the 
public  schools  and  a  seminary.  About 
1878  he  removed  to  Rock  Falls,  Illinois, 
where  he  conducted  a  mercantile  business 
and  was  postmaster  for  several  years.  In 
1885  he  removed  to  Pasadena,  California, 
and  there  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness and  was  long  in  the  public  service. 
For  twenty-eight  years  preceding  his 
death  he  was  city  clerk  of  Pasadena.  He 
was  buried  December  i,  1920.  He  was  an 
active  member  and  Deacon  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree Scottish  Rite  Mason,  served  as  State 
treasurer  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  was 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  and 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  Politically,  a 
Republican,  he  was  many  times  unani- 
mously elected  city  clerk  of  Pasadena,  be- 
ing supported  by  both  parties.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Elizabeth  Worrell,  who  was 
born  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  Penn- 
sylvania. Their  only  surviving  child  is 
the  subject  of  this  biography. 


181 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Kirk  Worrell  Dyer  was  born  January 
31,  1882,  in  Rock  Falls,  Illinois,  and  was  a 
small  child  when  his  parents  removed  to 
California.  There  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  graduating  from  the  high  school 
in  1899,  and  was  subsequently  a  student 
at  Throop  Institute,  now  the  California 
Institute  of  Technology,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1902  with  the  degree  of 
S.  B.  in  Chemistry.  For  some  time  fol- 
lowing he  was  employed  as  chemist  in 
a  beet  sugar  factory  and  was  subse- 
quently employed  in  the  city  treasurer's 
office  of  Pasadena,  where  he  was  chief 
deputy  treasurer  and  tax  collector  for  two 
years.  Pursuing  further  studies  at  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  in 
the  years  of  1905-07,  he  received  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Science.  In  the  mean- 
time he  pursued  a  summer  course  at  the 
University  of  Greenoble,  France,  and  was 
for  one  year  following  this  chemical  en- 
gineer for  the  Opaque  Shade  Cloth  Com- 
pany of  West  Pullman,  Illinois.  After 
spending  a  short  time  in  California  in  1910 
he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Frisbie 
Motor  Company  of  Middletown,  becom- 
ing its  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  in 
April,  1920,  succeeded  B.  A.  Frisbie  as 
president  of  the  company.  Mr.  Dyer  has 
contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the 
great  growth  and  prosperity  of  this  in- 
stitution. He  occupies  a  beautiful  home 
in  Cromwell,  formerly  the  home  of  the 
late  Frank  Allison  Pierson  of  that  town. 
Mr.  Dyer  is  still  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Pasadena.  In  po- 
litical principle  he  is  a  Republican  and  has 
been  allied  with  the  Progressive  wing  of 
that  party.  In  1913  he  represented  Crom- 
well in  the  State  Legislature  and  was  sub- 
sequently a  candidate  on  the  Progressive 
ticket  for  member  of  the  State  Senate. 
He  has  been  several  years  a  member  of 
the  Cromwell  School  Committee,  of  which 


he  was  chairman  five  years.  He  now 
represents  the  county  and  is  secretary  of 
the  board  in  control  of  the  Norwich  State 
Hospital.  In  1907  Mr.  Dyer  was  married 
to  Ruth  (Coe)  Pierson,  widow  of  Frank 
Allison  Pierson,  born  in  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  daughter  of  Orian  Ward 
Coe  and  granddaughter  of  Osborn  Coe  of 
Cromwell  and  Pasadena.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pierson  were  the  parents  of  a  son,  Frank 
Orian  Ward  Pierson,  who  now  resides 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dyer.  The  latter  are 
the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Esther 
Lavinia  and  Margaret  Elizabeth. 


ATKINS,  Thomas  Jefferson, 
Agricnltnrist. 

A  prosperous  and  well  known  farmer 
of  West  Long  Hill  district,  Middletown, 
Middlesex  County,  Connecticut,  Mr.  At- 
kins is  of  English  descent,  and  resides 
on  a  homestead  which  has  been  in  the 
possession  of  the  Atkins  family  for  gen- 
erations. The  name  of  Atkins  bears  many 
spellings  in  early  American  records ;  in 
fact,  it  is  still  used  under  various  spellings 
in  the  United  States.  Among  the  old 
English  spellings  is  Atkyns,  and  it  fre- 
quently appears  in  this  country  as  Adkins. 
Several  of  the  early  New  England  immi- 
grants bore  the  name,  including  Joseph 
Atkins  of  Roxbury  in  1630  and  Abraham 
Atkins,  residing  in  Boston  in  1642. 

Luke  Atkins  was  in  New  Haven  as 
early  as  1639,  and  married  there  (second) 
May  I,  165 1,  Mary,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Richard  Piatt  of  New  Haven.  He  does 
not  appear  in  New  Haven  records  after 
that  date  and  probably  moved  to  Middle- 
town.  His  widow  married,  January  3, 
1677,  in  Middletown,  Thomas  Wetmore. 
Josiah  Atkins,  undoubtedly  a  son  of  Luke 
by  the  latter's  first  marriage,  lived  in 
Middletown  and  received  four  acres  of 
182 


MlroJ—J^^l^i^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land  in  an  allotment  there,  not  far  from 
the  present  home  of  many  of  his  descend- 
ants, on  West  Long  Hill.  He  died  Sep- 
tember 12,  1690.  He  married,  October 
8,  1673,  his  step-sister,  Elizabeth  Wet- 
more,  born  1648,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Wetmore.  Jlphraim  Atkins,  fourth  son 
of  Josiah,  born  March  9,  1685,  lived  in 
Middletown  and  died  December  26,  1760. 
He  married,  June  16,  1709,  Elizabeth  Wet- 
more,  born  September  2,  1685,  eldest  child 
of  Thomas,  Jr.,  and  Elizabeth  (Hubbard) 
Wetmore.  Elizabeth  Hubbard,  born  Jan- 
uary 15,  1659,  in  Middletown,  was  the 
youngest  child  of  George  Hubbard,  the 
patriarch.  She  was  married,  February 
20,  1684,  to  Thomas  Wetmore,  who  was 
born  October  19,  1652,  and  died  February 
I,  1689.    She  died  December  6,  1725. 

The  eldest  son  of  Ephraim  Atkins  was 
Thomas  Atkins,  born  April  5,  1710,  lived 
on  Long  Hill  and  built  a  house  there  in 
1734,  a  short  distance  northwest  of  the 
present  handsome  home  of  his  descendant, 
whose  name  heads  this  article.  He  mar- 
ried, August  6,  1735,  Martha  Miller,  born 
March  28,  1705,  daughter  of  "Governor" 
Benjamin  Miller  and  granddaughter  of 
Thomas  Miller,  the  Middletown  pioneer. 
Ithamar  Atkins,  only  son  of  Thomas 
and  Martha  (Miller)  Atkins,  born  Novem- 
ber 16,  1757,  was  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  town,  residing  on  the  spot  now  occu- 
pied by  T.  J.  Atkins,  where  he  built  a 
brick  house  in  1807.  His  farm  embraced 
more  than  eight  hundred  acres  of  land, 
much  of  which  is  still  in  possession  of  his 
descendants.  He  was  possessed  of  a 
strong  mind,  was  industrious  and  capable, 
and  achieved  unusual  success  in  life.  He 
married,  November  27,  1783,  Anna  Hub- 
bard, born  October  18,  1762,  twelfth  child 
of  Nehemiah  Hubbard  and  Sarah  Sill,  de- 
scended from  George  Hubbard,  the  patri- 
arch. Ithamar  Atkins  died  January  27, 
1829,  and  his  wife  April  11,  1838. 


Albert  Atkins,  sixth  and  youngest  son 
of  Ithamar  and  Anna  (Hubbard)  Atkins, 
was  born  September  14,  1804,  on  the  pa- 
ternal homestead  and  lived  there  all  his 
life,  dying  January  30,  1881,  as  the  result 
of  over-exertion  in  building  a  stone  wall. 
The  strain  of  severe  labor  brought  on 
pleurisy,  which  was  succeeded  by  con- 
sumption. Like  all  of  his  tribe,  he  had  a 
strong  will,  was  industrious,  and  pros- 
pered accordingly.  He  was  three  years  of 
age  when  his  parents  moved  to  the  house 
built  by  his  father,  which  continued  to 
be  his  home  through  life.  The  district 
school  of  the  day  furnished  the  founda- 
tion of  his  education,  and  he  also  attended 
a  select  school  in  Middletown.  In  early 
life  he  was  a  successful  teacher,  and 
among  his  pupils  was  his  first  wife,  the 
mother  of  his  children.  Ambitious  for  a 
military  career,  frail  health  prevented  the 
attainment  of  his  hopes.  In  association 
with  his  elder  brother,  Henry,  he  man- 
aged the  home  farm  for  some  years,  and 
after  the  death  of  his  father,  he  acquired 
its  ownership  by  purchasing  the  interests 
of  the  other  heirs.  Of  medium  height  and 
solid  build,  he  was  able  to  accomplish 
much  by  his  own  labor,  and  did  not  flinch 
from  the  eflfort.  His  labors  were  guided 
by  intelligence,  and  he  left  a  fine  property 
to  his  heirs.  Gifted  with  intelligence  and 
a  fine  memory,  he  acquired  much  informa- 
tion of  a  practical  nature,  was  often  con- 
sulted by  his  neighbors,  who  found  no 
cause  for  regret  in  following  his  advice. 
His  methods  of  agriculture  were  in  ad- 
vance of  his  time,  he  was  possessed  of  de- 
termination and  independence,  and  none 
were  left  in  doubt  as  to  his  position  on 
any  subject  that  engaged  his  attention. 
A  faithful  supporter  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  as  the  exponent  of  his  religious 
views,  and  an  equally  ardent  supporter  of 
Democratic  principles  in  politics,  he  was 
respected  by  adversaries  and    adherents 


183 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


alike,  and  exercised  a  wide  influence. 
Though  not  a  seeker  for  office,  he  yielded 
to  the  solicitation  of  his  townsmen  in  fill- 
ing local  stations.  Originality  was  a 
marked  feature  of  his  character,  he  read 
much,  was  a  close  observor,  and  was 
much  above  the  average  of  men  in  mental 
capacity  and  influence.  He  respected 
character  in  others,  and  was  a  strong  ad- 
vocate of  temperance  as  an  influence  in 
moulding  character.  Mr.  Atkins  married, 
January  i,  1836,  Susan  Eliza  Hale,  born 
March  5,  1814,  in  Middlefield,  died  Octo- 
ber 20,  1864,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Julia 
(Stowe)  Hale.  Julia  Stowe  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joshua  Stowe,  a  very  prominent 
citizen  of  Middlefield  and  Middletown, 
twenty  years  postmaster  in  the  latter 
town.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atkins  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  as  follows:  i. 
Frances,  born  July  16,  1837,  died  unmar- 
ried January  30,  1862.  2.  Marion,  born 
September  7,  1841,  was  married,  April  25, 
1866,  to  Leonidas  C.  Vinal,  a  druggist  of 
Middletown,  and  died  February  13,  1869. 
3.  Osmin,  born  January  6,  i8zJ4,  graduated 
from  Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown 
in  1866  and  from  Columbia  University  in 
1868.  He  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law 
in  New  York  City,  but  his  health  broke 
down  and,  after  endeavoring  to  recuperate 
by  visiting  Florida,  Minnesota  and  other 
parts,  he  died  at  Middletown  Springs, 
Vermont,  September  17,  1871,  and  was 
buried  in  Pine  Grove  Cemetery,  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut.  He  married,  July  13, 
1868,  Cordelia  Knowlton  of  Maine.  The 
fourth  child,  Thomas  Jefferson,  receives 
further  mention  below. 

Thomas  Jefiferson  Atkins,  youngest  and 
only  surviving  child  of  Albert  and  Susan 
E.  (Hale)  Atkins,  is  a  worthy  son  of  a 
\yorthy  father,  whose  memory  he  justly 
reveres,  was  born  August  18,  1846,  in  a 
house  that  stood  on  the  site  of  his  present 


VvM^'"''" 


residence.  He  inherits  the  most  promin- 
ent characteristics  for  which  the  Atkins 
family  is  notable,  is  well  read,  and  a  keen 
and  intelligent  observer  of  events  and  an 
original  thinker.  In  boyhood  he  attended 
the  district  school  on  Long  Hill,  was 
later  a  student  at  the  celebrated  prepara- 
tory school  of  Daniel  H.  Chase  in  Mid- 
dletown City  and  taught  school  in  his 
home  district.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years,  he  went  to  Minneapolis,  Minnesota, 
where  he  attended  a  preparatory  class  at 
the  State  University  and  found  employ- 
ment in  a  flouring  mill  and  a  planing 
mill.  At  the  request  of  his  father,  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  place  to  take  charge 
of  the  cultivation  of  the  homestead.  Agri- 
culture has  taken  much  of  his  attention, 
he  has  always  been  accustomed  to  take 
part  in  the  labors  of  the  farm  until  a  very 
recent  period,  when  the  bulk  of  the  home- 
stead was  rented  to  a  neighbor.  Though 
he  has  advanced  beyond  the  allotted  years 
of  man,  he  is  still  found  actively  engaged 
in  such  labors  as  are  necessary  about  a 
country  homestead.  In  1915  the  home 
built  by  his  grandfather  was  taken  down, 
and  he  erected  on  its  site  a  thoroughly 
modern  house,  equipped  with  every  mod- 
ern convenience,  where  he  may  rest  when 
fatigued  by  his  activities.  He  has  em- 
ployed his  leisure  in  pursuing  investiga- 
tions of  many  subjects,  as  well  as  peru- 
sal of  current  literature,  and  is  never  at 
a  loss  for  a  topic  of  conversation  with 
either  the  ignorant  or  the  learned.  He 
despises  empty  show  and  upstart  pride, 
is  modest  and  unpretentious  in  person, 
but  ^quick  to  recognize  merit  in  others. 
He  is  the  owner  of  considerable  real 
estate  outside  of  Middletown,  is  a  sound 
and  conservative  business  man,  a  shrewd 
investor,  whose  judgment  is  everywhere 
respected.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
Mattabessett  Grange,  a  consistent  up- 
!4  '  <  i   it 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


holder  of  Democratic  principles,  but  has 
rarely  consented  to  become  a  candidate 
for  office.  For  many  years  he  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace. 

Mr.  Atkins  married,  in  Minneapolis, 
October  9,  1872,  Mary  M.  House,  who 
was  born  August  18,  1852,  in  Manchester, 
New  Hampshire,  daughter  of  Josiah  and 
Hannah  House.  She  was  a  capable  and 
faithful  helpmeet,  a  loving  companion, 
whose  loss  by  death,  February  14,  1883, 
was  a  heavy  blow  to  her  husband  and 
children.  Of  the  latter,  only  one,  a  daugh- 
ter, Grace  M.,  now  survives.  The  eldest, 
George  R.,  born  January  31,  1874,  died 
December  20,  1920,  at  Vero,  Florida. 
Albert,  born  December  2,  1878,  died  Jan- 
uary 8,  1883.  Richard  H.,  born  June  13, 
1882,  resided  at  home  and  died  May  23, 
1909. 


BACON,  Louis  Paddock, 
Merchant,  Plnmbiug  and  Steam  Fitting. 

A  worthy  and  respected  member  of 
the  ancient  family  which  participated  in 
the  first  settlement  of  Middletown,  Mr. 
Bacon  is  identified  with  an  important 
industry  of  the  city.  Nathaniel  Bacon 
came  from  England  and  was  among  the 
settlers  of  Middletown.  His  son,  Nathan- 
iel, was  an  extensive  land  owner  in  the 
town,  and  died  in  1759.  He  married  Han- 
nah Wetmore  and  their  second  son,  Ben- 
jamin Bacon,  was  born  November  28, 
1708,  lived  in  Middletown  and  married 
Rhoda  Miller.  Their  second  son,  Phineas 
Bacon,  born  October  19,  1744,  was  a  tan- 
ner, innkeeper  and  farmer,  and  died,  in 
1716.  He  married,  December  25,  1766, 
his  cousin,  Sarah  Atkins,  born  Decem- 
ber 27,  1745,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Martha  (Miller)  Atkins.  Benjamin  Bacon, 
eldest  child  of  Phineas  and  Sarah,  born 
November   17,    1767,   died   in    1840.     He 


married  December  22,  1788,  Abiah  Corn- 
wall, who  was  born  February  18,  1763,  in 
Middletown,  seventh  daughter  of  Lieu- 
tenant Nathaniel  and  Mary  (Cornwall) 
Cornwall,  of  Westfield.  Benjamin  Bacon, 
eldest  child  of  Benjamin  and  Abiah 
(Cornwall)  Bacon,  born  October  2,  1789, 
lived  with  his  grandfather,  Phineas  Bacon, 
until  the  death  of  the  latter.  The  man- 
agement of  the  paternal  homestead  came 
into  his  hands.  He  died  December  20, 
1881,  in  his  ninety-third  year,  in  posses- 
sion of  all  his  faculties.  He  married 
Lavinia  Wilcox,  born  January  31,  1797, 
third  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Miriam  (Ba- 
con) Wilcox.  Mr.  Bacon  bears  in  his 
veins  the  blood  of  many  Middletown 
pioneers. 

Phineas  Bacon,  third  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Abiah  (Cornwall)  Bacon,  was  born 
November  4,  1795,  in  the  Westfield  sec- 
tion of  Middletown,  was  a  farmer  in  early 
life  and  later,  operated  a  grist  mill  on 
West  River,  within  the  limits  of  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Middletown,  at  the  power  now 
occupied  by  the  I.  E.  Palmer  hammock 
factory.  He  died  October  29,  1882,  in 
Newfield.  He  was  a  very  active  man,  a 
member  of  the  North  Church,  and  a  Re- 
publican from  the  organization  of  the 
party.  He  married,  June  9,  1823,  Sarah 
Paddock,  born  February  18,  1800,  bap- 
tized at  the  North  Church,  October  12, 
1883,  "two  or  three  years  old."  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Seth  and  Lucinda  (Ken- 
yon)  Paddock  of  Middletown,  descended 
from  Robert  Paddock,  who  was  in  Plym- 
outh, Massachusetts,  as  early  as  1643, 
probably  earlier,  and  died  July  25,  1650. 
His  second  son,  Zachariah  Paddock,  born 
March  20,  1636,  lived  in  that  part  of  Barn- 
stable now  Yarmouth,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  died  May  i,  1727,  in  his  eighty- 
eighth  year.  He  married  Deborah  Sears, 
dauarhter   of  Richard   Sears,  who  had  a 


I8S 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


wife  Dorothy  and  lived  early  in  Dart- 
mouth. Deborah  Sears  was  born  there 
in  September,  1639,  and  died  August  17, 
1732,  "lacking  about  a  month  of  being 
ninety-three  years  old."  She  was  admit- 
ted to  the  Second  Church  of  Yarmouth 
by  letter  from  the  First  Church,  August 
16,  1727.  They  left  forty-eight  grand- 
children and  thirty-eight  great-grand- 
children, thirty  of  the  latter  being  de- 
scendants of  their  second  son,  Zachariah. 
Robert  Paddock,  the  fourth  son,  was  born 
January  17,  1670,  and  lived  in  Yarmouth. 
There  he  married,  March  6,  1702,  Martha 
Hall,  born  May  24,  1670,  daughter  of  John 
and  Priscilla  (Pearce)  Hall.  Their  sec- 
ond son,  Seth  Paddock,  was  born  March 
13,  1705,  in  Yarmouth  and  married  there, 
April  13,  1727,  Mercy  Nickerson,  who  was 
born  November  22,  1706,  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  Nickerson  of  that  town. 

Zachariah  Paddock,  son  of  Seth  and 
Mercy  (Nickerson)  Paddock,  born  1728, 
was  the  first  of  the  family  in  Middletown, 
where  he  settled  as  early  as  1751.  His 
first  land  was  purchased  from  Samuel 
Warner,  Sr.,  the  deed  dated  July  24,  175 1, 
the  amount  one-fourth  acre,  price  three 
hundred  pounds.  Subsequently  he  pur- 
chased of  Andrew  Bacon  two  other  par- 
cels amounting  to  nearly  forty-seven 
square  rods.  It  is  apparent  that  he  was  a 
mechanic  or  professional  man,  as  his  land 
was  of  small  dimension  and  located  in 
the  village,  now  city.  He  died  in  Middle- 
town,  May  13,  1800,  in  his  seventy-second 
year.  He  married  Hannah  Smith,  step- 
daughter of  John  Birdsey  of  (now)  Mid- 
dlefield,  whose  wife  was  a  widow  Smith 
from  Long  Island.  They  had  seven  sons 
and  one  daughter,  the  latter  being  the 
last.  Seth  Paddock,  third  son  of  Zach- 
ariah and  Hannah  (Smith)  Paddock,  born 
in  1756,  in  Middletown,  was  a  well-known 
resident  of  Middletown,  a  forceful,  practi- 


cal man  and  useful  citizen.  He  died  in  1839. 
He  married,  January  7,  1779,  Phebe  John- 
son, baptized  June  3,  1759,  died  1827, 
daughter  of  Elijah  and  Mary  (Hall)  John- 
son of  Middletown,  descended  from  John 
Johnson,  who  came  from  England  in  1630 
and  settled  at  Roxbury.  He  was  made  a 
freeman  there  in  May,  1631,  was  repre- 
sentative in  the  first  General  Court  in 
1634  and  many  years  afterward,  was  a 
member,  in  1638,  of  the  Ancient  and  Hon- 
orable Artillery  Company  of  Boston,  in 
charge  of  arms  and  ammunition.  He  died 
September  30,  1657,  leaving  a  good  estate, 
and  his  wife,  Margery,  who  came  with 
him  from  England,  was  buried  June  9, 
1655.  Their  eldest  son,  Isaac  Johnson, 
born  in  England,  was  a  freeman  of  Rox- 
bury, March  4,  1635,  a  member  of  the 
Artillery  Company,  1645,  captain  in  1667, 
representative  in  General  Court  in  1671. 
He  was  killed  at  the  head  of  his  company 
in  the  "Narragansett  Fight"  with  Indians 
December  19,  1675.  He  married,  January 
20,  1637,  Elizabeth  Porter,  and  they  were 
parents  of  Isaac  Johnson,  baptized  Janu- 
ary 17,  1644,  settled  at  Middletown, 
where  he  died  February  3,  1720,  leaving 
a  good  estate.  He  married,  December  26, 
1669,  in  Roxbury,  Mary  Harris,  who  died 
August  I,  1740.  Their  fourth  son,  Joseph 
Johnson,  born  March  9,  1677,  in  Middle- 
town,  died  November  12,  1739,  and  was 
buried  on  Farm  Hill.  He  married,  Janu- 
ary 25,  1698,  Elizabeth  Blake,  who  died 
March  24,  1720.  Their  eldest  son,  Joseph 
Johnson,  born  August  26,  1702,  died  April 
30,  1768,  was  admitted  to  full  communion 
at  the  First  Church.  He  married  (first) 
February  2,  1726,  Mehitable  Hamlin. 
They  were  the  parents  of  Elijah  Johnson, 
born  December  3,  1734,  baptized  six  days 
old,  married,  July  19,  1756,  Mary  Hall. 
Their  daughter,  Phebe,  became  the  wife 
of  Seth  Paddock,  as  above  related. 
186 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


James  Paddock,  second  son  of  Seth  and 
Phebe  (Johnson)  Paddock,  was  born  July 
5,  1784,  and  lived  in  Middletown.  He 
married,  January  i,  1803,  Grace  Roberts, 
who  was  born  January  26,  1784,  daughter 
of  Jonathan  and  Lucy  (Fairchild)  Roberts 
of  Middletown,  died  January  28,  1867. 

Seth  J.  Paddock,  third  son  of  James  and 
Grace,  was  born  November  22,  1810,  in 
Middletown,  lived  in  Cromwell  from  the 
time  he  was  four  years  old,  and  was  a 
farmer  and  builder,  dying  May  12,  1888. 
He  married,  December  4,  1833,  Lucinda 
Kenyon,  who  was  born  December  9,  1807, 
died  July  20,  1902,  daughter  of  Green  and 
Hannah  (Armstrong)  Kenyon,  natives 
respectively,  of  Point  Judith,  Rhode  Is- 
land, and  Lebanon,  Connecticut.  Emma 
Paddock,  fourth  daughter  of  Seth  J.  and 
Lucinda  (Kenyon)  Paddock,  became  the 
wife  of  Charles  W.  Bacon,  as  recorded 
below.  Sarah  Paddock,  daughter  of 
James,  became  the  wife  of  Phineas  Bacon, 
as  above  shown. 

Charles  William  Bacon,  son  of  Phineas 
and  Sarah,  was  born  August  4,  1838,  in 
Newfield,  was  a  farmer  there,  on  the 
paternal  homestead,  and  died  in  the  house 
where  he  was  born  April  30,  191 5.  He 
engaged  in  general  farming,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  North  Church,  a  Republican 
in  politics,  a  man  of  domestic  tastes,  seek- 
ing no  part  in  the  conduct  of  public  af- 
fairs. He  married,  in  1865,  Emma  Pad- 
dock, born  September  2,  1845,  sixth  child 
of  Seth  J.  and  Lucinda  (Kenyon)  Pad- 
dock of  Cromwell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bacon 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely : 
Willis  E.,  now  a  resident  of  Newfield ; 
Louis  P.,  mentioned  further  below ; 
Henry,  a  sketch  of  whom  follows ;  Minnie 
M.,  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years ; 
Alice,  wife  of  Bertrand  E.  Spencer,  an 
attorney  of  Middletown. 

Louis   Paddock  Bacon,  second  son  of 


Charles  W.  Bacon,  born  July  6,  1870,  on 
the  paternal  homestead  in  Newfield,  has 
made  his  home  in  that  section  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  most  actively  engaged  in  busi- 
ness with  no  vacation  until  1922.  He  has 
never  been  ill,  and  has  felt  no  occasion  for 
extended  rest.  Beside  the  local  school  of 
his  neighborhood  he  attended  a  private 
school  maintained  by  Miss  Patton  in  the 
city  of  Middletown.  At  the  age  of  eight- 
een years  he  entered  the  employ  of  Ly- 
man D.  Mills  in  Middletown,  to  learn  the 
trade  of  tinner  and  plumber.  There  he 
industriously  continued  until  his  junior 
brother  had  completed  the  same  appren- 
ticeship under  the  same  preceptor,  and 
was  ready  to  join  him  in  business  on  their 
own  account.  In  1899  they  opened  a  shop 
and  store  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Col- 
lege streets,  and  two  years  later  moved 
to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
building,  where  they  have  continued  to 
the  present  time  and  built  up  a  prosper- 
ous business,  now  employing  from  twen- 
ty-five to  thirty-five  people,  according  to 
the  season.  Mr.  Louis  P.  Bacon  gives 
his  attention  to  the  mechanical  depart- 
ment, while  his  brother  attends  to  the 
business  management.  Their  store,  where 
metal  wares  are  retailed,  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  in  the  city,  and  their  job- 
bing department  is  one  of  the  busiest.  Mr. 
Bacon  is  a  member  of  the  North  Church 
and  a  Republican  in  political  principle, 
too  busy  to  seek  any  political  office, 
staunch  in  support  of  his  principles.  He 
married,  in  November,  1899,  Nellie  Owen 
Crane,  born  July  27,  1871,  in  Suffield, 
Connecticut,  died  June  16,  1921,  daughter 
of  George  S.  and  Jennette  D.  (Owen) 
Crane  of  that  town.  The  Crane  family 
is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  numerously 
represented  in  New  England,  founded  by 
Benjamin  Crane,  born  about  1630,  who 
was  in  Wethersfield,  Connecticut,  in  1655. 


187 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  1656  he  had  lands  there,  was  made  free- 
man in  1658  and  was  a  farmer  one  mile 
south  of  the  village,  where  he  died  May 
31,  1691,  leaving  an  estate  valued  at  £526 
and  I2S.  He  married,  April  23,  1655, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Charles)  Backus.  Their  son.  Lieutenant 
Jonathan  Crane,  born  December  i,  1658, 
lived  in  Windham,  Norwich  and  Lebanon, 
dying  June  6,  1735.  For  several  years  he 
was  deputy  from  Windham.  He  married, 
December  19,  1678,  Deborah  Griswold, 
born  May,  1661,  daughter  of  Francis 
Griswold,  of  Wethersfield.  John  Crane, 
second  son  of  Lieutenant  Jonathan  Crane 
and  Deborah  (Griswold)  Crane,  born  Oc- 
tober I,  1687,  received  lands  from  his 
father  in  what  is  now  Coventry,  married, 
September  16,  1708,  Sarah  Spencer,  who 
died  September  15,  1715.  John  Crane, 
eldest  child  of  John  and  Sarah  (Spencer) 
Crane,  born  July  31,  1709,  received  land  in 
Wethersfield  from  his  grandfather  and 
purchased  more.  His  last  days  were  passed 
in  Becket,  Massachusetts,  where  he  died 
March  9,  1793.  He  married  (second),  No- 
vember II,  1742,  Sarah  Hutchinson,  who 
was  the  mother  of  his  fifth  son,  Elijah 
Crane,  born  February  22, 1746,  in  Lebanon. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Washing- 
ton, Massachusetts,  in  1760,  and  died  there 
January  15,  1818.  He  married  Sarah  Hill 
of  Woburn,  Massachusetts,  who  survived 
him  a  short  time  and  died  September  11, 
1819,  in  Canton,  New  York.  Their  second 
son,  Amos  Crane,  born  December  17, 
1774,  lived  in  Washington,  where  he  died 
July  25,  1863,  having  been  thirty-two 
years  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  married,  October  30,  1799,  Martha 
Remington,  of  Suffield,  who  died  Novem- 
ber 16,  1841.  Their  eldest  son,  Amos 
Crane,  was  born  November  5,  1802,  in 
Washington,  where  he  continued  farming 
until  1847,  when  he  removed  to  Suffield, 


Connecticut.  In  1842  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  and  in 
Connecticut  in  1853. 

He  married,  September  26,  1828,  Fanny 
Lewis,  of  Suffield,  and  they  were  parents 
of  George  S.  Crane,  born  August  27,  1831, 
who  was  a  farmer  and  dealer  in  agricul- 
tural implements  in  Suffield.  He  married, 
March  23,  1859,  Jennette  D.  Owen,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  Nellie  O.  Crane, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Louis  P.  Bacon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bacon  were  the  parents  of 
a  son  and  two  daughters.  The  latter  died 
in  early  childhood.  The  son,  Charles 
Burton  Bacon,  born  March  13,  1906,  is  a 
student  at  the  Middletown  High  School. 


BACON,  Henry, 

Merchant,  Manufacturer. 

The  ancestry  of  Mr.  Bacon  is  given  at 
considerable  length  above  (see  Bacon,  L. 
P.)  and  includes  many  individuals  identi- 
fied with  the  settlement  and  development 
of  Middletown  through  eight  generations. 
Among  these  the  old  New  England  spirit 
of  industry,  thrift  and  high  moral  purpose 
predominated,  and  among  the  descend- 
ants are  found  many  earnest  in  carrying 
out  the  high  ideals  of  their  forebears. 

Henry  Bacon,  third  son  of  Charles  W. 
Bacon,  was  born  October  20,  1874,  in 
Newfield,  and  has  shared  in  developing  an 
important  business  in  the  city  of  Middle- 
town,  in  association  with  his  elder  brother 
above  referred  to.  Henry  Bacon  attended 
the  district  school  near  his  native  home, 
a  private  school  in  Middletown,  conducted 
by  Miss  Patton,  and  was  a  student  at  a 
Hartford  business  college,  becoming  well 
prepared  for  the  business  career  which 
has  enhanced  his  credit  as  a  steady-going 
and  industrious  citizen.  When  eighteen 
years  old  he  entered  the  shop  of  Lyman 
D.    Mills   in    Middletown,   where   he   be- 


^^-~A.a^4j&0 


/tf^-<MS^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


came  master  of  the  plumbing  and  heating 
industry.  After  seven  years  in  this  train- 
ing, he  embarked  in  business,  as  above  re- 
lated, in  association  with  his  brother, 
under  the  title  of  Bacon  Brothers.  This 
title  has  become  a  synonym  for  stability, 
faithfulness  and  efficiency.  The  propri- 
etors of  the  business  are  well  convinced 
of  the  truth  of  Benjamin  Franklin's  pre- 
cept :  "He  who  by  the  plow  would  thrive, 
himself  must  either  hold  or  drive,"  and 
are  found  attending  diligently  to  busi- 
ness in  the  hours  appropriated  for  that 
purpose,  and  each  employee  is  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  upholding  the 
principle  of  proper  service  so  necessary  in 
maintaining  any  business  which  under- 
takes to  serve  the  public.  Since  Febru- 
ary, 1903,  the  establishment  has  been 
housed  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  building,  and  has  enjoyed  a 
continuously  growing  patronage.  Henry 
Bacon  is  a  member  of  the  North  Church, 
where  many  of  his  ancestors  have  wor- 
shipped, is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge, 
No.  2,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
one  of  the  great  fraternal  and  benevolent 
organizations,  and  is  a  supporter  of  Re- 
publican policies  in  government.  He  has 
always  resided  in  Newfield,  and  now  occu- 
pies what  is  known  as  the  Captain  Daniel 
Bacon  place  in  that  section. 

He  married,  March  13,  1917,  Phebe 
Scoville,  born  at  Maromas,  daughter  of 
Henry  Scoville,  a  farmer  of  that  section. 


DAVIS,  Charles  Talcott, 

Agriculturist. 

As  a  patronymic,  Davis  is  of  Welch 
origin,  and  signifies  "David's  son."  The 
founder  of  the  family  herein  considered 
was  John  Davis,  early  in  Ipswich,  Mas- 
sachusetts, later  in  New  London,  Con- 
necticut.    His  son,  Andrew  Davis,  lived 


in  New  London  and  was  the  father  of 
Solomon  Davis,  the  first  of  the  name  in 
Killingworth,  Connecticut.  He  married 
there  December  28,  1709,  Sarah  Hayton 
or  Hayden,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
Samuel  Davis,  born  about  1725-30.  With 
his  wife,  Elizabeth,  he  lived  in  Killing- 
worth,  had  five  children,  the  eldest  born 
in  1753.  The  youngest  of  these,  Lemual 
Davis,  born,  probably  after  1760,  lived  in 
Killingworth  with  his  wife,  Jemima,  and 
had  five  children,  the  eldest  born  in  1783. 
This  one  died  in  infancy,  and  the  second 
of  the  same  name,  Peter  Davis,  was  a 
farmer  residing  on  Pea  Hill  in  Killing- 
worth.  He  married  Polly  Kelsey,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  Alvin  Davis, 
born  December  14,  1807,  on  Pea  Hill, 
there  grew  to  manhood  and  passed  his 
life,  engaged  in  agriculture.  He  was  a 
man  of  intelligence  and  independent  mind, 
industrious  and  economical,  and  became 
quite  prosperous.  Though  not  an  intense 
partizan,  he  was  a  staunch  supporter  of 
Democratic  principles.  He  died  Decem- 
ber 14,  i860,  and  was  buried  in  the  Stone- 
house  Cemetery.  He  married,  November 
28,  1827,  Julia  Wright,  who  was  born 
June  3,  1807,  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Nancy 
(Hull)  Wright.  Jesse  Wright,  born  1786, 
was  a  farmer  in  the  Pine  Orchard  district 
of  Killingworth,  and  died  in  1878.  He 
was  a  descendant  of  James  Wright,  un- 
doubtedly of  English  ancestry,  although 
some  people  claim  the  name  is  of  Scotch 
origin.  The  first  mention  of  James 
Wright  is  found  in  the  Congregational 
Church  records  of  Milford,  Connecticut. 
He  married  Hannah  Sanford,  of  that 
place.  His  second  wife,  Bethiah,  was  the 
mother  of  Daniel  Wright.  Daniel  Wright 
was  born  June  23,  1723,  recorded  in  Dur- 
ham, where  he  lived  with  his  wife,  Lucy, 
whither  James  Wright  removed  from  Mil- 
ford  before  1707.     He  was  a  member  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  committee  from  Durham  which  set- 
tled the  boundary  line  between  that  town 
and  Guilford.  Their  son,  Ashur  Wright, 
born  May  9,  1755,  in  Durham,  was  a 
farmer  of  that  town,  where  he  married 
Beulah  Strong,  born  March  13,  1757, 
daughter  of  Lieutenant  Eliakim  and  Han- 
nah (Seward)  Strong.  Jesse  Wright,  their 
son,  was  a  farmer  in  KillingTvorth,  and 
married  Nancy  Hull. 

The  Strong  family  is  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  prolific  in  New  England,  was 
founded  by  Elder  John  Strong,  who  was 
born  in  1605,  in  Taunton,  England,  and 
arrived  in  Massachusetts,  May  30,  1630. 
The  family  was  originally  located  in 
Shropshire,  and  by  marriage  with  an 
heiress  of  Griffith  County,  Caernarvon, 
Wales,  secured  a  residence  in  that  prin- 
cipality. Of  this  family  was  Richard 
Strong,  born  in  1551,  removed  in  1590  to 
Taunton,  Somersetshire,  England,  where 
he  died  in  1613.  His  son,  John  Strong, 
lived  at  London  and  Plymouth,  and  came 
to  New  England,  as  above  related,  in  the 
ship  "Mary  and  John."  In  1635  he  was 
among  the  founders  of  Dorchester,  was 
admitted  a  freeman  at  Boston,  March  9, 
1636,  and  was  a  proprietor  of  Taunton, 
Massachusetts,  December  4,  1638.  He 
was  prominent  in  that  community,  repre- 
sented the  town  at  the  general  court  of 
Plymouth  in  1641-43-44-45.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Windsor,  Connecticut,  and  was 
one  of  a  committee  appointed  to  advance 
the  settlement  of  that  place.  In  1659,  he 
was  among  the  active  founders  and  set- 
tlers of  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  engaged  in  business  as  a  tanner, 
and  was  long  the  ruling  elder  of  the 
church  there  and  died  April  14,  1699.  His 
first  wife  died  on  the  passage  to  America 
and  he  married,  in  December,  1630,  Abi- 
gail Ford.  Thomas,  son  of  John  Strong, 
born  between  1630  and  1640,  at  Windsor, 


was  a  trooper  there  in  1648  under  Major 
Mason.  With  his  father,  he  removed  to 
Northampton,  where  he  died  October  3, 
1689.  He  married,  December  5,  1660, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Rev.  Ephraim  Hewitt 
of  Windsor.  She  died  February  20,  1671. 
Their  eldest  child,  Thomas  Strong,  born 
November  16,  1661,  removed  shortly 
after  1708  to  Durham,  Connecticut,  where 
he  was  a  farmer.  He  married,  November 
17,  1683,  Mary  Stebbins,  born  Septem- 
ber 10,  1666,  daughter  of  John  and  Abi- 
gail (Bartlett)  Stebbins,  of  Northamp- 
ton. Lieutenant  Eliakim  Strong,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary,  born  September  26, 
1688,  was  a  farmer  in  Northampton  and 
removed  after  1725  to  Durham,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming,  and  died  January  24, 
1746.  He  married,  April  13,  1712,  Me- 
hitable  King,  born  March  13,  1690,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Mehitable  (Pomeroy) 
King  of  Northampton,  the  latter  born 
July  3,  1666,  daughter  of  Medad  Pomeroy. 

Lieutenant  Eliakim  Strong,  eldest  son 
of  Eliakim  and  Mehitable,  born  March  7, 
1720,  was  a  large  farmer  for  many  years 
in  Durham.  In  1693  he  removed  with  his 
sons  to  Durham,  New  York,  where  he 
died  in  1800.  He  married,  June  3,  1751, 
Hannah  Seward,  born  February  21,  1730, 
in  Durham,  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Joseph 
and  Hannah  (Crane)  Seward  of  that 
town.  Their  daughter,  Beulah  Strong, 
became  the  wife  of  Ashur  Wright  as  be- 
fore noted,  and  the  mother  of  Jesse 
Wright,  grandmother  of  Julia  Wright, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Alvin  Davis. 
Ashur  Wright  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  died  in  1853. 

Sydney  Talcott  Davis,  eldest  son  of 
Alvin  and  Julia,  was  born  June  24,  1837, 
on  Pea  Hill,  where  he  grew  to  manhood. 
He  is  the  subject  of  extended  mention 
elsewhere.  He  married,  January  28,  1858, 
Mary    Ann    Nettleton,    who    was    born 


190 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


March  19,  1840,  in  Barton,  Tioga  County, 
New  York,  died  May  14,  1922,  in  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  daughter  of  Heman  and 
Jerusha  (Norton)  Nettleton.  Heman  Net- 
tleton  was  born  November  16,  1802,  in 
Killingworth,  where  he  died  September 
25,  1882,  having  returned  to  his  native 
place  in  old  age.  Jerusha  Norton,  born 
August  II,  1799,  died  March  i,  1867. 

Charles  Talcott  Davis,  second  son  of 
Sydney  Talcott,  was  born  January  12, 
1865,  in  Killingworth,  was  early  accus- 
tomed to  the  life  and  activities  of  the  farm 
and  attended  the  district  school  of  the 
neighborhood.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  he  came  to  Middletown  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  late  Richard  Davis,  an 
extensive  farmer  and  dairyman.  Young 
Davis  drove  the  milk  wagon  delivering 
to  customers  in  Middletown  and  helped 
in  the  labors  of  the  establishment  in  many 
capacities.  After  eleven  years  of  this 
healthful  exercise  he  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  the  feed  business  of  Coe  &  Cro- 
well,  which  was  continued  one  year  by 
the  firm  of  Coe  &  Davis,  after  which  Mr. 
Davis  settled  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides,  adjoining  that  of  Richard  Davis, 
on  West  Long  Hill.  This  farm  had  long 
been  in  possession  of  the  Hubbard  fam- 
ily, and  embraces  one  hundred  acres  of 
finely  located  land.  It  is  fitted  with  hand- 
some buildings  and  all  the  equipment  of 
a  modern  farm.  For  many  years  Mr. 
Davis  conducted  a  dairy  and  delivered 
milk  in  the  city,  and  also  dealt  in  cattle, 
which  busy  occupations  brought  him  a 
competence.  He  has  turned  attention  to 
other  interests,  and  is  now  secretary  of 
the  Walter  Hubbard  Realty  Company, 
which  handles  property  in  Meriden  and 
Middletown,  left  by  the  late  Walter  Hub- 
bard of  the  former  city.  Mr.  Davis  is 
also  a  director  of  the  Middletown  Savings 
Bank,  the  Central  National  Bank,  and  the 


Middletown  Trust  Company.  As  an  ener- 
getic and  sound  business  man,  he  enjoys 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  associ- 
ates. He  is  a  member  of  Apollo  Lodge, 
No.  33,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  has  long 
been  active  in  Grange  work.  He  is  a 
member  of  Mattabesset  Grange  No.  42, 
of  Pomona  Central  Grange,  No.  i,  and  is 
a  past  master  of  the  State  Grange  and 
now  a  member  of  its  executive  committee. 
He  is  an  attendant  of  the  North  Church 
in  Middletown  and  ever  ready  to  foster 
every  forward  and  upward  movement.  He 
married,  October  11,  1893,  Grace  L.  Hub- 
bard, who  was  born  April  17,  1870,  daugh- 
ter of  Ebenezer  Prout  and  Maritta 
(Heath)  Hubbard,  a  descendant  of  George 
Hubbard,  patriarch  of  the  Middletown 
family  of  that  name. 

Nathaniel  Hubbard,  sixth  child  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  (Watts)  Hubbard, 
was  born  October  10,  1652,  in  Middle- 
town  and  lived  at  the  cross  roads  on  Long 
Hill,  where  he  died  May  20,  1738.  He 
married.  May  29,  1682,  Mary  Earle,  born 
in  1663,  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
died  April  6,  1732,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Watts)  Earle,  who  came  to  Mid- 
dletown. John  Hubbard,  second  son  of 
Nathaniel  and  Mary  (Earle)  Hubbard, 
was  born  November  28,  1692,  in  Middle- 
town  and  was  a  deacon  of  the  First  Church 
there  from  May  26,  1743,  until  his  death, 
March  12,  1753.  He  married,  August  i, 
1722,  Elizabeth  Stowe,  born  January  10, 
1700,  eldest  daughter  of  John  and  Beth- 
sheba  (How)  Stowe,  of  Middletown,  died 
May  9,  1764.  Their  fifth  son,  Jeremiah 
Hubbard,  born  October  27,  1732,  died 
March  7,  1814.  During  the  Revolution, 
he  was  captain  of  a  company  of  militia 
which  marched  to  East  Guilford  to  defend 
the  coast  against  a  threatened  attack  of 
the  British  fleet.  While  there  he  attended 
church  and  was  invited  to  a  seat  in  the 


191 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


pew  of  Deacon  Josiah  Meigs.  There  he 
met  Elizabeth  Meigs,  born  February  3, 
1748,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Mary 
(Hand)  Meigs,  who  became  his  wife  June 
21,  1781.  Both  were  admitted  to  full  com- 
munion in  the  First  Church  of  Middle- 
town  January  18,  1784.  Jeremiah  Hub- 
bard, eldest  child  of  Jeremiah  and  Betty 
(Meigs)  Hubbard,  was  born  March  29, 
1784,  in  Middletown,  baptized  July  25th 
of  that  year  at  the  First  Church,  died 
March  25,  1863.  In  early  manhood  he 
traveled  extensively  in  the  South  and,  by 
trading,  amassed  a  capital  with  which  he 
returned  to  Middletown  and  purchased 
the  farm  of  his  grandfather,  John  Hub- 
bard, on  Long  Hill.  He  was  a  man  of 
fine  appearance,  a  good  business  man,  a 
member  of  the  North  Church,  and  long 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  All  his 
children  enjoyed  good  educational  oppor- 
tunities. He  married,  December  15,  1815, 
Eunice  Prout,  born  in  1794,  died  Febru- 
ary 8,  1856,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and 
Thankful  (Prior)  Prout  of  Johnson  Lane 
(see  Roberts,  Chauncey  W.).  Eben  Prout 
Hubbard,  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Eunice, 
was  born  June  15,  1833,  on  the  farm  of  his 
great-grandfather,  which  was  owned  by 
his  father,  and  where  Charles  T.  Davis 
now  resides.  Here  he  diligently  pursued 
agriculture  until  his  death,  January  10, 
1894.  Like  most  of  the  Hubbard  family 
he  adhered  to  the  Democratic  party  in 
politics.  In  1872  he  erected  the  handsome 
mansion  now  occupied  by  his  daughter. 
He  married,  March  27,  1866,  Maritta  H. 
Heath,  born  July  21,  1840.  Grace  L., 
youngest  child  of  Eben  P.  Hubbard,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Charles  T.  Davis,  as 
above  related.  They  are  the  parents  of: 
1.  Abbott  Hubbard  Davis,  now  associated 
with  the  Mechanics'  Bank  of  New  Haven  ; 
married  Emma  Louise  Taylor,  daughter 
of  Giles  and  Lillian  Taylor  and  has  two 


children :  Maritta  Taylor  and  Abbott 
Hubbard,  Jr.  2.  Harold  Heath  Davis,  a 
graduate  of  Syracuse  University  and  now 
with  Charles  S.  Parmer,  architect,  of  New 
Haven ;  married  Esther  Talcott  Derby, 
daughter  of  Elmer  G.  and  Alice  Derby, 
and  has  a  daughter  Helen  Hubbard. 


HUBBARD,  Russell  H., 

Mannfactnrer, 

One  of  the  younger  business  men  of 
New  Britain,  Connecticut,  who  is  active 
in  the  industrial  and  civic  affairs  of  that 
city,  Russell  H.  Hubbard  was  born  in 
Meriden,  Connecticut,  September  20, 1892, 
son  of  Charles  E.  and  Addie  C.  (Wil- 
liams) Hubbard.  He  is  a  descendant  of 
an  old  Colonial  family,  which  has  also 
been  traced  to  an  early  date  in  England. 
The  surname  of  Hubbard  is  very  ancient 
and  according  to  tradition  in  the  Hub- 
bard family  in  England,  the  name  is  de- 
rived from  Hubbs  (Ubba  or  Ubbo),  the 
Danish  sea  king,  who,  in  the  fall  of  866, 
with  an  immense  fleet  and  twenty  thou- 
sand warriors,  landed  on  the  coast  of 
East-Anglia  or  Kent  to  avenge  the  death 
of  his  father,  Ragnar  Lodbrog.  The  latter, 
whose  invasions  had  made  his  name  a 
cause  of  terror  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic 
and  the  British  Isles,  after  taking  pos- 
session of  Paris,  planned  an  invasion  of 
England.  His  expedition  was  wrecked  on 
the  coast  of  Northumbria,  but  Ragnar, 
with  a  band  of  his  followers  who  reached 
the  shore,  heedless  of  their  numerical  in- 
feriority, began  their  usual  career  of  dep- 
redation. At  the  first  news  of  the  descent 
of  the  Norsemen,  the  Northumbrians  flew 
to  the  coast,  fought  the  invaders,  making 
Ragnar  a  prisoner.  He  was  put  to  death 
at  once,  and  is  said  to  have  consoled  his 
last  moments  with  the  hope  "that  the 
cubs  of  the  boar  would  avenge  his  fate." 


192 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Having  spent  the  winter  in  fortifying 
his  camp,  and  equipping  his  followers, 
Hubba,  in  February,  1867,  seized  York. 
Though  the  Northumbrians  gave  battle 
with  desperate  fury,  Hubba's  forces  tri- 
umphed. They  killed  Osbert  in  battle 
but  took  prisoner  Aella,  his  erstwhile  rival 
chieftain,  but  now  compatriot  in  fighting 
the  common  foe.  Hubba  and  his  follow- 
ers now  gave  themselves  the  pleasure  of 
torturing  to  death  the  men  who  had 
thrown  King  Ragnar  Lodbrog  into  a  cage 
of  snakes  to  be  devoured. 

The  victory  gave  Hubba  and  his  brother 
Hingua  undisputed  possession  of  all  the 
country  south  of  the  Tyne,  and  north  of 
Nottingham.  They  continued  to  increase 
their  dominions  by  victorious  invasions 
of  the  surrounding  country,  their  exploits 
filling  one  of  the  most  thrilling  chapters 
in  early  British  history.  Hubba  was 
finally  slain  in  his  camp  with  twelve  hun- 
dred of  his  followers  by  Odyn.  Scattered 
across  Britain  and  Wales  have  stood 
seven  historic  eminences  each  known  as 
Hubba's  Hill. 

For  several  centuries  following  the 
adoption  of  family  surnames,  there  was 
great  confusion  in  spelling,  and  the  name 
of  Hubbard  was  no  exception  to  the  rule. 
There  are  more  than  fifty  different  spell- 
ings of  the  name  found  on  record,  and 
even  in  America,  the  forms  of  Hubbard, 
Hubbert,  Hubard,  Hubert,  Hobart,  and 
Hobert  are  found. 

Several  branches  of  the  English  family 
bore  coats-of-arms. 

Russell  H.  Hubbard  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Meriden  and  then 
entered  the  office  of  J.  D.  Bergen  &  Com- 
pany as  bookkeeper,  remaining  for  six 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to 
New  Britain  and  in  1914  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  company  of  which  he  is  now 
treasurer,  the  Beaton  &  Cadwell  Manu- 
Conn.  11 — IS  193 


facturing  Company.  He  started  there  as 
a  bookkeeper  and  in  due  course  of  time 
proved  himself  worthy  of  greater  re- 
sponsibility, and  was  promoted  to  the 
office  of  assistant  secretary  and  secretary, 
respectively.  In  1920  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  he  now  holds,  and  it  is  safe  to 
assume  that  by  the  time  Mr.  Hubbard 
arrives  at  the  age  when  life  spells  success 
or  failure  to  the  man,  it  will  be  the  former 
and  well  deserved. 

Mr.  Hubbard  is  a  member  of  the  Colo- 
nial Club  of  Meriden;  Meriden  Center 
Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows ;  Center  Lodge,  No.  97,  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Meriden ;  Gid- 
dings  Chapter,  No.  25,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons, of  New  Britain. 

He  married  Margaret  O.,  daughter  of 
Everett  S.  Geer  of  Hartford.  Mrs.  Hub- 
bard is  a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  of  Hartford,  and 
with  Mr.  Hubbard  attends  the  South  Con- 
gregational Church  of  New  Britain. 


HARRAL,  Edward  Wright, 

Executive,  Bnsiness  Man. 

The  city  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut, 
lost  a  citizen  of  intrinsic  worth  who  could 
ill  be  spared  from  the  scenes  of  his  former 
activities,  even  at  his  advanced  age,  when 
Edward  Wright  Harral  passed  away, 
September  26,  1923,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  Public-spirited  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  term,  gfiven  to  generously 
extending  aid  in  any  worthy  movement, 
and  helpfully  active  in  religious  afifairs, 
Mr.  Harral's  death  is  mourned  by  numer- 
ous friends  and  associates  who  admired 
him  for  his  sterling  qualities,  wise  coun- 
sel, mature  judgment,  patient  forebear- 
ance  and  his  righteous  adherence  to  any 
project  or  debated  subject  in  which  he 
took  a  sincere  and  loyal  part.     He  had 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  mettle  and  stamina  of  which  good  sol- 
diers are  made,  and  but  for  his  youthful 
years,  on  account  of  which  he  was  rejected 
for  service,  he  might  have  crowned  an 
earlier  career  with  laurels  won  on  the  field 
of  battle.  As  it  was,  he  had  enlisted  for 
the  Civil  War  before  it  was  discovered 
that,  owing  to  his  tender  years,  the  au- 
thorities could  not  accept  him  even  as  a 
volunteer.  No  doubt  the  youthful  enthu- 
siast was  deeply  disappointed  at  the  turn 
of  fate  in  those  days  of  patriotic  fervor 
and  stirring  scenes,  but  he  conquered  his 
displeasure  and  diverted  his  energy  and 
mechanical  skill  into  industrial  lines  ;  and 
in  his  succeeding  occupations  and  official 
connections  in  the  business  world  he  made 
of  himself  a  commendable  success. 

For  many  years  he  was  regarded  as  one 
of  the  best  business  men  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut.  He  was  widely  known  also 
as  a  devout  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  which  he  had  served 
efficiently  in  an  official  capacity.  Mr. 
Harral's  quality  of  patriotism  was  given 
a  splendid  expression  during  the  World 
War.  He  became  an  active  member  of 
the  Third  District  Draft  Board  and  gen- 
erously donated  the  use  of  a  house  on  his 
property  on  "Golden  Hill"  for  the  dura- 
tion of  the  war.  In  spite  of  his  advanced 
years,  he  gave  more  than  his  share  of  time 
and  energy  in  attendance  upon  the  numer- 
ous meetings  and  varied  and  multiform 
activities  that  devolved  upon  the  people 
of  the  city  of  Bridgeport.  No  hour  was 
too  early,  and  none  was  too  late  for  him 
when  matters  of  the  government  were 
under  consideration.  The  spacious  dwell- 
ing on  "Golden  Hill,"  which  he  turned 
over  to  the  use  of  the  boys  of  the  army 
and  navy,  will  always  serve  as  a  monu- 
ment to  his  memory  and  to  his  indefatig- 
able devotion  to  his  country.  There  are 
few  men  who  have  so  fully  realized  the 


responsibilities  that  come  to  one  as  the 
steward  of  wealth  as  did  Mr.  Harral. 
Democracy,  in  its  broadest  sense,  ever 
dominated  his  life,  set  down  in  the  midst 
of  affluence.  He  never  lost  that  sense — 
the  common  touch — which  recognizes  the 
brotherhood  of  man. 

Perhaps  no  more  fitting  tribute  to  the 
life  and  service  of  Mr.  Harral  could  be 
given  than  that  contained  in  the  resolu- 
tions adopted  by  his  fellow-directors  in 
the  Morris  Plan  Bank  of  Bridgeport : 

Each  day  brings  to  all  of  us  its  measure  of 
sadness  and  gladness,  all  in  accordance  with  the 
order  of  Divine  Providence.  When  one  who  has 
been  near  and  dear  to  us  receives  the  final  sum- 
mons to  appear  before  his  Creator,  those  whom 
he  leaves  behind  are  saddened  by  the  loss.  The 
character  of  the  life  that  we  live  leaves  upon  the 
community  of  which  we  are  a  part  the  impress 
of  our  lives. 

In  the  death  of  Mr.  Edward  W.  Harral,  of 
Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  who  truly  lived  a  life 
that  was  a  striking  example  of  Christian  manhood, 
the  bank  which  he  so  conscientiously  and  ably 
served  has  met  with  a  severe  loss.  To  his  fam- 
ily we  desire  to  express  our  most  sincere  sym- 
pathy. 

The  Morris  Plan  Bank,  of  Bridgeport,  at  its 
directors'  meeting,  held  on  November  20,  1923, 
desires  to  express  its  appreciation  for  the  many 
kindly  acts  of  cooperation,  and  deems  it  a  duty 
that  it  owes  to  one  of  its  departed  members  to 
place  itself  on  record  in  such  a  way  as  to  express 
its  appreciation  for  his  many  virtues.  We  desire 
to  forward  to  the  members  of  his  family  this  ex- 
pression of  sympathy  in  their  great  loss  in  the 
death  of  one  whom  they  held  so  dear. 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  directors  of  the  Morris 
Plan  Bank  of  Bridgeport,  at  this  meeting  vote  to 
forward  to  the  members  of  his  family  a  copy  of 
this  resolution. 

Edward  Wright  Harral,  sixth  child  of 
Henry  Kollock  and  Sarah  Ann  (Peet) 
Harral,  was  born  in  Bridgeport,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1845.  His  lineage  has  for  his  first 
immigrant  ancestor  on  his  paternal  side 
George  Harral,  born  in  the  city  of  Heidel- 
berg,   Germany,    September    7,    1744,    of 


194 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


English  birth  and  only  a  German  by  acci- 
dent of  birth.  It  is  supposed  that  he  emi- 
grated from  Germany  about  the  year  1765 
and  landed  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
where  he  married,  in  1778,  Barbara  Ann 
Mullin.  He  served  in  the  Colonial  army 
during  the  Revolution  as  a  capital  soldier 
in  the  campaigns  in  the  South,  and  gave 
an  excellent  account  of  himself.  Edward 
Wright  Harral  was  in  the  fourth  genera- 
tion from  the  Americanized  founder  of 
the  family  name.  His  father,  Henry  Kol- 
lock  Harral,  sixth  child  of  Dr.  George  and 
Charlotte  (Wright)  Harral,  was  born  in 
Savannah,  Georgia,  November  26,  1808, 
died  in  Augusta,  Georgia,  May  10,  1854. 
He  was  named  for  Henry  Kollock,  pastor 
of  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Savannah,  1806-19.  Henry  Kollock 
Harral  went  to  Newark,  New  Jersey, 
where  he  was  associated  in  the  saddlery 
and  harness  manufacturing  business  with 
William  Wright,  afterward  United  States 
Senator  from  New  Jersey.  He  later  took 
charge  of  Mr.  Wright's  business  interests 
at  Charleston.  A  short  time  only  elapsed 
when  he  purchased  the  Wright  interests, 
placed  his  brother  William  in  charge  of 
the  Charleston  branch,  while  he  came  to 
New  York  City,  where  he  took  charge  of 
the  New  York  house,  founded  the  manu- 
factory of  his  line  of  goods  in  the  city  of 
Bridgeport  and  took  into  partnership 
Philo  C.  Calhoun  of  that  city.  He  early 
attained  prominence  as  a  business  man 
and  a  citizen.  For  seven  years  he  was 
mayor  of  Bridgeport.  He  married  in  that 
city,  August  14,  1834,  Sarah  Ann  Peet, 
daughter  of  William  and  Jemima  (Tom- 
linson)  Peet,  descendant  of  one  of  the 
early  Stratford  families,  and  who  was 
born  March  5,  1806,  and  died  December 
17,  1867.  The  Peets  are  of  English  origin, 
and  members  of  the  family  took  an  active 
part  in  the  early  wars,  thus  giving  the 


right  to  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  K.  Harral  to  become  members  of 
those  societies  open  only  to  descendants 
of  colonial  families.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry 
Kollock  Harral  were  the  parents  of  six 
children :  William  Wright,  Henry  Hazel- 
ton,  Helen  Maria,  Frederick  Fanning, 
George,  and  Edward  Wright  Harral. 

After  completing  a  course  of  study  in 
the  Bridgeport  schools,  Edward  Wright 
Harral  attended  Marlborough  Churchill's 
Military  School  at  Ossining,  New  York, 
then  regarded  as  the  leading  institution 
of  its  kind  in  the  United  States.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  made  a  prac- 
tical demonstration  of  his  sympathy  with 
the  Union  cause  by  enlisting  in  the  14th 
Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
found  to  be  under  the  required  age,  and 
he  was  not  permitted  to  go  to  the  seat  of 
war.  The  industrial  world  then  drew  his 
attention,  and  he  became  associated  with 
the  firm  of  Lacey,  Meeker  &  Co.,  manu- 
facturers of  harness  and  saddles,  remain- 
ing with  them  for  ten  years.  He  then 
became  general  agent  for  the  Wheeler 
&  Wilson  Manufacturing  Company  at 
Bridgeport,  and  for  four  years  represented 
that  concern,  his  duties  often  requiring 
him  to  make  extensive  trips  in  the  South- 
ern and  Western  States.  Retiring  from 
that  position  in  1880,  he  became  connected 
with  the  then  infant  industry  of  the  Fair- 
field Rubber  Company.  Mr.  Harral,  as 
has  been  stated,  was  also  prominently 
active  in  church  matters.  He  was  a 
vestryman  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  of  Philadelphia,  and  while  a  resi- 
dent of  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  he  was  jun- 
ior warden  of  St.  Paul's  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  of  that  town.  He  was  a 
vestryman  of  St.  John's  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Bridgepott  for  twenty- 
five  years,  and  its  senior  warden  from 
the  year   1909  until  his  death.     He  was 


195 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mainly  of  the  Democratic  persuasion,  but 
his  independence  of  thought  and  action 
led  him  on  occasions  to  go  outside  his 
party,  as  he  did  when  he  cast  his  vote  for 
McKinley  in  the  Presidential  campaign 
of  1896. 

Mr.  Harral's  diversified  interests  in- 
cluded the  presidency  of  the  Security 
Building  Company;  directorship  in  the 
Morris  Plan  Bank,  Bridgeport;  director- 
ship in  the  Mountain  Grove  Cemetery 
Association ;  membership  in  the  finance 
board  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association,  Bridgeport ;  and  directorship 
in  the  Bridgeport  Christian  Union. 

Mr.  Harral  married  (first)  Julia,  daugh- 
ter of  Hiram  and  Polly  (Penoyer)  Crissy, 
of  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  June  12, 1867, 
She  was  born  July  24,  1844,  and  died  June 
30,  1872.  They  were  the  parents  of  one 
son,  Crissy  DeForest  Harral,  born  De- 
cember 13,  1868.  Mr.  Harral  married 
(second)  Ellen  B.,  third  child  of  Nathaniel 
and  Huldah  R.  (Bradley)  Wheeler.  She 
was  born  June  19,  1848.  To  them  was 
born  one  daughter,  Mary  Louise  Wheeler, 
born  July  11,  1879;  married  (first)  Pier- 
pont  Rowland;  married  (second),  August 
22,  1910,  at  Bridgeport,  Harry  L.  Strat- 
ton,  of  Bronxville,  New  York;  married 
(third),  1921,  A.  Shaler  Williams,  of 
Ithaca,  New  York. 

Always  one  of  the  richest  legacies  be- 
queathed by  a  Christian  business  man  and 
citizen  of  the  high  type  as  was  Mr.  Har- 
ral is  a  memory  hallowed  with  the  good 
deeds  that  do  follow  them.  Love  of  his 
country  intensively  cultivated,  affection 
for  his  native  city  of  Bridgeport,  a  com- 
munity of  interests  with  his  fellowmen  of 
his  community,  a  close  student  of  the 
affairs  of  municipality  of  which  he  was 
extremely  zealous  for  its  progress  not 
only  materially  but  also  spiritually  and 
morally,  Mr.  Harral  lived  on  a  lofty  plane 


of  all-round  endeavor  which  had  singled 
him  out  as  a  man  among  men.  The  city 
as  a  place  of  great  industrial  activity  and 
as  a  place  of  residence  is  the  better  for 
Mr.  Harral  having  sojourned  there  for  so 
long  a  period  of  his  life  that  was  full  of 
labors  and  replete  with  service  unsullied 
and  unselfish  in  every  avenue  into  which 
his  multifarious  activities  called  him.  Dif- 
ficult as  is  the  task  that  is  presented  to  a 
community  stricken  with  so  great  a  loss, 
its  aim  should  be  to  produce  from  among 
its  citizenry  a  worthy  successor  of  this 
exemplar  of  an  upright,  outstanding  mem- 
ber of  society. 


WARNER,  Clinton  Henry, 
Merchant. 

The  ancient  town  of  Woodbury,  Con- 
necticut, "mother  of  towns,"  numbered 
among  its  pioneers  several  of  this  name, 
and  their  descendants  are  found  in  many 
of  the  adjoining  towns.  One  of  the  off- 
shoots of  Woodbury  is  Roxbury,  which 
existed  a  long  time  as  a  precinct  of  Wood- 
bury, and  whose  earliest  independent 
records  have  been  lost,  blocking  the  dis- 
covery of  numerous  ancestral  lines. 

The  origin  of  the  name  Warner  is  very 
remote.  In  the  southwestern  part  of  Eng- 
land, near  the  Welsh  boundary,  dwelt  a 
race  of  people  engaged  in  agriculture.  To 
protect  themselves  from  the  surrounding 
savage  tribes,  they  appointed  their  most 
athletic  and  discreet  men  to  go  out  and 
warn  the  people  of  the  approach  of  the 
enemy,  hence  the  title  "Warner."  The 
name  occurs  in  Domesday  Book  and  in 
the  account  of  the  Manor  of  Warners, 
which  derived  its  name  from  Edmund 
Warner,  who  held  the  estate  in  1630.  The 
arms  of  Warner  are :  Or,  a  bend  engrailed 
between  six  roses  gules,  with  motto,  "Non 
nobis  tantum  nati"  interpreted  "We  are 


196 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


not  born  for  ourselves  alone."  The  arms 
are  found  carved  in  the  ceiling  of  the 
south  aisle  of  the  church  of  Great  Wal- 
tham,  England.  The  Manor  of  Pakel- 
sham,  containing  418  acres,  was  granted 
to  John  Warner  of  Warner's  Hall  in  Great 
Waltham,  and  was  held  by  his  son  John 
until  1473 ;  Henry,  son  of  the  latter,  was 
seized  of  it  March  21,  1504;  Henry's  son, 
John,  Gentleman,  held  it  until  his  death  in 
1552.  In  1558  Queen  Elizabeth  granted 
lands  to  Sir  Edward  Warner,  Knight,  in 
the  Manor  of  Gettingham,  County  Kent. 
Northwood  Manor  in  the  same  county 
was  held  by  William  Warner.  In  1395 
John  Warner  was  made  sheriff  of  County 
Kent,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  John, 
who  held  the  position  in  1442. 

John  Warner,  first  of  the  line  in  Amer- 
ica, was  twenty-one  years  old  when  he 
came  from  England  with  a  party  that 
sailed  in  the  ship  "Increase"  in  1635.  In 
1637  he  performed  service  in  the  Pequot 
War,  and  was  one  of  the  original  propri- 
etors of  Hartford  in  1629.  He  was  an 
original  proprietor  and  settler  of  Farming- 
ton,  united  with  the  church  there  in  1657 
and  was  made  a  freeman  in  1664.  In  1673 
he  went  to  Mattatuck  (Waterbury)  to  in- 
vestigate its  prospects  for  a  place  of  set- 
tlement, and  was  one  of  its  patentees  in 
1674.  He  died  in  1679,  before  completing 
his  arrangements  to  move  there.  In 
1649  he  married  (second)  Ann,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Norton  of  Guilford.  John 
Warner,  eldest  son  of  John  and  Ann 
(Norton)  Warner,  born  about  1645  in 
Hartford  or  Farmington,  probably  the 
latter,  was  reared  in  that  town,  where  he 
was  a  freeman  in  1669,  and  on  the 
list  of  proprietors  with  his  father  in  1672. 
He  was  a  pioneer  of  Waterbury,  and  is 
called  "senior"  in  the  records  of  that  town. 
He  had  recorded  there  February  19,  1703, 
one  and  one-half  acres  of  land  on  which 


his  dwelling  stood.  In  1703  and  1706  he 
called  himself  of  Farmington,  but  in  his 
will,  dated  Farmington,  December  27, 
1706,  he  calls  himself  "of  Waterbury." 
He  died  before  March,  1707,  when  in- 
ventory of  his  estate  was  made.  Two  of 
his  sons,  Robert  and  Ebenezer,  settled  in 
Woodbury.  The  latter  was  grandfather 
of  Colonel  Seth  Warner,  whose  arrival 
with  500  fresh  troops  at  the  battle  of  Ben- 
nington defeated  the  British  forces.  Rob- 
ert Warner  married  Mary  Hurlbut,  and 
died  April  14,  1743.  Their  son,  'John 
Warner,  born  October  27,  1713,  died  De- 
cember 8,  1785,  married  June  11,  1735, 
Jemima  Hurd.  Noble  Warner,  probably 
grandson  of  John  and  Jemima,  lived  in 
Roxbury,  with  wife  Sarah.  They  were  the 
parents  of  George  Warner,  who  was  born 
June  I,  1818,  their  second  son,  died  in 
March,  1880.  He  married  Abigail  Rug- 
gles,  born  March  22,  1822,  died  in  1897, 
third  daughter  of  Daniel  T.  and  Chloe 
(Graham)  Ruggles  of  Bridgewater,  Con- 
necticut. She  was  descended  from  Abi- 
jah  Ruggles,  an  early  resident  of  New 
Milford.  His  wife  was  Hannah,  born 
Warner.  Their  son,  Benjamin  Abijah 
Ruggles,  born  September  9,  1758,  died 
November  30,  1828.  He  married  Betsey 
Trowbridge,  born  1763,  third  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Deborah  Trowbridge  of 
Bridgewater.  Daniel  Trowbridge  Rug- 
gles, eldest  child  of  Benjamin  A.  and  Bet- 
sey, was  born  January  2,  1783,  lived  in 
Bridgewater  and  died  August  6,  1874. 
He  married,  November  19,  1806,  Chloe 
Gorham,  born  December  27,  1786,  died 
1876,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  Abi- 
gail Ruggles,  wife  of  George  Warner. 
Their  son,  Theodore  Warner,  was  a  farmer 
and  merchant  in  Danbury,  and  now  lives 
retired  in  that  town.  He  married,  June 
13,  1869,  Martha  Evitts,  born  June  15, 
185 1,  daughter  of  Augustine  and  Maria 
197 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(Erwin)  Evitts,  granddaughter  of  Caleb 
and  Betsey  (Thayer)  Evitts.  Betsey 
Thayer  was  probably  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Thayer,  born  1775,  died  April  i,  1837, 
his  wife  Sarah,  born  1774,  died  September 
1863.  Augustine  Evitts  was  born,  1833,  in 
New  Milford,  and  his  wife  Maria,  about 
1830  in  the  same  town.  He  died  1909,  and 
she  died,  1858.  Theodore  Warner  and  wife 
were  parents  of  eleven  children,  all  of 
whom  except  one  daughter  are  now  living. 
Clinton  Henry  Warner,  son  of  Theo- 
dore and  Martha,  was  born  September  6, 
1894,  in  Ridgefield,  Connecticut,  and  in 
early  youth  attended  school  in  Woodbury 
and  Danbury.  When  fourteen  years  old 
he  began  to  maintain  himself,  rapidly  de- 
veloping a  spirit  of  self  reliance  and  in- 
dustry which  has  materially  aided  in  his 
advancement.  For  a  period  of  two  years 
he  was  employed  in  peddling  milk,  later 
he  worked  in  general  stores,  thus  acquir- 
ing a  knowledge  of  business.  For  a  short 
time  he  worked  in  a  machine  shop,  and  it 
appears  that  he  was  not  averse  to  any 
honest  employment.  In  191 1  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Ailing  Rubber  Com- 
pany of  Hartford,  at  the  time  a  branch 
store  was  opened  in  Danbury.  After  six 
years  in  this  branch,  in  1918,  he  went  to 
Hartford  and  worked  in  the  main  store  of 
the  establishment.  There  he  continued 
until  the  summer  of  1919,  when  he  was 
sent  to  Middletown  to  open  a  branch 
store.  Under  his  management  this  store 
proved  a  success,  and  he  continued  in 
charge  until  July  i,  1922,  when  he  re- 
signed to  engage  in  business  on  his  own 
account.  With  Ellsworth  F.  Page  of  Dur- 
ham, he  formed  a  partnership  under  the 
title  of  Page  &  Warner,  to  deal  in 
automobile  parts  and  accessories.  They 
opened  a  store  near  the  south  end  of  Main 
Street  in  Middletown,  and  their  personal 
popularity   brought    to   them    customers 


whose  trade  has  been  retained  by  fair 
dealing  and  courteous  treatment.  Mr. 
Warner  was  born  for  a  merchant,  and  his 
experience  has  developed  a  natural  tend- 
ency. 

He  is  a  member  of  Apollo  Lodge,  No. 
33,  Knights  of  Pythias,  has  passed  all  the 
principal  chairs  in  a  lodge  of  the  Senior 
Order  of  United  American  Mechanics ;  is 
a  Republican  in  political  principle,  with 
independent  mind,  and  is  not  bound  by 
partisan  dictates.  From  October,  19 13,  to 
May,  1917,  he  served  in  the  8th  Company, 
Coast  Artillery,  as  first-class  private  and 
first-class  gunner,  and  was  company  clerk 
two  years.  In  1922  he  affiliated  with 
Apollo  Lodge,  No.  33,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

He  married,  July  2,  1916,  Mildred  Grif- 
fin, who  was  born  July  2,  1896,  in  Dan- 
bur}-,  daughter  of  Cyrus  O.  and  Mary 
(Butterworth)  Griffin,  natives,  respec- 
tively, of  Danbury  and  England.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Warner  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Jane  Esther,  Beatrice  Lois,  Clinton 
Henry,  Jr.,  and  Frank  Griffin. 


ADORNO,  Salvatore, 

Theatre  Oxraer. 

A  natural  ability  for  accomplishing  his 
aims  and  an  entire  devotion  to  his  work 
are  the  chief  factors  in  the  success  at- 
tained by  Salvatore  Adorno,  owner  of  one 
of  the  leading  theatres  of  Middletown, 
Connecticut.  Several  years  ago,  a  stranger 
in  a  strange  land,  Mr.  Adorno  came  to 
America  with  the  feeling  in  his  heart  that 
he  must  succeed.  In  spite  of  the  handi- 
caps, the  new  language,  different  customs, 
and  many  other  drawbacks,  he  has  man- 
aged by  his  indefatigable  will  to  rise  above 
these  and  take  his  place  as  one  of  the 
most  substantial  and  honored  citizens  of 
Middletown.  Mr.  Adorno  was  born  June 
20,  1879,  in  Italy,  son  of  Michele  and  Con- 


198 


'^^i^   C^^7^^P>^^^ — 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cetta  (Salonia)  Adorno.  His  father  was 
a  clothing  and  flour  merchant ;  he  died  in 
August,  1917,  and  is  still  survived  by  his 
wife.  The  public  schools  of  his  native 
home  afforded  Mr.  Adorno  his  early  edu- 
cation ;  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  Middle- 
town,  which  city  has  continued  to  be  his 
home,  and  where  he  has  attained  his  suc- 
cess. It  was  imperative  that  the  young 
lad  secure  work  soon  after  his  arrival 
and  at  that  time  there  was  not  the  demand 
for  labor  such  as  now.  His  first  position 
was  in  a  tin  shop,  where  he  received  two 
and  one-half  dollars  a  week.  Soon  after 
he  acquired  a  little  knowledge  of  the 
language  and  fortified  by  his  ambition  to 
better  himself,  he  changed  his  work  and 
went  into  the  brickyard  of  the  Tuttle 
Brothers  Company,  where  he  received 
one  dollar  and  thirty-five  cents  a  day. 
He  remained  there  for  seven  months,  and 
out  of  his  salary  not  only  supported  him- 
self but  sent  money  home  to  his  parents 
as  well.  Mr.  Adorno  was  all  the  time  im- 
proving himself  in  every  respect  and  ap- 
plied for  a  position  with  the  Russell  Man- 
ufacturing Company.  He  was  success- 
ful in  obtaining  the  work,  and  for  seven 
years  remained  in  their  employ  as  a 
weaver.  He  has  the  distinction  of  being 
one  of  the  first  of  his  nationality  to  work 
there. 

By  being  thrifty  and  adding  to  his 
small  competence,  Mr.  Adorno  was  able 
to  engage  in  business  for  himself  as  a 
manufacturer  of  macaroni,  in  connection 
with  which  he  also  conducted  a  small 
grocery.  This  might  be  called  the  turn- 
ing point  in  his  career,  as  it  was  from  this 
date  that  his  success  was  rapid.  From 
small  beginnings  the  business  grew  un- 
til two  thousand  pounds  of  macaroni  was 
the  daily  output.  This  part  of  the  busi- 
ness was  disposed  of  eventually  and  his 


whole  attention  given  to  the  grocery  end. 
In  1913,  this  was  also  given  up,  and  in 
the  same  year  Mr.  Adorno  opened  a  the- 
atre known  as  the  "Star."  In  considera- 
tion of  its  size,  it  was  successful  enough, 
but  it  was  not  large  enough  to  accommo- 
date very  many  patrons.  Mr.  Adorno 
then  purchased  the  Crescent  Theatre,  as 
well  as  the  ground,  which  is  now  used 
as  a  store  and  apartments.  In  1915  he 
built  and  opened  the  "Grand"  on  a  site  of 
which  he  has  a  twenty-year  lease.  He 
conducted  this  theatre  himself  until  1919, 
when  he  leased  the  theatre  for  a  term  of 
years.  In  1919  he  bought  the  Mitchell 
Block,  which  embraces  three  stores  and 
two  floors  of  apartments. 

During  the  World  War  there  were 
many  demonstrations  of  allegiance  to 
their  adopted  country  by  those  of  foreign 
birth  ;  the  cause  of  America  and  the  Allies 
was  their  cause,  and  particularly  notable 
was  Mr.  Adorno's  activities  in  this  direc- 
tion. He  was  a  member  of  the  War 
Bureau  of  Middletown,  and  donated  the 
use  of  the  theatre  for  both  the  Fourth 
and  Fifth  Liberty  Loan  drives,  on  both 
of  which  occasions  Middletown  went 
"over  the  top."  He  also  gave  a  benefit 
performance  and  donated  the  gross  re- 
ceipts, amounting  to  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars, to  the  Men's  Service  Club.  He  re- 
ceived several  flattering  cards  commend- 
ing him  for  his  patriotism,  among  them  a 
letter  from  the  president  of  the  Hartford 
Manufacturers'  Association.  It  is  to  be 
naturally  expected  that  a  man  of  Mr. 
Adorno's  prominence  is  active  in  the 
social  and  civic  life  of  Middletown.  His 
political  views  are  those  of  an  independ- 
ent, but  he  is  always  ready  to  give  his 
support  to  the  best  man.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  Council  No.  3,  Knights  of 
Columbus,  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  Loyal  Order  of  Moose, 
199 


i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  and  the  Italian 
Society,  Sons  of  Italy. 

Mr.  Adorno  married,  In  1901,  on 
Thanksgiving  Day,  Maria  Pinto,  daugh- 
ter of  Andrea  and  Cesaria  Pinto,  all  na- 
tives of  Italy.  The  children  are :  Michael, 
Andrew,  Joseph,  William,  Salvatore, 
Jr.,  and  Concettina.  Two  daughters  died 
in  infancy.  The  family  are  attendants  of 
St.  John's  Roman  Catholic  Church  of  Mid- 
dletown,  and  Mr.  Adorno  generously  aids 
in  the  support  of  its  charities. 


NILSON,  A.  H., 

Mannf actnrer  and  Inventor. 

From  Washington  at  intervals  public 
documents  compiled  by  departments  and 
bureaus  of  the  government  are  sent  out 
on  manifold  subjects  supposed  to  interest 
the  citizen.  Many  of  these  documents 
relate  to  the  development  of  the  country, 
and  are  of  interest  to  the  student  of  its 
growth,  and  to  those  concerned  in  its  wel- 
fare. There  is,  however,  a  subject  of 
great  general  interest  that  no  public  docu- 
ment adequately  covers.  How  great  is 
the  measure  in  which  the  foreign-born 
citizen  contributes  to  the  expansion  and 
welfare  of  the  United  States?  Many  an 
immigrant,  finding  no  opportunity  in  his 
own  land  for  development,  comes  to  this 
country  with  no  capital  beyond  a  deter- 
mination to  succeed,  and  with  an  impulse 
to  industry,  or  with  a  dormant  ingenuity 
which  here  awakens  and  is  effective,  he 
becomes  an  essential  element  in  his  com- 
munity, winning  note  and  fortune  while 
assisting  in  the  enriching  of  the  land  of 
his  adoption. 

Such  a  man  is  A.  H.  Nilson,  the  story  of 
whose  life  reads  like  romance.  Mr.  Nil- 
son  is  a  manufacturer,  inventor  and  de- 
signer of  special  machinery,  and  is  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  business  and 


financial  interests  of  Bridgeport,  Connecti- 
cut. Mr.  Nilson  started  from  the  bottom 
of  the  ladder  and  worked  himself  from 
the  condition  of  a  poor  boy  to  his  present 
enviable  standing.  He  was  born  in  Got- 
tenburg,  Sweden,  April  2,  1849,  the  son  of 
Nil  and  Helena  (Stele)  Nilson,  both  na- 
tives of  Sweden.  He  was  educated  in  the 
excellent  common  schools  of  his  native 
land,  and  after  his  schooling  he  learned 
the  trade  of  a  machinist.  That  he  did  not 
have  mechanical  opportunity  there  is  ap- 
parent from  the  fact  that  he  served  as  a 
sailor  for  six  years.  Then  he  was  a  fire- 
man and  engineer  in  a  saw-mill,  a  dual 
position  which  in  wages  must  have  been 
inadequate.  In  1880  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  set  upon  bettering  his  con- 
dition. He  had  no  friends  here,  and  was 
ignorant  of  the  language.  Landing  in 
New  York,  he  looked  about  and  finally 
settled  in  Bridgeport,  even  then  a  manu- 
facturing town  of  consequence.  Here  he 
found  employment  with  the  Bridgeport 
Organ  Company  on  Water  Street,  as  a 
cabinet  maker  at  one  dollar  a  day,  and  later 
as  operator  of  a  wood-turning  lathe.  After 
the  expiration  of  two  years  he  was  sent 
as  an  engineer  to  the  Cornwall  and  Pat- 
terson Manufacturing  Company's  plant  in 
Saugatuck,  Connecticut.  In  1883  he  re- 
turned to  Bridgeport  with  this  company, 
and  here  for  four  years  he  operated  all  the 
automatic  machines  in  the  factory.  He 
was  then  placed  in  charge  of  the  machine 
department,  which  position  he  held  for  six 
years.  In  1892  he  established  the  A.  H. 
Nilson  &  Sons  Machine  Company,  con- 
ducting a  machine  shop  in  the  Hamilton 
Brass  Foundry  building.  Golden  Hill  and 
Middle  Streets.  Soon  after  the  beginning 
of  this  venture  came  the  great  business 
depression  of  1893,  and  Mr.  Nilson  dis- 
posed of  this  business  to  Knapp  &  Cowles, 
although  he  still  remained  in  charge  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  enterprise.  Three  years  later  the 
Cornwall  &  Patterson  Company  pur- 
chased the  Knapp  &  Cowles  Company, 
and  Mr.  Nilson  again  engaged  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account.  Among  other 
things  he  became  interested  in  the  ma- 
chinery for  manufacturing  corsets  and  in- 
vented several  corset  machines,  and  these 
inventions  are  still  in  use  throughout  the 
United  States.  He  also  organized  the 
Automatic  Machine  Company,  of  which 
he  was  president  for  two  years.  In  1898 
the  business  was  divided  between  the  two 
stockholders,  and  the  Automatic  Machine 
Company  moved  to  new  quarters.  Then 
Mr.  Nilson  established  the  A.  H.  Nilson 
Machine  Company  in  the  Knapp  &  Cowles 
building,  and  in  1904  he  erected  the  build- 
ing at  the  corner  of  Railroad  and  Bost- 
wick  avenues,  to  which  he  has  since  added 
several  other  buildings,  until  the  group 
is  an  impressive  token  of  his  success.  Mr. 
Nilson  is  the  inventor  of  many  machine 
devices  in  use  all  over  the  country.  Among 
his  other  interests  he  is  a  director  and 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  West  Side  Bank 
of  Bridgeport.  In  April,  1917,  the  Elli- 
ott-Cornwall Manufacturing  Company 
was  purchased,  and  the  General  Machine 
and  Manufacturing  Company  was  organ- 
ized, of  which  Mr.  Nilson  is  president. 

Mr.  Nilson  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  in  1907-1908  he  served  the  city  of 
Bridgeport  as  Health  Commissioner.  He 
is  treasurer  of  the  Elm  Park  Home,  a 
trustee  and  deacon  of  the  First  Swedish 
Baptist  Church,  to  which  he  is  a  liberal 
contributor.  March  21,  1875,  Mr.  Nilson 
was  married  in  Sweden  to  Augusta  S. 
Peterson.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Ifvar,  who  died  in  infancy,  in 
Sweden  ;  William,  who  died  in  1907  at  the 
age  of  thirty-three  ;  and  Jacob,  who  is  vice- 
president  of  the  A.  H.  Nilson  Machine 
Company   and   treasurer   of   the   General 


Machine  and  Manufacturing  Company  of 
Bridgeport. 


SMITH,  Edward  Arthur, 

Manufacturer. 

As  responsible  manager  of  the  J.  O. 
Smith  Manufacturing  Company,  Mr. 
Smith  has  built  up  and  extended  the  busi- 
ness beyond  any  previous  record.  His 
great-grandfather,  John  Smith,  lived  at 
Belston,  a  suburb  of  Birmingham,  Eng- 
land, and  was  a  jappaner  by  trade.  In 
1825  he  removed  with  his  family  to  New 
York  City,  where  he  engaged  in  business 
and  was  the  first  japanner  in  America. 
This  gave  him  some  distinction,  and  he 
was  accustomed  to  sign  himself  "John 
Smith,  Japanner."  In  1826  he  purchased 
from  Nathaniel  Bacon  an  apple  brandy 
distillery  in  Westfield  (Middletown),  and 
this  was  soon  turned  into  a  japan  factory. 
It  is  still  standing  on  the  property  occu- 
pied by  his  descendants.  He  was  born 
July  28,  1791,  and  died  in  Westfield,  No- 
vember 20,  1859.  His  body  was  the  first 
interred  in  the  Miner  Cemetery.  He  mar- 
ried Ann,  a  daughter  of  John  Owen,  who 
accompanied  him  to  America.  They  had 
one  son  and  three  daughters. 

James  Owen  Smith,  only  son  of  John 
and  Ann,  was  born  May  i,  1813,  at  Bir- 
mingham, England,  and  was  twelve  years 
old  when  he  came  to  America.  When 
eight  years  old  he  left  school  and  began 
to  assist  his  father,  with  whom  he  con- 
tinued until  attaining  his  majority.  By 
attending  night  school  in  New  York,  he 
extended  his  knowledge,  and  was  known 
as  a  most  intelligent  and  well-informed 
man,  skillful  in  his  work  and  successful 
in  business.  When  about  forty  years  old 
he  purchased  his  father's  business  in  New 
York  and  soon  after,  the  plant  in  West- 
field,  and  conducted  both.    For  some  time 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  resided  in  Westfield  and,  from  1863  to 
1873,  in  New  York,  returning  to  West- 
field  to  give  entire  attention  to  operation 
of  the  plant  there.  In  1874  a  fire  swept 
away  all  the  buildings  except  the  old 
distillery,  but  they  were  immediately  re- 
built of  brick  and  much  more  substanti- 
ally. In  1878  the  business  was  incorpo- 
rated under  its  present  title,  with  James 
O.  Smith  as  president.  He  died  in  New 
York,  October  20,  1880,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years.  A  man  of  progressive 
ideas,  he  favored  a  liberal  policy  in  edu- 
cation and  every  movement  calculated  to 
advance  the  race.  During  his  early  years 
in  the  town,  he  served  as  selectman  but 
did  not  care  for  ofiicial  station.  He  was 
independent  of  party  direction,  and  in- 
sisted on  capability  in  candidates  for 
ofifice,  as  a  requisite  for  his  vote.  While 
in  New  York,  he  affiliated  with  the 
Anglican  Church.  His  wife,  Mary  Ann 
Smith,  was  born  May  12,  1807,  at  Corn- 
wall, New  York,  daughter  of  Michael 
Smith,  granddaughter  of  Michael  Smith, 
born  in  1750,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution 
and  a  colonel  in  charge  of  the  fortifica- 
tions of  New  York  in  the  war  of  1812. 
Michael  Smith,  Jr.,  was  born  in  1783.  and 
died  October  10,  1876,  in  Westfield.  Mary 
Ann  Smith,  wife  of  James  O.,  died  April 
8,  1900,  in  New  York,  and  was  buried  be- 
side her  husband  in  Miner  Cemetery. 

Alfred  Owen  Smith,  eldest  child  of 
James  O.  and  Mary  Ann,  was  born  June 
20,  1836,  in  New  York,  and  was  a  small 
boy  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Westfield.  He  was  educated  in  the  Mid- 
dletown  public  schools  and  in  the  school 
of  Daniel  H.  Chase,  one  of  the  most 
famous  of  its  time.  He  early  turned  his 
attention  to  the  business  of  the  J.  O. 
Smith  Manufacturing  Company,  was  its 
president  from  1880  until  his  death,  which 
occurred   July   3,    1893.      His    system    of 


bookkeeping  is  still  in  use  by  the  estab- 
lishment. He  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  of  which  he 
was  for  many  years  a  vestryman ;  was  a 
member  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  2,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  of  Washington 
Chapter,  No.  6,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  and 
a  charter  member  and  past  commander 
of  Cyrene  Commandery,  No.  8,  Knights 
Templar.  In  politics  Mr.  Smith  was  a 
Democrat,  and  while  he  did  not  seek 
political  preferment,  as  a  matter  of  civil 
duty,  he  served  as  first  selectman  of  Mid- 
dletown.  He  married.  May  6,  1858,  Ellen 
E.  Wilcox,  who  was  born  in  South  Farms, 
daughter  of  Gustavus  Vasa  and  Huldah 
(Spencer)  Wilcox.  Gustavus  V.  Wilcox 
was  baptized  in  June,  1797,  at  the  East 
Guilford  Church,  resided  in  Madison  in 
early  life,  subsequently  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  the  town  of  Middletown,  where  he 
died  June  10,  1858.  He  married  (first) 
January  26,  1823,  Lucy  Lee,  of  Middle- 
town,  who  died  about  ten  years  later.  As 
early  as  June  30,  1836,  Huldah  Spencer 
was  his  wife;  on  that  date  she  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  First  Church  of  Middletown. 
She  married  (second),  November  23,  1862, 
Charles  Hurlburt. 

Edward  Arthur  Smith  was  born  in  Mid- 
dletown and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  of 
Hudson  in  that  State,  and  Meriden,  Con- 
necticut. He  was  also  a  student  at  the 
Russell  Military  Academy  of  New  Haven. 
In  1887  he  was  graduated  from  Yale  Uni- 
versity with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  He  early 
turned  his  attention  to  business  and  was 
employed  by  N.  C.  Stiles  and  the  Stiles 
and  Parker  Press  Company,  of  Brooklyn, 
and  the  E.  W.  Bliss  Company  of  Brook- 
lyn, which  made  the  Wade  torpedo.  The 
first  torpedo  was  produced  in  1893.  Soon 
after,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  J.  O. 
Smith  Company,  of  which  he  was  made 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


secretary  in  1894,  and  treasurer  in  1905. 
The  active  management  of  the  business  is 
in  his  hands  and  as  before  stated,  it  has 
grown  under  his  management. 

He  is  connected  with  St.  John's  Lodge, 
Washington  Chapter ;  Columbia  Counsel 
No.  9,  Royal  and  Select  Masters ;  Cyrene 
Commandery,  and  through  the  York  Rite 
he  is  a  member  of  Sphinx  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine 
of  Hartford.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Westfield  Grange  No.  50,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  im- 
portant positions,  and  is  a  director  of  the 
Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Savings  Bank. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,  and  of  the  church  club  of  the 
diocese.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican  of 
independent  tendencies,  but  he  has  never 
desired  to  fill  a  public  station.  In  his 
community  he  seeks  to  serve  the  best  in- 
terests and  long  served  on  the  school 
board  of  the  district,  of  which  he  was 
treasurer. 

Mr.  Smith  married,  June,  1894,  Lottie 
S.  Weir,  who  was  born  in  Westfield, 
daughter  of  James  and  Ann  Weir,  the 
former  a  native  of  Canada  and  the  latter 
of  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  the 
parents  of  two  daughters,  Madeline  Irene, 
and  Marjorie.  The  elder  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Middletown  High  School,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  the  Willimantic  Normal  School. 


PENFIELD,  George  Ruber, 
Agricnltnrist. 

Among  the  best  known  and  appreciated 
citizens  of  the  town  of  Portland,  Mr.  Pen- 
field  was  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  earli- 
est families  of  that  town.  The  founder  of 
the  family  in  this  country  was  Samuel 
Penfield,  who  was  in  Lynn  in  1650.  Pos- 
sibly he  was  the  father  of  Samuel  Pen- 
field  who  was  married  in  Lynn,  Novem- 


ber 30,  1675,  to  Mary  Lewis,  who  was 
born  in  January,  1653,  in  Charlestown, 
Massachusetts,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Brown)  Lewis.  They  had  two 
children  recorded  in  Lynn,  and  before 
1680  he  removed  to  Rehoboth  where  two 
children  were  born.  After  May,  1683,  he 
removed  to  Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  and  in 
1688  was  living  in  that  town  with  his 
wife  and  five  children.  Three  of  the  chil- 
dren of  his  first  wife  were  born  in  that 
town,  the  first  in  1685  and  the  last  in  1689. 
His  second  wife,  Ann,  was  the  mother  of 
twin  daughters  born  in  Bristol  in  1692, 
and  his  third  wife,  Mary,  bore  him  a  son, 
Benjamin,  in  1696.  No  record  of  his  death 
appears  in  Bristol.  His  second  son,  John 
Penfield,  born  May  31,  1683,  in  Rehoboth, 
was  attracted  as  a  young  man  to  the  new 
settlement  at  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  but 
did  not  long  remain  there,  removing  soon 
after  to  East  Middletown,  later  Chatham, 
now  Portland,  and  settled  in  the  locality 
in  the  latter  town  still  known  as  Penfield 
Hill.  He  married,  April  9,  1714,  in 
Middletown,  Ann  Cornwall,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Clark)  Cornwall, 
granddaughter  of  William  Cornwall,  foun- 
der of  a  large  family,  mentioned  at  length 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Their  second 
son.  Colonel  John  Penfield,  born  May  14, 
1721,  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Portland 
in  his  day  and  died  February  22,  1797. 
His  wife,  Ruth,  died  July  17,  1794,  in  her 
fifty-eighth  year.  Their  fourth  son,  John 
Penfield,  born  July  25,  1767,  was  a  farmer 
occupying  the  paternal  homestead  where 
he  died  December  i,  1829.  He  was  an  act- 
ive man  in  the  church  and  in  town  affairs 
fulfilling  the  traditions  of  his  family.  He 
married,  February  27,  1797,  Jane  Stewart, 
born  December  i,  1769,  died  July  23,  1827  ; 
both  were  buried  in  the  Center  Cemetery. 
Their  eldest  son,  Hiram  A.  Penfield,  born 
December  25,  1802,  on  Penfield  Hill,  was  a 


203 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


student  in  the  neighboring  district  school 
which  occupied  a  different  site  than  that 
of  the  present  Penfield  Hill  School.  He 
was  studious  and  blessed  with  mental 
forces.  He  began  teaching  school  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years  and  continued  very 
successful  in  that  calling  for  several  years, 
enjoying  a  high  reputation  as  a  disciplin- 
arian. He  acquired  the  rank  of  captain, 
serving  in  this  capacity  in  the  State  Mili- 
tia. After  his  marriage  he  rented  the  farm 
of  Reuben  Payne  and  about  1830  pur- 
chased from  his  uncle,  Jonathan  Penfield, 
the  farm  which  was  subsequently  occu- 
pied by  his  son,  George  H.  Penfield.  He 
erected  a  substantial  residence  and  other 
farm  buildings  which  stood  until  burned 
in  1922,  a  testimonial  to  the  honest  in- 
dustry of  the  day.  He  was  universally 
esteemed  by  his  contemporaries  as  a  ca- 
pable and  reliable  man ;  was  a  staunch 
Democrat  in  political  principle  and  filled 
many  offices  in  the  town  including  those 
of  selectman  and  assessor.  He  declined 
to  be  a  candidate  for  representative  in  the 
Legislature.  A  man  of  commanding 
presence  and  sound  mind,  he  was  fre- 
quently called  upon  to  settle  large  estates. 
He  died  December  19,  1872.  He  married, 
December  25,  1828,  Sarah  Parmelee  Mc- 
Nary,  born  May  22,  1798,  in  Middle  Had- 
dam,  died  February  28,  1882,  daughter  of 
Morris  and  Sarah  (Doan)  McNary.  Mor- 
ris McNary,  born  September  8,  1765,  in 
Northern  Ireland,  was  a  representative  of 
the  sturdy  Scotch  element  known  as 
Scotch-Irish  which  has  contributed  great- 
ly to  the  development  of  the  United  States. 
George  Huber  Penfield,  youngest  child 
of  Hiram  A.  and  Sarah  P.  Penfield,  was 
born  March  19,  1838,  on  Penfield  Hill  and 
was  reared  under  the  conditions  common 
to  rural  life  in  his  time,  early  sharing  in 
the  labors  of  the  paternal  homestead.  He 
attended  the  district  school  of  the  neigh- 


borhood and  in  his  earlier  years  received 
instruction  from  Harrison  Whitcomb,  a 
well  known  teacher  of  the  time.  He  con- 
tinued on  the  homestead  which  came  into 
his  possession  on  the  death  of  his  father 
and  continued  to  reside  there  until  his 
own  death  which  occurred  October  22, 
1917,  in  his  eightieth  year.  Like  his  father 
he  adhered  to  the  policies  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  which  was  usually  in  the 
minority  in  his  home  town.  He  was 
active  in  support  of  his  principles  and 
was  defeated  for  the  office  of  selectman  in 
1899  by  only  four  votes,  which  majority 
would  have  been  less  had  he  voted  for 
himself.  On  another  occasion  he  was  de- 
feated for  representative  in  the  Legis- 
lature by  thirteen  votes.  He  was  among 
the  most  faithful  members  of  Christ 
(Episcopal)  Church  at  Cobalt  which  he 
served  many  years  as  warden  and  vestry- 
man, and  was  considered  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  parish.  His  home  was  one 
of  the  finest  country  residences  in  the 
county  and  his  genial  and  hospitable 
nature  made  it  a  pleasant  abiding  place 
for  any  who  came  that  way.  An  industri- 
ous and  prosperous  farmer,  a  man  of 
unswerving  integrity,  he  enjoyed  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  his  contemporaries 
and  his  death  was  widely  regretted.  Mr. 
Penfield  married,  January  23,  1862,  Al- 
mira  Griffith  Bailey  of  Chatham,  Con- 
necticut, who  was  born  October  11,  1840, 
daughter  of  Seth  and  Phila  (Purple) 
Bailey,  died  December  i,  1889.  She  was 
the  mother  of  three  children :  Mary  Ada- 
line,  the  eldest,  now  deceased,  was  the 
wife  of  George  M.  Taylor,  formerly  of 
Portland,  now  a  builder  in  Hartford ; 
Sarah  Doan,  became  the  wife  of  William 
H.  Rouse  of  Portland,  and  is  now  de- 
ceased, and  the  third, Walter  Hiram,  is  the 
subject  of  the  following  biography. 


204 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


PENFIELD,  Walter  Hiram, 

Mannfactnrer. 

A  son  of  the  late  George  H.  Penfield 
and  Almira  G.  (Bailey)  Penfield,  born 
February  4,  1873,  on  Penfield  Hill,  Port- 
land, Connecticut,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  has  developed  much  executive  abil- 
ity and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  Like  other 
sons  of  farmers  of  the  district,  he  received 
early  training  in  making  himself  useful 
and  in  diligent  pursuit  of  duty.  The 
district  school  of  the  section  afforded  him 
early  instruction,  and  he  graduated  from 
the  three  years'  course  at  Gildersleeve 
High  School  in  Portland  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years.  Desirous  of  pursuing  a 
business  life,  in  April,  1890,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  The  Shaler  &  Hall  Quarry 
Company,  subsequently  The  Brainerd, 
Shaler  &  Hall  Quarry  Company  as  office 
boy.  Here  he  continued  nearly  twelve 
years  earning  frequent  promotions  and 
gaining  an  extensive  knowledge  of  busi- 
ness methods.  During  the  three  winter 
seasons  preceding  1901,  owing  to  the  in- 
activity of  the  quarry  industry,  he  was 
temporarily  employed  in  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, by  The  Colt's  Patent  Firearms 
Manufacturing  Company,  returning  to  his 
position  with  the  Quarry  Company  during 
the  summers.  In  December,  1901,  he 
again  entered  the  employ  of  The  Colt's 
Patent  Fireams  Manufacturing  Company 
and  has  been  continuously  connected  with 
that  world  known  organization  since  that 
date.  Beginning  as  an  invoice  clerk  he 
became  successively  assistant  treasurer 
in  1909,  treasurer  in  191 1,  vice-president 
and  treasurer  in  1919,  director  in  1921,  and 
holds  the  last  three  mentioned  offices  at 
the  present  time.  He  is  also  treasurer  and 
director  of  the  Johns-Pratt  Company  of 
Hartford,  and  a  director  of  the  Middlesex 
Hospital  in  Middletown. 


Faithfulness,  promptness  and  continued 
industry  gained  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  those  associated  with  him  and  his  rapid 
progress  has  been  well  earned.  During 
his  extended  business  connection  in  Hart- 
ford he  has  retained  his  residence  in  his 
native  town  and  is  esteemed  as  a  progres- 
sive and  useful  citizen.  For  many  years  he 
served  as  town  auditor  and  town  treas- 
urer, has  been  a  consistent  supporter  of 
Republican  principles  in  Government  and 
attends  divine  service  at  Trinity  Episco- 
pal Church.  He  is  a  member  of  Warren 
Lodge,  No.  51,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  of  Portland,  having  served  in 
various  offices  and  as  its  master  in  1914; 
of  the  York  Rite  bodies  of  Middletown ; 
the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  of  Hartford ;  the 
Connecticut  Consistory  of  Norwich  and 
Sphinx  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  Hartford. 
He  also  holds  membership  in  the  follow- 
ing organizations :  The  Hartford  Club,  of 
Hartford;  The  Portland  Club,  Portland 
Board  of  Trade,  Freestone  Building  Com- 
pany, Hemlock  Grange  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, of  Portland :  and  the  Connecticut 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  Of  genial  nature 
and  affable  manners,  Mr.  Penfield  easily 
gains  and  holds  lasting  friendships. 

He  married,  June  10,  1896,  Bessie  Pick- 
ering Pascall,  daughter  of  Richard  H. 
Pascall  of  Portland  (q.  v.).  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Penfield  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
namely:  Richard  Pascall,  born  March  9, 
1900,  and  Marion  Almira,  born  September 
25,  1901. 


RILEY,  WiUiam  J., 

Executive. 

One  of  the  progressive  citizens  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  who  has  won  his 
success  through  intelligently  directed  ef- 
fort, is  William  J.  Riley,  treasurer  of  the 


20s 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Hartford  Lumber  Company  of  that  city. 
Mr.  Riley  was  born  January  17,  1880,  in 
New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  son  of  Stephen 
and  Julia  (Egan)  Riley  and  grandson  of 
Patrick  Riley  of  Ireland.  The  latter  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  country  and  then 
came  to  America  where  he  located  in 
Sheffield,  Massachusetts.  There  he  took  a 
sub-contract  to  build  a  section  of  the  Cen- 
tral New  England  Railroad  which  proved 
a  very  unprofitable  venture  and  Mr. 
Riley  lost  a  large  amount  of  money.  Soon 
after  this  time  he  removed  to  New  Canaan 
where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
and  where  his  death  occurred. 

Stephen  Riley,  son  of  Patrick  Riley, 
was  born  in  Sheffield,  Massachusetts,  and 
died  at  New  Canaan,  in  1918,  aged  sixty- 
four  years.  Mr.  Riley  grew  to  manhood 
on  the  homestead  and  soon  learned  to 
help  his  father  in  the  railroad  work.  After 
the  failure  of  the  contract,  he  went  to 
work  on  the  railroad  as  a  brakeman  and 
later  as  a  fireman,  from  which  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  engineer.  For  many  years  he 
was  on  the  Central  New  England  Rail- 
road and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the 
oldest  engineer  in  point  of  service  on  the 
road.  Mr.  Riley  was  very  active  in  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers, 
and  was  Chief  Engineer  of  the  local  or- 
ganization for  years  and  often  served  as 
delegate  to  conventions  of  the  order.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus in  Winsted  and  from  1897  until  his 
death  was  a  resident  of  Hartford.  Mr. 
Riley  married  Julia,  daughter  of  Patrick 
Egan,  born  in  Ballykeefe,  Kilkenny,  Ire- 
land, and  they  were  the  parents  of  five 
children  :  William  J.,  of  further  mention  ; 
Elizabeth  A.,  wife  of  Junius  H.  Hale  of 
Hartford ;  Mary  Luella ;  Catherine  ;  Helen 
Margaret.  The  family  attends  St.  Joseph's 
Church. 

William  J.  Riley  attended  the  schools 


of  New  Canaan  and  came  to  Hartford 
with  his  parents  in  1897.  He  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Plimpton  Manufacturing 
Company  but  after  a  few  months  there 
Mr.  Riley  perceived  the  necessity  of  equip- 
ping himself  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
business  and  he  entered  Morse  Business 
College.  After  completing  the  course 
there  he  secured  a  position  with  the  Hart- 
ford Lumber  Company  as  stenographer 
and  assistant  bookkeeper. 

By  attention  to  the  detail  of  the  busi- 
ness and  faithful  performance  of  his  duties 
Mr.  Riley  rapidly  progressed ;  he  was 
made  manager  in  1907  and  five  years  later 
was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  company 
which  office  he  now  holds.  He  has  been 
a  director  of  the  Retail  Lumber  Dealers' 
Association  since  1917  and  was  vice- 
president  of  this  organization  in  1919  and 
1920,  now  holding  the  office  of  president. 

Mr.  Riley  is  Past  Grand  Knight  of 
Charter  Oak  Council,  No.  19,  Knights  of 
Columbus  and  is  now  a  member  of  Hart- 
ford Council,  No.  11.  He  married  Cath- 
erine Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Margaret  (Martin)  Connor  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  four  children :  i.  Laurence 
Stephen,  born  July  20,  1913.  2.  William 
J.,  Jr.,  bom  January  30,  1915.  3.  Margaret 
Connor,  born  October  23,  1916.  4.  Ste- 
phen, born  April  18,  1919.  With  his  fam- 
ily Mr.  Riley  attends  St.  Michael's  Roman 
Catholic  Church  of  Hartford  and  con- 
tributes to  its  support. 


PLUM,  Elihu  Henry, 

Agricaltnrist. 

The  Plum  family  was  early  in  Middle- 
town,  and  its  members  have  intermarried 
with  many  of  the  leading  pioneer  families. 
The  progressive  farmer,  whose  name 
heads  this  article  was  born  August  8, 
1877,  in  the  house  where  he  now  resides. 


206 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


near  the  crown  of  the  hill  on  East  Street, 
Westfield,  the  son  of  Loren  and  Charlotte 
(Roberts)  Plum. 

John  Plum  (Plume,  Plumb,  etc.),  born 
about  1603,  undoubtedly  in  England,  set- 
tled at  Saybrook,  Connecticut ;  he  married, 
1615,  name  of  wife  unknown;  she  died 
after  1650.  He  was  a  citizen  of  Wethers- 
field  September  i,  1636,  and  member  of  the 
church  there  in  1637.  In  the  same  year 
he  was  a  soldier  of  the  Pequot  War.  In 
1644  he  sold  out  thirteen  parcels  of  land, 
ranging  from  two  to  two  hundred  and 
four  acres  and  including  two  houses,  and 
removed  to  Branford,  where  he  died  in 
1648.  His  third  son,  Robert  Plum,  was 
born  1618,  and  was  among  the  original 
settlers  of  Milford,  Connecticut,  where  he 
died  after  1704.  He  married,  January  9, 
1642,  Mary  Baldwin,  born  April  22,  162 1, 
died  May  12,  1655.  Their  eldest  son, 
John  Plum,  born  July  12,  1646,  lived  at 
Milford  and  died  in  March,  1728.  He 
married,  November  24,  1668,  Elizabeth 
Norton,  and  their  son,  Benoni  Plum,  born 
about  1687,  lived  in  Milford,  where  he 
died  about  1744.  He  married,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1709,  Dorothy  Cole,  and  their  eldest 
child,  Samuel  Plum,  born  August  18,  1710, 
died  July  15,  1794.  He  married,  January  2, 
1735,  Patience  Ward,  daughter  of  John 
and  Margaret  Ward  of  Middletown,  and 
their  second  son,  Aaron  Plum,  was  born 
March  9,  1739.  He  was  a  farmer  in  the 
Westfield  section  of  Middletown,  where 
he  died  August  4,  1813.  He  married,  Jan- 
uary 25,  1776,  Mary  Cornmall,  who  was 
born  November  4,  1746,  daughter  of  Elisha 
and  Ann  (Johnson)  Cornmall,  died  Au- 
gust 24,  1813.  Elihu  Plum,  third  son  of 
Aaron  and  Mary,  was  born  September 
30,  1793,  and  engaged  in  agriculture  in 
Westfield  with  success.  He  attended  re- 
ligious services  at  the  Baptist  Church.  He 
married,  October  i,  1817,  Lucy  Paddock, 


who  was  born  December  30,  1797,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  and  Martha  (Loveland) 
Paddock  of  Middletown. 

The  well-known  Paddock  family  is  among 
the  oldest  in  New  England,  founded  by 
Robert  Paddock,  who  was  in  Plymouth, 
Massachusetts,  as  early  as  1643  ^nd  prob- 
ably earlier,  and  died  July  25,  1650,  in  Dux- 
bury.  His  second  son,  Zechariah  Paddock, 
born  March  20,  1636,  lived  in  that  part  of 
Barnstable  now  Yarmouth,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  died  May  i,  1727.  He  married 
Deborah  Sears,  daughter  of  Richard  Sears, 
who  had  a  wife  Dorothy,  and  lived  early  in 
Dartmouth,  Massachusetts.  Deborah  Sears 
was  born  there  in  September,  1639,  and  died 
August  17,  1732,  "lacking  about  a  month 
of  being  ninety-three  years  old."  She  was 
admitted  to  the  Second  Church  of  Yar- 
mouth by  letter  from  the  First  Church, 
August  6,  1727.  They  left  forty-eight 
grandchildren  and  thirty-eight  great- 
grandchildren, thirty  of  the  latter  de- 
scendants of  their  second  son,  Zechariah. 
Their  fourth  son,  Robert  Paddock,  was 
born  January  7,  1670,  and  lived  in  Yar- 
mouth. There  he  married,  March  6,  1702, 
Martha  Hall,  born  May  24,  1676,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Priscilla  (Pearce)  Hall. 
Seth  Paddock,  second  son  of  Robert  and 
Martha,  was  born  March  13,  1705,  in  Yar- 
mouth, and  married  there,  April  13,  1727, 
Mercy  Nickerson,  who  was  born  Novem- 
ber 22,  1706,  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth Nickerson  of  that  town. 

Zachariah  Paddock,  son  of  Seth  and 
Mercy  (Nickerson)  Paddock,  born  1728, 
was  the  first  of  the  family  in  Middletown, 
where  he  settled  as  early  as  175 1.  It  is 
evident  that  he  was  a  mechanic,  for  his 
first  purchase  of  land  included  only  one- 
fourth  acre,  for  which  he  paid  three  hun- 
dred pounds;  it  was  deeded  by  Samuel 
Warner,  Sr.,  dated  July  24,  1751.  He  sub- 
sequently   purchased    two    other    parcels 


207 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


from  Andrew  Bacon,  amounting  to  nearly 
forty-seven  square  rods.  He  died  in  Mid- 
dletown  May  13,  1800,  in  his  seventy- 
second  year.  He  married  Hannah  Smith, 
born  oti  Long  Island,  whose  mother,  Han- 
nah, was  married  (second)  to  John  Bird- 
sey  of  what  is  now  Middlefield.  Robert 
Paddock,  son  of  Zachariah  and  Hannah, 
was  born  November  10,  1760,  in  Middle- 
town,  and  died  there  January  30,  1844. 
He  married,  May  5,  1785,  Martha  Love- 
land,  born  July  4,  1767,  died  January  11, 
1854.  They  were  the  parents  of  Lucy 
Paddock,  wife  of  Elihu  Plum. 

Henry  Loveland  Plum,  the  son  of  Elihu 
and  Martha  (Loveland)  Plum,  was  born 
November  26,  1823,  in  Westfield,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  on  the  paternal  homestead, 
living  in  the  house — now  nearly  two  hun- 
dred years  old — nearly  opposite  the  pres- 
ent home  of  his  widow  and  his  grandson, 
Elihu  H.  Plum.  There  he  died  August  24, 
1863.  He  married,  October  i,  1845,  Lucy 
Ann  Coe,  descendant  of  an  ancient  and 
honored  Connecticut  family,  traced  to  an 
early  period  of  English  history : 

John  Coe,  of  Gestingthorpe,  County  Essex,  Eng- 
land, bom  about  1340,  in  that  town  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  III.  In  1412,  when  about  seventy  years 
old,  he  settled  his  affairs,  dying  in  the  the  follow- 
ing year.  He  was  the  father  of  John  Coo,  as  the 
name  was  then  spelled,  bom  about  1375,  died  in 
1425.  His  wife's  baptismal  name  was  Eleanor,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  John  Coo,  bom  about 
1400,  lived  at  Gestingthorpe,  and  died  after  1448. 
His  son,  Thomas,  born  about  1430,  died  in  1507, 
and  was  the  father  of  John  Coe,  born  about  1460, 
will  proved  in  1520,  at  Gestingthorpe.  He  mar- 
ried Joane,  daughter  of  Thomas  Golding,  and  was 
the  father  of  John  Coe,  born  about  1495,  died  in 
1533.  at  Gestingthorpe.  His  wife,  Margaret,  was 
the  mother  of  John  Coe,  bom  in  1523,  lived  at 
Maplestead  and  Wiston,  married  Dorothy.  Their 
youngest  son,  Henry  Coe,  born  in  1565,  lived  at 
Thorpe-Morieux,  died  in  1631.  His  wife,  Mary, 
died  the  same  year. 

Robert  Coe,  son  of  Henry  and  Mary,  was  the 
immigrant  ancestor  of  the  American  family.    He 


was  born  at  Thorpe-Morieux,  County  Suffolk, 
baptized  October  25,  1596.  In  1625  he  was  living 
at  Boxford,  County  Suffolk,  whence  he  came  to 
this  country  in  1634.  He  was  elected  overseer  of 
cloth  at  Boxford,  April  18,  1625,  and  was  quest- 
man of  the  Boxford  Church  in  1629.  He  sailed 
from  Ipswich,  County  Suffolk  England,  in  the 
ship  "Francis,"  with  his  family,  settled  at  Water- 
town,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  admitted  free- 
man September  3,  1634.  In  June  of  the  next  year 
he  went,  with  others,  to  settle  Wethersfield,  Con- 
necticut, being  dismissed  from  the  Watertown 
Church  May  29,  1635,  and  remained  there  about 
five  years.  In  November,  1640,  he  was  one  of  the 
fotmders  of  Stamford,  Coimecticut,  where  he  was 
a  magistrate  and  deputy  to  the  General  Court.  For 
eight  years  he  lived  at  Hempstead,  Long  Island, 
where  he  was  an  elder  of  the  church  and  magis- 
trate under  the  Dutch  government.  In  1652  he 
located  at  Newtown,  Long  Island,  and  was  there 
an  elder  of  the  church.  In  1653  he  was  sent  to 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  to  get  protection  from  the 
Indians,  and  in  the  same  year  went  on  the  same 
mission  to  New  Amsterdam.  In  1656  he  was 
among  the  founders  of  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  from 
1658  to  1664  was  magistrate.  In  1663  the  town 
owned  allegiance  to  Connecticut  and  next  year  he 
served  as  deputy  to  the  General  Court  at  Hart- 
ford. When  the  English  captured  New  Amster- 
dam, Robert  Coe  was  made  judge  of  the  Courts  of 
Oyer  and  Terminer  and  high  sheriff  of  Yorkshire. 
He  died  about  1689.  His  wife,  Mary,  who  accom- 
panied him  from  England,  was  the  mother  of  his 
children;  she  died  and  was  buried  October  27, 
1628,  in  Boxford.  Their  second  son,  Robert  Coe, 
born  at  Boxford,  baptized  there  September  19, 
1626,  did  not  go  to  Long  Island,  lived  in  Stratford, 
where  he  died  about  September,  1659.  He  married 
about  1650  Hannah  Mitchell,  who  was  baptized 
June  26,  1631,  at  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England, 
daughter  of  Matthew  and  Susan  (Butterfield) 
Mitchell.  She  came  with  her  parents  to  Wethers- 
field, where  she  met  her  first  husband.  She  mar- 
ried (second)  Nicholas  Elsey,  of  New  Haven, 
where  she  died  April  2,  1702.  John  Coe,  son  of 
Robert  and  Hannah,  born  May  10,  1658,  at  Strat- 
ford, lived  with  his  foster-father  at  New  Haven 
until  he  attained  his  majority  and  received  by  deed 
from  his  mother  his  father's  estate  at  Stratford. 
In  1685  he  exchanged  this  for  another  lot,  on 
which  he  built  a  house  and  lived  there  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  land  specula- 
tor, merchant,  miller,  innkeeper,  held  various  town 
offices,  including  representative,  was  lieutenant  and 


208 


I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


captain  of  militia  and  served  in  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  1708.  His  will,  dated  January  29, 
1740,  was  proved  May  s,  1741.  He  married, 
December  20,  1682,  Mary  Hawley,  born  July  10, 
1663,  in  Stratford,  died  September  9,  1731,  daugh- 
ter of  Lieutenant  Joseph  and  Catharine  (Birdsey) 
Hawley.  He  died  April  19,  1741.  Captain  Joseph 
Coe,  son  of  Captain,  John  and  Mary,  was  born 
February  2,  1687,  in  Stratford,  and  settled  at  Dur- 
ham, Connecticut,  in  1706.  There  he  filled  many 
stations  of  honor  and  responsibility,  including  rep- 
resentative, lieutenant  and  captain  in  T729,  and  died 
July  15,  1754.  He  married,  in  Durham,  November 
21,  1708,  Abigail  Robinson,  born  April  3,  1690,  in 
Guilford,  daughter  of  David  and  Abigail  (Kirby) 
Robinson,  died  July  6,  1775.  David  Coe,  second 
son  of  Joseph  and  Abigail,  was  born  February  18, 
1716,  in  Durham,  and  settled  in  Middlefield,  where 
he  was  a  prosperous  and  influential  farmer.  In 
1759  he  was  lieutenant  of  the  Sixteenth  Company, 
Sixth  Regiment  of  Militia,  and  captain  in  1764. 
Though  too  old  for  military  service  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, he  was  among  the  most  patriotic  supporters 
of  the  colonial  cause,  whose  triumph  he  enjoyed 
many  years,  dying  January  14,  1807.  He  married, 
in  1740,  Hannah  Camp,  born  November  15,  1720, 
died  October  16,  1808,  daughter  of  Nathan  and 
Rhoda  (Parsons)  Camp,  descended  from  Nicholas 
Camp,  born  before  1630,  in  England,  son  of  John 
and  Mary  Camp.  In  1638  he  came  from  Nasing, 
County  Essex,  was  at  Watertown,  Massachusetts ; 
at  Wethersfield,  Connecticut;  in  1639  was  at  Guil- 
ford and,  as  early  as  1646,  had  a  house  lot  of  six 
acres,  one  right  and  two  parcels  at  Milford,  Con- 
necticut. His  name  is  on  the  list  of  free  planters 
there  dated  November  20,  1639,  and  he  joined  the 
church  at  Milford,  November  2,  1643.  His  wife, 
Sarah,  died  September  6,  1645,  and  was  the  first 
white  adult  buried  at  Milford.  In  1670-71-72  his 
son,  Nicholas  Camp,  bom  1630,  was  representa- 
tive ;  was  taxed  on  £  199  of  property  at  Milford ; 
conducted  a  store  at  "the  West  End."  He  was 
accepted  an  inhabitant  of  Derby  in  May,  1673,  and 
died  at  Milford,  June  10,  1706.  He  married,  July 
14,  1652,  Katherine  Thompson,  widow  of  Anthony 
Thompson.  Joseph  Camp,  third  son  of  Nicholas 
and  Katherine,  was  bom  December  15,  1657,  in 
Milford,  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1677, 
and  died  May  20,  1750,  at  Milford.  He  married 
Hannah  Rogers,  bom  1664,  died  January  9,  1740, 
daughter  of  Eleazer  Rogers,  who  was  a  freeman 
at  Milford  in  1669.  The  eldest  son  of  Joseph 
and  Hannah  (Rogers)  Camp  was  Nathan  Camp, 
born   1690,   died  February  27,   1767.     He  was  an 

Conn.  11 — 14  209 


early  settler  in  Durham,  which  town  he  repre- 
sented in  the  General  Assembly  fifteen  years.  He 
married,  January  i,  1717,  Rhoda  Parsons,  born 
1694,  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  died  July  i, 
1767,  in  Durham,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rhoda 
(Taylor)  Parsons  of  Northampton  and,  late  in 
life,  of  Durham.  Hannah  Camp,  daughter  of 
Nathan  and  Rhoda,  became  the  wife  of  Captain 
David  Coe,  as  above  shown.  Cornet  Joseph  Par- 
sons was  an  associate  of  William  Pynchon  in  the 
settlement  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  and  his 
name  appears  on  a  deed  from  the  Indians  to  the 
colony,  July  15,  1636.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  Northampton,  one  of  the  first  purchasers  from 
the  Indians  there  in  1645.  He  accumulated  a  large 
estate  and  died  October  9,  1683.  He  was  a  son  of 
Sir  Thomas  Parsons,  and  came  from  Gravesend, 
England,  sailing  July  4,  1635,  in  the  ship  "Trans- 
port." He  married,  November  26,  1646,  Mary, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Margaret  (Ford)  Bliss, 
of  Hartford.  Their  son,  Samuel  Parsons,  was 
born  January  23,  1652,  in  Springfield,  and  went 
with  his  parents  to  Northampton,  whence  he 
removed,  in  1709,  to  Durham,  Connecticut.  He 
married  (second)  about  1691,  Rhoda,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Thankful  (Woodward)  Taylor.  Their 
daughter,  Rhoda,  became  the  wife  of  Nathan 
Camp,  as  previously  related. 

Jesse  Coe,  second  son  of  Captain  David  and 
Hannah  (Camp)  Coe,  born  November  14,  1743,  in 
Durham  (now  Middlefield),  was  a  farmer  in  the 
"South  Farms"  section  of  Middletown,  where  he 
died  October  25,  1824.  He  married  (third),  in 
1795,  Lucy,  widow  of  Samuel  Johnson,  born  April 
28,  1752,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Martha  (Mil- 
ler) Atkins.  Ezra  Coe,  seventh  child  of  Jesse  and 
Lucy  (Atkins)  Coe,  was  born  June  26,  1796,  in 
Middletown,  remained  on  the  paternal  homestead, 
which  he  inherited,  and  died  March  31,  1855.  He 
married  about  1816,  Phebe  Hubbard,  bom  about 
April  14,  1795,  died  May  s,  1870,  second  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Huldah  (Crowell)  Hubbard,  of 
West  Long  Hill,  Middletown.  She  was  a  sister  of 
Hon.  Alfred  Hubbard,  of  Long  Hill. 

Lucy  Ann  Coe,  daughter  of  Ezra  and  Phebe, 
became  the  wife  of  Henry  Loveland  Plum,  as 
hereinbefore  noted. 

Loren  Hubbard  Plum,  son  of  Henry  L. 
and  Lucy  A.  (Coe)  Plum,  was  born  April 
22,  1854,  in  Westfield,  and  continued  on 
the  paternal  farm  until  his  death,  which 
occurred    March  22,   1901.     He  attended 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  local  school  and  Daniel  Chase's  pre- 
paratory school  in  Middletown.  He  was 
successful  as  a  general  farmer,  giving  lit- 
tle attention  to  affairs  beyond  his  own 
domain,  though  he  felt  an  interest  in  the 
general  welfare,  and  attempted  to  fulfill 
the  duties  of  a  good  citizen.  He  embraced 
the  Universalist  faith  in  religion,  and 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Democratic 
party  in  politics.  He  married,  November 
21,  1876,  Charlotte  Roberts,  born  1857, 
died  July  2,  1886,  daughter  of  Elijah  and 
Mary  (Brock)  Roberts  of  Johnson  Lane 
district,  Middletown.  Elijah  Roberts  was 
a  son  of  Wickham  and  Sarah  (Johnson) 
Roberts  of  Johnson  Lane.  After  the  death 
of  Charlotte  (Roberts)  Plum,  Loren  H. 
Plum  married  Amelia  Starr,  now  wife  of 
Chauncey  W.  Roberts. 

Elihu  Henry  Plum  grew  up  on  the  old 
Plum  homestead,  attending  the  local 
school  and  Central  School  of  Middletown 
city.  Because  of  the  failing  health  of  his 
father,  he  was  early  obliged  to  take  charge 
of  the  operation  of  the  farm,  and  has 
since  continued  in  that  occupation.  A 
reader  and  intelligent  observer  of  events, 
he  keeps  abreast  of  the  times  and  is  recog- 
nized as  a  leader  in  agricultural  aflfairs. 
He  is  a  member  of  Westfield  Grange,  of 
which  he  has  been  several  times  Master, 
of  the  Pomona  and  National  granges.  For 
twenty-seven  years,  Mr.  Plum  has  en- 
gaged in  the  milk  business,  delivering  to 
customers  in  the  city.  He  acknowledges 
no  allegiance  to  blind  partizanship,  though 
a  supporter  of  Democratic  principles,  and 
seeks  no  political  favors.  While  a  Uni- 
versalist in  religious  faith,  he  supports 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  seeks  to 
further  every  moral  influence. 

He  married,  November  7,  1900,  Edna 
Scranton,  born  May  10,  1874,  in  North 
Madison,  Connecticut,  daughter  of  Alfred 
and   Emma    (Francis)    Scranton   of  that 


town.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plum  are  the  par- 
ents of:  I.  Marion  Frances,  born  No- 
vember 16,  1901.     2.  Loren  Alfred,  July 

16,  1903.     3.   Howard   Everett,   October 

17,  1914. 


SMITH,  Robert  Kemble, 

Business  Man. 

A  scion  of  an  old  and  distinguished 
family  both  in  the  paternal  and  maternal 
lines  and  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
progressive  American  business  man,  Rob- 
ert Kemble  Smith's  career  proves  that  this 
is  the  day  of  the  young  man,  and  that  it 
is  no  longer  necessary  to  reach  middle 
age  before  attaining  success.  Mr.  Smith 
was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  May 
29,  1890,  son  of  Charles  Howell  and  Kate 
(Kemble)  Smith.  The  immigrant  ances- 
tor of  the  family  was  Richard  Smith,  an 
original  proprietor  of  Lyme,  Connecticut, 
and  in  this  section  of  the  State  many  de- 
scendants of  this  worthy  man  are  still 
found.  Another  prominent  ancestor  was 
Elder  William  Brewster,  of  the  "Mayflow- 
er," and  through  the  maternal  lines,  de- 
scent can  be  traced  from  Samuel  Gorton, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of  War- 
wick, Rhode  Island.  The  great-grandfather 
of  Robert  Kemble  Smith  was  Elisha  Smith, 
of  East  Lyme,  and  he  served  in  the  War 
of  1812,  holding  the  rank  of  sergeant.  He 
married  Mary  Gorton,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  Charles  H.  Smith,  who  was 
born  in  East  Lyme,  October  27,  1828,  and 
died  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  May  24, 
1907.  He  lived  in  East  Lyme  until  he 
was  fourteen  years  old,  where  he  attended 
school  and  was  then  sent  to  Westfield, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  lived  with  his 
brother.  Rev.  William  Angus  Smith.  For 
two  years  Charles  H.  Smith  attended  the 
Westfield  Academy,  and  then  came  to 
Hartford,   and    became    associated    with 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


another  brother,  John  Gorton  Smith,  who 
had  been  engaged  in  the  dry-goods  busi- 
ness for  many  years.  The  store  owned 
by  the  latter  was  called  the  "Long  Brick 
Store"  and  there  many  merchants  who 
became  successful  in  later  years  served 
their  apprenticeship.  It  was  in  1844  that 
Charles  H.  Smith  entered  his  brother's 
employ,  and  from  this  year  until  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  identified  with  the 
mercantile  interests  of  the  city  and  sub- 
sequently was  among  the  representative 
merchants.  In  1851,  by  economy  and 
thrift,  Mr.  Smith  was  in  a  position  to  buy 
his  brother's  interests  in  business  when 
the  latter  removed  to  New  York  City. 
Twenty  years  later  ill  health  obliged  Mr. 
Smith  to  sell  his  store  to  the  firm  of 
Brown-Thomson  &  Company.  He  con- 
tinued to  be  active  in  financial  and  in- 
dustrial matters,  however,  and  was  a 
trustee  of  the  Connecticut  Trust  &  Safe 
Deposit  Company ;  a  director  of  the 
Phoenix  Insurance  Company ;  a  founder 
and  director  of  the  Smyth  Manufacturing 
Company.  In  1877,  Mr.  Smith  formed  a 
partnership  with  Edwin  D.  Tiffany,  and 
his  son,  Charles  Howell  Smith,  to  engage 
in  a  general  brokerage  business,  and  this 
relation  was  maintained  until  1894  in 
which  year  the  son's  death  occurred,  and 
the  same  year  the  father  resigned  his 
active  business  connections.  In  politics, 
Mr.  Smith  was  a  Republican  ;  a  member  of 
the  Connecticut  Historical  Society ;  the 
Hartford  Club,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
South  Congregational  Church.  He  trav- 
elled extensively  for  over  sixty  years. 

In  1852  he  married  (first)  Harriet  E. 
Hills,  a  daughter  of  Howell  R.  Hills,  a 
merchant  dealing  in  boots  and  shoes,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  one  son,  Charles 
Howell  Smith.  The  mother  died  in  1855, 
and  Mr.  Smith  married  (second)  in  1861, 
Jane  T.  Hills,  daughter  of  Ellery  Hills, 
also  a  prominent  merchant. 


Charles  Howell  Smith,  son  of  Charles 
and  Harriet  (Hills)  Smith,  was  born  in 
1853  ^"d  died  in  1894  at  the  early  age  of 
forty-one  years.  He  received  the  bene- 
fits of  a  broad  education  and  soon  after 
completing  school  was  associated  with 
his  father  and  later  was  a  partner  in  the 
brokerage  business.  He  was  also  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Valley  Railroad 
and  gave  promise  of  a  career  in  business 
that  would  equal  his  father's  if  it  had 
not  been  cut  short  by  his  untimely  death. 
Mr.  Smith  married  Kate  Kemble  of  Paw 
Paw,  Michigan,  and  they  were  the  par- 
ents of  Robert  Kemble  Smith. 

The  latter  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Hartford  and  the  Hotchkiss 
Grammar  School  at  Lakeville,  Connecti- 
cut. Later  he  was  a  student  at  Williams 
College,  and  soon  after  this  time  became 
identified  with  the  insurance  interests  of 
Hartford,  a  line  of  work  he  has  continued 
to  the  present  time.  He  was  associated 
with  the  Connecticut  Mutual  Life  Insur- 
ance Company  and  later  was  a  special 
agent  of  the  Travelers'  Insurance  Com- 
pany. In  1914  he  engaged  in  business  on 
his  own  account  as  a  general  insurance 
broker,  and  is  now  the  representative  of 
the  Western  Insurance  Company  of  To- 
ronto ;  the  Fidelity  and  Phoenix  Fire 
Insurance  Company  of  New  York  and 
several  Hartford  companies. 

A  few  years  ago  Mr.  Smith  added  real 
estate  to  his  other  business  and  at  this 
time  incorporated  as  the  Robert  K.  Smith 
Company,  Incorporated.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Hartford  Real  Estate  Board.  While 
at  college  he  became  a  member  of  the  fra- 
ternity, Chi  Psi ;  is  a  member  of  Wyllys 
Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons of  West  Hartford.  His  clubs  are: 
the  Hartford  Golf  and  the  Town  Fish 
and  Game  Club. 

Mr.  Smith  married  Marion  Calhoun, 
daughter    of    Louis    F.    Middlebrook  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Hartford.  Mrs.  Smith  is  prominent  in 
the  social  life  of  the  city  and  is  well  known 
in  golf  circles.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  are :  Lucius  Middlebrook, 
Katharine  Kemble,  Sally  Brinsmade.  The 
family  attends  Trinity  Episcopal  Church 
and  aids  in  its  support. 


ROBERTS,  David  Beaumont, 
Antomobile  Dealer. 

One  of  the  earliest  families  in  Connecti- 
cut history,  the  descendants  of  the  Roberts 
family  are  now  found  in  several  States  and 
are  among  the  useful  and  upright  citizens. 
This  family  was  founded  by  William 
Roberts,  son  of  Catherine  Leete  and  a  Mr. 
"Robards" ;  the  former  came  from  Mid- 
dletown,  Connecticut,  and  lived  near  the 
foot  of  Smith's  lane  on  the  Meadow  Hill, 
south  of  the  present  "Bridge  Road,"  the 
main  street  at  the  time  following  this 
meadow  bank.  William  Roberts  married 
Dorothy  Forbes,  daughter  of  Captain 
James  Forbes,  the  progenitor  of  the 
Forbes  family  in  East  Hartford,  and 
from  her  father  she  received  six  acres  of 
land.  On  this  plot  William  Roberts  built 
his  dwelling.  In  1703  he  served  as  the 
committee  of  the  minister's  house ;  in 
1709  he  deeded  land  and  a  saw  mill  and  in 
1729  he  deeded  all  his  land  to  his  son  Ben- 
jamin. William  Roberts  died  in  1734  or 
1735.  The  fifth  of  the  seven  children 
born  to  William  and  Dorothy  (Forbes) 
Roberts, 

(II)  Joseph  Roberts,  was  baptized 
August  II,  1700,  and  died  February  14, 
1774.  He  married  Mabel  Keeney,  who 
died  October  16,  1776,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years. 

(III)  Joseph  Roberts,  his  son,  married 
Thankful,  daughter  of  David  and  Mary 
(Hills)  Forbes;  she  died  May  28,  1820, 
aged  eighty  years.    Their  son. 


(IV)  Elisha  Roberts  was  born  April 
15,  1762,  and  baptized  on  the  eighteenth 
of  the  same  month,  and  died  April  19, 
1829.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Joshua  Risley,  and  her  death  occurred 
November  16,  1829.     Their  son, 

(V)  Joseph  Roberts  was  baptized  Au- 
gust 12,  1787,  and  died  July  7,  1838.  He 
married  Harriet,  daughter  of  James  Smith 
and  was  the  father  of 

(VI)  Edwin  Morrison  Roberts,  born  in 
East  Hartford,  where  he  was  baptized 
April  4,  1819,  and  died  in  1903.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  manufacturers  of  solid 
silver  knives,  forks  and  spoons  in  this 
country,  and  was  engaged  in  this  business 
until  about  twelve  years  before  his  death 
when  he  retired.  In  the  latter  years  the 
business  was  conducted  under  the  firm 
name  of  Edwin  M.  Roberts  &  Son.  Mr. 
Roberts  always  resided  in  East  Hartford 
where  he  was  active  in  politics,  and  a 
leader  in  town  afifairs.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Putnam  Phalanx  and  of  the  East 
Hartford  Masonic  Lodge.  Mr.  Roberts 
married  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  Russell 
Cowles  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  born  in 
1826,  died  in  1891. 

(VII)  Joseph  William  Roberts,  their 
son,  was  born  February  20,  1859,  and  was 
brought  up  in  the  environment  of  farm 
life.  He  became  a  partner  of  his  father  in 
the  silver  business  later  in  life,  and  their 
plant  was  located  near  where  the  present 
East  Hartford  depot  is  situated.  After 
about  four  years  in  the  silver  business, 
the  son  withdrew,  and  went  to  Bristol, 
Connecticut,  where  he  was  in  charge  of  a 
silver-plating  plant  which  he  installed  for 
the  Bristol  Brass  &  Clock  Company.  Mr. 
Roberts  was  there  two  years  and  then 
returned  to  East  Hartford  where  he  be- 
came associated  with  the  J.  B.  Williams 
Company  of  Glastonbury  in  their  cutlery 
department.     For  years  he  travelled  for 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


this  firm,  his  period  of  service  totaling 
thirty-two  years  until  his  death,  April  28, 
1914.  Mr.  Roberts  was  essentially  do- 
mestic in  his  tastes,  his  interests  outside 
his  business  centering  on  his  home  and  in 
the  church.  He  was  a  member  of  the  East 
Hartford  Congregational  Church  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Roberts  married,  October  27, 
1881,  Jeanette  Louise,  daughter  of  David 
and  Rebecca  (Allen)   Beaumont. 

(VIII)  David  Beaumont  Roberts  was 
born  January  6,  1882,  in  East  Hartford, 
and  from  a  very  early  age  showed  the 
dominant  business  instinct  which  has 
placed  him  among  the  prominent  business 
men  of  Hartford  and  East  Hartford  to- 
day. Mr.  Roberts  attended  Morse  Busi- 
ness College  after  completing  his  public 
school  course,  and  when  only  fourteen 
years  of  age  engaged  in  the  bicycle  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  handling  the 
Barnes  Cycle  and  the  Columbia  bicycle, 
and  sold  most  of  the  bicycles  that  were 
sold  in  East  Hartford.  After  five  years 
he  became  the  agent  of  the  Pope-Hartford 
automobile  in  Rockville,  Connecticut,  and 
was  among  the  earliest  auto  dealers  in 
Hartford  County.  Mr.  Roberts  was  lo- 
cated in  Rockville  for  eight  years  and  then 
took  the  agency  for  Ford  cars ;  he  came  to 
Hartford  in  1907  and  took  over  the  Buick 
agency  which  he  still  retains.  His  terri- 
tory covers  Hartford  and  Tolland  counties 
and  he  has  an  interest  in  three  other  Buick 
agencies.  In  192 1  Mr.  Roberts  built  a 
fine,  large  brick  garage  in  East  Hartford, 
which  is  the  headquarters  for  the  Buick 
cars,  and  which  has  also  materially  added 
to  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  of  East 
Hartford.  There  is  a  large  display  room 
taking  up  practically  the  whole  front  of 
the  garage.  On  the  side  is  a  wide  drive- 
way leading  to  the  rear  where  all  repairs 
are  made  and  there  is  also  a  used  car  de- 
partment dealing  entirely  in  Buick  cars. 


Mr.  Roberts  organized  the  Springfield 
Buick  Company  and  the  Greenfield  Buick 
Company,  both  of  which  companies  he 
still  directs.  The  Hartford  Buick  Com- 
pany was  organized  in  1909. 

Mr.  Roberts  has  ably  demonstrated 
that  it  is  not  necessary  to  seek  fields  far 
away  from  one's  birthplace  to  win  success 
in  the  business  world ;  opportunities  are 
right  at  hand  for  those  who  have  eyes  to 
see.  Other  business  interests  of  Mr. 
Roberts  include  the  New  England  Amuse- 
ment Company  of  which  he  is  the  organ- 
izer and  which  operates  a  theater  in  Hart- 
ford and  in  New  London.  He  has  also 
developed  several  real  estate  properties 
and  has  made  an  enviable  reputation  for 
good  judgment  in  seeing  business  oppor- 
tunities and  for  making  a  success  of  his 
undertakings. 

In  spite  of  the  many  demands  upon  his 
time  from  his  business  interests,  he 
showed  his  true  descent  from  the  early 
immigrants  when  he  enlisted  in  service 
during  the  World  War.  He  was  in  the 
air-plant  section  of  motor  production  and 
was  transferred  from  Washington  to  the 
production  department  of  the  Hispano- 
Suiza  Company  at  New  Brunswick,  New 
Jersey,  and  Elizabeth,  where  he  remained 
about  six  months  when  the  Armistice  was 
signed. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Roberts  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
of  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  of  Hartford.  He  finds  recreation  and 
profitable  pleasure  at  his  farm  in  Haddam 
where  he  makes  his  home  and  specializes 
in  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Shropshire 
sheep.  Each  year  he  exhibits  at  the  State 
Fair  at  Danbury  and  at  Springfield  and 
received  ribbons  from  both  places.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  American  Shropshire 
Association  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 


213 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Farm   Bureau   and   of  the   Farmers'   Co- 
operative Buyers  Company. 

Mr.  Roberts  married  Maude  I.,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Dunn  of  South  Manchester, 
Connecticut,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
two  children  :  Mabelle  and  Harry  Roberts. 

(The  Beaumont  Line). 

The  history  of  the  Beaumont  family  is 
closely  associated  with  the  history  of  East 
Hartford,  Connecticut.  Makens  Bemont, 
the  founder,  was  born  in  France  in  1743, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  from  Eng- 
land where  he  had  resided  for  a  time.  His 
occupation  was  a  saddler  and  he  made 
saddles  for  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  After  the  country  was  re- 
stored to  peace,  Makens  Bemont  contin- 
ued to  follow  his  trade  and  by  industry 
and  thrift,  combined  with  good  judgment, 
he  acquired  considerable  wealth  and  was 
among  the  prominent  and  substantial 
citizens  of  his  day.  His  wife,  Parmelia, 
was  born  in  1752  and  died  in  1832,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  seven  children 
of  whom  the  youngest  was : 

Elijah  Bemont,  born  in  East  Hartford, 
July  I,  1791.  He  attended  the  schools  of 
the  neighborhood  and  during  all  his  spare 
time  was  accustomed  to  work  about  his 
father's  place.  In  those  days  boys  were 
not  permitted  to  play  very  much,  as  their 
parents  believed  it  fostered  idleness.  Eli- 
jah Bemont  served  in  the  War  of  1812 
as  a  member  of  a  company  of  riflemen 
from  East  Hartford,  and  later  in  life  re- 
ceived a  pension  for  his  services.  He 
married,  November  i,  1841,  Electa,  born 
May  31,  1794,  daughter  of  James  and 
Eunice  (Rowley)  White.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  located  on  Burnside  Avenue  and 
entered  into  the  business  of  furnishing 
lumber  for  ships  and  fire  wood.  After  his 
sons  grew  to  manhood,  they  became  his 
assistants   and   their   business   grew  and 


prospered.  It  was  necessary  for  Mr. 
Bemont  to  make  a  trip  to  New  Bedford, 
Massachusetts,  a  ship-building  center,  and 
some  of  his  customers  bought  from  him 
for  forty  years  in  succession,  which  in 
itself  is  proof  of  his  integrity  and  upright 
business  dealings. 

David  B.  Beaumont,  son  of  Elijah  and 
Electa  Beaumont,  was  born  in  East  Hart- 
ford, August  20,  1831,  and  died  about 
1881.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  his  marriage.  For 
some  years  he  was  in  business  for  himself 
as  a  car  man  and  resided  in  Manchester, 
Connecticut.  He  later  engaged  in  the 
railroad  contracting  business  and  built 
part  of  the  Air  Line  Road  which  ran 
through  Shelburne  Falls  and  Greenfield, 
Massachusetts.  In  his  later  life  he  pur- 
chased a  small  place  near  the  homestead 
and  dealt  extensively  in  horses ;  he  had  a 
natural  love  for  animals,  especially  horses 
and  for  over  twenty  years  he  carried  on  a 
successful  business.  Mr.  Beaumont  mar- 
ried Emeline  Rebecca  Allen  of  Meriden, 
and  their  daughter,  Jeanette  Louise,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Joseph  William  Roberts, 
as  above  mentioned. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roberts 
were :  David  Beaumont,  of  extended  men- 
tion previously ;  Elizabeth  May,  wife  of 
Eugene  Oscar  Peabody  of  Philadelphia ; 
Erwin  Edward,  of  San  Diego. 


STOW,  James  Pomeroy, 

Town  and  Cit^  Official 

The  Stow  family  was  among  the  early 
residents  of  Middletown,  and  embraced  a 
large  progeny,  which  has  been  identified 
with  the  history  of  Middletown  and  Mid- 
dlefield,  and  Cromwell,  down  to  the  pres- 
ent time  (See  Bacon,  C.  S.).  The  first 
from  whom  the  descent  of  James  Pom- 
eroy  Stow   can  be  traced  was   Alanson 


214 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Stow,  born  about  1790,  who  engaged  in 
agriculture  through  his  life  in  the  town  of 
Cromwell.  His  first  location  was  in  "The 
Nooks"  then  a  popular  settlement  near 
the  present  factory  at  North  Cromwell. 
Subsequently  he  removed  to  what  is 
known  as  the  "Plains"  where  he  died 
October  15,  1864.  He  married,  February 
7,  1812,  Sally  Pardee,  who  was  a  native 
of  Cromwell  and  died  there  March  9,  1867. 
Their  second  son,  Asa  Bray  Stow,  born 
May  15,  1818,  in  what  is  now  Cromwell, 
early  turned  his  attention  to  business. 
Before  attaining  his  majority,  he  went  to 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  where  he 
resided  for  a  time  and  later  made  a  second 
trip  to  the  South,  where  he  engaged  in 
business.  He  became  a  painter  and  on 
the  second  return  to  his  native  State  was 
employed  in  that  capacity  for  a  time  at 
Meriden.  Later  he  conducted  a  paint 
shop  in  Middletown  and  in  time  formed  a 
partnership  with  William  Bogelt.and  car- 
ried on  an  extensive  business  as  a  decor- 
ator, many  fresco  paintings  of  Middlesex 
County  being  his  handiwork.  He  also 
conducted  a  wood  engraving  business,  and 
died  in  Middletown,  February  23,  1898, 
and  was  buried  in  Indian  Hill  Cemetery. 
He  was  one  of  the  three  original  corpo- 
rators of  that  home  of  the  dead  in  associ- 
ation with  Daniel  Chase  and  E.  F.  Shel- 
don. In  his  later  years,  Mr.  Stow  was 
engaged  in  developing  considerable  real 
estate  holdings  in  Middletown  and  was 
interested  in  the  summer  resort  at  Cres- 
cent Beach,  which  he  aided  largely  in 
building  up.  He  was  interested  in  mili- 
tary affairs,  was  a  member  of  the  Cadets 
and  subsequently  an  original  member  of 
the  Mansfield  Guard  of  Middletown,  a 
noted  militia  organization.  He  was  affili- 
ated with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  2,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  was  a  man  of  very 

2 


large  figure,  standing  six  feet  in  height 
and  weighed  two  hundred  and  forty 
pounds.  He  married.  May,  1843,  Maria 
Louise  Crossley,  who  was  born  May  22, 
1826,  in  Middletown,  eldest  daughter  of 
David  and  Maria  (Chamberlain)  Crossley 
of  that  town.  His  widow  continued  to 
reside  at  the  family  home,  No.  60  Ferry 
Street,  erected  in  1852,  until  May  i,  1901, 
when  she  went  to  reside  with  her  young- 
est son  in  Middletown.  Mr.  Stow  and 
wife  were  attendants  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Middletown,  of  which  Mrs. 
Stow  was  a  member. 

James  Pomeroy  Stow  was  born  August 
16,  185 1,  on  Ferry  Street  in  Middletown, 
where  he  grew  up,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity, from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1875.  As  a  boy  he  had  charge  of  his 
father's  books  and  subsequently  became 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Middletown 
Electric  Light  Company,  upon  its  organi- 
zation, continuing  in  that  capacity  for 
several  years,  after  which  he  became  gen- 
eral manager  and  continued  as  such  to 
July  I,  1896.  He  was  also  a  director  of 
the  E.  T.  Burgess  Cut  Glass  Company 
from  its  organization,  and  in  time  became 
its  secretary  and  treasurer.  In  1880  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  and  in  the  following  year  was 
made  clerk  and  treasurer  of  the  city  of 
Middletown,  in  which  capacity  he  has 
served  continuously  with  the  exception  of 
one  year.  He  was  also  treasurer  of  the 
town  of  Middletown  from  1881  to  1893, 
and  from  1895  to  1920,  when  another  was 
elected  to  that  office.  His  long  continu- 
ance in  these  various  capacities  of  re- 
sponsibility and  importance,  testify  to  his 
standing  as  a  business  man  and  his  popu- 
larity with  the  voters  of  his  native  town. 
This  is  especially  emphasized  by  the  fact 
that  he  is  a  Democrat,  while  the  normal 

15 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


majority  of  both  town  and  city  is  Repub- 
lican. In  1921  and  1923  he  was  nomi- 
nated by  both  parties,  being  elected  with- 
out opposition.  Mr.  Stow  is  a  life  trustee 
of  his  father's  estate  and  of  the  Middle- 
town  holdings  of  his  deceased  uncle, 
James  P.  Stow,  formerly  of  Meriden.  He 
continues  as  director  of  the  Middletown 
Electric  Light  Company  and  is  also  inter- 
ested in  various  social  organizations.  He 
is  a  member  of  Holy  Trinity  Church  of 
Middletown,  of  which  he  was  some  years 
treasurer,  is  now  secretary  of  Middletown 
Lodge  No.  2341,  New  England  Order  of 
Protection,  is  a  member  of  Central  Lodge 
No.  12,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  Souhegan  Encampment  No.  6, 
of  the  same  order ;  of  Middletown  Lodge 
No.  771,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks ;  of  Arawana  Tribe  No.  17,  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men  and  of  Mata- 
besset  Council  No.  12,  Order  of  United 
American  Men.  He  is  a  member  of  Mid- 
dletown Yacht  Club  and  also  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  is  ever  ready 
to  favor  any  movement  calculated  to 
benefit  the  interests  of  the  community  in 
general. 

Mr.  Stow  was  married,  October  17, 
1883,  to  Mary  Dyas  Stevens,  a  native  of 
Louisiana,  reared  in  Middletown,  daugh- 
ter of  Frederick  Stevens.  She  died  Janu- 
ary 8,  1910.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stow  were  the 
parents  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters : 
James  P.  Stow,  Jr.,  born  July  12,  1884, 
is  superintendent  of  construction  for  a 
large  contracting  firm  in  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania ;  Frederick  Stevens,  born 
October  9,  1886,  is  assistant  superintend- 
ent of  the  Baker  Dunbar  Allen  Company 
of  Pittsburgh ;  Dorothy  Mary,  born  No- 
vember 6,  1890,  is  the  wife  of  James  P. 
Hasselman,  an  instructor  in  the  college 
at  East  Lansing,  Michigan ;  Sarah  Nan- 
nette,  born  April   14,  1897,  was  married. 


October  5,  1922,  to  Rev.  Lloyd  Young 
Graham,  3d.,  rector  of  Grace  Church,  New 
York  City. 


SMITH,  ClifTord  Burr, 

Engineer. 

A  native  of  Middletown,  born  June  13', 
1879,  second  son  of  the  late  Herbert  E. 
Smith,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  well  known  English  family 
which  brought  the  art  of  jappanning  to 
this  country.  James  O.  Smith,  father  of 
Herbert  E.,  introduced  this  business  to 
Middletown,  and  founded  a  business  that 
is  still  in  successful  and  growing  oper- 
ation. 

Herbert  Edgar  Smith,  fifth  son  of  James 
O.  and  Mary  A.  (Smith)  Smith,  was  born 
January  28,  1849,  i"  the  Westfield  sec- 
tion of  Middletown,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools  until  fourteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
New  York  City.  There  he  was  a  student 
in  the  public  schools  and  the  College  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  graduating  from 
the  latter  institution  in  1871.  After  a 
post-graduate  course  in  civil  engineering 
at  Yale  Scientific  School,  in  1872  he  was 
employed  in  railroad  construction  at  Ft. 
Wayne,  Indiana,  and  later  in  Ohio,  on  the 
Continental  Railroad,  now  part  of  the 
New  York,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Line 
known  as  the  '"Nickel  Plate."  In  1873  he 
returned  to  his  native  place  and  became  a 
part  of  the  working  force  of  the  J.  O. 
Smith  Manufacturing  Company,  with 
which  he  continued  to  be  identified  until 
his  death.  May  11,  1904.  On  the  reorgan- 
ization of  the  concern  in  1878  he  became 
secretary  and  treasurer,  and  was  treasurer 
and  manager  many  years,  aiding  no  little 
in  building  up  the  business. 

Mr.  Smith  married,  April  21,  1874,  Ella 
Julia  Burr,  who  was  born  April  15,  1849 


216 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  Berlin,  Connecticut,  daughter  of  Julius 
W.  and  Julia  Ellen  (Cornwall)  Burr  of 
that  town.  Her  ancestors  were  among 
the  leading  citizens  of  Connecticut.  The 
founder  of  the  family  was  Benjamin  Burr, 
one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut.  The  first  evidence  of 
his  presence  in  America  appears  in  the 
land  division  in  Hartford  in  1639,  where 
he  is  spoken  of  as  an  original  proprietor 
and  settler,  indicating  that  he  was  there  in 
1635.  He  was  probably  in  Massachusetts 
before  that  time,  as  the  settlers  of  Hart- 
ford came  from  the  vicinity  of  Boston. 
His  allotment  in  the  division  of  1639  was 
six  acres,  and  in  1658  he  was  admitted 
freeman,  showing  that  he  was  then  a 
member  of  the  church.  It  is  apparent 
that  he  was  a  thrifty  and  well-to-do  man, 
as  he  owned  more  than  one  house  lot  in 
Hartford,  beside  houses  and  lands  at 
Greenfield  and  Windsor.  His  name  has 
been  given  to  one  of  the  streets  in  Hart- 
ford, where  he  died  March  31,  1681.  His 
name  appears  on  the  monument  to  the 
original  settlers  in  the  First  Church  cem- 
etery. His  son,  Samuel  Burr,  born  in 
England,  was  a  freeman  in  Hartford  in 
May,  1658,  and  he  died  there  September 
29,  1682,  leaving  a  good  estate,  whose  in- 
ventory value  was  placed  at  £541,  los. 
I  id.  He  married  Mary  Baysey,  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  Baysey,  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Hartford.  Jonathan  Burr, 
youngest  child  of  Samuel,  born  1679,  set- 
tled after  1696  in  Middletown,  Connecti- 
cut, where  he  united  with  the  First 
Church,  and  died  January  i,  1735.  He 
married  Abigail  Hubbard,  born  February 
16,  1686,  in  Middletown.  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Mary  (Earle)  Hubbard  and 
granddaughter  of  George  Hubbard,  found- 
er of  a  numerous  family  in  America  and 
a  pioneer  of  Middletown.  Nathaniel  Burr, 
third  son  of  Jonathan   and  Abigail,  was 


born  March  23,  1717,  in  Middletown,  set- 
tling in  the  adjoining  town  of  Haddam, 
where  he  was  a  farmer,  built  a  house  on 
the  present  site  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  died  September  12,  1802.  He  married 
(second),  August  19,  1743,  Sarah  Por- 
ter, who  was  born  October  28,  1724,  died 
May  21,  1797.  The  name  of  his  first  wife 
is  unknown.  His  fourth  son,  Jonathan 
Burr,  born  April  11,  1756,  in  Haddam, 
joined  the  Continental  Army  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  and  became  a  corpo- 
ral in  the  company  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Martin  Kirtland,  in  Colonel  Erastus 
Wolcott's  regiment.  After  his  discharge 
from  the  army  he  engaged  in  farming, 
was  captain  of  the  local  militia  company 
and  died  February  10,  1804.  He  married 
Lydia  Bailey,  and  their  fifth  son,  Daniel 
Burr,  was  a  farmer  and  contractor  resid- 
ing in  Haddam,  where  he  died  in  1833. 
He  married  Betsey  Wilcox,  and  their  sec- 
ond son  was  Julius  Wilcox  Burr.  The 
latter,  born  June  21,  1822,  in  Haddam, 
began  learning  the  blacksmith  trade  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years.  He  settled  in  Ber- 
lin, Connecticut,  and  was  among  the 
founders  of  the  Peck,  Stowe  &  Wilcox 
Company  of  East  Berlin.  He  was  also  a 
director  of  the  Berlin  Bridge  Company 
and  was  active  in  the  management  of  the 
J.  O.  Smith  Manufacturing  Company  of 
Middletown.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  a  consistent  Re- 
publican in  political  principle,  essentially 
a  business  man  with  no  itch  for  office,  a 
good  neighbor  and  useful  citizen.  He 
married,  October  i,  1845,  Julia  Ellen 
Cornwall,  born  November  21,  1823,  in 
Middletown,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Lu- 
cinda  (Miller)  Cornwall.  Ella  Julia  Burr, 
daughter  of  Julius  W.,  became  the  wife  of 
Herbert  E.  Smith,  as  previously  related. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons :  i. 
Herbert  Eugene,  died  in  infancy.    2.  Clif- 


217 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ford  B.     3.  Edson  Eugene,  who  died  in 
March,  1913,  aged  thirty-one  years. 

Clifford  Burr  Smith,  second  and  only 
surviving  son  of  Herbert  E.  and  Ella  J. 
(Burr)  Smith,  born  June  13,  1879,  in 
Westfield,  grew  up  there  and  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  town,  in- 
cluding the  high  school,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1896.  He  began  his 
business  career  as  a  draughtsman  appren- 
tice in  the  office  of  the  Berlin  Iron  Bridge 
Company  of  East  Berlin.  Here  he  ap- 
plied himself  diligently  and  made  rapid 
progress,  finding  the  work  agreeable  to 
his  taste.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years,  in  1902,  he  was  employed  in  the 
construction  of  the  Hudson  River  Tun- 
nels in  New  York,  often  called  the  Mc- 
Adoo  tunnels,  because  they  were  the 
result  of  the  genius  and  steadfast  deter- 
mination of  William  G.  McAdoo.  After 
several  years  in  this  employment,  Mr. 
Smith  returned  to  Connecticut  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Berlin  Construc- 
tion Company,  which  is  engaged  in  the 
erection  of  bridges  and  other  iron  and 
steel  structures.  Here  he  has  continued 
to  the  present  time,  sound  evidence  of 
his  capability  and  faithfulness.  He  occu- 
pies a  pleasant  residence  on  Mt.  Vernon 
Street,  Middletown,  and  endeavors  to  ful- 
fill the  duties  of  a  good  citizen.  Though 
not  a  blind  partizan,  he  usually  supports 
the  efforts  of  the  Republican  party  in 
securing  capable  and  upright  government. 
He  is  vice-president  of  the  J.  O.  Smith 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  is  identified 
with  various  Masonic  bodies  up  to  the 
thirty-second  degree,  through  Scottish 
Rite.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge, 
No.  2,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons ;  Washington  Chapter,  No.  6,  Royal 
Arch  Masons ;  Cyrene  Commandery,  No. 
8,  Knights  Templar  ;  Columbia  Council ; 
and     Sphinx    Temple,    Ancient    Arabic 


Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of 
Hartford.  Through  descent  from  Michael 
Smith,  he  is  a  member  of  the  New 
York  Society,  Sons  of  the  Revolution. 
Mr.  Smith  married,  April  12,  1909,  Bessie 
E.  Burns,  born  January  13,  1882,  in  West- 
field,  daughter  of  Edgar  H.  and  Laura 
Edith  (Mildrum)  Burns,  the  former  a 
native  of  Westfield  and  the  latter  of  East 
Berlin,  Connecticut.  Mr.  Burns  is  an 
active  and  useful  citizen  of  Westfield, 
identified  with  the  J.  O.  Smith  Manufac- 
turing Company  as  foreman. 


SPEAR,  William  Perkins, 
Merchant. 

A  native  of  Middletown,  Mr.  Spear  is 
continuing  the  mercantile  business  estab- 
lished by  his  father  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury since,  in  that  town.  Aaron  Spear, 
grandfather  of  William  Perkins,  was  born 
in  1827,  near  Frankfurt,  Germany,  and 
came  to  America  before  1850,  settling  in 
Hartford,  Connecticut.  Having  little 
capital,  he  started  out  in  business  in  sell- 
ing goods  from  a  pack  which  he  bore  on 
his  back.  He  persevered  and,  in  time, 
saved  sufficient  capital  to  engage  in  busi- 
ness in  the  city,  having  a  partner,  under 
the  style  of  Spear  &  Kohn.  They  con- 
ducted a  general  store  on  Asylum  Street, 
and  were  started  on  a  successful  career 
when  an  unfortunate  accident  closed  Mr. 
Spear's  life.  In  i860,  while  passing  a 
building  under  construction,  he  was 
struck  by  a  falling  board  studded  with 
nails,  some  of  which  penetrated  his  brain, 
and  led  to  his  death  within  a  short  time. 
At  first  he  seemed  to  recover,  but  his 
death  occurred  suddenly  soon  after,  and 
was  attributed  to  his  injuries.  Soon  after 
coming  to  Hartford,  he  brought  his  par- 
ents from  Germany  to  that  city.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1854,  Nannie  Kohn,  who  was  born 
18 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


January  3,  1834,  in  the  same  locality  as 
himself.  On  his  death  the  widow  was 
left  with  three  sons  to  rear  and  care  for, 
the  eldest  being  seven  years  old  and  the 
youngest  a  babe.  With  limited  means, 
she  performed  her  task  well,  lived  to  see 
her  sons  well  established  in  business,  and 
able  to  bless  her  last  years  with  every 
comfort.  In  1890  she  moved  from  Hart- 
ford to  Middletown,  where  she  died  Feb- 
ruary ID,  1899. 

Isaac  Spear,  second  son  of  Aaron,  was 
born  December  25,  1858,  in  Hartford,  and 
there  attended  school  until  twelve  years 
of  age,  when  he  started  out  to  earn  his 
livelihood,  with  such  aids  as  his  natural 
ambition,  energy  and  industry.  His  first 
employment  was  in  the  store  of  Bernhard 
Levy  in  Hartford,  as  utility  boy,  at  the 
salary  of  two  and  one-half  dollars  per 
week.  Here  he  continued  eight  years, 
in  that  period  acquiring  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  business,  becoming  buyer  for 
the  store  and  enjoying  a  salary  of  eighteen 
dollars  per  week.  That  was  long  before 
the  World  War  had  established  the  pres- 
ent ruling  wages  and  prices.  He  became 
very  proficient  as  a  sign-writer,  and  now 
determined  to  engage  in  business  on  his 
own  account.  His  savings  had  gathered  a 
little  capital,  but  his  employer  gave  such 
material  aid  as  to  prove  the  integrity  of 
the  young  man,  as  well  as  to  testify  to  his 
business  ability.  Mr.  Levy  introduced 
him  to  wholesale  dealers  in  New  York 
and  guaranteed  his  bills,  which  was  a 
wonderful  aid  to  one  about  to  launch  in 
business.  After  looking  about  Mr.  Spear 
decided  to  establish  a  store  in  Middle- 
town,  and  the  result  justified  his  judg- 
ment, for  he  was  immediately  successful. 
His  first  location  was  on  the  east  side  of 
Main  Street,  in  the  building  where  his 
sons  are  now  conducting  business.  In 
1880  his  brother,  Jacob  Spear,  joined  him. 


and  since  that  date  the  business  has  been 
conducted  under  the  name  of  Spear 
Brothers.  In  1886  the  store  was  moved 
to  Nos.  400  to  402  Main  Street,  and  there 
continued  until  after  the  death  of  both 
proprietors.  Two  enlargements  of  the 
building  were  made  in  their  time  and  the 
scope  of  the  business  was  extended.  In 
1890  Jacob  Spear  retired  and  the  younger 
brother,  Simon  Spear,  took  his  place.  He 
died  May  29,  1921.  Isaac  Spear  was  a 
member  of  the  Middletown  Board  of 
Trade  from  its  organization.  He  died 
June  19,  1921.  Mr.  Spear  married,  April 
15,  1891,  in  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts, 
Caroline  Elizabeth  Pitman,  a  native  of 
that  city,  born  March  i,  1864,  daughter  of 
George  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Perkins)  Pit- 
man. George  W.  Pitman,  born  in  Fall 
River,  was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and 
married  (recorded  in  Newport,  Rhode 
Island),  April  i,  1850,  Elizabeth  Perkins, 
of  New  Bedford,  whose  paternal  grand- 
father, Henry  Perkins,  was  a  member  of 
the  famous  "Boston  Tea  Party,"  which 
demonstrated  the  determination  of  the 
colonists  to  resist  the  tax  on  tea,  one  of 
the  movements  which  precipitated  the 
American  Revolution.  Later,  Henry 
Perkins  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution. 
The  Pitman  family  had  several  repre- 
sentatives early  in  New  England.  At  the 
comparatively  recent  date  when  English- 
men took  surnames  the  founder  of  this 
family,  probably,  dwelt  near  a  pit  or  was 
employed  in  one.  In  the  Hundred  Rolls 
of  1273  Johannes  Piteman  is  mentioned. 
A  family  of  the  name  was  seated  at  Dun- 
chideock-house.  County  Devon,  for  sev- 
eral generations,  and  appears  in  the 
parish  registers  from  1552,  Geoflfrey  Pit- 
man was  sheriflf  of  SufTolk  County  in 
1625,  and  the  name  appears  in  Yorkshire 
pedigrees.  The  arms  of  the  Suffolk  fam- 
ily are :    Gules  two  poleaxes  in  saltire  or. 


219 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


headed  argent,  between  four  mullets  of 
the  last.  Crest,  a  Moor's  arm  proper 
escarroned  gules  and  or,  advancing  a  pole- 
axe,  handle  or,  headed  argent.  Thomas 
Pitman,  born  1614,  and  Mark  Pitman, 
born  1622,  were  early  at  Marblehead, 
Massachusetts.  William  Pitman,  born 
1632,  settled  at  Oyster  River,  New  Hamp- 
shire. Nathaniel  Pitman  was  at  Salem, 
Massachusetts,  as  early  as  1639.  John 
Pitman  settled  at  Charlestown  in  1658. 

As  far  as  known,  the  first  of  this  fam- 
ily was  Henry  Pitman,  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Nassau,  Bahama  Islands  (about 
1666),  where  he  built  a  dwelling  and 
made  considerable  improvements,  and 
died  at  the  end  of  fifteen  years.  His  son 
John  Pitman,  born  1663,  lived  for  some 
time  on  the  plantation  established  by  his 
father,  established  a  shipyard  and  built 
several  vessels,  continuing  on  New  Prov- 
idence Island  until  his  house  was  burned 
by  the  French  and  Spaniards  in  July, 
1703.  For  seven  years  he  lived  on  the 
other  islands  and,  in  1710,  moved  to  New- 
port, Rhode  Island,  where  he  died  No- 
vember 21,  171 1,  aged  forty-five  years. 
His  wife,  Mary  Saunders,  survived  him 
ten  days,  dying  December  i,  171 1.  Their 
graves  are  marked  by  a  double  stone  in 
the  old  cemetery  at  Newport.  They  had 
seven  sons.  The  third,  Benjamin  Pitman, 
was  born  1697,  on  New  Providence,  was 
a  freeman  at  Newport  in  1741,  and  died 
September  12,  1762.  His  wife,  Mary, 
died  November  19,  1746,  aged  forty-nine 
years.  They  had  five  sons.  The  second 
of  these,  John  Pitman,  lived  in  Newport, 
where  he  died  December  27,  1768.  He 
married,  May  6,  1750,  Abigail,  daughter 
of  Andrew  and  Abigail  (Plaisted)  Nich- 
ols. She  was  admitted  to  Dr.  Stiles' 
Church,  November  10,  1771,  and  her  four 
surviving  children  were  baptized  at  the 
same  time,  namely :  John,  Mary,  Thomas 


Gilbert  and  Benjamin.  The  eldest  of 
these,  John,  born  June  27,  1757,  died  May 
25,  1809,  was  the  father  of  Charles  Pit- 
man, first  postmaster  at  Fall  River.  John 
Pitman  married  Nancy  Bennett,  born 
1756,  died  September  16,  1828. 

Charles  Pitman,  born  March  3,  1790,  in 
Newport,  went  to  Fall  River  early  in  the 
history  of  that  place  as  a  city  and  was  its 
first  postmaster,  opening  the  first  mail 
February  12,  181 1.  Subsequently  he  was 
a  farmer  and  successful  merchant.  He 
was  the  father  of  George  W.  Pitman, 
whose  daughter  became  the  wife  of  Isaac 
Spear,  as  previously  related.  Mrs.  Spear 
died  June  26,  1909,  and  was  buried  at  New 
Bedford.  She  was  a  member  of  the  South 
Congregational  Church.  She  was  the 
mother  of  three  sons,  George  Pitman, 
William  Perkins  and  Robert  Lyndon. 
The  eldest  died  unmarried  in  1917.  The 
others  receive  further  mention  below. 

William  Perkins  Spear  was  born  June 
5,  1896,  in  Middletown,  and  graduated 
from  the  city  high  school  in  1914,  after 
which  he  was  a  student  at  Lehigh  Uni- 
versity. In  1917  he  entered  the  store  of 
which  he  is  now  senior  proprietor,  and 
has  since  given  his  attention  to  business, 
meantime  giving  considerable  time  to 
public  affairs.  His  public  spirit  is  re- 
markable, and  he  is  often  called  to  pub- 
lic service  in  many  ways.  For  thirteen 
months  he  was  in  the  air  service  of  the 
United  States  during  the  recent  World 
War.  Since  then  his  share  in  the  social, 
benevolent  and  fraternal  activities  of  Mid- 
dletown has  been  an  important  one.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  South  Church ;  of 
Central  Lodge,  No.  12,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows ;  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  2, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Washington 
Chapter,  No.  6,  Royal  Arch  Masons ; 
Cyrene  Commandery,  No.  8,  Knights 
Templar;   and    Sphinx   Temple,   Ancient 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine 
of  Hartford.  He  is  a  member  of  the  col- 
lege fraternity,  Sigma  Phi,  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  member  of  executive  com- 
mittee Community  Service,  chairman  of 
the  merchants'  committee  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  and  president  of  the  Mid- 
dlesex County  Republican  Club.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  common  council  of 
the  city,  and  has  flattering  political  pros- 
pects. Of  genial  nature,  engaging  manners 
and  frank  and  upright  character,  he  easily 
gains  and  holds  enduring  friendships. 

Mr.  Spear  married,  August  4,  1917, 
Viola  Starr,  who  was  born  June  8,  1896, 
in  Butler,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Matthewson  and  Isabella  (Orr) 
Starr.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spear  are  the  par- 
ents of  two  daughters,  Caroline  Elizabeth 
and  Patricia. 


SPEAR,  Robert  Lyndon, 
Merchant. 

The  youngest  son  of  Isaac  Spear,  born 
May  25,  1898,  in  Middletown,  Mr.  Spear 
has  been  identified  with  the  business 
founded  by  his  father  from  an  early  age. 
After  graduating  from  the  city  high 
school  in  1917,  he  permanently  entered 
the  store  where  he  has  continued  to  the 
present  time.  He  has  charge  of  the 
books  of  the  firm  and  is  buyer  for  the  mil- 
linery department.  Wide  awake  and  ener- 
getic, he  has  made  himself  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  details  of  the  busi- 
ness, is  courteous  and  efficient,  thus  pro- 
moting the  continued  prosperity  of  the 
store  so  long  ago  established  by  Isaac 
Spear.  In  1923  the  brothers  purchased 
the  building  in  which  their  father  began 
business  and  now  occupy  a  double  store, 
with  numerous  departments,  a  thoroughly 
modern    establishment,  catering    to    the 


most  critical  custom  of  the  city  and  main- 
taining the  original  policy  which  has  car- 
ried the  concern  along  through  more 
than  half  a  century  of  success.  Mr.  Spear 
is  identified  with  social  and  fraternal 
organizations,  thus  taking  part  in  those 
movements  calculated  to  advance  the  in- 
terests of  the  community  and  the  best 
uplifting  agencies.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  South  Congregational  Church,  of  the 
Middletown  City  Club,  and  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  A  consistent  Republican  in 
principle,  he  has  never  sought  any  part 
in  political  movements,  beyond  the  nat- 
ural duty  of  a  good  citizen,  in  caucusing 
and  voting.  His  influence  is  always  with 
what  he  deems  the  right.  Mr.  Spear  is 
affiliated  with  the  great  Masonic  frater- 
nity, which  seeks  to  inculcate  sound  prin- 
ciples and  aid  in  promoting  the  progress 
of  the  world,  and  is  a  member  of  its  lead- 
ing bodies,  including  St.  John's  Lodge, 
Washington  Chapter,  Cyrene  Command- 
ery  of  Middletown,  and  Sphinx  Temple, 
Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  of  Hartford.  He  married, 
July  22,  1921,  Clara  Hedin,  who  was  born 
in  Portland,  Connecticut,  daughter  of  the 
late  Edwin  P.  and  Emilie  (Martin)  Hedin, 
natives  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  respect- 
ively. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spear  have  a  son, 
Robert  Lyndon  Spear,  Jr. 


REYNOLDS,  Wilson  S., 

Antomobile   Dealer. 

The  successful  career  of  Mr.  Reynolds 
cannot  be  described  as  a  lucky  accident, 
because  it  is  the  result  of  his  own  initi- 
ative, industry  and  intelligent  action. 
From  worthy  leading  men  and  women 
among  his  forebears,  he  has  inherited 
those  qualities  which  make  for  personal 
progress  and  esteem  among  one's  fellows. 
The  family  was  founded  in  America  by 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


John  Reynolds,  born  about  1625-30  in 
England.  The  name  in  early  New  Eng- 
land records  appears  as  Renalds,  Ranals, 
Runnels,  and  in  other  forms.  John  Rey- 
nolds appears  first  of  record  in  Wey- 
mouth, Massachusetts,  where  he  was 
granted  five  acres  in  the  first  division  of 
land,  December  14,  1663.  This  was  the 
seventy-seventh  lot  from  the  Braintree 
line,  and  he  received  an  additional  fifteen 
acres  in  the  second  division  of  the  same 
date.  He  sold  out  his  holdings  in  the 
autumn  of  1664  and  in  the  spring  of  1665 
located  in  Westerly,  Rhode  Island.  Here 
he  suffered  hardship  and  oppression  be- 
cause of  the  dispute  with  Connecticut 
about  the  boundary.  He  soon  removed 
to  Stonington  and  purchased  one  hundred 
acres  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mintucket 
River,  January  28,  1677.  ^^  received  a 
grant  of  fifty  acres  May  25,  1679,  and  one 
hundred  acres  adjoining  March  8,  1680. 
Again,  November  14,  1690,  he  received 
twelve  acres.  He  died  late  in  that  year. 
He  married  Anne,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Holbrook  of  Weymouth.  Their  young- 
est child,  John  Reynolds,  born  about  1662, 
received  the  homestead  in  consideration 
of  care  of  his  parents  in  their  old  age.  In 
1701  he  exchanged  this  property  for  a 
large  tract  of  wild  land  near  Lake  Amos, 
in  Preston,  and  subsequently  acquired 
other  tracts.  His  property  was  divided 
among  his  children  before  his  death, 
which  occurred  April  13,  1734.  His  wife, 
Abigail,  was  received  in  the  Stonington 
Church,  April  2,  1689,  and  was  living  in 
1733.  He  was  received  in  full  communion 
at  Stonington,  May  29,  1705.  Their  third 
son,  Jonathan  Reynolds,  was  baptized 
June  21,  1700,  in  Stoningfton  and  lived  in 
Preston,  where  he  cared  for  his  aged  par- 
ents, inherited  the  homestead  and  died 
January  7,  1743.  He  married  (second), 
April  6,  1727,  Hannah  Tracy,  born  April 


27,  1709,  daughter  of  Christian  and  Lydia 
(Parrish)  Tracy.  Ebenezer  Reynolds, 
fifth  son  of  Jonathan,  born  February  24, 
1738,  bought  land  in  Stonington,  was  an 
innkeeper  and  farmer  near  the  line  be- 
tween north  Stonington  and  Griswold, 
and  died  December  16,  1820.  He  married, 
October  27,  1759,  Sarah  Eggleston,  a  de- 
scendant of  Joseph  Eggleston  who  set- 
tled in  North  Stonington  about  1670.  He 
died  August  26,  1826.  Their  third  son, 
Jonathan  Reynolds,  born  November  6, 
1778,  was  an  innkeeper  and  farmer  in 
Stonington,  died  August  16,  1839,  in 
Franklin  and  was  buried  in  Stonington. 
He  married,  in  1795,  Susanna  Billings, 
born  January  19,  1775,  died  February  10, 
1829,  daughter  of  Peleg  and  Mary  (Stan- 
ton) Billings,  granddaughter  of  Robert 
and  Mary  Billings,  great-granddaughter 
of  John  and  Mary,  great-great-grand- 
daughter of  John  and  Hannah  (Thomp- 
son) Billings.  The  last  named  John  was 
son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Lord)  Bil- 
lings. Hannah  Lord  was  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Dorothy  Lord,  of  Hartford, 
in  1636. 

Henry  Billings  Reynolds,  eldest  child  of 
Jonathan  and  Susanna  (Billings)  Rey- 
nolds, was  born  October  19,  1796,  in 
Preston,  was  a  teacher  in  early  life  and 
also  went  to  sea  as  supercargo.  In  1830 
he  settled  on  a  large  farm  on  Brown  Hill 
in  Lyme,  where  he  continued  nine  years, 
after  which  he  purchased  another  farm 
which  he  tilled  until  1854.  He  died  De- 
cember 17,  1876,  in  Lyme.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  North  Lyme  Baptist 
Church  and  an  exemplary  and  useful 
citizen.  He  married,  March  27,  1825, 
Mandana  Merriss,  born  February  4,  1808, 
daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  Merriss.  She 
died  April  25,  1871.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  Ephraim  Otis  Reynolds,  who  was 
born  July  29,  1837,  in  Lyme  and  was  edu- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cated  in  the  local  public  schools  and  Con- 
necticut Literary  Institute  at  Suffield.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  engaged  with 
an  uncle  at  North  Stonington,  to  learn  the 
art  of  carriage  building.  In  1857  he  lo- 
cated at  the  village  of  Hamburg,  in  the 
town  of  Lyme,  where  he  continued  in  the 
business  of  building  carriages  and  wagons 
for  a  period  of  thirty-five  years.  This  he 
sold  out  in  1893  and  thereafter  conducted 
a  general  store  in  Lyme  until  his  retire- 
ment in  1908.  From  this  time  he  resided 
in  the  town  of  Essex,  where  he  died  May 
26,  1916.  He  married  Aurelia  Hayden,  a 
native  of  Hamburg. 

Wilson  S.  Reynolds,  third  son  of  Eph- 
raim  O.  and  Aurelia  (Hayden)  Reynolds, 
was  born  June  10,  1864,  in  Lyme,  and  has 
long  been  an  influential  citizen  of  Middle- 
sex County,  especially  active  in  political 
councils,  a  leader  in  the  Republican  party. 
His  education  was  begun  in  the  public 
schools  near  his  birthplace  and  he  was 
later  a  student  at  the  Connecticut  Literary 
Institute,  like  his  father  before  him.  As 
a  youth  he  was  accustomed  to  assist  in 
the  shops  of  his  father  and  he  almost  un- 
consciously acquired  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  details  of  the  work  and  busi- 
ness. Before  attaining  his  majority  he 
spent  four  years  in  operating  a  sawmill 
in  Lyme.  In  1886  he  moved  to  Middle- 
town  and  was  there  employed  as  a  jour- 
neyman carriage  builder  by  J.  B.  Evans. 
Eight  years  later  he  returned  to  Lyme  and 
was  engaged  in  agriculture  for  a  period  of 
three  years.  In  1897  he  again  located  in 
Middletown,  where  he  has  since  been 
active  in  business,  with  the  success  natur- 
ally accruing  to  one  of  his  industry  and 
enterprise.  He  operated  a  shop  where 
wagons  and  carriages  were  built  and  re- 
paired, and  which  was  several  times  en- 
larged. In  1905,  when  the  automobile  had 
come  into  general  use,  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  handling  this  modern  vehicle. 


this  necessitating  further  enlargement  of 
his  space  and  equipment  for  handling  and 
repairing.  A  department  for  horse-drawn 
vehicles  is  still  maintained,  and  the  agency 
for  some  of  the  best  makes  of  motor  ve- 
hicles is  operated,  as  well  as  a  large  re- 
pairing plant.  The  continual  growth  of  the 
business  testifies  to  his  good  manage- 
ment and  fair  business  methods.  While 
actively  pursuing  his  own  business,  Mr. 
Reynolds  has  not  failed  to  keep  abreast  of 
the  times,  and  to  perform  his  share  in 
maintaining  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity. He  is  a  charter  member  of  Mid- 
dletown Lodge,  No.  771,  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  Central  Lodge,  No.  12,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  and 
Apollo  Lodge,  No.  35,  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  has  been  for  several  years  a  member  of 
the  Middletown  Volunteer  Fire  Depart- 
ment, and  has  performed  something  of  his 
public  duty  as  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil of  Middletown,  in  which  he  served  two 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Cen- 
tral Committee  of  the  Republican  party, 
active  and  influential  in  its  councils,  and 
was  alternate  delegate  to  the  National 
Convention  at  Chicago  in  1920,  which 
placed  in  nomination  the  late  Warren  G. 
Harding  for  the  office  of  president. 

Mr.  Reynolds  was  married,  September 
27,  1888,  to  May  Belle  Warner,  who  was 
born  July  14,  1867,  third  daughter  of 
Zebulon  Brockway  and  Harriet  Miranda  . 
(LaPlace)  Warner  of  Lyme.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Reynolds  are  the  parents  of  two 
daughters,  Hester  Wilson  and  Helen  Wal- 
lace. The  elder  daughter  is  a  capable 
assistant  in  the  office  of  her  father. 


HUBBARD,  Robert  Paddock, 
Agricnltnrist. 


The  ancestry  of  Mr.  Hubbard  is  a  long 
and  noteworthy  one,  beginning  in   Con- 


223 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


necticut  annals  with  George  Hubbard 
who  settled  in  Hartford  as  early  as  1639, 
and  since  including  many  pioneer  fam- 
ilies and  leading  citizens  down  through 
the  generations.  In  the  paternal  Hne,  he 
belongs  to  a  family  noted  for  stalwart 
men,  both  physically  and  mentally,  men 
of  sound  judgment,  industrious  and  suc- 
cessful, contributors  to  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  community,  and  respected  by 
their  contemporaries.  His  maternal  an- 
cestors may  well  be  included  in  the  same 
class.  As  shown  elsewhere,  intermar- 
riages since  the  first  settlement  of  Mid- 
dletown  have  brought  to  Mr.  Hubbard  the 
inheritance  of  many  valuable  qualities 
and  made  him  a  leader  among  his  fellows. 
Among  the  pioneer  names  still  or  recently 
well  known  in  Middletown,  in  this  list,  are 
those  of  Miller,  Roberts,  Stocking,  Sears, 
Hedges,  Tryon,  Crowell,  Hubbard  (sev- 
eral lines),  Wetmore,  Hall,  Savage,  Corn- 
wall, Bacon  and  Paddock.  His  mother, 
Julia  Ann  Paddock,  was  descended  from 
Robert  Paddock,  who  was  in  Plymouth, 
Massachusetts,  as  early  as  1643,  ^"^  prob- 
ably earlier  (see  Bacon,  L.  P.,  for  ex- 
tended history  of  the  generations).  Rob- 
ert Paddock  was  the  father  of  Zachariah 
Paddock,  born  March  20,  1636,  died  in 
Yarmouth,  1727.  His  son,  Robert  Pad- 
dock, born  January  17,  1670,  lived  in  Yar- 
mouth, married  Martha  Hall,  and  they 
were  parents  of  Seth  Paddock,  born  1705 
in  Yarmouth,  married  Mercy  Nickerson 
and  lived  in  that  town.  Zachariah  Pad- 
dock, son  of  Seth  and  Mercy,  born  1728, 
was  the  first  of  the  family  in  Middletown, 
where  he  bought  a  lot  in  1751.  His 
sixth  son,  George  Paddock,  born  in  Mid- 
dletown, was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  South  Church,  owner  of  much  city 
property,  and  a  pioneer  settler  in  Herki- 
mer County,  New  York,  and  other  sec- 
tions of  the  Empire  State.     He  married 


Mary  Wetmore,  second  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain John  and  Mercy  (Bacon)  Wetmore, 
born  May  12,  1771,  and  they  had  fourteen 
children.  The  fourth  son  and  eighth 
child  was  Robert  Paddock,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Middletown,  who  married.  May 
5,  1785,  Martha  Loveland,  born  July  4, 
1767,  baptized  July  12,  1767,  daughter  of 
John  and  Susan.  Their  youngest  and 
sixth  daughter,  Julia  Ann,  born  April  12, 
1812,  on  South  Main  Street,  Middletown, 
became  the  wife  of  Hon.  Alfred  Hubbard. 

Robert  P.  Hubbard,  fourth  son  of  Al- 
fred and  Julia  A.  (Paddock)  Hubbard, 
was  born  March  6,  1847,  in  the  brick  house 
on  West  Long  Hill,  now  occupied  as  a 
residence  by  his  brother,  Frank  C.  Hub- 
bard. The  district  school  of  the  neigh- 
borhood supplied  his  early  education,  and 
he  attended  the  private  school  of  Daniel 
H.  Chase  in  Middletown  during  one  win- 
ter, while  farm  labor  was  partially  sus- 
pended. Later  he  was  a  student  at  the 
famous  Eastman's  Business  College  in 
Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1866.  He  now  deter- 
mined to  engage  in  some  independent 
occupation  and  his  father,  noting  this, 
presented  him  with  ten  acres  of  land.  On 
this  small  tract  he  set  to  work,  and  his 
industry  and  determination  brought  him 
further  encouragement  from  relatives.  He 
was  soon  able  to  purchase  more  land 
from  his  father,  and  by  purchase  and  ulti- 
mate inheritance  he  became  the  possessor 
of  one  hundred  acres  of  very  desirable 
land  on  West  Long  Hill,  where  he  contin- 
ues to  reside  and  is  one  of  the  most  active 
men  of  his  age  to  be  found  anywhere. 

In  his  long  and  busy  career  he  has  cul- 
tivated a  variety  of  crops,  and  otherwise 
demonstrated  his  shrewdness  and  alert- 
ness. In  his  early  experience  he  gave 
considerable  attention  to  sheep  raising, 
and  had  a  flock  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 


224 


I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


animals.  He  also  made  a  business  of  buy- 
ing and  fattening  calves  for  market.  For 
many  years  he  cultivated  tobacco  and  has 
produced  much  sweet  corn  for  seed.  One 
who  visits  his  fine  farm  is  apt  to  find  him 
busily  engaged  in  the  regular  labors  of 
agriculture,  and  will  also  find  him  an  in- 
telligent observer  of  events,  well  informed 
on  leading  questions  of  the  day.  In  1871 
he  constructed  barns  which  were  burned 
in  1893,  causing  a  loss  of  three  thousand 
dollars.  These  have  been  rebuilt  and,  in 
1890,  he  erected  a  handsome  modern  house 
which  is  supplied  with  all  conveniences. 
From  a  spring  on  the  hillside  near  his 
home,  water  is  supplied  to  house  and 
barn,  as  well  as  tenant  houses,  supplying 
three  families.  His  orchards  include  de- 
sirable small  fruits,  as  well  as  peaches  and 
apples.  Mr.  Hubbard  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Mattabessett  Grange,  Patrons  of 
Husbandry,  of  which  his  late  wife  was  a 
member,  and  affiliates,  as  she  did,  with 
the  South  Congregational  Church  of  Mid- 
dletown.  In  politics  he  usually  supports 
Democratic  principles,  but  is  independent 
of  party  dictation  and  supported  both 
Roosevelt  and  Harding  for  the  presidency. 
Not  a  seeker  for  political  preferment,  he 
has  consented  to  serve  his  town  as  a  mat- 
ter of  civic  duty,  and  has  acted  as  select- 
man and  assessor,  also  on  a  committee  of 
four  in  appraising  public  property. 

Mr.  Hubbard  married,  November  4, 
1875,  Margaret  Stewart  Kelsey,  who  was 
born  December  7,  1852,  in  Middletown, 
daughter  of  Lewis  L.  and  Caroline  A. 
(Camfield)  Kelsey.  Mrs.  Hubbard  passed 
away  May  20,  1920.  She  was  the  mother 
of  four  children,  namely :  Lewis  Kelsey, 
died  of  typhoid  fever  while  pursuing  a 
course  at  Cornell  University ;  Alfred,  an 
unfortunate  invalid ;  Julia  Augusta  and 
Caroline  Kelsey,  the  filial  companions  of 
an  honored  father. 

Conn.  11 — 15 


PATTEN,  D.  Walter, 

Scientific  Agriculturist. 

The  strength  of  Connecticut  rests  on 
its  devoted  and  dependable  citizens  of  to- 
day, who  are  in  many  cases  born  of  fine 
old  New  England  families  long  ago  estab- 
lished in  the  same  traditions  of  public 
service.  This  is  true  of  D.  Walter  Patten, 
His  grandfather,  David  Patten,  was  born 
October  20,  1775,  at  Mottville,  Connecti- 
cut, and  died  in  Salem,  Connecticut,  July 
19,  1857.  He  married,  January  6,  1805, 
Francis  Dodge,  born  March  4,  1784,  died 
April  17,  1861,  and  they  were  the  parents 
of  six  children:  i.  David  G.  Patten,  born 
December  10,  1805.  2.  Francis  C.  Patten, 
born  August  24,  1808.  3.  Sally,  born  De- 
cember 9,  1810.  4.  John,  born  January  26, 
1815.  5.  Lucy  Jane,  born  January  5,  1818. 
6.  Daniel  A.,  born  May  25,  1823.  The 
youngest  of  these,  Daniel  A.  Patten,  was 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
a  Republican  in  politics,  selectman  for  a 
term  in  North  Haven.  He  married  Mary 
Belcher  Hyde,  of  Lyme,  born  October  30, 
1835,  died  December  17,  1904,  daughter  of 
William  Hyde,  Congregational  minister 
at  Westbrook,  and  his  wife,  Martha  Sock- 
ett  Hyde.  Daniel  A.  Patten  died  July 
26,  1887.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
biographical  record  is  one :  Henry  W. 
Patten,  born  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut, 
June  14.  i860;  David  Walter,  born  Febru- 
ary 7,  1862,  of  further  mention ;  Fanny 
Patten,  born  January  28,  1865,  died  young ; 
Lillian  W.  and  Marion  T.,  born  October 
17,  1870,  and  still  surviving. 

David  Walter  Patten  was  born  in  North 
Haven,  Connecticut.  He  acquired  his 
education  in  North  Haven,  at  the  private 
school  of  Miss  Eunice  Linsley,  and  at 
Bacon  Academy  in  Colchester.  For  a 
time  he  taught  at  General  Russell's  school. 
225 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


He  then  completed  his  education  at  Shef- 
field Scientific  school,  of  Yale  University, 
graduating  with  the  class  of  1887.  Most 
of  his  business  life  was  connected  with 
farming  and  fruit  growing.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  General  Association,  1899 ; 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture ;  of  the  State  Pomological  Society  ;  of 
the  State  Dairy  Association.  Later  he 
was  first  selectman,  and  town  agent  for 
twenty-five  years.  For  one  term  also  he 
was  representative  and  clerk  of  the 
committee  of  incorporations.  Mr.  Pat- 
ten was  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
Republican  Club,  a  charter  member  of  the 
North  Haven  Grange.  Like  most  of  his 
family,  he  is  of  the  Congregationalist 
faith,  being  a  member  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church,  of  North  Haven. 

D.  Walter  Patten  married,  October  16, 
1889,  in  North  Haven,  Erminie  I.  Emley, 
born  in  East  Haddam,  Connecticut,  Feb- 
ruary I,  1867,  who  survives  her  husband. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  George  I.  and 
Martha  (Chapman)  Emley.  Her  father, 
born  July  14,  1841,  died  February  28, 1921, 
and  fought  for  four  years  during  the  Civil 
War  with  the  Tenth  Connecticut  Volun- 
teers. Her  mother  died  May  20,  1908,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patton 
were  the  parents  of  children:  i.  Edna  I., 
born  October  23,  1890,  educated  in  the 
North  Haven  public  and  high  schools, 
with  normal  training  at  New  Britain 
Normal  School,  who  taught  at  the  Patton 
School  in  Middletown  for  three  years ; 
now  married  to  Ivan  H.  Bradley.  2.  Mabel 
S.,  born  October  30,  1893,  "ow  Mrs.  Dan 
Edward  Parmlee.  3.  Martha  A.  Patten, 
born  December  13,  1899,  educated  in  the 
North  Haven  public  and  high  schools, 
employed  by  the  Security  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  New  Haven,  married,  June  7, 
1924,  to  Mr.  Erik  A.  Hillborn  of  Walling- 
ford,  Connecticut,  assistant  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Wallingford. 


Mr.  Patten  died  November  19,  1921.  A 
man  well-informed  in  his  chosen  field  of 
scientific  agriculture  and  its  allied  sub- 
jects, he  devoted  all  his  ability  and  train- 
ing to  the  public,  and  much  of  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Connecticut  farmer  today 
is  due  to  his  eflforts.  A  kindly,  generous, 
man,  he  was  loved  by  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact,  and  he  left  a  host  of 
devoted  friends  and  fellow  citizens. 


STODDARD,  Orrin  Edwin, 
Grain  Merchant. 

A  descendant  of  Revolutionary  ancestry 
and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  Orrin  E. 
Stoddard  embodied  the  best  elements  of 
American  citizenship.  The  family  of 
Stoddard  has  been  traced  to  the  time  of 
William  the  Conqueror,  and  was  ancient- 
ly written  "de  la  Standard."  When  the 
Normans  invaded  England,  under  Wil- 
liam, his  cousin,  William  Stoddard,  ac- 
companied him.  The  coat-of-arms  of 
the  family  are: 

Arms — Sable,  three  estoiles  and  bordure  gules. 
Crest — Out   of    a    ducal    coronet    a   demi-horse 
salient  ermine. 
Motto — Festina  lente. 

As  early  as  1490  the  family  had 
an  estate  of  about  four  hundred  acres 
near  Elthan  in  Kent  about  seven  miles 
from  London  Bridge,  and  continued  to 
hold  it  until  the  death  of  Nicholas  Stod- 
dard, a  bachelor,  in  1765.  The  first  of  the 
name  in  America  was  Anthony  Stoddard, 
who  came  from  England  to  Boston  about 
1639,  was  admitted  freeman  the  follow- 
ing year  and  was  representative  twenty- 
three  years,  twenty  years  successively, 
from  1665  to  1684. 

John  Stoddard,  born  1612,  came  to  Hing- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  in  1638,  was  at  New 
London,  Connecticut,  as  early  as  1650,  and 
died   1676,  leaving  a  widow    (who  later 


226 


iUj/iypT^a:>  a)/a:Xdcu 


OL^ 


j 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


married  John  Thompson)  and  sons,  Rob- 
ert, Ralph,  and  Thomas.  The  son  Robert 
born  1652,  was  living  in  that  part  of  New 
London  now  Groton,  in  1712.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Mortimer,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  Mortimer  of  New  London, 
where  Thomas  Mortimer  was  constable  in 
1680,  and  died  March  11,  1710.  Robert 
Stoddard  (2)  son  of  Robert  Stoddard  (i) 
born  1700,  baptized  August  8,  1703,  and 
lived  in  Groton.  He  married,  December 
21,  1727,  Bathsheba  Rogers,  born  March 
I,  1708,  in  New  London,  died  there,  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1753,  daughter  of  John  and 
Bathsheba  (Smith)  Rogers,  granddaugh- 
ter of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Griswold) 
Rogers,  great-granddaughter  of  James 
Rogers,  patriarch  of  a  most  numerous 
pioneer  family. 

Mark  Stoddard,  fifth  son  of  Robert  and 
Bathsheba  (Rogers)  Stoddard,  was  born 
October  10,  1743,  in  Groton,  where  he 
made  his  home.  He  was  among  the  de- 
fenders of  his  country  in  the  Revolution, 
serving  as  sergeant  in  the  loth  Company 
(Captain  Abel  Spicer),  6th  Regiment 
(Colonel  Samuel  Holden  Parsons)  from 
May  8  to  December  18,  1775,  and  par- 
ticipating in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
He  married,  December  9,  1767,  Lucy  Al- 
lyn,  born  January  30,  1748,  fourth  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  and  Hannah  (Avery)  Al- 
lyn,  died  July  29,  1831  ;  granddaughter  of 
Robert  and  Deborah  (Avery)  Allyn,  and 
of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Ransford) 
Avery.  Stephen  Stoddard,  son  of  Mark 
and  Lucy  (Allyn)  Stoddard,  was  born 
March  18,  1788,  in  Groton,  in  which  town 
he  was  a  farmer,  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  and  served  in  various 
town  offices.  He  married,  in  1810,  Sarah 
Morgan,  born  July  21,  1788,  a  daughter 
of  Stephen  and  Parthenia  (Parke)  Mor- 
gan. Both  Stephen  Stoddard  and  his  wife 
lived  to  a  great  age.    They  were  the  par- 


ents of  Stephen  Morgan  Stoddard,  born 
April  21,  181 1,  in  Groton.  In  early  life 
he  was  a  whaler,  later  settled  down  to 
farming  in  Ledyard,  which  was  set  off 
from  Groton  in  1836.  There  he  died  in 
1880.  He  married,  in  1838,  Henrietta  Al- 
lyn, born  1811-12,  daughter  of  Roger  and 
Henrietta  (Morgan)  Allyn,  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years. 

Orrin  Edwin  Stoddard,  second  son  of 
Stephen  M.  and  Henrietta  (Allyn)  Stod- 
dard, was  born  July  9,  1843,  '"  Ledyard, 
and  died  in  Middletown,  June  27,  1920. 
He  grew  up  on  the  paternal  farm  and  at- 
tended the  local  public  school  until  eight- 
een years  of  age,  when  he  laid  aside  home 
duties  to  go  to  the  defense  of  his  country's 
integrity.  In  October,  1861,  he  enlisted 
and  became  a  member  of  Company  K, 
1 2th  Regiment,  Connecticut  Volunteers, 
and  spent  two  years  in  Louisiana,  on  the 
Mississippi  and  Red  Rivers.  He  was 
among  the  brave  and  persistent  ones  who 
captured  Port  Hudson  after  one  of  the 
most  sanguine  battles  of  the  war.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  with  General  Sheridan 
in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  where  he  was 
made  a  prisoner  by  the  Confederate 
forces.  After  a  short  incarceration  in  the 
notorious  Libby  Prison  and  at  Salisbury, 
North  Carolina,  he  was  paroled.  This 
prevented  further  activity  on  his  part,  but 
he  was  promoted  lieutenant  for  bravery 
exhibited  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  was 
discharged  from  military  service  May  3, 
1865,  and  returned  to  his  native  town. 
Soon  after  he  went  to  California  and  en- 
gaged in  wheat  raising  in  Contra  Costa 
County,  twenty  miles  from  the  present 
city  of  Oakland,  where  he  continued  four 
years.  Returning  to  Connecticut,  he 
was  employed  two  years  in  a  factory 
in  Hartford.  In  1871  Mr.  Stoddard  be- 
came a  resident  of  Middletown,  where 
he  continued  many  years  very  actively 
227 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


engaged  in  business  as  a  partner  of 
George  T.  Meech,  under  the  name  of 
Meech  &  Stoddard.  This  business  was, 
in  time,  incorporated  and  is  still  among 
the  most  successful  enterprises  of  the 
city.  The  industry  and  sound  business 
principles  of  the  partners  caused  the  busi- 
ness to  grow,  and  Mr.  Stoddard  contin- 
ued an  active  factor  in  its  progress  until 
his  retirement  on  account  of  impaired 
health  in  1903.  For  many  years  his  home 
was  on  Pleasant  Street,  Middletown, 
where  he  enjoyed  a  well-earned  retire- 
ment. He  held  the  esteem  and  respect  of 
a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  contempo- 
raries. Mr.  Stoddard  held  membership 
in  the  local  encampment  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  which  he  had 
represented  in  the  State  Encampment.  In 
its  day  of  usefulness,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Middletown  Board  of  Trade,  was  a 
faithful  attendant  of  the  South  Church, 
and  all  his  life  a  steadfast  Republican  in 
political  association.  At  one  time  he  was 
the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  office 
of  alderman,  and  was  defeated  by  only 
one  vote ;  not  a  seeker  of  political  honors, 
this  caused  him  no  chagrin. 

Orrin  E.  Stoddard  was  married.  May  21, 
1872,  to  Martha  Billings,  who  was  born 
September  9,  1853,  in  Ledyard,  and  died 
October  30,  1923,  in  Middletown,  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  Allyn  and  Margaret  (Allyn) 
Billings  of  that  town.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  South  Congregational  Church  and 
of  Wadsworth  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.  James  A.  Billings 
was  born  February,  1821,  in  Groton,  and 
died  December,  1896,  in  Ledyard,  where  he 
was  a  teacher  in  early  life  and  a  farmer.  He 
married,  in  1852,  Margaret  J.  Allyn,  who 
was  born  November  17,  1834,  daughter 
of  Abel  and  Polly  (Hakes)  Allyn.  Four 
daughters  complete  the  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stoddard,  namely:    i.  Mary  B.,  wife 


of  William  Gordon  Murphy,  residing  in 
Garden  City,  New  York.  2.  Grace  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  C.  Hadlai  Hull  of  New  Lon- 
don. 3.  Anna  Belle,  wife  of  Walter  E. 
Jones  of  Middletown.  4.  Henrietta  Al- 
lyn, graduated  from  Smith  College,  and  is 
the  wife  of  Robert  Martin,  residing  on 
Staten  Island,  New  York. 


THOMPSON,  Finton, 

Artisan. 

Not  a  little  of  the  stamina,  intelligence 
and  persistence  of  America  are  contrib- 
uted by  citizens  of  foreign  birth,  stable 
and  patriotic,  who  appreciate  the  oppor- 
tunity and  liberty  which  our  country  af- 
fords. In  County  Queens,  Ireland,  lived 
for  many  generations  the  family  of 
Thompson,  on  the  same  farm  to  the  pres- 
ent time.  This  farm  is  at  Ballyfen,  where 
lived  and  died  Finton  Thompson  and  his 
wife,  Jane   (Little)  Thompson. 

Thomas  Thompson,  son  of  Finton  and 
Jane  (Little)  Thompson,  was  a  black- 
smith at  Stradbally,  born  1835  at  Bally- 
fen, died  December  31,  1913,  in  Middle- 
town,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  Late  in 
life  he  followed  his  son  to  America,  where 
his  last  days  were  passed  in  quiet  com- 
fort. In  Ireland  he  married  Elizabeth 
Tynan,  daughter  of  William  Tynan,  a 
blacksmith,  who  lived  and  died  at  Strad- 
bally. His  wife,  Elizabeth  Gafifney,  fol- 
lowed her  children  to  America,  accom- 
panied by  her  mother,  who  was  a  Lawler. 
The  latter  is  buried  in  Middletown. 

Finton  Thompson,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Elizabeth  (Tynan)  Thompson,  was  born 
April  19,  1869,  in  Stradbally,  and  lost  his 
mother  when  very  small.  Under  the  in- 
structions of  his  father  and  grandfathe- 
he  became  master  of  the  blacksmith's 
trade  and,  when  a  lad  of  seventeen  years, 
he  came  to  America  and  made  his  home 


228 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  Middletown,  Connecticut.     In  1887  he      of   the   National   Association    of    Horse- 


entered  the  employ  of  John  Coleman,  a 
blacksmith  of  Meriden,  now  deceased,  and 
after  two  and  one-half  years  engaged  with 
the  Berlin  Iron  Bridge  Company  at  East 
Berlin,  Connecticut.  There  he  continued 
until  1892,  when  he  became  associated 
with  G.  F.  Peckham,  who  operated  a  shop 
on  Court  Street,  Middletown,  since  which 
time  he  has  continued  in  business  there. 
In  time  he  became  a  partner  with  his 
former  employer  and,  when  the  latter  re- 
tired, Mr.  Thompson  became  sole  propri- 
etor, including  the  ownership  of  the  prop- 
erty occupied.  This  he  sold  in  192 1,  and 
moved  to  Center  Street,  where  he  may 
now  be  found  in  business  hours.  Through 
his  skill  and  industry,  Mr.  Thompson  has 
made  his  own  way  and  is  now  reckoned 
among  the  enterprising  and  public-spir- 
ited men  of  the  growing  city  of  Middle- 
town.  In  191 1  he  purchased  his  hand- 
some home  at  186  Washington  Street,  and 
he  is  also  the  owner  of  the  large  house  at 
the  corner  of  Broad  and  Washington 
streets.  His  worth  has  been  recognized 
by  his  contemporaries,  and  he  has  re- 
cently been  called  upon  to  serve  on  a  very 
important  committee  to  revise  the  entire 
assessment  system  of  the  city.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  water  commis- 
sioners of  the  city,  and  is  ever  ready  to 
contribute  his  share  in  promoting  the 
progress  and  welfare  of  his  home  com- 
munity. He  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  common  council,  and  has  long  been 
a  member  of  the  O.  V.  Coffin  Hook  and 
Ladder  Company,  a  very  efficient  volun- 
teer fire  company.  He  is  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  St.  John's  Roman  Catholic  Church  ; 
of  Forest  City  Council,  No.  3,  Knights  of 
Columbus,  of  which  he  has  been  a  trustee  : 
of  Division  No.  i,  Ancient  Order  of  Hi- 
bernians and  is  now  president  of  the 
county  organization ;  he  is  also  a  member 


shoers,  and  at  one  time  was  the  secretary 
of  the  State  organization  of  that  body. 
In  political  registration  he  is  listed  among 
the  Democrats,  but  his  patriotism  ex- 
tends far  beyond  the  boundary  of  partizan 
lines. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  married,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1898,  to  Abigail  Dennan,  who  was 
born  November  24,  1870,  in  Moodus,  Con- 
necticut, daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ellen 
(Pumfrey)  Dennan,  natives  of  County 
Cork,  Ireland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson 
are  the  parents  of  a  worthy  son,  Thomas 
Finton,  who,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
became  manager  of  the  Middletown 
branch  of  the  Elmer  Automobile  Com- 
pany of  Hartford  and  continues  in  that 
position. 


BRAINERD,  Erastus  LeRoy, 

Civil  Engineer. 

A  scion  of  one  of  the  most  prolific  fam- 
ilies in  Connecticut,  Mr.  Brainerd  was 
born  May  5,  1881,  in  Portland,  son  of 
LeRoy  Brainerd.  The  founder  of  the  fam- 
ily in  America  was  Daniel  Brainerd,  a 
pioneer  settler  of  Haddam.  James  Brain- 
erd, second  son  of  Daniel,  born  June  2, 
1669,  in  Haddam,  was  a  farmer  there,  a 
deacon  of  the  church,  ensign  and  cap- 
tain of  militia,  representative  in  171 1,  and 
from  1726  to  1737,  and  died  February  10, 
1743.  He  married,  April  i,  1696,  De- 
borah Dudley,  of  Saybrook,  born  Novem- 
ber II,  1670,  died  July  22,  1709,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Mary  (Poe)  Dudley. 
Abiah  Brainerd,  third  son  of  James  and 
Deborah,  born  November  26,  1705,  in 
Haddam,  was  a  farmer  at  Haddam  Neck, 
and  died  in  September,  1782.  Fle  mar- 
ried, December  28,  1727,  Esther  Smith,  of 
Haddam,  born  November  20,  1706,  daugh- 
ter   of    Simon    and    Elizabeth     (Wells) 


229 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Smith.  Simon  Brainerd,  second  son  of 
Abiah  and  Esther,  was  a  farmer  in 
Chatham  (now  Portland),  built  saw  and 
grist  mills,  and  died  after  September  ii, 
1806.  He  married  Hepsibah,  daughter  of 
.  Nathaniel  Spencer  of  Haddam,  and  their 
fourth  son  was  Silas  Brainerd.  He  was 
born  April  12,  1767,  in  Chatham  and  was 
a  carpenter,  living  successively  in  East 
Haddam,  Catskill  and  other  points  in 
Greene  County,  New  York,  dying  July  20, 
1847,  in  Middle  Haddam.  He  opened 
stone  quarries  in  Saugerties,  New  York. 
His  wife  was  Lucinda  Brainerd,  born  in 
1765,  died  April  9,  1816,  daughter  of  Jo- 
siah  and  Lois  (Hurlburt)  Brainerd,  of 
Haddam  Neck. 

Erastus  Brainerd,  eldest  son  of  Silas 
and  Lucinda,  born  October  16,  1791,  bap- 
tized February  5,  1792,  in  Portland  (then 
part  of  Chatham),  was  one  of  the  most 
active  and  useful  citizens  of  his  native 
place,  and  died  June  15,  1861.  The  first 
to  develop  the  famous  brownstone  quar- 
ries of  Portland  on  an  extensive  scale, 
he  continued  to  be  interested  in  their  oper- 
ation until  his  death.  He  was  a  director 
of  the  Middletown  Bank  from  1847  to 
1861,  vice-president  of  the  agricultural 
society  in  1858-59,  representative  in  1843- 
1844,  and  one  of  the  corporators  of  the 
Union  Mills.  He  married,  December  25, 
1815,  Mary  Wells  Stancliff,  born  Decem- 
ber I,  1793,  died  May  11,  1880,  daughter 
of  James  and  Meribah  (Wells)  Stancliff. 
-y^  Benjamin  Franklin  Brainerd,  third  son  of 
Erastus,  was  born  November  29,  1823, 
at  the  family  homestead  in  Portland,  and 
was  interested  in  the  quarries  all  his  life. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  treasurer 
of  the  quarry  corporation,  now  known  as 
Brainerd,  Shailer  &  Hall.  A  lifelong 
member  of  Trinity  parish,  he  was  inter- 
ested in  all  its  good  works.  Not  a  seeker 
for  public  office,   he   devoted   himself  to 


business  and  was  a  director  of  the  Port- 
land National  Bank  and  Freestone  Sav- 
ings Bank,  whose  judgment  was  respected 
by  his  associates.  He  married,  March 
28,  1851,  Amelia  Ann  Davis,  born  July  8, 
1822,  in  Portland,  daughter  of  Asa  and 
Mary  (Diggins)  Davis,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  six  children. 

LeRoy  Brainerd,  son  of  Erastus,  born 
March  12,  1840,  in  Portland,  was  a  stu- 
dent in  Woodford's  School  at  Meriden, 
Connecticut,  and  the  Skinner  School  in 
New  Haven.  Before  attaining  his  major- 
ity, he  left  school  and  began  work  in  the 
Portland  quarries,  later  was  interested  a 
few  years  in  business  in  New  Haven.  He 
became  treasurer  and  general  manager  of 
the  Middletown  &  Portland  Ferry  Com- 
pany. This  was  replaced  by  the  present 
highway  bridge,  shortly  before  his  death, 
which  occurred  April  4,  1903.  He  was 
also  president  of  the  quarry  company, 
above  mentioned.  He  was  a  vestryman 
in  Trinity  Church  of  Portland,  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Portland  Social  Club  and 
a  member  of  the  Warren  Lodge,  No.  51, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  Portland. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Republican,  but  did 
not  desire  any  part  in  the  conduct  of  pub- 
lic affairs.  He  married,  April  .28,  1869, 
Amelia  D.  Freeman,  born  November  23, 
1845,  i"  Cherry  Valley,  New  York,  died 
February  28,  1918,  in  New  Jersey,  buried 
in  Portland,  daughter  of  Rodney  B.  and 
Mary  (Davis)  Freeman,  the  former  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  of 
Portland.  Their  children  were  :  Elsie  ; 
Fannie,  died  in  1900;  Clara,  died  in  1922; 
and  Erastus  LeRoy. 

Erastus  LeRoy  Brainerd,  only  son  of 
LeRoy  and  Amelia,  was  reared  in  Port- 
land, where  he  was  a  student  in  Miss 
White's  Private  School.  He  was  four 
years  a  student  in  the  public  schools  and 
attended    the    Middletown    High    School 


230 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


one  year.  In  1902  he  was  graduated  from 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technol- 
ogy, with  the  degree  of  S.  B.  in  civil 
engineering.  Following  this  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  construction  of  different 
railroads  until  1918,  when  he  returned  to 
Portland  and  has  since  been  connected 
with  the  Russell  Manufacturing  Company 
of  Middletown.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Portland  Social  Club,  of  Warren  Masonic 
Lodge ;  of  Trinity  Church  of  Portland  ; 
and  a  director  of  the  Portland  Board  of 
Trade  and  Portland  Building  and  Loan 
Association.  In  public  affairs,  he  acts 
with  the  Republican  party.  Mr.  Brainerd 
married,  October  3,  1910,  Mildred  Light- 
hipe,  born  January  17,  1884,  daughter  of 
Herbert  and  Rosalie  B.  (VanWagenen) 
Lighthipe,  natives  of  Orange,  New  Jer- 
sey, where  Mr.  Brainerd  resided  for  more 
than  thirteen  years. 

Mrs.  Simon  Brainerd  was  descended  from  a 
pioneer  New  England  family  traced  to  Michael 
Spencer,  who  was  a  landholder  in  Stotfold,  Eng- 
land. Long  before  that  time,  members  of  the  fam- 
ily had  been  raised  to  the  peerage,  including  the 
Earl  of  Sutherland.  Michael  Spencer's  second 
wife,  Elizabeth,  was  the  mother  of  Gerrard  Spencer, 
who  was  baptized  May  20,  1576,  and  had  four  sons, 
William,  Thomas,  Michael  and  Gerrard,  all  of 
whom  came  to  America  in  1633-34.  They  received 
legacies  from  Richard  Spencer  of  London,  who 
was  evidently  their  uncle.  Thomas  Spencer  was  in 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  in  1633,  and  took  the 
freeman's  oath  May  14,  1634.  In  1639  he  was  liv- 
ing in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  where  he  owned 
land  at  that  time,  and  held  various  important  local 
offices  from  1649  to  1672.  His  ownership  of  land 
in  "Soldiers'  Field"  indicated  that  he  had  served 
in  the  Pequot  War  in  1637.  In  1671  he  was  granted 
sixty  acres  of  land  by  the  General  Court  "for  his 
good  service  in  the  country."  He  died  September 
II,  1687.  The  name  of  his  first  wife  is  unknown. 
Their  eldest  child,  Obadiah  Spencer,  was  admitted 
a  freeman  of  Connecticut,  May  20,  1658,  indicating 
that  he  was  born  about  1637.  In  1669  he  lived  on 
the  north  side  of  Little  River,  and  he  was  fence 
viewer  in  1687,  1693-94.  He  died  between  May  2 
and  26,  1 7 12.    His  wife,  Mary,  was  a  daughter  of 


Nicholas  Desbrough.  Their  third  son,  Samuel 
Spencer,  born  in  Hartford,  inherited  one-half  the 
homestead  "in  the  Neck,"  and  was  hayward  for 
the  North  Meadow  in  1709  and  1711-12.  In  1728 
he  sold  his  land  and  moved  to  Middletown.  In 
the  previous  year  he  had  purchased  land  on  the 
river,  near  Middle  Haddam.  In  1731  he  was  grand 
juror  and  was  admitted  to  the  Congregational 
Church  of  the  east  society  (now  Portland)  in 
November,  1733,  and  next  month  was  elected  one 
of  the  society  committee,  at  that  time  called  Cor- 
poral Spencer.  He  was  one  of  the  fourteen  organ- 
izers of  the  Haddam  Neck  Church,  September  24, 
1740,  his  name  appearing  third  on  the  list.  He 
died  between  April  3,  1750,  and  July  5,  1756.  His 
wife,  Deborah,  was  a  daughter  of  John  Beckley, 
of  Wethersfield.  Their  second  son,  Nathaniel 
Spencer,  was  born  December  5,  1704. 

His  daughter,  Hepsibah,  born  about  1740,  became 
the  wife  of  Simon  Brainerd,  as  previously  noted. 


WATSON,  James  J., 

Business  Man. 

The  surname  of  Watson  has  been  de- 
rived from  Watt's  Son  and  literally  sig- 
nifies "mighty  army."  James  J.  Watson 
was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  July  15, 
1877,  son  of  William  and  Hannah  (Mur- 
phy) Watson. 

His  father  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mil- 
ford,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  and  died 
August  18,  191 1.  He  came  to  America 
when  he  was  seventeen  years  old  and  lo- 
cated in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  At 
one  time  he  drove  a  mule  on  the  tow-path 
of  the  Erie  Canal.  In  1871  he  came  to 
New  Britain,  Connecticut,  and  entered 
the  employ  of  P.  &  F.  Corbin.  When 
they  sold  their  casket  business  to  a  Cin- 
cinnati firm,  he  went  there  to  help  organ- 
ize that  branch  of  the  work  with  the  new 
owner.  After  four  or  five  years  Mr.  Wat- 
son returned  to  the  East  and  in  1879  be- 
gan work  for  Jonathan  Hart,  in  Kensing- 
ton, and  was  employed  in  their  finish- 
ing department  for  many  years.  He  later 
returned    to   the    employ    of   the    Corbin 


231 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


firm.  Mr.  Watson  married  Hannah, 
daughter  of  James  Murphy ;  she  was  born 
in  Fermoy,  Ireland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wat- 
son were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children, 
eight  of  whom  grew  up.  They  were : 
Mary;  James  J.,  of  further  mention;  El- 
len, wife  of  John  Keevers  of  New  Britain  ; 
Elizabeth,  married  Michael  Carmody,  of 
New  Britain  ;  Grace  ;  Howard  ;  Frederick ; 
Madeline.  The  family  attends  St.  Mary's 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Wat- 
son was  William  Watson.  He  was  what 
is  known  in  the  old  country  as  a  gentle- 
man farmer,  owner  of  his  own  estate. 
The  family  is  an  old  one  in  their  county, 
and  members  of  it  are  now  among  the 
leading  bankers  there. 

James  J.  Watson  received  a  practical 
education  in  the  public  school  and  then 
entered  the  employ  of  J.  M.  Curtin, 
grocer.  After  six  years  there  he  went 
with  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance 
Company,  remaining  for  three  years,  and 
for  five  years  was  with  Moss  Brothers  of 
Hartford.  From  this  time  until  191 1, 
Mr.  Watson  was  associated  with  the 
Home  Banking  &  Realty  Company  and  in 
that  year  opened  his  own  office.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  real  estate  business  Mr.  Wat- 
son handles  all  kinds  of  insurance.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  his  undertak- 
ing and  is  prominent  in  both  the  business 
and  public  life  of  New  Britain ;  he  served 
as  alderman  for  three  years ;  as  council- 
man for  two  years  and  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Assessors  for  seven  years.  Mr. 
Watson  is  also  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Town  Central  Committee.  During 
the  War  he  was  a  member  of  the  Draft 
Board  and  was  secretary  of  local  Board 
No.  I  throughout  the  war.  His  fraternal 
affiliations  are  with  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  of  which  he  is  Past  Grand 
Knight. 


Mr.  Watson  married  Catherine,  daugh- 
ter of  George  Scheidler,  of  New  Britain, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  a  son,  Wil- 
liam J.,  born  January  24,  1907.  With  his 
family  Mr.  Watson  attends  St.  Mary's 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 


BOUTEILLER,  William  Henry, 

Insurance  Agent. 

In  the  last  century  much  of  the  devel- 
opment and  progress  of  America  has  been 
brought  about  by  people  of  foreign  birth  or 
descent,  and  there  is  a  much  larger  ele- 
ment of  French  blood  in  our  population 
than  is  generally  realized.  During  the 
persecution  in  France  many  people  went  to 
England,  where  their  names  became  some- 
what Anglicized  and  whence  many  of  their 
descendants  came  to  the  United  States. 

The  name  at  the  head  of  this  article  was 
originally  le  Bouteiller,  adopted,  like 
thousands  of  others,  as  a  surname  from 
the  occupation  of  its  bearer  at  the  com- 
paratively recent  time  of  adoption  of  sur- 
names in  Europe.  At  Andencourt,  in  the 
department  of  Monte  Dieu,  France,  for 
many  decades  resided  a  family  of  this 
name.  The  first  of  whom  we  have  pres- 
ent knowledge  was  Florentine  Bouteiller, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1870, 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  two  sons  and  a 
daughter,  and  settled  at  Otis,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
seven  years.  His  wife,  Julia,  died  when 
eighty-four  years  old.  Their  son,  Emile 
Florentine  Bouteiller,  was  born  May  26, 
1852,  at  Andencourt,  and  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Massachusetts,  whence  he 
came  to  Portland,  Connecticut,  where  he 
still  resides,  and  is  still  active  and  in- 
dustrious. He  married,  December  2,  1874, 
Ellen  Higgins,  who  was  born  September 
13,  1856,  in  Sheffield,  Massachusetts, 
public  schools  and  before  his  majority 
was  employed   in  the  famous  bell  shops 


232 


'^^^-<Jc2^EZMt.^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughter  of  John  Higgins,  who  was  born 
in  Ireland  and  went  to  England  when  a 
youth.  There  he  met  and  married  Ann 
Hobson,  of  English  birth.  They  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Sheffield.  Emile 
F.  Bouteiller  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters:  i.  George  F.,  now  a  resident 
of  Hartford.  2.  William  H.,  of  further 
mention.  3.  Lily  M.  (Mrs.  Norton  Mc- 
Lean), of  Danbury,  Connecticut,  died 
March,  1924.  4.  Minnie,  widow  of  Rev. 
Frank  Van  Sciver,  an  Episcopal  clergy- 
man who  died  at  Forest  City,  Pennsyl- 
vania, now  resides  with  her  parents.  The 
family  are  members  of  Trinity  Church, 
Portland. 

William  H.  Bouteiller  was  born  De- 
cember ID,  1876,  in  Otis,  Massachusetts, 
and  came  to  Portland  with  his  parents 
in  1882.  Here  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  graduating  from  the  high  school 
in  1894.  After  this,  he  was  employed  for 
a  time  on  the  "Middletown  Press,"  and 
was  subsequently  employed  for  a  time  in 
a  drug  store  at  Cromwell.  Since  the  fall 
of  1898  he  has  been  a  solicitor  for  the 
Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  and 
has  shown  exceptional  ability  in  his  line, 
often  winning  chief  or  second  place  for 
amount  written  in  a  year  in  Connecticut. 
His  diligence  is  evidenced  by  the  fact 
that  he  has  written  more  than  a  million 
dollars  of  insurance  in  a  year.  Mr.  Bou- 
teiller is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
progressive  and  public-spirited  citizens  of 
Middletown,  where  he  resides.  In  1914 
he  purchased  a  desirable  residence  on 
Lawn  Avenue,  where  abide  hospitality 
and  good  cheer.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Middletown  Savings  Bank,  a  director  of 
the  Middletown  Press  Publishing  Com- 
pany, of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation, and  has  recently  resigned  a 
directorship    in    the    Chamber    of    Com- 


merce. During  the  World  War  he  was 
active  in  all  the  drives  to  provide  for  the 
comfort  and  efficiency  of  the  men  at  the 
front,  and  has  given  valuable  assistance  in 
local  drives  for  the  benefit  of  charitable 
and  benevolent  institutions.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trin- 
ity of  Middletown,  of  which  he  was  sev- 
eral years  clerk  and,  later,  vestryman ;  of 
Apollo  Lodge,  No.  33,  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias, and  of  various  Masonic  bodies,  in- 
cluding St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  2,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons ;  Washington  Chapter, 
No.  6.  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Cyrene  Com- 
mandery.  No.  8,  Knights  Templar ;  and 
Sphinx  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  Hartford. 
In  political  matters  he  acts  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  though  not  a  blind  par- 
tisan or  a  seeker  of  political  honors  or 
emoluments  As  a  citizen,  Mr.  Bouteil- 
ler seeks  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his 
home  community  and  the  rights  of  hu- 
manity in  general. 

He  married,  November  14,  1901,  Grace 
Louise  Austin,  born  August  29,  1878,  in 
Cromwell,  daughter  of  Millard  W.  and 
Elizabeth  (Baker)  Austin,  the  former  a 
native  of  Chino,  Maine,  and  the  latter  of 
Middletown,  Connecticut.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bouteiller  are  the  parents  of  two  sons 
and  a  daughter:  Austin  Warner,  Griswold 
Ladd,  and  Marion. 


DICKSON,  James, 

Merchant. 

A  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Hodge) 
Dickson,  James  Dickson  was  born  No- 
vember 15,  1843,  in  South  Leith,  Scotland, 
and  was  in  his  ninth  year  when  he  came 
to  America.  In  1852  his  father  came  to 
America  and  settled  at  East  Hampton, 
Connecticut,  where  he  died.  There  James 
Dickson    received   his   education    in    the 


233 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  town.  Industrious  and  gifted  with 
the  noted  Scotch  thrift,  he  was  able  to 
engage  in  business  on  his  own  account. 
In  1890  he  purchased  a  meat  market  in 
the  village,  and  continued  to  operate  it 
until  his  death,  which  took  place  August 
31,  1896.  While  yet  a  minor  he  joined  the 
United  States  forces  as  a  soldier  of  the 
Civil  War,  and  attained  the  rank  of 
corporal.  Naturally  he  became  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
was  esteemed  by  his  associates  as  a  brave 
soldier  and  a  good  citizen.  He  attended 
the  Congregational  Church  and,  in  mat- 
ters of  public  concern  supported  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Dickson  married.  May  14,  1868, 
Abbie  T.  Shepard,  who  was  born  August 
5,  1844,  in  Hampton,  Connecticut,  daugh- 
ter of  Chester  and  Mary  (Fox)  Shepard. 
Eben  Shepard,  admitted  a  freeman  Sep- 
tember 15,  1805,  in  Brooklyn,  Connecti- 
cut, was,  undoubtedly,  father  of  Chester 
Shepard,  who  was  born  in  Plainfield. 
The  latter  was  admitted  freeman  in 
Hampton,  Connecticut,  in  1843,  having 
removed  there  from  Brooklyn.  He  mar- 
ried, February  18,  1827,  Rev.  A.  Edson 
officiating,  Mary  Fox  of  Brooklyn,  born 
in  Franklin,  Connecticut.  Later,  they 
resided  in  Plainfield.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dick- 
son were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of 
whom  two  daughters  survive.  They  are : 
Isadora  Imogene,  born  July  31,  1870,  and 
Clara  Estelle,  March  21,  1884,  both  resid- 
ing with  their  mother  in  the  family  home 
in  East  Hampton,  and  esteemed  members 
of  the  community. 


TREVITHICK,  William  James, 

Retired   Business   Man. 

The  name  (pronounced  Tre-vith'-ick)  is 
an  old  one  in   Cornwall,  said  by  family 


tradition  to  have  been  Cornish  before  it 
was  English.  Probably  it  crossed  the  chan- 
nel from  ancient  Brittany,  with  the  forma- 
tion of  whose  names  it  conforms  better 
than  with  more  modern  English  names. 
At  any  rate,  it  has  been  identified  with 
the  chief  industry  of  Cornwall — tin  min- 
ing— since  the  time  ''when  the  memory 
of  man  runneth  not  to  the  contrary." 
William  Trevithick,  a  miner,  lived  and 
died  in  the  same  house  where  his  father 
lived  and  died,  in  the  parish  of  Illogan, 
Cornwall.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
James  and  Lydia  Jose,  residents  of  Lan- 
ner,  in  the  same  parish,  of  another  family 
of  miners.  All  were  very  steady-going 
people,  and  William  Trevithick  probably 
never  went  thirty  miles  from  his  native 
place. 

W'illiam  James  Trevithick  was  born 
February  16,  1864,  in  Illogan  and  at- 
tended the  public  school  of  the  parish  un- 
til eleven  years  old,  when  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  a  meat  dealer,  with  whom  he 
served  seven  years.  Having  mastered  the 
details  of  the  business,  he  decided  to 
strike  out  for  himself  and,  as  a  first  step, 
took  to  himself  a  wife.  He  was  married, 
March,  1882,  to  Mary  E.  Phillips,  a  native 
of  his  own  parish,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Warne)  Phillips. 

In  January,  1883,  they  set  sail  for 
America  and  landed  in  New  York,  whence 
they  proceeded  direct  to  New  Britain, 
Connecticut.  Here  Mr.  Trevithick  found 
employment  for  a  few  months  in  a  knit- 
ting mill,  then  for  seven  years  he  was 
employed  by  a  meat  dealer.  In  1890  he 
opened  a  meat  market  of  his  own  in  New 
Britain  and  in  1894  moved  to  Middle- 
town,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home 
and  engaged  continuously  in  business  un- 
til a  very  recent  period.  His  first  market 
there    was    located    on    Rapallo    Avenue. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


After  twelve  years  there  he  moved  to 
Main  Street,  a  short  distance  south  of 
Rapallo  Avenue.  In  addition  to  this,  a 
branch  market  has  been  operated  for  the 
last  twenty  years,  on  Main  Street,  South 
Farms.  These  markets  are  now  managed 
by  his  junior  son,  and  Mr.  Trevithick 
gives  much  of  his  attention  to  his  public 
duties  in  the  service  of  the  consolidated 
city.  He  is  a  member  and  deacon  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Middletown,  and 
is  a  faithful  member  of  the  principal  fra- 
ternal orders,  namely:  The  Free  Masons 
and  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  affiliated 
with  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  2,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Washington 
Chapter,  No.  6,  Royal  Arch  Masons ; 
Columbia  Council,  No.  9,  Royal  and  Se- 
lect Masters ;  Cyrene  Commandery,  No. 
8,  Knights  Templar,  and  with  Central 
Lodge,  No.  12,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  On  becoming  a  citizen  he  allied 
himself  with  the  Republican  Party,  and, 
as  such,  has  been  called  to  the  public  ser- 
vice. Naturally,  the  man  who  could  man- 
age successfully  extended  business  enter- 
prises, was  sought  to  manage  public  con- 
cerns. For  four  years  he  was  president 
of  the  water  board,  later  was  selectman, 
and  in  October,  1924,  was  elected  to  that 
position  under  the  consolidated  city  and 
town  government.  In  all  relations  of  life 
he  has  been  faithful  to  every  responsi- 
bility and  trust,  and  is  esteemed  accord- 
ingly by  his  fellow  citizens.  Mr.  Trevith- 
ick has  reared  three  children,  all  of  whom 
have  done  credit  to  their  parents  and 
themselves.  The  eldest,  Harry  Phillips 
is  chemist  of  the  produce  exchange  in 
New  York  City.  Adelaide  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  Harry  Foulkes  of  Hartford.  Fred- 
erick William,  the  youngest,  is  manager 
of  the  Trevithick  markets,  whose  former 
high  standard  he  maintains. 


PORTEOUS,  James  Harold, 

Oil   Dealer, 

While  doing  business  under  the  name 
of  the  Valley  Oil  Company,  in  Middle- 
town  and  Portland,  Mr.  Porteous  has 
built  up  an  extensive  trade.  He  carries 
only  a  high  class  of  goods  and  endeavors 
to  treat  the  public  with  courtesy  and  fair- 
ness. He  was  born  January  23,  1882,  in 
Mallagash,  Cumberland  County,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm. 
His  father,  Alexander  Porteous,  was  a 
native  of  Scotland  and  went  with  his  par- 
ents to  Nova  Scotia  when  nine  years  old. 
He  was  born  about  1831,  was  a  farmer  in 
Nova  Scotia  until  his  death  in  1902,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  He  mar- 
ried Esther  Treen,  born  in  Nova  Scotia. 

James  H.  Porteous  attended  the  public 
and  high  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
home  until  seventeen  years  of  age  and 
during  the  intervals,  assisted  his  father 
on  the  farm.  After  leaving  school,  he 
found  employment  in  a  sash  and  door  fac- 
tory where  he  continued  nearly  a  year. 
With  his  earnings  he  removed  to  the 
United  States.  For  two  years  he  was 
employed  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts, 
and  came  thence  to  Middletown,  where 
he  first  found  employment  at  the  State 
Hospital.  For  nine  years  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  in 
Middletown,  and  in  1912  he  engaged  in 
the  oil  business  on  his  own  account.  A 
depot  is  maintained  in  Portland  and  sev- 
eral filling  stations  in  Middletown.  With- 
out any  assistance  other  than  his  own 
energy,  enterprise  and  initiative,  he  has 
developed  a  profitable  business,  which  is 
still  growing.  He  now  employs  four  large 
motor  trucks  in  supplying  the  public  of 
Middlesex  County.  Mr.  Porteous  attends 
the  Methodist  Church,  is  a  Republican  in 

35 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


politics  and  is  associated  with  St.  John's 
Lodge,  and  Washington  Chapter  of  the 
great  Masonic  fraternity  of  Middletown ; 
also  Central  Lodge,  No.  12,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  ;  and  Apollo  Lodge, 
No.  33,  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  has  filled 
most  of  the  principal  chairs  in  Central 
Lodge,  of  which  he  is  now  Past  Grand. 
Mr.  Porteous  married  Eva  Mitchell,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters  and 
a  son,  Dorothy,  Etheline,  and  Harold 
Mitchell. 


LOUNSBURY,  Charles  Hugh, 

Manufacturer,  Man  of  Affairs 

When  a  man  has  won  his  way  to  suc- 
cess in  the  business  world  he  has  learned 
much  of  practical  value.  The  use  of  this 
knowledge  in  the  administration  of  pub- 
lic affairs,  and  in  the  management  of 
economic  institutions,  constitutes  a  gen- 
uine service  to  mankind.  The  city  which 
can  command  the  loyal  cooperation  of  her 
successful  business  men  is  the  city  which 
holds  a  leading  place  in  the  march  of 
progress.  Stamford,  Connecticut,  counts 
among  the  names  of  real  significance  to 
to  the  community  that  of  Charles  Hugh 
Lounsbury,  formerly  manufacturer,  now 
banker  and  merchant  of  that  city. 

(II)  Michael  Lounsbury,  son  of  Rich- 
ard and  Elizabeth  (Du  Bois)  Lounsbury 
was  likewise  a  prominent  man  in  the 
community,  as  the  detailed  records  show. 
He  was  born  in  Rye,  New  York,  and 
came  to  Stamford,  Connecticut,  about 
1703.  Book  A,  of  Stamford  Land  Rec- 
ords, page  410,  records  that  on  January 
25,  1702  or  1703,  he  bought  from  Samuel 
Webb  for  the  sum  of  £43  los.  seven 
acres  of  upland  on  the  west  side  of  Mill 
River,  and  woodland  on  Pepper  Weed 
Ridge,  near  Taunton.  In  1706  or  1707 
he   obtained   twenty-seven   acres   in   the 


Rocky  Neck,  and  in  the  same  year  other 
land  in  partnership  with  Edmond  Lock- 
wood,  whose  sister  Sarah  he  married, 
June  19,  1707.  Records  of  the  town  of 
Rye  show  that  in  the  year  1709  he  sold 
land  there  which  he  had  inherited  from 
his  father.  He  was  chosen  highway  sur- 
veyor at  a  Stamford  town  meeting,  De- 
cember 15,  1719,  and  again  on  January  5, 
1725  or  1726.  On  December  18,  1722,  he 
was  one  of  the  collectors  chosen  to 
"gather  ye  Revarant  Mr.  Davenport's 
rate."     He  died  January  20,  1730. 

Robert  Lockwood,  grandfather  of  Sa- 
rah (Lockwood)  Lounsbury,  was  one  of 
the  early  Massachusetts  settlers.  He 
came  from  England  about  1630,  and  set- 
tled in  Watertown,  Massachusetts.  He 
was  made  a  freeman  March  9,  1636,  and 
in  1646  removed  to  Fairfield,  Connecticut, 
where  he  died  in  1658.  His  widow,  Su- 
sannah, died  December  23,  1660.  Jon- 
athan Lockwood,  their  son,  was  born 
September  10,  1634,  in  Watertown,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  died  May  12,  1688,  in 
Greenwich,  Connecticut.  He  was  in 
Stamford,  October  16,  1660,  and  lived 
there  for  five  years.  He  removed  to 
Greenwich,  and  became  a  freeman  in 
1670.  He  was  one  of  the  twenty-seven 
original  proprietors  of  that  town,  served 
in  the  Legislature,  and  held  several  minor 
offices.  He  married  Mary  Ferris,  daugh- 
ter of  Jeffrey  Ferris,  who  was  a  freeman 
in  Boston  in  1635.  Sarah  Lockwood, 
their  daughter,  married,  June  19,  1707, 
Michael  Lounsbury,  as  above  noted. 

(Ill)  Joshua  Lounsbury,  son  of  Mich- 
ael and  Sarah  (Lockwood)  Lounsbury, 
was  born,  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  July 
I,  1716.  He  was  a  prosperous  man,  and 
his  name  appears  in  the  records  of  many 
land  transactions.  One  of  these  was  the 
purchase  of  a  triangular  tract  lying  di- 
rectly in  front  of  the  present  (1919)  site 


236 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  At 
some  time  between  the  years  1757  and 
1774  he  moved  over  the  line  into  the  Col- 
ony of  New  York,  for  in  the  latter  year 
his  name  appears  in  the  North  Castle 
Land  Records  as  a  resident  of  that  town. 
His  first  wife,  whom  he  married  May  3, 
1739,  was  Hannah  Scofield,  born  Decem- 
ber II,  1718. 

(IV)  Joshua  (2)  Lounsbury,  son  of 
Joshua  (i)and  Hannah  (Scofield)  Louns- 
bury, was  born  October  4,  1745,  and  died 
April  4,  1826.  He  was  a  dutiful  son  and 
a  devoted  husband  and  father.  With  the 
flower  of  the  colonies  he  took  a  loyal  part 
in  the  struggle  for  independence  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  but  survived  without 
being  seriously  incapacitated.  He  mar- 
ried Susannah  Smith,  born  October  3, 
1752. 

(V)  Silas  Lounsbury,  son  of  Joshua 
(2)  and  Susannah  (Smith)  Lounsbury, 
was  born  January  17,  1771.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  lived  for  many  years  in  Stan- 
wich,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  man  of  pro- 
gressive ideas,  who  thought  ahead  of  his 
time  and  built  for  the  future. 

(VI)  George  Lounsbury,  son  of  Silas 
Lounsbury,  was  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Fairfield  County,  Connecticut.  He  served 
in  local  public  offices  and  as  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  merchant  at  Long  Ridge,  in  the 
town  of  Stamford,  but  later  returned  to 
the  life  of  the  open,  which  had  interested 
him  as  a  boy,  and  conducted  a  farm.  He 
married  Louisa  Scofield,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Scofield,  and  they  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children :  Mary,  who  married 
Seth  S.  Cook;  Sarah,  who  married  James 
H.  Rowland ;  Susan,  who  married  Philip 
Clark ;  Harriet,  deceased ;  George,  de- 
ceased;  Charles  Hugh,  of  whom  further; 
Jane  E.,  living;  Elizabeth,  deceased. 

(VII)  Charles   Hugh   Lounsbury,   son 


of  George  and  Louisa  (Scofield)  Louns- 
bury, was  born  August  19,  1839.  He 
spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm  at  Long 
Ridge,  but  as  he  grew  to  manhood  he 
felt  the  restrictions  of  the  life  and  chose 
to  branch  out  for  himself.  He  entered 
into  a  partnership  with  Scofield  &  Cook. 
Three  years  later,  in  1861,  F.  B.  Scofield 
retired  from  the  business,  which  was 
thereafter  carried  on  under  the  firm  name 
of  Cook  &  Lounsbury.  The  manufacture 
of  shoes  was  becoming  an  important  in- 
dustry in  New  England,  and  this  firm 
held  a  high  standard  of  excellence  in  its 
product.  The  business  grew  with  the 
growth  of  the  section  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  country.  The  partnership 
continued  until  1884,  when  a  period  en- 
sued when  general  trade  changes  made 
reorganization  advisable.  The  first  change 
in  the  business  was  that  of  location,  the 
factory  being  removed  to  the  more  pop- 
ulous part  of  the  town  near  the  railroad 
tracks.  At  this  time  George  H.  Soule, 
a  bright,  alert  young  man  who  had  for 
some  time  been  connected  with  the  sales 
department,  was  admitted  to  membership 
with  the  firm,  and  the  senior  member, 
Seth  S.  Cook,  withdrew.  This  placed 
Mr.  Lounsbury  at  the  head  of  the  firm  and 
the  name  became  Lounsbury  &  Soule. 
In  1885  the  firm  took  a  long  step  ahead 
in  assuming  possession  of  the  new  fac- 
tory on  Broad  Street,  where  the  business 
is  still  located  The  factory  was  equipped 
with  the  most  modern  machinery,  and 
from  that  day  until  the  present  time  the 
policy  of  the  firm  has  remained  the  same, 
up-to-date  equipment,  the  most  improved 
methods,  and  always  quality  the  first  con- 
sideration. 

In  1894  the  firm  branched  out  into  the 
retail  trade,  purchasing  a  store  at  No. 
26  Atlantic  Street.  Here  they  conducted 
a  thriving  retail  business  under  the  name 


237 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  Stamford  Shoe  Company.  They 
met  the  needs  of  the  retail  trade  with  the 
same  comprehensive  attention  to  all  per- 
tinent details  which  has  always  charac- 
terized their  manufacturing  business. 
Later  Mr.  Lounsbury  retired  and  the 
company  was  then  incorporated.  Late 
in  the  year  1904  he  became  president  of 
the  Stamford  Savings  Bank,  and  since 
that  time  this  interest  has  almost  exclu- 
sively held  his  attention,  his  present  office 
being  that  of  president  of  the  board.  He 
still  owns  the  Stamford  Shoe  Company, 
which  became  his  personal  property  when 
he  retired  from  the  firm. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  has  always  held  the 
keenest  interest  in  the  public  welfare  and 
civic  progress.  While  never  seeking  po- 
litical preferment,  and  caring  nothing  for 
the  game  for  its  own  sake,  he  never  shirks 
any  part  in  the  public  service  which  ap- 
peals to  him  as  a  duty.  His  political 
convictions  hold  him  loyal  to  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Burgesses  and  of  the  City 
Council,  also  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  of 
which  he  was  president  for  some  years. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Stamford  Trust 
Company  and  of  the  Stamford  Savings 
Bank,  and  is  secretary  and  assistant  treas- 
urer of  the  Stamford  Gas  and  Electric 
Company,  and  a  director  of  the  Stamford 
National  Bank.  He  is  also  a  director  of 
the  Stamford  Hospital.  He  is  a  member 
of  Union  Lodge,  No.  5,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  of  Stamford,  and  also 
of  the  Suburban  Club. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  married,  in  Stamford, 
Anna  Perry  Samuel,  of  St.  Louis,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  daughters : 
Alice ;  Mary ;  Louise,  who  was  the  wife 
of  William  P.  Hudson,  and  was  the  mo- 
ther of  two  children,  Florence,  deceased, 
and  Charles  H.  L.,  who  was  an  ensign  in 
the  Navy  during  the  European  War. 


STRANG,  James  Suydam, 

Merchant 

In  the  history  of  man's  struggle  for 
freedom  no  chapter  is  more  thrilling  than 
that  which  narrates  the  flight  of  the 
French  Protestants  from  their  native 
land,  when  in  1685  Louis  XIV  revoked 
the  Edict  of  Nantes.  Since  1598  they 
had  been  in  the  enjoyment  of  religious 
freedom,  but  now,  not  only  were  they  de- 
prived of  the  privilege  to  worship  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  their  con- 
science, but  they  were  not  permitted  to 
emigrate  to  countries  where  such  priv- 
ileges were  accorded.  Most  rigid  meas- 
ures were  adopted  to  prevent  their  leav- 
ing the  country,  every  avenue  of  escape 
being  most  closely  guarded.  However, 
thousands  of  these  sturdy  folk  to  whom 
adherence  to  principle  was  dearer  than 
life  itself,  made  their  way  to  England, 
some  coming  thence  to  America  Among 
the  latter  was  Daniel  L'Estrange,  the 
progenitor  of  the  Strang  family  in  this 
country.  No  element  among  our  Colon- 
ial pioneers  has  contributed  more  than 
the  French  Huguenots  to  the  sturdy  char- 
acter of  American  manhood,  or  to  the 
high  ideals  of  American  institutions  and 
government.  The  meager  facts  now 
available  relating  to  the  descendants  of 
Daniel  L'Estrange  in  the  line  here  under 
consideration  show  that  in  every  crisis 
of  the  nation's  history  they  have  evinced 
the  sturdiest  patriotism,  while  in  the  less 
strenuous  but  not  less  exacting  times  of 
peace,  judged  by  ethical  standards,  they 
have  by  precept  and  example,  in  indus- 
try, frugality,  and  upright  citizenship,  in 
private  and  public  life,  contributed  to 
the  material  and  moral  advancement  of 
our  country. 

Like  all  historic  patronymics,  the  name 
Strang  has  been  spelled  in  various  ways. 


238 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


The  original  French  form  was  L'Es- 
trange ;  in  America  it  became  Streing, 
then  Strange,  Strang,  and  in  a  few  cases 
was  changed  to  Strong. 

The  coat-of-arms  of  the  family  is : 

Arms — Gules,     two     lions     passant,     guardant, 
argent. 
Crest — A  lion  passant,  guardant,  or. 

(I)  When  the  list  of  the  residents  of 
New  Rochelle  was  made  in  1698,  Daniel 
D'Estrange's  age  was  given  as  thirty- 
seven  years.  This  would  make  the  year 
of  his  birth  1661.  He  was  a  native  of 
Orleans,  France.  According  to  the  au- 
thor of  "Colonial  Days  and  Ways,"  Dan- 
iel L'Estrange  was  sent  to  an  academy  in 
Switzerland  to  study  philosophy,  and 
when  he  entered,  July  29,  1672,  his  name 
was  purposely  misspelled  as  Streing,  so 
that  his  father's  persecutors  might  not 
learn  where  the  young  man  had  been 
sent.  However,  upon  his  return  to 
France,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Guards  and  resumed  the  proper 
spelling  of  his  name.  When  he  was 
twenty-two,  he  entered  upon  a  mercan- 
tile career,  and  about  that  time  married 
Charlotte  Hubert,  daughter  of  Francis 
and  Levina  Hubert,  of  Paris.  He  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  wife's  brother, 
Gabriel  Hubert.  According  to  the  ".Strang 
manuscript,"  written  nearly  a  hundred 
years  ago  and  published  in  a  small  book- 
let, L'Estrange  and  his  partner  were  com- 
pelled to  flee  to  London  from  the  fury  of 
their  persecutors  who  confiscated  their 
property.  Mr.  L'Estrange  became  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Guards  of  King  James  II. 
The  loss  of  their  property  placed  Mrs. 
L'Estrange  in  very  trying  circumstances, 
and  within  a  year  she  determined  also  to 
flee  the  country.  The  tradition  regarding 
the  method  of  her  escape  is  thrilling;  but 
the  family  genealogist  questions  the  ac- 
curacy of  the  story,  owing  to  the  fact  that 


in  her  will,  recorded  in  New  York,  Mrs. 
L'Estrange  disposes  of  her  wedding  gar- 
ments, which  it  is  hardly  probable  she 
was  able  to  take  with  her  when  she  fled 
to  London.  Daniel  L'Estrange  continued 
in  the  King's  Guards  until  about  1688, 
when  he  sold  his  commission,  the  pro- 
ceeds enabling  him  and  his  wife  to  join  a 
company  of  refugees  bound  for  the  New 
World.  They  landed  in  New  York  and 
soon  proceeded  to  the  present  town  of 
New  Rochelle.  There  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  grazing,  and  for  many  years 
taught  French  and  the  classical  languages 
to  boys  preparing  for  Yale  or  King's  Col- 
lege (now  Columbia  University)..  After 
a  few  years  he  removed  to  Rye,  New 
York,  where  he  kept  a  store  and  tavern, 
and  also  engaged  in  farming.  Later  he 
became  one  of  the  patentees  of  the  town 
of  White  Plains.  He  died  in  Rye, 
1706-07.  He  was  a  devout  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church.  His  wife  was  born 
in  France,  1668,  and  died  in  Rye.  The 
baptisms  of  their  children  are  recorded 
in  the  church  Du  Saint  Esprit,  New  York 
City,  and  there  Mrs.  L'Estrange  is  re- 
corded as  Charlotte  Le  Mestre,  which  has 
given  rise  to  the  conjecture  that  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage  to  Daniel  L'Estrange 
she  was  a  widow. 

(II)  Daniel  (2)  Strang,  son  of  the  im- 
migrants, was  born  in  1692.  and  died  in 
1741.  He  became  a  resident  of  White 
Plains,  settling  on  a  farm  acquired  by 
his  father  as  one  of  the  patentees.  He 
was  industrious  and  thrifty,  if  we  may 
judge  by  the  amount  of  land  of  which  he 
became  possessed.  He  married  Phebe 
Purdy,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
Purdy,  of  Rye  Neck,  New  York.  She 
died  in  1761.  Joseph  Purdy.  according  to 
the  records,  was  under  age  in  1661.  He 
became  a  resident  of  Rye  in  1670,  and  died 
October  29,  1709.     He  married  Elizabeth 


239 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Ogden,  daughter  of  John  and  Judith 
(Budd)  Og-den.  She  died  in  1742.  He 
was  the  son  of  Francis  Purdy  (sometimes 
spelled  "Pardee"),  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land in  1610,  and  came  to  America  in 
1635.  He  died  in  Fairfield,  Connecticut, 
in  1658.  He  married  Mary  Brundage, 
daughter  of  John  Brundage,  of  Wethers- 
field,  Connecticut.  Joseph  Purdy  was  a 
leading  man  in  his  community ;  he  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  1702 ;  as  super- 
visor of  the  town,  1707-08;  for  several 
terms  was  representative  in  the  General 
Assembly.  He  purchased  land  at  North 
Castle,  where  many  of  his  descendants 
settled.  His  will  is  dated  October  5, 
1709. 

(HI)  Major  Joseph  Strang,  son  of  Dan- 
iel (2)  and  Phebe  (Purdy)  Strang,  was 
born  February  27,  1725,  and  died  August 
2,  1794.  He  served  as  lieutenant  under 
Captain  John  Verplanck  in  the  French 
War  of  1757.  On  October  19,  1775,  he 
was  commissioned  major  of  the  Third  or 
North  Manor  of  Cortlandt  Regiment  un- 
der Colonel  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt.  His 
house,  which  was  being  used  as  a  court 
house  at  the  time,  was  burned  by  the 
British,  June  3,  1779.  He  married  for 
his  second  wife,  Anne  Haight,  born  De- 
cember 12,  1734,  and  died  June  30,  1796, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Haight,  of  Cort- 
landt Manor,  New  York. 

(IV)  Dr.  Samuel  Strang,  son  of  Major 
Joseph  and  Anne  (Haight)  Strang,  was 
born  November  18,  1768,  and  died  Janu- 
ary I,  1832.  He  was  a  physician.  On 
December  31,  1795,  he  married  Catharine 
White,  born  May  30,  1773,  or  1778,  and 
died  December  30,  1832,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Ebenezer  White,  who  was  a  surgeon  in 
the  New  York  Militia  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  was  born  in  Southampton,  Long 
Island,  September  3,  1746,  son  of  Rev. 
Sylvanus  White,  who  was  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  there  for  about  fifty 


years.  Dr.  White  married,  March  19, 
1772,  Helena  Barstow,  daughter  of  The- 
ophilus  and  Bathsheba  (Pell)  Barstow. 
Dr.  White  died  in  Yorktown,  March  8, 
1827. 

(V)  Joseph  White  Strang,  son  of  Dr. 
Samuel  and  Catharine  (White)  Strang, 
was  born  December  7,  1797,  and  died  in 
Yonkers,  New  York,  June  4,  1864.  He 
was  a  lawyer  and  resided  most  of  his  life 
in  Peekskill,  New  York,  where  he  took  an 
active  part  in  public  afifairs.  He  was  the 
first  man  chosen  president  of  the  village. 
On  September  3,  1821,  he  married  Eliz- 
abeth Morgan  Belcher,  born  October  4, 
1801,  and  died  in  Yonkers,  New  York, 
December  22,  1877,  daughter  of  Dr.  Elisha 
Belcher,  a  physician.  Joseph  White  and 
Elizabeth  Morgan  (Belcher)  Strang  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Samuel  A-,  Matilda,  Josephine  A.,  Lydia, 
Edgar  A.,  mentioned  below ;  William 
Belcher. 

Dr.  Elisha  Belcher,  father  of  Elizabeth 
Morgan  (Belcher)  Strang,  was  born 
March  7,  1757,  and  married  Lydia  Rey- 
nolds. His  father.  Captain  William  Bel- 
cher, was  born  August  29,  1731.  He  re- 
sided in  Preston,  Connecticut,  where  he 
died  in  his  seventieth  year.  He  com- 
manded a  company  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  married,  April  23,  1752,  Desire, 
born  February  27,  1736,  died  May  15, 
1801,  daughter  of  Captain  Daniel  and 
Elizabeth  (Gates)  Morgan.  Captain 
Daniel  Morgan  was  born  April  16,  1712, 
and  died  October  16,  1773.  He  married, 
September  24,  1730,  Elizabeth  Gates, 
born  March  i,  1713,  died  February  11, 
1793,  daughter  of  Joseph  Gates,  of  Pres- 
ton. James  Morgan,  father  of  Captain 
Daniel  Morgan,  was  born  about  1680,  and 
died  in  Preston.  His  estate  was  inven- 
toried November  7,  1721.  His  father  was 
Captain  John  Morgan,  who  was  born 
March  30,  1645 ;  about  1692  he  became  a 


240 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


resident  of  Preston,  where  he  died.  He 
was  a  prominent  citizen,  and  served  as 
Indian  commissioner  and  advisor,  and 
was  elected  as  deputy  to  the  General 
Court  from  New  London  in  1690,  and 
from  Preston  in  1693-94.  He  married 
(first),  November  16,  1665,  Rachel  Dy- 
mond,  daughter  of  John  Dymond.  James 
Morgan,  father  of  Captain  John  Morgan, 
and  the  founder  of  this  branch  of  the 
Morgan  family,  was  born  in  Wales  in 
1607,  and  came  to  America  in  1636.  He 
married  August  6,  1640,  Margery  Hill,  of 
Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  who  died  in 
1685,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
William  Belcher,  father  of  Captain 
William  Belcher,  was  born  in  Milton, 
Massachusetts,  December  20,  1701,  and 
died  in  Preston,  Connecticut,  February  7, 
1731-32.  His  father,  Deacon  Moses  Bel- 
cher, was  bom  August  14,  1672,  and  died 
May  4,  1728.  He  bought  a  farm  in  Mil- 
ton, Massachusetts,  and  resided  there  un- 
til 1720,  when  he  removed  to  Preston, 
Connecticut.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
deacons  of  the  second  church  in  Preston. 
In  1 72 1  he  represented  the  town  in  the 
General  Assembly.  On  December  19, 
1694,  he  married  Hannah  Lyon,  born  No- 
vember 14,  1673,  died  August  20,  1745, 
daughter  of  George  and  Hannah  (Tol- 
man)  Lyon,  of  Milton.  His  father,  Sam- 
uel Belcher,  was  born  August  24,  1637, 
was  a  resident  of  Braintree,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  died.  June  17,  1679.  On 
December  15,  1663,  he  married  Mary  Bil- 
lings, daughter  of  Roger  Billings,  of  Dor- 
chester, Massachusetts.  His  father,  Greg- 
ory Belcher,  was  born  about  1606.  He 
was  in  New  England  as  early  as  1637,  and 
received  a  grant  of  fifty-two  acres  in 
Mount  Wallaston,  now  part  of  Quincy, 
Massachusetts.  On  May  13,  1640,  he  was 
admitted  freeman,  and  was  elected  select- 
man in  1646.     On  July  14,  1664,  he  pur- 


chased nine  acres  in  Milton.  He  married 
Catherine.     He  died  November  25,  1674. 

(VI)  Edgar  A.  Strang,  son  of  Joseph 
White  and  Elizabeth  Morgan  (Belcher) 
Strang,  was  born  December  3,  1833,  in 
New  York  City,  and  died  February  10, 
1909.  Edgar  A.  Strang's  opportunities 
for  formal  education  were  few.  He  was 
only  nine  years  of  age  when  he  went  to 
work  in  a  wholesale  grocery  store.  But 
he  possessed  a  fine  type  of  mind,  with 
splendid  powers  of  observation  and  per- 
ception. He  read  extensively  and  pon- 
dered well  all  that  came  within  his  ken, 
so  that  his  mind  showed  a  much  better 
development  than  many  minds  which 
have  been  favored  with  greatly  superior 
educational  advantages.  At  the  time  of 
the  Civil  War  Mr.  Strang  was  suffering 
from  a  spinal  disease  which  prevented 
him  from  seeking  enlistment,  but  so 
strongly  did  he  feel  it  to  be  the  duty  of 
every  loyal  citizen  to  serve  his  country 
that  he  paid  a  man  to  go  for  him.  At  the 
time  of  his  marriage  he  was  engaged  in 
the  banking  business  in  New  York  City, 
and  continued  in  it  until  the  condition  of 
his  health  made  it  necessary  for  him  to 
give  up  all  physical  activity.  He  became 
a  resident  of  Peekskill,  about  1901.  He 
and  his  wife  were  earnest  Christians, 
identified  with  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Strang  married  Anna  Suydam.  born 
January  12,  1839,  in  New  York  City,  died 
December  21,  1907,  in  Peekskill,  New 
York,  aged  sixty-eight  years,  eleven 
months,  nine  days,  daughter  of  Cornelius 
R.  Suydam,  born  July  31,  1793,  near  Bed- 
ford, Long  Island,  died  November  12, 
1845,  in  New  York  City,  aged  fifty-two 
years,  three  months,  twelve  days,  and  his 
wife,  Jane  Eliza  (Heyer")  Suydam,  born 
March  13,  1779,  daughter  of  Cornelius 
Heyer,    born    September    30,    1773,    died 


241 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


January  5,  1843 !  granddaughter  of  Wil- 
liam Heyer,  born  December  14,  1723,  died 
April  I,  1880;  great-granddaughter  of 
Walter  Heyer,  born  in  1699,  died  October 
27,  1772.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strang  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  James 
Suydam,  of  further  mention ;  Clifford  H., 
died  August  30,  1903 ;  Jane  H.,  married 
C.  L.  Mason,  of  Peekskill,  New  York. 

(VII)  James  Suydam  Strang,  son  of 
Edgar  A.  and  Anna  (Suydam)  Strang, 
was  born  December  12,  1863,  in  Yonkers, 
New  York.  His  education  was  received 
in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  famous 
old  Peekskill  Military  Academy  and  Rut- 
gers Preparatory  School.  After  working 
for  a  time  for  a  firm  of  wholesale  drug- 
gists, he  went  into  a  retail  drug  store, 
June  26, 1882,  in  Verplanck's  Point.  There 
he  applied  himself  diligently  to  the  mas- 
tery of  every  detail  of  the  art  of  phar- 
macy, and  passed  successfully  the  exam- 
ination for  a  license  as  pharmacist,  No- 
vember 30,  1886.  He  later  clerked  for 
Charles  Dickinson,  a  New  Britain  drug- 
gist, for  about  eighteen  months.  Mr. 
Strang  then  opened  a  store  of  his  own  in 
Mount  Vernon,  New  York.  Three  years 
more  of  the  exacting  life  of  a  druggist, 
made  all  the  more  arduous  by  his  ambi- 
tion to  make  his  venture  highly  success- 
ful, sufficed  to  cause  a  breakdown  in  his 
health,  compelling  Mr.  Strang  to  abandon 
his  profession.  He  sold  his  business,  and 
later  became  a  clerk  for  the  Union  Trans- 
fer &  Storage  Company,  of  New  York 
City.  After  a  year  and  a  half  there,  he 
removed  to  Stamford,  Connecticut,  in 
July,  1894,  and  there  entered  the  office  of 
Doty  &  Bartel,  lumber  dealers,  as  book- 
keeper. The  following  year  Mr.  Doty 
sold  his  interest  out  to  Mr.  Strang  and 
his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  C.  W.  Harper, 
and  the  business  was  continued  under  the 
name  of  Bartel  &  Company.  After  five 
years  Mr.  Strang  and  Mr.   Harper  sold 


their  interests  to  Mr.  Bartel,  and  Mr. 
Strang  became  identified  with  the  Blick- 
ensderfer  Manufacturing  Company,  where 
he  remained  until  August,  1914.  Then 
the  present  partnership  with  W.  W. 
Graves,  under  the  firm  name  of  Graves  & 
Strang,  Inc.,  was  formed  to  engage  in 
the  coal  and  wood  business.  In  the 
spring  of  1919,  Mr.  Strang  and  his  part- 
ner with  others  incorporated  The  Spring- 
dale  Ice  and  Coal  Company,  of  which  Mr. 
Strang  is  secretary.  Mr.  Strang  is  a  di- 
rector of  the  Stamford  Morris  Plan  Com- 
pany and  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  in  that  city. 

From  the  time  he  was  made  a  Master 
Mason  in  Union  Lodge,  No.  5,  of  Stam- 
ford, May  3,  1899,  Mr.  Strang  entered 
actively  and  zealously  into  the  cause  of 
Free  Masonry  and  has  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree.  He  is  treasurer  of  Union 
Lodge ;  treasurer  of  Rittenhouse  Chap- 
ter, No.  II,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  treas- 
urer of  Washington  Council,  No.  6,  Royal 
and  Select  Masters ;  member  of  Clinton 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Nor- 
walk ;  Lafayette  Consistory,  Ancient  Ac- 
cepted Scottish  Rite ;  and  Pyramid  Tem- 
ple, Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  of  Bridgeport.  Mr.  Strang 
thinks  Masonry,  like  religion,  is  some- 
thing to  be  lived  in  everyday  life.  Since 
1884  Mr.  Strang  has  been  a  member  of 
Courtland  Lodge,  No.  6,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Peekskill,  New 
York.  During  the  time  he  was  associated 
with  the  Blickensderfer  Manufacturing 
Company,  he  had  charge  of  their  office  in 
Detroit  for  sixteen  months,  and  while 
there  he  affiliated  with  Palestine  Lodge, 
No.  357,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  as 
permanent  visiting  member.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Kiwanis  and  Suburban 
clubs  of  Stamford. 

On  October  8,  1885,  Mr.  Strang  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Grace  E.  Harper, 


242 


I 


n^. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughter  of  Rev.  J.  A.  Harper,  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church.  He 
was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  and 
came  as  a  young  man  to  Mount  Vernon, 
New  York.  There  Mrs.  Strang  was  born 
on  April  2,  1867.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strang:  Alma  E., 
who  graduated  from  the  Stamford  High 
School,  and  Pratt  Institute,  Brooklyn,  and 
is  now  taking  the  nurses  training  course 
at  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  New  York  City ; 
Lorena  S.,  like  her  sister  graduated  from 
the  Stamford  High  School,  and  Pratt  In- 
stitute, and  at  the  time  of  writing  is  em- 
ployed as  assistant  dietician,  Blooming- 
dale  Hospital,  White  Plains,  New  York. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  in  which  Mr.  Strang  has 
served  some  years  as  elder.  In  outward 
demeanor  he  is  most  unassuming.  His 
ideas  of  man's  duty  to  man  are  firmly  es- 
tablished, however,  and  he  adheres  rig- 
idly to  those  ideals  of  right  living  that 
have  ever  been  the  bulwark  of  American 
family  and  national  life.  His  sympathies 
are  broad,  and  his  interest  is  ever  keen 
in  what  concerns  the  welfare  of  his  fel- 
lowman.  These  qualities  have  won  for 
him  a  host  of  loyal  friends. 


CROSBY,  Joseph  Porter, 

Bnilder,  Fabllc  Official. 

«i  A  residence  of  thirty-five  years  in 
Greenwich,  during  which  time  he  has  es- 
tablished himself  as  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  his  community,  has  made 
Mr.  Crosby's  name  so  familiar  and  so 
highly  respected  that  its  appearance  is 
sure  to  be  greeted  with  instant  and  cor- 
dial recognition.  In  public  life  Mr. 
Crosby  is  even  better  known  than  in  the 
world  of  business,  having  served  most 
creditably  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
and  having  filled,  most  honorably  to  him- 
self and  most  satisfactorily  to  his  constit- 


uents, more  than  one  local  office  of  trust 
and  responsibility. 

The  name  of  Crosby  signifies  Town  of 
the  Cross  and  is  the  designation  of  eight 
places  in  Great  Britain.  Its  earliest  men- 
tion as  a  family  name  occurs  in  records 
of  1204. 

Simon  Crosby,  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family,  came  from  England 
in  1635  and  settled  in  Cambridge,  Mas- 
sachusetts. His  descendants  established 
themselves  on  Cape  Cod  which  has  thus 
become  the  permanent  home  of  the  larg- 
est branch  of  this  numerous  family. 

(I)  Lemuel  Crosby,  the  progenitor  of 
the  line  herein  followed,  married  and 
among  his  children  was  Theophilus,  of 
whom  further. 

(II)  Captain  Theophilus  Crosby,  son 
of  Lemuel  Crosby,  married  Anna  Brown, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Brown,  and  his 
death  occurred  November  14,  1831. 

(HI)  Captain  Ansel  Crosby,  son  of 
Captain  Theophilus  and  Anna  (Brown) 
Crosby,  was  born  June  11,  1786,  in  Nova 
Scotia,  whither  his  father  had  migrated 
from  Cape  Cod.  He  married  Tabitha 
Dennis,  daughter  of  Ambrose  Dennis. 
Captain  Crosby  died  July  17,  1865. 

(IV)  Captain  Ansel  (2)  Crosby,  son  of 
Captain  Ansel  (i)  and  Tabitha  (Dennis) 
Crosby,  was  born  in  1825,  in  Yarmouth, 
Nova  Scotia,  and  there  grew  to  manhood. 
In  youth  he  began  to  follow  the  sea,  be- 
coming captain  at  an  early  age  and  mak- 
ing deep-sea  voyages  for  the  most  part 
between  New  York  City  and  different  Eu- 
ropean ports.  After  some  years  he  retired 
from  the  sea,  and  in  1873  engaged  in 
business  as  a  ship  chandler  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts.  About  five  years  later  he 
went  to  New  York  City  and  opened  a 
shipping  office  which  he  continued  to  con- 
duct as  long  as  he  lived.  Mr.  Crosby 
married  Elizabeth  Porter,  born  1822, 
whose   ancestral   record   is   appended   to 


243 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


this  biography,  and  their  children  were: 
Alice,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York;  Charles 
W.,  also  of  Brooklyn,  New  York ;  Joseph 
Porter,  of  whom  further ;  and  Harry  A., 
a  resident  of  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Crosby  died 
November  24,  1902.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

(V)  Joseph  Porter  Crosby,  son  of  Cap- 
tain Ansel  (2)  and  Elizabeth  (Porter) 
Crosby,  was  born  April  4,  1855,  in  Yar- 
mouth, Nova  Scotia.  He  received  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  his  home 
town.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
and  in  connection  with  his  trade  he 
learned  draughting,  studying  the  theory 
as  well  as  mastering  the  practical  art  of 
building,  and  after  finishing  his  appren- 
ticeship he  went  into  business  for  him- 
self in  Yarmouth.  In  1880  he  removed 
to  Newton,  Massachusetts,  and  served  for 
five  years  as  superintendent  for  a  con- 
tractor and  builder.  In  1885  he  removed 
to  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  and  went  into 
business  for  himself,  his  specialty  being 
fine  country  houses.  Among  those  which 
he  has  erected  may  be  mentioned  the  resi- 
dences of  James  McCutcheon,  A.  W. 
Johnson,  N.  Wetherell,  the  Hon.  R.  J. 
Walsh  and  many  others,  all  these  being  in 
Greenwich.  He  constructed  the  interior 
finish  in  the  Greenwich  Trust  Company's 
building,  and  since  1887  has  operated  a 
wood-working  mill,  thus  getting  out 
nearly  all  his  own  finish. 

In  politics  Mr.  Crosby  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  long  taken  an  active  part  in  pub- 
lic affairs.  After  serving  a  term  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Burgesses  he  was 
elected,  in  1915,  to  the  Legislature,  where 
he  served  on  the  committee  on  cities  and 
boroughs.  The  same  year  he  was  elected 
warden  of  the  borough  of  Greenwich,  an 
office  which  he  has  ever  since  continu- 
ously retained.  Among  the  results  ac- 
complished during  his  administration  are 
the  building  of  permanent  roads  and  the 


sewage  disposal  plant.  When  Mr.  Crosby 
became  warden  the  borough  was  under  a 
floating  debt  of  $200,000.  The  borough 
has  since  been  bonded  to  cover  that 
amount  and  the  bonds  are  being  retired. 
From  1845  until  Mr.  Crosby  became  war- 
den the  borough  borrowed  money  every 
year,  but  during  his  administration  it  did 
not  borrow  a  dollar  and  has  retired  about 
$25,000  of  its  old  indebtedness.  Among 
the  minor  offices  held  by  Mr.  Crosby  is 
that  of  secretary  of  the  school  committee 
that  erected  three  modern  schoolhouses, 
situated,  respectively,  at  Hamilton  ave- 
nue. Coscob  street  and  New  Lebanon. 
He  affiliates  with  Acacia  Lodge,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  in  which  for  some  years 
Mr.  Crosby  held  the  office  of  steward. 

Mr.  Crosby  married,  August  27,  1878, 
Maria  D.  Trefry,  daughter  of  De  Lancey 
and  Rachel  (Wescott)  Trefry,  of  Yar- 
mouth, Nova  Scotia,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children:  i. 
Charles,  born  September  12,  1879;  mar- 
ried Elsie  Clifif,  of  Greenwich.  2.  Chester 
N.,  born  October  19,  1884;  married  Hilda 
Wiederman,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren: Joseph  P.  (2),  Chestine  and  Ruth 
L.  3.  Joseph  Elton,  born  October  21, 
1889;  married  Estelle  White,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Joseph  Elton,  Jr.  (see  fol- 
lowing sketch).  4.  Genevieve,  born  Oc- 
tober 23,  1891 ;  married  Ralph  Benson 
Hurlbutt,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ralph 
Benson,  Jr.    5.  Helen,  deceased. 

The  record  of  Joseph  Porter  Crosby  is 
that  of  an  all-round  man.  As  a  business 
man  he  has  by  his  ability  and  enterprise 
helped  to  increase  the  material  prosperity 
of  his  community,  and  in  the  different 
offices  to  which  he  has  been  summoned 
by  the  voice  of  his  fellow-citizens,  he  has, 
by  his  public-spirited  devotion  to  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  his  constituents, 


2.M 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


rendered  service  of  a  valuable  and  lasting 
character.  Most  richly  does  he  merit  the 
high  esteem  and  cordial  regard  in  which 
he  is  held  by  his  friends  and  neighbors 
and  the  entire  community. 

(The  Porter  Line). 

This  ancient  family,  which  has  a  rec- 
ord of  nearly  three  centuries  in  New  Eng- 
land, was  founded  by  William  de  la 
Grande,  a  Norman  knight,  who  accom- 
panied William  the  Conqueror  to  Eng- 
land, and  in  return  for  his  services  was 
given  lands  in  or  near  Kenilworth,  War- 
wickshire. 

Ralph,  or  Roger,  son  of  William,  be- 
came Grand  Porteur  to  King  Henry  the 
First,  and  from  his  tenure  of  this  high 
office  was  derived  the  family  name. 

The  escutcheon  of  the  Porters  is  as 
follows : 

Arms — Argent,   on   a   fesse  sable  between  bar- 
rulets  or,  three  bells  of  the  first. 
Crest — A  portcullis  argent  chained  or. 
Motto — Vigilantia  et  virtute. 

(I)  John  Porter,  founder  of  the  Amer- 
ican branch  of  the  family,  was  born  in 
England  about  1596,  and  about  1637  is 
known  to  have  been  of  Hingham,  Mas- 
sachusetts. Later  he  removed  to  Salem 
and  there  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  the 
community,  holding  high  and  responsible 
offices,  and  is  said  to  have  been  a  per- 
sonal friend  of  Governor  Endicott.    John 

Porter  married  Mary  .     His  death 

occurred  in  1676. 

(II)  Samuel  Porter,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  Porter,  was  born,  probably,  in  Eng- 
land, and  was  a  mariner,  owning  a  farm 
in  Wenham,  near  Wenham  pond.  He 
married  Hannah  Dodge.  He  died  about 
1660. 

(HI)  John  (2)  Porter,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Hannah  (Dodge)  Porter,  was  born 
in  1658,  and  about  1680  moved  from  Dan- 


vers  to  Wenham.  He  was  a  maltster  and 
lived  on  a  farm.  He  married  Lydia  Her- 
rick.  Mr.  Porter  was  an  active  and  influ- 
ential citizen,  and  lived  to  the  venerable 
age  of  ninety-five  years,  passing  away  in 

1753- 

(IV)  Nehemiah  Porter,  son  of  John 
(2)  and  Lydia  (Herrick)  Porter,  was  born 
in  1692,  in  Wenham,  Massachusetts,  and 
was  a  weaver  and  yeoman,  living  on  a 
farm  in  Ipswich  given  him  by  his  father. 
He  married,  in  1717,  Hannah  Smith, 
daughter  of  Hezekiah  Smith,  of  Beverly. 
He  died  in  Ipswich  in  1784. 

(V)  Nehemiah  (2)  Porter,  son  of  Ne- 
hemiah (i)  and  Hannah  (Smith)  Porter, 
was  born  March  22,  1720.  He  early  deter- 
mined to  study  for  the  ministry.  He 
graduated  from  Harvard  College,  and  in 
1750  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Chebacco  parish  where  he  remained 
sixteen  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
went  to  Nova  Scotia  where,  however,  he 
spent  but  a  few  years,  returning  ere  long 
to  Massachusetts  and  accepting  a  pastor- 
ate in  Ashfield,  which  he  retained  to  the 
close  of  his  long  life.  He  married  (first) 
January  20,  1749,  Rebecca  Chipman, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Chipman,  of 
Beverly,  Massachusetts.  The  Chipmans 
were  numbered  among  the  old  Colonial 
families  of  the  Province.  Mr.  Porter  mar- 
ried (second)  Elizabeth  Nowell,  of  Bos- 
ton. During  the  Revolutionary  War  he 
volunteered  as  chaplain  and  always  be- 
lieved that  his  prayers  turned  the  tide 
of  battle  at  Saratoga.  To  his  great  honor 
be  it  recorded  that  he  was  strongly  anti- 
slavery.  Many  anecdotes  are  related  il- 
lustrative of  his  strength  of  principle,  his 
originality  of  mind  and  his  trenchant  and 
ready  wit.  A  gentleman  who  refused  to 
attend  church  ended  his  argument  with 
"I  have  a  right  to  think  as  I  have  a  mind 
to."  To  which  Mr.  Porter  instantly  re- 
plied,   "You    have    no    right    to    think 


P 


245 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


wrong."  On  February  29,  1820,  this  de- 
voted man  "ceased  from  earth."  He  had 
rounded  out,  in  years,  very  nearly  a  cen- 
tury, seventy-five  of  those  years  having 
been  spent  in  the  Christian  ministry.  His 
character,  considered  from  every  side,  is 
one  of  the  noblest  in  our  history. 

(VI)  Nehemiah  (3)  Porter,  son  of 
Nehemiah  (2)  and  Rebecca  (Chipman) 
Porter,  was  born  January  12,  1753.  He 
married,  July  18,  1776,  Mary  Tardy,  of 
Halifax,  Nova  Scotia. 

(VII)  Joseph  Blaney  Porter,  son  of 
Nehemiah  (3)  and  Mary  (Tardy)  Porter, 
was  born  June  28,  1795.  He  married,  De- 
cember II,  1817,  in  Nova  Scotia,  Elizabeth 
Wyman,  daughter  of  Matthew  Wyman. 
Mr.  Porter  died  April  12,  1859. 

(VIII)  Elizabeth  Porter,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Blaney  and  Elizabeth  (Wyman) 
Porter,  became  the  wife  of  Captain  Ansel 
Crosby  (see  Crosby  IV).  She  died  in 
November,  1868. 


CROSBY,  J.  Elton, 

Business  Man. 

J.  Elton  Crosby,  one  of  the  men  who 
have  won  success  in  life  by  virtue  of  their 
natural  ability  and  strength  of  will,  was 
born  October  21,  1889,  in  Greenwich, 
Connecticut,  son  of  Joseph  Porter  Crosby 
(q.v.). 

He  was  educated  in  the  Brunswick 
School  in  Greenwich,  after  which  he  ma- 
triculated in  Worcester  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute with  the  class  of  19 14.  There  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Tau  Mega 
fraternity.  After  completing  his  formal 
education,  Mr.  Crosby  was  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  contracting  busi- 
ness for  about  seven  or  eight  years.  In 
1919  he  took  charge  of  the  real  estate  of- 
fice of  Prince  &  Ripley,  in  Greenwich,  in 
the  managership  of  which  he  has  been 
very  successful.     On  November  i,   1920, 


he  opened  business  on  his  own  account 
with  offices  at  No.  29  Greenwich  avenue, 
and  does  an  extensive  business  in  local 
real  estate  and  insurance. 

Mr.  Crosby  married  Estelle  White, 
daughter  of  Warren  P.  and  Jane  (Sut- 
ton) White,  of  Purchase,  New  York. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children :  J. 
Elton,  Jr.,  born  October  21,  1915;  Ger- 
trude Estelle,  born,  1920. 

Warren  P.  White,  father  of  Mrs.  Cros- 
by, was  born  November  20,  1854.  He 
was  reared  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut, 
and  went  to  school  there.  Thence  he 
went  to  Brooklyn  and  clerked  in  a  retail 
grocery  store  for  some  years,  and  then 
formed  a  partnership  to  engage  in  the  re- 
tail grocery  business.  He  was  in  business 
in  Greenwich  for  many  years,  and  part  of 
this  time  was  alone,  having  bought  the 
interest  of  his  partner.  In  1910  Mr. 
White  retired  from  active  cares.  He 
married  Jane  Sutton,  daughter  of  James 
and  Phoebe  T.  (Carpenter)  Sutton.  James 
Sutton  was  born  in  the  town  of  Green- 
wich, Connecticut,  and  died  in  November, 
1880.  He  was  a  farmer  all  his  life.  His 
wife,  Phoebe  T.  Carpenter,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Elnathan  and  Hannah  (Haviland) 
Carpenter.  Warren  P.  White  and  his 
wife,  Jane  (Sutton)  White,  were  the  par- 
ents of  three  children  :  Stephen,  Edna  and 
Estelle.  Mrs.  White  is  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.  Estelle  White  be- 
came the  wife  of  J.  Elton  Crosby,  as 
above  noted. 


WINCHESTER,  Albert  Edward, 

Electrical  Engineer,   Inventor. 

When  all  things  were  made,  none  was 
better  made  than  the  man  (the  same 
through  all  generations)  who  having 
found  his  work  does  it  with  all  his  might, 
stays  on  the  job  and  attends  to  business, 
honors  all  men  and  is  honored.    The  high 


246 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


character  and  strength  of  such  men  are 
reflected  in  the  enterprises  they  manage; 
their  personahty  imparts  the  human  touch 
and  commands  confidence  and  respect. 
Such  a  man  is  Albert  E.  Winchester,  gen- 
eral superintendent  of  the  South  Nor- 
walk  (Connecticut)  Electric  Works.  In 
his  lineage  are  to  be  found  many  strains 
that  from  the  Colonial  period  have  con- 
tributed to  give  to  America  its  unique 
character  among  the  nations.  His  ances- 
tors were  of  English,  French,  Irish  and 
Scotch  extraction,  including  John  Win- 
chester, Royal  Governor  Belcher,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts and  later  of  New  Jersey,  the 
Jackson  family  of  the  Southern  States, 
and  the  French  Huguenots,  Devone  and 
Bennett,  of  New  York  and  Canada. 

The  family  name  of  Winchester  is 
among  the  oldest  in  England,  being  de- 
rived from  the  city  of  that  name  in  the 
County  of  Hants.  The  name  of  Ralph  de 
Wincestre  is  found  in  the  Hundred  Rolls, 
A.  D.  1273. 

(I)  John  Winchester,  who  has  been  re- 
ferred to  as  one  of  the  "Founders  of  New 
England,"  established  this  family  in 
America.  He  was  born  in  England  in 
1616,  and  is  said  to  have  been  an  ad- 
venturous, religious,  independence-loving 
scion  of  a  titled  family  of  Hertfordshire. 
On  April  6,  1635,  he  sailed  on  the  ship 
"Elizabeth"  and  landed  in  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  was  allotted  five  acres  of 
land  on  what  is  now  South  street,  Hing- 
ham,  July  3,  1636,  and  settled  there.  In 
the  same  year  he  became  a  member  of  the 
first  church  of  Boston.  He  was  made  a 
freeman,  March  9,  1637,  and  a  year  later 
joined  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artil- 
lery Company  of  Boston.  About  1650  he 
and  others  moved  to  Muddy  River,  then 
a  remote  part  of  Boston,  but  now  the 
aristocratic  town  of  Brookline.  There  he 
was  surveyor  in  1664,  1669  and  1670;   in 


1672  was  constable ;  and  in  1680  was 
tythingman.  He  and  his  family  united 
with  the  Roxbury  church  in  1674.  His 
estate,  at  his  death,  April  25,  1694,  as  in- 
ventoried, indicates  that  he  was  well- 
to-do  for  those  days,  for  it  was  appraised 
at  £307,  and  consisted  principally  of  all 
the  land  in  Harvard  street,  Brookline,  to. 
the  top  of  Corey's  hill  and  west  to  the 
Brighton  line. 

(II)  Josiah  Winchester,  son  of  John 
Winchester,  married  Mary  Lyon,  or 
Lyons,  and  their  son,  Elhanan,  is  of  fur- 
ther mention. 

(III)  Elhanan  Winchester,  son  of  Jo- 
siah and  Mary  (Lyon  or  Lyons)  Winches- 
ter, married  Mary  Taylor,  and  their  son, 
Elhanan,  is  of  further  mention. 

(IV)  Elhanan  (2)  Winchester,  son  of 
Elhanan  (i)  and  Mary  (Taylor)  Win- 
chester, was  a  deacon  in  the  Church  of 
the  "New  Lights."  In  1777  he  advanced 
£300  to  the  town  of  Newton,  Massachu- 
setts, to  pay  the  needy  soldiers,  whom 
the  town  in  its  impoverished  condition  on 
account  of  the  war  was  unable  to  provide 
for.  This  loan  greatly  reduced  his  re- 
sources, and  no  record  that  it  was  repaid 
has  been  found.  He  married  Sarah  Bel- 
cher, a  daughter  of  Royal  Governor  Bel- 
cher. He  held  the  office  of  governor  of 
his  native  colony  of  Massachusetts  from 
1730  to  1741,  and  at  his  death  in  1757  was 
royal  governor  of  New  Jersey. 

(V)  Samuel  Winchester,  son  of  El- 
hanan (2)  and  Sarah  (Belcher)  Winches- 
ter, served  in  the  Revolutionary  War 
under  General  Gates.  He  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Stillwater,  and  was  present 
at  the  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne's 
army  in  Saratoga,  New  York.  Samuel 
Winchester  married  for  his  third  wife 
Hannah  Woods. 

(VI)  Ebenezer  Winchester,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Hannah  (Woods)  Winches- 


247 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ter,  was  bom  in  Marcellus,  New  York, 
March  30,  1814,  and  died  in  Valley- 
Springs,  California,  February  i,  1897.  He 
was  an  editor  in  his  early  days,  being  a 
fellow-worker  with  Horace  Greeley  and 
Whitelaw  Reid  on  the  New  York  "Tri- 
bune." For  some  time  he  was  the  pub- 
lisher of  the  Fredonia,  New  York,  "Cen- 
sor." At  another  time  he  established  the 
"New  World,"  said  to  have  been  New 
York's  first  society  illustrated  paper.  He 
also  did  much  editorial  and  other  writing 
for  other  newspapers.  During  the  sixties 
and  seventies  he  and  his  son,  Theodore 
Winchester,  owned  and  operated  a  news- 
paper and  printing  establishment  in 
Marietta,  Ohio.  The  latter  years  of  Eben- 
ezer  Winchester's  life  were  spent  in  Oak- 
land and  Valley  Springs,  California, 
where  until  he  became  blind  he  pursued 
writing  and  research  work  of  a  literary 
nature. 

Mr.  Winchester  married  Elizabeth  Nel- 
son Story,  who  was  born  in  Annapolis 
Royal,  Nova  Scotia,  March  26,  181 5.  She 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Story, 
who  came  from  England  in  the  first  half 
of  the  eighteenth  century  and  settled  in 
Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  became 
an  extensive  ship  merchant.  His  young- 
est son,  Francis  Story,  father  of  Elizabeth 
Nelson  Story,  was  born  in  Laurencetown, 
near  Halifax,  June  24,  1776.  Being  a 
commander  of  ships  in  the  West  India 
trade,  he  was  known  as  Captain  Story. 
Quite  early  in  the  nineteenth  century  he 
became  a  resident  of  Westchester  county. 
New  York.  Maternally,  Elizabeth  Nel- 
son Story  was  descended  from  the  French 
Huguenot  families  of  Devone — now  called 
Devoe — and  Bennett,  founders  of  the 
numerous  Westchester  county  families 
bearing  those  names.  The  original  De- 
vones  and  Bennetts,  having  left  Rochelle, 
France,  in  consequence  of  the  revocation 


of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  in  1685,  were  early 
settlers  in  New  Rochelle,  New  York. 
Frederick  Devone,  great-grandfather  of 
Elizabeth  Nelson  (Story)  Winchester, 
was  born  there  early  in  the  seventeen  hun- 
dreds. He  engaged  in  business  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  resided  during  the 
winter  seasons  on  Franklin  square,  spend- 
ing his  summers  at  his  country  home  in 
New  Rochelle.  He  was  the  owner  of  a 
considerable  estate.  Frederick  Devone 
was  a  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Chapel, 
New  York.  Being  a  Royalist,  he  removed 
to  Nova  Scotia  after  the  British  evacuated 
New  York,  taking  with  him  his  ward, 
David  Bennett,  who  was  born  in  New 
Rochelle,  March  31,  1757.  David  Bennett 
was  married  at  Annapolis  Royal,  Nova 
Scotia,  to  Charity  Devone,  a  daughter  of 
his  guardian,  Frederick  Devone,  who  was 
born  in  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  Janu- 
ary 27,  1759.  This  marriage  took  place 
about  1782  or  1783.  Their  oldest  daugh- 
ter, Sarah  Bennett,  who  was  born  in  An- 
napolis, Nova  Scotia,  December  21,  1784, 
was  married  at  that  place,  March  13, 
1806,  to  Captain  Francis  Story,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  Elizabeth  Nelson 
Story,  who  as  the  wife  of  Ebenezer  Win- 
chester was  the  grandmother  of  Albert  E. 
Winchester. 

(VII)  Theodore  Winchester,  son  of 
Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  Nelson  (.Story) 
Winchester,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  March  30,  1842,  and  died  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  December  11,  1883.  He 
received  an  education  better  than  was 
given  to  most  youths  of  his  day.  He  pos- 
sessed an  active  mind,  and  besides  mak- 
ing the  most  of  the  opportunities  afforded 
him  he  added  to  his  store  of  knowledge 
by  wise  and  careful  reading  and  by  keen 
and  thoughtful  observation.  He  literally 
grew  up  in  the  printing  office  of  his  father, 
the  work  being  such  as  appeals  to  almost 


248 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


every  boy.  He  became  a  thoroug-h  all- 
round  printer,  and  remained  identified 
with  the  printing  business  in  one  way 
and  another  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  took 
out  a  number  of  patents,  and  contributed 
many  improvements  in  methods  of  de- 
signing, cutting  and  making  type.  Dur- 
ing the  sixties  and  seventies  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  ownership 
and  operation  of  a  newspaper  and  print- 
ing plant  at  Marietta,  Ohio.  It  was  there 
that  he  began  his  inventive  work  on 
printing  appliances.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  associated  with  the  Balti- 
more Type  Foundry.  During  all  these 
years  he  was  associated  with  various  pub- 
lishers, for  he  was  an  exceptionally  fluent 
and  versatile  writer.  While  he  never 
essayed  to  be  a  poet,  he  possessed  a  splen- 
did gift  of  poesy,  though  this  was  exer- 
cised mostly  for  his  own  entertainment. 
As  a  free-lance  writer  his  editorial  writ- 
ings appeared  in  many  publications.  He 
also  possessed  marked  artistic  talent,  but 
this  too  was  used  merely  as  a  means  of 
amusement. 

On  December  ii,  1865,  Theodore  Win- 
chester married  Anna  Maud  Jackson,  who 
was  born  November  25,  1847,  '^i  Danby, 
New  York,  and  died  January  21,  191 1,  in 
Los  Angeles,  California.  In  her  latter 
years  she  was  known  in  literary  circles 
and  among  her  friends  as  Mrs.  Winches- 
ter-Dennie.  Her  second  husband,  de- 
ceased, was  Henry  Eugene  Dennie,  a 
pioneer  builder  of  railroads  in  Mexico  and 
Central  America.  From  girlhood,  Mrs. 
Winchester-Dennie  was  devoted  to  edu- 
cational and  literary  work,  and  became 
prominent  in  both,  particularly  as  an  edi- 
torial writer  on  political  and  governmen- 
tal matters  and  as  a  promoter  of  modern 
education.  Her  newspaper  work  took  her 
to  Mexico  in  1881,  and  there  she  labored 
for  and  succeeded  in  the  introduction  of 


the  American  school  system.  As  a  mark 
of  distinction,  she  was  the  first  woman  to 
be  commissioned  by  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment as  Professor  of  Instruction,  which 
followed  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Dennie. 
After  a  residence  of  about  twenty  years 
in  Mexico,  and  having  become  a  widow, 
she  made  her  home  with  her  son,  Albert 
E.  Winchester,  in  South  Norwalk,  Con- 
necticut. Her  long  continuous  work  had 
made  her  an  invalid,  and  her  entire  for- 
tune had  been  exhausted  in  the  advance- 
ment of  education  and  uplift  effort.  In 
about  five  years  she  went  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  the  hope  of  restoring  her  health, 
but  her  strength  continued  to  fail  until 
January  21,  191 1,  when  she  passed  away. 
Until  a  few  months  before  the  end,  Mrs. 
Winchester-Dennie  pursued  her  literary 
work  as  a  reviewer,  rewriter  and  critic  of 
fiction  and  other  writings.  Her  father, 
George  Jackson,  of  Virginia  and  Mary- 
land stock,  late  of  Ithaca,  New  York,  was 
of  English  and  Scotch  descent.  Her 
mother  was  Caroline  (Denton)  Jackson, 
of  Danby,  New  York,  who  was  of  Eng- 
lish and  Irish  descent.  A  direct  maternal 
ancestor  is  understood  to  have  been  an 
Irish  countess  who  married  below  her 
station  and  ran  away  to  America.  George 
Jackson  worked  on  the  laying  out  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  early  asso- 
ciated with  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  the  in- 
ventor of  electric  telegraphy,  and  Ezra 
Cornell,  founder  of  Cornell  University, 
with  whom  he  helped  to  construct  the 
first  electric  telegraph  line  between  Wash- 
ington and  Baltimore.  His  forefathers, 
after  concluding  that  slavery  was  wrong, 
freed  their  slaves  and  came  North,  set- 
tling in  the  vicinity  of  Ithaca,  many  years 
before  the  war  that  settled  the  slavery 
question.  He  was  also  one  of  the  original 
"Forty-niners"  who  went  to  seek  gold  in 


249 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


California.  Upon  his  return  he  resumed 
his  occupation  of  farmer  and  cattle  dealer. 
(VIII)  Albert  E.  Winchester,  son  of 
Theodore  and  Anna  Maud  (Jackson) 
Winchester,  in  1871  accompanied  his 
mother  to  her  old  home  in  Ithaca,  New 
York,  where  he  attended  school  until 
New  York  City  became  their  home  in 
1876.  At  the  age  of  ten  he  secured  his 
first  position,  as  office  boy  with  the  Wall 
street  law  firm  of  Wells  Hendershott. 
The  spring  of  1881  found  our  subject  em- 
barking for  old  Mexico  with  his  mother, 
who  had  been  appointed  to  write  a  guide- 
book for  the  Gould-Grant  Railroad,  then 
under  concession,  and  as  Mexican  corre- 
spondent for  several  American  periodi- 
cals. At  that  time  he  was  just  fourteen 
years  old,  and  there  being  no  suitable 
school  for  him  in  Mexico  in  those  days, 
and  having  evinced  from  earliest  boy- 
hood an  insatiable  zeal  and  ardor  for  con- 
structive mechanics,  and  a  keen  apprecia- 
tion of  scientific  values,  he  became  an 
apprentice  in  the  Mexican  Central  Rail- 
road, which  was  then  being  built  to  the 
United  States.  He  served  successively  in 
the  treasury  department,  the  mechanical 
section  in  connection  with  locomotive  and 
car  building,  and  out  on  pioneer  railroad 
construction.  On  completing  his  time  in 
1883,  he  was  sent  back  to  the  United 
States  to  qualify  for  college  and  took  a 
preparatory  course  in  the  Whitlock  Acad- 
emy, Wilton,  Connecticut.  At  this  early 
day  the  young  man  was  investigating  the 
then  new  problem  of  the  commercial  de- 
velopment of  electricity  as  his  limited 
time  permitted,  and  at  the  conclusion  of 
his  course  at  the  academy,  instead  of  en- 
tering college,  he  began  in  the  year  1886, 
as  the  youngest  member  of  the  parent 
Edison  Company's  engineering  staff,  un- 
der the  well  known  veteran  electrical  and 
mechanical  engineer,  J.  H.  Vail,  who  was 


then  the  general  superintendent,  and  con- 
tinued with  the  various  organizations  of 
the  Edison  interests  in  line  of  succes- 
sion from  draughtsman  to  constructing 
engineer,  until  the  formation  of  the  Gen- 
eral Electric  Company,  with  which  he 
remained  until  1893,  when  he  became  a 
director  of  the  Electrical  &  Mechanical 
Engineering  Company  of  New  York,  and 
its  superintendent  of  construction  for  the 
three  ensuing  years. 

During  1896  and  1897,  Mr.  Winchester 
was  on  the  staff  of  the  New  York  Edison 
Illuminating  Company.  From  that  time 
to  the  present  (1921)  he  has  held  his  pres- 
ent position  of  general  superintendent  of 
the  South  Norwalk  Electric  Works. 
Back  in  1892,  he  designed  and  superin- 
tended the  construction  of  this  plant, 
after  which  year  and  until  1902  he  also 
served  as  a  member  of  South  Nor- 
walk's  Board  of  Electrical  Commission- 
ers. Thus  he  has  devoted  himself  contin- 
uously to  his  city  since  1892,  contributing 
a  large  part  of  his  time  and  ability  with- 
out remuneration  other  than  the  know- 
ledge of  having  done  his  best  as  a  public 
servant.  Mr.  Winchester's  present  stand- 
ing in  his  city,  in  addition  to  that  of  su- 
perintendent of  the  electrical  works,  is 
that  of  superintendent  of  the  fire  alarm 
telegraph  since  1893,  and  city  electrical 
engineer  since  1902.  He  also  assists  the 
Public  Utilities  Commission  of  Connecti- 
cut in  a  consulting  capacity,  and  is  elec- 
trical adviser  to  several  municipalities 
and  private  corporations.  He  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Norwalk  Building  and  Loan 
Association,  and  a  member  of  the  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  South  Norwalk 
Board  of  Trade.  In  1906  Mr.  Winchester 
became  president  of  the  Water  and  Elec- 
tric Company  of  Westport,  Connecticut, 
and  so  continued  until  the  company  was 
absorbed  some  years  later  by  the  New 


250 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


York  &  New  Haven  Railroad  Company. 
In  the  meantime,  he  saw  the  Westport 
concern  rise  from  a  precarious  condition 
to  one  of  prosperity  as  the  result  of  the 
united  and  earnest  purpose  of  himself  and 
his  associates  to  deal  fairly  with  its  pa- 
trons. 

Mr.  Winchester's  scientific  and  social 
affiliations  are  numerous.  He  holds  the 
highest  grade,  that  of  Fellow,  and  has 
been  a  full  member,  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Electrical  Engineers  since  1887. 
He  is  also  a  founder  member  of  the  Edi- 
son Pioneers,  who  were  the  great  inven- 
tor's helpers  in  his  discoveries  before  the 
latter  eighties.  He  is  a  member  of  Old 
Well  Lodge,  No.  108,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons ;  Butler  Chapter,  No. 
38,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Washington 
Council,  No.  6,  Royal  and  Select  Masters ; 
Washington  Commandery,  No.  3,  Knights 
Templar ;  and  Pyramid  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  His  memberships  also  include 
the  Eastern  Star,  the  Red  Men,  Elks, 
Heptasophs,  Royal  Arcanum,  South  Nor- 
walk  Club,  Knob  Club,  Council  of  the 
Norwalk  Division  of  the  Boy  Scouts  of 
America,  and  others. 

Since  1893  Mr.  Winchester  has  been  a 
constantly  active  member  of  the  South 
Norwalk  Fire  Department,  of  which  he 
was  chief  for  two  terms,  stepping  back 
into  the  ranks  in  1907.  After  twenty 
years  of  continuous  service  he  was  made 
an  active  life  member  of  Old  Well  Hook 
&  Ladder  Company,  which  he  had  early 
joined,  and  of  which  he  is  now  treasurer. 
In  the  volunteer  service  he  is  credited 
with  never  having  faltered  in  the  line  of 
duty ;  regardless  of  weather,  personal 
safety  or  other  consideration  he  would  be 
found  in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  using  good 
judgment  and  telling  efiForts,  which  won 
him  the  respect  of  his  associates  and  the 


citizens  generally.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Connecticut  State  Firemen's  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Connecticut  Fire  Chief's 
Club. 

He  has  often  been  mentioned  for  politi- 
cal offices  of  prominence,  but  has  declined 
to  be  a  candidate.  He  is  opposed  to  en- 
tering any  political  contest  for  the  glory 
of  winning,  or  to  oppose  a  friend,  or  to 
seek  and  accept  an  office  that  is  held  and 
wanted  by  a  man  who  has  faithfully  ren- 
dered efficient  service. 

Though  he  is  an  inventor  of  acknow- 
ledged genius,  Mr.  Winchester  has  never 
taken  out  any  patents  for  himself,  holding 
that  his  employers  were  entitled  to  the 
results  of  his  eflforts.  Among  other  de- 
vices, he  originated  one  of  the  first  prac- 
tical quick-break  switches  for  heavy 
electric  currents,  the  exact  principles  of 
which  are  in  general  use  to-day.  The 
sectional  iron  bracket  pole  for  supporting 
trolley  wires  was  developed  by  him ;  also 
improvements  in  the  key  sockets  for  in- 
candescent lamps ;  an  automatic  trolley 
pole  and  contact  for  electric  train  service ; 
an  early  car  motor  controller,  and  he 
aided  in  the  evolution  of  the  one  now 
commonly  in  use  on  electric  street  cars. 
He  contributed  many  other  improvements 
and  modifications  of  great  value  to  trol- 
ley line  appliances  and  construction,  to 
which  work  he  was  assigned  for  a  consid- 
erable period  of  time.  In  1916-17  he  col- 
laborated with  the  General  Electric  Com- 
pany in  evolving  the  new  type  of  very 
efficient  ornamental  street  lighting  unit 
that  was  first  installed  in  South  Norwalk 
in  1918.  He  was  also  detailed  from  time 
to  time  on  special  lines  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  Edison,  of  which  fact  he  is 
justly  proud,  and  believes  that  his  contact 
with  the  great  inventor  has  been  of  incal- 
culable benefit  to  him.  Mr.  Winchester's 
speciality,    however,   has    gradually    con- 


251 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


centrated  his  attention  on  the  intricate 
engineering  and  management  details  of 
electric  lighting  and  power  undertakings. 
He  has  participated  in  the  designing  of 
over  one  hundred  electric  lighting  and 
street  railway  generating  stations,  of 
which  some  were  erected  under  his  per- 
sonal supervision.  Some  of  the  more  im- 
portant of  these  plants  were :  The  early 
Edison  stations  in  New  York  City,  Bos- 
ton, Philadelphia,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  St. 
Louis,  San  Francisco,  New  Orleans,  Kan- 
sas City,  Topeka,  Milwaukee,  Detroit, 
Providence,  Brooklyn,  Wilmington,  and 
many  others.  In  electric  street  railway 
work  he  was  connected  with  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Richmond  street  railway — the 
pioneer  of  the  old  Sprague  Company — the 
street  railways  of  Scranton,  Brooklyn, 
Jamaica,  Hoosic  Falls,  Poughkeepsie  and 
Wappingers  Falls,  New  York's  first  ex- 
perimental road  using  the  surface  contact 
plates,  and  many  others. 

In  the  autumn  of  1905,  representative 
citizens  from  all  parts  of  the  Nation  were 
called  to  New  York  City  to  attend  a  spe- 
cial convention  of  the  National  Civic  Fed- 
eration, assembled  at  Columbia  Univer- 
sity, in  response  to  the  demand  of  the 
American  people  for  real  facts  relating  to 
the  advantages  and  disadvantages  result- 
ing from  applied  public  and  private  own- 
ership of  public  utilities.  This  vital  issue 
had  become  a  topic  of  serious  contention 
between  privately  owned  public  serving 
utilities  on  the  one  hand,  and  those  people 
who  believed  that  the  public  should  own 
and  operate  its  own  utilities.  A  commit- 
tee of  twenty-one  commissioners,  of  whom 
Mr.  Winchester  was  one,  was  by  vote 
named  and  given  the  necessary  power 
and  finances  to  thoroughly  investigate 
this  subject  under  operative  conditions, 
both  in  this  country  and  abroad,  aided  by 
a  picked  corps  of  experts  in  engineering. 


management,  accounting  labor  economics, 
and  civic  efficiency.  The  list  of  names  is 
too  long  to  include  in  this  article,  but  it 
comprises  men  recognized  the  country 
over  as  leaders  in  their  respective  fields. 
In  recognition  of  his  experience  and  qual- 
ifications. Commissioner  Winchester  was 
also  selected  as  one  of  the  two  electric 
lighting  and  power  experts  of  the  foreign 
investigation  committee.  He  sailed  for 
England  in  the  early  spring  of  1906,  and 
for  five  months  his  time  was  wholly  occu- 
pied in  a  minute  investigation  of  the  elec- 
tric, gas,  and  street  railway  undertakings 
of  the  large  cities  of  England,  Scotland 
and  Ireland,  and  afterwards  devoted  much 
of  his  time  in  this  country  to  aiding  in  the 
compilation  of  the  vast  amount  of  data 
included  in  the  commission's  report. 
This  report  was  given  to  the  public  in 
1907,  and  still  stands  as  the  most  com- 
plete work  of  its  nature,  and  is  the  world's 
best  authority  within  its  field. 

During  Mr.  Winchester's  stay  in  Lon- 
don, in  1906,  Superintendent  Hamilton, 
of  the  London  Fire  Brigade,  gave  a  spe- 
cial demonstration  of  fire  fighting  in  his 
honor  as  a  visiting  active  fire  chief.  A 
building  was  provided  especially  for  that 
purpose,  to  which  fire  apparatus  was 
called  from  a  distance  as  great  as  three 
or  four  miles,  in  order  to  establish  a  time 
record  for  response.  Prominent  features 
of  the  exhibition  were  the  scaling  of 
buildings  and  life-net  rescues. 

While  abroad,  Mr.  Winchester  was 
also  a  United  States  delegate  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers  to 
the  International  Congress  of  Electrical 
Engineers  at  London.  Professor  J.  H. 
Gray,  in  his  report  on  the  South  Norwalk 
plant,  speaks  characteristically  of  Mr. 
Winchester,  as  follows : 

Although  the  present  superintendent,  Mr.  A.  E. 
Winchester,  was  originally  chief  promoter  of  the 


252 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


plant,  the  constructing  engineer,  and  for  nearly 
ten  years  one  of  the  Commissioners — resigning 
July  I,  1902,  and  from  four  years  previous  to  that 
date  up  to  the  present  time  superintendent  of  the 
plant — and  although  he  takes  a  very  active  part  in 
Republican  politics  and  always  has  done  so,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  find  that  political  considerations 
have  at  any  time  had  any  influence  in  the  promo- 
tion, disciplining  or  dismissing  of  any  member  of 
the  force  or  with  the  operation  of  the  plant.  It 
ought  also  to  be  said  that  a  large  part  of  the 
success  of  the  plant  and  of  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  it  is  regarded  by  the  public  are  due  to  the 
personal  activity  and  character  of  Mr.  Winches- 
ter. His  character  in  connection  with  the  plant 
and  his  dominating  influence  over  its  fortunes  are 
unique,  so  far  as  my  observation  goes.  I  under- 
stand that  Mr.  Winchester,  in  the  early  days, 
served  the  city  in  connection  with  the  establish- 
ment and  management  of  the  electric  plant  with- 
out any  salary  at  all,  and  in  recent  years  has 
served  as  superintendent  for  a  smaller  compen- 
sation than  he  could  command  elsewhere.  I  be- 
lieve also  that  every  extension  and  enlargement 
of  the  works  recommended  by  him  has  been 
speedily  authorized  by  the  city,  and  that  in  no 
case  has  the  expense  of  the  work  exceeded  his 
estimate  as  presented  to  the  city  meeting.  In  fact, 
he  has  come  well  within  every  special  appropria- 
tion made  for  investment,  except  one  for  $S,00o 
for  motors,  in  which  the  original  estimate  was  not 
exceeded.  (Schedule  I.,  volume  II.,  pages  667-8, 
report  entitled  "Municipal  and  Private  Operation 
of  Public  Utilities"). 

In  his  early  career,  Mr.  Winchester 
took  up  the  contrasting  study  of  private 
and  public  ownership  of  public  serving 
utilities  from  the  standpoint  of  civic  bene- 
fits and  economies.  He  had  heard  much 
strong  argument  on  both  sides  of  the  con- 
troversy by  his  associates  and  others 
whose  opinions  were  shaped  by  connected 
interests,  so  seldom  substantiated  by 
clearly  demonstrated  facts,  that  he  be- 
came interested,  not  as  a  radical  either 
way,  but  in  the  belief  that  the  question 
was  of  such  importance  that  it  should  be 
given  deeper  and  broader  consideration, 
from  a  purely  practical  and  unbiased 
point  of  view,  than  the  opposing  sides 


seemed  able  to  agree  upon.  He  wanted 
to  know  the  real  truth,  and  although 
already  possessed  of  a  fair  insight  into  the 
methods  of  private  ownership,  he  felt  sure 
that  a  close  investigation  on  both  sides  of 
the  question  would  fail  to  demonstrate 
either  the  fallacies  or  the  virtues  of  either 
side  to  the  extent  alleged,  and  that  the 
best  results  for  all  concerned  depended 
not  so  much  upon  the  title  of  ownership,  as 
upon  the  degree  of  honesty  in  the  policy 
of  management  and  the  perfection  of 
business  methods  and  efiSciency  of  opera- 
tion. When  fully  convinced  that  the 
question  of  ownership  was  secondary  to 
service  rendered,  and  that  no  up-to-date 
reason  existed  why  a  well  handled  pri- 
vately or  publicly  owned  undertaking  in 
the  service  of  the  people  could  not  oper- 
ate with  equal  satisfaction,  Mr.  Winches- 
ter accepted  the  opportunity  to  prove  his 
hypothesis  in  South  Norwalk,  with  the 
backing  of  the  people  and  the  best  type  of 
business  men  as  his  associate  commis- 
sioners in  the  upbuilding  of  this  enter- 
prise. The  resulting  plant  owned  by  the 
city,  as  previously  mentioned,  was  de- 
signed by  him,  even  to  the  details  of  its 
business  methods,  its  system  of  rates  and 
accounting,  and  has  always  been  under 
his  charge.  From  every  point  of  view  and 
from  its  earliest  existence  this  plant  has 
made  good.  Not  only  has  it  expanded  to 
many  times  its  original  size,  but  it  is 
famous  all  over  the  country  for  its  long 
continued  undeniable  success,  and  be- 
cause it  paid  up  its  entire  investment  of 
borrowed  capital,  of  over  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  with  interest,  from  its 
own  earned  profits  and  has  never  cost  the 
citizens  one  cent  of  taxation,  but  has  paid 
money  into  the  municipal  treasury  in- 
stead. 

That  Mr.  Winchester  is  not  biased  as 
to  ownership  of  public  utilities  is  evident 


253 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


from  the  fact  that  while  busy  pushing  the 
South  Norwalk  municipal  plant  to  suc- 
cess, he  was  also  busy  in  the  same  way  as 
president  of  the  private  water  and  electric 
service  company,  in  the  adjoining  town  of 
Westport.  Mr.  Winchester  holds  that 
public  ownership  has  a  legitimate  field  of 
its  own,  and  that  no  well  conducted  pri- 
vate enterprise  in  the  same  line  that  gives 
its  community  a  square  deal  need  fear 
civic  competition.  Public  ownership,  in 
his  opinion,  is  the  people's  alternative  of 
the  present  time  against  an  unjust  mo- 
nopoly armed  with  iniquitous  power  to 
force  unsatisfactory  service  and  unrea- 
sonable rates  upon  its  following,  simply 
because,  being  a  monopoly,  it  can.  He  is 
confident  that  such  abuse  of  dominion 
through  lack  of  proper  control — not  the 
rule,  and  when  evident  is  mostly  the  pub- 
lic's fault — will  in  a  not  remote  to-mor- 
row compel  society  to  assume  its  dormant 
power  and  demand  irresistibly  that  pro- 
digous  change  be  made  in  current  laws, 
establishing  equal,  just  and  sufficient 
protection  against  infringements  both 
ways,  between  publicly  ovvned  common 
weal  and  privately  owned  public  service 
monopolies. 

To-day  applied  success  is  possibly  our 
most  convincing  factor,  representing  its 
public  ownership  phase,  on  the  one  side, 
in  the  model  South  Norwalk  plant,  and 
on  the  other,  private  ownership  in  the 
progress  of  the  Westport  Company,  both 
more  or  less  influenced  by  the  same  mind. 

Mr.  Winchester  has  said  much  upon  the 
subject  of  public  utilities,  in  print  and 
from  the  lecture  platform.  He  read  a 
notable  paper  before  the  Conference  of 
American  Mayors,  held  at  Philadelphia  in 
November,  1914,  covering  the  subject  of 
municipal  ownership  of  an  electric  plant 
as  exemplified  in  the  South  Norwalk  ven- 
ture.    The  paper  was  of  such  merit  that 


it  was  published  in  the  Annals  of  the 
American  Society  of  Political  and  Social 
Science,  in  January,  1915.  His  advice  has 
also  been  largely  sought  by  both  private 
undertakings  engaged  in  public  service, 
and  by  municipalities  that  he  has  beconle 
known  for  his  broad  judgment  through- 
out the  United  States,  as  a  safe  authority 
on  public  service  problems.  His  mother's 
charge,  "My  son,  be  a  good  citizen,"  has 
been  Mr.  Winchester's  inspiration  since 
boyhood. 

Many  who  know  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  call  him  "Colonel."  Mr.  Winches- 
ter claims  no  title  to  military  rank.  Some 
time  previous  to  the  Spanish-American 
War,  he  served  as  confidential  adviser  to 
agents  of  the  Cuban  revolutionists  in 
electrical  and  engineering  matters,  with 
particular  regard  to  the  laying  of  mines. 
Having  been  in  Cuba,  and  speaking  Span- 
ish, and  heartily  in  sympathy  with  the 
struggle  for  "Cuba  Libre,"  he  was  se- 
lected as  a  member  of  a  proposed  military 
engineering  corps,  with  the  rank  of  col- 
onel, to  be  sent  to  Cuba.  As  the  United 
States  had  not  at  that  time  become  in- 
volved in  Cuba's  struggle,  Mr.  Winches- 
ter declined  the  appointment,  in  the  inter- 
est of  maintaining  neutrality,  but  many 
friends  still  apply  the  title,  much  to  his 
embarrassment. 

Mr.  Winchester  has  been  married  twice. 
His  first  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married 
on  October  24,  1888,  was  Carrie  Augusta 
Davenport  Whitlock,  daughter  of  Augus- 
tus Whitlock,  in  whose  academy  Mr. 
Winchester  had  prepared  for  college. 
She  died  childless  on  September  24,  1894. 
Mr.  Winchester  married  for  his  second 
wife,  February  i,  1896,  Elizabeth  Grant 
Bray,  who  was  born  in  Lincroft,  New 
Jersey,  April  8,  1876,  daughter  of  David 
H.  and  Stella  C.  (Van  Schoick)  Bray.  He 
was  a  farmer  for  many  years  in  the  vicin- 


254 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ity  of  Red  Bank,  New  Jersey.  This  union 
has  been  blessed  with  the  following  chil- 
dren:  I.  Louis  Dennie,  born  August  4. 
1897,  died  July  2,  1898.  2.  Herbert  Dav- 
enport, born  July  30,  1900;  he  left  the 
freshman  class  at  Stevens  Institute  of 
Technology  to  enlist  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
United  States  army,  1918;  he  was  not 
sent  overseas,  but  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  in  1019  and 
returned  to  college.  3.  Edward  Van 
Schoick,  bom  July  8,  1901 ;  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  tried  three  times  to  enlist 
in  the  United  States  navy,  but  was  re- 
jected on  account  of  his  youth ;  he  took 
a  position  in  the  New  York  Division  Su- 
perintendent's Office  of  the  New  York  & 
New  Haven  Railroad  Company. 

Mr.  Winchester's  favorite  pursuits  are 
the  study  and  practice  of  those  sciences 
involved  in  his  vocation,  the  study  of  po- 
litical science,  economics  and  philosophy. 
His  patriotism  is  intense,  which  to  his 
mind  finds  its  best  expression  in  rendering 
efficient  public  service  for  the  sake  of  the 
results  rather  than  for  personal  reward. 
He  believes  in  constructive  rather  than 
destructive  criticism ;  in  bringing  har- 
mony out  of  confusion ;  in  attracting  peo- 
ple to  each  other  by  showing  the  good 
that  can  always  be  found  in  everyone,  if 
it  is  appealed  to  sympathetically;  in  set- 
tling disputes  by  man-to-man  and  heart- 
to-  heart  conferences  ;  in  telling  the  good 
that  can  be  told  of  others,  with  emphasis  ; 
in  helping  the  needy  without  their  learn- 
ing the  source  of  the  benefaction.  He  is 
greatly  interested  in  everything  that  per- 
tains to  his  fellow-man,  and  his  special 
interest  in  boys  finds  an  outlet  to  their 
advantage  in  his  activities  in  connection 
with  the  Boy  Scout  movement,  already 
referred  to.  Mr.  Winchester  is  a  strong 
believer  in  Divinity,  and  is  convinced  that 
all  things  are  controlled  and  actuated  by 


a  positive,  authentic,  supreme  purpose  of 
concentrated  right,  which  is  perfect 
power  and  action  eternal.  Though  non- 
sectarian  in  his  own  views,  he  honors  and 
respects  all  creeds  and  those  who  en- 
deavor faithfully  to  live  up  to  them. 


EMERY,  Albert  Hamilton, 

Celebrated  Inventor. 

The  derivation  of  names,  which  is  al- 
ways an  interesting  study,  proves  that 
places  of  abode  and  occupation  were  the 
most  frequent  sources  of  their  origin,  but 
very  often  we  find  one  derived  from  either 
a  personal  characteristic  or  similar  qual- 
ity. The  surname,  Emery,  is  derived 
from  Almeric,  a  Christian  name  signify- 
ing "of  obscure  origin."  It  was  gradu- 
ally changed  to  the  present  English  form 
and  spelling.  In  the  Italian  it  is  Amerigo 
and  is  forever  represented  in  the  word 
"America." 

John  Emery,  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family,  was  born  September 
29,  1598,  in  Hampshire,  England,  and  was 
the  son  of  John  and  Agnes  Emery.  On 
April  3,  1635,  John  (2)  Emery  sailed  in 
the  "James,"  of  London,  for  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, landing  on  June  3,  1635.  Soon 
after,  he  removed  to  Newbury,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  received  a  grant ;  was 
made  a  freeman  on  June  2,  1641,  and  re- 
ceived a  further  grant  on  April  19,  1644. 
He  served  as  selectman  in  1661 ;  as  fence 
viewer  in  1666 ;  and  as  grand  juryman  in 
1666.      He    married    (first)    in    England, 

Mary  ,  who  died  in  April,  1649,  '" 

Newbury.  He  married  (second)  Mrs. 
Mary  (Shatswell)  Webster.  His  death 
occurred  in  Newbury,  November  3,  1683, 
and  he  was  survived  by  his  widow  until 
April  28,  1694. 

Six  generations  later  the  father  of  Al- 
bert H.  Emery  was  born  and  he  was 
Samuel  Emery,  son  of  Joshua  and  Ruth 


255 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(Nott)  Emery,  born  July  14,  1792,  and 
traveled  in  an  ox-cart  to  Mexico,  Oswego 
county.  New  York,  at  a  time  when  there 
were  but  three  houses  in  that  settlement. 
Undeterred  by  this,  however,  he  built 
the  fourth  house  and  made  the  place  his 
home,  following  his  calling,  which  was 
that  of  a  farmer.  He  married  (first)  Jan- 
uary 2,  1820,  Catherine  Shepard,  who  was 
born  August  19,  1795,  in  Alstead,  New 
Hampshire,  and  died  July  27,  1854.  The 
death  of  Samuel  Emery  occurred  January 
24,  1876,  in  Mexico,  New  York.  He  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church. 

His  son,  Albert  Hamilton  Emery,  was 
born  June  21,  1834,  in  Mexico,  New  York, 
and  was  next  to  the  youngest  of  eight 
children.  He  grew  up  accustomed  to  a 
farm  environment,  attending  school  dur- 
ing the  summer  and  winter  from  the  age 
of  five  years  to  that  of  ten,  and  also  the 
two  winters  when  he  was  eleven  and 
twelve  years  old.  From  that  time  he  at- 
tended school  no  more  until  the  winter  of 
1851,  when  he  studied  for  three  months 
in  the  Mexico  Academy,  devoting  special 
attention  to  surveying.  He  had  been, 
meanwhile,  employed  on  his  father's 
farm. 

After  studying  surveying  during  the 
winter  of  1851,  Mr.  Emery  worked  at  it 
throughout  the  following  summer,  and 
in  the  autumn  of  1852  attended  the  acad- 
emy for  another  three  months.  In  the 
winter  of  1852-53  he  taught  a  school  in 
Union  Settlement,  and  then  engaged  in 
surveying  on  a  proposed  Syracuse  &  Par- 
ishville  railroad.  He  later  worked  at 
surveying  on  the  proposed  Oswego  & 
Troy  railroad.  In  the  autumn  of  1854  he 
returned  home  and  made  a  copy  of  a  map 
of  Niagara  Falls  from  the  State  Geologi- 
cal Survey.  This  map,  which  was  a  fine 
piece  of  draughtsmanship,  was  destined 
to  play  an  important  part  in  shaping  Mr. 


Emery's  career.  In  the  autumn  of  1854, 
desiring  to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  civil 
engineering,  he  entered  the  Rensselaer 
Polytechnic  Institute  in  Troy,  New  York, 
studying  for  five  or  six  weeks  before 
the  close  of  the  winter  session.  The 
course  covered  a  period  of  four  years,  but 
Mr.  Emery  was  at  the  institute  only  a 
little  over  two  years  and  a  half,  not  in- 
cluding the  year  when  he  was  absent  on 
account  of  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever.    In 

1858  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Civil  Engineer  in  the  first  section  of  a 
class  of  forty-eight.  He  defrayed  part 
of  the  expense  of  his  course  by  teaching 
topographical  drawing  in  the  school,  his 
pupils  including  the  graduating  class. 

The  first  professional  work  which  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  Mr.  Emery  was  the 
erection  of  a  church  steeple  in  his  native 
town  of  Mexico,  New  York.  This  was 
considered  by  local  contractors  almost 
impossible,  but  Mr.  Emery  did  not  find 
the  task  a  difficult  one.    In  the  summer  of 

1859  Mr.  Emery  went  to  Washington  and 
took  out  two  patents  on  cheese  presses. 
In  the  fall  of  1859  he  became  acquainted 
with  G.  B.  Lamar,  of  Savannah,  Georgia, 
for  whom  he  built  a  cotton  packing  press 
and  also  designed  two  compressors  for 
compressing  cotton.  They  had  a  capacity 
of  two  thousand  bales  in  twenty  hours 
with  a  pressure  of  five  hundred  tons  on 
each  bale,  but  Mr.  Lamar's  needs  changed 
and  the  compressors  were  never  built. 
Later  Mr.  Emery  formed  a  partnership 
with  Mr.  Lamar,  by  the  terms  of  which 
he  was  to  furnish  the  patents  and  Mr. 
Lamar  the  money  to  build  and  sell  cotton 
packing  presses  and  compresses.  This 
was  in  the  autumn  of  1859.  The  first  press 
was  built  in  Brooklyn,  whence  it  was 
shipped  South.  They  were  planning  to 
put  one  hundred  agents  in  the  field,  but 
Mr.  Lamar  was  conscious  of  the  fast  ap- 
proaching upheaval  and  desired  to  pro- 


2.S6 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ceed  slowly  with  their  enterprise  until 
after  the  next  presidential  election.  Mr. 
Emery,  not  being  willing  to  wait  a  year 
for  the  turn  of  political  events,  returned 
home  and  during  the  summer  built  cheese 
presses  on  his  own  account. 

In  the  autumn  of  1861  Mr.  Emery 
asked  Professor  Drown,  of  the  Rensselaer 
Polytechnic  Institute,  for  a  letter  to  the 
Secretary  of  War,  Mr.  Cameron.  Edwin 
D.  Morgan  was  then  governor  of  New 
York  and  he  also  gave  Mr.  Emery  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Cameron.  Mr.  Emery  was  desir- 
ous of  obtaining  a  position  as  engineer 
in  the  army,  a  position  which  could  ordi- 
narily be  held  only  by  a  West  Point 
graduate.  Mr.  Emery  obtained  an  inter- 
view with  General  Richard  Delafield,  who 
had  charge  of  all  the  fortifications  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  General  Delafield 
requested  Mr.  Emery  to  make  copies  of 
drawings  of  all  these  forts  for  him,  which 
he  did.  He  also  made  drawings  of  several 
batteries  of  field  guns  for  the  United 
States  Government  which  were  built  un- 
der the  superintendance  of  Mr.  Emery 
and  paid  for  by  the  State  of  New  York. 
From  1 86 1  for  several  years  Mr.  Emery 
spent  much  time  experimenting  on  guns 
and  projectiles  for  the  War  Department. 
Mr.  Emery  designed  several  sizes  of  pro- 
jectiles, submitted  his  plans  to  Admiral 
Dahlgren,  and  made  a  number  of  projec- 
tiles for  several  sizes  of  naval  guns.  Lieu- 
tenant Mitchell  having  charge  of  firing 
them.  During  this  time  Mr.  Emery  was 
also  making  cotton  presses  and  had  em- 
barked in  a  venture  to  extract  materials 
from  southern  light  wood  or  fat  pine.  He 
worked  out  and  patented  a  process  by 
which  from  one  cord  of  that  wood  the 
following  products  were  obtained :  Forty- 
three  gallons  of  turpentine,  two  barrels 
of  tar,  one  barrel  of  pitch,  twenty-five 
barrels  of  charcoal,  five  thousand  cubic 
feet  of  illuminating  gas,  six  hundred  gal- 


lons of  crude  pyroligneous  acid.  Before 
the  enterprise  could  get  well  under  way 
the  works  were  burned  and  with  no  in- 
surance, so  he  was  without  funds  to  re- 
build them.  This  was  an  early  attempt  to 
utilize  by-products  which  has  since  come 
into  such  general  use  in  many  industries, 
but  at  this  time  (1865)  was  much  ahead 
of  common  practice. 

The  next  important  work  undertaken 
by  Mr.  Emery  was  the  designing  of  a 
new  system  of  scales.  Mr.  Philo  Reming- 
ton, of  Ilion,  New  York,  advanced  the 
money  to  build  the  first  three  scales  un- 
der this  system,  which,  as  has  been  most 
truly  and  forcibly  observed,  was  one  of 
the  first  great  stones  in  the  foundation  of 
Mr.  Emery's  fame.  These  three  scales 
were  built  in  the  Remington  shops.  One 
of  them  was  set  up  and  loaded  with  seven 
thousand  pounds  of  iron.  Its  capacity 
was  twenty  thousand  pounds  and  with  a 
load  of  seven  thousand  pounds  it  was  sen- 
sitive to  one-half  an  ounce.  In  1873  Mr. 
Emery  met  Mr.  William  Sellers,  who  was 
reputed  to  be  one  of  the  best  mechanical 
engineers  of  his  day.  He  saw  him  in 
Philadelphia  and  showed  him  his  scale 
drawings.  Mr.  Sellers  became  much  in- 
terested, especially  in  one  feature  of  the 
invention,  the  absence  of  knife  edges, 
these  scales  dififering  in  this  from  the 
ordinary  balance  or  scale  which  has  knife 
edges  which  are  rapidly  injured  by  wear 
and  rust.  Mr.  Sellers  was  a  manufac- 
turer of  machine  tools  and  it  was  he  who 
introduced  Mr.  Emery  to  Mr.  J.  H. 
Towne,  father  of  Henry  R.  Towne,  who 
later  became  famous  as  the  head  of  the 
Yale  &  Towne  Manufacturing  Company. 
Mr.  Emery  said  it  would  require  $800,000 
to  develop  the  manufacture  of  these  scales 
in  the  way  he  contemplated. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Emery  had  designed  a 
great  one-thousand-ton  testing  machine  to 
go  to  Seller's  bridge  works.     There  was 


257 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  delay  in  closing  the  negotiations,  and 
Mr.  Emery  returned  home.  Mr.  Sellers 
introduced  Mr.  Emery  to  Colonel  Laid- 
ley,  of  the  Ordnance  Bureau  of  the  War 
Department.  He  met  him  at  the  Reming- 
ton Armory  in  Ilion,  New  York,  by  ap- 
pointment and  gave  him  a  demonstration 
with  the  scales  that  he  had  there.  As  a 
result  Mr.  Emery  was  asked  by  the  Ord- 
nance Department  to  design  a  large  test- 
ing machine  while  Colonel  Laidley  was 
investigating  the  testing  machines  of  this 
country  and  Europe.  He  then  designed 
a  system  of  testing  machines,  from  little 
ones  to  big  ones.  While  he  was  working 
on  these  designs,  Colonel  Laidley  re- 
turned from  Europe  and  gave  him  an 
order  for  a  four-hundred-ton  machine. 
This  was  on  December  23,  1874. 

In  February,  1875,  Mr.  Emery  was 
called  to  Washington  and  there  met  Gen- 
eral Benet,  chief  of  the  Ordnance  Depart- 
ment. It  was  decided  to  try  to  get  an 
increased  appropriation  from  Congress, 
which  was  obtained  to  cover  additional 
work,  and  President  Grant  appointed  a 
board  to  take  charge  of  the  matter  and  to 
this  board  Mr.  Emery's  designs  were  sub- 
mitted. The  supervision  of  the  contract 
was  turned  over  to  the  board,  Colonel 
Laidley  acting  as  its  president.  Parts  of 
the  machine  were  built  in  different  places, 
the  whole  being  assembled  at  the  Water- 
town  Arsenal.  In  order  to  build  this  test- 
ing machine  it  was  necessary  to  design  a 
number  of  new  and  novel  machines,  one 
of  these  being  a  twenty-ton  scale  to 
standardize  some  weights  with  which  to 
calibrate  the  testing  machine.  When  this 
was  finally  tested  with  a  load  of  forty- 
five  thousand  pounds,  it  was  found  to  be 
sensitive  to  half  an  ounce  under  all  loads. 
This  demonstration  greatly  delighted  the 
board.  The  completion  of  the  testing 
machine  was  delayed  by  various  difficul- 
ties, but  in  1879  it  was  finished,  and  in 


1880  went  into  government  use,  constitut- 
ing a  wonderful  monument  to  the  genius 
of  the  inventor. 

When  this  machine  was  tested  by  the 
board  for  acceptance,  a  bar  of  iron,  having 
a  section  of  twenty  square  inches,  was 
pulled  in  two  with  a  tension  load  of 
722,800  pounds,  and  immediately  follow- 
ing, two  horse  hairs  were  tested,  one 
breaking  with  a  load  of  one  pound  and 
the  other  with  a  load  of  one  and  three- 
quarter  pounds.  This  second  hair  was 
tested  on  a  small  dynamometer  and  broke 
with  the  same  load  of  one  and  three- 
fourths  pounds,  showing  the  great  sensi- 
tiveness of  this  large  machine,  which  in 
1920  was  as  sensitive  as  ever,  and  is  still 
in  service.  The  testing  machine  while  in 
operation  at  the  arsenal  in  1881  was  con- 
sidered part  of  the  exhibits  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Charitable  Mechanic  Association 
Fair,  held  in  Boston,  on  Huntington  ave- 
nue, and  as  such  was  awarded  a  large  gold 
medal  of  honor,  which  cost  $500  and  was 
awarded  for  "That  exhibit  most  condu- 
cive to  human  welfare."  A  second  gold 
medal  was  at  the  same  time  also  awarded 
Mr.  Emery  on  this  same  machine  for 
"The  best  scientific  apparatus." 

In  1882  Mr.  Emery  moved  from 
Chicopee,  Massachusetts,  to  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  and  the  Yale  &  Towne  Man- 
ufacturing Company  took  up  the  manu- 
facture of  his  scales,  gauges  and  testing 
machines,  and  three  one-hundred-and- 
fifty-thousand-pound,  and  two  three-hun- 
dred-thousand-pound testing  machines, 
for  tension,  compression  and  transverse 
loads,  were  constructed.  One  of  these 
went  to  the  University  of  Toronto,  an- 
other to  McGill  University  of  Montreal, 
and  one  to  the  University  of  Vienna.  One 
of  the  large  ones  went  to  the  Cambria 
Iron  and  Steel  Works  in  Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  other  to  the  Beth- 
lehem Steel  Company. 


25? 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Later  the  Yale  &  Towne  Manufacturing 
Company,  to  whom  Mr.  Emery  had  sold 
his  patents,  disposed  of  them  in  turn  to 
William  Sellers  &  Company.  Mr.  Sellers 
designed  a  fifty-ton  testing  machine 
which  was  built  under  Mr.  Emery's  pat- 
ents and  placed  in  the  Watertown  Arse- 
nal, Watertown,  Massachusetts,  where 
Mr.  Emery's  large  machine  was  already 
in  use.  Under  these  patents  machines 
were  also  built  by  William  Sellers  & 
Company  for  several  of  the  technical 
schools  and  colleges  in  the  United  States 
and  Europe.  The  War  Department  ex- 
hibited one  of  these  machines  in  the  Gov- 
ernment Building  at  the  Columbia  Expo- 
sition in  Chicago  in  1893,  the  machine 
afterward  going  to  Sibley  College,  Cornell 
University. 

After  the  Yale  &  Towne  Manufactur- 
ing Company  sold  his  patents  to  William 
Sellers  &  Company,  Mr.  Emery  resigned 
his  position  with  them  and  resumed  the 
designing  of  cannon  and  projectiles  in 
which  he  had  been  interested  during  the 
Civil  War.  He  designed  a  gun  carriage 
for  a  twelve-inch  rifle  for  the  War  De- 
partment under  the  supervision  of  the 
Board  of  Ordnance  and  Fortifications. 
This  design  was  never  completed  for  the 
reason  that  its  construction  required  more 
money  than  had  been  appropriated. 
While  with  the  Yale  &  Towne  Manufac- 
turing Company  he  designed  and  built 
a  car  dynamometer  for  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company  to  make  autographic 
records  of  the  drawbar  pull  of  locomo- 
tives, the  dynamometer  having  a  capacity 
of  28,000  pounds.  Several  years  later,  in 
1902,  he  was  asked  by  Mr.  Vogt,  me- 
chanical engineer  of  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad,  to  consider  designing  and  con- 
structing another  dynamometer  for  them, 
as  the  old  one  was  entirely  inadequate  to 
measure  the  loads  given  by  the  increased 
size  of  locomotives. 


Mr.  Emery  was  confined  to  his  room 
with  a  broken  knee  cap  at  that  time,  but 
decided  he  could  undertake  the  work,  and 
he  designed  and  built  a  car  dynamometer 
of  100,000  pounds  capacity,  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad  designing  and  building  the 
car  therefor.  The  dynamometer  was  put 
into  service  in  1906  and  is  still  in  service. 
In  the  meantime  the  continued  growth 
of  locomotives  and  the  introduction  of  the 
electric  locomotive  have  made  the  ca- 
pacity of  this  instrument  inadequate,  and 
at  present  (1920)  Mr.  Emery  is  rebuilding 
certain  parts  of  this  machine  to  increase 
its  capacity  to  measure  150,000  pounds 
drawbar  pull  instead  of  100,000  pounds. 
In  order  to  calibrate  this  instrument  it 
was  necessary  to  have  a  very  accurate 
method  of  measuring  hydraulic  pressure, 
and  he  designed  and  constructed  an  ap- 
paratus for  measuring  hydraulic  pressure 
up  to  3,000  pounds  per  square  inch,  sensi- 
tive to  0.005  pound  per  square  inch.  In 
order  to  adjust  the  weights  for  this  ma- 
chine a  special  scale,  having  very  great 
accuracy  and  sensitiveness,  was  con- 
structed, using  "Emery"  plate  fulcrums 
instead  of  knife  edges.  Later  an  im- 
proved form  of  this  apparatus,  having  a 
capacity  of  4,000  pounds  per  square  inch, 
was  built  by  him  for  the  Bureau  of  Stand- 
ards. 

The  next  important  undertaking  which 
engaged  the  attention  of  Mr.  Emery  was 
the  construction  of  two  testing  machines 
for  the  Bureau  of  Standards  in  Washing- 
ton. One  was  for  loads  of  230,000  pounds 
tension  and  compression,  and  the  other 
for  loads  of  1,150,000  pounds  tension  and 
2,300,000  pounds  compression,  on  speci- 
mens of  any  length  up  to  thirty-three  feet. 
While  building  these  machines,  Mr. 
Emery  also  constructed  a  machine  to 
calibrate  testing  machines,  which  was  in- 
stalled in  his  laboratory  in  Glenbrook, 
Connecticut.     The  calibrating  machine  is 


259 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  loads  of  4,000,000  pounds  and  it  will 
show  distinctly  a  variation  of  one  pound 
in  the  load.  The  calibrating  machine  has 
eight  twenty-five-hundred-pound  stand- 
ard weights,  each  adjusted  to  a  probable 
error  of  not  more  than  one  part  in  eight 
hundred  thousand  on  the  scale  previously 
mentioned. 

These  testing  machines  embodied  im- 
provements over  his  earlier  testing  ma- 
chines, and  contained  a  new  form  of 
"Emery"  plate  fulcrum,  and  the  E.  &  T. 
Fairbanks  &  Company,  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
Vermont,  saw  the  machine  and  believed 
that  these  fulcrums  could  be  adapted  to 
railroad  track  scale,  and  working  in  con- 
junction with  them  and  with  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad,  Mr.  Emery  designed 
and  built  such  a  scale,  which  was  installed 
in  Tyrone,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  entirely 
successful  in  its  operations.  The  scale 
was  redesigned  to  embody  certain  fea- 
tures which  were  developed  in  the  con- 
struction and  test  of  the  first  scale,  and 
this  design  was  adopted  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  as  their  standard  for 
track  scales,  and  is  built  by  them  in  their 
own  shops  and  also  by  the  E.  &  T.  Fair- 
banks &  Company  in  St.  Johnsbury,  Ver- 
mont. 

During  the  first  year  of  its  use  eighty 
million  tons  were  weighed  on  this  scale, 
which  was  located  in  Tyrone,  Pennsyl- 
vania, without  impairing  in  the  least  its 
sensitiveness  or  accuracy,  whole  trains 
passing  over  the  scale  at  the  rate  of  four 
miles  an  hour,  each  of  the  cars  being 
weighed  separately  without  stopping  the 
train.  Besides  these  trains  which  were 
weighed,  many  thousand  more  cars 
passed  over  that  scale  the  first  year  for 
classification,  and  over  seven  thousand 
locomotives  also  passed  over  it.  At  the 
end  of  the  year  the  scale  was  retested  and 
pronounced  as  accurate  as  when  first  set 
up. 


In  the  winter  1910-11  Mr.  Emery  de- 
signed a  track  scale  testing  car  for  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Standards.  That 
car  carries  100,000  pounds  of  standard 
weights  and  goes  all  over  the  United 
States  testing  the  track  scales  of  the  rail- 
roads and  industries.  Mr.  Emery  con- 
structed a  model  of  it,  one-twelfth  of  the 
regular  size,  for  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Standards,  for  them  to  exhibit  at  the 
San  Francisco  Exposition.  A  second  car, 
also  equipped  with  100,000  pounds  of 
standard  weights,  was  built  for  the  Bu- 
reau of  Standards  in  191 5.  Eight  of  these 
weights,  each  weighing  10,000  pounds, 
were  adjusted  to  one  part  of  1,000,000. 
The  Department  of  Agriculture  had  him 
design  and  build  for  them  a  scale  that 
would  weigh  a  hive  of  bees  in  one  room, 
the  weighing  being  done  in  another  room. 
The  temperature  of  the  inner  room  be- 
ing maintained  within  one-tenth  of  a 
degree  for  long  periods,  to  determine  the 
temperature  at  which  a  colony  of  bees 
would  eat  the  least  honey.  For  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Standards,  Mr. 
Emery  has  built  a  set  of  test  levers  of 
50,000  pounds  capacity  for  calibrating 
testing  machines. 

Very  early  in  his  study  of  the  construc- 
tion of  ordnance,  Mr.  Emery  conceived 
the  idea  of  constructing  guns  by  hydrau- 
licly  expanding  either  a  single  forging  or 
a  series  of  concentric  forgings,  by  the  use 
of  hydraulic  pressure  on  the  interior,  thus 
putting  the  required  initial  strains  into 
the  metal  instead  of  by  the  method  of 
shrinking  one  part  onto  another.  This 
also  raises  the  elastic  limit  of  the  metal, 
and  guns  so  made  are  much  stronger  than 
when  the  parts  are  shrunk  together. 
These  ideas  were  embodied  in  patents 
taken  out  by  him  both  in  this  country  and 
in  many  foreign  countries.  He  tried 
many  times  to  interest  the  gun  manufac- 
turers and   the   War  and   Navy  depart- 


260 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


merits  in  this  process,  but  was  unable  to 
do  so  until  in  1918  the  Navy  Department 
authorized  the  construction  by  him  of  a 
four-inch  gun.  This  was  hydraulicly  ex- 
panded, using  hydraulic  pressures  up  to 
107,000  pounds  per  square  inch,  and  tests 
of  this  gun  have  fully  proved  the  value 
of  his  process.  A  pressure  of  40,000 
pounds  per  square  inch  gave  the  original 
forging  a  permanent  deformation,  but 
after  the  process  was  completed  it  re- 
quired 75,000  pounds  per  square  inch  to 
give  an  additional  permanent  deforma- 
tion. This  process  has  been  adopted  by 
the  Navy  Department  for  small  guns 
(3"  to  6")  and  in  time  will  probably  be 
adopted  for  large  guns  also.  This  process 
will  enable  the  gun  builder  to  construct 
a  gun  which  will  be  lighter  and  stronger 
than  the  present  gun,  in  less  time,  from 
very  much  less  ingot  metal,  and  with  very 
much  less  machinery,  reducing  the  cost 
20%  to  30%.  Eventually  the  government 
will  probably  save  large  amounts  of 
money  by  this  invention,  but  unfortun- 
ately for  Mr.  Emery  his  patents  will  have 
expired  before  any  considerable  applica- 
tion can  be  made. 

During  the  World  War  Mr.  Emery 
spent  a  large  portion  of  his  time  in  trying 
to  get  this  process  of  gun  construction 
adopted,  and  at  the  same  time  his  labor- 
atory was  building  tools  and  various 
mechanisms  for  the  government.  While 
in  Washington,  in  June,  1919,  Mr.  Emery 
was  run  over  by  an  automobile,  shattering 
one  bone  of  his  right  arm,  telescoping  his 
left  wrist,  and  badly  breaking  his  ankle, 
but  fortunately  all  the  breaks  healed  well 
in  spite  of  his  advanced  age,  eighty-five 
years,  and  at  present  he  spends  some  time 
at  his  office  almost  every  day. 

Mr.  Emery  married,  March  3,  1875,  in 
Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  New 
York,  Mrs.  Fannie  B.  Myers,  a  widow, 
born    September    i,    1838.      By    her    first 


marriage  Mrs.  Myers  became  the  mother 
of  a  daughter,  Margaret  King,  now  the 
wife  of  George  A.  Clyde,  of  Rome,  New 
York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emery  were  the  par- 
ents of  a  son,  Albert  Hamilton,  Jr.,  born 
August  25,  1876,  who  was  prepared  for 
college  in  King's  School,  Stamford,  and 
in  1898  graduated  from  Cornell  Univer- 
sity with  the  degree  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neer. Since  then  he  has  been  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  latter's  scientific 
work.  Mr.  Emery,  Jr.,  married  Julia  E. 
McClune,  of  Ithaca,  New  York,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Louise,  born  October 
7,  1905,  and  Albert  Hamilton  (3),  born 
December  26,  1910.  Mrs.  Emery,  Sr., 
passed  away  on  April  28,  1907. 

It  would  seem  from  a  study  of  his 
career  that  the  predominant  trait  in  the 
character  of  Albert  Hamilton  Emery, 
apart  from  his  mechanical  genius,  has  al- 
ways been  a  perseverance  which  never 
relaxed  its  efforts  and  a  courage  which 
refused  to  be  daunted  by  any  difficulties 
or  disappointments,  however  great.  We 
see  this  in  the  narrative  of  his  earlier  life, 
which  shows  how  the  various  inventions 
on  which  he  was  then  engaged  formed  a 
basis  for  the  brilliant  achievements  of  his 
later  years,  and  how  the  obstacles  which 
he  encountered  and  the  repeated  discour- 
agements which  it  was  his  lot  to  endure 
did  but  stimulate  him  to  renewed  and 
larger  efforts.  In  the  States  of  New  York, 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  the  one 
his  birthplace  and  the  scene  of  his  early 
endeavors,  and  the  others  for  many  years 
the  centers  of  his  greatest  renown,  his 
fame  is  and  always  will  be  most  inti- 
mately cherished.  In  a  larger  sense  his 
native  land  feels  that  he  belongs  to  her, 
but  even  by  her  he  cannot  be  wholly 
claimed.  His  name  will  go  down  in  his- 
tory as  that  of  one  of  the  world's  in- 
ventors. 


261 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ALLEN,  Lauren  M., 

Physician. 

A  physician  who  for  twenty-seven  years 
has  practiced  successfully,  in  the  same 
community  becomes  so  inseparably  asso- 
ciated with  its  most  vital  interests  as  to 
render  the  narrative  of  his  career  almost 
identical  with  a  history  of  his  home  town. 
This  is  especially  true  of  Dr.  Allen,  whose 
professional  reputation,  high  as  it  is,  is 
almost  equalled  by  that  which  he  enjoys 
as  a  public-spirited  citizen  of  South  Nor- 
walk. 

The  name  of  Allen,  or  Allin,  is  derived 
from  the  British,  and  is  thought  to  be  a 
corruption  of  Aelianus,  which  signifies 
sun-bright.  It  is  also  said  to  come  from 
the  root  word  Al,  meaning  mountainous, 
high  and  bright.  In  the  Gaelic  it  signifies 
fair,  handsome,  the  word  being  Aliune, 
and  the  Irish  Alun  has  the  same  meaning. 
The  English  Allan,  or  Allen,  said  to  have 
been  first  spelled  Alan,  means  all-con- 
quering. As  a  personal  name  it  was  first 
borne  by  the  Bard  of  Britain,  an  uncle  of 
Caractacus,  who  had  a  long  line  of  kings 
for  ancestors.  The  name  came  into  prom- 
inence after  the  Conquest,  the  chief  gen- 
eral of  William's  army  at  the  battle  of 
Hastings  having  been  Alan,  Duke  of 
Brittany,  who  made  England  his  home 
and  became  the  third  richest  man  in  the 
kingdom.  Thenceforth  the  name  grew  in 
number  and  importance. 

(I)  George  Allen,  bom  in  1568,  in  Eng- 
land, came  to  America  in  1635  and  settled 
in  Saugus,  Lynn,  Massachusetts.  In 
1637  he  joined  with  Edmund  Freeman 
and  others  in  the  purchase  of  the  town- 
ship of  Sandwich,  and  settled  there  in  the 
same  year.  When  the  town  of  Sandwich 
was  incorporated  he  was  chosen  deputy, 
the  first  office  in  the  town,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  several  years.    He  is  rep- 


resented by  Bowden  as  having  been  an 
anti-Baptist  in  England,  but  be  that  as  it 
may,  he  was  a  member  of  the  church  in 
Sandwich,  and  Rev.  Benjamin  Fessenden 
reports  both  George  and  Ralph  Allen  as 
having  been  previously  members  of  the 
church  in  Roxbury.  George  Allen  was 
the  father  of  ten  sons,  some  of  whom  pre- 
ceded him  to  America  and  settled  near 
Boston.  After  the  purchase  of  Sandwich, 
most  of  them  with  their  families  moved 
thither,  and  settled  near  their  father's 
residence.  George  Allen  died  in  Sand- 
wich. May  2,  1648.  In  his  will,  naming 
his  wife,  Catherine,  as  executrix,  with 
Ralph  Allen  and  Richard  Brown  as  over- 
seers, he  named  his  five  sons,  Matthew, 
Henry,  Samuel,  George,  Jr.,  and  William ; 
and  also  made  provision  for  his  "five  least 
children"  without  naming  them. 

In  1774  the  Rev.  Joseph  Thaxter,  of 
Edgartown,  Massachusetts,  whose  wife 
was  Mary  Allen,  a  descendant  of  George 
Allen,  obtained  from  England  the  de- 
scription of  the  coat-of-arms  borne  by  the 
Aliens  in  the  old  country,  which  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

Arms — Sable  shield.  A  cross  potent  with  a 
border  engrailed,  or. 

Crest — A  demi-lion  argent,  holding  a  rudder 
gules,  hawks  and  nails  or. 

Children  of  George  and  Catherine  Al- 
len: I.  Samuel,  went  to  Braintree;  left 
a  will.  2.  William,  married,  1649,  Pris- 
cilla  Brown,  daughter  of  Peter  Brown,  of 
the  "Mayflower,"  and  a  signer  of  the 
Compact.  He  had  no  children.  By  his 
will,  I2th  month,  17,  1697,  he  devised  his 
estate  to  his  nephew,  Daniel,  son  of  his 
brother,  George  Allen,  Jr.,  provided  he 
maintained  his  widow  Priscilla  for  her  life. 
3.  George,  Jr.,  of  whom  further.  4.  Ralph, 
married,  1643,  Esther,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Jane  Swift,  died  1698.  5.  Mathew, 
married,   June,    1657,    Sarah    Kirby;    re- 


262 


'.  ClCl^^^.k:' 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


moved  to  Dartmouth.  6.  Henry,  re- 
moved to  Milford,  1666,  died  at  Stratford, 
1690.  7.  Francis,  married,  July  20,  1662, 
Mary  Barlow,  and  left  six  daughters.  8. 
James,  died  July  25,  1714,  at  Tisbury.  9. 
Gideon,  removed  to  Milford,  Connecticut. 
10.  Thomas  (probably).  11.  Judah,  bur- 
ied at  Sandwich,  February,  1649.  12. 
Caleb,  buried  at  Sandwich,  June  27,  1647. 
The  sons  William,  George,  Mathew, 
Ralph  and  Francis,  died  at  Sandwich, 
Massachusetts,  and  left  wills  proved  and 
recorded. 

(II)  George  Allen,  Jr.,  son  of  George 
and  Catherine  Allen,  was  born  in  1619. 
He  is  mentioned  as  liable  to  bear  arms  in 
Sandwich  in  1643. 

(III)  Daniel  Allen,  son  of  George  Al- 
len, Jr.,  was  born  in  Sandwich,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1663.  He  and  his  wife,  Beth- 
sheba,  were  the  parents  of  Gideon. 

(IV)  Gideon  Allen,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Bethsheba  Allen,  was  born  in  May,  1686, 
and  died  June  25,  1750.  The  Sandwich 
records  mention  the  removal  of  Gideon  to 
Milford,  and  the  Milford  records  give 
Gideon  of  Milford  and  later  the  same 
Gideon  as  living  in  Fairfield,  and  if  it 
were  not  for  the  early  age  of  Gideon  when 
Joseph  was  born,  the  line  would  seem 
clearly  established.  Children  of  Gideon 
Allen:  Joseph,  of  whom  further;  Eben- 
ezer,  married,  November  12,  173 1,  De- 
borah Bennett ;  John,  married,  January 
17,  1750,  Abigail  Jessup ;  David,  married, 
October  11,  1739,  Sarah  Gold. 

(V)  Joseph  Allen,  son  of  Gideon  Allen, 
was  born  June  25,  1702.  He  married 
Rachel  Bennett,  and  they  were  the  par- 
ents of:  Joseph  (2),  born  February  16, 
1725 ;  Hannah,  born  September  20,  1727 ; 
Rachel,  born  July  28,  1728;  Elnathan, 
•born  June  23,  1729;  Mary,  born  August 
24,  1732;  Thomas,  born  July  2,  1733; 
Mary  (twin  of  Thomas) ;  John,  born  June 
16,  1736;  Benjamin,  of  whom  further. 


(VI)  Benjamin  Allen,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Rachel  (Bennett)  Allen,  was  born 
October  4,  1743,  and  died  March  27,  1827. 
At  one  time  he  owned  land  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Saugatuck  river,  extending 
from  the  sound  to  Ball  Mountain  and  in- 
land about  one  mile.  He  is  buried  in 
Greens  Farms  Cemetery,  Westport,  Con- 
necticut. A  sister  of  Dr.  Allen  now 
(1921)  resides  on  part  of  the  original  Al- 
len estate.  Benjamin  Allen  married 
Rhoda  Allen,  daughter  of  John  Allen. 

(VII)  Delancey  Allen,  son  of  Benja- 
min and  Rhoda  (Allen)  Allen,  was  born 
February  24,  1783,  in  Westport,  died 
there,  November  17,  1833,  and  is  buried  in 
Greens  Farms  Cemetery.  He  married, 
February  10,  1805,  Cloe  Fillow,  daughter 
of  Isaac  and  Adah  (Waterbury)  Fillow. 
The  Pillows  descend  from  John  Fillow, 
who  came  with  the  French  Huguenots 
sometime  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

(VIII)  Isaac  Allen,  son  of  Delancey 
and  Cloe  (Fillow)  Allen,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1812,  in  Westport,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and 
after  working  for  a  time  as  a  journeyman, 
went  into  business  for  himself  as  a  con- 
tractor and  builder.  This  business  he 
conducted  successfully  until  advancing 
years  forced  him  to  retire.  Mr.  Allen 
married,  June  21,  1838,  Eunice  Ann  Mur- 
ray, daughter  of  Seymour  and  Ann  Eliz- 
abeth Seckler  (Elsworth)  Murray,  the 
former  practically  all  his  life  a  master  me- 
chanic in  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard.  That 
was  in  the  days  of  wooden  men-of-war. 
The  Elsworths  were  of  English  descent, 
and  the  Murrays  (MacMurrays)  of  Scotch 
descent.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Ann 
Elizabeth  Murray,  deceased ;  Armenia, 
married  Rev.  R.  S.  Putney,  of  Westport; 
Orlando  I.,  of  Westport,  now  deceased ; 
Emma    Louise,    who   married    Theodore 


263 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Allen,  of  Westport;  Isabella,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  Augur,  of  New  Haven ;  Lau- 
ren M.,  mentioned  below;  and  Elmer  E., 
of  Westport.  Isaac  Allen  and  his  wife 
were  both  very  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

(IX)  Lauren  M.  Allen,  son  of  Isaac 
and  Eunice  Ann  (Murray)  Allen,  was 
born  June  12,  1857,  in  Westport,  and  re- 
ceived his  preparatory  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town.  In 
1880  he  received  from  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons  of  New  York  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  After 
serving  for  a  time  as  an  interne  in 
Bellevue  Hospital,  Mr.  Allen  opened 
an  office  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
for  twelve  years  practiced  in  that 
city.  In  1893  he  moved  to  South  Nor- 
walk,  where,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years,  he  established  himself  as  one  of  the 
leading  physicians  of  the  community.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Norwalk 
Hospital,  and  also  conducts  a  flourishing 
private  practice.  The  professional  organ- 
izations in  which  he  is  enrolled  include 
the  Norwalk  Medical  Association,  the 
County  and  State  Medical  societies,  and 
the  American  Medical  Association. 

In  the  business  world  Dr.  Allen  is  rep- 
resented by  his  association  with  the  John 
R.  Wrigley  Paper  Box  Company,  Inc., 
being  president  of  the  company.  He  affil- 
iates with  Old  Well  Lodge,  No.  108,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons;  and  Butler  Chap- 
ter, Royal  Arch  Masons,  both  of  South 
Norwalk ;  also  with  Clinton  Command- 
ery.  Knights  Templar,  of  Norwalk ;  and 
Pyramid  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Bridgeport. 

Dr.  Allen  married  (first)  October  8, 
1879,  Kate  M.  Shaffer,  daughter  of  James 
Edward  and  Mary  Eliza  (Bennett)  Shaf- 
fer, of  Brooklyn,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  one  daughter :  Katherine  Charleta, 


now  the  wife  of  Carl  D.  Mexcur,  of 
Bloomfield,  Connecticut,  and  mother  of 
three  children :  Anna,  Carl,  and  George. 
Dr.  Allen  married  (second)  January  14, 
1918,  Helen  Becker,  daughter  of  Frank  C. 
and  Amelia  Frances  (Grupe)  Becker,  of 
South  Norwalk.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  church. 

The  career  of  Dr.  Allen  has  been  fruit- 
ful. He  is  numbered  among  the  most 
esteemed  citizens  of  his  home  community, 
and  his  professional  record  is  rich  in  re- 
sults of  srenuine  and  enduringf  value. 


BELDEN,  Charles  Denison, 

Broker,  Man  of   Fine   Tastes. 

Many  thoughts  of  the  past  will  be 
awakened  by  the  appearance  of  this  name, 
and  impressions,  so  deep  that  time  has 
been  powerless  to  efface  them,  will  glow 
with  almost  pristine  freshness  as  the 
minds  of  old  friends  and  former  business 
associates  revert  to  events  and  scenes  of 
bygone  years.  Throughout  the  long 
period  during  which  Mr.  Belden  was  a 
figure  of  prominence  in  the  brokerage  cir- 
cles of  Wall  street.  New  York,  he  re- 
mained a  citizen  of  Stamford,  Connecti- 
cut, ever  maintaining  an  unwavering  and 
helpful  interest  in  the  advancement  of  all 
that  could  minister  to  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  his  home  community.  The 
name  of  Belden  is  an  extremely  ancient 
one,  and  with  the  lapse  of  centuries  has 
assumed  a  great  variety  of  forms.  Those 
which  have  been,  at  different  periods,  in 
use  in  the  New  England  branch,  are 
Bayldon,  Belden,  and  Belding.  This  last 
form  is  very  erroneous  and  has  been 
wholly  discarded  by  certain  lines. 

Bayldon  Manor  was  in  the  Angle  king- 
dom of  Deira, — hence  came  the  immortal 
youths  seen  by  Saint  Gregory  at  Rome, 
and  at  the  sight  of  whom  he  exclaimed, 


264 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


non  Angli,  sed  Angeli!  Bayldon  has  been 
the  seat  of  the  family  of  that  name  since 
a  period  prior  to  the  reign  of  King  John, 
and  ever  since  the  Norman  Conquest  it 
has  been  a  chapelry  in  the  West  Riding 
of  Yorkshire.  Bayldon  Hall  is  not  far 
away  and  is  still  in  a  good  state  of  preser- 
vation. The  fact  that  it  stands  on  an  emi- 
nence seems  to  render  probable  the  idea 
that  the  family  name  may  be  derived  from 
Bael,  or  Bel,  meaning  fire,  a  flame,  or  the 
sun,  and  Don,  a  hill,  and  that  the  hill  on 
which  Bayldon  Manor  stands  may  have 
been  selected  for  one  of  those  on  which 
sacrificial  fires  were  burned  in  honor  of 
Bael.  The  fact  that  high  places  were 
chosen  for  these  fires  seems  to  render  this 
idea  more  probable  than  the  one  which 
assumes  that  the  name  signifies  merely  a 
beacon  hill.  The  family,  since  our  earliest 
knowledge  of  it,  has  been  distinguished  in 
English  history. 

Richard  Bayldon,  founder  of  the  New 
England  branch  of  the  race,  was  bom  in 
Yorkshire,  England,  and  in  1635  settled  at 
Wethersfield,  Connecticut.  He  died  in 
1655,  and  many  of  his  numerous  descend- 
ants have  won  fame  and  honor  in  both 
civil  and  military  life.  The  Bayldon 
escutcheon,  like  most  others,  has  varia- 
tions, the  form  displayed  by  the  descend- 
ants of  Richard  Bayldon  being  the  fol- 
lowing: 

Arms — A  fesse  between  three  fleur-de-lis  sable. 
Motto — God  my  leader. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  motto  ap- 
pears to  be  peculiar  to  the  coat-of-arms 
of  the  New  England  branch. 

David  Belden,  father  of  Charles  Deni- 
son  Belden,  was  bom  at  East  Haddam, 
Connecticut,  and  in  his  infancy  was  de- 
prived, by  death,  of  his  father.  He  was 
taken  by  his  widowed  mother  to  New 
York  City,  and  as  he  grew  to  manhood 
entered  business  life.    In  partnership  with 


his  brother-in-law,  George  Brainerd,  he 
conducted  a  flourishing  wholesale  gro- 
cery concern,  retiring  a  number  of  years 
before  his  death.  As  a  young  man  Mr. 
Belden  was  a  member  of  the  Militia  Regi- 
ment, which  was  the  forerunner  of  the 
famous  Seventh.  He  married  Catherine 
Louisa  Brush,  whose  family  record  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography. 

Charles  Denison  Belden,  son  of  David 
and  Catherine  Louisa  (Brush)  Belden, 
was  born  January  9,  1844,  in  New  York 
City,  and  received  his  education  in  the  pri- 
vate school  of  Clark  &  Fanning.  Inherit- 
ing from  his  father  an  inclination  for  the 
active  career  of  an  executant,  he  early  con- 
nected himself  with  the  grocery  business. 
It  was  not  long,  however,  before  he  was 
drawn,  by  his  taste  and  aptitude  for  fi- 
nance, into  the  arena  of  Wall  street, 
where,  as  a  stock  broker,  he  found  full 
scope  for  his  talents.  He  was  a  man 
whose  word  carried  weight  and  as  the 
years  went  on,  his  fund  of  experience  and 
the  honorable  success  which  he  had 
achieved  caused  his  advice  to  be  fre- 
quently sought  by  young  men  entering 
upon  the  active  work  of  life,  and  also  by 
older  men  who  found  themselves  in  need 
of  counsel  in  relation  to  some  problem  of 
unusual  difficulty.  A  few  years  before  his 
death  he  retired,  being  ably  succeeded  by 
his  son. 

As  may  be  supposed,  the  strenuous  life 
of  a  Wall  street  broker  left  Mr.  Belden 
little  leisure  for  orders  or  fraternities. 
His  only  association  of  that  nature  was 
with  the  New  York  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  Revolution.  In  his  youth  he  was 
actively  interested  in  athletics  and  as  he 
grew  older,  hunting  and  fishing  became 
his  favorite  recreations.  Withal,  he  was 
a  man  of  literary  tastes,  spending  some  of 
his  happiest  hours  in  his  library. 

Mr.    Belden    married   Sarah   R.    Allen, 


265 


I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


whose  ancestral  record  is  appended  to 
this  biography,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  three  children :  Edith,  born  April 
26,  1872,  wife  of  Charles  W.  Palmer,  of 
New  York  City ;  Agnes,  born  February 
ID,  1873,  married  George  D.  Arthur,  also 
of  New  York  City,  and  has  one  child, 
George  D.  (3)  ;  and  William  Allen,  born 
June  II,  1875,  and  now,  for  some  years, 
the  successor  of  his  father  in  business. 

About  twenty  years  ago,  it  being  the 
desire  of  Mrs.  Belden  to  make  her  sum- 
mer home  in  Connecticut,  she  was  author- 
ized by  her  husband  to  select  a  site  and 
to  make  all  the  arrangements  necessary 
for  the  erection  of  a  residence.  She  fin- 
ally purchased  a  plot  on  Wallack's  Point, 
in  the  town  of  Stamford,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  spots  on  the  Connecticut  shore, 
and  there  built  a  spacious  and  attractive 
mansion,  which  reflects  a  strong  indi- 
viduality and  a  fine  sense  of  proportion. 
One  of  the  most  important  elements  in 
her  influence  was  her  love  for  the  natural 
beauties  of  the  place  and  her  care  for 
their  preservation.  In  order  to  save  a  fine 
tree  she  had  a  U-shaped  niche  built  into 
the  house,  thus  giving  it  room  for  growth. 
Mr.  Belden  was  a  man  of  exceptionally 
strong  domestic  attachments,  appreciat- 
ing nothing  so  highly  as  an  atmosphere  of 
family  affection  and  fireside  happiness. 

It  was  not,  however,  in  his  beautiful 
Connecticut  home,  that  Mr.  Belden 
"ceased  from  earth,"  but  in  Montreal, 
Canada,  where,  on  February  12,  1912,  he 
passed  quietly  away.  From  the  old  city 
of  the  North,  rich  in  historic  associations, 
the  sad  tidings  came  to  his  beloved  Stam- 
ford, bringing  to  many  hearts  profound 
sorrow  for  the  loss  of  one  whose  daily 
life  among  them  had  given  an  example  of 
every  private  virtue  even  as  his  course  in 
the  turmoil  of  the  world  of  business  had 
been  one  of  undeviating  rectitude  and 
stainless  integrity. 


A  career  like  that  of  Charles  Denison 
Belden  is  independent  of  comment.  Its 
unadorned  record  has  a  simple  and  con- 
vincing eloquence  far  transcending  the 
language  of  eulogy. 

(The  Brush  Line). 

This  name,  which  is  another  form  of 
Broom  or  Broome,  is,  perhaps,  derived 
from  the  German  brusch,  meaning  a 
broom.  Some  claim  that  it  is  an  angli- 
cized form  of  Plantagenet  (planta  genista), 
but  it  is,  more  probably,  a  local  designa- 
tion derived  from  one  of  the  parishes  so- 
called  in  the  counties  of  Norfolk,  Suffolk, 
Stafford,  Bedford,  and  Durham.  Robert 
de  Brus  went  with  William  the  Con- 
queror to  England,  where  the  name  of 
his  son  Robert  was  changed  to  Bruce. 
This,  some  say,  was  the  origin  of  the 
Brush,  Bruse,  Bruce  and  Bush  families. 

Branches  of  the  Brush  family  were 
early  transplanted  to  Massachusetts  and 
Long  Island,  and  also  to  Westchester 
county,  New  York.  Everywhere  have  the 
members  proved  themselves  worthy  citi- 
zens, valuable,  in  the  different  walks  of 
life,  to  their  respective  communities. 

(I)  Caleb  Brush  was  bom  in  West- 
chester county,  and  was  engaged  in  busi- 
ness on  Grove  street,  New  York  City.  He 
married  Eleanor  Van  Tassel  (see  Van 
Tassel  family),  the  original  of  the  fas- 
cinating Katrina  Van  Tassel,  the  cele- 
brated heroine  of  the  "Legend  of  Sleepy 
Hollow,"  perhaps  the  best  known  of  those 
charming  tales  from  the  pen  of  Wash- 
ington Irving,  whose  genius  has  clothed 
with  an  atmosphere  of  romance,  the  banks 
of  the  Hudson  from  New  York  to  Albany. 

(II)  Joshua,  son  of  Caleb  and  Eleanor 
(Van  Tassel)  Brush,  was  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business.  He  married  Lucretia 
Keesler,  of  New  York  City. 

(III)  Catherine  Louisa,  daughter  of 
Joshua  and  Lucretia  (Keesler)  Brush,  be- 


266 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


came  the  wife  of  David  Belden,  as  stated 
above. 

(The   Van    Tassel   Family). 

The  original  form  of  this  name  was  Van 
Taxel.  derived  from  the  designation  of  the 
place  in  Holland,  which  was  the  native 
home  of  this  heroic  race.  It  is  easily  seen 
that  the  correct  orthography  has  only  one 
"1"  and  it  is  thus  that  the  name  is  spelled 
by  Irving,  the  historian  and  eulogist  of 
this  gallant  family. 

The  Van  Tassels  came  by  marriage  into 
possession  of  Wolfert's  Roost,  the  house 
which  was  built  by  Wolfert  Ecker,  and 
which  became,  nearly  two  centuries  later, 
the  home  of  Washington  Irving,  by  whom 
the  estate  was  rechristened  "Sunnyside." 

At  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
Wolfert's  Roost,  or,  as  it  was  then  called, 
the  Van  Tassel  house,  was  owned  by 
Jacob  Van  Tassel,  a  renowned  patriot, 
who  turned  his  house  into  a  garrison  and 
became  the  leader  of  a  band  of  sturdy 
warriors,  recruited  from  the  neighboring 
farms,  who  scoured  the  countryside  by 
day  and  night,  defending  it  from  the  Brit- 
ish and  from  the  marauders  who  followed 
in  the  tracks  of  both  armies. 

Abraham  Van  Tassel  was  the  father  of 
the  immortal  Katrina,  whose  kinswoman, 
Eleanor  Van  Tassel,  became  the  wife  of 
Caleb  Brush  (see  Brush  family). 

(The  Allen  Line). 

This  patronymic  is  derived  from  the 
personal  name  Alan,  which  was  common 
in  Norman  times,  and  is  thought  by  some 
to  signify  a  hound,  or  wolf-dog.  By 
others  it  is  said  to  have  been  introduced 
into  England  in  the  Conqueror's  time  by 
Alan,  Earl  of  Brittany,  and  to  be  equiva- 
lent to  the  Roman  yElianus,  sun-bright. 

(I)  John  Allen,  who  appears  to  have 
been  the  founder  of  the  New  York  branch 
of  the  Allen  family,  is  thought  by  some  to 


have  been  born  in  Holland.  If  this  be 
true,  the  family  was  probably  Scottish 
and,  like  the  Van  Nesses,  transplanted  a 
branch  to  Holland  in  consequence  of  the 
persecutions  of  Charles  the  First.  John 
Allen  came  to  New  York  City  and  mar- 
ried Sabina  Meyers  who,  as  her  name  in- 
dicates, was  of  German  parentage.  Mr. 
Allen  died  when  he  was,  comparatively,  a 
young  man. 

(II)  Stephen,  son  of  John  and  Sabina 
(Meyers)  Allen,  was  born  July  2,  1767, 
in  New  York  City,  and  w4s  a  young  child 
at  the  time  of  the  death  of  his  father. 
Mrs.  Allen,  however,  was  a  noble  woman 
and  an  ideal  mother.  She  caused  the  boy 
to  be  educated  in  private  schools  of  his 
native  city,  and  throughout  his  childhood 
and  youth  was  his  wise  counsellor  as  well 
as  his  loving  parent.  And  richly  was  she 
compensated  for  her  devotion,  for  her  son 
developed  into  a  noble  man,  filling  with 
honor  the  highest  municipal  office  in  the 
gift  of  his  fellow-citizens  and  leading 
them  in  all  that  made  for  reform  and  for 
true  progress.  Mr.  Allen  was  apprenticed 
to  the  trade  of  sail-making  and  at  fifteen 
was  thrown  on  his  own  resources.  In 
1787  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Thomas  Wilson,  a  sail-maker  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  in  De- 
cember, 1791,  went  into  business  for  him- 
self. So  well  established  was  his  reputa- 
tion for  integrity  and  fairdealing  that  he 
was  popularly  known  as  "Honest  -Stephen 
Allen." 

In  1812,  Mr.  Allen,  who  was  then  a 
wealthy  merchant,  joined  a  volunteer 
company  and  lent  all  the  money  he  could 
spare  from  his  business  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  war  activities.  On  being  con- 
sulted by  a  United  States  naval  agent  in 
regard  to  furnishing  a  supply  of  duck,  he 
sold  his  whole  stock  to  the  government 
upon  its  own  terms.     The  cessation  of 


267 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


hostilities  caused  the  treasury  notes  with 
which  the  duck  had  been  paid  for  to  so 
increase  in  value  that  he  realized  a  hand- 
some profit. 

In  April,  1817,  Mr.  Allen  was  elected  to 
the  Common  Council  and  in  March,  182 1, 
he  became  mayor  of  New  York.  He  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  completion  of  the 
New  York  aqueduct.  In  April,  1824,  he 
was  appointed  commissioner  to  visit  the 
prisons  in  Auburn  and  in  New  York  City 
and  to  report  upon  conditions  and  recom- 
mend changes.  The  result  was  the  sale 
of  the  old  prison  in  New  York,  and  the 
erection  of  the  State  prison  at  Sing  Sing. 

On  November  i,  1825,  Mr.  Allen  retired 
from  business,  and  in  May,  1826,  he  was 
sent  to  the  New  York  State  Assembly. 
In  1829  he  was  elected  Senator  and,  as 
such,  served  as  a  member  of  the  court  for 
the  correction  of  errors.  This  was  the 
first  instance  in  which  written  opinions 
were  given  in  the  court  of  errors  by  a  lay- 
man. 

In  1833  Mr.  Allen  was  appointed  one  of 
the  water  commission  for  supplying  New 
York  with  pure  and  wholesome  water, 
and  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee. 
In  1840  he  was  relieved  of  the  office  of 
water  commissioner  by  Governor  Seward, 
for  reasons  purely  political.  Charles 
King  said,  in  the  "Memoir  of  the  Croton 
Aqueduct :"  "The  chairman  of  the  board, 
in  particular,  Stephen  Allen,  has  left  upon 
the  work,  from  its  commencement  to  the 
advanced  stage  in  which  he  relinquished 
it  to  his  successor,  the  stamp  of  his  ener- 
getic character  and  strong,  inquiring 
mind."  All  the  public  positions  filled  by 
Mr.  Allen  were  unsolicited.  In  early  life 
he  was  a  Moravian  in  religious  belief,  but 
later  became  a  member  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian church.  He  was  officially  connected 
with  many  public  institutions  of  New 
York  City,  including  the  Tammany  So- 


ciety, the  Mechanic  and  Scientific  Institu- 
tion, the  New  York  Hospital  and  Lunatic 
Asylum  and  the  New  York  Prison  Disci- 
pline Society. 

Mr.     Allen    married     (first)     in     1788, 

Marschalk,  and  (second)  in  1807, 

Sarah,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Coleridge)  Roake.  Mr.  Roake  came 
from  one  of  the  Channel  Islands  and  his 
wife  was  a  kinswoman  of  the  author  of 
"The  Ancient  Mariner."  The  marriage 
was,  as  seemed  fitting,  a  romantic  one, 
the  lovers  leaving  England  without  the 
knowledge  of  their  respective  families  and 
finding  a  home  on  the  other  side  of  the 
sea  in  the  little  village  of  Shrub  Oak 
Plains,  near  Peekskill,  New  York.  On 
July  28,  1852,  Mr.  Allen  passed  away, 
"full  of  years  and  of  honors."  It  should 
always  be  remembered  that  he  was  the 
first  man  to  propose  bringing  Croton 
water  into  the  city  of  New  York.  So  sane 
was  he  in  his  judgment  and  so  impartial, 
that  many  people  brought  their  differ- 
ences to  him  to  arbitrate  instead  of  tak- 
ing them  into  the  courts.  He  was  a 
wealthy  man  for  the  time  in  which  he 
lived,  and  drew  his  own  will.  It  is  on 
record  as  a  test  will  that  could  never  be 
broken. 

(Ill)  William  M.,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Sarah  (Roake)  Allen,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  and  graduated  in  the  Law 
School  of  Columbia  University,  but  never 
practised,  his  ample  means  enabling  him 
to  give  his  time  and  attention  to  more 
congenial  pursuits.  He  was  a  man  of 
broad  culture,  having  literary  tastes,  and 
greatly  interested  in  scientific  subjects. 
In  the  maintenance  and  improvement  of 
the  public  school  system  of  his  native  city 
he  rendered,  for  many  years,  valuable  as- 
sistance. A  subject  in  which  he  took  the 
liveliest  interest  was  the  wonderful  pos- 
sibilities of  the  microscope.     Mr.   Allen 


268 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


married  Catherine  Maria  Leggett,  whose 
ancestral  record  is  herewith  appended. 

(IV)  Sarah  R.,  daughter  of  William  M. 
and  Catherine  Maria  (Leggett)  Allen, 
was  born  October  7,  1848,  and  became  the 
wife  of  Charles  Denison  Belden,  as  stated 
above. 

(The  Leggett  Line). 

This  name,  which  is  sometimes  spelled 
with  only  one  "t,"  is  derived  from  the 
Latin  legatus,  meaning  a  legate  or  ambas- 
sador. 

(I)  Gabriel  Leggett  was  born  in  1635, 
probably  in  County  Essex,  England,  and 
about  1670-76  came  to  Westchester 
county.  New  York.  His  home  was  at 
West  Farms,  and  he  was  a  landowner  and 
merchant.  He  married,  about  1676,  Eliz- 
abeth, daughter  of  John  and  Martha  Rich- 
ardson, the  former,  one  of  the  original 
patentees  of  the  Manor  of  West  Farms. 
Gabriel  Leggett  died  at  some  time  prior 
to  July,  1700. 

(II)  John,  eldest  son  of  Gabriel  and 
Elizabeth  (Richardson)  Leggett,  married 
Cicily,  daughter  of  Thomas  Hunt,  who 
was  a  son-in-law  of  Edward  Jessup.  The 
original  grant  of  Hunt's  Point  was  to 
Hunt  and  Jessup. 

(II)  Gabriel  (2),  youngest  child  of  Ga- 
briel (i)  and  Elizabeth  (Richardson) 
Leggett,  was  bom  in  1697  or  '98,  at  West 
Farms,  and  in  his  latter  years  moved  to 
West  Patent  of  North  Castle,  Westches- 
ter county.  He  was  a  landowner  and  held 
the  office  of  alderman.    He  married  (first) 

Bridget    ,    and    (second)    in    1765, 

Mary  Wiggins,  who  died  before  1781.  He 
married  (third)  in  1782,  Sarah  Brown, 
and  his  death  occurred  at  West  Farms,  in 
April,  1786. 

(III)  Thomas,  son  of  Gabriel  (2)  and 

Bridget  ( )  Leggett,  was  born  June 

3.  1 72 1,  at  West  Farms.  Prior  to  the  Rev- 
olutionary War  he  bought  a  farm  at  Still- 
water, Saratoga  county,  New  York,  where 


most  of  his  children  were  born.  At  the 
time  of  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  the  dwell- 
ing and  outbuildings,  which  were  of  logs, 
were  within  the  Hessian  redoubt,  and  at 
the  approach  of  Burgoyne  the  family 
crossed  the  river  to  Easton,  Washington 
county.  Mr.  Leggett  married  Mary  Em- 
bree,  who  was  born  in  1723,  and  he  and 
his  family  were  the  first  of  the  name  to  be 
enrolled  in  the  Society  of  Friends.  They 
were  founders  of  a  Friends'  Society  at 
Stillwater. 

(IV)  Thomas  (2),  son  of  Thomas  (i) 
and  Mary  (Embree)  Leggett,  was  born 
January  17,  1755.  and,  with  his  brother 
Isaac,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British 
and  carried  to  the  camp  at  Schuylerville, 
but  escaped  and  returned  home.  Thomas 
Leggett  lived  in  Westchester  until  1836, 
when  he  removed  to  New  York  City.  He 
married  (first)  in  1781,  Mary,  born  in 
1762,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca 
Haight,  of  Flushing,  Long  Island.  He 
married  (second)  in  1808,  Mary  Under- 
bill, who  died  in  1849.  Mr.  Leggett  died 
in  New  York,  October  10,  1843. 

(V)  William  Haight,  son  of  Thomas 
(2)  and  Mary  (Haight)  Leggett.  was 
born  April  15,  1789,  and  was  a  merchant 
in  New  York  City,  a  man  of  wealth  for  his 
day  and  generation.  His  home  was  at 
Rosebank,  West  Farms.  He  married,  in 
1814,  at  the  Brick  Presbyterian  Church, 
New  York  City,  Margaret  Wright,  and 
his  death  occurred  December  22,  1863. 

(VI)  Catherine  Maria,  daughter  of 
William  Haight  and  Margaret  (Wright) 
Leggett,  became  the  wife  of  William  M. 
Allen  (see  Allen  line). 


WILCOX,  Robert  Mead, 
Financier. 

As  vice-president  and  cashier  of  the 
Greenwich  National  Bank,  no  other  in- 
troduction   is   necessary,   nor  would    be. 


269 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


even  were  Mr.  Wilcox's  official  position 
a  less  conspicuous  one,  as  in  any  case 
his  standing  as  a  citizen  would  render  him 
a  "man  of  mark"  in  the  community. 

(I)  Josiah  Wilcox,  grandfather  of  Rob- 
ert Mead  Wilcox,  was  a  native  of  Crom- 
well, Connecticut,  and  removed  to  Riv- 
ersville,  in  the  town  of  Greenwich,  where 
he  established  himself  as  a  manufacturer 
of  carriages,  hardware  and  tinsmith's 
tools,  thus  proving  himself  abundantly 
possessed  of  the  initiative  which  he  inher- 
ited, no  doubt,  from  his  New  England 
ancestors. 

(II)  Willis  H.  Wilcox,  son  of  Josiah 
Wilcox,  was  born  June  15,  1841,  in  Riv- 
ersville,  Greenwich,  Connecticut.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Berlin,  (Connecticut) 
Academy.  After  working  for  a  time  in  a 
store  in  Berlin,  he  returned  home  where 
he  was  employed  by  his  father.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  loth  Regiment,  Connecticut 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  three  years 
with  the  army,  receiving  a  wound  while 
in  the  service.  After  the  war  he  was  asso- 
ciated in  business  with  his  father  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Wilcox,  Sr.,  when  Willis  H. 
and  his  brother  George  succeeded  to  the 
ownership  of  the  concern.  Prior  to  the 
father's  death  the  business  was  conducted 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  Wilcox  &  Sons, 
the  style  being  subsequently  changed  to 
J.  Wilcox's  Sons.  Upon  the  death  of 
George  Wilcox,  Willis  H.  Wilcox  con- 
tinued the  business  for  a  short  time.  Mr. 
Wilcox  was  a  director  in  the  Greenwich 
National  Bank,  and  president  of  the 
Greenwich  Savings  Bank.  He  was  an 
adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
though  never  a  politician  was  active  as  a 
young  man  in  public  affairs,  occupying  a 
seat  in  the  Legislature  for  two  terms,  his 
reelection  proving  how  ably  and  satisfac- 
torily he  defended  and  advanced  the 
rights    of    his    constituents.      ILe    was    a 


member  of  Lombard  Post,  No.  24,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  Mr.  Wilcox  mar- 
ried Susan  C.  Mead,  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Susan  (Merritt)  Mead,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  one  son:  Robert 
Mead,  mentioned  below.  The  death  of 
Mr.  Wilcox  occurred  September  13,  1916. 
He  was  a  useful  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, domestic  in  his  tastes  and  admirable 
in  all  the  relations  of  life. 

(Ill)  Robert  Mead  Wilcox,  only  child 
of  Willis  H.  and  Susan  C.  (Mead)  Wil- 
cox, was  born  October  9,  1873,  in  Rivers- 
ville,  Connecticut.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  at  the  Greenwich  Academy. 
He  then  entered  the  service  of  the  Fourth 
National  Bank,  of  New  York  City,  be- 
ginning as  a  messenger,  but  not  remain- 
ing long  in  that  humble  position,  as  those 
who  knew  him  were  sure  he  would  not. 
He  was  then  seventeen  years  old,  and  as 
time  went  on  he  advanced  steadily  step 
by  step,  serving  practically  in  every  de- 
partment of  the  bank  until  August  3, 
1907,  when  he  associated  himself  with  the 
Greenwich  National  Bank  in  the  capacity 
of  assistant  cashier.  The  following  year 
he  became  cashier,  and  in  January,  1917, 
was  made  vice-president  of  the  institu- 
tion, an  office  which  he  still  retains  in 
conjunction  with  his  former  position  of 
cashier.  At  the  time  of  his  election  as 
vice-president  he  became  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors.  In  the  political  life  of 
his  community,  Mr.  Wilcox  has  never 
taken  an  active  part,  but  has  always  man- 
ifested a  helpful  interest  in  whatever  he 
deemed  calculated  to  advance  the  gen- 
eral welfare.  He  belongs  to  Lombard 
Camp,  Sons  of  Veterans,  and  affiliates 
with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Or- 
der of  Elks.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Second  Congregational  Church,  in  which 
he  holds  the  office  of  treasurer. 

Mr.    Wilcox    married,    November    20, 


270 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1901,  Tillie  A.  Mead,  daughter  of  the  late 
Alexander  Mead,  whose  biography  fol- 
lows this. 

The  career  of  Robert  Mead  Wilcox  has 
been  that  of  an  honorable  financier  and  an 
upright  citizen.  Surely  such  a  record  as 
this  is  independent  of  comment. 


MEAD,  Alexander, 

Leader  in  Florionltnre. 

No  resident  of  Greenwich  needs  to  be 
told  that  this  was  for  many  years  the 
name  of  one  of  her  most  successful  busi- 
ness men  and  respected  citizens.  Mr. 
Mead  was  a  representative  of  an  ancient 
and  honorable  family  which  traces  its 
descent  from  John  Mead,  one  of  two 
brothers  who  came  from  England  about 
1642.  The  escutcheon  of  the  family  is 
as  follows : 

Arms — Sable,  a  chevron  between  three  pelicans 
or,  vulned  gules. 

Alexander  Mead  was  born  May  27, 
1835,  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut.  He  was 
educated  in  public  schools  and  at  the 
Greenwich  Academy.  All  his  life  he  lived 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  had  been  reared 
and  which  he  inherited  from  his  father. 
He  early  showed  a  strong  interest  in  the 
cultivation  of  flowers,  and  established  in 
a  small  way  a  florist's  business,  having 
one  greenhouse.  From  its  inception  the 
venture  was  successful  and  the  business 
steadily  increased.  As  time  went  on  Mr. 
Mead  became  one  of  the  leading  florists 
of  the  State,  and  for  many  years  carried 
on  a  wholesale  as  well  as  a  retail  busi- 
ness. The  growth  of  Greenwich,  in  more 
recent  years,  developed  a  demand  which 
consumed  his  entire  stock  of  plants  and 
flowers.  About  ten  years  before  his  death 
he  retired,  bequeathing  to  his  son  a  flour- 
ishing business,  with  fifteen  greenhouses, 
one  hundred  by  twenty-three  feet  in  di- 
mensions. 


Mr.  Mead  married  Matilda  Grigg, 
daughter  of  John  Grigg,  of  Greenwich, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  a  son 
and  a  daughter:  Henry  Sanford,  who  has 
succeeded  his  father  in  the  business ;  and 
Tillie  A.,  who  became  the  wife  of  Robert 
Mead  Wilcox  (see  Wilcox  III). 

The  death  of  Mr.  Mead  occurred  Octo- 
ber 12,  1918.  Thrifty,  industrious  and 
fair-minded  in  all  his  dealings,  he  was 
devoted  to  his  family  and  to  the  many  and 
exacting  responsibilities  of  his  calling. 
He  has  left  a  record  worthy  of  the  stock 
from  which  he  sprang,  and  one  in  which 
his  descendants  may  well  take  a  worthy 
and  justifiable  pride. 


BOGARDUS,  Frank  W., 

Iiumber  Dealer,  Man  of  Fnblic  Spirit. 

From  the  earliest  records  of  the  immi- 
grant settlers  who  came  to  this  country, 
leaving  behind  them  all  the  traditions  in 
which  they  had  been  nurtured,  the  aim 
and  ambition  of  our  forefathers  has  been 
to  establish  in  the  New  World  a  complete 
nation  in  which  each  citizen  should  be  a 
king  in  his  own  right.  This  propaganda 
of  individual  supremacy  in  private  affairs 
has  in  turn  become  our  tradition,  and  has 
made  us  what  we  are,  a  nation  of  men. 
The  development  of  the  typically  Amer- 
ican city  of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  has 
been  along  these  lines,  and  she  stands 
today  among  the  most  progressive  com- 
munities of  the  State  and  Nation.  This 
result,  so  far  as  Stamford  is  concerned, 
has  been  brought  about  from  year  to  year, 
period  to  period,  down  to  the  present,  by 
the  diverse  yet  united  efforts  of  its  many 
sterling  citizens.  Among  these  is  to  be 
counted  Frank  W.  Bogardus,  who  for  a 
number  of  years  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  life  of  the  city.  Mr. 
Bogardus  is  a  member  of  a  family  of 
Dutch   origin,   which   came   to   America 


271 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


early  in  the  history  of  the  Colony  of  New 
Amsterdam,  the  name  being  one  of  the 
most  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the 
youthful  settlement. 

The  surname  Bogardus  is  derived  from 
the  Dutch  "boomgard,"  an  orchard,  sig- 
nifying one  who  possessed  an  orchard  of 
particular  account  or  who  kept  an 
orchard. 

(I)  The  family  of  Bogardus  was 
founded  in  the  New  World  by  Everardus 
Bogardus,  universally  known  as  Dominie 
Bogardus,  a  native  of  Holland,  who  sailed 
from  that  country  on  the  Dutch  frigate 
"Zoutberg"  in  the  year  1633,  in  company 
with  the  newly  appointed  governor, 
major-general,  director-general,  provost 
marshal,  and  Burgomaster  Wouter  Van 
Twiller,  for  what  was  known  as  Fort  Am- 
sterdam, founded  thirteen  years  before. 
For  many  years  it  was  thought  that  he 
was  the  first  minister  in  the  Colony  until 
the  discovery  of  Michaelius's  letter  in 
1858,  when  it  was  found  that  the  dominie 
was  preceded  by  the  author  of  that  docu- 
ment. His  first  church,  on  the  present 
north  side  of  Pearl  street,  between 
Whitehall  and  Broad,  was  not  at  all  to 
his  liking.  He  persuaded  Governor  Van 
Twiller  to  have  a  new  church  built  within 
the  walls  of  the  fort.  Later  he  obtained 
a  parsonage,  on  the  front  door  of  which 
he  placed  a  brass  knocker  he  had  brought 
from  Holland.  It  has  been  said  that  "the 
outside  of  his  house  was  the  delight  of  the 
passer-by,  while  inside  he  dispensed  a 
cordial  hospitality."  In  1633  he  became 
the  proprietor  of  a  tobacco  plantation  on 
Manhattan  Island.  About  a  year  after 
the  arrival  of  Van  Twiller  and  Bogardus 
a  bitter  dissension  arose  between  them. 
In  the  early  days  of  the  settlement,  when 
there  were  few  educated  men  there,  it  was 
one  of  the  "unwritten  laws"  that  the  cler- 
gyman should  join  with  the  council  in 
conference.     The  leaders  in  the  church 


were  in  accord  with  the  dominie  in  this 
matter,  but  Van  Twiller,  who  was  of  a 
disputatious  mind,  sought  to  curtail  the 
privilege.  Dominie  Bogardus,  seeing  that 
unprofitable  strife  would  surely  develop, 
in  1647  sought  and  received  permission  to 
visit  his  native  land.  He  sailed  in  the 
brig  "Princess,"  which  went  down  with 
eighty  other  passengers. 

He  married,  as  is  found  in  an  old  vol- 
ume dated  1638,  the  widow,  Anneke  Web- 
ber Jansen,  or  Anneke  Jans,  as  she  was 
familiarly  known.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Tryntje  Jans,  or  Tryn  Jonas,  a  pro- 
fessional midwife  in  the  employ  of  the 
West  India  Company,  for  their  Colony 
of  New  Amsterdam.  The  trained  nurse 
of  that  day  was  an  important  factor  in 
the  community.  Her  work  corresponded 
to  that  of  the  trained  nurse  of  the  present 
day,  only  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
general  level  of  education  and  intelligence 
was  not  nearly  so  high  as  it  is  now.  Even 
in  that  early  day  the  widwife  had  to  be 
examined  by  a  board  of  physicians  before 
she  could  receive  a  license.  Her  pay  was 
small  and  her  labors  arduous.  She  mar- 
ried Roeloflf  Jansen  Van  Masterlandt. 
With  his  wife  and  child  he  came  in  1630 
as  farmer  to  the  Patroon  Kilaen  Van 
Rensselaer  at  a  salary  equivalent  to  sev- 
enty-two dollars  a  year.  Five  or  six  years 
later  he  was  settled  among  the  dignitaries 
of  the  colony,  having  received  from  Gov- 
ernor Van  Twiller  a  patent  for  sixty-two 
acres  of  land.  It  is  this  farm  about  which 
there  has  been  an  historic  controversy. 
The  farm  "extended  from  a  line  a  little 
south  of  the  present  Warren  street,  north- 
westerly about  a  mile  and  a  half,  to  what 
is  now  Christopher  street,  forming  an 
irregular  triangle  having  its  base  on  the 
river,  running,  however,  on  Broadway 
only  from  Warren  to  Duane  street." 

After  the  death  of  her  second  husband, 
Anneke  Jans  Bogardus  had  the  grant 
272 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


confirmed  to  herself.  Her  heirs,  upon  the 
subsequent  capture  of  the  province  by  the 
British,  had  the  grant  confirmed  to  them- 
selves by  the  first  British  Governor,  Hon. 
Richard  Nicholes,  and  sold  it  in  1671  to 
Governor  Lovelace.  One  of  the  heirs 
failed  to  sign  the  conveyance,  and  this 
fact  caused  the  controversy,  his  descend- 
ants claiming  an  interest  in  the  property, 
which  finally  passed  into  the  possession 
of  Trinity  Church. 

(II)  Cornelis  Bogardus,  son  of  Ever- 
ardus  and  Anneke  (Jans)  Bogardus,  was 
born  September  9,  1640.  As  a  young  man 
he  moved  to  Albany,  New  York,  and  re- 
mained in  that  city  until  his  death  in  1666. 
His  "boedel,"  a  personal  estate,  amounted 
to  2,015  guilders,  a  large  sum  for  the 
times.  He  married  Helena  Teller,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Teller,  of  Albany.  Their 
descendants  were  those  who  first  laid 
claim  to  the  Trinity  Church  property. 

(III)  Cornelis  (2)  Bogardus,  son  of 
Cornelis  (i)  and  Helena  (Teller)  Bogar- 
dus, was  born  in  Beverwyck  or  Fort  Or- 
ange (Albany),  New  York,  October  13, 
1665.  Following  his  mother's  second 
marriage  to  Jans  Hendrickse  Van  Ball, 
Cornelis  (2)  Bogardus  went  to  live  with 
his  uncles,  Pieter  and  Jonas  Bogardus, 
children  of  Dominie  Everardus  and  An- 
neke (Jans)  Bogardus.  When,  several 
years  later,  Pieter  Bogardus  moved  to 
Kingston,  New  York,  Cornelis  (2)  Bo- 
gardus accompanied  him,  and  there  mar- 
ried Rachel  De  Witt  in  1691.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Tjerck  Classen,  son  of 
Nicholas  and  Taatje  De  Witt,  whose 
home  in  the  Netherlands  was  in  Groot- 
holdt,  district  of  Zunderland,  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  East  Friesland.  Tjerck 
Classen  De  Witt  came  to  America  some 
time  prior  to  the  year  1656,  and  is  the 
ancestor  of  the  De  Witt  family  in  the 
United  States.  De  Witt  is  one  of  the 
few  Dutch-American  names  illustrious  in 


the  Fatherland.  Grand  Pensioner  Jo- 
hannes De  Witt  administered  the  govern- 
ment of  Holland  from  1652  to  1672.  He 
and  his  brother,  Cornelis  De  Witt,  also 
prominent  in  civil  and  military  life  in  the 
Netherlands,  were  killed  by  a  mob  at  The 
Hague,  following  years  of  faithful  service 
to  their  country.  Tjerck  Classen  De  Witt 
was  their  kinsman,  and  a  descendant  of 
his,  Maria  De  Witt,  married  Captain 
Tames  Clinton,  who  afterwards  became  a 
general  in  the  American  Revolution,  and 
their  son,  De  Witt  Clinton,  was  one  of 
the  most  prominent,  energetic  and  be- 
loved governors  of  New  York  State. 

Cornelis  (2)  Bogardus  was  the  owner 
of  a  vessel  which  he  employed  in  the  car- 
rying trade  along  the  Hudson  river  from 
New  York  to  Albany,  and  possibly  to 
more  distant  points  along  the  coast.  In 
1700  he  returned  to  Albany,  his  birth- 
place, remaining  there  for  a  few  years. 
He  was  made  a  "freeman"  of  that  city, 
and  became  prominent  in  its  affairs. 
Later  on  he  accompanied  Captain  Nicho- 
las Evertsen  on  a  raid  in  the  Colonial 
service  against  a  band  of  French  priva- 
teers off  the  coast.  This  occurred  in  1704. 
He  died  in  the  spring  of  1718,  in  King- 
ston, New  York.  Cornelis  (2)  and 
Rachel  (De  Witt)  Bogardus  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children. 

(IV)  Cornelis  (3)  Bogardus,  son  of 
Cornelis  (2)  and  Rachel  (De  Witt)  Bo- 
gardus, was  born  in  Kingston,  New  York, 
January  8,  1699,  died  February  12,  1758. 
He  married  Catharine  Tudor  (in  Dutch, 
Toeter),  daughter  of  Captain  John  Tu- 
dor. Shortly  after  his  marriage  he  moved 
down  the  Hudson  and  settled  in  Fishkill, 
Dutchess  county,  New  York,  on  land  sit- 
uated in  the  "Rombout  Precinct,"  or 
Patent,  the  vast  estate  of  85,000  acres 
belonging  to  his  aunt,  "'Madame  Brett" 
(Catherine  Rombout).  He  had  received 
an    unusually    fine    education    for    those 


I 


273 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


times,  which  permitted  him  to  assume  a 
position  of  prominence  in  the  growing 
colony  on  the  east  shore  of  the  Hudson, 
and  also  enabled  him  to  be  of  great  serv- 
ice to  Madame  Brett,  who  had  become  a 
widow  and  possessed  of  a  family  depend- 
ent upon  her  guidance.  It  is  likely  that 
Madame  Brett  may  have  urged  him  to 
settle  in  Fishkill,  realizing  that  he  was  a 
man  who  would  be  influential  in  wisely 
conducting  her  large  afifairs  in  the  Pre- 
cinct, and  upon  whom  she  could  safely 
depend.  The  records  testify  that  he  was 
a  surveyor  in  Fishkill,  and  it  is  known 
that  he  became  a  man  of  property,  build- 
ing a  house  in  the  town,  where  his  de- 
scendants have  continued  to  possess  the 
land.  Cornelis  (3)  and  Catharine  (Tu- 
dor) Bogardus  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children. 

(V)  Matthew  Bogardus,  son  of  Cor- 
nelis (3)  and  Catharine  (Tudor)  Bogar- 
dus, was  baptized  September  10,  1740. 
He  married  Abigail  Ferguson,  and  among 
their  children  was  Abraham,  of  whom 
further. 

(VI)  Abraham  Bogardus,  son  of  Mat- 
thew and  Abigail  (Ferguson)  Bogardus, 
was  born  January  28,  1771.  He  married, 
and  one  of  his  sons  was  Samuel,  of  whom 
further. 

(VII)  Samuel  Bogardus,  son  of  Abra- 
ham Bogardus,  was  born  January  16, 
1806,  and  made  his  home  at  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Beacon,  New  York.  He  was 
a  man  of  unusual  ability  and  prospered 
greatly  in  his  afifairs,  holding  nearly  all 
of  the  offices  in  the  gift  of  the  township. 
He  engaged  in  business  as  a  contractor 
and  builder  on  a  very  large  scale  for  the 
time,  and  in  due  course  became  a  large 
and  wealthy  land  owner.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  Spy  Hill,  famous  in  Revolution- 
ary annals,  was  at  one  time  in  his  posses- 
sion. He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  church  at  Fishkill- 


on-the-Hudson,  built  the  old  church  edi- 
fice, and  held  a  life  pew  there.  Among 
the  various  ofifices  that  he  filled  was  that 
of  deputy  sheriiT,  and  it  was  to  him,  dur- 
ing his  long  term  of  office,  that  the  duty  of 
protecting  the  New  York  Central  rail- 
road at  the  time  of  the  draft  riots  in  the 
Civil  War  fell.  Among  his  children  was 
John  S.,  of  whom  further. 

(VIII)  John  S.  Bogardus,  son  of  Sam- 
uel Bogardus,  was  born  December  27, 
1828,  and  died  June  14,  1903.  His  child- 
hood was  passed  at  Fishkill-on-the-Hud- 
son,  New  York,  and  it  was  in  the  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  that  his  education 
was  obtained.  Upon  completing  his  stud- 
ies he  was  taken  by  his  father  into  the 
latter's  establishment  and  there  learned 
the  building  and  contracting  business. 
After  serving  for  a  time  in  various  minor 
capacities,  he  was  appointed  superinten- 
dent and  general  manager,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  was  in  active  charge  of  the 
large  building  operations  carried  on  by 
the  concern.  He  later  repaired  to  New 
York  City  to  take  up  the  study  of  archi- 
tecture, and  in  course  of  time  became  a 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Architects.  He  then  established  himself 
in  the  city  of  Newburgh,  New  York,  and 
there  for  a  number  of  years  practiced  his 
profession  and  won  a  wide  reputation. 
From  Newburgh  he  returned  to  New 
York  City  and  built  up  an  extensive  prac- 
tice in  that  place  and  Yonkers,  from 
which  place  he  went  to  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, in  the  year  1881.  From  that 
time  until  his  death,  Mr.  Bogardus  con- 
tinued his  practice  of  architecture  in  this 
city,  adding  greatly  to  his  reputation,  and 
many  of  the  finest  buildings  of  Stamford 
were  erected  from  his  designs,  namely, 
a  number  of  schools,  and  many  of  the 
handsomest  residences  here  and  in  the 
outlying  districts,  as  well  as  several  im- 
portant business  blocks. 


274 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


John  S.  Bogardus  married  Kate  Schutt, 
of  Fishkill-on-the-Hudson,  by  whom  he 
had  a  number  of  children.  Three  of  these 
grew  to  maturity,  as  follows :  Frank  Wal- 
cott,  of  whom  further;  J.  Howard,  a 
sketch  of  whom  follows ;  Clarence  Elmer, 
a  sketch  of  whom  follows. 

(IX)  Frank  Walcott  Bogardus,  son  of 
John  S.  and  Kate  (Schutt)  Bogardus, 
was  born  September  23,  1867,  in  Mattea- 
wan,  Dutchess  county,  New  York.  He 
inherited  the  great  practical  ability  of  his 
father,  and  has  gained  a  position  of  promi- 
nence in  the  business  world  of  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  to  which  place  he  removed 
with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 
He  began  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  but  when 
twelve  years  of  age  went  to  Yonkers  and 
there  attended  the  high  school,  graduat- 
ing in  1881.  He  felt  a  strong  attraction 
to  a  business  career  as  a  youth,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  persuading  his  parents  to  allow 
him  to  forego  the  higher  education  they 
had  proposed  for  him.  When  his  parents 
came  to  Stamford  he  eagerly  commenced 
his  business  life  by  securing  a  position  in 
the  employ  of  St.  John,  Hoyt  &  Company, 
a  well  known  firm  of  lumber  dealers.  His 
employers,  recognizing  the  earnestness  of 
the  young  man,  his  intelligence  and  indus- 
try, soon  advanced  him  to  the  position  of 
bookkeeper,  and  somewhat  later  he  be- 
came cashier.  Mr.  Bogardus  remained 
with  the  firm  for  fifteen  years  and  there, 
by  constant  attention  to  the  details  of 
the  enterprise,  thoroughly  learned  gen- 
eral business  methods  and  developed 
remarkable  executive  powers.  Of  good 
habits  and  unquenchable  ambition  for  the 
future,  Mr.  Bogardus  denied  himself 
many  of  the  luxuries  and  frivolities  which 
make  up  so  large  a  part  of  the  life  of  most 
young  men,  and  by  dint  of  devoted  and 
indefatigable  industry  gained  a  point 
where  he  could  reach    out    and    perma- 


nently better  himself.  In  the  year  1888 
the  interests  of  Mr.  St.  John  in  the  busi- 
ness were  purchased  by  Charles  H.  Get- 
man,  a  prominent  figure  in  the  lumber 
trade  in  the  region  of  Oswego,  New  York, 
from  which  city  he  came,  at  which  time 
the  name  of  the  firm  was  changed  to 
Hoyt,  Getman  &  Judd,  the  death  of  Mr. 
Hoyt  removing  the  last  of  the  original 
members.  The  name  of  the  firm  was 
changed  to  Getman  &  Judd.  Mr.  Bogar- 
dus continued  in  the  employ  of  the  con- 
cern until  April,  1897,  when  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  business  and  became  a 
junior  partner,  the  firm  name  being 
changed  to  Getman,  Judd  &  Company, 
and  on  September  15,  1900,  the  business 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  The 
Getman  &  Judd  Company,  of  which  com- 
pany he  was  elected  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, holding  those  offices  at  the  present 
time.  From  that  time  to  the  present  he  has 
taken  an  ever-increasing  share  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  enterprise,  and  has  been 
for  a  number  of  years  a  significant  factor 
in  the  business  life  of  the  community.  In 
addition  to  his  business  activities,  Mr. 
Bogardus  is  prominent  in  club  and  social 
circles  of  Stamford ;  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Governors ;  was  at  one  time 
president  of  the  Suburban  Club,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Stamford  Yacht  Club  of 
the  city.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the 
First-Stamford  National  Bank,  the  Morris 
Plan  Bank,  the  King  School,  Inc.,  and  of 
the  St.  John  Wood  Working  Company. 
In  religious  belief  he  and  his  family  are 
Episcopalians  and  attend  St.  Andrew's 
Church  of  that  denomination  in  Stamford. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  affairs 
of  the  parish  and  holds  the  office  of  ves- 
tryman. 

Frank  W.  Bogardus  married,  January 
5,  1893,  Eloise  A.  WaterDury,  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  C.  Waterbury,  and  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  founders  of  the  city. 


275 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


They  are  the  parents  of  two  sons :  Frank 
Walcott,  Jr.,  born  September  i,  1904,  and 
John  Cornelius,  born  July  28,  1908. 

Mr.  Bogardus  is  one  of  those  genial, 
whole-souled  men  for  whom  everyone  in- 
stinctively feels  the  warmest  friendship, 
a  friendship  that  is  confirmed  and  made 
permanent  by  the  sterling  qualities  of 
loyalty  and  sincerity  which  he  consis- 
tently displays.  He  is  a  man  of  public 
spirit,  and  is  always  to  be  found  in  the 
forefront  of  all  movements  for  public  im- 
provement which  make  for  the  true  prog- 
ress and  betterment  of  the  community. 
He  has  served  the  city  as  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Appropriation  and  Appor- 
tionment, in  which  capacity  his  knowl- 
edge of  practical  affairs  has  been  of  the 
greatest  service.  On  September  15,  1900, 
the  Connecticut  Lumber  Dealers'  Asso- 
ciation was  incorporated,  of  which  organ- 
ization he  was  at  one  time  president. 


BOGARDUS,  J.  Howard, 

Financier,   Pnblic-Spirited   Citixen. 

J.  Howard  Bogardus,  banker,  was  born 
in  Fishkill-on-the-Hudson,  April  8,  1874, 
son  of  John  S.  and  Kate  (Schutt)  Bogar- 
dus (q.  v.).  The  genealogy  of  the  Bo- 
gardus family  appears  in  the  preceding 
sketch. 

The  early  education  of  J.  Howard  Bo- 
gardus was  obtained  under  his  mother's 
tuition,  and  after  attending  the  Stamford 
High  School  he  completed  a  course  in 
Merrill's  Business  College.  His  active 
business  life  began  as  a  clerk  in  the  Stam- 
ford Savings  Bank.  Ambitious  to  suc- 
ceed, and  conscientious  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duty,  he  made  the  most 
of  every  opportunity  to  broaden  and 
strengthen  his  knowledge  of  banking,  not 
only  by  close  attention  to  the  transactions 
that  came  daily  within  his  vision,  but  by 
much  reading  and  study.    When  the  posi- 


tion of  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  bank 
became  vacant,  Mr.  Bogardus  was  found 
well  equipped  to  meet  the  responsibilities 
of  the  position,  to  which  he  was  elected  in 
July,  191 1,  and  which  he  has  ever  since 
filled.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  bank,  a  member  of  the 
Savings  Bank  Association  of  Connecticut, 
and  his  ambitions  are  so  well  esteemed  by 
his  business  associates  that  for  several 
years  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
association's  executive  committee,  and  for 
one  year  as  its  chairman.  Mr.  Bogardus 
is  a  member  of  the  Henry  J.  Evans  Pro- 
tective Committee  of  the  Chicago  &  East- 
ern Illinois  Railroad. 

Mr.  Bogardus  is  a  member  of  the  Sub- 
urban Club,  and  was  for  years  a  member 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, of  Stamford.  For  some  years  in  its 
earl}^  days  he  was  a  member  of  the  Stam- 
ford Yacht  Club  and  one  of  its  nominat- 
ing committee.  In  more  recent  years  he 
has  found  his  greatest  pleasure  and  relax- 
ation within  the  family  circle.  It  is  sel- 
dom that  bankers  take  an  active  part  in 
politics,  and  Mr.  Bogardus  is  not  an  ex- 
ception to  this  rule,  although  he  neglects 
no  opportunity  to  fulfill  every  repsonsi- 
bility  that  devolves  upon  the  patriotic  and 
public-spirited  citizen.  During  the  World 
War  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Lib- 
erty Loan  Committee  on  every  "drive"  in 
Stamford.  He  was  treasurer  for  two 
years  of  the  Stamford  Children's  Home, 
and  during  that  time  was  a  member  of  its 
board  of  trustees.  Mr.  Bogardus  is  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  Andrew's  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  vestryman  for  many 
years,  was  treasurer  of  the  church,  and  at 
the  present  time  treasurer  of  the  Sunday 
school.  Mrs.  Bogardus  is  a  member  of 
St.  John's  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Bogardus  married,  February  15, 
1908,  Kate  Noble,  daughter  of  James  and 


276 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Anna  Elizabeth  (Daniel)  Noble.  They 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Catherine, 
born  December  14,  191 1. 

(The  Noble  Line). 

The  Noble  family  of  which  Mrs.  Bo- 
gardus  is  a  member  is  the  largest  of  the 
name  in  the  United  States,  and  it  was 
founded  by  Thomas  Noble,  who  was  born 
about  1632,  probably  in  England,  and  died 
in  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  January  20, 
1704.  His  exact  origin  and  early  history 
are  involved  in  obscurity,  but  he  was  in 
America,  without  doubt,  in  1653.  He  was 
admitted  an  inhabitant  of  Boston,  Janu- 
ary 5,  1653  (Drake's  "History  of  Boston," 
P^ge  331),  and  in  the  same  year  moved  to 
Springfield,  Massachusetts.  In  1664,  in 
connection  with  several  of  his  townsmen, 
he  was  granted  liberty  to  erect  a  saw  mill 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Connecticut.  He 
was  constable  of  Westfield  in  1674,  and 
county  surveyor  in  1696.  The  needs  of  a 
large  family  and  financial  difficulties  trou- 
bled him  in  his  earlier  years,  but  in  later 
life  he  became  prosperous  and  a  well  re- 
garded member  of  the  community.  He 
married,  November  i,  1660,  Hannah  War- 
riner,  born  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
August  17,  1643,  only  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Joanna  (Scant)  Warriner.  Their 
children  were :  John,  Hannah,  Thomas, 
Matthew,  of  whom  further ;  Mark.  Eliza- 
beth, Luke,  James,  Mary,  Rebecca. 

(II)  Matthew  Noble,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Hannah  (Warriner)  Noble,  was  born 
about  1668,  and  died  about  1744.  He  put 
himself  under  the  watch  of  Westfield 
Church,  August  19,  1694,  and  with  his 
wife  joined  same,  November  3,  1728, 
after  their  removal  to  Sheffield.  He  died 
intestate.  He  married,  December  10, 
1690,  Hannah  Dewey,  born  February  21, 
1672,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Constant 
(Hawes)  Dewey.  Children:  Joseph,  of 
whom  further;  Hezekiah,  Matthew,  Solo- 


mon,  Elisha,   Obadiah,   Hannah,   Hester, 
Rhoda  and  Rhoda  (2). 

(HI)  Joseph  Noble,  son  of  Matthew 
and  Hannah  (Dewey)  Noble,  was  born 
in  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  October  8, 
1691,  and  died  in  Great  Barrington,  Mas- 
sachusetts, February  12,  1758.  He  moved 
to  that  part  of  Sheffield  that  is  now  Great 
Barrington  as  early  as  1727,  and  was 
one  of  the  building  committee  appointed 
March  8,  1742,  in  charge  of  the  construc- 
tion of  the  first  meeting  house  in  Great 
Barrington.  He  joined  the  Great  Bar- 
rington Congregational  Church,  March  3, 
1745.  He  died  intestate,  and  administra- 
tion on  his  estate  was  granted  to  his  eld- 
est son,  Joseph,  the  widow  declining  the 
trust,  March  24,  1758.  Joseph  Noble  mar- 
ried Abigail  Dewey,  born  November  17, 
1694.  Children:  Joseph  (2),  of  whom 
further ;  Eli,  Preserved,  Mary,  Margaret, 
Abigail,  and  Lydia. 

(IV)  Joseph  (2)  Noble,  son  of  Joseph 
(i)  and  Abigail  (Dewey)  Noble,  was 
born  in  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1718,  and  died  in  Sheffield, 
Massachusetts,  March  10,  1771.  He  re- 
sided in  Sheffield,  and  died  at  the  home  of 
his  son  Roger.  The  monument  erected 
over  his  remains  in  the  Noble  family 
graveyard  in  Sheffield  bears  this  inscrip- 
tion: "In  memory  of  the  body  of  Mr. 
Joseph  Noble  who  died  March  the  10, 
1771,  in  the  53d  year  of  his  age."  He 
married  Thankful  Dodd,  and  their  chil- 
dren were :  Rhoda,  James,  Roger,  of 
whom  further ;  Cornelius,  Submit,  Si- 
lence, Ann,  Stephen,  and  Cornelius  (2), 

(V)  Roger  Noble,  son  of  Joseph  (2) 
and  Thankful  (Dodd)  Noble,  was  born  in 
Sheffield,  Massachusetts,  April  2,  1742, 
and  died  in  Pownal,  Vermont,  September 
15,  1810.  During  one  of  the  French  and 
Indian  wars,  his  father  having  been 
drafted  to  march  from   Sheffield  to  the 


277 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Canadian  line,  Roger  volunteered  to  go  in 
his  place.  The  march  was  attended  by 
great  suffering  on  the  part  of  the  troops, 
and  Roger  Noble  was  accustomed  to 
mend  the  shoes  of  the  soldiers,  many  of 
whom  walked  with  bare  feet  exposed  to 
the  frozen  ground.  Given  leave  from  this 
expedition  to  visit  friends,  he  started  for 
home  in  the  company  of  six  white  men 
and  two  friendly  Indians.  Early  in  the 
journey  the  Indians  stole  all  of  the  pro- 
visions and  fled,  and  Roger  Noble  and  his 
associates  endured  great  hardship  before 
they  reached  a  habitation.  In  the  Revolu- 
tion he  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
and  afterwards  used  to  say  that  as  he 
heard  the  bullets  whistling  over  his  head 
he  felt  some  fear,  which  soon  vanished. 
He  served  during  most  of  the  war,  and 
was  known  as  a  man  of  courage.  He 
marched  in  Lieutenant  J.  Hickock's  com- 
pany and  Colonel  John  Ashley's  regiment 
to  Kingsbury,  and  was  out  twenty-two 
days.  His  trade  was  that  of  shoemaker, 
but  he  left  that  calling  for  mercantile 
dealings,  in  which  he  engaged  first  in 
Sheffield,  Massachusetts,  and  afterwards 
in  Hudson,  New  York.  He  also  owned 
at  Great  Barrington  a  store  in  partnership 
with  Captain  Bacon.  This  was  supposed 
to  have  been  burned  by  Shay's  men,  and 
Rose  and  Ely,  just  before  their  execution, 
confessed  that  they  had  plundered  and 
burned  it.  Roger  Noble  moved,  about 
1791,  to  Hudson,  New  York,  and  thence, 
1794,  to  Pownal,  Vermont.  He  married, 
about  1772,  Olive  Hunt,  born  June  4, 
1753,  daughter  of  Daniel  Hunt;  she  died 
September  9,  1815.  Children:  Ormon, 
James,  Olive,  Erastus,  of  whom  further; 
Esther,  William,  Cynthia,  Cynthia  (2), 
Julia,  Robert,  Polly,  and  Betsey. 

(VI)  Erastus  Noble,  son  of  Roger  and 
Olive  (Hunt)  Noble,  was  born  in  Shef- 
field, Massachusetts,  October  6,  1778,  and 


died  in  Williamstown,  Massachusetts, 
August  6,  1823.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  and  resided  in  Pownal,  Vermont, 
until  about  1807,  when  he  moved  to  Wil- 
liamstown, Massachusetts.  He  married 
Ruth  Kinney,  born  in  Williamstown,  July 
14,  1782,  daughter  of  Jethro  Kinney.  She 
died  in  Williamstown,  September  11, 
1870.  Children :  James,  Sarah  K.,  Charles 
W.,  Robert,  of  whom  further;  Adaline, 
Harriet,  Marietta,  Ruth  Ann,  Elizabeth 
Jane. 

(VII)  Robert  Noble,  son  of  Erastus 
and  Ruth  (Kinney)  Noble,  was  born  in 
Pownal,  Vermont,  January  28,  1806.  He 
was  a  blacksmith  of  Williamstown,  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  married,  July  28.  1836, 
Elizabeth  Brownell  Chamberlain,  bom 
in  Williamstown,  Massachusetts,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1816,  daughter  of  Emery  and 
Mary  (Brownell)  Chamberlain.  Children: 
Charles  S.,  Robert  R.,  James,  of  whom 
further;  Mary  Ellsworth,  and  Sarah 
Gray. 

(VIII)  James  Noble,  son  of  Robert 
and  Elizabeth  B.  (Chamberlain)  Noble, 
was  born  December  8,  1842.  He  enlisted, 
in  June,  1864,  in  the  Twenty-third  New 
York  Independent  Battery,  afterwards 
transferred  to  the  Eighth  New  York 
Heavy  Artillery,  and  was  present  at  the 
taking  of  Richmond.  He  married,  Octo- 
ber 30,  1873,  Anna  Elizabeth  Daniel,  born 
in  New  York,  March  4,  1850,  daughter  of 
James  and  Kate  (Drumgold)  Daniel. 
Their  daughter  Kate  became  the  wife  of 
J.  Howard  Bogardus. 


BOGARDUS,  Clarence  Elmer, 
Business  Man. 

Clarence  E.  Borgardus  was  born  in 
Fishkill-on-the-Hudson,  New  York,  De- 
cember 27,  1875,  son  of  John  S.  and  Kate 
(Schutt)    Bogardus    (q.  v.).     He  was  a 


2-78 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


boy  of  six  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
moved  to  Stamford,  Connecticut,  and 
there  he  was  reared,  obtaining  his  educa- 
tion in  the  grammar  and  high  schools, 
and  completed  a  course  in  Merrill's  Busi- 
ness College.  His  business  experience 
began  in  a  local  bank,  and  after  a  short 
period  in  this  employ  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  Getman  &  Judd  Company, 
this  relation  continuing  to  the  present 
time.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Bogar- 
dus  has  been  in  charge  of  the  accounting 
department  of  this  firm,  and  fills  an  im- 
portant, responsible  place  in  their  per- 
sonnel and  business.  He  is  a  member  of 
St.  Andrew's  Episcopal  Church,  where  he 
was  for  several  years  a  choir  boy.  He  is 
a  man  of  domestic  tastes,  entirely  ab- 
sorbed in  his  home  and  his  business,  and 
bears  his  full  share  of  civic  responsibility, 
his  influence  and  support  extended  to 
every  movement  of  progress  and  improve- 
ment in  his  community. 

Mr.  Bogardus  married,  June  6,  1908, 
Ada  Irene  Scofield,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Ferris  and  Frances  Elizabeth  (Hoyt) 
Scofield  (q.  v.).  Mrs.  Bogardus  is  a  com- 
municant of  the  Congregational  church. 


HARSTROM,  Carl  Axel, 

Head  of  Important  School. 

On  the  shores  of  Long  Island  Sound,  in 
the  city  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  yet 
with  country  surroundings,  is  situated  the 
Harstrom  School.  There,  in  addition  to 
the  general  curriculum  of  preparatory 
schools,  the  youth  is  taught  the  lesson 
and  importance  of  life.  Dr.  Carl  A.  Har- 
strom, the  founder  and  principal  of  this 
school,  is  not  satisfied  to  merely  increase 
the  young  man's  store  of  information,  but 
also  seeks  to  develop  his  character.  He 
teaches  the  gospel  of  action,  the  signifi- 
cance of  existence,  and  aids  those  in  his 


charge  to  appreciate  the  duty  and  glory 
of  doing  their  part  to  help  and  benefit  the 
generation  in  which  they  live. 

Dr.  Harstrom  was  born  December  20, 
1863,  in  Westeras,  Sweden,  son  of  Carl 
Gustaf  and  Emelia  (Fosberg)  Harstrom, 
and  grandson  of  Eric  Emanuel  Harstrom. 
The  latter  was  superintendent  of  a  steel 
mill,  and  lived  to  an  advanced  age  in 
Gefle,  Sweden. 

Carl  Gustaf  Harstrom,  father  of  Dr. 
Harstrom,  was  born  in  Gefle,  Sweden, 
and  died  February  13,  1905.  He  received 
the  equivalent  of  our  high  school  educa- 
tion, and  learned  the  trade  of  watch- 
maker. In  1874  he  came  to  America  and 
located  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
thence  removed  to  Peekskill.  He  was  a 
skilled  inventor  and  patented  many  in- 
ventions, among  other  things  a  watch 
case  spring  and  a  drilling  machine,  and 
altogether  had  something  like  fifteen  or 
twenty  patents.  In  1890  he  established 
himself  in  business  and  had  a  manufac- 
tory in  Peekskill,  where  he  remained  dur- 
ing his  lifetime.  All  of  his  patents  were 
taken  out  in  America.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Harstrom  was  a  member  of  Dunderberg 
Lodge,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, and  was  master  of  this  lodge.  He 
married  Emelia  Fosberg,  born  in  Wes- 
teras, the  daughter  of  a  sea  captain  who 
was  lost  at  sea,  and  Dr.  Harstrom  was 
their  only  child.  After  coming  to  Amer- 
ica the  family  were  members  of  the  Epis- 
copal church. 

Dr.  Harstrom  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Sweden  until  he  was  about  ten 
years  of  age,  and  in  this  country  attended 
the  Peekskill  Military  Academy  and  Ho- 
bart  College.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
latter  institution  in  1886  with  the  degree 
of  B.  A.,  and  in  1889  received  his  M.  A. 
degree  from  this  same  college.  In  1899 
Dr.  Harstrom  received  the  degree  of 
279 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Ph.   D.   from  Yale  University  for  post-     politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  sev- 


graduate  work  in  Latin  and  Greek.  The 
same  year  the  Harstrom  School  was 
established  in  Norwalk ;  prior  to  this  time 
Dr.  Harstrom  had  conducted  a  private 
day  school  in  Norwalk. 

The  Harstrom  School  offers  an  excep- 
tional opportunity  to  those  whose  college 
preparations  have  been  delayed,  and 
nearly  a  thousand  boys  have  received 
their  training  here.  These  boys  are  from 
many  of  the  leading  families  throughout 
the  country.  Competent  and  experienced 
men  compose  the  faculty,  men  who  are 
specialists  in  their  departments,  and  it  is 
a  noteworthy  fact  that  four  of  the  six 
instructors  have  been  associated  with  the 
school  for  seventeen  or  more  years.  Ex- 
perience has  shown  the  faculty  of  Dr. 
Harstrom's  school  that  Arithmetic  and 
English  are  the  two  studies  which  require 
special  attention  and  emphasis  is  laid  on 
these  two  courses  of  study.  There  are 
two  prizes  offered  annually,  one  for 
scholarship  and  the  other  for  general  ex- 
cellence, the  former  being  awarded  to  the 
boy  having  the  highest  scholarship  stand- 
ing, and  the  latter  to  the  boy  who  has 
made  the  best  general  impression  as  a 
boy  of  sterling  worth. 

The  school  has  received  many  tributes, 
but  one  which  conveys  the  real  senti- 
ment of  the  school  was  from  one  of  the 
prominent  patrons,  as  follows : 

You  got  my  boy  into  Yale  without  a  condition, 
but  the  best  thing  you  taught  him  was  self- 
reliance,  and  we  shall  never  cease  to  be  grateful. 

The  present  school  averages  about 
thirty  pupils,  and  special  attention  is 
given  to  individual  instruction. 

It  would  seem  that  the  management  of 
the  details  connected  with  his  school 
would  leave  Dr.  Harstrom  no  leisure  for 
outside  interests,  yet  he  is  one  of  the  most 
public-spirited   citizens   of   his   city.      In 


eral  times  been  honored  with  public  office. 
Under  the  old  city  charter  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Estimate.  In 
1915,  Dr.  Harstrom  was  elected  mayor  of 
Norwalk  and  served  two  years.  During 
his  term  of  office  he  reconstructed  the  fi- 
nancial system,  putting  it  on  such  a  basis 
that  every  citizen  could  know  where  the 
taxpayers'  money  went  to.  Many  miles 
of  hard  pavement  were  laid  during  Dr. 
Harstrom's  term  of  office.  Credit  is  also 
due  to  him  for  the  introduction  of  voting 
machines  in  Norwalk.  During  the  World 
War  he  was  chairman  of  the  local  draft 
board.  He  is  a  corporator  of  the  Norwalk 
Savings  Bank  and  of  the  Fairfield  County 
Savings  Bank. 

Fraternally,  Dr.  Harstrom  is  a  member 
of  many  organizations :  St.  John's  Lodge, 
No.  6,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
which  he  is  senior  warden ;  Phi  Beta 
Kappa;  and  Theta  Delta  Chi.  For  five 
consecutive  years  Dr.  Harstrom  was  pres- 
ident of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  T.  D.  C,  two 
years  longer  than  any  other  man  ever 
held  the  office.  His  clubs  are  the  Nor- 
walk Club ;  Norwalk  Country  Club ; 
Craftsmen's  Club ;  and  Yale  Club  of  New 
York.  Dr.  Harstrom  and  his  family  are 
members  of  Grace  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  he  is  senior  warden.  He  has  been 
a  delegate  to  many  conventions,  and  ac- 
tive in  church  work ;  he  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Philological  Association. 

There  is  perhaps  no  other  man  in  Nor- 
walk who  has  been  in  such  demand  for 
public  and  after  dinner  speaking  as  Dr. 
Harstrom.  With  an  easy  flow  of  beauti- 
ful English,  interspersed  with  shafts  of 
wit,  sharp  but  never  poisonous.  Dr.  Har- 
strom is  apropos  always,  a  genial,  whole- 
souled  man-loving  personality. 

Dr.  Harstrom  married  Lee  Selden  Part- 
ridge, daughter  of  Samuel  Selden  and 
Frances    Augusta    (Bellamy)    Partridge. 


280 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dr.  and  Mrs.  Harstrom  are  the  parents 
of  two  children:  i.  Frances,  who  was 
educated  in  Europe.  2.  Carl  Eric,  who 
graduated  from  Yale  in  1915  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Arts;  he  is  now 
engaged  in  the  advertising  business  in 
New  York  City,  and  resides  in  Norwalk; 
he  married  Emily  Ives,  of  Danbury,  Con- 
necticut. 

(The  Partridge  Line). 

Samuel  Selden  Partridge,  father  of  Lee 
Selden  (Partridge)  Harstrom,  was  bom 
at  Brockport,  New  York,  January  9,  1839, 
and  died  at  Phelps,  New  York,  December 
22,  1913.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Col- 
lege of  the  City  of  New  York,  in  the  class 
of  1857,  taking  up  the  study  of  law.  He 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
with  his  great-uncle.  Judge  Samuel  Lee 
Selden,  in  Rochester,  New  York,  and 
later  was  in  Phelps,  New  York.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Republican,  and  was  several 
times  honored  with  public  office.  Mr. 
Partridge  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War, 
taking  part  in  many  battles,  among  them 
that  of  Bull  Run.  He  held  the  rank  of 
brevet  major,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Thirteenth  New  York  State  Volunteers. 
During  one  of  the  engagements  Mr.  Part- 
ridge was  wounded  in  the  leg,  which 
caused  him  to  drag  one  foot  for  many 
years ;  he  was  also  confined  in  Libby 
Prison  for  some  time.  A  Freemason,  Mr. 
Partridge  was  master  of  his  lodge ;  he 
was  also  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  commander 
of  the  local  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
Post  at  Phelps. 

Samuel  S.  Partridge  was  married,  Oc- 
tober 19,  1864,  at  Rochester,  New  York, 
to  Frances  Augusta  Bellamy,  born  at 
Rochester,  April  27,  1847,  died  at  Phelps, 
March  19,  1914,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Maria  Mahala  (Bayley)  Bellamy.  Their 
daughter,    Lee    Selden    Partridge,    born 


February  15,  1870,  married  Dr.  Har- 
strom, as  above  noted. 

Thomas  Murdoch  Partridge,  father  of 
Samuel  S.  Partridge,  was  born  at  Nor- 
wich, Vermont,  May  25,  181 1,  and  died  in 
New  York  City,  May  2,  1880.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Selden  Jack,  born  on  the 
Island  of  St.  Thomas,  in  1814,  and  died 
January  9,  1839,  in  Brockport,  New  York ; 
she  was  a  daughter  of  Morison  and  Ro- 
zana  (Selden)  Jack,  the  former  of  Bal- 
merino,  Fifeshire,  Scotland,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Lyme,  Connecticut. 

Elisha  Partridge,  father  of  Thomas 
Murdoch  Partridge,  was  born  August  2, 
1778,  and  died  March  2,  1845,  i"  Norwich, 
Vermont.  He  was  a  son  of  Elisha  and 
Margaret  (Murdoch)  Partridge,  who  were 
married  November  14,  1765.  He  died 
April  I,  1823,  and  his  wife  March  15,  1815. 
Through  the  collateral  lines  the  ancestry 
of  Mrs.  Lee  Selden  (Partridge)  Har- 
strom traces  to  several  of  the  early  immi- 
grants in  New  England,  among  them  be- 
ing Richard  Ely  and  Thomas  Selden. 


HARRIS,  Channing  Page, 

Enterprising  Citizen. 

The  Harrises  are  among  New  Eng- 
land's most  distinguished  families  and 
have  furnished  many  excellent  citizens  to 
Connecticut.  It  is  rather  difficult  to 
trace  this  family  to  a  common  ancestor, 
as  many  distinct  emigrations  of  persons 
bearing  the  name  took  place  at  a  very 
early  period  in  the  history  of  New  Eng- 
land. Channing  Page  Harris,  a  leading 
banker  of  Westport,  Connecticut,  is  a 
worthy  scion  of  this  family ;  he  was  born 
at  Westport,  November  25,  1873,  son  of 
Charles  and  Chloe  Esther  (Goodsell) 
Harris.  His  great-grandparents  were 
Stephen  and  Charity  Harris,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  Sylvester  Harris,  who 
married  Mary  Ann  Johnson. 


281 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Charles  Harris,  son  of  Sylvester  and 
Mary  Ann  (Johnson)  Harris,  was  born  in 
Southbury,  Connecticut,  November  23, 
1849.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  East  Vil- 
lage, Monroe,  and  went  to  school  there. 
He  also  attended  Hinman's  private 
school.  His  first  employment  was  in  the 
yarn  mill  at  Newtown,  and  later  he 
clerked  in  various  retail  stores  until  he 
came  to  Westport,  when  he  was  about 
twenty  years  of  age.  There  he  entered 
the  employ  of  D.  A.  Salmon  &  Company, 
dry-goods  merchants.  Soon  after  the 
Civil  War  he  went  into  business  for  him- 
self in  partnership  with  Dwight  Fenton, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Fenton  &  Harris. 
This  arrangement  lasted  for  about  two 
years,  until  the  stringent  times  of  1873 
forced  them  to  discontinue  business. 
From  that  time  until  his  appointment  as 
postmaster  of  Westport,  in  1900,  Mr. 
Harris  traveled  on  the  road  as  a  sales- 
man. He  held  the  office  of  postmaster 
for  sixteen  years,  resigning  to  go  into 
the  retail  shoe  business.  He  started  the 
Westport  Shoe  Shop,  and  still  retains  a 
financial  interest  in  the  business. 

Mr.  Harris  is  a  Republican,  and  one  of 
the  most  public-spirited  citizens  of  West- 
port.  He  is  a  member  of  Temple  Lodge, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  which  he 
is  past  master,  and  a  member  of  Aspetuck 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  Harris  married.  May  6,  1871,  Chloe 
Esther  Goodsell,  daughter  of  John  and 
Betsey  Ann  (Taylor)  Goodsell,  born 
March  11,  1846.  John  Goodsell  was  the 
sixth  John  Goodsell  in  direct  descent.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  and  Rachel  (Meeker) 
Goodsell,  and  a  grandson  of  John  Good- 
sell,  who  was  killed  by  the  Hessians  at 
the  burning  of  Fairfield,  July  8,  1779.  He 
married,  January  28,  1834,  Betsey  Ann 
Taylor,  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Chloe 
(Gregory)  Taylor,  born  December  9, 
1812.     Captain  Alfred   Taylor  was   born 


November  24,  1791,  son  of  Jonathan,  Jr., 
and  Nancy  (Taylor)  Taylor.  He  was  se- 
lectman in  Westport  in  1839  and  1849, 
and  first  voted  for  James  Monroe,  in  1816, 
and  last  for  Grover  Cleveland.  His  name 
appears  among  the  incorporators  of  West- 
port,  and  he  received  his  title  of  captain 
from  commanding  a  company  of  State 
Militia  for  three  years.  For  fifty-five 
years  he  served  as  vestryman  at  Christ 
Church.  He  married,  April  23,  1812, 
Chloe  Gregory,  bom  February  3,  1796, 
daughter  of  Moses  and  Polly  (Fillow) 
Gregory.  Moses  Gregory  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1771,  and  died  May  5,  1881,  son 
of  Stephen  and  Molly  (Benedict)  Greg- 
ory. About  1795  he  married  Polly  Fil- 
low, born  February  14,  1779,  died  June 
14,  1859. 

Charles  Harris  and  his  wife,  Chloe  Es- 
ther Goodsell,  were  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  which  Mr.  Har- 
ris was  a  trustee  for  many  years.  Their 
only  child  was  Channing  Page  Harris, 
of  further  mention. 

Channing  Page  Harris  was  educated 
in  the  Westport  public  schools,  and  was 
one  of  the  pupils  of  the  first  class  gradu- 
ated from  the  Staples  High  School.  Then 
he  took  a  course  in  Martin's  Business 
College  at  Bridgeport,  and  was  in  the 
office  of  the  Bryant  Electric  Company  for 
almost  seven  years.  He  then  became 
identified  with  the  banking  firm  of  Marsh, 
Merwin  &  Lemmon  of  Bridgeport,  where 
he  spent  about  the  same  number  of  years. 
In  May,  1904,  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Westport. 
His  years  of  experience  were  of  untold 
value  to  him  in  this  work,  and  in  due 
course  of  time  he  was  promoted  to  the 
office  of  cashier.  In  1913,  when  the  bank 
was  reorganized  as  the  Westport  Bank 
and  Trust  Company,  Mr.  Harris  became 
secretary  and  treasurer,  and  also  a  di- 
rector   of   the    new    corporation.      Other 


282 


-i^i^CjeyOU^vV    <kj.(^^o^M-o\xi/ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


business  interests  include  a  directorship 
with  the  Colyars  Shoe  Stores,  Inc.,  and  a 
similar  office  with  the  Toquet  Carburetor 
Company.  He  also  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Staples  High  School.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Harris  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  all  public  matters.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Fi- 
nance since  the  latter  was  organized 
about  four  years  ago. 

Mr.  Harris  married  Esther  Alsop, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Alsop,  Jr.,  a  resident 
of  near  Philadelphia.  His  father,  Samuel 
Alsop,  Sr.,  had  a  boarding  school  where 
the  Hotel  Glenwood  now  stands  at  the 
Delaware  Water  Gap.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harris  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Rachel  Griscom,  Esther  Kite,  and  Mar- 
garet Alsop.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Society  of  Friends  in  New  York 
City. 


RADFORD,  Stephen  Lockwood, 
Jndge  of  Probate. 

To  introduce  Judge  Radford  to  his  fel- 
low-citizens of  Greenwich,  or  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Fairfield  county  bar  and 
bench,  would  be  an  act  of  presumption 
on  the  part  of  the  biographer.  Having 
loyally  made  his  native  city  the  scene 
of  his  professional  career,  Judge  Radford 
has  identified  himself  quietly  but  influ- 
entially  with  the  chief  interests  of  his 
community. 

The  name  of  Radford  seems  to  be  of 
ancient  English  origin,  being  found  as 
the  designation  of  various  villages  and 
hamlets  in  the  counties  of  Nottingham, 
Oxford  and  Warwick. 

(I)  Stephen  L. ,  Radford,  grandfather 
/)i  Stephen  Lockwood  Radford,  was  de- 
scended from  John  Radford,  of  Portland, 
Maine,  the  family  having  been  long  rep- 
resented in  the  "beautiful  town  that  is 
seated  by  the  sea."     Stephen  L.  Radford 


was  a  sea  captain,  and  in  common  with 
so  many  of  his  calling  found  an  ocean 
grave.  Captain  Radford  married  Har- 
riet Lockwood,  a  member  of  an  old  Eng- 
lish family,  represented  in  this  volume. 
The  following  children  were  born  to  Cap- 
tain and  Mrs.  Radford :  Mary,  Frances, 
Clarissa,  and  Stephen  L.,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

(II)  Stephen  L.  (2)  Radford,  son  of 
Stephen  L.  (i)  and  Harriet  (Lockwood) 
Radford,  was  born  November  17,  1828,  in 
Greenwich,  Connecticut.  He  was  reared 
on  a  farm  to  which  his  parents  moved 
when  he  was  but  five  years  old,  and  to 
the  close  of  his  life  he  remained  upon  the 
homestead.  His  education  was  received 
in  local  public  schools.  Mr.  Radford 
married  Julia  S.  Ritch,  daughter  of  Ralph 
and  Clemence  (Mead)  Ritch,  and  grand- 
daughter of  James  Ritch  and  Matthew 
Mead.  Matthew  Mead  was  a  son  of  Cap- 
tain Matthew  Mead,  a  Revolutionary 
officer,  and  a  great-grandson  of  John 
Mead,  who  came  from  England  in  1642. 
The  Pitches  and  Meads  were  both  old 
families  of  Greenwich.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Radford  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  reached  maturity: 
Jesse  F.,  now  deceased ;  and  Stephen 
Lockwood,  of  whom  further.  Mr.  Rad- 
ford was  a  member  of  Christ  Episcopal 
Church  of  Greenwich,  while  Mrs.  Rad- 
ford was  a  member  of  the  Second  Con- 
gregational Church  of  that  place ;  the 
former  held  the  office  of  vestryman  and 
took  an  active  part  in  church  work.  It 
is  worthy  of  note  that  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Radford  were  the  children  of  seafaring 
men,  Ralph  Ritch,  who  was  a  native  of 
Greenwich,  having  "followed  the  water" 
nearly  all  his  life. 

(III)  Stephen  Lockwood  Radford,  son 
of  Stephen  L.  (2)  and  Julia  S.  (Ritch) 
Radford,  was  born  May  16,  1877,  in 
Greenwich,    Connecticut.      He    received 


283 


p:ncyclopedia  of  biograph'^- 


his  early  education  in  public  schools  of 
his  native  town,  passing  thence  to  the 
Greenwich  Academy.  He  was  entered  as 
a  law  student  in  the  office  of  the  late 
Michael  Kenealy,  of  Stamford,  and  at- 
tended lectures  at  the  Law  School  of  the 
University  of  New  York.  In  1899  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  After  practising  for 
nearly  a  year  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Kenealy, 
Mr.  Radford  (as  he  then  was)  opened  an 
office  of  his  own  in  Greenwich.  The  most 
conclusive  evidence  of  his  success  in 
achieving  a  deservedly  high  reputation 
both  for  legal  learning  and  skill  in  the 
application  of  its  principles  is  furnished 
by  the  fact  that  on  January  i,  191 5,  he 
was  elected  judge  of  probate.  His  record 
as  a  member  of  the  judiciary  has  more 
than  justified  the  choice  of  those  whose 
votes  placed  him  upon  the  bench.  Po- 
litically Judge  Radford  is  a  Republican, 
and  for  eight  years  filled  the  office  of 
clerk  of  the  Court  of  the  Borough  of 
Greenwich,  serving  for  three  years  as 
assistant  town  clerk,  and  member  of  the 
Republican  town  committee.  He  affili- 
ates with  Acacia  Lodge,  No.  85,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Green- 
wich ;  Rittenhouse  Chapter,  Royal  Arch 
Masons,  of  Stamford  ;  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  Green- 
wich. He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  church. 

Judge  Radford  married,  June  11,  1892, 
Bessie  H.  Russell,  daughter  of  Charles 
E.  and  Lillian  (Green)  Russell,  of  Green- 
wich, and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  son : 
Jesse  Russell,  born  October  24,  1903.  The 
Russells  are  an  old  English  family,  trac- 
ing descent  from  Hugh  de  Rosel,  who 
came  over  with  William  the  Conqueror 
and  was  rewarded  with  possessions  in 
Dorsetshire.  The  escutcheon  of  the  Rus- 
sells is  as  follows : 

Arms — Argent,  a  lion  rampant  gules,  on  a  chief 
sable  three  escallops  of  the  first. 
Crest — A  demi-lion  rampant  gules. 


The  Green  familiy  is  of  Anglo-Saxon 
origin,  the  name  being  derived  from  the 
word  "grene,"  a  common  prefix  to  local 
surnames. 

Judge  Radford  is  now  in  the  prime  of 
life  and  his  record,  both  at  the  bar  and  on 
the  bench,  indicates  that,  rich  as  the  past 
has  been  in  results,  the  future  in  all  prob- 
ability holds  for  him  greater  honors  and 
more  signal  achievements. 


CRANE,  Albert, 

Iia-nryer,  Philanthropist. 

There  is  no  department  of  activity  in 
human  life  more  worthy  of  record  than 
that  which  aids  and  assists  those  worthy 
objects  which  tend  to  upbuild  and  develop 
mankind.  The  life  of  the  late  Albert 
Crane,  A.  B.,  LL.  B.,  of  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, was  marked  by  many  splendid 
qualities,  but  above  all  by  his  great  gen- 
erosity and  broad  charity.  Many  public 
institutions  and  individuals  have  been  the 
recipients  of  his  generosity.  Each  has 
been  enabled  through  this  good  man's 
deeds  to  broaden  the  extent  of  its  help- 
fulness. The  Stamford  Hospital,  the 
Stamford  Children's  Home,  the  Stamford 
Day  Nursery,  and  the  free  library  at 
Quincy,  Massachusetts,  are  a  few  of  the 
institutions  which  will  long  revere  the 
memory  of  Albert  Crane. 

The  use  of  signs  to  designate  the  oc- 
cupation or  trade  was  of  ancient  origin. 
Even  today  we  often  see  a  boot  hanging 
in  front  of  a  shoemaker's  store.  Inns  es- 
pecially made  use  of  different  species  of 
birds,  fowls,  and  animals,  on  their  signs, 
thus  giving  the  hostelry  a  name.  After 
the  general  adoption  of  surnames,  many 
of  these  were  retained  as  a  patronymic, 
one  of  these  being  Crane,  taken  from  the 
sign-name  of  the  bird.  The  first  mention 
of  it  is  found  in  1272,  when  it  was  writ- 
ten de  Crance. 

(I)  Henry  Crane,  the  ancestor  of  the 


284 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


family  herein  recorded,  was  born  about 
1621  in  England,  and  died  March  21,  1709. 
He  was  among  the  early  Dorchester  set- 
tlers, where  he  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  a  house, 
September  i,  1654.  He  served  as  select- 
man of  the  town  of  Milton,  1679-80-81 ; 
was  one  of  the  first  trustees.  Henry 
Crane  became  a  large  landowner  and  was 
a  man  of  considerable  education.  He 
married  (first)  Tabitha  Kinsley,  daugh- 
ter of  Elder  Stephen  Kinsley,  who  died 
in  1681. 

(II)  Ebenezer  Crane,  son  of  Henry  and 
Tabitha  (Kinsley)  Crane,  was  born  in 
England,  August  6,  1665.  He  enlisted  in 
the  company  which  went  with  Sir  Wil- 
liam Phipps'  expedition  to  Quebec,  in 
August,  1690,  under  command  of  Colonel 
John  Withington.  He  was  one  of  the 
twenty-nine  men  to  return  out  of  seventy- 
five  sent.  He  married,  November  13, 
1689,  Mary  Tolman,  born  November  26, 
1671,  daughter  of  Thomas,  Jr.,  and  Eliza- 
beth (Johnson)  Tolman,  granddaughter 
of  Thomas  Tolman,  Sr.,  who  came  from 
England  in  1635,  a  first  settler  of  Dor- 
chester. 

(III)  Thomas  Crane,  tenth  child  of 
Ebenezer  and  Mary  (Tolman)  Crane,  was 
born  May  12,  1710,  in  Braintree ;  married, 
January  13,  1732,  Deborah  Owen,  daugh- 
ter of  Nathaniel  and  Deborah  (Parmen- 
ter)  Owen.  They  were  admitted  to  the 
Braintree  church  in  1732. 

(IV)  Joseph  Crane,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Deborah  (Owen)  Crane,  was  born  Sep- 
tember II,  1737,  and  died  in  1810.  He 
was  a  cordwainer  by  trade,  and  lived  at 
Braintree.  He  served  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  in  Captain  Silas  Weld's  com- 
pany. Colonel  William  Heath's  regiment. 
He  married,  December  20,  1757,  Mary 
Savil,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Mary 
(Blanchard)  Savil,  born  November  24, 
1739,  died  August  i,  1809. 


(Vl  Thomas  (2)  Crane,  sixth  son  of  Jo- 
seph and  Mary  (Savil)  Crane,  was  born  in 
May,  1770,  in  Braintree,  and  died  Sep- 
tember 25,  1818.  He  removed  to  George's 
Island,  Boston  harbor,  where  he  lived 
until  1810.  In  the  latter  year  he  pur- 
chased a  house  on  Quincy  Point,  near 
his  boyhood  home,  and  where  there  is  a 
stream  which  is  still  known  as  Crane's 
Brook.  He  was  a  successful  and  well- 
to-do  man.  He  married,  November  6, 
1796,  Sarah  Baxter,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Prudence  (Spear)  Baxter,  born  in 
1771,  at  Braintree,  died  August  19,  1824. 

(VI)  Thomas  (3)  Crane,  son  of  Thomas 
(2)  and  Sarah  (Baxter)  Crane,  was  bom 
on  George's  Island,  October  18,  1803, 
and  died  in  New  York  City,  April  i, 
1875.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the  clear, 
invigorating  air  of  his  native  home.  He 
was  only  fifteen  years  of  age  when  his 
father  died,  and  he  early  went  to  work. 
Desiring  to  be  occupied  out-of-doors,  he 
learned  the  trade  of  stonecutter,  and  in 
1829  removed  to  New  York  City.  There, 
in  association  with  others,  he  purchased 
a  stone  yard.  Mr.  Crane  furnished  the 
granite  for  the  New  York  Customs 
House ;  St.  John's  freight  depot ;  and  the 
Forty-second  street  district  reservoir. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Universalist 
church,  and  when  he  was  a  young  man  in 
Quincy,  was  accustomed  to  walk  nine 
miles  to  and  from  church.  He  was  an  in- 
timate friend  of  Horace  Greeley,  and  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  Tufts  College  at 
Medford,  Massachusetts,  of  which  he  was 
a  trustee.  After  his  death  his  widow  and 
sons  presented  "The  Crane  Memorial 
Hall,"  one  of  Richardson's  fine  designs, 
to  the  town  of  Quincy,  beloved  by  Mr. 
Crane  for  his  childhood  associations  there. 

Mr.  Crane  married  (second)  in  Boston, 
November  23,  1836,  Clarissa  Lawrence 
Starkey,  born  in  Troy,  New  Hampshire, 
March    3,    1813,    a    descendant    of    John 


28= 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Starkey,  who  was  early  in  Boston.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  sons. 

(VII)  Albert  Crane,  third  son  of 
Thomas  (3)  and  Clarissa  L.  (Starkey) 
Crane,  was  born  December  30,  1842,  in 
New  York  City,  and  died  at  his  beautiful 
home  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  Septem- 
ber 21,  1918. 

The  early  education  of  Mr.  Crane  was 
obtained  in  the  schools  of  his  native  city 
and  he  prepared  for  entrance  to  Tufts 
College,  Medford,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1863.  Mr. 
Crane  had  previously  decided  to  take  up 
the  profession  of  law  for  his  career  and 
with  that  aim  in  view  entered  Columbia 
Law  School,  graduating  three  years  later, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  New 
York  bar  the  same  year,  1866.  The  love 
of  fine  arts  and  literature  was  inborn  in 
Mr.  Crane,  and  in  a  few  years  the  sordid- 
ness  of  the  city  conceived  in  him  a  desire 
to  live  in  the  atmosphere  of  country  life. 
Accordingly,  he  gave  up  his  practice  and 
retired  to  the  peacefulness  of  his  country 
home,  "Rock  Acre."  He  was  fortunately 
blessed  in  that  he  was  able  to  gratify  his 
tastes  and  desires.  He  had  traveled  ex- 
tensively, and  at  least  two  score  times 
Mr.  Crane  had  voyaged  across  the  At- 
lantic ;  his  journeyings  were  over  the  en- 
tire European  continent,  as  well  as  into 
other  countries.  Mr.  Crane  seemed  to 
have  an  especial  fondness  for  England,  as 
one  writer  has  said,  "an  ancestral  inheri- 
tance perhaps."  He  spent  one  entire 
season  in  London,  maintaining  a  home 
there,  and  was  presented  at  Court.  While 
there  he  also  became  a  member  of  the 
Thatched  House  Club,  on  St.  James 
street.  Many  of  his  English  and  Amer- 
ican friends  were  entertained  at  his  Eng- 
lish home. 

Mr.  Crane's  love  of  music  was  equally 
as  great  as  his  love  of  travel  and  the  arts. 
He  was  a  life  member  of  the  New  York 


Oratorio  Society,  and  was  a  director  of 
the  New  York  Symphony  Society. 
Among  his  warm,  personal  friends  in  the 
world  of  music  was  Theodore  Thomas. 
In  1876,  when  the  first  performance  of 
Wagner's  music-drama,  "The  Niebelun- 
genlied,"  took  place  at  Bayreuth,  Mr. 
Crane  made  a  special  trip  there,  and  also, 
in  1882,  was  at  the  first  hearing  of  "Par- 
sifal." 

Many  institutions  were  recipients  of 
Mr.  Crane's  benefactions.  The  Crane 
Theological  School  of  Tufts  College  was 
endowed  by  him  with  a  gift  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  This  was  to  com- 
memorate his  father's  adherence  to  the 
Universalist  faith.  The  Stamford  Hospi- 
tal stands  on  a  site  which  was  purchased 
by  a  fund  donated  by  Mr.  Crane. 

By  virtue  of  his  descent  from  Major 
Simon  Willard,  of  Concord,  Massachu- 
setts, and  John  Starkey,  of  Boston,  Mr. 
Crane  was  a  life  member  of  the  Society 
of  Colonial  Wars.  As  a  great-grandson 
of  Sergeant  Joseph  Crane,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion ;  was  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Historic  Genealogical  Society ;  the  Stam- 
ford Historical  Society ;  Stamford  Hospi- 
tal Corporation ;  New  York  Historical 
Society;  the  Blue  Anchor  Society;  Amer- 
ican Geographical  Society ;  and  the  Union 
Club  of  New  York.  For  seven  years, 
from  1863  to  1870,  Mr.  Crane  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  York  National  Guard. 

On  January  24,  1884,  Mr.  Crane  married 
(first)  Ellen  Mansfield  Davies,  daughter 
of  Colonel  J.  Mansfield  and  Martha  M. 
(Brooks)  Davies,  of  Fishkill-on-the-Hud- 
son,  and  she  died  January  5,  1893.  He 
married  (second)  February  10,  1902, 
Fanny  Starkey,  daughter  of  George  Ly- 
man and  Elizabeth  Neal  (Ames)  Starkey, 
of  Boston.  George  Lyman  Starkey  was 
a  descendant  of  John  Starkey,  the  immi- 
grant.    He  married,  July  9,  1843,  Eliza- 


286 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


beth  Neal  Ames,  who  was  born  August 
3,  1815,  in  South  Tamworth,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  died  in  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
September  4,  1891,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Sarah  (Glidden)  Ames.  The  former 
was  a  native  of  Dublin,  New  Hampshire, 
and  the  latter  of  Parsonfield,  Maine.  Mrs. 
Fanny  (Starkey)  Crane,  their  daughter, 
survives  her  husband,  and  now  resides  at 
the  Crane  home,  "Rock  Acre,"  in  Stam- 
ford. She  is  a  member  of  Mt.  Vernon 
Church,  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  is 
one  of  the  executors  of  Mr.  Crane's  will. 


POST,  Robert  Woodbridge, 

Head  of  Great  Paper  Business. 

The  manufacturing  world  has  claimed 
many  men  of  broad  business  calibre  and 
efficiency.  One  who  has  achieved  well 
deserved  success  in  this  line  is  Robert 
Woodbridge  Post,  paper  manufacturer  of 
Westport,  Connecticut.  Mr.  Post  is  a 
true  son  of  Connecticut,  and  his  family 
has  been  prominent  in  that  State  for  many 
generations. 

(I)  The  immigrant  ancestor,  Stephen 
Post,  was  a  first  settler  of  the  beautiful 
Capital  city.  He  was  born  in  Chelmsford, 
England,  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1663, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  four  chil- 
dren, in  the  ship  "Griffin,"  landing  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts.  Stephen  Post 
became  associated  with  a  band  of  Puri- 
tans and  settled  with  them  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  as  above  stated,  under  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Hooker.  His  name  appears 
on  the  Founder's  Monument  in  the  burial 
ground  of  Hooker's  church.  Soon  after 
coming  to  Hartford,  Mr.  Post  removed  to 
Saybrook,  and  settled  in  a  section  called 
Oyster  River,  some  two  miles  from  the 
fort  where  he  died,  August  16,  1659.  His 
wife,  Eleanor,  survived  him  more  than 
eleven  years,  and  died  November  13, 
1670. 


(II)  Abraham  Post,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Eleanor  Post,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, 1640-41.  He  was  made  a  free- 
man, May  II,  1665.  He  died  in  Saybrook, 
about  1713-15-  He  was  appointed  to  the 
office  of  ensign  of  the  Saybrook  Train 
Band,  in  1667,  and  appointed  lieutenant 
in  1680.  Lieutenant  Post  married,  in 
1663,  Mary  Chulker,  and  she  died  March 
21,  1683. 

(III)  Gurdon  Post,  son  of  Abraham 
and  Mary  (Chulker)  Post,  was  born  May 
29,  1676.  He  married  and  had  a  son, 
Jedediah,  of  whom  further. 

(IV)  Jedediah  Post,  son  of  Gurdon 
Post,  lived  all  his  life  in  Hebron,  Connec- 
ticut. He  married  and  had  a  son,  David, 
of  whom  further. 

(V)  David  Post,  son  of  Jedediah  Post, 
was  born  in  Hebron,  Connecticut,  Novem- 
ber 25,  1752,  and  died  October  5,  1840.  He 
removed  to  Gilead ;  he  was  a  farmer  and 
shipped  beef  and  pork  South.  On  May 
20,  1784,  he  married  Martha  Warner, 
daughter  of  Dr.  A.  I.  Warner,  of  Bolton, 
Connecticut,  and  she  died  August  14, 
1846. 

(VI)  Elijah  Post,  son  of  David  and 
Martha  (Warner)  Post,  was  born  July 
31,  1792,  and  died  April  20,  1869,  in  Gil- 
ead, Connecticut.  The  whole  of  what  is 
now  Gilead  street  was  once  owned  by 
the  Post  family.  Elijah  Post  married 
Anna  Bissell,  born  April  30.  1795,  in  He- 
bron, Connecticut. 

(VII)  Bissell  Elijah  Post,  son  of  Elijah 
and  Anna  (Bissell)  Post,  was  born  No- 
vember 13,  1817,  and  died  in  Andover, 
about  1909.  He  grew  to  manhood  in 
Gilead,  and  learned  the  tanner's  trade, 
which  he  followed  many  years.  About 
1855  he  removed  to  Andover  and  bought 
a  farm  and  mill  there.  In  this  mill  he 
did  sawing  and  wood-turning;  he  sawed 
oak  timber,  which  was  used  largely  by 
the  New  Bedford  whalers.    Until  the  late 


287 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


seventies  he  continued  in  this  business 
and  by  that  time  the  timber  in  his  im- 
mediate section  had  been  nearly  all  logged 
off.  After  this  time  Mr.  Post  gave  his 
entire  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his 
farm.  He  was  an  active  and  interested 
citizen  in  his  community,  and  in  politics 
was  a  War  Democrat.  Several  times  Mr. 
Post  was  honored  with  public  office;  he 
served  as  selectman  and  also  was  repre- 
sentative to  the  Legislature  in  1876.  Mr. 
Post  married,  April  28,  1841,  Eliza  Kel- 
logg, born  December  i,  1819,  daughter  of 
Elisha  and  Emily  (Stratton)  Kellogg  (see 
Kellogg  V).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Post  were  the 
parents  of  six  children :  i.  Thaddeus 
Welles,  served  in  the  Civil  War,  and  was 
eleven  months  in  Andersonville  Prison ; 
he  was  exchanged  and  wrote  home  from 
Annapolis,  dying  the  same  day.  2.  John 
Henry,  enlisted  at  the  age  of  fourteen  in 
the  Civil  War,  and  served  throughout  the 
war.  3.  Edward  K.,  resides  in  Andover, 
Connecticut.  4.  George  D.,  now  living  in 
New  Haven,  Connecticut  (1921).  5. 
Robert  Woodbridge,  of  whom  further. 
6.  Anna  E.,  married  James  H.  Marsh,  of 
Andover ;  she  was  a  school  teacher  there 
for  fifty  years. 

(VIII)  Robert  Woodbridge  Post,  son 
of  Bissell  Elijah  and  Eliza  (Kellogg) 
Post,  was  born  in  Andover,  November  19, 
1861.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  there  and  the  high  school  in  Wil- 
limantic.  Subsequently  he  served  with 
Case  Brothers,  of  Manchester,  paper  man- 
ufacturers, an  eight-year  apprenticeship, 
and  thoroughly  learned  the  business. 
During  the  latter  years  he  was  superinten- 
dent of  several  of  their  mills.  Mr.  Post 
resigned  from  their  employ  to  go  with  the 
Brookside  Paper  Company,  of  Manches- 
ter, of  which  he  became  a  stockholder.  In 
1890  he  was  one  of  the  four  incorporators 
of  his  present  business,  the  Westport 
Paper  Company,  of  which    he    is    now 


president  and  treasurer.  They  built  a 
mill  which  was  burned  August  11,  1900, 
and  immediately  another  mill  was  erected. 
The  business  of  manufacturing  binder's 
board  and  other  specialties  has  grown 
rapidly,  and  the  plant  from  a  small  be- 
ginning has  grown  until  today  it  repre-  i 
sents  eight  acres  of  ground  on  which  are  I 
located  a  large  brick  and  cement  factory, 
housing  the  general  office  and  pulp  ma- 
chinery rooms  and  the  manufacturing  de- 
partment. They  have  a  dock  with  600 
feet  of  water  front.  When  the  new  build- 
ing was  erected  it  was  equipped  with  the 
most  up-to-date  and  modern  machinery, 
and  it  is  one  of  the  largest  factories  of 
its  kind  in  the  country.  One  of  their  big 
specialties  has  been  gun  wads  and  heavy 
box  board.  The  products  are  largely  used 
in  Connecticut,  and  goes  to  large  manu- 
facturing consumers. 

Mr.  Post  is  well  known  among  the  man- 
ufacturers of  Connecticut;  he  makes  his 
home  in  Westport  and  takes  much  inter- 
est in  local  affairs.  For  the  past  ten  years 
he  has  been  a  director  of  the  Wethers- 
field  State's  Prison.  A  few  years  ago  Mr. 
Post  built  a  beautiful  residence  on  the 
Post  Road,  on  an  eminence  fifty  feet 
above  the  road,  which  makes  it  a  promi 
nent  landmark,  the  site  commanding  a 
fine  view  of  Long  Island  Sound.  The 
architecture  is  of  the  school  of  the  Span- 
ish renaissance.  The  walls  are  of  solid 
concrete,  while  the  roof  is  of  red  Spanish 
tile.  Fraternally  Mr.  Post  is  a  member 
of  Temple  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  of  Westport ;  Washington 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  Nor- 
walk ;  Clinton  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar;  Lafayette  Consistory;  and 
Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
Bridgeport. 

Mr.  Post  married,  August  20,  1884, 
Lisetta  Hale,  daughter  of  Dwight  Hale, 
of  Manchester.    They  attend  the  Congre- 


28S 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


gational  church,  of  Westport,  and  aid  in 
its  good  works. 

(The  Kellogg  Line). 

(I)  Samuel  Kellogg,  the  ancestor  of 
the  Kellogg  family,  was  born  in  Braintrec, 
England,  after  1630.  The  first  record 
found  of  him  in  New  England  is  that  of 
his  marriage,  November  24,  1664,  to  Mrs. 
Sarah  (Day)  Gunn,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Editha  (Stebbins)  Day. 

(II)  Samuel  (2)  Kellogg,  son  of  Sam- 
uel (i)  and  Sarah  (Day-Gunn)  Kellogg, 
was  born  April  11,  1669,  in  Hadley,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  died  August  24,  1708,  in 
Colchester,  Connecticut.  He  married 
Hannah  Dickinson,  born  January  18,  1666, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Dickinson,  of  Had- 
ley. Samuel  Kellogg  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Indians  in  Hadley  when  a  lad  of 
eight  years  and  was  taken  by  them  to 
Canada,  later  being  found  and  taken  home 
by  his  relatives.  In  1701  he  removed  to 
Colchester,  Connecticut. 

(III)  Deacon  Joseph  Kellogg,  son  of 
Samuel  (2)  and  Hannah  (Dickinson)  Kel- 
logg, was  born  June  18,  1696,  in  Hatfield, 
and  died  about  1765  in  Hebron,  Connec- 
ticut. He  went  to  Colchester  with  his 
father's  family,  and  on  February  28,  1722, 
sold  his  rights  in  the  homestead  to  his 
brother  for  a  few  pounds  and  removed  to 
Hebron.  He  lived  in  that  part  now  called 
Marlboro  until  his  death.  He  was  a  dea- 
con in  the  church  for  many  years.  He 
married,  October  23,  1717,  Abigail  Miller, 
of  Colchester. 

(IV)  Samuel  (3)  Kellogg,  son  of  Dea- 
con Joseph  and  Abigail  (Miller)  Kellogg, 
was  born  in  Hebron,  Connecticut,  about 
1740,  and  died  about  1780.  He  married. 
May  31,1759,  Hannah  Strong,  daughter 
of  Ezro  and  Abigail  Strong,  of  Colches- 
ter. 

(V)  Elisha  Kellogg,  son  of  Samuel  (3) 
and  Hannah  (Strong)  Kellogg,  was  born 
November  9,   1763,    and    died    April    16, 

Conn— 8— 19  2i 


1846.  He  married,  February  7,  1781,  Em- 
ily Stratton,  born  April  24,  1761,  died 
April  17,  1854,  daughter  of  William  and 
Ruth  (Goodrich)  Stratton,  of  Chatham. 
They  lived  on  a  farm  near  South  Glaston- 
bury,  Connecticut. 

(VI)  Eliza  Kellogg,  daughter  of  Elisha 
and  Emily  (Stratton)  Kellogg,  became 
the  wife  of  Bissell  Elijah  Post  (see 
Post  VII). 


SKENE,  Rev.  John  Dolby, 
Clergyman. 

The  church  as  a  field  of  labor  oflfers 
opportunities  for  the  gratifying  of  intel- 
lectual honors  and  the  most  sincere  spirit- 
ual activities,  but  among  the  men  who 
truly  adorn  the  cloth,  an  occasional  cler- 
gyman stands  out  eminent  among  his 
fellow  laborers  for  the  deep  strength  and 
dynamic  force  of  a  well-rounded,  highly 
developed  character.  In  the  veins  of  the 
Rev.  John  Dolby  Skene,  of  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  flows  the  blood  of  Scotch 
ancestors  who  for  centuries  followed  their 
King  or  their  leader  to  the  death,  if  need 
be,  and  even  turned  from  the  men  for 
whom  they  would  have  given  their  lives 
to  follow  an  ideal.  When  such  spirit  and 
devotion,  together  with  brilliant  mental- 
ity and  broad  culture,  are  consecrated  to 
the  Church  of  Christ,  the  meaning  and 
dignity  of  the  Christian  religion  is  made 
clear  and  significant  to  the  world. 

The  surname  of  Skene,  according  to 
one  authority,  is  derived  from  Loch 
Skene,  being  a  combination  of  the  Gaelic, 
sgcan,  meaning  cleanliness,  brightness, 
and  the  old  Norse,  skina,  to  shine.  Be- 
cause of  the  clear,  shimmering  surface  of 
its  waters  this  beautiful  Loch  was  named 
Skene,  which  name  was  adopted  by  the 
first  family  which  bore  ii  because  of  their 
residence  in  its  vicinity.  Another  his- 
torian says :  "In  Aberdeenshire  the  an- 
cient family  of   Skene  always   held   the 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


rank  of  free  barons  and  took  their  name 
from  the  Castle  of  Skene,  in  the  Earldom 
of  Mar,  which  was  in  their  possession 
from  the  thirteenth  century  until  1827, 
when  by  the  death  of  the  last  Skene  of 
that  ilk  the  estates  passed  to  his  nephew, 
the  Earl  of  Fife."  Tradition  asserts  that 
the  Skenes  descended  from  the  Robert- 
sons, of  Struan,  and  that  the  first  of  them 
was  so  called  from  having  killed  an  enor- 
mous wolf  that  endangered  the  life  of 
Malcolm  III.  in  the  royal  forest  of 
Stocket  with  his  skene  (or  dagger)  only. 
Hence  the  family  and  clan  arms  are : 

Arms — Gules,  three  sgians,  or  daggers,  pale- 
wise,  in  fess,  argent,  hilted  and  pommelled,  or,  on 
the  points  of  which  as  many  wolves'  heads  of  the 
third. 

Crest — A  dexter  arm  from  the  shoulder,  issuing 
out  of  a  cloud,  and  holding  forth  a  triumphal 
crown  or  garland  of  leaves  proper. 

Supporters — On  the  dexter  a  Highlander  in  his 
proper  garb,  holding  in  his  right  hand  a  sgian,  and 
on  the  sinister  a  Highlander  in  a  more  simple 
habit,  his  target  on  the  left  arm,  and  his  dorlach, 
by  his  side,  all  proper. 

Motto — Virtutis  regia  merces. 

The  history  of  the  ancient  Scottish 
family  of  Skene  is  most  interesting.  In 
the  "View  of  the  'Diocese  of  Aberdeen,' 
it  is  stated  that  there  had  then  been  twen- 
ty-eight Lairds  of  Skene  in  direct  suc- 
cession." The  name  appears  in  court 
records  in  1488  and  1494.  In  the  thir- 
teenth century,  John  de  Skene  joined  the 
following  of  Donald  Bain,  the  Usurper, 
but  later  proved  his  loyalty  to  King  Alex- 
ander when  he  was  restored  to  royal 
favor.  John  de  Skene,  his  great-grandson, 
during  the  reign  of  Alexander  III.,  was 
chosen  one  of  the  arbiters  between  Bruce 
and  Beloil,  both  contestants  for  the  crown. 
A  grandson,  Robert  de  Skene,  was  a  close 
friend  of  Bruce,  fought  at  Bannockburn, 
and  was  given  a  charter  by  his  leader  in 
1318.  Later  on  in  history  we  find  Alex- 
ander  Skene,    fighting   for   King   James 


during  the  celebrated  battles  of  Flodden ; 
still  later  James  Skene,  his  direct  descend- 
ant, leading  the  charges  at  the  battle  of 
Pinkie,  where  he  fell  in  1757.  Under  the 
Duke  of  Marlborough,  Major  George 
Skene  distinguished  himself  in  the  wars 
of  Queen  Anne,  and  in  1720  purchased  the 
estate  in  Forfarshire.  Two  other  mem- 
bers of  this  family  were  soldiers  and  died 
in  battle,  one  in  Spain,  and  one  in  the 
battle  of  Preston,  in  1745. 

This  warlike  history  by  no  means 
stamps  the  family  as  a  war-making  race. 
The  times  were  troublous  and  they  found 
their  duty  leading  them  forth  to  battle, 
and  the  world  well  knows  that  a  Scot 
will  do  his  duty  without  counting  the 
cost.  When  conditions  became  more  set- 
tled and  there  was  opportunity  for  more 
peaceful  pursuits,  the  family  which  had 
given  such  magnificent  warriors  to  the 
service  of  their  leaders  also  gave  to  the 
world  brilliant  lights  in  the  various  pro- 
fessions. A  branch  of  the  old  family  of 
Skene  designated  as  of  Curriehill,  in  the 
Parish  of  Colinton,  were  said  by  the  "Old 
Statistical  account"  to  be  in  some  way 
connected  with  the  royal  family.  John 
Skene,  of  Curriehill,  came  prominently 
forward  as  an  advocate  in  the  reign  of 
James  VI.  In  1575,  with  Sir  James  Bal- 
four, John  Skene  was  appointed  by  Re- 
gent Morton  a  committee  to  study  and 
make  a  comprehensive  digest  of  the  laws 
of  Scotland.  It  was  a  Skene  who  did  the 
actual  work  of  the  commission,  and  he 
was  publicly  commended  for  the  thor- 
oughness and  excellence  of  his  work  and 
also  pensioned.  In  1588  he  accompanied 
Sir  James  Melville  of  Malhill,  on  a  mis- 
sion to  the  Court  of  Denmark  to  conclude 
a  marriage  with  the  Princess  Anne.  In 
1594  he  was  appointed  lord  clerk  regis- 
ter. Three  years  before  that  he  was  one 
of  the  eight  lords  commissioners  ap- 
pointed   to    look    after    the    King's    Ex- 


290 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


chequer,  "properties  and  casualties."  He 
is  reputed  to  have  been  a  very  scholarly 
man.  According  to  a  short  biography  by 
Sir  James  Melville,  he  was  able  to  make 
addresses  in  Latin.  John  Skene  is  best 
known  for  his  compilation  of  the  old  laws 
and  constitutions  of  Scotland,  printed  in 
Edinburgh  in  1609,  and  covering  the 
period  from  Malcolm  II.  to  King  James 
I.  The  title  of  the  work  is  "Regiam  Ma- 
jestatem." 

In  1590  Gilbert  Skene  was  a  professor 
of  medicine  in  King's  College,  Aberdeen, 
and  was  later  physician  to  the  King, 
which  honored  position  he  resigned  in 
1594.  He  was  afterwards  knighted.  James 
Skene  was  a  long  and  faithful  friend  of 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  co-worker  and  co-part- 
ner with  him,  and  responsible  for  many 
of  the  most  interesting  scenes  in  the 
works  of  Scott.  Andrew  Skene  succeeded 
Lord  Cockburn  as  solicitor-general  of 
Scotland.  Alex  Skene,  of  that  ilk,  appears 
in  1633  in  the  "Book  of  the  Annualren- 
taris"  for  Aberdeenshire  together  with 
Alex  Skene,  of  Drumbreck,  Gilbert  Skene, 
of  Dyce,  and  James  Skene,  of  Ramoir. 

William  Skene,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  resided  in  Aberdeen, 
Scotland,  and  enjoyed  with  the  sincere 
satisfaction  of  a  man  of  peace  the  less 
turbulent  times.  With  his  wife,  Eliza- 
beth, he  was  highly  respected  and  much 
beloved  in  the  community. 

John  Skene  was  born  in  the  old  home 
in  Scotland,  and  made  a  lifelong  study  of 
horticulture.  He  became  an  authority  on 
the  subject  and  was  consulted  by  owners 
of  large  estates  regarding  the  laying  out 
of  their  gardens  and  the  propagation  and 
culture  of  fine  and  curious  plant  life.  He 
married  Anna  Dolby,  of  Lincolnshire, 
England,  and  their  children  were:  Wil- 
liam, a  clergyman  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  who  died  in  1871  ;  Mary,  wife  of 
George  W.  Wilbur,  president  of  the  Wil- 


bur Shirt  and  Collar  Company  of  Troy, 
New  York ;  George,  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  ;  Anna,  who 
died  in  Troy,  in  1883;  John  Dolby,  of 
further  mention  ;  Charles,  an  inventor  and 
expert  mechanic,  long  manager  of  an  iron 
foundry  in  Chicago. 

Rev.  John  Dolby  Skene  was  born  Oc- 
tober 16,  1849,  in  Lincolnshire,  England. 
His  parents  came  to  this  country  when  he 
was  a  small  child  and  he  received  his 
education  here,  beginning  in  the  public 
schools  of  Troy,  New  York.  His  prepara- 
tion for  college  was  made  under  private 
tutors,  and  his  theological  studies  were 
directed  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  I.  Tucker,  then 
rector  of  the  Church  of  Holy  Cross,  Troy, 
and  Rev.  Dr.  Nichols,  of  St.  Mark's 
Church,  Hoosic  Falls,  New  York.  His 
whole  course  of  preparation  was  marked 
by  brilliant  scholarship  and  the  most  de- 
vout sense  of  religious  responsibility. 

Mr.  Skene  was  ordained  deacon  in  St. 
Mark's  Church  in  Hoosic  Falls,  at  the 
Feast  of  the  Epiphany  in  1877,  and  on 
St.  Peter's  day,  1878,  was  advanced  to  the 
priesthood.  He  acted  as  assistant  to  Dr. 
Nichols  until  May,  1881,  and  was  then 
sent  to  Gouverneur,  New  York,  by  the 
Bishop  of  Albany.  He  had  charge  of  that 
parish  for  a  year  and  a  half.  The  Bishop 
then  sent  him  to  Ilion,  New  York  where 
he  remained  three  years,  going  on  at  the 
end  of  that  period  to  Asbury  Park,  New 
Jersey,  where  he  remained  until  1889. 
Next  he  went  to  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  this  pastorate 
he  held  until  December  i,  1894.  He  then 
went  to  Danbury,  Connecticut,  where  he 
remained  until  1902.  From  1903  to  1904, 
Rev.  Mr.  Skene  was  without  a  parish, 
and  spent  the  year  in  California.  In  May, 
1904,  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Andrew's 
Church,  Stamford,  Connecticut.  During 
his  pastorate  there  the  parish  has  grown 
to  such  an  extent  that  it  has  been  neces- 


2gi 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sary  to  engage  a  priest  to  assist  Mr.  Skene 
in  the  manifold  duties  that  devolve  upon 
a  rector. 

Mr.  Skene  has  never  narrovi^ed  the 
scope  of  his  work  to  the  strictly  religious 
duties  of  his  office.  He  believes  that  it 
is  the  duty  of  every  man  of  wholesome 
ideas  and  upright  convictions  to  enter 
into  the  public  life  of  the  community  and 
spend  his  strength  and  wield  his  influ- 
ence toward  upbuilding  of  civic  righteous- 
ness. While  never  a  partisan,  he  has  for 
the  greater  part  of  his  long  career  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party. 

His  life  has  been  far  too  crowded  with 
labor  for  the  moral  and  spiritual  welfare 
of  his  parish  to  admit  of  his  taking  such 
recreation  as  is  afforded  by  the  purely 
social  organization  which  would  find  him 
so  congenial  a  member,  but  he  has  always 
held  membership  in  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity. He  is  a  member  of  the  lodge  at 
Gouverneur,  New  York,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons ;  also  the  chapter,  Royal 
Arch  Masons,  there. 

In  1879  Rev.  Mr.  Skene  married,  in 
Hoosic  Falls,  New  York,  Ellen  A.  Cal- 
houn, daughter  of  John  C.  and  Harriet 
(Breeze)  Calhoun,  Mrs.  Calhoun  being  a 
member  of  an  old  Holland  family  which 
has  been  established  in  Bennington,  Ver- 
mont, for  many  generations.  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Skene  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: I.  John  Calhoun,  who  resides  in 
Banning,  California,  and  is  engaged  in 
the    automobile     business ;     he     married 

,  and  they  have  two  children.     2. 

George  Matthew,  born  September  21, 
1886,  in  Vineland,  New  Jersey;  graduated 
from  Norwalk  High  School,  1904,  at- 
tended Hopkins  Grammar  School  and 
University  of  Michigan ;  in  1908  he  grad- 
uated from  Yale  University  Law  School, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same 
year  ;  he  married  Dorothy  Wilson,  daugh- 
ter of  John  T.  Wilson,  of  Mount  Vernon, 


New  York,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Dorothy.  3.  Malcolm  Stanley,  born 
March  25,  1890,  in  Brooklyn,  New  York; 
he  is  a  graduate  of  the  Norwalk  High 
School,  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School  and 
of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School ;  on  De- 
cember 20,  191 1,  he  was  commissioned 
second  lieutenant,  Coast  Artillery  Corps, 
United  States  army,  and  has  done  serv- 
ice in  various  parts  of  the  United  States 
and  Washington ;  he  spent  three  and  a 
half  years  in  Panama;  in  the  summer  of 
1918  he  was  with  the  American  Expedi- 
tionary Forces  in  France,  and  was  com- 
missioned captain  in  1917  and  major  in 
1918. 


LEE,  Mortimer  Montgomery, 

Ex-Mayor,  Former  I<egislator. 

When  the  titles  we  have  just  written 
are  appended  to  the  name  of  a  citizen,  a 
formal  introduction  by  the  biographer  is 
more  than  superfluous.  It  is  certainly  so 
in  the  case  of  Mr.  Lee,  whose  record  of 
long  and  distinguished  service  has  given 
him  a  State-wide  reputation.  Over  and 
above  his  political  eminence  the  name  of 
Mr.  Lee  is  notable  as  that  of  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Haughton  &  Lee,  well 
known  importers  of  New  York  City.  Mr. 
Lee  has  been  for  many  years  a  resident 
of  South  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  the  city 
which  has  been  the  scene  of  his  political 
career. 

The  name  of  Lee  is  spelled  also  Lea, 
Leigh,  and  in  various  other  ways,  and 
signifies  a  dweller  at  a  meadow  or  pas- 
ture. It  is  likewise  an  old  word  for  a 
shelter  or  a  sheltered  place.  The  Lee 
family  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  Eng- 
lish history.  Its  early  seat  appears  to 
have  been  in  Cheshire,  but  branches  are 
found  in  a  number  of  other  counties. 
Members  of  the  family  emigrated,  at 
early  periods  in  Colonial  history,  to  Mas- 


292 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sachusetts,     Connecticut,     Virginia     and 
New  York. 

John  Lee,  founder  of  the  Massachusetts 
branch  of  the  family,  was  born  about  1600, 
in  England,  and  appears  to  have  been  the 
son  of  a  Londoner,  probably  a  merchant. 
Records  show  that  in  1634  John  Lee  was 
living  in  Agawam  (Ipswich),  Massachu- 
setts. He  was  a  farmer  and  a  soldier, 
perhaps  with  some  military  rank,  as  the 
inventory  of  his  estate  includes  a  buff 
coat,  fire-arms,  such  as  pistols  and  hol- 
sters, a  musket  and  a  sword  and  belt. 
That  he  was  not  illiterate  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  his  "bookes"  were  of  sufficient 
importance  to  be  named  and  valued  in  the 
inventory,  and  that  he  was  a  man  of 
means  is  evident  from  the  same  inventory 
of  his  estate  amounting  to  £928  I2s.  2d., 
a  handsome  sum  for  the  times.  The  seal 
he  used  on  his  will  bore  the  device  of  a 
bird  (not  a  martlet)  somewhat  similar  to 
the  one  used  on  the  will  of  Thomas  Leigh, 
of  Ipswich,  1661,  and  similar  to  that  used 
by  his  son,  John  Lee,  with  the  omission, 
on  the  son's  seal,  of  the  motto,  "Sola." 

(I)  Daniel  Lee,  Jr..  probably  a  descend- 
ant of  John  Lee,  the  immigrant,  and  great- 
grandfather of  Mortimer  Montgomery 
Lee,  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  army 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Worcester, 
Massachusetts.  He  afterward  lived  for 
many  years  as  a  farmer  in  Oneonta,  New 
York,  and  for  a  time  served  as  tax  col- 
lector for  the  town. 

(II)  Barnes  Lee,  son  of  Daniel  Lee, 
Jr.,  was  born  in  Milford,  New  York,  where 
he  engaged  in  mercantile  business.  He 
married  Azubah  Sargent.  Mr.  Lee  was 
a  handsome  man,  and  of  such  great 
strength  that  he  never  found  his  equal  in 
a  wrestling  match,  being  able  to  throw 
any  man  in  the  vicinity.  His  mental  abil- 
ities were  not  inferior  to  his  physical 
prowess.  His  death  took  place  in  Mil- 
ford. 


(HI)  Alonzo  Lee,  son  of  Barnes  and 
Azubah  (Sargent)  Lee,  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford,  New  York,  which  was  the  original 
part  of  Oneonta.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  school,  and  even  as  a  boy  helped 
to  take  care  of  his  widowed  mother  and 
three  sisters.  While  still  a  young  man 
he  removed  to  Farmington,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  conducted  a  store  and  also  dealt 
in  wool.  He  married  Almira  A.  Wright, 
born  in  Greene  county.  New  York,  daugh- 
ter of  Ashel  Wright,  of  Farmington, 
Pennsylvania,  and  their  children  were: 
Minnie,  married  Daniel  Lee ;  Mortimer 
Montgomery,  mentioned  below ;  and 
Charles  H.,  of  Detroit.  Minnie  Lee,  after 
her  marriage,  lived  in  Knoxville,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  both  she  and  her  husband 
are  now  deceased.  For  some  years  before 
his  death,  Alonzo  Lee,  the  father  of  the 
family,  lived  in  Elmira,  New  York.  His 
wife  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church. 

(IV)  Mortimer  Montgomery  Lee,  son 
of  Alonzo  and  Almira  A.  (Wright)  Lee, 
was  born  May  28,  1846,  in  Farmington, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  attended  school 
for  a  time,  afterward  passing  successively 
to  Troopsburg  Academy  and  Union  Acad- 
emy, Knoxville,  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
then  for  some  years  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  latter's  business  in  Farming- 
ton  and  also  in  Elmira.  In  1880  Mr.  Lee 
went  to  New  York  City,  where  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  William  Atwood 
Haughton  under  the  firm  name  of  Haugh- 
ton  &  Lee.  He  has  since  engaged  very 
successfully  in  the  business  of  importing 
and  handling  fine  lace  and  silk  goods  at 
wholesale,  keeping  many  salesmen  on  the 
road  and  covering  every  State  in  the 
Union. 

Since  becoming  a  resident  of  South 
Norwalk,  Mr.  Lee  has  identified  himself 
actively  with  the  leading  interests  of  his 
home  community.     He  is  vice-president 


293 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  People's  Trust  Company,  of  South 
Norwalk,  and  affiliated  with  Old  Well 
Lodge,  No.  io8,  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  of  the  same  place.  While 
a  resident  of  Elmira  he  took  the  Royal 
Arch  and  Commandery  degrees  in  that 
city. 

Always  a  staunch  Republican,  Mr.  Lee 
has  for  many  years  played  a  prominent 
part  in  the  political  life  of  South  Nor- 
walk. In  1892-93-94,  he  was  mayor  of  the 
city,  retaining  the  office  until  1895,  and  in 
1901-02  was  again  summoned  by  his  fel- 
low-citizens to  serve  them  in  the  highest 
municipal  position  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. During  both  his  administrations 
he  introduced  several  innovations  which 
were  accepted  by  the  city  not  merely  as 
changes,  but  as  real  and  valuable  im- 
provements and  have  been  retained  ever 
since.  They  included  a  book  of  police 
rules  which  all  officers  are  required  to 
carry  in  their  pockets,  and  he  also  intro- 
duced the  taxing  of  property  at  its  full 
value.  This  met  with  much  opposition, 
but  his  wisdom  has  since  been  shown  in 
the  result.  His  action  was  afterward  fol- 
lowed in  other  cities  all  over  the  State  of 
Connecticut.  In  1905  Mr.  Lee  repre- 
sented his  fellow-citizens  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, serving  on  various  important 
committees  and  accomplishing  results  of 
practical  use  and  genuine  value  to  his 
community  and  his  constituents. 

Mr.  Lee  married,  June  24,  1885,  Julia 
Clarissa  Adams  (see  Adams  IX)  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter: Guy  E.,  of  Norwalk;  Marion  Mont- 
gomery, wife  of  Le  Roy  Montgomery,  of 
South  Norwalk,  a  biography  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work;  and  Rob- 
ert M.,  of  South  Norwalk. 

Truly,  a  well-rounded  career  has  been 
that  of  Mortimer  Montgomery  Lee.  As 
business  man,  political  leader,  mayor  and 
legislator,   he    has    done   work    that    will 


endure  and  has  writ  his  name  large  in 
the  history  of  Connecticut. 

(The  Adams  Line). 

The  home  of  the  Adams  family,  three 
centuries  ago,  was  Devonshire,  England, 
but  it  is  thought  that  they  went  thither 
from  Wales,  and  that  the  patronymic, 
which  signifies  "Adam's  son,"  was  orig- 
inally Ap  Adam. 

(I)  Henry  Adams,  called  Henry  Ad- 
ams of  Braintree,  came  in  1632  or  1633 
from  Devonshire,  England,  to  Boston, 
Massachusetts.  He  was  granted  land  in 
Mount  WoUaston,  an  area  which  now  in- 
cludes Braintree,  Quincy  and  Randolph, 
his  own  land  being  the  present  site  of 
Braintree. 

(II)  Lieutenant  Thomas  Adams,  son  of 
Henry  Adams,  was  born  in  1612,  in  Eng- 
land, and  was  a  young  man  when  he  came 
with  his  father  to  Massachusetts.  He  re- 
moved from  Braintree  to  Concord,  where 
he  was  active  in  military  affairs  and  held 
civil  offices.  He  married  Mary  Black- 
more.  His  death  occurred  in  1688,  in 
Chelmsford,  Massachusetts. 

(HI)  Jonathan  Adams,  son  of  Lieuten- 
ant Thomas  and  Mary  (Blackmore)  Ad- 
ams, was  born  in  1646,  in  Concord,  and 
became  a  farmer  in  or  near  Littleton, 
Massachusetts.  He  married,  in  1681, 
Leah  Gould  (Goole?).  He  died  in  1712, 
in  Chelmsford,  Massachusetts. 

(IV)  David  Adams,  son  of  Jonathan 
and  Leah  (Gould)  Adams,  was  born  in 
1699,  in  Chelmsford,  Massachusetts.  He 
married,  in  1723,  in  Canterbury,  Connecti- 
cut, Dorcas  Paine.  David  Adams  died  in 
Canterbury,  in  1759. 

(V)  Levi  Adams,  son  of  David  and 
Dorcas  (Paine)  Adams,  was  born  in  1728, 
in  Canterbury,  Connecticut.  He  followed 
the  trade  of  a  carpenter.  He  served,  with 
three  of  his  sons,  in  the  Revolutionary 
army,  afterward  removing  to  Vermont, 
and  thence  to  Hartwick,  Otsego  county, 


294 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


New  York.  He  married,  in  1751,  Mar- 
garet Perkins.  The  death  of  Levi  Adams 
occurred  in  Hartwick,  in  1816. 

(VI)  Sergeant  Levi  (2)  Adams,  son  of 
Levi  (i)  and  Margaret  (Perkins)  Adams, 
was  born  in  1754,  in  Oswego,  Oswego 
county.  New  York,  and  was  a  carpenter 
by  trade.  He  removed  to  Otsego  county. 
New  York,  and  Chautauqua  county.  New 
York.  As  a  young  man  he  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  army  with  his  father  and 
two  brothers.  He  married,  in  1772,  in 
Canterbury,  Hannah  Pettingall.  Ser- 
geant Adams  was  enrolled  as  a  pensioner 
in  May,  1833,  and  died  in  December  of 
the  same  year. 

(VII)  Oren  Adams,  son  of  Sergeant 
Levi  (2)  and  Hannah  (Pettingall)  Ad- 
ams, was  born  in  1785,  in  Pawlet,  Ver- 
mont. Like  his  father  and  grandfather, 
he  followed  the  carpenter's  trade,  remov- 
ing to  Milford,  New  York.  He  married 
(first)  Fanny  Lee,  and  (second)  Mrs. 
Susan  Cunningham. 

(VIII)  Oren  Lee'  Adams,  son  of  Oren 
and  Fanny  (Lee)  Adams,  was  born  in 
1819,  in  Milford,  New  York,  and  settled 
in  Redding,  Connecticut,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  hatter,  afterward 
removing  to  South  Norwalk.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1844,  Clarissa  Smith,  of  Wilton, 
Connecticut.  Oren  Lee  Adams  died  in 
South  Norwalk,  in  1894. 

(IX)  Julia  Clarissa  Adams,  daughter  of 
Oren  Lee  and  Clarissa  (Smith)  Adams, 
was  born  January  31,  1856,  in  Redding, 
Connecticut.  On  June  24,  1885,  she  be- 
came the  wife  of  Mortimer  Montgomery 
Lee  (see  Lee  IV). 


CHAPMAN,  Edwin  N., 

Physician,  Hospital  Official. 

The  surname  of  Chapman,  which  sig- 
nifies merchant,  occurs  among  the  earliest 
of  surnames,  and  the  family  in  many  of  its 


branches  was  somewhat  distinguished  at 
an  early  period.  There  were  several  fam- 
ilies of  Chapmans  among  the  early  New 
England  immigrants,  many  of  whom 
achieved  distinction  in  their  locality.  The 
patriotism  of  the  family  is  shown  in  the 
fact  that  twenty-seven  are  found  on  the 
Connecticut  Roll  of  Honor,  who  had 
served  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

(I)  The  ancestor  of  the  family  herein 
under  consideration  was  Robert  Chap- 
man, who  is  believed  to  have  been  bom 
in  1616.  He  came  from  Hull,  England, 
to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  August, 
1635,  and  the  following  November  was  in 
Saybrook,  Connecticut.  He  married  Ann 
Blith  or  Bliss,  April  29,  1642,  and  she  died 
November  20,  1685.  Robert  Chapman 
died  October  13,  1687. 

(II)  Deacon  Nathaniel  Chapman,  son 
of  Robert  and  Ann  (Blith  or  Bliss)  Chap- 
man, was  born  February  16,  1653.  He 
was  deacon  of  the  Saybrook  church  for 
many  years.  He  served  as  representative 
to  the  General  Court  for  twenty-four  ses- 
sions, and  was  a  large  landholder,  owning 
fifteen  hundred  acres  in  Hebron.  Deacon 
Chapman  married  (first)  June  29,  1681, 
Mary  Collins,  of  Guilford,  Connecticut. 

(III)  Rev.  Daniel  Chapman,  son  of 
Deacon  Nathaniel  and  Mary  (Col- 
lins Chapman,  was  born  March  14, 
1689,  and  died  at  Greens  Farms,  Con- 
necticut, November  23,  1741.  He  was 
graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1706, 
being  the  first  of  the  name  to  re- 
ceive a  liberal  education  in  America.  He 
then  studied  theology  and  was  ordained ; 
shortly  after  this  time  he  was  installed  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  and 
society  of  Greens  Farms.  He  married 
Grissel  Dennie,  of  Fairfield,  Cgnnecticut, 
and  she  died  January  10,  1754,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-seven  years. 

(IV)  Captain  Phineas  Chapman,  son  of 
Rev.  Daniel  Chapman  and  his  wife,  Gris- 


295 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sel  (Dennie)  Chapman,  was  born  in  1716, 
and  died  November  20,  1782,  in  Greens 
Farms,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  captain 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was  taken 
prisoner  in  his  own  house  while  loading 
up  his  possessions  to  flee  with  his  family. 
The  hardships  while  he  was  imprisoned 
impaired  his  health  and  he  never  fully  re- 
covered. He  married,  September  22, 
1742,  Sarah  Ketchum,  and  she  died  No- 
vember 21,  181 1,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years. 

(V)  Joshua  Chapman,  son  of  Captain 
Phineas  and  Sarah  (Ketchum)  Chapman, 
was  born  March  4,  1765,  and  died  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1831.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
lived  in  Redding,  Connecticut.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1788,  Lucy  Adams. 

(VI)  Colonel  Phineas  (2)  Chapman, 
son  of  Joshua  and  Lucy  (Adams)  Chap- 
man, was  born  May  10,  1790.  He  was  a 
man  of  considerable  means ;  was  a  pro- 
gressive farmer,  and  a  leading  citizen.  He 
married,  January  23,  1817,  Betsy  Abbott. 

(VII)  Dr.  Edwin  Nesbit  Chapman,  son 
of  Colonel  Phineas  (2)  and  Betsy  (Ab- 
bott) Chapman,  was  born  February  26, 
1819.  He  was  graduated  from  Yale  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1842  with  the  degree 
of  B.  A.  He  then  entered  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal College  and  received  his  M.  D.  degree 
there,  March  20,  1845.  During  his  life- 
time he  practiced  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the 
Long  Island  College  Hospital,  where  he 
was  Professor  of  Gynaecology.  Dr.  Chap- 
man married,  in  Brooklyn,  November  16, 
1865,  Maria  Barton  Davol,  born  in  War- 
ren, Rhode  Island,  April  7,  1842,  died  in 
Rogers  Rock,  New  York,  July  20,  1908, 
daughter  of  John  and  Laura  (Barton) 
Davol.  Dr.  Chapman  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  four  children:  i.  Edwin 
Nesbit,  of  further  mention.  2.  John  D., 
a  sketch  of  whom  follows.  3.  Harold  W. 
4.  Marvin  Abbott.  Dr.  Chapman  died  in 
Brooklyn,  March  2,  1888. 


(The   Davol  Une). 

John  Davol,  father  of  Mrs.  Chapman, 
was  born  in  Warren,  Rhode  Island,  April 
8,  181 1,  and  died  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
June  28,  1878.  He  married,  in  Warren, 
August  31,  1834,  Laura  Barton,  born  there 
May  22,  1812,  died  in  Brooklyn,  June  3, 
1884. 

Deacon  Stephen  Davol,  father  of  John 
Davol,  was  born  in  Freetown,  Massachu- 
setts, January  29,  1782,  and  died  in  War- 
ren, Rhode  Island,  October  16,  1848.  He 
married,  in  Warren,  October  20,  1803, 
Mary  Bowen,  born  in  Warren,  April  3, 
1784,  died  there  July  3,  1823. 

Pardon  Davol,  father  of  Deacon  Ste- 
phen Davol,  was  born  in  Dartmouth, 
Massachusetts,  March  16,  1743,  and  died 
in  Freetown,  Massachusetts,  November 
22,  1808.  He  married,  April  12,  1768, 
Priscilla  Read,  born  in  Freetown,  Novem- 
ber 21,  1746,  died  in  Freetown,  January 
13,  1830. 

William  Davol,  grandfather  of  Pardon 
Davol,  married.  May  30,  1708,  Sarah  Sis- 
son,  and  he  died  in  Dartmouth  in  1772. 
Through  the  Sisson  family,  "Mayflower" 
descent  is  traced. 


CHAPMAN,  Edwin  Nesbit, 

Broker,  Pnblic  OfB.ciaI. 

Edwin  Nesbit  (2)  Chapman,  son  of  Dr. 
Edwin  Nesbit  (i)  and  Maria  Barton 
(Davol)  Chapman  (q.  v.),  was  born  April 
19,  1872,  in  Brooklyn,  New  York.  He 
prepared  for  college  at  Hill  School,  Potts- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  graduated 
from  Williams  College,  B.  A.,  in  1894. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Delta  Kappa 
Epsilon  fraternity  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa. 
His  first  experience  in  business  was  with 
the  Butler  Hard  Rubber  Company,  and 
he  remained  with  them  for  several  years 
in  the  capacity  of  assistant  to  the  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  company.  Sub- 
sequently, after  some  minor  ventures,  Mr. 


296 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Chapman  became  associated  with  Patter- 
son, Teele  &  Dennis  as  a  certified  public 
accountant,  and  later  was  with  Haskins 
&  Sells,  of  New  York  City,  in  a  similar 
capacity.  Later  he  left  the  accounting 
profession  to  become  auditor  of  the  West- 
cott  Express  Company.  After  the  West- 
cott  Express  Company  was  absorbed  by 
the  American  Express  Company,  he  re- 
signed his  position  to  become  auditor  for 
the  David  Williams  Company,  publishers 
of  "Iron  Age."  In  1906  he  resigned  to 
become  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Chisholm 
&  Pouch,  brokers.  The  following  year 
Mr.  Pouch  withdrew  to  start  his  own  firm, 
and  at  that  time  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  Chisholm  &  Chapman,  which 
has  been  its  style  since  that  time.  The 
firm  are  members  of  the  New  York  Stock 
Exchange. 

Mr.  Chapman  is  very  active  in  several 
other  directions  as  well ;  he  makes  his 
home  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  public  mat- 
ters of  that  town,  being  a  member  of  its 
Board  of  Estimate  and  Taxation.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  directorate  of  the  Put- 
nam Trust  Company ;  also  a  director  of 
the  Continental  Bank  of  New  York  City ; 
a  director  and  treasurer  of  the  Exchange 
Court  Corporation ;  and  a  trustee  and 
treasurer  of  the  D.  K.  E.  Society  of  Wil- 
liams College.  His  clubs  include  in  New 
York  City,  the  University,  Racquet  and 
Tennis,  Society  of  Mayflower  Descend- 
ants, Down  Town  Association,  Williams, 
D.  K.  E.,  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  Sons 
of  the  Revolution,  and  the  Long  Island 
Historical  Society;  and  in  Greenwich  the 
Greenwich  Country  Club,  Field  Club,  and 
Indian  Harbor  Yacht  Club. 

Mr.  Chapman  married,  in  Brooklyn, 
May  25,  1897,  Charlotte  Frost  Knowlton, 
daughter  of  Daniel  W.  Knowlton.  She 
was  born  in  West  Upton,  Massachusetts, 
July  II,    1874,    and    died    in    Greenwich, 


Connecticut,  November  28,  1916,  leaving 
the  following  children  :  i.  Edwin  Nesbit, 
Jr.,  born  November  24,  1901.  2.  Daniel 
Knowlton,  born  July  31,  1904.  3.  Nancy 
Davol,  born  August  18,  1912. 


CHAPMAN,  John  Davol, 

Banker,  Served  in  Spanish-American  War. 

John  Davol  Chapman,  son  of  Dr.  Ed- 
win Nesbit  (i)  and  Maria  Barton  (Davol) 
Chapman  (q.  v.),  was  born  in  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  March  6,  1874.  He  attended 
private  schools,  the  Hill  School,  Potts- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Brown  & 
Nichols  School,  Cambridge,  Massachu- 
setts. In  1892  he  entered  Williams  Col- 
lege, and  while  there  became  a  member 
of  the  D.  K.  E.  fraternity.  He  left  col- 
lege in  1895  to  enter  business,  embarking 
in  various  enterprises  until  1901,  in  which 
year  he  became  a  member  of  the  Con- 
solidated Stock  Exchange  of  New  York 
City,  and  four  years  later  purchased  a 
seat  on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange. 
Mr.  Chapman  always  acted  independently 
in  his  stock  transactions,  and  has  been 
very  successful  as  a  banker  and  business 
man.  When  the  firm  of  which  his  brother 
was  a  partner  was  organized  in  1907,  Mr. 
chapman  became  a  special  partner.  In 
1914  he  retired  from  active  business  to 
the  beautiful  residence  which  he  had  built 
in  1909  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  His  home  is  on 
Round  Island. 

Mr.  Chapman  was  one  of  the  organizers 
and  is  now  vice-president  of  the  Putnam 
Trust  Company,  of  Greenwich.  The  first 
business  relations  the  residents  of  the 
town  had  with  the  outside  world  no  doubt 
were  consummated  over  the  land  now 
the  property  of  Mr.  Chapman.  That  land 
was  the  point  from  which  the  inhabitants 
shipped  their  produce,  largely  potatoes, 
to  New  York  City.     Before  the  famous 


297 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Boss  Tweed  became  a  resident  of  Green- 
wich, some  of  his  lieutenants  camped  over 
night  on  the  land  on  which  Mr.  Chap- 
man's house  now  stands.  They  made 
such  glowing  reports  of  the  attractiveness 
of  the  spot  that  Boss  Tweed  spent  his 
next  summer  on  Round  Island  which 
marked  the  beginning  of  his  residence  in 
Greenwich. 

Mr.  Chapman  was  a  member  of  Troop 
A,  United  States  Volunteers,  in  the  Span- 
ish-American War,  and  served  in  Porto 
Rico.  During  the  World  War  he  was 
manager  of  the  Bureau  of  Passports,  De- 
partment of  Personnel  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  of  New  York  City.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  following  New  York 
clubs :  The  Stock  Exchange  Luncheon 
Club,  the  Williams  Club  of  New  York 
City,  the  D.  K.  E.  Club  of  New  York, 
and  the  Society  of  Mayflower  Descend- 
ants. His  clubs  in  Greenwich  are :  The 
Indian  Harbor  Yacht  Club,  the  Field  Club, 
the  Greenwich  Country  Club,  the  Wood- 
way  Country  Club,  and  the  Blind  Brook 
Club.  Mr.  Chapman's  principal  recrea- 
tion is  golf. 

Mr.  Chapman  married,  in  1906,  Mary 
Adelaide  Foltz,  daughter  of  William 
Stewart  and  May  (Scofield)  Foltz.  John 
Scofield,  father  of  May  (Scofield')  Foltz, 
came  from  England  to  America  in  1849, 
attracted  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cal- 
ifornia, and  later  became  a  clergyman  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  a  presiding  elder  in  later 
years,  and  resided  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapman  are  the  parents  of 
two  sons :  John  Stewart,  born  October  19, 
1907;  and  Richard  Davol,  born  March  23, 
1911. 

CARMICHAEL,  George  Edgar, 

Educator. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native 
of  New   England,  and   a  graduate   of  a 


New  England  college.  For  twenty-five 
years  he  has  been  a  worker  in  the  field  of 
education.  Brunswick  School,  in  Green- 
wich, established  by  him  in  1902,  ranks 
high  among  the  nation's  good  schools. 
As  founder  of  the  school  and  headmaster 
from  its  beginning,  Mr.  Carmichael  has 
been  its  guiding  spirit  through  the  two 
decades  of  its  existence. 

As  a  citizen  of  Greenwich  our  subject 
has  had  an  interested  part  in  civic  affairs. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  town  school 
committee  of  Greenwich,  and  in  this  ca- 
pacity served  the  public  school  system  of 
the  town  for  two  years.  For  five  years 
he  was  secretary  and  for  two  years  presi- 
dent of  the  Boys'  Club  of  Greenwich.  At 
the  present  time  he  is  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Boys'  Club,  a 
director  of  the  Greenwich  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  president  of  the 
Greenwich  Library,  and  president  of  the 
Greenwich  Rotary  Club. 

Mr.  Carmichael,  in  the  line  of  his  family 
name,  is  a  descendant  of  a  Scottish  fam- 
ily of  Highland  origin,  though  for  some 
generations  resident  near  Edinboro.  His 
ancestry  includes  also  English,  French 
and  Dutch  strains.  His  paternal  great- 
grandfather, Frank  Carmichael,  came 
from  Scotland  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century  and  settled  in  Nova 
Scotia.  Among  Frank's  six  sons  was 
Thompson  Carmichael,  born  in  Pictou, 
Nova  Scotia,  in  1802.  Thompson  Car- 
michael, after  being  educated  in  Halifax, 
went  to  St.  Margaret's  Bay  to  engage  in 
business.  Finding  a  business  life  not  to 
his  taste,  he  took  up  the  profession  of 
teaching,  and  continued  in  it  to  the  end 
of  his  life.  When  he  first  went  to  St. 
Margaret's  Bay,  he  met  and  married  Bar- 
bara Hubley,  daughter  of  a  Dutchman 
who  had  settled  there  about  the  time  of 
the  American  Revolution.  He  became  the 
father    of   a    large    family    of    sons    and 


298 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughters.  The  six  sons  who  lived 
formed  a  unique  group.  Together  they 
were  able  to  design,  build,  rig  and  sail  a 
ship  of  any  ordinary  size. 

The  draftsman  and  carpenter  of  this 
unusual  combination  was  James  Thomp- 
son Carmichael,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Halifax, 
Nova  Scotia,  April  3,  1832,  the  fourth 
child  of  his  parents.  On  December  25, 
1861,  he  married  Susan  Roberts,  of  Parrs- 
boro.  Nova  Scotia,  the  second  child  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Emma  (Beck) 
Roberts.  In  1873  James  T.  Carmichael 
removed  with  his  family  to  Medway, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  worked  as  car- 
penter and  builder.  In  1876  he  contracted 
pneumonia  and  was  left  an  invalid  until 
his  death,  October  18,  1881.  His  widow 
and  six  children  survived  him. 

The  sixth  child  of  James  T.  and  Susan 
(Roberts)  Carmichael  was  George  Edgar 
Carmichael.  He  was  born  in  Medway, 
Massachusetts,  August  22,  1875.  In  1892 
he  was  graduated  from  Medway  High 
School.  A  year  later,  he  entered  Bowdoin 
College,  whence  he  was  graduated  A.  B., 
in  1897.  After  graduation  Mr.  Carmichael 
taught  for  two  years  in  the  Hamilton 
School,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania ;  a 
year  in  the  Choate  School,  Wallingford, 
Connecticut,  and  two  years  in  the  Green- 
wich Academy,  Greenwich,  Connecticut. 
In  1902,  at  the  advice  and  request  of 
friends  who  had  boys  to  be  educated,  he 
started  Brunswick  School.  From  the  be- 
ginning the  school  has  grown  and  pros- 
pered, and  for  twenty  years  Mr.  Car- 
michael has  found  it  a  satisfying  field  for 
labor. 

In  college  Mr.  Carmichael  joined  the 
Kappa  Sigma  fraternity,  and  at  gradua- 
tion was  elected  to  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Schoolmasters'  Asso- 
ciation of  New  York  (vice-president, 
1920),  and  of  the  Headmasters'  Associa- 


tion.    In    1910  he   compiled   and   edited 
"The  Songs  of  Kappa  Sigma." 

December  25,  1912,  Mr.  Carmichael 
married  Helen  Gertrude  Fox,  only  child 
of  Everett  Fremont  and  Carrie  Belle 
(Ricker)  Fox,  of  Milton  Mills,  New 
Hampshire.  They  have  one  child,  Mar- 
garet, born  February  25,  1914.  Mrs.  Car- 
michael is  a  descendant  of  many  genera- 
tions of  New  England  pioneer  stock.  She 
is  a  graduate  of  Nute  High  School,  Mil- 
ton, New  Hampshire,  and  of  Wellesley 
College.  

COE,  Walter  Ellsworth, 

Lawyer,  Aided  In  World  'War. 

Few  of  the  Colonial  families  can  be 
traced  in  England  to  such  an  ancient  date 
as  the  Coe  family.  It  appears  about  1300 
with  the  spelling  le  Koo,  which  later  be- 
came le  Coo,  and  before  1400  A.  D.  is 
found  Coo.  The  form  of  Coe  does  not 
appear  until  about  1575.  The  English 
ancestor,  John  Coo,  was  born  in  the  reign 
of  King  Edward  III.,  and  died  about  1415. 
He  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  day,  and 
was  the  father  of  John  (2)  Coo,  born 
about  1375,  and  died  about  1425.  The 
latter  married  Eleanor,  and  their  son, 
John  (3)  Coo,  was  born  about  1400,  and 
died  after  1448.  His  son,  Thomas  Coe, 
was  born  about  1430,  and  died  about  1507. 
His  son,  John  Coe,  was  born  about  1460, 
and  his  will  was  proved  in  1520.  He  was' 
of  Gestingthorpe,  and  married  Joane, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Golding.  Their  son, 
John  Coe,  married  Margaret,  and  was  the 
father  of  John  Coe,  born  in  1623,  died  in 
1558.  He  lived  in  Maplestead  and  Wis- 
ton,  and  married  Dorothy.  They  were 
the  parents  of  Henry  Coe,  born  about 
1565  died  in  1631.  He  lived  in  Thorpe- 
Morieux,  and  married  Mary.  They  were 
the  parents  of  three  sons,  of  whom  Robert 
Coe,  the  eldest,  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
family  ,'n  America. 


2Q9 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(I)  Robert  Coe  was  born  at  Thorpe- 
Morieux,  Suffolk  county,  and  baptized 
there,  October  26,  1596,  as  recorded  in 
the  parish  register.  In  1625  he  was  living 
in  Boxford,  Suffolk  county,  and  on  April 
30,  1634,  he  sailed  for  New  England  on 
the  ship  "Francis,"  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  children.  He  arrived  at  Boston 
during  the  following  summer  and  went 
first  to  Watertown,  Massachusetts.  He 
was  admitted  a  freeman  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  Colony,  September  3,  1634. 
In  June,  1635,  Robert  Coe  was  among 
those  who  settled  Wethersfield,  Connecti- 
cut, and  in  1641,  he  was  among  the  first 
settlers  of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  where 
he  was  granted  fourteen  acres  of  land. 
Robert  Coe  held  many  important  offices, 
and  was  frequently  called  upon  to  repre- 
sent his  fellow-citizens  at  the  General 
Court.  He  was  evidently  of  a  progressive 
nature,  as  he  was  ever  foremost  in  making 
new  settlements.  In  1644  he  was  one  of 
the  number  who  founded  Hempstead, 
Long  Island  ;  in  1656,  was  a  founder  of  the 
town  of  Jamaica,  Long  Island ;  and  in 
1664,  settled  Middleburg,  now  Hastings, 
Long  Island.  He  died  about  1689.  Rob- 
ert Coe  married  (first)  in  England,  about 
1623,  Mary,  and  she  died  October  27,  1628. 

(II)  Robert  (2)  Coe,  son  of  Robert  (i) 
and  Mary  Coe,  was  born  in  1626,  and 
baptized  on  September  19th  of  the  same 
year.  He  was  a  boy  of  seven  years  when 
brought  by  his  parents  to  New  England. 
He  removed  with  them  to  Wethersfield 
and  Stamford,  and  there  remained  until 
his  marriage,  when  he  became  a  resident 
of  Stratford,  Connecticut.  About  1650  he 
married  Hannah  Mitchell,  baptized  in 
Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England,  June  26, 
1631,  daughter  of  Matthew  and  Susan 
(Butterfield)  Mitchell,  who  died  in  New 
Haven,  April  2,  1702.  Robert  (2)  Coe 
did  not  have  a  very  long  life,  but  it  was 
a  useful  one;  he  died  in  Stratford,  in  the 
fall  of  1659. 


(III)  Captain  John  Coe,  son  of  Robert 
(2)  and  Hannah  (Mitchell)  Coe,  was  born 
May  10,  1658,  and  died  April  19,  1741.  He 
was  a  farmer,  land  speculator,  merchant, 
miller  and  innkeeper.  He  lived  in  New 
Haven,  and  in  spite  of  his  many  duties  he 
often  held  public  office.  In  1709  he  re- 
ceived his  commission  of  captain,  having 
long  been  active  in  military  matters,  and 
served  in  the  French  and  Indian  War. 
Captain  Coe  married,  December  20,  1682, 
Mary  Hawley,  born  in  Stratford,  July  16, 
1663,  died  there,  September  9,  1731, 
daughter  of  Lieutenant  Joseph  and  Cath- 
erine (Birdsey)  Hawley. 

(IV)  Captain  Joseph  Coe,  son  of  Cap- 
tain John  and  Mary  (Hawley)  Coe,  was 
born  February  2,  1686-87,  in  Stratford, 
and  died  July  15,  1754,  in  Durham,  Con- 
necticut. He  was  a  pioneer  settler  of 
Durham,  and  cultivated  a  large  farm.  In 
1728  he  was  representative,  and  married, 
at  Durham,  November  21,  1708,  Abigail 
Robinson,  born  in  Guilford,  Connecticut, 
April  3,  1690,  died  in  Durham,  July  6, 
1775,  daughter  of  David  and  Abigail 
(Kirby)  Robinson. 

(V)  Captain  David  Coe,  son  of  Cap- 
tain Joseph  and  Abigail  (Robinson)  Coe, 
was  born  February  18,  1717,  in  Durham, 
and  died  January  14,  1807.  About  1740 
he  settled  in  that  part  of  Middletown 
which  is  now  Middlefield,  where  he  be- 
came a  successful  farmer.  He  was  an  in- 
fluential man,  and  prominent  in  public 
affairs.  He  was  commissioned  captain  in 
May,  1764,  of  the  i6th  company,  6th 
regiment,  Connecticut  Militia.  Captain 
Coe  married,  in  1740,  Hannah  Camp,  born 
November  15,  1720,  died  October  16, 
1808,  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Rhoda 
(Parsons)  Camp. 

(VI)  Seth  Coe,  son  of  Captain  David 
and  Hannah  (Camp)  Coe,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1756,  at  Middlefield,  and  died 
there,  September  26,  1829.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  married,  June  12,  1776,  Mary 


300 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Miller,  daughter  of  Deacon  Ichabod  and 
Elizabeth  (Cornwell)  Miller,  and  she  died 
January  i,  1832. 

(VII)  Elias  C.  Coe,  son  of  Seth  and 
Mary  (Miller)  Coe,  was  born  August  25, 
1787,  in  Middlefield,  and  died  there,  May 
4,  1878.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  married, 
April  II,  1811,  Hannah  Tryon. 

(VIII)  Ebenezer  Jackson  Coe,  son  of 
Elias  C.  and  Hannah  (Tryon)  Coe,  was 
born  May  3,  1817.  He  settled  at  Stony 
Creek,  Branford,  where  he  was  for  many 
years  the  proprietor  of  the  "Three  Elms" 
House,  a  summer  hotel,  and  there  he  died. 
May  II,  1889.  Mr.  Coe  married,  April  3, 
1839,  Phebe  Birdsey,  daughter  of  John 
Birdsey. 

(IX)  John  Walter  Birdsey  Coe,  son 
of  Ebenezer  J.  and  Phebe  (Birdsey)  Coe, 
was  born  November  8,  1841.  He  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
Meriden,  Connecticut,  and  was  head  of 
the  Merwin  Provision  Company  of  that 
city.  Mr.  Coe  served  as  trustee  of  the 
State  School  for  Boys,  and  was  a  bank 
director  and  vestryman  of  the  church. 
He  married,  December  4,  1865,  Sarah  A. 
Williams,  a  native  of  Wallingford,  daugh- 
ter of  Elijah  Williams.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  i. 
Walter  Ellsworth,  of  further  mention.  2. 
John  Williams,  deceased,  formerly  a  phy- 
sician of  New  York  City.  3.  Mabel  Es- 
telle,  wife  of  Howard  Hammitt,  residing 
in  Plainfield,  New  Jersey.  4.  Ada  Louise, 
born  May  2,  1879,  wife  of  Charles  F. 
Rockwell,  of  Meriden. 

(X)  Walter  Ellsworth  Coe,  son  of  John 
W.  B.  and  Sarah  A.  (Williams)  Coe,  was 
born  August  18,  1870,  at  Meriden,  and 
was  educated  in  the  Meriden  schools.  He 
was  graduated  from  Sheffield  Scientific 
School  in  the  class  of  1892,  with  the  de- 
gree of  Ph.  B.,  and  from  Yale  Law  School 
in  1902,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  The 
same  year  Mr.  Coe  was  admitted  to  the 


New  York  bar,  also  the  Connecticut  bar. 
Mr.  Coe  has  always  practiced  in  New 
York  City,  and  is  a  member  of  the  law 
firms  of  McLaughlin,  Russell,  Coe  & 
Sprague,  and  Sharretts,  Coe  &  Hillis.  He 
specializes  in  United  Customs  practice. 
Since  1906  he  has  served  as  commis- 
sioner for  Connecticut  on  Uniform  State 
Laws,  and  from  1902  to  1904  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  staff  of  Governor  George  P. 
McLean,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  Dur- 
ing the  World  War  Mr.  Coe  was  assistant 
in  charge  of  retail  prices  and  distribution 
in  the  Food  Administration  in  Washing- 
ton. His  hobby  is  farming,  and  for  about 
fifteen  years  he  has  owned  a  truck  farm 
of  about  twenty-two  acres,  employing 
from  eight  to  ten  men  to  assist  in  the  care 
of  same. 

Mr.  Coe  married,  October  3,  1904,  Car- 
lotta  Toothe,  born  June  22,  1874,  in  East 
Orange,  New  Jersey,  daughter  of  William 
and  Emma  (Schlager)  Toothe,  of  Mad- 
ison, New  Jersey.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coe  are 
members  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church 
of  Stamford,  and  aid  in  the  support  of  its 
good  works. 


DASKAM,  Walter  Duryee, 

Banker,  Man   of  Affairs. 

In  Stamford  the  name  of  Daskam 
means  more  than  merely  a  name.  Not 
only  the  family  but  the  city  look  back- 
ward with  pride  to  the  early  records  in 
which  this  name  became  distinguished. 
The  origin  of  the  name  is  Scotch  and  lit- 
erally means  lowland  valley. 

(I)  The  first  of  the  family  in  this  coun- 
try was  John  Daskam,  who  came  from 
near  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  about  1750,  and 
settled  in  Connecticut.  He  owned  quite 
a  library  for  that  time ;  it  was  composed 
mostly  of  books  on  Scottish  history.  The 
children    of   John    Daskam   were :   John, 


301 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William,  of  whom  further;  James,  and 
Susan. 

(II)  Captain  William  Daskam,  the  son 
of  John  Daskam,  was  but  seventeen  years 
of  age  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  His  slogan  was :  "I  will 
give  Johnny  Bull  a  pull."  His  service 
was  under  General  Lafayette,  and  in  the 
War  of  1812  he  answered  his  country's 
call  and  commanded  a  company,  later 
receiving  a  pension  in  return  for  his 
services.  He  married  Huldah  James,  un- 
doubtedly a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Sarah  (Whitney)  James. 

(III)  Benjamin  James  Daskam,  son  of 
Captain  William  Daskam  and  his  wife, 
Huldah  (James)  Daskam,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 20,  1809,  in  what  is  now  Darien, 
Connecticut,  and  died  September  3,  1885. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  but  its 
appeal  was  not  strong  enough  to  interest 
him  and  he  went  to  New  York,  where  he 
entered  mercantile  pursuits.  In  1836  Mr. 
Daskam  established  himself  in  business 
in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  his  store  being 
located  on  Main  street,  east  of  the  Quin- 
tard  block.  He  filled  many  public  offices ; 
was  representative  to  the  Legislature  and 
discharged  his  official  duties  in  a  manner 
entirely  satisfactory  to  his  constituents. 
Mr.  Daskam  was  a  very  ardent  Abolu- 
tionist.  He  also  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace.    He  married  Mary  Ingraham. 

(IV)  Theodore  J.  Daskam,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin J.  and  Mary  (Ingraham)  Daskam, 
was  bom  March  3,  1833,  in  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  and  died  there  February  15, 
1883.  In  his  youth  he  assisted  his  father 
in  business,  and  in  time  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  business.  From  his  first 
association  with  men  and  affairs  he  was 
interested  in  public  life.  The  problems 
of  city  and  State  government  were  of 
keenest  interest  to  him,  and  it  soon  be- 
came apparent  in  political  circles  that 
here  was  a  young  man  whom  they  needed. 


He  was  at  once  a  young  man  of  practical 
ideas  and  incorruptible  ideals  ;  and  he  had 
both  the  personal  force  to  win  his  way 
through  and  the  personal  magnetism  to 
carry  others  along  with  him.  From  the 
first  he  was  affiliated  with  the  Republican 
party.  One  of  the  first  appointments 
made  by  President  Lincoln  was  that  of 
Theodore  J.  Daskam  as  postmaster  of 
Stamford,  April  14,  1861.  His  first  office 
in  the  gift  of  the  local  party  was  that  of 
first  assistant  engineer  of  the  borough 
Volunteer  Fire  Department,  being  elected 
May  7,  1859.  The  following  year  he  was 
elected  chief  of  the  Fire  Department, 
which  office  he  held  continuously  until 
1874.  Mr.  Daskam  was  unable  to  go  to 
the  Civil  War,  owing  to  a  physical  dis- 
ability, and  he  could  hardly  resign  him- 
self to  staying  at  home.  Meanwhile  he 
was  reappointed  postmaster  by  each  suc- 
ceeding president  down  to  the  time  of 
President  Arthur,  holding  this  office  until 
the  day  of  his  death.  There  have  been 
only  three  postmasters  whose  terms  of 
service  have  exceeded  that  of  Mr.  Daskam. 
He  was  also  for  many  years  United  States 
deputy  collector  and  was  assistant  as- 
sessor of  internal  revenue,  holding  three 
Federal  offices  at  the  same  time.  His 
official  record  is  of  the  highest,  an  honor 
to  his  constituency  as  well  as  to  his  own 
name. 

In  1864  Mr.  Daskam  embarked  in  the 
insurance  business,  meeting  with  marked 
success.  He  was  a  corporator  of  the  Gulf 
Stream  Fire  Engine  Company,  No.  2,  of 
Stamford,  and  was  foreman  of  the  com- 
pany for  years.  Mr.  Daskam's  health 
became  permanently  broken  while  yet  in 
the  height  of  his  career.  Notwithstanding 
this  handicap,  he  continued  his  interest 
in  public  affairs  and  relinquished  his  ac- 
tivities only  after  such  a  conspicuous 
struggle  with  the  encroaching  disease  as 
made  his  memory  an  inspiration  to  those 


302 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


who  followed  him.  Mr.  Daskam  was  a 
member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  5,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  of  Rippo- 
wam  Lodge,  No.  24,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Daskam  married,  December  6, 
1864,  Sarah  Remer  Stanley,  daughter  of 
Edward  T.  and  Sarah  (Remer)  Stanley, 
of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  old  residents 
of  that  city. 

The  tribute  paid  to  Mr.  Daskam's  mem- 
ory on  the  event  of  his  death,  February 
15,  1883,  by  the  "Stamford  Advocate" 
should  stand  in  more  enduring  form. 

The  news  of  Theodore  J.  Daskam's  death  will 
fall  upon  the  ears  of  the  great  majority  of  Stam- 
ford people  with  common  sorrow.  Especially 
will  it  awake  the  readiest  sympathy  and  touch  the 
tenderest  memories  of  those  whose  acquaintance 
with  the  man  is  largest,  and  who  knew  him  best, 
of  those  who  shared  the  struggles  of  his  active 
young  manhood,  before  disease  and  physical  suf- 
fering had  forced  him  to  become  a  sort  of  recluse, 
but  little  known  to  the  later  accessions  of  Stam- 
ford citizenship.  These  last  may  inquire  the 
secret  of  Theodore  J.  Daskam's  unbounded  popu- 
larity, but  his  host  of  old  friends  need  not  be  told 
why  they  loved  him.  He  had  in  a  remarkable  de- 
gree the  power  of  winning  friendships,  and  not 
by  any  means  through  an  effusive  disposition  to 
placate  those  who  chose  to  assume  an  unfriendly 
attitude  either  in  the  field  of  politics  or  business. 
But  his  friends,  those  who  possessed  his  confi- 
dence, ever  found  him  a  man  to  tie  up  to.  His 
word  was  as  good  as  his  bond.  What  he  said 
he  would  do,  he  would  do.  For  over  twenty  years 
he  was  the  most  active  organizer  and  manager 
of  political  campaigns  on  the  Republican  side. 
In  politics,  he  was  a  fighter,  and  went  in  to  win, 
and  generally  did  win.  To  say  that  a  man  could 
occupy  a  position  like  that  without  making  some 
enemies  would  be  to  state  something  incredible. 
Yet  all  through  his  career  he  numbered  many  of 
the  warmest  personal  friends  among  the  staunch- 
est  of  his  political  opponents,  and  to-day  as  his 
fellow-citizens  contemplate  the  lifeless  form  once 
so  full  of  manhood's  proudest  energies,  every 
feeling  of  party  strife,  every  recollection  of  party 
enmity,  will  fade  into  thin  air,  and  not  the  party 
chief  but  the  genial,  whole-souled  kindly  friend 
and  fellow-citizen  will  be  longest  and  best  re- 
membered. 


In  1919  the  Park  Board  of  Stamford 
gave  the  name  of  Daskam  to  the  park  on 
Glenbrook  avenue,  in  honor  of  this  family 
which  from  the  time  it  first  became  con- 
nected with  the  town  to  the  present  day 
has  been  notable  for  its  public  spirit  and 
patriotism. 

(V)  Walter  Duryee  Daskam,  son  of 
Theodore  J.  and  Sarah  Remer  (Stanley) 
Daskam,  was  born  September  18,  1865. 
He  was  educated  in  the  King  School  of 
Stamford,  of  which  he  is  at  the  present 
time  president.  On  May  16,  1882,  he  en- 
tered the  Stamford  National  Bank  as  mes- 
senger. His  dependability,  accuracy,  and 
unremitting  attention  to  his  duties  won 
for  him  promotion  to  the  position  of  tel- 
ler, which  he  held  for  some  years.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  lost  no  opportunity  to 
make  himself  acquainted  with  the  theory 
and  practice  of  banking.  At  that  time  there 
was  no  trust  company  in  Stamford,  and 
recognizing  the  need  for  such  an  institu- 
tion, Mr.  Daskam  organized  The  Stam- 
ford Trust  Company,  of  which  he  became 
treasurer.  The  growth  and  financial 
strength  of  the  company  as  indicated  by 
its  present  capital  and  surplus  of  $450,000, 
with  total  resources  of  $5,094,965.  The 
safe  deposit  vaults  are  of  the  most  modern 
construction.  Mr.  Daskam  was  elected 
vice-president  of  the  company  in  1918.  He 
is  also  a  director  and  secretary  of  the 
Stamford  Water  Company  ;  a  director  and 
treasurer  of  the  Stamford  Gas  and  Elec- 
tric Company  ;  vice-president  and  director 
of  the  St.  John  Woodworking  Company ; 
treasurer  and  director  of  the  Stamford 
Hospital ;  trustee  of  the  Stamford  Chil- 
dren's Home.  Mr.  Daskam  succeeded 
Edward  W.  Kneen,  of  Shelton,  as  treas- 
urer of  Fairfield  county. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Daskam  is  a  Republican 
and  served  as  town  treasurer  from  1894  to 
1903 ;  was  chairman  of  the  Republican 
Town  Committee  from  1903  to  1906,  and 


303 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


is  now  a  member  of  the  City  Board  of 
Finance.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of 
Union  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  Puritan  Lodge,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  December, 
1884,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  4th  Con- 
necticut Infantry,  and  was  discharged 
January,  1890,  as  sergeant.  In  March, 
1917,  he  enlisted  in  the  Connecticut  State 
Guard  and  holds  the  rank  of  captain.  Mr. 
Daskam  was  in  charge  of  the  last  four 
Liberty  Loan  drives  and  was  untiring 
in  his  efforts  to  make  them  successful; 
he  was  also  treasurer  of  the  first  drive 
of  the  Red  Cross.  His  clubs  are  the  Sub- 
urban and  the  Stamford  Yacht.  Mr.  Das- 
kam was  one  of  the  four  founders  of  the 
former  club  and  its  first  president. 

Mr.  Daskam  married  Harriet  Tilley, 
daughter  of  George  H.  and  Harriet  T. 
(Brown)  Tilley,  of  Darien,  Connecticut, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  a  daughter, 
Elizabeth  Stanley  Daskam.  Mr.  Daskam 
and  his  family  are  members  of  St.  An- 
drew's Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is 
a  vestryman. 

The  greatest  benefaction  which  a  man 
can  bestow  upon  the  city  of  his  residence 
is  himself.  He  may  devote  the  wealth 
of  his  mental  endowment  to  the  service 
of  his  fellowman ;  he  may  spread  broad- 
cast the  material  good  he  has  won  from 
life ;  but  the  greatest  gift  within  his  power 
is  human  sympathy,  the  spirit  which  is 
attuned  to  the  loyal  friendship  of  the  peo- 
ple and  responds  in  kind.  Of  these  gifts, 
ability,  means,  time  and  labor  unstinted, 
Walter  Duryee  Daskam  gives  right  roy- 
ally. He  is  a  man  among  men,  the 
warmth  of  his  genial  personality  winning 
the  loyalty  and  esteem  of  every  one  of 
his  associates  and  acquaintances. 


COWLES,  Russel  Abemethy, 

Man  of  Great  Enterprise. 

From  a  twenty-two  years'  association 
with  the  Ansonia  Brass  and  Copper  Com- 


pany, subsequently  the  American  Brass 
Company,  a  concern  with  which  two  gen- 
erations of  his  line  before  him  had  been 
identified,  Mr.  Cowles  entered  fields  of 
endeavor  intimately  connected  with  the 
community  life  and  prosperity  of  Green- 
wich, his  home.  A  number  of  enterprises 
fostered  by  him  and  operated  under  his 
direction  have  filled  needs  long  felt  in  his 
town,  projects  that  lacked  the  influence 
of  a  man  of  vision  and  courage,  undertak- 
ings fraught  with  commercial  danger  to 
the  man  of  little  faith  and  ordinary  enter- 
prise. Mr.  Cowles  has  earned,  with  a 
position  of  business  prominence,  the  last- 
ing regard  and  gratitude  of  his  townsmen, 
whom  he  has  served  largely  and  well. 

Russel  Abernethy  Cowles  is  a  son  of 
Albert  Abernethy  and  Frances  (Bailey) 
Cowles,  and  grandson  of  George  Preston 
Cowles,  member  of  a  family  dating  to 
early  Colonial  days  in  New  England. 
George  Preston  Cowles  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  spent  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  in  Ansonia,  Connecticut,  where 
he  was  successively,  secretary,  treasurer, 
vice-president,  and  manager  of  the  An- 
sonia Brass  and  Copper  Company.  His 
death  occurred  in  October,  1887.  He 
married  Charlotte  Leaming,  daughter  of 
General  Russell  C.  and  Orrell  (Smith) 
Abernethy,  of  Torrington,  Connecticut. 

Alfred  Abernethy  Cowles,  father  of 
Russel  Abernethy  Cowles,  was  born  at 
Torrington  (then  Wolcottville),  Connec- 
ticut, September  28,  1845.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Ansonia,  subse- 
quently becoming  a  student  in  Chase's 
Military  Academy,  at  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut, and  completing  his  studies  at 
the  Sorbonne,  in  Paris,  France,  and  Col- 
lege de  France.  For  two  years  he  was 
employed  in  the  Ansonia  National  Bank, 
and  after  traveling  abroad  for  a  time  he 
entered  the  counting  room  of  the  Ansonia 
Brass  and  Copper  Company.  In  1870  he 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  New  York 

304 


Al<.udyJ'^^nSl/^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


offices  of  the  company,  and  soon  there- 
after became  an  official,  proceeding 
through  the  posts  of  treasurer  and  vice- 
president  to  the  presidency  of  the  corpor- 
ation, which  he  held  from  1901  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  man  of  wide  business 
capabilities,  a  leader  in  several  lines  of 
industry  ;  he  was  president  of  the  Ansonia 
Clock  Company,  which  he  organized  in 
1879 ;  president  of  the  Coronet  Phosphate 
Company,  which  he  organized  in  1908; 
president  of  the  Terra  Ceia  Estates,  Inc. ; 
vice-president  of  the  American  Brass 
Company ;  and  president  of  the  Birming- 
ham Water  Company.  In  advisory  ca- 
pacity he  was  associated  with  a  number 
of  other  corporations  in  widely  separated 
fields.  Mr.  Cowles  was  a  member  of  the 
Union  League,  Larchmont  Yacht,  Green- 
wich Country,  and  Railroad  clubs.  His 
residence  was  at  "The  Apthorp,"  New 
York  City,  and  he  maintained  his  summer 
home  at  Belle  Haven.  Mr.  Cowles  bore 
an  honorable  reputation  through  a  long 
and  active  business  career,  and  in  the 
course  of  his  industrial  and  commercial 
capacity  bound  to  him  a  large  number  of 
his  associates  with  the  ties  of  firm  friend- 
ship. 

Mr.  Cowles  married,  in  1871,  Frances 
Bailey,  daughter  of  Edward  Bailey,  of 
Devonshire,  England,  and  Fanny  (Ken- 
yon)  Bailey,  of  Syracuse,  New  York. 
They  were  the  parents  of:  Russel  Aber- 
nethy,  of  whom  further;  and  Frederick 
Houghton,  who  married  Maud  Sherman. 

Russel  Abernethy  Cowles  was  born  in 
Syracuse,  New  York,  October  10,  1873. 
He  attended  private  school  in  New  York 
City,  Stevens  Preparatory  .School,  and 
Stevens  Institute  of  Technology  at  Ho- 
boken.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  became 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  Ansonia 
Brass  and  Copper  Company,  and  re- 
mained in  that  service  for  twenty-two 
years,  until  September  i,  1915.  In  1900 
the  American  Brass  Company  succeeded 


the  Ansonia  Brass  and  Copper  Company, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  resignation  Mr. 
Cowles  was  a  vice-president  of  the  Amer- 
ican Brass  Company.  He  then  became 
vice-president  of  the  BuflFalo  Copper  and 
Brass  Rolling  Mills,  and  organized  the 
Metals  Trading  Corporation,  of  which  he 
is  president  at  this  time  (1920).  Among 
the  more  important  of  Mr.  Cowles'  busi- 
ness interests  are  the  presidency  of  the 
Ansonia  Clock  Company,  the  vice-presi- 
dency of  the  Coronet  Phosphate  Com- 
pany, and  the  presidency  of  the  New 
England  Motor  Sales  Company  of  Green- 
wich. This  last  is  one  of  several  enter- 
prises Mr.  Cowles  has  founded  in 
Greenwich,  which  have  become  institu- 
tions known  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
town.  The  New  England  Motor  Sales 
Company  operates  a  thoroughly  modern 
garage  on  the  Boston  Post  Road,  the 
main  artery  of  traffic  between  New  York 
and  Boston,  and  a  machine  shop  that  is 
probably  the  finest  in  the  district.  The 
company  has  the  agency  for  the  Buick, 
Franklin,  and  Owen  Magnetic  automo- 
biles, and  the  White  automobile  truck. 
This  business,  first  planned  on  a  scale 
that  to  the  average  mind  seemed  to  spell 
failure,  has  developed  steadily  from  the 
time  of  its  establishment,  and  residents 
and  tourists  have  found  there  the  auto- 
mobile service  and  satisfaction  that  every 
motorist  craves. 

In  1917  Mr.  Cowles  gave  to  Greenwich 
another  institution  of  which  the  town 
had  long  been  in  need — The  Pickwick  Inn 
- — recognized  as  one  of  the  best  inns  in 
the  New  York  suburbs.  Philip  Gibbs, 
the  noted  English  war  correspondent,  was 
so  impressed  by  its  attractive  furnish- 
ings and  beautiful  atmosphere,  as  well  as 
the  superior  quality  of  the  food  served, 
that  he  devoted  several  pages  in  an  issue 
of  "Harper's  Magazine"  to  a  description 
of  the  inn,  couched  in  the  most  compli- 
mentary terms.     Within   a   few   months 


305 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


after  its  opening  an  addition  was  found 
necessary,  and  since  then  the  inn  has  been 
enlarged  several  times  to  accommodate 
the  increased  numbers  of  enthusiastic 
patrons. 

In  1919  Mr.  Cowles  organized  The 
Pickwick  Arms,  Inc.,  purchased  the 
Lenox  House  property  at  the  corner  of 
the  Boston  Post  Road  and  Greenwich 
avenue,  and  constructed  The  Pickwick 
Arms,  a  million  dollar  hotel,  which  has 
given  to  Greenwich  one  of  the  finest 
hotels  in  the  State.  The  building,  mod- 
eled after  the  old  English  inns,  is  of 
fireproof  construction,  equipped  with 
every  convenience  and  comfort.  Mr. 
Cowles  has  also  entered  the  business  of 
candy  manufacturing  and,  securing  the 
services  of  an  experienced  Parisian  candy- 
maker,  placed  upon  the  market  "Pickwick 
Chocolates,"  which  have  come  into  exten- 
sive demand  in  New  York  and  suburbs. 

It  has  been  the  good  fortune  of  Mr. 
Cowles  to  have  his  earnest  eflorts  for  his 
town's  betterment  appreciated  and  sup- 
ported in  unusual  degree.  He  has  been 
able  to  lend  practical  aid  to  many  friends 
and  acquaintances,  and  in  direct  personal 
manner  has  been  instrumental  in  the  pro- 
motion of  the  success  and  welfare  of  no 
small  number  of  those  with  whom  he 
comes  into  contact.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Union  League,  the  Down  Town  Club, 
the  India  House,  the  Greenwich  Country 
Club,  the  Indian  Harbor  Yacht  Club,  and 
the  Blind  Brook  Club. 

Mr.  Cowles  married  Louise  Marcia 
Pfarrius,  daughter  of  Ernst  and  Emma 
(Tannatt)  Pfarrius,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  Ernest  Francis,  and  Francis 
Russel. 

McHARG,  Henry  King, 

Man  of  Affairs. 

Mr.  McHarg's  long  record  as  a  suc- 
cessful man  of  affairs  renders  the  inscrip- 


tion of  his  name  at  the  head  of  this  article 
an  amply  sufficient  introduction  not  only 
to  his  fellow-citizens  of  Stamford,  but 
also  to  the  general  public.  Mr.  McHarg 
is  now  president  of  the  Detroit  &  Mack- 
inac Railroad  Company,  and  director  of 
the  Manhattan  Bank  of  New  York  City. 

The  name  of  the  family  of  which  Mr. 
McHarg  is  a  representative  is  Graham, 
McHarg  being  its  backward  spelling  with 
changing  of  "a"  to  "c."  Tradition  says  that 
one  of  the  family  fled  from  Scotland, 
probably  to  Ireland,  and  that  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  land,  in  order  to 
escape  persecution,  he  changed  the  pa- 
tronymic to  its  present  form.  The  earliest 
ancestor  on  record  was  William  de  Gra- 
ham, who  settled  in  Scotland  not  long 
after  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury. The  name  is  a  local  one,  its 
Scottish  form  being  Graeme,  but  its  ter- 
mination proves  it  beyond  doubt  to  have 
been   originally   English. 

(I)  John  McHarg  was  bom  in  1733, 
in  Wigtownshire,  Scotland,  and  in  1774 
emigrated  to  the  American  colonies,  set- 
tling in  Galway,  Saratoga  county.  New 
York.  He  was  one  of  the  twelve  heads 
of  families  who  founded  that  settlement. 
The  year  after  his  arrival  witnessed  the 
outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
he  gave  proof  of  loyalty  to  his  adopted 
country  by  serving  as  a  soldier  in  Colonel 
John  Beekman's  regiment,  being  also  a 
member  of  Jacob  Schermerhorn's  class. 
After  the  war  he  conducted  a  retail  dry 
goods  store  in  Albany,  New  York.  Mr. 
McHarg  married,  in  Scotland,  Griselda 
Kelly,  who  was  born  in  1748,  in  the  town 
of  Ayr,  and  their  children  were :  Mar- 
garet, Anne,  Alexander,  William,  men- 
tioned below ;  a  daughter,  name  unknown  ; 
Jane,  or  Janet ;  Mary,  died  in  infancy ; 
Mary  (2),  and  Sarah.  All  these,  with  the 
exception  of  the  two  eldest,  were  born 
after  their  parents  came  to  America.  John 


306 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


McHarg  died  in  Albany,  December  23, 
1803,  and  his  widow  passed  away  in  that 
city,  September  20,  1843,  ^t  the  venerable 
age  of  ninety-five. 

(II)  William  McHarg,  son  of  John  and 
Griselda  (Kelly)  McHarg,  was  born  in 
March,  1778,  in  Galway,  Saratoga  county, 
New  York,  and  succeeded  his  father  in 
the  latter's  business  in  Albany.  That  was 
years  before  the  building  of  the  Erie 
canal,  and  people  came  in  sleighs  to  pur- 
chase goods  which  they  exchanged  for 
such  commodities  as  the  Indians  could 
furnish.  After  the  building  of  the  canal 
it  was  used  by  Mr.  McHarg  as  a  means 
of  transportation  for  his  merchandise. 
When  the  Hudson  River  railroad  was 
built  he  foresaw,  with  the  acuteness  of 
the  true  business  man,  that  the  majority 
of  those  who  had  heretofore  supplied  their 
wants  in  Albany  would  not  hesitate  to 
proceed  directly  to  New  York.  Mr.  Mc- 
Harg married,  April  16,  1810,  Sophia 
King,  whose  ancestral  record  is  appended 
to  this  biography,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Sophia 
Anne,  John,  mentioned  below ;  Margaret, 
William  Neill,  Rufus  King,  and  Charles 
King.  The  death  of  William  McHarg 
occurred  January  27,  1865,  in  Albion,  Or- 
leans county.  New  York. 

(III)  John  McHarg,  son  of  William 
and  Sophia  (King)  McHarg,  was  born 
June  3,  1813,  and  as  a  young  man  was 
advised  by  his  father  to  open  a  store  in 
New  York  City,  which,  even  then,  had 
been  for  some  years  recognized  as  one 
of  the  future  world  centers  of  trade.  Mr. 
McHarg  followed  the  advice,  with  re- 
sults which  fully  justified  it,  but  in  the 
panic  of  1857  his  establishment  proved 
to  be  one  of  those  which  failed  to  weather 
that  fearful  storm.  His  Southern  trade 
had  been  particularly  large.  Mr.  Mc- 
Harg married,  March  6,  1838,  in  Hamil- 
ton,   Massachusetts.    Martha   W.    Patch, 


daughter  of  Tracey  Patch,  a  sea  captain 
of  Cape  Cod.  Mr.  McHarg  enlisted  in 
the  Civil  War  with  the  rank  of  captain, 
and  served  as  aide-de-camp  on  the  staflf 
of  General  Martindale.  The  following  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McHarg: 
I.  Sophia  King,  born  March  4,  1840,  in  Al- 
bany ;  married,  December  23,  1863,  Gen- 
eral Horace  Porter,  of  Harrisburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, United  States  army,  who  died 
May  29,  1921  ;  Mrs.  Porter  died  April  6, 
1903,  in  Paris,  France.  2.  John  William, 
born  April  3,  1843 !  married,  November  6, 
1873,  Harriet  Schuyler  Delavan,  of  Al- 
bany, who  died  July  4,  1906,  leaving  no 
children.  3.  Theodore,  born  February  19, 
1845,  died  in  New  York  City,  November 
26,  1867.  4.  Henry  King,  mentioned  be- 
low. Mr.  McHarg  died  January  4,  1884, 
in  New  York,  and  his  widow  passed  away 
September  8,  1885. 

(IV)  Henry  King  McHarg,  son  of 
John  and  Martha  W.  (Patch)  McHarg, 
was  born  February  6,  1851,  and  received 
his  education  in  Dr.  Reed's  Walnut  Hill 
boarding  school,  at  Geneva,  New  York. 
On  completing  his  course  of  study  he 
went  to  New  York  City  and  entered  the 
ofifice  of  the  late  Le  Grande  Lockwood. 
That  was  in  1866,  and  he  remained  with 
Mr.  Lockwood  until  1869,  when  failure 
caused  the  dissolution  of  the  business. 
Mr.  McHarg  then  became  assistant  cor- 
responding clerk  in  the  Third  National 
Bank,  but  at  the  expiration  of  a  year 
failing  health  obliged  him  to  withdraw  for 
a  time  from  the  activities  of  business. 
The  day  following  his  twenty-first  birth- 
day he  became  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Stock  Exchange  and  is  now  one  of  the 
oldest  on  its  roll.  Until  about  nine  years 
ago  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  bond 
business. 

The  railroad  interests  of  Mr.  McHarg 
have  for  a  long  period  been  numerous  and 
important.       When    the    Texas     Central 


307 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Railroad  Company  was  overtaken  by  dis- 
aster he  purchased  the  road,  reorganized 
and  rebuilt  it,  and  for  about  twenty  years 
served  as  its  president.  Later  he  bought 
the  old  Marietta  &  Northern  Georgia 
railroad,  which  he  reorganized  and  de- 
veloped as  the  Atlanta,  Knoxville  & 
Northern.  For  seven  or  eight  years  he 
was  connected  with  the  road,  developing 
it  into  a  fine  piece  of  property.  He  was 
one  of  the  original  men  interested  in  de- 
veloping the  West  Shore  railroad,  and 
later  was  president  of  the  Virginia  & 
Southwestern  Railroad  Company.  In 
1903  he  bought  the  control  of  the  Detroit 
&  Mackinac  railroad,  and  has  ever  since 
been  president  of  the  company. 

The  above  record  makes  it  clear  that 
Mr.  McHarg's  railroad  work  has  invari- 
ably been  constructive.  While  the  ele- 
ment of  speculation  which  is  never  wholly 
absent  from  any  business  undertaking 
had  its  part  in  his  ventures,  more  espe- 
cially as  they  were  all  the  rehabilitation 
of  unsuccessful  enterprises,  he  has  con- 
tributed substantially  to  the  advancement 
of  the  railroad  interests  of  the  last  third 
of  a  century,  having  imparted  to  every- 
thing he  undertook  some  portion  of  his 
vitalizing  energy. 

The  business  career  of  Mr.  McHarg 
began  in  1873,  when  he  went  into  the 
bond  and  investment  business  in  part- 
nership with  William  Adams,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Adams  &  McHarg.  At  the 
end  of  twelve  years  the  connection  was 
severed  and  Mr.  McHarg  continued  the 
business  alone.  For  some  years  he  was 
a  director  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven 
&  Hartford  Railroad  Company,  and  since 
1883  he  has  held  a  directorship  in  the 
Manhattan  National  Bank,  in  which  for 
over  twenty  years  he  held  the  ofifice  of 
vice-president.  His  clubs  are  the  Union 
and  Down  Town,  of  New  York  City. 
Yachting  was  always  his  favorite  recrea- 


tion, and  for  a  number  of  years  he  owned 
a  very  pretty  schooner.  He  attends  and 
supports  St.  John's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  of  Stamford. 

Mr.  McHarg  married,  July  21,  1875, 
Frederica  Bremer  Britton,  and  they  have 
been  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: I.  Edith  May,  born  May  4,  1876; 
did  not  live.  2.  John,  born  December  22, 
1877 ;  did  not  live.  3.  Madeline  B.,  born 
November  26,  1878;  died  December  10, 
1881.  4.  Henry  King,  Jr.,  born  October 
30,  1883 ;  married  Jane,  daughter  of 
Thomas  J.  Craven,  of  Salem,  New  Jersey, 
and  has  three  children;  Jane  Craven, 
Henry  King  (3),  and  Esther  Belle.  5. 
Marion  Adelaide,  born  January  28,  1886; 
married  (first)  George  Venable,  and  has 
one  daughter,  Frederica;  married  (sec- 
ond) Ernest  Roentgen,  nephew  of  the 
discoverer  of  the  X-ray;  they  have  one 
daughter. 

For  thirty  years  Mr.  McHarg  has  been 
a  resident  of  Stamford,  and  during  that 
time  he  has  been  a  leader  in  everything 
that  has  been  done  for  the  welfare  of  the 
town.  The  time  will  come  when  the  ex- 
tent of  his  benefactions  will  be  known, 
but  Mr.  McHarg  has  shown  an  inflexible 
determination  that  in  his  benevolences 
his  left  hand  should  not  know  what  his 
right  hand  doeth.  All  that  may  be  said 
now  is  that  the  Stamford  Hospital,  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  the 
Ferguson  Library,  the  Associated  Chari- 
ties, and  the  Presbyterian  and  St.  John's 
Episcopal  churches  are  indebted  beyond 
anyone's  surmise  to  his  generosity  and 
public  spirit. 

(The  King  Line). 

Joshua  King  was  born  November  24, 
1758,  at  Braintree  (now  Quincy),  Massa- 
chusetts. His  father  was  one  of  three 
brothers  who  came  from  England.  When 
the  American  army  surrounded  Boston, 


308 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Joshua,  then  a  lad  of  sixteen,  left  home, 
at  his  own  independent  option,  to  join  it. 
By  reason  of  his  youth  and  his  capacity 
he  was  appointed  fiifer,  but  in  due  time 
he  was  admitted  to  the  ranks  for  more 
direct  soldierly  service,  being  placed  in 
the  cavalry,  and  gradually  promoted.  He 
became  Lieutenant  King,  and  had  the 
special  distinction  of  acting  as  escort  to 
the  unfortunate  Andre,  from  his  capture 
to  his  execution.  General  King,  as  he  was 
popularly  called,  married,  April  i8,  1784, 
Anne  Ingersoll  (see  Ingersoll  line),  and 
their  children  were :  Catherine,  Fanny, 
Sophia,  mentioned  below;  John  Francis, 
Rufus  Howard,  Anne  Maria,  Charles, 
Joshua  Ingersoll,  Mary  Anne,  and  Grace 
Ingersoll.  General  King  died  August  13, 
1839,  his  wife  having  passed  away  De- 
cember 30,  1838. 

Sophia  King,  daughter  of  Joshua  and 
Anne  (Ingersoll)  King,  was  born  March 
II,  1790,  and  became  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam McHarg,  as  stated  above.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Harg  died  March  24,  1838. 

(The  Ingersoll  Line). 

(I)  John  Ingersoll,  of  Hartford,  mar- 
ried, about  1667,  Mary  Hunt,  daughter  of 

and   Mary   (Webster)   Hunt,  and 

granddaughter  of  John  Webster,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and 
fifth  governor  of  that  Commonwealth. 
John  Webster,  who  was  a  native  of  War- 
wickshire, England,  and  a  lineal  ancestor 
of  the  eminent  lexicographer,  Noah  Web- 
ster, died  April  5,  1661.  About  1665  John 
Ingersoll  removed  to  Northampton,  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

(II)  Jonathan  Ingersoll,  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Hunt)  Ingersoll,  was  born 
May  10,  1681,  in  Westfield,  Massachu- 
setts, and  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  lived  in  Milford,  where  he  died,  No- 
vember 28,  1760,  his  wife,  Sarah,  having 
passed  away  February  14,  1748. 


(III)  Jonathan  (2)  Ingersoll,  son  of 
Jonathan  (i)  and  Sarah  Ingersoll,  was 
born  in  1713,  at  Milford  (or  Stratford), 
and  1736  graduated  from  Yale  College. 
On  November  8,  1738,  he  was  installed  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  of 
Ridgefield,  and  served  it  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years. 
In  1759,  during  the  French  War,  he  served 
as  chaplain  of  a  Connecticut  regiment. 
Mr.  Ingersoll  married,  November  10,  1740, 
Dorcas  Moss  (see  Moss  line),  and  his 
death  occurred  October  2,  1778.  His 
widow  passed  away  September  29,  181 1. 

(IV)  Anne  Ingersoll,  daughter  of  Jon- 
athan (2)  and  Dorcas  (Moss)  Ingersoll, 
was  born  April  5,  1765,  and  became  the 
wife  of  Joshua  King  (see  King  line). 

(The  Moss  Line). 

(I)  John  Moss  was  born  in  England,  in 
1619,  and  in  1639  settled  in  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  removing,  in  1670,  to  Wal- 
lingford.     His  death  occurred  in  1708. 

(II)  Joseph  Moss,  son  of  John  Moss, 
was  born  in  1651,  in  New  Haven,  where 
he  passed  his  entire  life,  holding  various 
offices  in  that  city.  He  married,  April  11, 
1667,  Mary . 

(III)  Joseph  (2)  Moss,  son  of  Joseph 
(i)  and  Mary  Moss,  was  born  April  7, 
1679,  ^n<i  received  from  Yale  College  the 
honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  with 
the  first  class  which  graduated  from  that 
institution,  which  was  in  1702.  After 
teaching  a  classical  school  at  Derby,  he 
became  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  in  that  town,  and  served  it  for 
twenty  years.  He  died  January  23,  1732. 
Mr.  Moss  was  the  author  of  several  books, 
and  no  clergyman  of  his  time  enjoyed  a 
higher  reputation. 

(IV)  Dorcas  Moss,  daughter  of  Joseph 
(2)  Moss,  was  born  in  1726,  in  Derby,  and 
became  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan  In- 
gersoll (see  Ingersoll  line). 


309 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BENNETT,  Edwin  B., 
Mannfactarer,    Fnblic-Spirited    Citixen. 

The  name  we  have  just  written  is 
familiar  as  that  of  president  of  the  Ben- 
nett Wire  Company,  not  only  to  Mr.  Ben- 
nett's fellow-citizens  of  Norwalk,  but  also 
to  the  manufacturing  world  of  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  As  a  citizen  who  ever 
studies  the  best  interests  of  his  commun- 
ity, Mr.  Bennett  is  numbered  among  the 
most  highly  respected  residents  of  Nor- 
walk. 

The  name  of  Bennett  is  of  Latin  origin, 
signifying  blessed,  and  is  derived  from 
the  personal  name  Benedict.  In  the 
reigns  of  Edwards  Second  and  Third,  of 
England,  it  is  found  under  the  forms  of 
Fitz-Benedict,  Benediscite,  Bendiste,  Ben- 
edick and  Bennett.  It  is  also  said  to  mean 
a  place  overgrown  with  bennet  or  bent 
grass,  and  hence,  a  dweller  at  such  a 
place. 

(I)  James  Bennett,  founder  of  the  Fair- 
field and  Compo  branch  of  the  family, 
was  born  in  England,  in  1616.  He  emi- 
grated to  the  Massachusetts  Colony,  set- 
tled in  Concord,  and  in  1637  was  made  a 
freeman.  In  1639  he  married  Hannah 
Wheeler,  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Thomas 
Wheeler,  of  Concord,  and  in  1644,  in  com- 
pany with  his  father-in-law  and  many 
other  residents  of  that  place,  he  removed 
to  the  Connecticut  Colony.  This  migra- 
tion was  called  the  Concord  Exodus.  The 
settlers  found  homes  in  what  is  now  Fair- 
field, and  James  Bennett,  with  nine 
others,  founded  what  is  now  the  city  of 
Bridgeport,  but  which  then  received  the 
name  of  Stratfield.  He  became  a  man  of 
prominence  in  the  colony,  and  for  many 
years  was  deputy  to  the  Colonial  Assem- 
bly. He  was  lieutenant  of  the  Train 
Band,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  what 
later  became  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Bridgeport.  He  was  buried  in 
the  old  Stratfield  burying-ground. 


(II)  Thomas  Bennett,  son  of  James 
and  Hannah  (Wheeler)  Bennett,  was 
born  in  1642,  and  lived  with  his  father 
until  1664,  when  he  was  made  a  freeman. 
He  purchased  land  in  Sasco  (Southport), 
and  in  1668  married  Elizabeth  Thompson, 
daughter  of  John  Thompson,  of  Strat- 
field. Later  he  bought  the  rights  of 
Emma,  widow  of  the  Rev.  John  Jones,  in 
her  husband's  parsonage,  which  faced  the 
common,  southeast  of  the  town  hall,  Fair- 
field. In  his  latter  years  he  removed  to 
Compo,  where  he  died  in  1704. 

(III)  Thomas  (2)  Bennett,  son  of 
Thomas  (i)  and  Elizabeth  (Thompson) 
Bennett,  married  Sarah  Hubbell. 

(IV)  Thomas  (3)  Bennett,  son  of 
Thomas  (2)  and  Sarah  (Hubbell)  Ben- 
nett, was  born  in  1694.  He  married  (first) 
Mary  Rowland,  and  (second)  Mercy 
Schofield. 

(V)  Nathan  Bennett,  son  of  Thomas 
(3)  and  Mary  (Rowland)  Bennett,  was 
born  March  4,  1725,  in  Compo,  now  West- 
port,  and  married  Hannah  Sturges, 
daughter  of  John  Sturges,  of  Fairfield. 
Nathan  Bennett  died  October  5,  1792. 

(VI)  Elias  Bennett,  son  of  Nathan  and 
Hannah  (Sturges)  Bennett,  was  born 
May  10,  1752,  in  Compo,  and  in  1773  was 
made  a  freeman.  During  the  War  of  the 
Revolution  he  served  first  as  a  member  of 
the  Coast  Guard,  and  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Ridgefield  in  which  General 
Wooster  was  killed.  Later  he  was  a  mu- 
sician in  Captain  Lemuel  Clift's  company, 
1st  Regiment,  Connecticut  Line,  and  in 
1840  was  a  war  pensioner.  He  married 
(first)  Anna  Grossman,  born  November 
25,  1756,  daughter  of  John  and  Annie 
(Allen)  Grossman,  and  (second)  Eliza- 
beth Squires.  About  the  time  of  his  first 
marriage  he  removed  to  Weston,  where 
he  died  in  1842,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Kettle  Creek  burying-ground. 


310 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(VII)  Elias  (2)  Bennett,  son  of  Elias 
(i)  and  Anna  (Grossman)  Bennett,  was 
born  December  25,  1778,  in  Westport,  and 
early  in  life  began  the  manufacture  of 
flour  sieves,  making  his  netting  from 
horsehair,  and  these  he  peddled  about 
the  country  himself.  For  a  long  period 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching,  having 
charge  of  one  district  school  for  twelve 
years.  In  politics  he  was  an  old-time 
Whig.  While  engaged  in  teaching  his 
health  failed  and  he  became  a  post  rider 
on  the  road  from  Bridgeport  to  Weston, 
Redding  and  Georgetown.  By  many  he 
was  called  "Post  Bennett."  He  and  his 
family  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  He  married,  about 
1804,  in  Redding  or  Weston,  Mary  Perry, 
some  account  of  whose  family  is  appended 
to  this  biography.  Mrs.  Bennett  died  in 
1853.  She  and  her  husband  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  Sturges, 
mentioned  below ;  Mary,  born  in  1807, 
died  in  1822;  Aaron,  born  in  1810,  died  in 
1890;  Burr,  born  in  1813,  died  in  1887; 
William,  born  in  1818,  died  in  1899;  and 
Samuel,  born  in  1822,  died  in  1889.  Elias 
(2)  Bennett  died  April  10,  1863,  in 
Georgetown,  Connecticut.  It  is  evident 
that  he  was  a  man  of  fine  mental  endow- 
ments, for  although  he  received  only  a 
common  school  education  at  a  time  when 
common  schools  were  not  what  they  are 
now,  he  was  a  remarkably  successful 
teacher.  He  and  his  wife  are  buried  in 
the  Umpawaug  Cemetery,  in  Redding. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Bennett  occurred  at 
the  home  of  his  son,  Sturges,  the  eldest  of 
the  family,  and  in  some  respects  its  most 
noteworthy  member. 

(VIII)  Sturges  Bennett,  son  of  Elias 
(2)  and  Mary  (Perry)  Bennett,  was  born 
in  1805,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  as 
a  youth  he  sometimes  assisted  his  father, 
"Post  Bennett,"  in  distributing  through 
various  towns  the  Bridgeport  "Standard" 

31 


and    "Farmer,"    and    the    Norwalk    "Ga- 
zette." 

Events  proved,  however,  that  he  was 
destined  for  a  wider  field  of  action  than 
any  in  which  his  ancestors  had  moved. 
In  1830  he  married  (first)  Charlotte  Gil- 
bert, daughter  of  Benjamin  Gilbert,  hav- 
ing been  admitted  in  1828  to  partnership 
in  Mr.  Gilbert's  business.  This  event  it 
was  which  broadened  his  sphere  and 
marked  the  beginning,  from  a  temporal 
point  of  view,  of  the  great  success  of  his 
entire  life. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Bennett's  first 
wife,  who  was  the  mother  of  all  his 
children,  he  married  (second)  Betsey  A. 
Burchard.  On  May  30,  1880,  Mr.  Ben- 
nett passed  away,  having  completed 
fifty-two  years  in  the  service  of  the  enter- 
prise in  the  upbuilding  of  which  he  had 
been  so  largely  instrumental. 

(IX)  Eli  G.  Bennett,  son  of  Sturges 
and  Charlotte  (Gilbert)  Bennett,  was  born 
February  2,  1831,  in  Georgetown,  and 
there  grew  to  manhood.  In  1855  he  grad- 
uated from  Amherst  College,  afterward 
associating  himself  with  his  father's  busi- 
ness in  the  capacity  of  bookkeeper. 

After  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Bennett  sev- 
ered his  connection  with  the  firm  of  Gil- 
bert, Bennett  &  Company,  establishing 
himself  independently  as  a  general  mer- 
chant in  Georgetown.  About  1880  he 
disposed  of  the  business  and  removed  to 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  in  order  to  assume 
the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  the  New 
York  ofiice  of  the  Gilbert  &  Bennett  Man- 
ufacturing Company. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Bennett  was  a  Repub- 
lican, but  never  in  the  least  a  politician, 
the  only  ofifice  which  he  ever  held  being 
that  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  and  his 
family  were  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  in  which  for  some  years  he 
served  as  deacon. 

Mr.     Bennett    married     Mary    Esther 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Birchard,  daughter  of  Edwin  Birchard,  of 
Cannon  Station,  in  the  town  of  Wilton, 
and  their  children  were :  Eli  Sturges,  of 
Brooklyn,  New  York;  Mary  Esther,  also 
of  that  city ;  Jennie,  wife  of  I.  D.  Hurlbutt, 
of  Brooklyn ;  Edwin  B.,  mentioned  be- 
low; and  Charles,  of  Brooklyn.  About 
twenty  years  before  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred July  ID,  1920,  Mr.  Bennett  retired 
from  active  business.  He  was  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  executive  talent,  and 
was  highly  esteemed  as  a  useful  and 
public-spirited  citizen. 

(X)  Edwin  B.  Bennett,  son  of  Eli  G. 
and  Mary  Esther  (Birchard)  Bennett, 
was  born  April  23,  1869,  in  Georgetown, 
Connecticut,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place. 

After  completing  his  course  of  study 
Mr.  Bennett,  true  to  the  traditions  of  his 
family,  entered  the  service  of  the  Gilbert 
&  Bennett  Manufacturing  Company,  re- 
ceiving his  initiation  in  the  business  in 
which  his  father  and  grandfather  had  ren- 
dered such  notable  assistance.  It  soon 
became  evident  that  he  had  inherited  a 
full  measure  of  their  ability  and  also  of 
their  energy  and  aggressiveness,  and  dur- 
ing the  twenty-two  years  of  his  connec- 
tion with  the  firm  he  did  much  for  the 
strengthening  and  expansion  of  the  busi- 
ness, serving  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  as  salesman. 

A  spirit  of  enterprise,  however,  has  al- 
ways been  one  of  Mr.  Bennett's  dominant 
characteristics,  and  in  1907  he  established 
his  present  business.  From  a  small  be- 
ginning the  concern  has  grown  to  note- 
worthy proportions,  and  is  now  numbered 
among  Norwalk's  most  substantial  indus- 
tries. The  product  is  wire  cloth,  sold 
directly  to  stores  and  manufacturers  of 
wire  cloth  goods,  and  finds  a  market  in 
every  part  of  the  United  States  and  also 
in  Canada,  having  a  growing  export  trade. 
In  1912  the  business  was  incorporated  as 


the  Bennett  Wire  Company,  with  Mr. 
Bennett  as  president,  an  office  which  he 
has  since  continuously  retained. 

While  predominantly  a  business  man, 
Mr.  Bennett  never  forgets  that  he  is  a 
citizen,  and  any  cause  or  movement  hav- 
ing for  its  object  the  improvement  of 
community  conditions  invariably  enlists 
the  support  of  his  influence  and  means. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  Grace 
Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  Brooklyn, 
New  York. 

Mr.  Bennett  married  Isabelle  W.  Gib- 
son, daughter  of  James  D.  Gibson,  a  na- 
tive of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  who  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States.  Since  the 
age  of  nine  years  Mr.  Gibson  has  been  a 
resident  of  New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bennett  are  the  parents  of  one  child: 
Birchard  Gibson,  born  January  17,  1902. 

Edwin  B.  Bennett  is  the  son  and  grand- 
son of  men  who  gave  the  best  years  of 
their  lives  to  the  upbuilding  of  a  great  in- 
dustry, and  he  himself,  as  a  representa- 
tive of  the  third  generation,  has  ably  and 
worthily  carried  on  the  work.  As  head 
of  a  large  and  constantly  growing  enter- 
prise, in  the  same  line  of  endeavor,  he  has 
added  to  the  long-established  prestige  of 
the  family  name. 

(The  Gilbert  Line). 

The  name  Gilbert,  which  has  been  as- 
sociated for  more  than  a  century  with  a 
manufacturing  enterprise  of  National  rep- 
utation, is  of  French  origin,  and  is  a 
personal  name  which  was  largely  intro- 
duced into  England  at  the  time  of  the 
Norman  Conquest  in  the  form  of  Gisle- 
bertus.  The  meaning  is  pledge,  or  host- 
age-bright. Not  only  is  it  a  very  common 
surname,  but  it  is  the  source  from  which 
are  derived  Gibb,  Gibbs,  Gybbes,  Gibbard, 
Gibbings,  Gibbonson,  Gibson,  Gill,  Gilks, 
Gilpin  and  many  others. 

Benjamin  Gilbert,  founder  of  the  busi- 


i 


312 


i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ness  which  to  this  day  bears  his  name, 
was  born  in  1788,  in  Connecticut,  and  fol- 
lowed the  shoemaker's  trade  in  the  town 
of  Weston,  in  that  State.  This  was  after 
the  War  of  1812.  He  also  was  master 
of  the  trades  of  tanning  and  currying,  but 
in  none  of  the  three  branches  of  industry 
in  which  he  was  proficient  was  he  to  find 
the  key  to  his  future  prosperity.  Those 
were  the  days  when  families  made  their 
own  meal,  sifting  it  from  the  bran  through 
sieves  made  of  horsehair.  Benjamin 
Gilbert  was  a  man  alert  to  opportunity, 
and  his  far-seeing  mind  quickly  discerned 
the  latent  possibilities  of  the  manufacture 
of  these  articles.  Abandoning  his  shoe- 
maker's last,  he  embarked  in  the  manu- 
facture of  horsehair  sieves.  His  place  of 
business  was  the  basement  of  his  house, 
and  his  entire  factory  force  consisted  of  his 
wife  and  daughters,  who  wove  the  hair 
while  he  shaved  wooden  hoops  to  form 
the  rims  of  his  sieves.  The  year  of  the 
humble  beginning  of  this  great  business 
was  1818. 

The  horsehair  sieve  market  not  prov- 
ing as  large  as  he  had  anticipated,  Mr. 
Gilbert  increased  his  business  by  adding 
the  manufacture  of  curled  hair,  used  for 
cushions,  mattresses  and  furniture.  He 
moved  from  Weston  to  Georgetown,  Con- 
necticut, fifty  miles  from  New  York  City, 
where  the  business  continues  to  this  day. 
In  1826  he  installed  and  put  into  opera- 
tion the  first  machinery  ever  used  in  pick- 
ing hair,  and  about  the  same  time  he 
leased  a  small  part  of  an  old  sawmill, 
thus  obtaining  a  separate  factory  at  last. 
It  was  at  this  early  period  of  the  progress 
which  subsequently  increased  so  amaz- 
ingly that  Sturges  Bennett  was  admitted 
to  partnership,  the  style  of  the  firm  be- 
coming Gilbert  &  Bennett.  In  1832  Wil- 
liam J.  Gilbert,  a  son  of  the  founder,  was 
also  admitted,  the  firm  name  being 
changed  to  Gilbert,  Bennett  &  Company. 


In  1834  fine  wire  was  substituted  for 
horsehair  in  the  manufacture  of  their 
product,  and  the  old  Red  Mill  was  pur- 
chased. Thenceforth  the  history  of  the 
enterprise  is  that  of  a  rapid  and  continu- 
ous march  of  progress. 

Edwin  Gilbert,  son  of  Benjamin  Gil- 
bert, became  a  member  of  the  firm  in  1844, 
and  with  his  brother,  William  J.,  and 
E.  O.  Hurlbutt,  comprised  the  selling 
force.  Even  under  the  difficult  selling 
conditions  of  those  days,  the  sale  of  their 
goods  spread  as  far  as  the  Western  Re- 
serve of  Ohio,  but  very  few,  indeed,  fore- 
saw the  time  when  the  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company 
would  run  their  rails  alongside  factories 
of  the  Gilbert,  Bennett  &  Company  and 
on  them  take  out  shipments  for  all  parts 
of  the  United  States.  In  1852  a  store  was 
opened  in  New  York  City,  and  in  1885 
the  firm  was  established  in  Chicago.  Ben- 
jamin Gilbert,  the  founder,  conducted  the 
business  to  the  last  day  of  his  life,  pass- 
ing away  in  1847.  On  May  30,  1874,  the 
company  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  The  Gilbert  &  Bennett  Manu- 
facturing Company,  with  Sturges  Bennett 
as  president.  In  the  simple  statement  of 
this  fact  may  be  read  the  whole  narrative 
of  the  important  part  Mr.  Bennett  had 
played  in  the  progress  of  the  business 
almost  from  the  first  day  of  his  connection 
with  it.  His  cool,  calm  judgment,  his 
unceasing  vigilance,  and  his  indefatigable 
industry,  had  been  of  inestimable  value 
during  the  struggling  years  of  the  enter- 
prise, and  continued  to  be  so  when  he 
became  its  leader.  In  1876  he  resigned 
the  presidency,  but  remained  to  the  close 
of  his  life  a  director  of  the  company. 

(The  Perry  Line). 

This  ancient  name  signifies  dweller  by 
a  pear  tree,  and  is  also  said  to  be  derived 
from  the  personal  name  Pierre,  and  thence 
to  mean  a  stony  place. 


313 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(I)  Richard  Perry,  founder  of  the  fam-     lish  army,  being  at  one  time  captain  of  a 


ily  in  America,  came  from  England,  in 
1637,  and  settled  in  New  Haven.  In  1649 
he  received  a  grant  of  land  in  Fairfield 
county,  where  many  of  his  descendants 
have  remained.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
legal  profession,  and  is  mentioned  in  rec- 
ords of  New  Haven  as  "Secretarie  of  the 
Court  of  New  Haven." 

(II)  Thaddeus  Perry,  a  descendant  of 
Richard  Perry,  was  born  in  Fairfield,  and 
all  his  life  followed  the  calling  of  a 
weaver.  He  is  said  to  have  woven  the 
first  piece  of  cotton  cloth  made  in  Con- 
necticut. He  married  Grace  Buckley, 
daughter  of  Nathan  Buckley. 

(III)  Mary  Perry,  daughter  of  Thad- 
deus and  Grace  (Buckley)  Perry,  became 
the  wife  of  Elias  (2)  Bennett,  as  stated 
above.     (See  Bennett  VII). 


MILLER,  David  H., 

Bnsiness  Man,  Public  Official,  Soldier. 

President  and  treasurer  of  the  Gilbert 
&  Bennett  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
representative  of  his  home  town.  Red- 
ding, in  the  General  Assembly.  In  these 
two  spheres  of  action  Mr.  Miller  achieved 
merited  distinction,  and  to  them  he  added 
a  record  of  honorable  military  ser\'ice 
during  the  Civil  War.  Despite  the  fact 
that  some  years  have  elapsed  since  his 
decease,  his  memory  is  still  vividly  fresh 
in  the  minds  of  his  fellow-citizens  of 
Fairfield  county  and  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut. 

The  name  of  Miller  is  a  very  old  one  of 
English  origin,  its  meaning,  corn-grinder, 
indicating  its  derivation  from  mill  and 
placing  it  among  the  very  numerous  pat- 
ronymics whose  origins  are  traced  to  va- 
rious occupations  and  callings. 

John  H.  Miller,  father  of  David  H. 
Miller,  was  born  in  London,  England, 
and  was  always  connected  with  the  Eng- 


company  stationed  in  the  West  Indies. 
He  married  Sarah  Nevill,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  and  Sarah  (Pulbrook)  Nevill, 
and  they  were  the  parents  of  two  sons : 
John  H. ;  and  David  H.,  mentioned  below. 

John  H.  Miller,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Lon- 
don, and  early  in  life  came  to  the  United 
States,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  showcases  in  New  York  City. 
Later  he  was  among  those  who  went 
to  California  in  quest  of  gold,  and  was 
a  delegate  from  that  State  to  the  na- 
tional convention  at  which  John  C.  Fre- 
mont was  nominated  for  the  presidency. 
Mr.  Miller  spoke  many  languages,  and  at 
one  time  was  editor  of  one  of  the  Sacra- 
mento papers.  He  visited  various  coun- 
tries and  died  in  Buenos  Ayres,  South 
America. 

David  H.  Miller,  son  of  John  H.  and 
Sarah  (Nevill)  Miller,  was  born  August 
12,  1831,  in  London,  England,  where  he 
attended  private  schools  until  his  twelfth 
year.  His  father  died  while  he  was  still 
a  child,  and  on  leaving  school  he  found 
employment  in  his  stepfather's  office.  By 
attending  night  school  he  learned  bank- 
ing, and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
came  to  the  United  States  with  D.  M. 
Peyser,  becoming  cashier  in  Peyser's 
store,  and  afterward  engaging  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  showcases.  In  1851  Mr.  Mil- 
ler returned  to  England  and  was  em- 
ployed by  his  stepfather  in  the  curled  hair 
business.  In  1852  he  came  once  more  to 
the  United  States  and  established  in  New 
Ybrk  City  a  factory  for  carrying  on  the 
business.  In  1853  he  entered  the  service 
of  the  Gilbert  &  Bennett  Manufacturing 
Company  in  the  capacity  of  bookkeeper, 
and  in  the  course  of  time  transferred  his 
New  York  business  to  Georgetown,  Con- 
necticut, which  thenceforth  became  his 
home. 


314 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Before  many  years  had  elapsed  Mr. 
Miller's  business  career  which  had  opened 
so  auspiciously  suffered  an  interruption. 
In  1861  the  Civil  War  broke  out  and  he 
was  among  those  of  the  Gilbert  &  Ben- 
nett men  who  answered  the  call  to  the 
colors.  Prior  to  this  he  had  belonged  to 
the  Eighth  Regiment,  New  York  Wash- 
ington Grays.  In  the  Union  army  he 
served  over  a  year,  winning  honors,  and 
the  rank  of  major  in  the  Twenty-third 
Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry. 

On  returning  to  his  place  in  the  Gil- 
bert &  Bennett  force,  Mr.  Miller  resumed 
that  course  of  steady  advancement  which 
was  destined  to  lead  to  the  highest  office 
in  the  gift  of  the  company.  From  book- 
keeper he  was  advanced  to  a  director- 
ship, being  then  made  secretary  and  later 
vice-president.  In  1906  he  succeeded  to 
the  presidency,  an  office  which  he  re- 
tained to  the  close  of  his  life. 

In  politics  Mr.  Miller  was  a  staunch 
Republican,  helping  to  organize,  during 
the  Fremont  campaign,  the  first  Repub- 
lican club  of  Georgetown.  He  was  a  staff 
officer  of  the  Putnam  Phalanx  of  Hart- 
ford, which  was  organized  in  1858.  For 
many  years  he  was  active  in  the  political 
life  of  his  community,  holding  the  offices 
of  justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public, 
and  serving  as  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
his  school  district.  He  was  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Fairfield  County  National 
Bank.  In  1881  Mr.  Miller  was  elected  to 
represent  Fairfield  county  in  the  General 
Assembly,  and  served  one  term  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his 
constituents.  His  scrupulous  fidelity  to 
every  duty  and  his  unceasing  vigilance  in 
protecting  and  maintaining  the  rights  of 
his  fellow-citizens  entitled  him  to  the  re- 
spect and  gratitude  of  those  whom  he 
represented.  As  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  Mr.  Miller  held  membership  in 
James    E.    Moore    Post,    No.    18,    Grand 


Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Danbury,  and 
he  also  belonged  to  the  Army  and  Navy 
Club.  He  affiliated  with  Ark  Lodge,  No. 
39,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
in  which  for  many  years  he  served  as 
secretary.  He  also  affiliated  with  Cru- 
sader Commandery,  Knights  Templar ; 
and  Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
Bridgeport.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Miller  married  Catherine  Welling, 
who  was  born  in  1833,  •"  Dublin,  Ireland, 
and  their  children  were:  i.  Samuel  J., 
a  sketch  of  whom  follows.  2.  Mary  C, 
married  Joseph  A.  Gray,  a  prominent  law- 
yer of  Norwalk,  and  has  eight  children.  3. 
David  Henry,  a  vice-president  of  the  Gil- 
bert &  Bennett  Manufacturing  Company. 
(See  sketch  on  following  pages.)  4. 
Catherine  W.  5.  Louis  P.,  a  biography 
of  whom  follows.  6.  Charles  J.,  first  vice- 
president  of  the  company ;  entered  the 
offices  of  the  concern  in  1882  and  now  has 
direct  charge  of  the  Wireton  Mills,  the 
Chicago  office  and  the  Kansas  City 
branch — thirty-eight  years  with  the  com- 
pany. 7.  Julius  W.,  machinery  manufac- 
turer in  South  Norwalk.  8.  Sarah  F., 
graduate  of  South  Norwalk  High  School 
(valedictorian  of  her  class),  also  of  the 
State  Normal  School.  9.  Bessie  E.,  grad- 
uate of  South  Norwalk  High  School  (val- 
edictorian of  her  class)  and  the  State 
Normal  School. 

On  April  5,  1915,  David  H.  Miller  died 
"full  of  years  and  of  honors."  His  ca- 
reer was  varied  and  eventful,  the  career 
of  a  man  able,  energetic,  abounding  in  in- 
itiative, and  not  without  a  dash  of  the 
spirit  of  adventure  which  animated  his 
brilliant  but  somewhat  erratic  brother. 
Both  as  soldier  and  citizen,  David  H. 
Miller  was  true  to  high  ideals,  and  the 
record  of  his  sixty-two  years  with  the 
Gilbert  &  Bennett  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany is  from  first  to  last  a  story  of  honor. 


315 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


MILLER,  Samuel  J., 

Manufacturer. 

When  a  man's  name  is  familiar  not 
only  to  his  home  community,  but  also  to 
numbers  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  different 
parts  of  the  United  States,  he  stands  in 
no  need  of  an  introduction  from  his  bi- 
ographer. This  is  true  of  Mr.  Miller  as 
the  present  president  of  the  Gilbert  & 
Bennett  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
among  his  friends  and  neighbors  of 
Georgetown  he  holds  the  place  of  a  highly 
esteemed  citizen. 

Samuel  J.  Miller  was  born  November 
i8,  1856,  a  son  of  David  H.  and  Cather- 
ine (Welling)  Miller  (q.  v.).  He  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  and 
in  1869  entered  the  servJce  of  the  firm  of 
Gilbert  &  Bennett  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany in  the  capacity  of  office  boy.  Be- 
ginning at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  Mr. 
Miller  learned  the  wire  business,  as  the 
saying  is,  "from  the  ground  up."  Surely 
and  steadily  he  advanced,  filling  succes- 
sively the  offices  of  assistant  superintend- 
ent, director,  general  superintendent,  sec- 
retary, vice-president  and  general  man- 
ager. In  1915  he  succeeded  his  father  in 
the  presidency  of  the  company,  retaining 
the  position  of  general  manager.  The 
subsequent  history  of  the  organization 
has  proved  that,  with  the  executive  abil- 
ities of  which  he  has  so  long  shown  him- 
self possessed,  he  combines  unusual  tal- 
ents for  leadership.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Fairfield  County  National  Bank,  of 
Norwalk. 

Mr.  Miller  married,  January  15,  1879, 
Esther  A.  Cannon,  daughter  of  Charles 
Cannon,  of  Cannondale,  in  the  town  of 
Wilton,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two 
children :  Mary  Catherine,  born  August 
15,  1880,  wife  of  Louis  R.  Ambler,  of 
Cannondale ;  and  D.  Henry,  whose  biog- 
raphy follows  in  the  work.    Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Miller   are    members    of   the    Protestant 
Episcopal  church,  of  Wilton. 

The  almost  lifelong  connection  of  Sam- 
uel J.  Miller  with  the  Gilbert  &  Bennett 
Manufacturing  Company,  a  period  of 
fifty-one  years,  furnishes  strong  evidence 
of  the  value  of  concentration  of  energy 
and  persistent,  high-minded  adherence  to 
one  line  of  endeavor.  Moreover,  he  has 
always  been  public-spirited,  as  he  showed 
by  serving  five  years  as  regimental  clerk 
to  the  Connecticut  National  Guard.  He 
is  an  all-round  man. 


MILLER,  David  Henry, 

Manufacturer. 

More  than  a  third  of  Mr.  Miller's  life 
has  been  spent  in  the  service  of  the  Gil- 
bert &  Bennett  Manufacturing  Company, 
of  which  he  is  now  sales  manager  and 
third  vice-president.  During  all  this  time 
he  has  been  active  as  a  citizen,  taking  a 
leading  part  in  all  that  concerned  the  wel- 
fare of  Georgetown  and  its  vicinity. 

David  Henry  Miller  was  born  March 
10,  1861,  a  son  of  the  late  David  H.  and 
Catherine  (Welling)  Miller  (q.  v.).  Da- 
vid Henry  Miller  was  educated  in  public 
schools,  and  then,  moved  no  doubt  by  the 
adventurous  spirit  of  his  race,  sought  the 
freer  life  of  the  Western  country,  so- 
journing in  Kansas,  Oklahoma  and  Ari- 
zona, spending  six  years  on  cattle  ranches, 
and  during  a  portion  of  that  time  being 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business  for  him- 
self. In  1882  Mr.  Miller  turned  his  face 
homeward  and  became  a  resident  of 
South  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  where  he 
has  since  lived.  For  many  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  oyster  business.  .A^bout 
1897  Mr.  M'ller  became  identified  will; 
ihe  Gilbert  &  Bennett  Manufacturing' 
Company,  becoming  a  member  of  the  sell- 
ing force,  and  later  holding  a  special 
commission  in  the  sales  department.  He 
16 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


also  became  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors.  He  has  now  for  some  years 
filled  his  present  dual  office  of  manager 
of  the  sales  department  and  third  vice- 
president.  He  is  a  director  of  the  South 
Norwalk  Trust  Company. 

The  responsibilities  of  Mr.  Miller  as 
a  business  man  are  not  allowed  to  inter- 
fere with  his  activities  as  a  citizen.  He 
belongs  to  the  Old  Well  Hook  and  Lad- 
der Fire  Company,  and  during  the  recent 
World  War  served  as  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee  in  the  Liberty  Loan 
and  Red  Cross  drives  in  South  Norwalk, 
also  acting  as  chairman  of  the  Red  Cross 
chapter  in  that  city,  and  a  member  of  the 
fuel  committee,  Norwalk,  Connecticut. 
He  is  president  of  the  Norwalk  Country 
Club,  and  vice-president  of  the  South 
Norwalk  Club.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church,  of 
South  Norwalk. 

Mr.  Miller  married,  January  15,  1896, 
Josephine  L.  Getler,  whose  family  was 
originally  of  Yonkers,  New  York.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Miller  are  the  parents  of  two 
daughters :  Pauline  L.,  born  July  16, 
1897,  now  the  wife  of  John  H.  Mullekin  ; 
and  Josephine  G.  Mrs.  Miller  takes  an 
active  part  in  church  work. 

The  early  portion  of  Mr.  Miller's  ca- 
reer was  spent  in  stock-raising  in  the  Far 
West,  and  he  has  now  for  many  years 
been  numbered  among  the  successful  bus- 
iness men  of  his  native  State. 


MILLER,  Louis  P., 

Mannfactnrer. 

Superintendent  of  the  plant  of  the  Gil- 
bert &  Bennett  Manufacturing  Company, 
and  during  the  long  space  of  forty-one 
years  identified  with  that  nationally 
know  corporation.  This,  in  brief,  is  the 
story  of  Mr.  Miller's  business  career  and 
is  known  to  many,  while  his  record  as  a 


good  and  useful  citizen  is  equally  famil- 
iar to  his  friends  and  neighbors  of 
Georgetown. 

Louis  P.  Miller  was  born  April  10,  1865, 
in  Georgetown,  Connecticut,  and  is  a  son 
of  the  late  David  H.  and  Catherine 
(Welling)  Miller.  His  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  village  school,  and  in  1879 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  Gilbert  & 
Bennett  Manufacturing  Company.  From 
the  outset  he  gave  evidence  of  being  en- 
dowed with  a  full  measure  of  the  busi- 
ness ability  characteristic  of  his  family, 
and  by  his  own  eflforts  worked  his  way 
up,  steadily  advancing  from  one  position 
of  responsibility  to  another  until  reach- 
ing his  present  office  of  superintendent, 
which  he  has  now  held  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  Masonic  and  fraternal  circles 
Mr.  Miller  is  well  known  and  influential. 
He  affiliates  with  Ark  Lodge,  No.  39, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Georgetown ;  Crusader  Commandery,  No. 
10,  Knights  Templar;  Pyramid  Temple, 
Mystic  Shrine,  of  Bridgeport ;  the  Lafay- 
ette Consistory  of  Bridgeport,  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  ;  and  Pilgrim  Lodge, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of 
Ridgefield. 

Mr.  Miller  married  Carrie  Kennel, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Kennel,  of  New  York 
City. 

For  more  than  four  decades  Louis  P. 
Miller  has  given  the  best  that  was  in  him 
to  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  the 
Gilbert  &  Bennett  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  by  his  able,  energetic  and  un- 
wearied eflforts  he  has  been  largely  and 
potentially  instrumental  in  its  develop- 
ment and  upbuilding. 


MILLER,  D.  Henry, 

Manufacturer, 

Among  the  most  aggressive  of  George- 
town's business  men  of  the  younger  gen- 


317 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


eration  is  the  citizen  whose  name  stands 
at  the  head  of  this  article.  Mr.  Miller  is 
known  in  business  circles  as  the  assist- 
ant superintendent  and  secretary  of  the 
Gilbert  &  Bennett  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  is  active  in  the  club  life  and 
fraternal  affairs  of  his  community. 

D.  Henry  Miller  was  born  April  5,  1884, 
in  Georgetown,  a  son  of  Samuel  J.  and 
Esther  A.  (Cannon)  Miller  (q.  v.).  His 
early  education  was  received  in  local  pub- 
lic schools,  and  he  was  prepared  for  col- 
lege in  King's  School,  Stamford,  and  in 
1904  graduated  from  the  Sheffield  Scien- 
tific School  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Philosophy.  His  specialty  was  elec- 
trical engineering.  After  graduating,  Mr. 
Miller  began  his  business  life  by  asso- 
ciating himself  with  the  Gilbert  &  Ben- 
nett Manufacturing  Company,  of  which 
his  grandfather  was  then  vice-president 
and  treasurer,  and  with  which  his  father 
had  long  been  officially  connected.  It 
soon  appeared  that  he  had  inherited  no 
small  measure  of  their  ability,  and  he  is 
now  assistant  superintendent  and  secre- 
tary of  the  company. 

The  fraternal  affiliations  of  Mr.  Miller 
include  membership  in  Ark  Lodge,  No. 
39,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ; 
Butler  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons ; 
Clinton  Commandery,  Knights  Templar, 
of  Norwalk ;  and  Pyramid  Temple,  Mys- 
tic shrine,  of  Bridgeport,  also  the  Sigma 
Psi  fraternity  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific 
School.  His  clubs  are  the  Yale,  of  New 
York,  the  Norwalk,  South  Norwalk,  and 
the  Westport  Country.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  St.  Matthew's  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Miller 
served  for  about  ten  years  as  treasurer 
and  in  which  he  is  now  junior  warden. 

Mr.  Miller  married,  September  23,  191 1, 
Mary  Frances  Raymond,  whose  ancestral 
record  is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
they    are    the    parents    of   four   children : 


Samuel  J.  (2),  born  November  5,  1913; 
Esther  Denman,  born  August  26,  1915; 
Mary  Louise,  born  June  23,  1917;  and 
Raymond  Cannon,  born  October  23,  1919. 
For  many  years  the  Gilbert  &  Bennett 
Manufacturing  Company  has  been  repre- 
sented by  members  of  the  Miller  family, 
and  D.  Henry  Miller,  as  a  representative 
of  the  third  generation,  worthily  holds  his 
place  in  the  line. 

(The   Raymond  Line). 

The  name  of  Raymond  is  an  ancient 
one  of  French  origin,  and  is  derived  from 
the  Christian  name  Raimundus,  signify- 
ing light  of  the  world.  A  branch  of  the 
family  was  transplanted  to  England  at  or 
soon  after  the  Norman  Conquest. 

(I)  Richard  Raymond,  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  race  in  America,  was  a 
mariner,  and  in  1634  was  made  a  free- 
man of  Salem,  Massachusetts.  The  town 
granted  him  land  in  1636,  and  in  1662  he 
removed  to  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  where 
he  purchased  a  house  and  land.  He  was 
at  one  time  engaged  in  the  coastwise 
trade  with  the  Dutch  and  English  on  Man- 
hattan Island.  In  1664  he  went  to  Say- 
brook,  Connecticut.  Prior  to  1636  he  and 
his  wife  Judith  were  members  of  the  First 
Church  in  Salem.  Richard  Raymond 
died  in  Saybrook  in  1692,  aged  about 
ninety  years. 

(II)  John  Raymond,  son  of  Richard 
and  Judith  Raymond,  was  of  Norwalk, 
Connecticut.  His  taxable  property  was 
valued  at  two  hundred  pounds.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1664,  Mary  Betts,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Betts,  of  Norwalk. 

(III)  Samuel  Raymond,  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Betts)  Raymond,  was  of  Nor- 
walk, Connecticut.  He  married,  in  1696, 
Judith  Palmer,  daughter  of  Ephriam  Pal- 
mer, of  Greenwich,  Connecticut. 

(IV)  Samuel  (2)  Raymond,  son  of 
Samuel    (i)    and   Judith    (Palmer)    Ray- 


!i8 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mond,  was  born  May  7,  1697.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  about  1719,  Elizabeth  Hoyt, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Hoyt,  of  Norwalk, 
Connecticut.  He  married  (second)  Mary 
Kitto,  an  Englishwoman. 

(V)  Sands  Raymond,  son  of  Samuel 
(2)  and  Elizabeth  (Hoyt)  Raymond,  was 
born  about  1730.  He  removed  from  Nor- 
walk to  Salem,  Westchester  county,  New 
York,  where  in  1775  he  was  second  lieu- 
tenant of  militia.  During  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  he  was  twice  taken  prisoner. 
The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was 
Sarah.  The  will  of  Sands  Raymond  is 
dated  1791. 

(VI)  Asa  Raymond,  son  of  Sands  and 
Sarah  Raymond,  was  born  February  20, 
1770.  He  was  of  Lewisboro,  New  York. 
He  married  Sally  Northrup. 

(VII)  Amos  N.  Raymond,  son  of  Asa 
and  Sally  (Northrup)  Raymond,  was 
born  May  31,  1801,  in  Salem,  New  York, 
and  was  of  Lewisboro,  in  the  same  State. 
He  married,  in  1826,  Lucy  Ann  Abbott. 
Amos  N.  Raymond  died  March  2,  i860. 

(VIII)  Charles  Asa  Raymond,  son  of 
Amos  N.  and  Lucy  Ann  (Abbott)  Ray- 
mond, was  born  September  29,  1841.  He 
is  a  farmer  and  provision  dealer,  of  Lew- 
isboro. He  married,  in  1880,  Nancy  Den- 
man,  and  their  children  were:  Inda 
Louise,  born  April  15,  1881  ;  Mary  Fran- 
ces, mentioned  below ;  Charles  Denman, 
born  January  19,  1885  ;  Lucile,  born  April 
18,  1891. 

(IX)  Mary  Frances  Raymond,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Asa  and  Nancy  (Denman) 
Raymond,  was  born  September  17,  1883. 
She  became  the  wife  of  D.  Henry  Mil- 
ler, as  stated  above. 


McFARLAND,  David  W., 

Alienist,   Head   of   Great   Sanitarinm. 

Hall-Brooke,  as  the  Sanitarium  of  Dr. 
McFarland  is  known,  is  ideally  situated 


on  an  elevation  commanding  a  view  of 
the  Sound  and  surrounding  country. 
There,  under  the  careful  ministrations  of 
Dr.  McFarland  and  his  assistants,  shat- 
tered health  is  regained  and  hope  is  born 
anew.  Dr.  McFarland  has  devoted  many 
years  to  the  study  and  care  of  the  afflicted. 
His  experience  has  been  a  wide  one,  and 
combined  with  his  ability  he  has  inher- 
ited many  of  the  fine  characteristics  of 
his  Scotch  ancestors.  Dr.  McFarland 
was  born  in  Portland,  Connecticut,  the 
son  of  David  and  Katherine  (Abercrom- 
bie,  McFarland. 

David  McFarland,  his  father,  was  born 
in  Sterhng,  Scotland,  where  several  gen- 
erations of  the  family  has  lived.  He  was 
a  stone-cutter,  and  soon  after  his  mar- 
riage settled  in  Portland,  Connecticut, 
where  he  followed  his  trade.  A  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  Mr.  McFarland  took 
more  than  a  passive  interest  in  public  mat- 
ters, but  was  too  domestic  in  his  tastes  to 
seek  public  office.  He  married  Kather- 
ine Abercrombie,  a  native  of  Sterling,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Margaret,  resides  in  Portland,  Connecti- 
cut; Mary,  wife  of  Samuel  Richardson, 
now  lives  in  Canton,  Ohio ;  Jeanette,  wife 
of  Henry  Fowler,  of  Summit,  New  Jer- 
sey ;  David  W.,  of  further  mention. 

Dr.  David  W.  McFarland  attended  the 
public  schools  in  Portland,  and  soon  after 
went  West  and  learned  telegraphy.  This 
occupation  he  followed  only  a  short  time, 
as  soon,  returning  to  the  East,  he  entered 
the  University  of  Vermont  Medical 
School.  He  remained  there  a  year,  and 
then  went  to  the  University  of  New  York. 
After  two  years  study  he  was  graduated 
in  1885  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  The 
ensuing  year  Dr.  McFarland  spent  in 
the  New  York  City  Lunatic  Asylum  as  a 
member  of  the  staff,  resigning  to  become 
associated    with    the    New    Jersey    State 


319 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Asylum.  For  the  succeeding  seven  years 
he  was  engaged  in  private  practice  in 
Waterbury,  Connecticut,  leaving  there  in 
1897  to  form  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Frank 
Haslehurst  Barnes,  with  whom  he  con- 
ducted a  sanitarium  in  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, for  a  year.  This  partnership 
was  then  dissolved,  and  Dr.  McFarland 
opened  his  present  Sanitarium  which  ac- 
commodates one  hundred  patients.  He 
has  a  farm  also  and  all  the  vegetables 
consumed  are  raised  on  this  farm.  A  force 
of  thirty  people  is  required. 

Dr.  McFarland  is  a  member  of  the 
Norwalk  Medical  Association,  the  Fair- 
field County  Medical  Society,  the  Con- 
necticut Society,  and  the  American  Med- 
ical Association.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence, 
and  for  some  years  he  has  been  doing 
work  as  an  alienist;  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Connecticut  Society  of  Alienists  and 
served  as  president  of  this  organization 
for  three  years.  His  fraternal  connec- 
tions are:  Member  of  Temple  Lodge, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  No- 
sohogan  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows ;  Comstock  Lodge,  Knights 
of  Pythias;  Westport  Club;  the  National 
Democratic  Club  of  New  York  City,  a  so- 
cial organization.  Dr.  McFarland  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  although  his  time  is  valu- 
able he  is  very  willing  to  aid  in  whatever 
way  possible  any  movement  for  the  gen- 
eral welfare. 

Dr.  McFarland  married  Marie  Berg,  a 
native  of  Hadersleben,  Denmark,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Ruth,  who 
is  the  wife  of  George  W.  Dilworth,  con- 
nected with  the  Sanitarium. 


MONTGOMERY,  Le  Roy, 

Financier,  Manufacturer. 

As  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Peo- 
ple's Trust  Company,  Mr.  Montgomery 
requires  no  introduction  to  his  neighbors 


of  South  Norwalk,  or  his  fellow-citizens 
of  Fairfield  county.  He  is  known  not 
only  as  an  experienced  financier,  but  also 
as  a  man  who  takes  a  quietly  public-spir- 
ited interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  commu- 
nity. 

The  name  Montgomery  signifies  "Hill 
of  Gomerico,"  and  the  family  is  an  ex- 
tremely ancient  one.  Roger  de  Mont- 
gomerie  (de  Monte  Gomerico),  so  called 
on  account  of  his  Norman  estate,  was  a 
native  of  Neustria,  and  was  seated  there 
before  the  coming  of  Rollo  in  912. 

William  Montgomery  came  to  East  Jer- 
sey in  1702,  thus  founding  the  American 
portion  of  the  family,  branches  of  which 
are  scattered  through  Pennsylvania,  Vir- 
ginia and  Kentucky.  The  race  is  numer- 
ous in  Scotland,  Ireland  and  Wales. 

James  W.  Montgomery,  grandfather  of 
Le  Roy  Montgomery,  was  born  in  Port- 
land, Maine,  and  at  an  early  age  began  to 
follow  the  sea.  He  became  a  sea  captain 
while  still  a  young  man,  owning  the  bark 
"Statira,"  and  making  deep-sea  as  well  as 
coast-wise  voyages.  In  the  gold  rush  of 
'49  he  went  to  California.  He  had  broth- 
ers, Rev.  George  W.,  John  A.,  and  Tho- 
mas J.,  a  general  in  the  Mexican  War, 
who  married  a  Virginian.  Captain  James 
W.  Montgomery  married  Deborah  Ann 
Hicks,  of  Long  Island,  the  seat  of  a  nu- 
merous branch  of  this  old  English  fam- 
ily, which  may  also  be  found  well  repre- 
sented in  New  England.  Captain  Mont- 
gomery never  returned  from  California, 
his  death  occurring  in  the  town  of  Mur- 
phy, Calaveras  county,  in  1859. 

William  E.  Montgomery,  son  of  James 
W.  and  Deborah  Ann  (Hicks)  Montgom- 
ery, was  born  in  New  York  City  and  edu- 
cated in  local  public  schools.  From  the 
time  he  was  eighteen  he  made  Norwalk 
his  home,  where,  at  an  early  age,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  retail  coal  business  on  his 
own  account,  his  place  of  business  being 
320 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  South  Norwalk.  After  a  few  years  he 
abandoned  the  coal  business  in  order  to 
become  teller  in  the  Norwalk  Savings  So- 
ciety, a  position  which  he  had  held  over 
forty  years.  Though  never  a  politician, 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Burgesses,  and  filled  the  office  of  treas- 
urer of  the  old  city  of  Norwalk.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted, 
August  30,  1862,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  as 
a  sergeant  in  Company  L,  Eleventh  New 
York  Cavalry,  known  as  the  famous 
"Scott's  900;"  he  served  the  entire  four 
years,  being  wounded  and  captured  at 
Doyal's  Plantation,  August  5,  1864. 

Mr.  Montgomery  affiliated  with  St. 
John's  Lodge,  No.  6,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  He  married  Maria  A.  Brady, 
daughter  of  Thomas  A.  Brady,  of  Nor- 
walk, and  their  children  were :  William 
L.,  of  Seattle;  George  B.,  of  Norwalk; 
Charles  E.,  of  Norwalk ;  Emily  Louise, 
who  married  Waldo  A.  Raymond,  of 
Newark,  New  Jersey;  Le  Roy,  of  whom 
further ;  and  Howard  A.  The  family 
were  members  of  Grace  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  of  Norwalk,  in  which  Mr. 
Montgomery,  whose  death  occurred  July 
28,  191 1,  served  as  vestryman. 

The  "History  of  Harlem"  states  that 
Jean  Le  Roy  owned  in  Harlem  the  tract 
of  land  that  was  purchased  by  William 
Brady.  The  name  of  the  family  was 
originally  used  as  Brody,  later  changed 
to  Brady,  and  the  great-great-grandfather 
(Christian  name  unknown)  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  a  Revolutionary  ancestor  of  this 
line,  and  had  his  estate  in  Harlem  con- 
fiscated by  the  Crown.  His  son,  James 
Brady,  was  an  architect  of  New  York 
City,  and  married  Grace  Jennings.  Tho- 
mas Brady,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
also  married  a  Jennings. 

Le  Roy  Montgomery,  son  of  William 
E.  and  Maria  A.  (Brady)  Montgomery, 
was  born  February  16,  1881,  in  Norwalk, 

Conn— 8— 21  ^2 


and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city.  In  1899  he  be- 
came a  messenger  in  the  old  Central  Na- 
tional Bank,  but  did  not  long  serve  in 
that  humble  capacity,  his  ability  attract- 
ing notice  and  causing  him  to  be  pro- 
moted rapidly.  During  the  three  years 
that  he  remained  in  the  bank  he  held,  for 
the  greater  part  of  the  time,  the  position 
of  bookkeeper.  When  he  left  it  was  to 
become  a  teller  in  the  Fairfield  County 
Savings  Bank.  This  position  he  retained 
until  1914,  when  the  People's  Trust  Com- 
pany of  South  Norwalk  was  organized, 
and  he  became  its  secretary  and  treasurer. 
This  dual  position  he  retained  until  Au- 
gust, 1920,  and  by  his  manner  of  dis- 
charging its  duties,  as  well  as  by  his  wise 
counsel  and  broad  outlook  upon  aiifairs, 
did  much  toward  establishing  it  upon  a 
firm  and  permanent  basis.  He  is  a  cor- 
porator of  the  Fairfield  County  Savings 
Bank,  and  is  the  secretary  of  the  Bridge 
Commission  of  the  town  of  Norwalk. 

In  August,  1920,  Mr.  Montgomery  be- 
came a  partner  with  Isaac  Church  in  the 
manufacture  of  expansion  bolts  and  hard- 
ware specialties.  In  January,  1921,  he 
purchased  Mr.  Church's  interest,  and  has 
since  conducted  the  business  as  sole 
owner.  This  business  was  founded  in 
Toledo,  Ohio,  by  Isaac  Church,  in  1879, 
and  in  1907  was  moved  to  Norwalk.  The 
expansion  bolts  are  amply  protected  by 
patents  and  have  long  been  a  standard 
product. 

Mr.  Montgomery  married,  June  28, 
191 1,  Marion  Montgomery  Lee,  daughter 
of  Mortimer  Montgomery  and  Julia  C. 
(Adams)  Lee,  of  Norwalk.  A  biography 
of  Mr.  Lee  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Montgomery  are  the 
parents  of  one  child :  Mortimer  Lee,  born 
May  27,  1917.  They  are  members  of 
Grace  Episcopal  Church. 

From  his  early  youth  Mr.  Montgom- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ery  has  been  closely  identified  with  Nor- 
walk  interests,  finding  full  scope  for  his 
energy  and  talents,  first  in  the  field  of 
finance,  and  then  in  industry.  His  career 
is  a  notable  example  of  the  beneficial  re- 
sults of  concentration  of  efifort,  supported 
by  far-sighted  judgment. 

(The   Jennings  Line). 

(I)  This  line  of  Jennings  was  founded 
by  Joshua  Jennings,  who  was  born  in 
England,  in  1620,  and  died  in  1675,  in 
Fairfield,  Connecticut.  He  married,  in 
1647,  Mary  Williams.  Among  their  chil- 
dren was  Isaac,  of  whom  further. 

(II)  Isaac  Jennings,  son  of  Joshua  and 
Mary  (Williams)  Jennings,  was  born  in 
1673,  and  died  in  1746.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Beers,  of  Fairfield, 
Connecticut,  and  among  their  children 
was  Isaac  (2),  of  whom  further. 

(III)  Isaac  (2)  Jennings,  son  of  Isaac 
(i)  Jennings,  was  baptized  in  1702,  and 
died  March  6,  1760.  The  Christian  name 
of  his  wife  was  Phebe.  Among  their  chil- 
dren was  Jacob,  of  whom  further. 

(IV)  Jacob  Jennings,  son  of  Isaac  (2) 
and  Phebe  Jennings,  was  baptized  De- 
cember 9,  1739.  He  married  and  had  a 
daughter  Grace,  who  married  James 
Brady;   and  a  son,  Isaac. 


OSBORN,  Gregory  T., 

Member  of  Old  Family. 

The  Osborn  family  is  a  very  old  one 
and  dates  back  to  the  first  part  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  coat-of-arms 
of  this  family,  granted  February  11,  1662, 
is  as  follows: 

Arms — Argent,  a  bend,  between  two  lions  ram- 
pant. 

Crest — A  lion's  head  erased,  argent,  ducally 
crowned,  or. 

Motto — Quantum  in  rebus  inane.  (How  much 
frivolity  in  human  affairs). 


(I)  The  ancestor  of  the  family  in 
America  was  Captain  Richard  Osborn. 
He  was  born  in  1612  in  London,  and  died 
in  1686  in  Westchester,  New  Ybrk.  Cap- 
tain Osborn  was  in  America  as  early  as 
.1634;  he  sailed  in  the  ship  "Hopewell" 
with  Captain  Thomas  Wood.  Before 
1640,  Captain  Osborn  went  to  New  Ha- 
ven, Connecticut,  and  in  1653  was  living 
in  Fairfield.  He  served  in  the  Pequot 
War,  and  received  a  grant  of  eighty  acres 
of  land.  In  1666  he  had  an  interest  in 
lands  in  Newton,  Long  Island,  later  re- 
moving to  Westchester,  New  York. 

(II)  Captain  John  Osborn,  son  of  Cap- 
tain Richard  Osborn,  was  born  undoubt- 
edly in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  be- 
tween 1640  and  1650.  He  was  deputy  to 
the  General  Court,  and  a  very  useful  cit- 
izen. He  married,  before  1673,  Sarah 
Bennett,  daughter  of  James  Bennett. 

(III)  Sergeant  D&vid  Osborn,  son  of 
Captain  John  and  Sarah  (Bennett)  Os- 
born, was  a  member  of  Dr.  Thomas  Pell's 
company  in  the  settlement  of  Eastchester, 
New  York,  in  1666.  He  married,  in  1679, 
Abigail  Pinckney,  daughter  of  Philip 
Pinckney,  of  Eastchester. 

(IV)  William  Osborn,  son  of  Sergeant 
David  and  Abigail  (Pinckney)  Osborn, 
married  Elizabeth  Tumey,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  Isaac,  of  whom  further. 

(V)  Isaac  Osborn,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Turney)  Osborn,  was  born 
September  6,  1740,  died  in  1816.  He 
married,  September  22,  1763,  Martha 
Higgins,  born  October  10,  1745.  died 
March  17,  1789. 

(VI)  Turney  Osborn,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Martha  (Higgins)  Osborn,  was  born 
May  19,  1782,  and  died  September  12, 
1855.  He  was  a  farmer  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Georgetown,  Connecticut,  origi- 
nally a  part  of  the  town  of  Fairfield,  but 
now  included  in  the  town  of  Weston,  Con- 


322 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


necticut.  This  is  the  farm  which  was 
deeded  to  the  immigrant,  Captain  Richard 
Osborn,  for  his  services  in  the  Pequot 
War.  Turney  Osborn  married,  January 
9,  1812,  Sarah,  born  August  28,  1783,  died 
June  16,  1859,  a  descendant  of  Stephen 
Pierson. 

(VII)  Gregory  Thomas  Osborn,  son 
of  Turney  and  Sarah  Osborn,  was  born 
February  14,  1820,  in  Georgetown,  Con- 
necticut, and  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  In  early  life  he  was  a  farmer 
and  later  engaged  in  business  as  a  cattle 
dealer.  He  went  West  and  to  Canada, 
buying  cattle  and  then  driving  them  to 
the  home  market.  It  is  said  he  bought 
the  first  western  steers  ever  brought  to 
this  part  of  Connecticut.  At  first  a  Whig, 
Mr.  Osborn  later  joined  the  ranks  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  was  one  of  the 
original  John  C.  Fremont  men  in  this  sec- 
tion. When  Horace  Greeley  was  de- 
feated, Mr.  Osborn  became  a  Cleveland 
Democrat.  Mr.  Osborn  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  for  a  term  and  served  in 
the  first  session  held  in  the  new  Capitol. 
He  also  served  as  selectman ;  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Train  Band,  and  an  orderly 
sergeant.  His  sword  is  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  his  son.  Mr.  Osborn  married 
Mary  Elizabeth  Piatt,  daughter  of  David 
Piatt,  a  descendant  of  Richard  Piatt. 
They  were  the  parents  of  William  Edgar 
Osborn,  of  extended  mention  below. 

Richard  Piatt  and  his  wife  Mary  landed 
in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  in  1638. 
Their  son,  John  Piatt,  moved  to  Milford, 
Connecticut,  where  he  married  Hannah 
Clark,  daughter  of  "Farmer"  George 
Clark,  of  that  town.  On  June  6,  1660,  he 
came  to  Norwalk  and  built  his  home  on 
the  old  Fairfield  path.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  noted  men  in  Norwalk  history, 
and  was  appointed  in  October,  1665,  as 
commissioner  to  view  grounds  with  refer- 
ence to  new  plantations,  and  was  one  of 


the  party  who  laid  out  Danbury,  Con- 
necticut. His  son,  John  (2)  Piatt,  was 
born  in  1664,  and  married,  in  May,  1695, 
Sarah  Wood,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Wood. 
Their  son,  John  (3)  Piatt,  married  Sarah 
Hickox,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
Samuel  Piatt,  who  married,  March  2, 
1757,  Ann  Raymond,  daughter  of  Jabez 
Raymond.  Justus  Piatt,  their  son,  was 
born  September  10,  1768,  and  died  March 
17,  1849;  hemarried  (first)  Hannah  Smith, 
born  March  18,  1773,  died  January  15, 
1830.  They  were  the  parents  of  David 
Piatt,  born  May  24,  1797;  he  married, 
October  7,  1822,  Mary  Hanford,  daughter 
of  Isaac  and  Albacinda  (Chapman)  Han- 
ford. She  died  February  5,  1892.  David 
Piatt  was  engaged  in  the  edge-tool  busi- 
ness on  the  Newton  turnpike  in  the  town 
of  Weston,  Connecticut,  and  lived  the  lat- 
ter part  of  his  life  across  the  river  in  the 
town  of  Wilton.  He  was  one  of  the  char- 
ter members  of  Temple  Lodge,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  of  Westport.  He  died 
April  30,  1871,  and  his  daughter,  Mary 
Elizabeth,  became  the  wife  of  Gregory 
Thomas  Osborn,  as  above  noted. 


OSBORN,  William  Edgar, 

Business  Man,  Public  Official. 

Very  often  we  find  the  representative  of 
one  of  the  early  Colonial  families  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  administration  of 
public  affairs,  and  it  seems  particularly 
fitting  that  this  should  be  so.  A  worthy 
scion  of  the  Osborn  family,  and  treasurer 
of  the  town  of  Westport,  Connecticut, 
William  Edgar  Osborn  holds  a  respected 
place  among  his  fellow-citizens.  He  is 
a  son  of  Gregory  T.  and  Mary  E.  (Piatt) 
Osborn  (q.  v.),  and  was  born  in  George- 
town, Connecticut,  where  he  received  his 
education. 

For  a  time  after  completing  his  school- 
ing, he  worked  on  the  farm  with  his  father 


323 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  then  went  into  the  grocery  business 
in  Georgetown  for  two  years.  After  dis- 
posing of  this,  he  came  to  Westport,  in 
1890,  and  bought  the  grocery  business  of 
Bradley  &  Wheeler.  This  engaged  his 
attention  until  1917,  in  which  year  he 
disposed  of  it  and  retired  from  mercan- 
tile business. 

For  sixteen  years,  he  has  been  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Westport  Bank  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  for  a  similar  length  of  time  has 
served  Westport  as  town  treasurer.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  served 
as  a  delegate  to  many  conventions.  Sev- 
eral times  he  has  been  the  candidate  of 
both  parties  for  town  treasurer,  and  a 
number  of  times  has  been  the  only  one 
on  the  Republican  ticket.  An  upright  citi- 
zen, public-spirited,  he  ranks  among  the 
leading  men  of  Westport. 

Mr.  Osborn  married  Ida  Frances  Jel- 
liff,  daughter  of  James  F.  Jellifif,  of 
Georgetown,  and  their  only  child,  William 
Francis  Osborn,  receives  extended  men- 
tion below. 


OSBORN,  William  Francis, 

Hannfactnrer. 

It  is  always  profitable  to  study  the  rec- 
ords of  such  men  as  William  Francis  Os- 
born, representative  as  he  is  of  one  who 
has  raised  himself  by  means  of  his  own 
efforts.  Beginning  as  an  assistant  to 
his  father  in  the  work  about  his  store, 
he  persevered  and  applied  himself  dili- 
gently to  each  task  as  it  came  to  hand 
until  he  now  occupies  a  position  as  a 
man-of-affairs  and  an  upright  citizen  in 
his  community. 

Mr.  Osborn  was  born  in  Georgetown, 
Connecticut,  the  only  child  of  William  E. 
and  Ida  F.  (Jelliff)  Osborn  (q.  v.).  He 
was  educated  in  the  grammar  schools  and 
in  the  Staples  High  School,  and  then  be- 
came  associated  with  his   father  in   the 


grocery  business.  He  later  became  iden- 
tified with  the  firm  of  Osborn,  Kimber  & 
Kemper,  leather  manufacturers  of  West- 
port,  Connecticut.  This  firm  is  one  of  the 
oldest  manufacturers  of  leather  in  the 
United  States,  the  firm  being  founded  by 
Daniel  Kemper  in  the  early  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  They  make  a  spe- 
cialty of  fine  Morocco  leather  and  their 
product  is  marketed  all  over  the  country. 
Mr.  Osborn  was  admitted  to  partnership 
in  the  firm. 

For  a  term  he  served  as  town  auditor, 
and  has  in  many  other  ways  shown  him- 
self to  be  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  a 
worthy  scion  of  the  family  he  represents. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Westport  Club  and 
served  as  its  treasurer. 

Mr.  Osborn  married  Carrie  Louise 
Kemper,  daughter  of  C.  H.  Kemper,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  Mr.  Osborn  and  his  wife  attend 
the  Congregational  church  of  Westport, 
as  do  their  paternal  families. 


BRATHWAITE.  Dr.  Frederick  G., 

Surgeon,   Participant  in  World  War. 

The  origin  of  the  name  Brathwaite  is 
particularly  interesting.  It  is  common 
knowledge  that  previous  to  the  thirteenth 
century  there  were  no  surnames.  It  was 
the  custom  to  designate  a  person  by  ref- 
erence to  his  occupation,  his  place  of 
abode,  or  some  personal  mannerism  or 
characteristic.  Brathwaite  is  of  the  sec- 
ond class.  Literally,  it  means  broad- 
clearing,  and  was  first  assumed  by  one 
who  lived  near  such  an  open  space.  The 
spelling  is  found  Braith  and  Braithe,  also 
Brath,  being  old  English  for  broad,  as 
waite  is  for  clearing. 

A  distinguished  scion  of  this  family  is 
Dr.  Frederick  G.  Brathwaite,  son  of  the 
Rev.  F.  Windsor  and  Mary  Elizabeth 
(Woolsey)     Brathwaite.      The    Rev.    F. 


324 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Windsor  Brathwaite  was  born  in  Barba- 
does,  and  was  educated  in  the  West  In- 
dies. As  a  young  man,  he  came  to 
Connecticut  and  attended  the  Berkley 
Divinity  School,  where  he  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry.  Subsequently  he  was 
assigned  to  St.  Andrew's  Episcopal 
Church,  of  Stamford,  being  the  first  rec- 
tor of  the  church,  and  he  continued  his 
labors  there  throughout  his  lifetime.  Dur- 
ing his  rectorship  the  present  church  and 
rectory  were  erected  and  they  are  among 
the  most  beautiful  edifices  in  the  State. 
Rev.  Mr.  Brathwaite  represented  a  type 
of  churchmanship  which  is  peculiar  to 
Connecticut ;  he  was  a  very  high  church- 
man and  exalted  the  authority  and 
jurisdiction  of  his  church.  To  all  his 
ecclesiastical  dignities  and  ceremonies  he 
attached  great  importance,  and  was  be- 
loved by  his  congregation.  A  great  stu- 
dent of  literature  and  the  arts,  Rev. 
Brathwaite  collected  a  very  fine  library. 
Rev.  Mr.  Brathwaite  married,  in  1865, 
Mary  Elizabeth  Woolsey,  daughter  of 
Commodore  Melancthon  Lloyd  Woolsey. 
The  latter  was  born  June  5,  1780,  and  died 
in  Utica,  New  York,  May  19,  1838.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  years  he  entered  the 
United  States  navy  and  fought  under 
Commodore  Decatur  in  the  Tripolitan 
War.  In  the  War  of  1812  he  was  an  ac- 
tive officer  under  command  of  Commo- 
dore Chauncey.  Commodore  Woolsey 
was  in  command  in  Oswego  when  the 
British  were  repulsed  there.  Subse- 
quently he  was  transferred  to  the  ocean 
service  and  was  successively  in  command 
of  the  West  Indies  Station,  Pensacola, 
Florida,  and  the  Brazilian  Squadron. 
Commodore  Woolsey  was  a  descendant  of 
Rev.  Benjamin  Woolsey,  born  November 
19,  1687,  in  Jamaica,  Long  Island.  Com- 
modore Woolsey  married,  November  3, 
1817,  Susan  C.  Treadwell,  born  December 
8,  1796,  died  March  13,  1863,  daughter  of 


James  Treadwell,  of  New  York.  Their 
daughter,  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  April  16, 
1831,  married,  in  1865,  Rev.  F.  Windsor 
Brathwaite,  as  above  mentioned. 

Frederick  G.  Brathwaite,  son  of  Rev.  F. 
Windsor  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Woolsey) 
Brathwaite,  was  born  March  9,  1868,  in 
Stamford,  Connecticut.  He  was  educated 
in  St.  Paul's  School,  Concord,  New 
Hampshire,  and  in  1890  was  graduated 
from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, of  New  York.  Thence  Dr.  Brath- 
waite went  into  the  United  States  navy  as 
assistant  surgeon.  He  remained  there 
for  nine  years,  and  then  became  medical 
officer  for  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
Company.  Subsequently  he  was  ap- 
pointed general  manager  in  the  depart- 
ment of  Australia  with  headquarters  in 
Sidney,  New  South  Wales.  Later,  Dr. 
Brathwaite  became  assistant  medical  di- 
rector for  Europe,  with  headquarters  in 
Paris.  His  next  ofifice  was  as  medical 
director  for  Europe  for  the  Equitable 
Life  Assurance  Society,  with  headquar- 
ters in  Paris. 

Dr.  Brathwaite  was  occupied  with  these 
duties  at  the  time  of  the  World  War,  and 
was  then  transferred  to  the  United  States 
as  associate  medical  director  for  this 
country.  When  the  United  States  entered 
the  conflict.  Dr.  Brathwaite  gave  valuable 
service  as  an  ambulance  surgeon  in  the 
American  Hospital  in  Paris  and  served 
in  that  capacity  during  the  first  battle  of 
the  Marne.  Thence  Dr.  Brathwaite  was 
sent  to  Russia,  where  he  spent  the  winter 
of  1914-15,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  latter 
year  returned  to  France.  He  was  all  over 
Germany  and  was  arrested  at  Sasnitz. 
Since  the  close  of  the  war.  Dr.  Brathwaite 
has  been  located  in  New  York  City,  as 
associate  medical  director  of  the  Equita- 
ble Life  Assurance  Sociecy.  He  has  made 
some  remarkable  and  unique  as  well  as 
valuable  studies  along  the  line  of  selec- 


325 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tion   in   life   insurance   by   means   of  the 
system  of  "numerical  notation." 

Dr.  Brathwaite  married  Marguerite 
Force,  daughter  of  Silas  Force,  of  New 
York  City.  They  are  the  parents  of  a 
son,  Melancthon  Woolsey,  born  in  1898. 
He  is  now  a  member  of  the  class  of  1922 
in  the  United  States  Naval  Academy,  his 
early  education  having  been  obtained  in 
France.  The  family  attend  St.  Andrew's 
Episcopal  Church,  of  Stamford. 


SALMON,  Frederick  Morehouse, 
Jndge  of  Probate. 

The  introductory  phrases  ordinarily 
used  in  a  work  of  this  character  in  pre- 
senting to  the  public  an  eminent  and 
honored  name  would  be  wholly  super- 
fluous if  used  in  connection  with  the  one 
inscribed  at  the  head  of  this  article.  As 
a  member  of  the  judiciary  of  Fairfield 
county,  Judge  Salmon  requires  no  intro- 
duction, and  as  ex-State  Senator  he  is 
equally  independent  of  any  form  of  pre- 
sentation. He  is  simply  and  most 
respectfully  announced  to  his  friends  and 
neighbors  of  Westport  and  to  his  fellow- 
citizens  of  Fairfield  county  and  the  State 
of  Connecticut. 

The  manor  of  Salmans,  in  Caterham, 
Surrey,  England,  is  known  to  have  be- 
longed, in  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Third, 
to  Roger  Saleman.  The  name,  in  this 
orthography,  is  common  in  the  Hundred 
Rolls. 

Three  families  of  the  name  of  Salmon 
came  in  1640  to  the  American  colonies, 
one  settling  in  Massachusetts,  another  in 
New  Jersey,  and  the  third  in  Southold, 
Long  Island.  The  race  appears  to  have 
been  originally  Scottish,  but  during  the 
Highland  wars  some  of  its  members  mi- 
grated to  Southwold,  England,  and  from 
the  name  of  that  place  it  seems  not  im- 
probable that  the  designation  of  Southold, 
Long  Island,  may  have  been  derived. 


(I)  Daniel  C.  Salmon,  grandfather  of 
Frederick  Morehouse  Salmon,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Trumbull,  Fairfield  county, 
Connecticut,  educated  in  the  district 
school,  and  followed  the  carpenter's  trade 
in  conjunction  with  the  business  of  under- 
taking. He  married  Mary  Catherine 
Bradley,  some  account  of  whose  family 
is  appended  to  this  biography,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  two  sons :  Morris, 
and  David  A.,  mentioned  below.  Daniel 
C.  Salmon,  who  was  a  very  successful 
man  and  a  good  citizen,  died  October  14, 
1851. 

(II)  David  A.  Salmon,  son  of  Daniel 

C.  and  Mary  Catherine  (Bradley)  Salmon, 
was  born  September  26,  1836,  in  Weston, 
Connecticut,  and  attended  the  local  public 
schools.  As  a  boy  he  was  employed  in  the 
dry  goods  store  of  Sullivan  Moulton,  in 
Westport,  and  later,  in  partnership  with 
his  father-in-law,  he  purchased  the  busi- 
ness and  carried  it  on  under  the  name  of 

D.  A.  Salmon  &  Company.  While  never 
an  office  seeker,  he  took  an  active  interest 
in  public  affairs  and  for  many  years 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Republican 
town  committee.  He  married  Frances 
Augusta  Morehouse,  born  September  3, 
1839,  daughter  of  Frederick  Morehouse, 
of  Westport.  The  English  origin  of  the 
family  is  indicated  by  the  patronymic 
which  is  the  designation  of  several  places 
in  England.  Thomas  Morehouse,  the  first 
American  ancestor  of  record,  was  in 
Wethersfield  in  1640,  and  was  among  the 
first  to  receive  a  grant  of  seven  acres  in 
Stamford.  Of  the  six  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  A.  Salmon,  the  following 
reached  maturity:  Catherine,  died  unmar- 
ried ;  Anna  Frances,  married  William  L. 
Taylor,  and  is  now  deceased ;  Frederick 
Morehouse,  mentioned  below ;  Edith,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Austin  Wakeman ;  and 
David  A.,  of  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Salmon  were 
members    of    the    Methodist    Episcopal 


326 


Cy%t^^i^t^c^  ^ .    /^    <^a/?^^^i^t^^-L^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


church,  in  which  Mr.  Salmon  at  different     ment  of  the  important  duties   devolving 


times  held  most  of  the  offices.  For 
twenty-five  years  he  was  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  school,  and  for  a  long 
period  served  as  chairman  of  the  board 
of  trustees.  Mr.  Salmon  died  March  ii, 
1894,  but  the  name  of  D.  A.  Salmon  & 
Company  stood  over  the  door  of  his  store 
until  August  18,  1918,  when  his  son, 
Frederick  Morehouse  Salmon,  sold  the 
business.  To  the  close  of  his  life  David 
A.  Salmon  was  the  active  head  of  the 
firm.  Mrs.  Salmon  passed  away  Febru- 
ary II,  1913. 

(Ill)  Frederick  Morehouse  Salmon, 
son  of  David  A.  and  Frances  Augusta 
(Morehouse)  Salmon,  was  born  February 
27,  1870,  in  Westport,  Connecticut.  He 
received  his  preliminary  education  in 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  after- 
ward attending  Packard's  Business  Col- 
lege, New  York  City.  His  business  life 
began  as  the  associate  of  his  father  whom 
he  succeeded  as  owner  of  the  concern.  In 
early  manhood  Mr.  Salmon  began  to  take 
an  active  interest  in  the  political  life  of 
his  community,  allying  himself  with  the 
Republican  party.  His  aptitude  for  public 
affairs  met  with  speedy  recognition  and 
he  was  made  chairman  of  the  Republican 
town  committee,  an  office  which  he  has 
retained  to  the  present  time,  a  period  of 
twenty-seven  years.  He  served  as  county 
treasurer  for  six  years.  For  twenty-two 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Con- 
necticut State  Prison  Commission,  and 
for  ten  years  served  as  its  secretary.  In 
1915  and  1917  he  represented  his  party  in 
the  Twenty-fifth  Senatorial  District  in  the 
Senate  at  Hartford,  serving  as  chairman 
of  the  roads,  bridges  and  rivers  commit- 
tee, and  in  1916,  during  this  period,  the 
concrete  bridge  was  erected  over  the  Sau- 
gatuck  river  at  Westport.  During  his 
second  term  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
appropriations    committee.       His    fulfill- 


upon  him  as  a  representative  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens elicited  the  vigorous  support 
and  hearty  approval  of  his  constituents. 
He  was  alternate  delegate  to  the  Chicago 
Convention  that  nominated  Warren  G. 
Harding  for  President  of  the  United 
States.  In  October,  1919,  Mr.  Salmon 
was  elected  judge  of  probate,  and  on  April 
II,  1920,  was  inducted  into  office,  suc- 
ceeding Judge  D.  B.  Bradley,  who  was 
retired  by  the  statute  limiting  the  age 
beyond  which  a  judge  may  not  continue 
in  office.  Judge  Salmon  was  reelected 
November  2,  1920. 

In  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare 
and  prosperity  of  his  home  community 
Judge  Salmon  has  ever  manifested  the 
most  helpful  interest,  and  every  move- 
ment which  in  his  judgment  is  calculated 
to  further  the  attainment  of  those  ends 
receives  the  aid  of  his  influence  and 
means.  He  is  vice-president  of  the  West- 
port  Bank  and  Trust  Company,  and  a 
trustee  of  the  Staples  High  School.  To 
him  was  entrusted  the  organization  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  to 
which  E.  T.  Bedford,  of  Greens  Farms, 
intends  to  give  $200,000  for  the  building, 
$50,000  for  furnishing,  and  $200,000  for 
an  endowment. 

During  the  late  World  War,  Judge  Sal- 
mon was  a  leader  in  various  patriotic 
activities,  serving  as  chairman  of  the  last 
three  Liberty  Loan  campaigns  in  West- 
port,  and  acting  in  the  same  capacity  in 
behalf  of  the  great  drives  conducted  for 
the  assistance  of  different  charities. 

Judge  Salmon  married,  October  12, 
1892,  Martha  Grace  King,  daughter  of 
Theodore  E.  and  Abigail  W.  (Carpenter) 
King,  of  Westport,  Connecticut.  Judge 
and  Mrs.  Salmon  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  for 
twenty-five  years  Judge  Salmon  has  held 
the   office   of   treasurer,    also    serving   as 


327 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


chairman  of  the  committee  appointed  to 
supervise  the  building  of  the  present  edi- 
fice. 

Judge  Salmon's  career  which,  in  trend 
and  purpose,  has  been  steadily  upward, 
has  not  yet  reached  its  zenith.  He  is  in 
the  prime  of  life,  and  his  record  of  public 
service  justifies  the  belief  that  his  fellow- 
citizens  will  again  and  perhaps  yet  again 
summon  him  to  fill  higher  places  and  to 
work  in  more  extended  fields. 

(The  Bradley  Line). 

Bradley  is  one  of  the  oldest  English 
surnames.  It  is  pure  Anglo-Saxon,  being 
a  compound  of  brad,  broad,  wide,  and  ley, 
field  or  pasture.  It  is  used  to  designate 
many  parishes  in  various  counties  of 
England. 

Francis  Bradley  is  thought  to  have 
come  from  England  in  1637  with  Gover- 
nor Theophilus  Eaton.  He  could  then 
have  been  only  a  lad,  and  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  he  was  a  son  of  Francis 
Bradley,  Jr.,  of  Coventry,  who  was  born 
in  1595,  and  was  son  and  heir  to  Francis 
Bradley,  Sr.  Theophilus  Eaton  was  born  in 
Coventry,  as  was  the  Rev.  John  Daven- 
port, co-leader  with  Eaton  of  the  New 
Haven  colony.  It  is  thought  that  Eaton 
and  Francis  Bradley,  Jr.,  were  school- 
mates, and  it  was  therefore  natural  that 
Bradley  should  confide  his  son  to  Eaton's 
care.  In  1657  Francis  Bradley  resided  in 
Branford,  Connecticut,  and  in  1660  he 
went  to  Fairfield.  He  married  Ruth  Bar- 
low, daughter  of  John  Barlow,  and  his 
descendants  are  numerous  in  many  of  the 
Northern  States.  The  first  three  or  four 
generations  remained  in  Fairfield  and  its 
vicinit}',  particularly  in  and  about  Green- 
field Hill. 

Wakeman  Bradley,  father  of  Mrs.  Mary 
Catherine  (Bradley)  Salmon,  was  born  in 
Fairfield,  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and  learned  the  manufacture  of 
axes  and  edge-tools.     In  1812  he  settled 


in  Weston,  where  he  built  an  edge-tool 
factory  which  he  operated  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  married  Cather- 
ine Andrews,  of  Weston,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  a  numerous  family. 

Mary  Catherine  Bradley,  daughter  of 
Wakeman  and  Catherine  (Andrews) 
Bradley,  became  the  wife  of  Daniel  C. 
Salmon,  as  stated  above. 


MALKIN,  Albert  Richard, 

Bnilding  Contractor. 

The  energy,  promptness  and  good 
judgment  which  Albert  R.  Malkin,  lead- 
ing contractor  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut, 
has  manifested  in  his  business  career,  has 
gained  for  him  an  excellent  reputation  as 
a  contractor  and  builder.  The  surname  of 
Malkin  is  derived  from  Mathilde,  meaning 
"might  in  war."  Mr.  Malkin's  grandfa- 
ther was  Richard  Malkin,  a  native  of  Mac- 
clesfield, England.  The  latter  came  to 
America,  bringing  with  him  his  son, 
Samuel  Malkin,  who  was  born  in  Mac- 
clesfield, in  1834.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
baker,  and  after  locating  in  this  countrj'- 
became  a  shoemaker,  which  vocation  he 
followed  in  New  Canaan  the  greater  part 
of  his  life.  Mr.  Malkin  was  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  and  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellow  lodges  in  New  Canaan.  He 
married  Julia  Raymond,  born  May  10, 
1839,  daughter  of  Russell  G.  Raymond, 
and  of  their  children  five  grew  to  matur- 
ity. They  were :  Albert  Richard,  of  fur- 
ther mention  ;  Eliza  Jane,  wife  of  Albert 
Betts,  of  Norwalk;  Nellie  N.  (deceased), 
wife  of  Irving  C.  Bynington,  of  Norwalk; 
Mary  L.,  wife  of  E.  H.  Morehouse;  Har- 
riet, wife  of  L.  O.  Fauntleroy,  of  Hart- 
ford. The  family  were  members  of  the 
Methodist   Episcopal   church. 

The  Raymond  family,  from  which  Mrs. 
Malkin  is  descended,  has  long  been  set- 
tled in  Fairfield  county.  Richard  Ray- 
mond, the  ancestor,  was  among  the  earli- 


328 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


est  settlers  in  Norwalk  and  a  leading 
citizen  of  his  day.  By  occupation  he  was 
a  mariner  and  was  engaged  in  a  coast- 
wise trade  with  the  Dutch  and  English 
settlers.  His  wife's  Christian  name  was 
Judith,  and  they  were  the  ancestors  of 
a  long  line  of  distinguished  and  useful 
citizens.  Of  these  Russell  G.  Raymond, 
a  lifelong  resident  of  Norwalk,  holds  a 
prominent  place.  He  was  the  father  of 
Julia  Raymond,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Malkin,  as  above  stated. 

Albert  Richard  Malkin,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Julia  (Raymond)  Malkin,  was  born 
April  i6,  i860,  in  New  Canaan,  Connec- 
ticut. He  was  educated  there  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  in  the  schools  of  Norwalk. 
In  1880  he  entered  the  drug  store  of  E.  P. 
Weed  to  learn  the  profession  of  phar- 
macist and  was  duly  licensed.  For  about 
ten  years  Mr.  Malkin  remained  in  the 
drug  business,  and  during  the  greater 
part  of  that  time  conducted  his  own  store 
in  partnership  with  Dr.  J.  P.  Gregory.  In 
1885,  Mr.  Malkin  sold  his  interests  and 
served  his  apprenticeship  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  with  a  view  to  going  into  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account  as  a  builder. 
This  he  did  upon  completing  his  appren- 
ticeship and  formed  a  partnership  with 
Hart  Denton,  under  the  firm  name  of 
A.  R.  Malkin  &  Company.  They  began 
building  operations  at  once,  first  in  a 
small  way,  and  the  business  has  now  de- 
veloped to  such  proportions  that  between 
seventy-five  and  one  hundred  men  are 
employed.  Their  operations  are  in  West- 
ern Connecticut  and  Eastern  New  York. 
Mr.  Denton  was  succeeded  by  R.  S.  Van 
Buren  as  a  partner,  and  about  twenty- 
five  years  ago  the  company  opened  a  mill 
and  now  get  out  all  their  own  dressed 
lumber  and  interior  finish.  They  do  a 
general  building  contracting  business  and 
have  erected  many  stations  and  other 
buildings  for  the  New  York,  New  Haven 


&  Hartford  Railroad  Company.  Many 
schools  all  over  the  State  have  been  built 
by  this  company.  A  large  part  of  their 
work  is  the  erection  of  fine  residences, 
out  of  an  immense  number,  space  permits 
mention  of  only  a  few :  A  large  summer 
home  for  the  New  York  Society  for  Ethi- 
cal Culture  in  Mountainville,  near  New- 
burgh,  New  York;  the  P.  W.  Brooks 
residence,  the  Porter  Emerson  Brown 
residence,  the  Herman  Aaron  residence 
and  the  residence  of  Judge  E.  M.  Lock- 
wood,  all  in  Norwalk.  In  New  Canaan, 
the  residence  of  Dr.  P.  H.  Williams,  of 
Mrs.  Bradley,  of  Payson  Merrill,  Thomas 
Hall  and  of  Dr.  Bishop. 

Mr.  Malkin  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  actively  interested  in  all  public  mat- 
ters but  does  not  seek  public  office.  He 
is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  6, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ; 
Washington  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons ;  Clinton  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar;  Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic 
Shrine ;  the  Norwalk  Club  ;  the  Norwalk 
Country  Club ;  the  Knob  Outing  Club, 
and  the  Westport  Country  Club.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Norwalk  Library,  Nor- 
walk Club  Company,  National  Bank  of 
Norwalk,  and  was  vice-president,  but  is 
now  (1921)  president  of  the  Norwalk 
Savings  Society. 

Mr.  Malkin  married  Catherine  Au- 
gusta Denton,  daughter  of  Hart  Den- 
ton, of  Norwalk,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  four  children:  i.  Albert  Den- 
ton, married  Ida  M.  Steele,  and  has 
one  son,  Edward  Steele,  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Marjorie ;  they  reside  in  Norwalk.  2. 
Kathryn  Hoyt,  married  Gibson  Smith,  a 
sketch  of  whom  follows.  3.  Allen  Ray- 
mond. 4.  Ward  Gregory.  The  family 
attend  and  aid  in  the  support  of  Grace 
Episcopal  Church,  of  Norwalk,  and  Mr. 
Malkin  also  serves  as  vestryman  of  this 
church. 


329 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SMITH,  Gibson, 

Building  Contractor. 

One  of  the  leading  business  men  of 
South  Norwalk,  and  a  foremost  citizen  of 
that  place,  Gibson  Smith  was  born  there 
February  lo,  1894,  son  of  William  and 
Jennie  (Gibson)  Smith,  and  grandson  of 
Samuel  and  Anna  (Gibbooney)  Smith. 

Samuel  Smith,  grandfather  of  Gibson 
Smith,  was  born  in  Smithtown,  Long 
Island,  March  12,  1812,  and  died  in  1892. 
He  became  an  apprentice  at  the  mason's 
trade  in  New  York  City  and  worked  on 
Trinity  Church.  Early  in  his  life  he  en- 
tered the  contracting  business  and  was  in 
business  for  himself  for  about  twenty-five 
years.  From  New  York  City  he  went  to 
Northport,  Long  Island,  and  built  a  hos- 
pital at  St.  Johnland,  and  remained  for 
four  years,  removing  thence  to  Norwalk, 
Connecticut.  Samuel  Smith  married  Anna 
Gibbooney. 

William  Smith,  father  of  Gibson  Smith, 
was  born  in  New  York  City  in  June, 
1854,  and  died  July  5,  1915.  When  he 
was  a  boy  his  parents  removed  to  Smith- 
town,  Long  Island,  and  for  a  time  they 
lived  also  at  Northport.  William  Smith 
learned  the  trade  of  mason  with  his  father 
and  worked  with  him  for  several  years. 
When  he  was  about  twenty-four  years  of 
age  he  started  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count as  a  contractor  and  builder  and  so 
continued  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was 
brought  up  in  South  Norwalk,  Connec- 
ticut, where  his  parents  removed  from 
Long  Island.  He  was  the  most  important 
mason  builder  in  the  Norwalks  and 
among  those  buildings  constructed  by 
him  were  the  Clififord  Hotel,  the  R.  &  G. 
Corset  factory,  Swartz  &  Corbett  build- 
ing, the  Masonic  building  in  Norwalk, 
the  buildings  of  the  Norwalk  and  South 
Norwalk  clubs,  the  Franklin  school  in 
South  Norwalk,  the  Ashe  factory,  Martin 


&  Bates  building,  Hanford  building,  and 
the  South  Norwalk  Public  Library.  The 
latter  was  the  last  important  building 
erected  by  Mr.  Smith.  Mr.  Smith  was  not 
a  politician,  but  was  actively  interested  in 
all  public  matters.  He  served  as  street 
commissioner  of  South  Norwalk.  So- 
cially he  was  a  member  of  the  South  Nor- 
walk Club.  He  married  Jennie,  daughter 
of  James  Gibson,  also  a  mason  builder  of 
Danbury,  Connecticut  James  Gibson 
was  born  in  America  of  Scotch  parents, 
and  he  was  in  charge  of  the  construction 
work  on  the  Danbury  Division  of  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Rail- 
road. The  children  of  William  and  Jen- 
nie (Gibson)  Smith  were:  i.  Jane,  mar- 
ried Jarvis  Williams,  Jr.,  general  man- 
ager of  the  Union  Metallic  Cartridge 
Company  of  Bridgeport,  and  the  mother 
of  a  son,  Jarvis,  3d.  2.  Gibson,  of  whom 
further.  The  Smith  family  attended  the 
Congregational  church,  and  Mr.  Smith 
took  an  active  interest  in  church  work. 

Gibson  Smith  was  educated  in  the 
South  Norwalk  grammar  and  high 
schools  and  the  Packard  Commercial  Col- 
lege of  New  York  City.  During  the  in- 
tervals between  school  seasons  he  learned 
the  trade  of  mason,  a  calling  of  his  family 
for  three  generations.  His  formal  educa- 
tion was  completed  with  a  course  in  ar- 
chitectural construction  at  Pratt  Insti- 
tute, Brooklyn,  and  as  soon  as  he  com- 
pleted his  apprenticeship,  he  started  in 
business  for  himself,  being  one  of  the 
youngest  mason  contractors  in  the  State. 
Among  his  work  may  be  mentioned  the 
masonry  on  La  Dentelle  Lace  Mill  in 
East  Norwalk,  the  additions  to  the  May- 
hofife  plant  in  Norwalk,  and  his  latest 
work  is  the  completion  of  a  new  unit  of 
the  South  Norwalk  Electric  Works.  Mr. 
Smith  has  about  thirty-five  men  employed 
on  an  average,  and  makes  a  specialty  of 


33" 


c3i: 


j^jLcc^  <^@l 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


heavy  masonry  work.     He  is  a  member 
of  the  South  Norwalk  Club. 

Mr.  Smith  married  Kathryn  Hoyt  Mal- 
kin,  daughter  of  Albert  R.  Malkin,  of 
Norwalk,  a  sketch  of  whom  precedes  this 
in  the  work.  They  are  the  parents  of  a 
daughter,  Jane  Smith,  born  April  i,  1918. 
Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Smith  attend  the  Congre- 
gational church  of  Norwalk. 


QUINTARD,  Frederick  Homer, 

Mannfactnrer. 

Through  every  branch  of  an  extensive 
and  honorable  family  tree,  Frederick  H. 
Quintard,  a  leading  manufacturer  of  the 
city  of  Norwalk,  is  a  descendant  from  a 
long  line  of  men  prominent  in  the  settle- 
ment, government  and  military  history  of 
Fairfield  county.  The  Quintard  family 
are  of  French  Huguenot  extraction,  and 
the  first  ancestor  on  the  paternal  side  was 
Isaac  Quintard,  of  whom  further. 

(I)  Isaac  Quintard  was  born  in  Lusig- 
nan,  France.  The  revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes  forced  him  to  leave  his  native 
land  where  he  had  been  engaged  in 
woolen  manufacture.  In  New  York  City 
he  became  a  merchant  and  owned  vessels 
that  plied  at  least  in  coastwise  trade.  He 
was  a  man  of  exceptional  business  acu- 
men in  his  day;  was  thrifty  and  indus- 
trious ;  and  at  his  death  left  an  estate 
which  inventoried  about  five  thousand 
pounds,  a  large  fortune  in  those  days.  He 
married,  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Gaunt  in 
Bristol,  England,  November  26,  1693, 
Jeanne  Fume,  also  of  a  French  family. 
Their  children  were :  Marie,  born  in  Bris- 
tol, in  1695;  Isaac,  born  there,  1696;  Abra- 
ham, born  in  New  York  City,  1698; 
Pierre  (or  Peter),  of  whom  further.  The 
births  of  the  children  show  that  the  father 
must  have  crossed  the  ocean  after  the 
birth  of  Isaac  in  England  in  1696. 

(II)  Peter  or  Pierre  Quintard,  young- 


est child  of  Isaac  and  Jeanne  (Fume) 
Quintard,  was  born  January  14,  1700,  in 
New  York  City,  was  baptized  there  at 
the  French  Church,  and  was  admitted  a 
freeman.  He  was  a  goldsmith  by  occupa- 
tion. About  1738  he  removed  to  Nor- 
walk, Connecticut,  where  he  made  sev- 
eral purchases  of  lands  and  established 
his  residence  in  the  meadows  north  of 
what  is  now  Marshall  street,  Norwalk. 
Peter  Quintard  married  Jeanne  Baller- 
eau,  born  July  3,  1708,  in  New  York  City, 
daughter  of  Jacques  and  Jeanne  (O'Dart) 
Ballereau,    and    she    died    September    2, 

1757- 

(III)  Peter  Quintard,  second  son  of 
Peter  or  Pierre  and  Jeanne  (Ballereau) 
Quintard,  was  born  in  New  Ybrk  City, 
July  22,  1732,  and  lived  in  Norwalk,  Con- 
necticut. He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary War,  and  served  as  a  sergeant 
in  Captain  Seth  Seymour's  company.  Col- 
onel John  Mead's  regiment,  of  Connecti- 
cut Militia,  enlisting  December  24,  1776, 
and  served  two  months.  In  1781  he  was 
a  member  of  a  Matross  Company  in  Nor- 
walk. The  name  of  his  first  wife  through 
whom  this  line  descends  has  not  yet  been 
found.  He  married  for  his  second  wife, 
May  23,  1774,  Ruth  Stevens. 

(IV)  Isaac  (2)  Quintard,  son  of  Peter 
Quintard,  was  born  in  1767,  and  died 
February  5,  1856,  in  Norwalk,  Connecti- 
cut. He  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  pottery,  and  also  ran  a  market  sloop  to 
New  York.  On  November  13,  1793,  he 
married  Elizabeth  Pickett,  born  January 
14,  1769,  daughter  of  Ezra  and  Elizabeth 
(Benedict)  Pickett,  of  Norwalk.  Ezra 
Pickett  was  born  July  12,  1740,  and  mar- 
ried, March  30,  1761,  Elizabeth  Benedict. 
He  was  a  son  of  James  Pickett,  2d,  and 
his  wife,  Deborah  (Stuart)  Pickett,  and 
grandson  of  James  Pickett,  ist,  who  set- 
tled in  Norwalk,  and  married  Rebecca 
Keeler.     The  last  named  James  Pickett 


331 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  a  son  of  John  Pickett,  the  immigrant, 
of  Salem,  Massachusetts,  who  removed 
in  1660  to  Stratford,  Connecticut,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  there 
in  1673. 

(V)  Evert  Quintard,  son  of  Isaac  (2) 
and  Elizabeth  (Pickett)  Quintard,  was 
born  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  January  24, 
1798,  and  died  May  2,  1891.  He  was  a 
furniture  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  Nor- 
walk for  sixty  years.  He  married,  No- 
vember 29,  1819,  Elizabeth  Whitney, 
daughter  of  Timothy  and  Abigail  (Smith- 
Wood)  Whitney,  of  Norwalk  (see  Whit- 
ney VI). 

(VI)  Francis  Edmond  Quintard,  son 
of  Evert  and  Elizabeth  (Whitney)  Quin- 
tard, was  born  March  29,  1823,  and  died 
October  25,  1907.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Norwalk.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  cabinet  making  with 
his  father  and  was  associated  with  him 
in  business,  finally  succeeding  to  the  own- 
ership. Mr.  Quintard  continued  to  con- 
duct the  business  until  about  1884,  when 
he  sold  his  interests  and  retired  from  ac- 
tive duties.  In  his  younger  days  Mr. 
Quintard  was  active  in  military  duties, 
and  a  sword  carried  by  him  is  now  in 
possession  of  his  son.  Mr.  Quintard  mar- 
ried (first)  January  i,  1846,  Harriet  M. 
Allen,  daughter  of  Increase  and  Sally 
(Patchen)  Allen,  and  she  died  February 
25.  1853.  He  married  (second)  Novem- 
ber 24,  1853,  Matilda  Lounsbury,  a  sister 
of  the  governors  of  Connecticut,  Hon. 
George  E.  and  Hon.  Phineas  C.  Louns- 
bury. sketches  of  whom  appear  elsewhere 
in  this  work  and  the  Lounsbury  geneal- 
ogy therewith.  Mr.  Quintard  married 
(third)  May  5,  1869,  Cornelia  C.  Clark. 

(VII)  Frederick  H  Quintard.  son  of 
Francis  Edmond  and  Matilda  (Louns- 
bury) Quintard,  was  born  January  24, 
1857,  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut.  He  was 
educated   in   the   public   schools   of  that 


town.  Subsequently  he  was  associated  in 
business  with  his  father  for  about  a  year, 
and  for  the  following  eight  or  nine  years 
was  connected  with  his  uncles,  the  Hon. 
Phineas  C.  and  George  E.  Lounsbury  in 
Norwalk.  Ill  health  compelled  the  sever- 
ing of  this  connection  and  Mr.  Quintard 
spent  a  year  in  the  West.  Upon  his  re- 
turn East,  he  went  to  Bridgeport,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  was  associated  with 
his  uncle,  the  Hon.  George  E.  Lounsbury, 
and  where  he  remained  for  the  following 
ten  years.  For  the  ensuing  five  years 
Mr.  Quintard  did  not  take  any  active  in- 
terest in  business  matters ;  as  a  matter 
of  fact  it  was  not  until  1893,  at  which 
time  the  late  C.  S.  Trowbridge  prevailed 
upon  him  to  enter  business  in  partnership 
with  him,  that  Mr.  Quintard  did  so.  In 
January,  1907,  this  business  was  incor- 
porated as  The  C.  S.  Trowbridge  Com- 
pany, with  Mr.  Trowbridge  as  president 
and  Mr.  Quintard  as  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. They  continued  successfully  for 
many  years,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
Trowbridge,  Mr.  Quintard  succeeded  him 
in  the  office  of  president,  which  office  he 
still  holds,  as  well  as  retaining  the  treas- 
urership.  The  produce  of  the  business 
is  paper  and  wooden  boxes,  and  in  the 
manufacture  of  these  employment  is  given 
to  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  per- 
sons. 

In  addition  to  the  many  business  in- 
terests which  Mr.  Quintard  has  had  to 
occupy  his  time,  he  has  also  taken  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  public  matters.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  in  1907-08  was 
in  the  Legislature,  serving  a  second  term 
in  1909-10.  He  served  on  the  committees 
of  cities  and  boroughs  and  federal  rela- 
tions. In  1910  he  was  chairman  of  the 
latter  committee.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Norwalk  Hos- 
pital. Before  Norwalk  and  South  Nor- 
walk were  united  under  one  city  govern- 


33^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ment,  Mr.  Quintard  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Common  Council  in  South  Nor- 
walk,  and  also  at  different  times  served 
as  assessor  and  tax  collector. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Quintard  is  a  member 
of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  6,  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  Washington 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Clinton 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar ;  Pyra- 
mid Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  the  latter  of 
Bridgeport.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Norwalk  Club,  which  he  served  for  two 
years  as  president ;  of  the  Norwalk  Coun- 
try Club,  which  he  also  served  as  presi- 
dent ;  of  the  South  Norwalk  Club ;  and 
the  Roxbury  Club.  Mr.  Quintard  has 
been  president  of  the  latter  club  for  eight- 
een years.  His  chief  recreations  are 
hunting  and  fishing.  Mr.  Quintard's  ances- 
try in  several  lines  entitles  him  to  mem- 
bership in  the  Sons  of  the  American  Rev- 
olution, which  he  holds. 

Mr.  Quintard  married  Mary  E.  Bene- 
dict, daughter  of  Goold  Benedict,  of  Nor- 
walk, and  they  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church. 

(The  Whitney  Line). 

(I)  Henry  Whitney,  the  immigrant  an- 
cestor, was  born  in  England  about  1620. 
No  record  has  been  found  of  his  arrival 
in  this  country,  but  the  Southold,  Long 
Island,  records  show  that  on  October  8, 
1649,  he  with  others  purchased  land.  He 
was  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  of  Hun- 
tington, Long  Island,  August  17,  1658. 
He  built  a  grist  mill  there  for  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Leverich.  Henry  Whitney  removed 
to  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  where  he  bought 
land  of  Richard  Harker.  He  served  on 
many  important  committees  there.  In 
July,  1665,  he  was  granted  land  by  the 
town  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  for  build- 
ing a  corn  mill.    His  will  is  dated  June  5, 

1672,  and  he  probably  died  in  Norwalk  in 

1673,  having  been  admitted  a  freeman 
there  four  years  previously. 

(II)  John     Whitney,     son     of     Henry 


Whitney,  was  born  previous  to  the  time 
his  father  went  to  Southold,  Long  Island, 
and  died  in  1720.  He  received  a  grant  of 
land  in  Norwalk  in  1665  and  settled  there, 
succeeding  his  father  in  the  ownership  of 
the  mill  and  homestead.  He  built  a  full- 
ing mill  later,  which  was  willed  to  Joseph 
Whitney,  his  second  son.  John  Whitney 
married,  March  17,  1674,  Elizabeth  Smith, 
daughter  of  Richard  Smith. 

(III)  Joseph  Whitney,  son  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Whitney,  was 
born  March  i,  1678-79,  and  died  in  1720. 
He  was  a  millwright.  He  married,  in 
Norwalk,  July  6,  1704,  Hannah  Hoyt, 
daughter  of  Zerubbabel  Hoyt. 

(IV)  David  Whitney,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Hannah  (Hoyt)  Whitney,  was  born 
in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  June  24,  1721. 
He  was  a  master  mariner  and  miller.  It 
is  said  that  when  Norwalk  was  burned  in 
1779,  he  ran  out  into  the  harbor  with  his 
sloop  loaded  with  the  families  and  goods 
of  his  neighbors  and  escaped  from  the 
British.  David  Whitney  married.  May 
II,  1741,  in  Norwalk,  Elizabeth  Hyatt, 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth 
Hyatt,  born  June  6,  1718. 

(V)  Timothy  Whitney,  son  of  David 
and  Elizabeth  (Hyatt)  Whitney,  was 
born  July  13-24,  1744,  and  died  June  15, 
1825.  He  was  a  cooper  by  occupation. 
He  took  part  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
He  married  (first)  February  25,  1770, 
Anna  Wood,  born  November  3,  1742, 
daughter  of  Alexis  Wood ;  he  married 
(second)  April  23,  1786,  Abigail  (Smith) 
Wood,  widow  of  a  Mr.  Wood,  born  July 
25,  1749,  daughter  of  Eliakim  Smith,  and 
she  died  November  2,  1863. 

(VI)  Elizabeth  Whitney,  daughter  of 
Timothy  and  Abigail  (Smith-Wood) 
Whitney,  was  bom  January  4,  1796,  in 
Norwalk,  Connecticut,  where  she  died 
November  26,  185 1.  She  was  married 
there,  November  29,  1819,  to  Evert  Quin- 
tard (see  Quintard  V). 


333 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


KIRK,  Theodore  Howard, 

Retired  Business  Man. 

After  long  activity  in  the  business 
arena,  Mr.  Kirk  is  enjoying  life  as  a  pri- 
vate citizen  of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  and 
yet,  not  altogether  as  a  private  citizen,  for 
his  public-spirited  zeal,  combined  vi^ith 
the  urgency  of  his  friends  and  neighbors, 
has  drawn  him  into  the  sphere  of  poHtics, 
and  he  is  now  serving  as  one  of  the  as- 
sessors of  his  home  city. 

The  name  of  Kirk  was  derived  from 
the  word  "kirke,"  meaning  church.  Fam- 
ilies living  near  the  church  assumed  this 
word  as  a  surname  and  it  was  known  at 
a  very  early  period,  Joan-atte  Kirk  being 
recorded  in  1217. 

Members  of  the  Kirk  family  were  early 
settled  in  New  York  State.  In  the  north- 
ern part  of  that  State  a  pond  one  mile 
long  and  one  half  mile  wide,  and  noted  for 
its  excellent  fishing,  was  called  Kirk's 
pond  in  honor  of  a  family  long  resident 
in  the  neighborhood. 

John  Kirk,  from  Derby,  England,  was 
one  of  those  who,  in  1687,  settled  in 
Darby,  Pennsylvania.  He  married,  in 
1688,  Joan,  daughter  of  Peter  EUet,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children. 
One  of  these,  William  Kirk,  was  living 
in  1705.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt 
that  from  this  family  of  Kirks,  the  Kirks 
of  Stamford  were  descended. 

(I)  William  Kirk,  grandfather  of  The- 
odore Howard  Kirk,  was  born  in  Putnam 
county.  New  York,  where  he  owned  a 
small  farm,  spending,  however,  a  large 
portion  of  his  time  in  following  the  trade 
of  a  carpenter  and  builder.  He  was  an 
excellent  workman  and,  as  this  was  be- 
fore the  day  when  the  architect  gave  ex- 
pert attention  to  other  than  pretentious 
structures,  William  Kirk's  taste  and  in- 
genuity in  contriving  convenient  and 
economical  plans  made  him  popular  as  a 


designer  and  builder  of  homes.  Mr.  Kirk 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Abijah  Hinck- 
ley, of  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  and 
their  children  were  :  James  ;  Julia  ;  War- 
ren, mentioned  below  ;  Demond  ;  Horace  ; 
and  Laura.  The  youngest  son,  Horace, 
did  gallant  service  for  his  country  in  the 
Civil  War,  eventually  giving  his  life  for 
the  cause  of  freedom. 

(II)  Warren  Kirk,  son  of  William  and 
Mary  (Hinckley)  Kirk,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 17,  1829,  in  the  town  of  Kent,  Putnam 
county.  New  York,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town,  afterward  learning  the  carpenter's 
trade  under  the  instruction  of  his  father, 
with  whom  he  was  associated  both  in 
business  and  in  agricultural  interests. 
About  1851  he  removed  to  Danbury,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  engaged  in  farming, 
and  in  1861  he  became  a  resident  of  Stam- 
ford, establishing  a  fish  and  vegetable 
market.  Very  soon,  however,  business  all 
over  the  country  felt  the  disrupting  influ- 
ence of  the  Civil  War,  and  many  loyal  cit- 
izens, forsaking  the  warehouse,  the  office 
and  the  shop,  rallied  to  the  defense  of  the 
Federal  government.  Among  these  was 
Warren  Kirk,  who  in  the  spring  of  1862 
enlisted  in  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  in  Com- 
pany K,  Seventeenth  Regiment,  Connec- 
ticut Volunteer  Infantry.  He  passed 
through  some  of  the  bloodiest  battles  of 
the  war  and  after  the  battle  of  Gaines- 
ville was  invalided  to  a  camp  at  Rock 
Creek,  just  outside  Washington,  District 
of  Columbia,  where  the  National  Sol- 
diers' Home  is  now  situated.  During  Mr. 
Kirk's  stay  there  he  formed  a  warm 
friendship  with  Dr.  Bliss  who  was  then 
in  charge  of  the  camp,  and  who,  long 
after,  became  famous  as  the  physician  of 
President  Garfield.  Dr.  Bliss  suggested 
that  Mr.  Kirk  erect  the  first  hospital 
building  on  the  camp  grounds,  and  with 
his  assistance  and  that  of  President  Lin- 


334 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


coin,  Mr.  Kirk  laid  out  the  first  hospital, 
a  wooden  structure  of  three  stories.  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  was  greatly  interested  in 
the  work,  going  every  day  to  watch  its 
progress.  Mr.  Kirk  was  mustered  out  in 
1865,  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

After  his  return  to  Stamford,  Mr.  Kirk 
formed  a  partnership  with  Edwin  N.  Sco- 
field,  of  that  city,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Kirk  &  Scofield.  They  built  many  im- 
portant residences  in  Stamford  and  its 
vicinity,  becoming  one  of  the  leading 
building  firms  in  that  part  of  Connecticut. 
After  a  time  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved and  Mr.  Kirk  continued  the  busi- 
ness alone  until  his  retirement.  He  as- 
sisted in  organizing  Miner  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  While  never  seek- 
ing political  office  he  fulfilled,  in  the  most 
satisfactory  manner,  the  public  duties 
which  were  required  of  him. 

Mr.  Kirk  married,  July  4,  1848,  Mary 
Lake,  born  December  3,  1827,  in  Kent, 
Putnam  county,  New  York,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: I.  Theodore  Howard,  mentioned 
below.  2.  Andrew  J.,  born  February  10, 
185 1 ;  now  a  resident  of  Ridgewood,  New 
Jersey ;  married  Bella  Unkles,  and  has 
one  son,  John.  3.  William  Warren,  born 
March  6,  1852,  in  Patterson,  New  York; 
was  for  years  editor  and  owner  of  the 
"New  Canaan  Messenger,"  and  is  now 
deceased ;  married  Mary  Adelaide  Noyes 
April  8,  1874,  and  their  only  son,  William 
E.  J.  Kirk,  is  a  physician.  4.  Laura  E., 
born  March  14,  1853;  married  Julius  A. 
Smith,  and  they  have  three  children : 
Caroline  A.,  Jennie  Irene,  and  Marion 
Julia.  5.  Phoebe  J.,  born  September  23, 
1856,  and  is  now  deceased.  6.  Charles  A., 
born  June  9,  1858;  now  a  resident  of 
Stamford ;  married  Mary  Lunney  and 
they  had  two  children,  Howard  and 
Harry.  7.  Walter,  born  October  31,  i860. 
8.  Byron,  born  April  29,  1862.    9.  Frank, 


born  August  3,  1865.  10.  George  C,  born 
August  25,  1867,  at  Stamford;  married 
Julia  M.  Scofield  and  had  two  children, 
Marjorie  and  Clinton.  The  three  sons  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kirk,  Walter,  Byron,  and 
Frank,  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Kirk  passed 
away  May  20,  1897. 

Cheered  by  the  company  of  his  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren,  who  were,  none 
of  them,  far  distant,  Mr.  Kirk  spent  his 
declining  years  in  the  serene  conscious- 
ness of  a  useful  life,  and  the  comforting 
thought  that  the  world  was  better  for  his 
having  lived  in  it.  On  March  12,  1906, 
he  "ceased  from  earth."  The  city  of 
Stamford  is  proud  of  her  institutions,  her 
architectural  beauty  and  her  honorable 
history,  but  above  all,  she  is  proud  of  her 
men,  the  citizens  who  have  made  her 
what  she  is  and  have  caused  her  name  to 
be  honored  among  the  cities  of  the  com- 
monwealth. On  the  roll  containing  the 
names  of  these  men,  that  of  Warren  Kirk 
stands  very  high,  and  as  the  years  go  on 
the  results  which  he  accomplished  and 
the  influence  which  he  diflfused  will  be 
more  and  more  highly  appreciated. 

(Ill)  Theodore  Howard  Kirk,  son  of 
Warren  and  Mary  (Lake)  Kirk,  was  born 
October  17,  1849,  in  Patterson,  New  York, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  His  working  days  began  when 
his  father  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  and 
left  for  the  seat  of  war.  Theodore  H.,  then 
a  boy  in  his  thirteenth  year,  obtained  a 
position  in  a  grocery  store  and  it  soon 
became  evident  that  he  had  in  him  the 
makings  of  a  successful  business  man. 
On  March  12,  1884,  his  employer,  C.  W. 
Dearborn,  having  failed,  Mr.  Kirk  pur- 
chased the  business,  forming  a  partner- 
ship with  A.  C.  Dixon  under  the  firm 
name  of  Kirk  &  Dixon.  At  the  end  of 
twenty-two  years  the  connection  was  dis- 
solved, Mr.  Kirk  purchasing  his  partner's 
interest  and  for  seven  years  conducting 


335 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  business  alone,  but  under  the  old 
name.  He  then  sold  out  to  the  Acker, 
Merrall  &  Condit  Company,  of  New  York, 
remaining  with  them  as  manager  for 
thirteen  years.  In  August,  1915,  he  re- 
signed, at  the  same  time  retiring  from 
business. 

Always  an  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party,  Mr.  Kirk,  since  his  release  from 
the  cares  of  business,  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  local  politics,  and  m  1918  was 
elected  one  of  the  assessors  for  a  term  of 
six  years.  He  affiliates  with  Union 
Lodge,  No.  5,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  Puritan  Lodge,  No.  43,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  also  a 
member  of  Stamford  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce since  its  organization. 

Mr.  Kirk  married,  June  22,  1887,  C. 
Frances  Bassett,  whose  ancestral  record 
is  appended  to  this  biography,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  two  sons:  i.  Bennett 
Bassett,  born  July  31,  1889;  volunteered 
in  the  United  States  Army  Ambulance 
Corps,  Section  563,  and  served  eighteen 
months,  eleven  months  of  that  time  being 
spent  in  action  in  the  Asiago  sector  on 
the  Italian  front ;  member  Union  Lodge, 
No.  5,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  Bloomsburg  Consistory,  Penn- 
sylvania. 2.  Frank  Howard,  born  De- 
cember 21,  1891 ;  volunteered  and  served 
in  Battery  D,  Fifty-sixth  Regiment,  Coast 
Artillery  Corps,  eighteen  months,  nine 
months  on  French  front ;  member  of 
Union  Lodge,  No.  5,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  ;  and  Consistory  of  Connecticut ; 
married,  June  4,  1919,  Edna  E.,  daughter 
of  John  Higgins,  of  Stamford.  Both 
sons  are  members  of  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution  through  a  collateral 
claim  derived  from  Jacob  Smith.  Mrs. 
Theodore  Howard  Kirk  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational-  church,  Mr.  Kirk  be- 
longing to  the  First  Baptist. 


(The  Bassett  Line). 

(I)  Joseph  Bassett,  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Theodore  Howard  Kirk,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 26,  1760,  and  died  October  23,  1838. 

He  married  Mary ,  born  October  4, 

1758,  died  October  10,  1837.    Among  their 
children  was   Bennett,  mentioned  below. 

(II)  Bennett  Bassett,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  Bassett,  was  born  August  17,  1799, 
in  Washington,  Connecticut,  and  became 
a  resident  of  Amenia,  New  York.  He 
married  Mary  Smith,  of  Northfield,  Con- 
necticut, whose  ancestral  record  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography. 

(III)  C.  Frances  Bassett,  daughter  of 
Bennett  and  Mary  (Smith)  Bassett,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Theodore  Howard  Kirk, 
as  stated  above. 

(The  Smith  Line). 

(I)  James  Smith,  born  in  England,  was 
a  proprietor  of  Weymouth,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1639.    He  married  Joanna . 

(II)  Nathaniel  Smith,  son  of  James 
and  Joanna  Smith,  was  born  June  8,  1639, 
in   Weymouth,    and    married    Experience 


(III)  Nathaniel  (2)  Smith,  son  of  Na- 
thaniel (i)  and  Experience  Smith,  mar- 
ried, July  3,  1677,  Anna  Hoskins,  and 
moved  to  Wethersfield,  Connecticut.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
Litchfield,  Connecticut,  where  he  died  in 

1725- 

(IV)  Jacob  Smith,  son  of  Nathaniel 
(2)  and  Anna  (Hoskins)  Smith,  lived  at 
Litchfield,  Connecticut,  and  married  Eliz- 
abeth   . 

(V)  Jacob  (2)  Smith,  son  of  Jacob  (i) 
and  Elizabeth  Smith,  was  born  in  1738, 
at  Northfield,  Connecticut,  and  served 
with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  the  patriot 
army  of  the  Revolution.  He  married, 
January  13,  1763,  Mary  Lewis,  daughter 
of  Gershom  and  Mary  (Maltby)  Lewis, 
of  Cape  Cod. 


2>Z(> 


ijM-         Ml^cJ-ry^rr^. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(VI)  David  Smith,  son  of  Jacob  (2) 
and  Mary  (Lewis)  Smith,  was  born  in 
1777,  and  married  Amna  Bartholomew. 
Their  daughter  Mary  married  Bennett 
Bassett  (q.  v.). 


WELLSTOOD,  Robert, 

Business  Man,  Public  Official. 

The  Wellstood  family  is  of  that  grand 
contribution  of  intelligent  men  which 
Scotland  has  made  at  various  times  to  our 
citizenship.  The  earliest  known  member 
of  the  family  was  John  Wellstood,  who 
was  born  at  Stroudwater,  Gloucestershire, 
England.  The  surname  of  his  wife  was 
Clarke,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  Ste- 
phen, of  whom  further. 

(II)  Stephen  Wellstood  was  born  at 
Stroudwater,  England,  in  1710,  and  died 
in  1800.  He  married  Ann  Davidson,  who 
was  born  in  the  parish  of  Kirk  Michael 
Strathdown,  Banfif,  Scotland,  died  in 
1793.  Their  son  was  Stephen  (2),  of 
whom  further. 

(III)  Stephen  (2)  Wellstood  was  born 
at  Leith,  Scotland,  and  died  in  1792.  He 
married  Christie  Forbes,  who  died  in 
181 1.  They  were  the  parents  of  James, 
of  whom  further. 

(IV)  James  Wellstood  was  born  in 
the  parish  of  Inveran,  County  of  Banfif 
Braes,  Glenlivet,  June  4,  1766,  and  died  at 
Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  August  19, 
1825.  He  married,  in  1786,  Euphemia 
Yorston,  who  was  born  at  Salton,  and 
died  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  November 
25,  1838.  They  were  the  parents  of  James 
(2),  of  whom  further. 

(V)  James  (2)  Wellstood  was  born  in 
Fishurow,  Scotland,  October  28,  1791,  and 
died  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  January 
9,  1838.  He  married  Ann  Geikie,  born  in 
Dalkeith,  Scotland,  May  14,  1788,  died 
in  New  Albany,  New  York,  November  10, 
1831,  and  her  remains  were  removed  to 


New  Haven,  Connecticut.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Geikie,  granddaughter 
of  Murdock  Geikie,  and  great-grand- 
daughter of  John  Geikie. 

(VI)  John  Geikie  Wellstood,  son  of 
James  (2)  and  Ann  (Geikie)  Wellstood, 
was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  Janu- 
ary 18,  1813,  and  died  January  21,  1893. 
He  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in 
1829,  and  learned  engraving  in  New  York 
City.  This  occupation  he  followed  for  a 
few  years,  then  became  one  of  the  in- 
corporators of  the  American  Bank  Note 
Company.  He  continued  actively  at  his 
profession  until  his  death.  In  1872  he 
withdrew  from  that  company  and  organ- 
ized the  Columbia  Bank  Note  Company, 
of  Washington,  D.  C.  That  year  he  de- 
signed and  engraved  the  backs  of  the 
United  States  banknotes,  all  the  denomi- 
nations from  one  to  five  hundred  dollar 
notes.  The  back  of  the  one  dollar  notes 
now  in  use  was  designed  by  him.  Mr. 
Wellstood  was  president  of  the  company, 
and  retired  a  few  years  before  his  death. 
As  a  special  favor,  he  engraved  the  wed- 
ding invitations  for  General  U.  S.  Grant's 
daughter,  Nellie,  who  became  Mrs.  Sar- 
toris. 

In  i860  Mr.  Wellstood  built  his  home 
in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  being  among 
the  first  New  Yorkers  to  recognize  the 
desirability  of  that  town  as  a  place  of  resi- 
dence. He  was  a  Democrat,  and  was  the 
representative  of  the  town  in  the  Con- 
necticut Legislature ;  the  principal  inter- 
est of  Mr.  Wellstood  was  in  his  business, 
and  he  was  an  artist  as  well  as  an  ex- 
ceptionally skilled  artisan. 

Mr.  Wellstood  married,  July  20,  1835, 
Mary  McQueen,  daughter  of  William  and 
Hester  (Porter)  McQueen.  She  was  born 
March  13,  1819,  in  New  York  City,  and 
died  April  16,  1897,  in  Greenwich.  Her 
father  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1799,  and  died  May  16,  1830; 


2i7 


1 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


her  mother,  Hester  (Porter)  McQueen, 
was  born  at  Ferrisburg,  Vermont,  April 
lo,  1800.  Robert  McQueen,  father  of 
William  McQueen,  was  born  in  Scotland, 
and  married  Mary  Muir,  born  April  16, 
1779.  After  coming  to  America  he  had  a 
foundry  in  Duane  street,  New  York.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wellstood  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  William  M. ; 
John  G.,  Jr.;  Robert,  of  whom  further; 
Annie,  died  young;  Mary  M.,  married 
Russell  Hunt,  of  Ridgefield ;  James ;  and 
Stephen. 

(VII)  Robert  Wellstood,  third  child  of 
John  G.  and  Mary  (McQueen)  Well- 
stood,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Au- 
gust 16,  1842,  and  was  educated  in  the 
old  Greenwich  avenue  school  of  New 
York  City.  As  a  child  he  was  not  robust, 
and  when  he  was  about  twelve  years  old 
the  doctor  ordered  that  he  must  be  put 
into  some  active  employment.  There- 
fore, he  found  employment  in  Batten's 
Hosiery  Store,  where  he  remained  for  a 
year  or  two.  After  leaving  there  he  went 
into  the  insurance  business,  where  he  re- 
mained until  becoming  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  bank  note  business, 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  bookkeeper 
for  some  years. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Wellstood  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  the  town  is  overwhelmingly 
Republican,  yet  since  1903  Mr.  Wellstood 
has  been  elected  to  the  office  of  town 
clerk  of  Greenwich,  which  is  ample  proof 
of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held, 
as  both  parties  have  aided  in  his  election. 
He  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  many  party 
conventions. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Wellstood  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Acacia  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  of  Greenwich,  of  which  he  was 
secretary  for  many  years.  He  is  its  old- 
est member  and  was  "raised"  in  the  same 
lodge  in  1865,  and  when  he  had  been 
fifty-two  years  a  Mason,  he  was  presented 


by  the  lodge  with  a  fine  solid  gold  watch. 
He  is  also  the  oldest  member  of  Ritten- 
house  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of 
Stamford,  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks 
in  Greenwich.  Mr.  Wellstood  has  also 
been  secretary  of  this  lodge  for  a  number 
of  years. 

Mr.  Wellstood  married  Catherine 
Brush,  daughter  of  Joseph  Brush,  of 
Greenwich,  and  they  were  the  parents 
of  three  children:  i.  Robert  M.,  bom 
July  16,  1869;  in  1890  he  became  as- 
sociated with  his  father  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business  under  the 
name  of  Robert  Wellstood  &  Son, 
the  son  having  the  active  management 
of  the  business.  2.  Ella  B.,  deceased. 
3.  Frank  Geikie,  born  July  13,  1874,  mar- 
ried Cora  Sutherland.  He  is  the  New 
York  Telephone  Company's  agent  for 
Greenwich  and  Port  Chester.  Mr.  Wells- 
stood  is  senior  warden  of  Christ  Episcopal 
Church,  of  Greenwich ;  he  was  clerk  of 
the  church  for  twenty-three  years  and 
has  been  active  in  church  work  as  a  dele- 
gate to  many  conventions.  In  his  younger 
days  he  was  active  in  the  Sunday  school, 
serving  some  time  as  superintendent. 
Mrs.  Catherine  (Brush)  Wellstood  died 
July  15,  1919,  having  been  married  for 
fifty-four  years. 

Mr.  Wellstood's  friends  are  innumer- 
able, and  every  new  person  who  comes 
under  his  influence  is  strongly  attracted, 
and  a  larger  acquaintance  brings  out  the 
knowledge  that  he  is  honest,  sincere,  and 
of  sterling  character. 


REED,  Herbert  Calhoun, 

Mannf  actnring  Chemist,  Public  Official. 

The  founder  of  this  line  of  the  family 
of  Reed  in  America  was  John  Reed,  born 
in  Cornwall,  England,  in  1633,  who  came 
to  America  in  1660,  settling  first  in  Prov- 


338 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


idence,  Rhode  Island.  He  had  been  an 
officer  in  the  Cromwellian  army,  and  with 
the  collapse  of  the  commonwealth  had  left 
England.  In  1684  he  made  his  home  in 
Norwalk,  Connecticut,  and  became  a  man 
of  means  and  great  influence  in  spiritual 
and  temporal  affairs.  His  death  occurred 
at  the  age  of  ninety-seven  years.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  Mrs.  Ann  Derby,  of  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island,  and  (second)  Mrs. 
Scofield,  of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  his 
six  children  all  of  his  first  marriage. 

(II)  The  line  to  Herbert  C.  Reed,  of 
the  present  generation  of  the  family,  con- 
tinues through  Thomas  Reed,  born  in 
1672,  died  October  9,  1757.  He  married 
Mary  Olmsted,  daughter  of  Lieutenant 
John  and  Mary  (Benedict)  Olmsted,  of 
Norwalk,  Connecticut.  Among  the  nine 
children  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Olmsted) 
Reed  was  Thomas  (2)  Reed,  of  whom 
further. 

(III)  Thomas  (2)  Reed  was  born  May 
7,  1699,  died  September  4,  1776.  He  mar- 
ried, October  2,  1729,  Sarah  Benham,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  six  children. 

(IV)  Jesse  Reed,  son  of  Thomas  (2) 
and  Sarah  (Benham)  Reed,  was  born  July 
29,  1734,  and  died  March  31,  1822.  He 
enlisted  in  Captain  Bell's  company,  9th 
Regiment  of  militia,  commanded  by  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel John  Mead,  under  General 
Wooster,  1776  and  1777.  After  the  battle 
of  White  Plains,  October  26,  1776,  the 
9th  Regiment  was  ordered  to  march  to 
the  Westchester  border  and  place  them- 
selves under  General  Wooster's  com- 
mand. Jesse  Reed  was  on  the  payroll 
discharged  December  25,  1776.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  Hannah  Selleck ;  (second) 
Mercy  Weed.  There  was  one  child  of  his 
first  marriage,  eight  of  his  second. 

(V)  Ebenezer  Reed,  son  of  Jesse  and 
Mercy  (Weed)  Reed,  was  born  in  1776, 
and  died  May  7,  1842.  He  and  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  (Seely)  Reed,  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children. 


(VI)  John  Bowden  Reed,  son  of  Ebe- 
nezer and  Elizabeth  (Seely)  Reed,  was 
born  November  6,  1818,  died  June  i,  1890. 
He  married  Almira  A.  Many,  and  among 
their  six  children  was  Stephen  Ebenezer. 

(VII)  Stephen  Ebenezer  Reed,  son  of 
John  B.  and  Almira  A.  (Many)  Reed,  was 
born  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1845,  and  died  January  9,  1915. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Stam- 
ford, entering  the  employ  of  the  Stamford 
Manufacturing  Company  as  a  young  man, 
and  remaining  in  this  connection  for 
forty-five  years.  His  first  duties  were 
those  of  clerk,  and  he  subsequently  be- 
came secretary  of  the  company,  an  office 
he  held  for  a  period  of  about  twenty-five 
years,  his  service  terminating  with  his 
death.  Mr.  Reed  was  also  a  director  of 
the  Stamford  National  Bank,  and  was  a 
prominent  and  faithful  member  and  war- 
den of  St.  Andrew's  Episcopal  Church. 
He  married  Jennie  C.  Calhoun,  born  in 
New  Haven,  July  24,  1848,  daughter  of 
Frederick  J.  and  Mary  A.  (Marsh)  Cal- 
houn (see  Calhoun  line).  They  were  the 
parents  of:  Frank  C,  born  July  27,  1872, 
died  August  12th  of  the  same  year;  Her- 
bert C,  of  whom  further ;  and  Clarence 
M.,  born  May  30,  1876,  died  May  24,  1902. 

(VIII)  Herbert  Calhoun  Reed,  son  of 
Stephen  E.  and  Jennie  C.  (Calhoun) 
Reed,  was  born  in  Stamford,  Connecticut, 
October  16,  1873.  He  prepared  for  col- 
lege at  King's  School  in  Stamford,  and  in 
1895  was  graduated  Ph.  B.  from  Sheffield 
Scientific  School  of  Yale  University. 
Subsequently  he  took  a  short  course  in 
the  Philadelphia  Art  and  Textile  School 
in  textile  dyeing,  and  on  January  i,  1896, 
began  a  fifteen  years'  connection  with  the 
Stamford  Manufacturing  Company  as  a 
chemist.  At  the  end  of  this  time  Mr. 
Reed  established  his  own  laboratory  in 
New  York  City,  at  No.  227  Fulton  street, 
and  there  general  analytical  chemistry  has 
since  claimed  his  time  and  attention. 


339 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Reed  has  been  an  officer  of  the 
American  Leather  Chemists'  Association 
since  1903,  serving  as  secretary  during 
all  of  that  period  with  the  exception  of 
one  year  in  the  presidency.  He  is  one 
of  the  founders  of  this  association,  and 
has  been  importantly  instrumental  in  de- 
veloping its  field  of  usefulness.  Prior  to 
the  World  War  he  was  president  of  the 
American  section  of  the  International 
Association  of  Leather  Chemists,  and 
during  the  war  he  was  consulting  chemist 
for  the  British  War  Mission.  Mr.  Reed 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Chemical 
Society,  and  the  Society  of  Chemical  In- 
dustry, and  has  written  extensively  on 
technical  topics.  Among  the  more  im- 
portant of  his  papers  that  are  in  publica- 
tion and  recorded  as  authority  on  the  sub- 
jects with  which  they  treat  are  the 
following:  Relative  Value  of  Hide  and 
Powder  Filter  Method  and  the  Shake  or 
Chromed  Hide  Power  Method  of  Tanning 
Analysis  ;  Pentoses  in  Tanning  Materials  ; 
Extraction  of  Tanning  Materials  ;  Method 
for  the  Total  Acidity  of  Tan  Liquors,  and 
many  other  valuable  contributions  to  the 
art  of  tanning. 

Mr.  Reed  is  a  director  of  the  Citizens' 
Saving  Bank  of  Stamford,  and  he  and  his 
family  are  members  of  St.  Andrew's 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  ves- 
tryman, succeeding  his  father  in  official 
connection  with  this  congregation.  He 
has  long  been  intimately  concerned  with 
public  affairs  in  Stamford,  and  in  political 
preference  is  a  Republican.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Republican 
Town  Committee  of  Stamford,  and  was 
elected  by  his  townsmen  to  a  number  of 
public  positions.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Common  Council  in  1902,  serving  on 
the  Police  Committee,  and  subsequently 
was  defeated  for  the  office  of  mayor  by 
Homer  S.  Cummings.  He  was  then 
elected   State  Senator  from   his  district, 


sitting  in  the  session  of  1909,  and  held 
position  on  the  Military  Committee,  Fish 
and  Game  Commitee,  and  the  Shell  Fish- 
eries Committee.  His  public  service  has 
been  marked  by  thoroughness  and  faith- 
fulness, and  he  has  constantly  held  the 
regard  and  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens. 
His  professional  standing  is  of  the  high- 
est, and  in  a  field  in  which  America  has 
more  than  ever  come  into  its  own  he  is 
known  as  a  learned  and  efficient  represen- 
tative. 

Mr.  Reed  married,  October  6,  1897, 
Edith  E.  Crane,  daughter  of  James  M. 
Crane,  of  Newburgh,  New  York.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Reed  are  the  parents  of:  Janet 
Calhoun,  born  September  14,  1898;  Eliz- 
abeth Crane,  born  January  9,  1903 ;  and 
Esther,  born  November  14,  1908. 

(The  Calhoun  Line). 

The  Calhouns  of  Scotland  are  the  de- 
scendants of  the  ancient  family  of  the 
Conquhouns  and  Lairds  of  Luss.  The 
original  name,  Colquhoun,  is  still  retained 
by  some  in  Scotland,  England,  and  Ire- 
land, but  it  is  pronounced  "Colhoun." 
The  ancestor  of  the  surname  of  Conqu- 
houn  was  Humphrey  Kilpatrick,  in  whose 
favor  the  Earl  of  Lenox  granted  a  char- 
ter of  the  lands  of  Colquhoun  in  the 
reign  of  Alexander  II.,  about  the  year 
1200.  The  meaning  of  the  term  Colqu- 
houn is  "a  seacoasting  common  or  point" 
with  which  the  former  situation  of  these 
lands  will  agree.  Humphrey  K.  Calhoun 
married  the  daughter  of  Godfrey,  Laird 
of  Luss,  in  the  year  1392.  The  Colqu- 
houns  and  Lairds  of  Luss  were  the  most 
wealthy  and  illustrious  clans  of  Scotland. 
The  home  of  the  clan  was  about  the 
southern  shore  of  Loch  Lomond  and  all 
of  this  neighborhood  is  full  of  memories 
and  traditions  that  preserve  the  family 
name. 

Among  the  neighbors  of  the  Calhouns 
were  the  wild  McGregors  of  Loch  Ka- 


340 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


trine.  These  two  clans  had  frequent  con- 
flicts, and  in  1602  about  two  hundred  of 
the  Colquhouns  were  slain  by  the  Mc- 
Gregors, with  many  acts  of  savage  cru- 
elty. Sixty  of  the  wives  of  the  slain 
Colquhouns  took  each  the  gory  shirt  of 
her  husband  on  a  pike  and  rode  to  King 
James  at  Stirling,  demanding  vengeance. 
This  was  the  original  flaunting  of  the 
"bloody  shirt,"  and  secured  the  outlawry 
of  the  McGregors,  as  told  by  Scott  in  a 
note  of  his  "Lady  of  the  Lake."  Many  of 
the  Colquhouns  fled  to  Ireland  in  the 
seventeenth  century  to  avoid  religious 
persecution,  among  them  the  father  of  the 
immigrant  to  America  in  1714. 

(I)  David  Calhoun,  immigrant  ances- 
tor, was  born  in  Scotland  about  1690,  and 
emigrated  with  his  father's  family,  who 
were  non-conformists,  to  the  North  of 
Ireland,  on  account  of  persecution.  Here 
they  settled  near  Londonderry,  but  the 
persecution  having  followed  them,  David, 
with  two  brothers,  James  and  John,  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1714;  they  landed  in 
New  York,  where  they  separated.  James 
subsequently  became  mayor  of  the  city 
of  Baltimore,  and  John  was  elected  to  the 
National  Congress.  David  Calhoun  set- 
tled in  Stratford,  Connecticut,  and  later, 
in  1732,  moved  to  Washington,  Connecti- 
cut, where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in 
1769.  He  married,  in  Stratford,  Mrs. 
Catherine  (Coe)  Fairchild.  They  had  six 
sons  and  two  daughters. 

(II)  John  Calhoun,  son  of  David  and 
Catherine  (Coe-Fairchild)  Calhoun,  was 
born  in  1738,  and  died  in  1788.  He  was  a 
resident  of  Washington,  a  well  known  and 
able  physician,  and  a  participant  in  all 
of  the  patriotic  activity  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary period.  He  married  Tabitha 
Clark,  December  28,  1768,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of :  John,  Jr. ;  David  ;  Calvin  ; 
Joseph  C. ;  PenIo ;  Sarah  A.,  who  married 
William  Lewis;  and  Jedediah,  of  whom 
further. 


(III)  Jedediah  Calhoun,  son  of  Dr.  John 
and  Tabitha  (Clark)  Calhoun,  was  born 
April  27,  1783,  and  died  January  5,  1862. 
The  "Historical  Records  of  the  Town  of 
Cornwall,  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut," 
collected  and  established  by  Theodore  S. 
Gold,  speak  of  "Jedidiah  Calhoun,"  who 
was  chosen  deacon  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  December,  1819,  as  "al- 
ways prompt  and  liberal"  in  his  support 
of  the  church,  and  as  one  who  "kept 
'loose  ends'  well  tied  up."  Jedediah  Cal- 
houn was  a  farmer  throughout  his  active 
years.  He  married  Jane  Patterson,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of :  Abby  J. ;  John 
C,  who  married  Sarah  Warner ;  Frederick 
J.,  of  whom  further;  Mary  L.,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  Ford ;  and  David  P.,  who 
married  Fannie  Sanford. 

(IV)  Frederick  J.  Calhoun,  son  of 
Jedediah  and  Jane  (Patterson)  Calhoun, 
was  born  in  Cornwall,  Connecticut,  June 
22,  1820,  and  died  July  21,  1887.  He  grew 
to  young  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  as 
a  young  man  taught  school,  and  after  his 
marriage  located  in  Stamford,  where  he 
was  employed  by  the  Stamford  Manufac- 
turing Company.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  remained  with  this  concern,  and  then 
became  employed  by  the  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  railroad,  serving  in 
different  capacities,  and  for  a  time  filling 
the  ofiice  of  superintendent  of  the  New 
London  branch  of  this  road.  In  1850  he 
moved  from  Stamford  to  New  Haven,  and 
subsequently  followed  railroading  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  country.  He  was  a  man 
of  quick  wit  and  ready  humor,  and  was 
endowed  with  a  charming  personality. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
holding    the    Knight    Templar    degrees. 

Frederick  J.  Calhoun  married,  September 
II,  1844,  Mary  Ann  Marsh,  born  March 
7,  1818,  died  April  30,  1872,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Asenath  (Woodruff)  Marsh. 
Daniel  Marsh,  born  May  5,  1774,  died 
May   19,    1856,  was  a  descendant  in  the 


341 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sixth    generation    of    John    Marsh    (see 
Marsh  line). 

Children  of  Frederick  J.  and  Mary  A. 
(Marsh)  Calhoun:  James  M.,  born  1846, 
died  1847;  Jennie  C,  born  July  24,  1848, 
married  Stephen  E.  Reed  (see  Reed  line) ; 
John  S.,  born  1851,  died  1853;  Frederick 
J.,  born  1855,  died  same  year;  Frederick 
S.,  born  1858,  died  same  year. 

(The  Marsh  Line). 

(I)  John  Marsh  was  born  in  County 
Essex,  England,  in  1618,  and  died  in  1688. 
He  came  to  America  in  1635,  settling  first 
in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  but  later 
moved  to  Hadley.  Before  1642  he  was 
at  Hartford,  Connecticut.  He  married 
(first)  in  Hartford,  about  1642,  Anne 
Webster,  daughter  of  Governor  John 
Webster.  She  died  June  9,  1662.  He 
married  (second)  October  7,  1664,  Hep- 
zibah  (Ford)  Lyman,  a  widow,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Ford,  of  Hartford.  She  died 
April  II,  1683.  Among  the  children  of 
John  and  Anne  (Webster)  Marsh  was 
John  (2). 

(II)  John  (2)  Marsh,  son  of  John  (i) 
and  Anne  (Webster)  Marsh,  was  born  in 
Hartford  about  1643,  died  in  1727.  He 
married  (first)  November  28,  1666,  Sarah 
Lyman,  of  Northampton,  daughter  of 
Richard  and  Hepzibah  (Ford)  Lyman, 
the  latter  the  second  wife  of  his  father. 
He  married  (second)  January  i,  1707-8, 
Susannah  Butler,  who  died  December  24, 
1714.  Among  the  children  by  his  first 
wife  was  John  (3). 

(III)  Captain  John  (3)  Marsh,  son  of 
John  (2)  and  Sarah  (Lyman)  Marsh,  was 
born  in  Hadley,  or  Northampton,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1668,  died  October  i,  1774. 
All  of  his  children  settled  in  Litchfield, 
Connecticut.  He  married  (first)  in  1695, 
Mabel  Pratt;  (second)  in  1698,  Elizabeth 
Pitkin.  Among  his  children  by  his  sec- 
ond wife  was  John  (4). 


(IV)  Captain  John  (4)  Marsh,  son  of 
Captain  John  (3)  and  Elizabeth  (Pitkin) 
Marsh,  was  born  October  20,  1712.  He 
went  to  Litchfield  with  his  father  in  1721, 
where  he  lived  the  most  of  his  life.  He 
was  selectman  ten  years,  1755-65,  and  a 
captain  in  the  Revolution.  He  married, 
about  1732-33,  Sarah  Webster,  and  among 
their  children  was  John  (5). 

(V)  John  (5)  Marsh,  son  of  Captain 
John  (4)  and  Sarah  (Webster)  Marsh,  was 
born  in  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  October 
17,  1733-34,  and  died  at  Morris,  Connecti- 
cut, December  3,  1806.  He  married  his 
cousin,  Anna  Marsh,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Ebenezer  and  Deborah  (Buell)  Marsh, 
and  among  their  children  was  Daniel 
Marsh,  father  of  Mary  Ann  Marsh,  the 
latter  the  wife  of  Frederick  J.  Calhoun. 
(See  Calhoun  line). 


GRAVES,  William  Wamer, 
Mercbant. 

The  family  of  Graves  is  one  of  the 
most  ancient  in  England.  It  went  in  with 
the  Norman  army,  and  is  mentioned  in 
the  Domesday  Book.  The  name  has  been 
spelled  De  Grevis,  De  Greves,  Greve, 
Grave,  Greaves,  and  Graves.  There  have 
been  many  men  of  honor  and  distinction 
represented  by  the  family.  The  knowl- 
edge of  a  noble  ancestry  awakens  a  feel- 
ing of  emulation  in  us,  and  especially  in 
the  New  England  States  is  the  truth  of 
this  statement  found.  Among  the  lead- 
ing business  men  of  a  community  are 
often  found  direct  descendants  of  the 
early  Colonial  families.  These  men  are 
worthy  and  desirable  citizens,  maintain- 
ing a  high  standard  in  their  public  and 
private  life,  winning  the  commendation 
of  their  fellow-citizens.  In  short,  they 
uphold  the  characteristics  of  their  fore- 
fathers. William  Warner  Graves,  a  scion 
of  one  of  the  oldest  families,  president  of 


342 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Graves  &  Strang,  Inc.,  of  Stamford,  was 
born  October  26,  1868,  in  Springfield,  New 
Jersey,  son  of  Henry  Martin  and  Julia  M. 
(Higgins)  Graves. 

(I)  Thomas  Graves,  his  paternal  an- 
cestor, was  born  in  England  before  1585, 
and  came  to  New  England  with  his  wife, 
Sarah,  and  five  children,  all  of  mature 
age.  They  settled  in  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, where  he  was  a  property  holder  in 
1645.  He  was  exempted  from  training 
in  the  militia  on  account  of  his  age.  In 
September,  1661,  he  removed  to  Hatfield, 
Massachusetts,  and  died  in  November, 
1662. 

(II)  Isaac  Graves,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  Graves,  was  born  probably  as  early 
as  1620,  in  England,  and  came  with  his 
father  to  New  England.  He  was  made  a 
freeman  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  May 
16,  1659,  and  was  sergeant  of  the  militia. 
He  served  as  clerk  of  the  writs  for  Hat- 
field, Massachusetts,  whence  he  had  re- 
moved in  1661.  He  was  killed  in  an  In- 
dian attack,  September  19,  1677.  He 
married  Mary  Church,  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Anna  Church,  who  came  in  1637 
to  New  England,  and  she  died  June  9, 
1695. 

(III)  John  Graves,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Mary  (Church)  Graves,  was  bom  in  1664, 
and  died  in  1746.  He  lived  in  Hatfield, 
Massachusetts.  He  married  Sarah  Banks, 
daughter  of  John  Banks,  of  Chelmsford, 
Massachusetts. 

(IV)  Isaac  (2)  Graves,  son  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Banks)  Graves,  was  born  July  10, 
1688,  and  died  May  30,  1781,  in  Sunder- 
land, Massachusetts,  whence  he  had  re- 
moved about  1714.  He  married,  in  1713, 
Mary  Parsons,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Par- 
sons, of  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
born  July  8,  1688,  died  March  9,  1769. 

(V)  Phineas  Graves,  son  of  Isaac  (2) 
and  Mary  (Parsons)  Graves,  was  born 
April  30,  1726,  in  Sunderland,  Massachu- 


setts, and  died  April  20,  1806.  He  mar- 
ried, November  i,  1753,  Rhoda  Smith, 
born  February  25,  1732,  died  March  24, 
1819. 

(VI)  Levi  Graves,  son  of  Phineas  and 
Rhoda  (Smith)  Graves,  was  born  August 
14,  1766,  in  Sunderland,  Massachusetts, 
and  died  January  16,  1830.  He  married, 
January  20,  1791,  Pamelia  Arms,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Sarah  (Rodman)  Arms, 
born  February  28,  1766,  died  in  June,  1854. 
Levi  Graves  removed  to  Canaan,  Colum- 
bia county,  New  York. 

(VII)  Rhodolphua  Graves,  son  of  Levi 
and  Pamelia  (Arms)  Graves,  was  born 
October  18,  1796,  in  Conway,  Massachu- 
setts, and  died  November  24,  1866,  in 
Brooklyn,  New  York.  He  married,  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1825,  Catharine  N.  Warner, 
daughter  of  Lupton  Warner,  of  Canaan, 
New  York,  born  April  5,  1801.  They  re- 
moved to  Kinderhook,  New  York. 

(VIII)  Henry  Martin  Graves,  son  of 
Rhodolphua  and  Catharine  N.  (Warner) 
Graves,  was  born  November  30,  1829,  in 
Kinderhook,  New  York,  and  died  in  De- 
cember, 1896.  As  a  lad  he  learned  the 
trade  of  hatter  with  his  father.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  he  went  into  business 
in  New  York  City,  and  from  there  re- 
moved to  Springfield,  New  Jersey.  He 
established  a  hat  factory  in  the  adjoining 
town  of  Milburn,  and  continued  active 
in  that  business  until  shortly  before  his 
death.  He  manufactured  a  general  line 
of  felt  hats.  Mr.  Graves  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  active  in  local  affairs.  He  served 
for  many  years  as  a  member  of  the  Town 
Committee  and  the  School  Board,  respec- 
tively. He  was  a  firm  believer  in  the 
principle  that  each  able-bodied  citizen 
should  perform  his  just  share  of  public 
service.  Mr.  Graves  married,  November 
7,  i860,  Julia  M.  Higgins,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Higgins,  of  Spencertown,  New 
York.     They  were    the    parents    of    five 


343 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


children :  Altana,  born  April  lo,  1863,  is 
the  wife  of  Alexander  Malhaffey;  Wil- 
ilam  Warner,  of  further  mention ;  Cath- 
arine Warner,  born  June  17,  1870;  Samuel 
Higgins,  born  September  6,  1874,  resides 
in  Stamford ;  Julia  Louise,  born  October 
10,  1879,  is  the  wife  of  Roy  A.  Oles,  of 
Spencertown,  New  York.  The  members 
of  the  family  were  attendants  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church. 

(IX)  William  Warner  Graves,  eldest 
son  of  Henry  Martin  and  Julia  M.  (Hig- 
gins) Graves,  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Springfield,  and  was  early 
employed  in  his  father's  hat  factory.  In 
1889  he  entered  the  employ  of  Leonard 
Richards,  manufacturer  of  artificial  leath- 
ers and  lacquers.  Mr.  Graves  remained 
associated  with  Mr.  Richards  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  and  during  five  years  of  this 
period  represented  him  in  Chicago.  In 
1904  the  manufacturing  plant  was  re- 
moved to  Stamford,  Connecticut,  and  Mr. 
Graves  came  with  it.  He  continued  in 
association  with  its  interests  until  1914, 
at  which  time  he  held  the  position  of  cost 
accountant.  In  August,  1914,  Graves  & 
Strang,  Inc.,  was  incorporated  with  Mr. 
Graves  as  president.  A  general  business 
dealing  in  ice,  coal  and  wood  is  carried 
on.  The  business  purchased  by  the  com- 
pany had  been  established  for  fifteen 
years.  In  1919  Mr.  Graves  and  Mr. 
Strang  organized  the  Springdale  Ice  and 
Coal  Company  with  Mr.  Graves  as  presi- 
dent and  Mr.  Strang  as  treasurer.  This 
new  corporation  took  over  the  Springdale 
Ice  Company  and  the  coal  and  wood 
branch  of  the  Graves  &  Strang  Company 
in  Springdale,  combining  the  two  under 
one  new  head.  Mr.  Graves  is  treasurer 
of  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Stamford,  an  or- 
ganization composed  of  business  men. 

Mr.  Graves  married  Bertha  Ferrin, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Chester  M.  Ferrin,  of 
Essex  Junction,  Vermont,  and  they  were 


the  parents  of  two  children:  i.  Carlisle 
Ferrin,  born  December  19,  1897;  he  is  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1920  of  Massachu- 
setts Agricultural  College,  and  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  World  War  left  his 
studies  to  train  in  the  R.  O.  T.  C.  at  Camp 
Lee,  receiving  the  commission  of  second 
lieutenant;  he  is  now  resuming  his  stud- 
ies. 2.  Chester  Warner,  born  November 
15,  1902.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  Mr.  Graves  is 
especially  active  in  all  of  its  works.  He 
shares  the  belief  that  the  church  is  the 
great  agency  for  promoting  righteousness 
in  community  and  national  as  well  as  in- 
dividual activities.  Mrs.  Graves  died 
February  13,  1918,  and  previous  to  her 
death  had  been  active  in  many  church 
organizations,  being  a  member  also  of  the 
Woman's  Club  of  Stamford. 


CANDEE,  Nehemiah, 

Iiaivyer,  Ziegislator. 

One  of  the  oldest  families  in  Connecti- 
cut is  the  Candee  family.  Representatives 
of  this  family  are  to  be  found  in  the  busi- 
ness and  professional  world,  and  they  are 
among  the  best  citizens.  Matters  of  State 
and  town  hold  interest  for  them,  and  they 
are  willing  at  all  times  to  give  of  their 
time  and  finances  to  furthering  the  gen- 
eral welfare.  Among  the  members  of  the 
Fairfield  County  Bar  Association  is  a 
scion  of  the  Candee  family,  Nehemiah 
Candee.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  of 
Zaccheus  Candee,  of  whom  further. 

(I)  Zaccheus  Candee  was  early  settled 
in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  and  died  in 
1720,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  mar- 
ried Rebecca,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Bris- 
tow,  or  Bristol,  of  New  Haven,  and  she 
died  in  September,  1739. 

(II)  Samuel  Candee,  son  of  Zaccheus 
and  Rebecca  Candee,  was  born  in  West 
Haven,  July  24,  1678,  and  died  February 


344 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


28,  1748-49.  In  October,  1731,  he  was 
lieutenant  of  the  company  in  West  Haven, 
and  later  became  captain.  He  married, 
April  28,  1703,  Abigail  Pineon,  of  New 
Haven,  daughter  of  Thomas  Pineon,  of 
New  Haven,  and  she  died  January  9,  1743. 

(III)  Caleb  Candee,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Abigail  (Pineon)  Candee,  was  born  about 
1722,  in  West  Haven;  he  settled  in  Ox- 
ford, about  1730,  and  died  in  1764.  He 
married  Lois  Mallory,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  Samuel  (2)  Candee,  of  whom 
further. 

(IV)  Samuel  (2)  Candee,  son  of  Caleb 
and  Lois  (Mallory)  Candee,  was  baptized 
March  17,  1754,  and  died  about  1840,  aged 
eighty-seven.  He  married,  March  20, 
1777,  Mabel  Bradley,  of  Derby,  Connec- 
ticut, and  they  joined  the  church  in  Ox- 
ford, April  5,  1778.  He  was  a  lieutenant 
in  1786,  and  captain  in  1789.  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  and  was  a  pensioner.  He 
also  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.  In  private  life  he  was  a  farmer,  and 
also  made  scythes. 

(V)  Amos  Candee,  son  of  Samuel  (2) 
and  Mabel  (Bradley)  Candee,  was  bap- 
tized April  5,  1778;  he  died  in  1855.  He 
removed  to  Easton,  Connecticut,  in  1836, 
and  was  a  farmer.  He  served  as  select- 
man of  the  town  of  Easton  for  several 
years.  He  married  (first)  Lydia  Taylor 
Dike,  and  (second)  July  26,  1828,  Lydia 
Piatt,  daughter  of  Amos  Piatt,  who  was 
a  school  teacher  before  her  marriage.  She 
was  the  mother  of  two  children. 

(VI)  Jason  Candee,  son  of  Amos  and 
Lydia  (Piatt)  Candee,  was  born  June  13, 
1829,  in  Southbury,  Connecticut,  and  died 
in  May,  1915.  He  was  but  a  small  lad 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Easton,  and 
there  he  went  to  school.  After  completing 
his  schooling  he  took  up  farming,  which  he 
followed  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  mar- 
ried, February  24,  1850,  Caroline  Amelia 
Canfield,    daughter    of    David    Canfield. 


The  latter  was  of  that  part  of  Redding 
bordering  on  the  Ridgefield  line;  he  left 
there  and  enlisted  in  the  Seminole  War, 
and  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  one  of  his 
fellow-soldiers  reporting  his  death  to  the 
family.  Of  the  children  of  Jason  and 
Caroline  A.  (Canfield)  Candee  the  fol- 
lowing grew  to  maturity:  William  J., 
deceased  ;  Lafayette,  deceased  ;  Nehemiah, 
of  further  mention ;  and  Anna  A.,  wife  of 
P.  G.  McCullom,  of  Richmond,  Virginia. 
The  family  were  members  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Easton. 

(VII)  Nehemiah  Candee,  son  of  Jason 
and  Caroline  A.  (Canfield)  Candee,  was 
born  in  Easton,  Connecticut,  August  9, 
1870.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  there  and  at  Staples  Academy.  He 
graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1893  with 
the  degree  of  B.  A.,  and  from  Yale  Law 
School,  four  years  later,  with  the  degree 
of  LL.  B.  He  went  to  Chicago,  where  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois,  and 
engaged  in  practice  there  for  a  year.  In 
the  winter  of  1907  he  returned  to  Norwalk 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  John 
Keogh,  on  January'  ist,  following,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Keogh  &  Candee,  which 
has  continued  to  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Keogh  has  recently  been  appointed  ref- 
eree in  bankruptcy. 

In  June,  1917,  Mr.  Candee  was  made 
judge  of  the  City  Court  of  Norwalk,  and 
is  now  serving  his  second  term.  He  is  a 
Republican,  and  served  in  the  Legislature 
in  1917  and  1919.  During  his  first  term 
he  served  on  the  Committee  on  Forfeited 
Rights,  and  the  Committee  on  Banks  and 
Federal  Relations.  In  his  last  term  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Judiciary  Com- 
mittee. In  the  fall  of  1920  Judge  Candee 
was  a  candidate  for  Senator  from  the 
Twenty-sixth  Senatorial  District. 

Mr.  Candee  is  a  member  of  several  fra- 
ternities, and  is  otherwise  active  in  the 
social  life  of  Norwalk.     He  is  a  member 


345 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  Old  Well  Lx)dge,  No.  io8,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons ;  Butler  Chapter,  No. 
38,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Clinton  Com- 
mandery,  No.  3,  Knights  Templar ;  Mon- 
ker  Grotto ;  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men ; 
Loyal  Order  of  Moose ;  Olive  Branch 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  is  past  grand 
chancellor  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Con- 
necticut ;  and  is  a  member  of  D.  O.  K.  K. 
of  New  Britain.  Mr.  Candee  is  a  director 
of  the  People's  Trust  Company  of  South 
Norwalk. 

Mr.  Candee  married,  June  29,  1901, 
Annie  M.  Chunn,  daughter  of  Mark  B. 
Chunn,  of  St.  Mary's  county,  Maryland. 
Their  children  :  Mark  Chunn  and  Marjorie 
Dent,  twins,  born  October  22,  1903,  in 
New  Haven ;  Randolph  Frederick,  born 
June  29,  1905,  died  July  10,  1909;  and 
Dorothy  Caroline,  born  April  19,  191 1. 


GILLESPIE,  "WUliam  Wright, 

Pnblisher,  Merchant. 

To  be  richly  endowed  with  many  and 
varied  talents,  to  be  blessed  with  abound- 
ing vitality  making  possible  their  devel- 
opment, to  be  born  of  cultivated  parents 
who  know  how  to  nurture  the  human 
soul,  and  to  possess  a  personality  of  such 
rare  charm  as  to  make  one  universally 
beloved,  falls  to  the  lot  of  few  men.  It 
was  the  heritage  of  the  late  William 
Wright  Gillespie.  From  the  time  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Stamford,  Connecticut, 
until  his  death,  nearly  half  a  century  later, 
there  was  scarcely  a  phase  of  the  com- 
munity's life  in  which  he  was  not  active 
and  always  constructively.  His  graceful, 
yet  forceful,  pen,  his  masterly  oratory, 
and  his  sound  business  judgment  were 
ever  ready  to  forward  the  best  interests 
of  Town,  State  and  Nation.  Uncompro- 
mising in  his  intellectual  integrity,  he 
was  fearless  in  denouncing  wrong  and 
bold  in  upholding  the  right,  according  to 


his  light.  And  he  was  a  man  of  unusually 
keen  perception.  His  daily  life  was  an 
exemplification  of  the  fundamentals  of 
Christianity — he  showed  his  faith  by  his 
works ;  and  it  is  fair  to  say  that  in  his 
day  and  generation  no  citizen  of  Stamford 
wielded  a  more  potent  influence  for  good. 
The  name  Gillespie  is  derived  from  the 
Gaelic  compound  word,  Gille-espuaig,  and 
signifies  "the  servant  of  the  Bishop." 

William  Wright  Gillespie  was  born  in 
Knockdrin,  County  Westmeath,  Ireland, 
October  16,  1839,  and  died  in  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  December  30,  1907.  His 
ancestors  were  of  that  sturdy  Scotch  stock 
who  suffered  so  much  for  their  faith,  and 
who  have  contributed  so  many  substantial 
citizens  to  America. 

(I)  John  Gillespie,  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam W.  Gillespie,  was  born  in  County 
Tyrone,  Ireland.  He  was  a  linen  weaver 
and  farmer.  He  married  Helen  Scott, 
who  lived  to  the  great  age  of  one  hundred 
and  four  years. 

(II)  John  (2)  Gillespie,  son  of  John 
(i)  and  Helen  (Scott)  Gillespie,  was  born 
in  Dunmackmay,  County  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
May  5,  1805.  He  was  educated  in  Trin- 
ity College,  Dublin,  and  after  his  gradu- 
ation tutored  in  some  of  the  leading  fam- 
ilies of  the  county.  Later  he  became  a 
teacher  in  the  national  schools,  although, 
as  circumstances  permitted,  he  also  con- 
tinued his  work  as  a  tutor.  He  wooed  and 
won  Mary  J.  Cunningham,  who  was  also 
a  teacher  in  the  national  schools.  Hus- 
band and  wife,  after  their  marriage,  con- 
tinued in  their  vocation  of  teaching.  They 
were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  of 
whom  the  following  grew  to  maturity : 
Anna  E.,  now  deceased,  married  James 
Cunningham ;  George,  now  deceased,  be- 
came a  prominent  business  man  and  alder- 
man of  Toronto,  Canada  ;  Rev.  John,  now 
deceased,  was  for  many  years  rector  of  the 
Church  of  the  Messiah  in  Toronto;  Wil- 


346 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


liam  Wright,  of  whom  further ;  Edward 
Thomas  Wright,  a  sketch  of  whom  fol- 
lows; Frederick  R.,  now  deceased,  who 
became  a  large  importer  in  New  York 
City,  and  a  prominent  manufacturer  of 
Stamford  ;  Richard  H.,  now  deceased,  who 
was  prominently  identified  with  the 
Stamford  "Advocate"  for  many  years,  and 
whose  biography  follows. 

The  father  of  these  children  died  in 
1854,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years. 
Reared  as  he  had  been  in  the  stern  old 
school  of  religious  precept  and  practice, 
he  brought  up  his  children  strictly,  but 
with  such  loving  kindness  that  they  were 
attracted  to  the  same  ideals  of  godliness 
and  right  living  as  he  had  espoused.  His 
widow  continued  in  her  vocation  of 
school-teacher  in  the  old  country  until 
1857,  when,  with  her  young  sons,  Fred- 
erick R.,  Richard  H.,  and  Anthony,  she 
crossed  the  ocean  to  Canada,  where  her 
elder  children  were  already  residing.  She 
died  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  in  1879, 
aged  sixty-eight  years.  Like  her  hus- 
band, she  was  an  earnest  and  devoted 
Christian,  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  for 
her  children.  She  was  beloved  by  all 
who  knew  her. 

(Ill)  William  Wright  Gillespie,  son  of 
John  (2)  and  Mary  J.  (Cunningham)  Gil- 
lespie, was  under  the  careful  and  thor- 
ough tuition  of  his  parents  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  old.  Then,  in  a  competi- 
tive examination,  he  won  a  scholarship  in 
the  Dundalk  Institution,  an  endowed 
schood  of  academic  grade.  In  December, 
1856,  he  and  his  brother,  Edward  T.  W. 
Gillespie,  accompanied  their  father's 
brother  to  Guelph,  Canada,  and  thus  ended 
their  formal  instruction.  But  William 
W.  had  acquired  a  thirst  for  knowledge, 
and  he  remained  a  diligent  student  to  the 
end  of  his  days.  His  intellectual  interests 
covered  a  wide  range,  including  the  nat- 
ural sciences,  history  and  literature.    The 


following  quotation  from  one  who  knew 
him  intimately  will  convey  some  idea  of 
the  extraordinary  quality  and  compre- 
hensive scope  of  Mr.  Gillespie's  mental 
endowment,  his  all-round  capabilities  and 
untiring  industry.  Had  he  devoted  him- 
self to  the  accumulation  of  wealth,  no 
doubt  he  would  have  become  one  of  the 
rich  men  of  his  time,  but  he  realized  as 
few  do  the  truth  so  tersely  expressed  by 
Abraham  Lincoln :  "There  is  something 
more  important  than  making  a  living — 
making  a  life." 

From  early  boyhood  he  had  shown  extraordi- 
nary capacity  for  doing  things,  especially  in  the 
lines  of  mechanical  constriictiveness  and  inventive 
resourcefulness.  There  was  no  machine  so  com- 
plicated or  so  novel  that  he  could  not  almost  at  a 
glance  understand  the  principles  of  its  operation 
and  the  philosophy  of  its  purpose.  Every  great 
invention  that  appeared  in  his  time,  he  understood 
fundamentally,  while  most  people  regarded  it  with 
incredulity,  or  even  ridicule.  The  first  crude 
phonograph  had  scarcely  appeared,  when  he 
grasped  the  full  meaning  of  the  new  discovery  of 
until  then  hidden  facts  in  the  realm  of  nature 
which  it  represented,  and  he  made  it  the  founda- 
tion and  illustration  of  a  series  of  lectures  on  the 
"science  of  sound,"  which  were  heard  with  rapt 
attention  by  many  public  audiences  in  this  coun- 
try and  in  Canada.  At  the  first  hint  of  the  power 
and  light  to  be  derived  from  electricity,  he  gave 
public  lectures  upon  this  topic,  in  which  he  ap- 
peared to  have  the  whole  meaning  and  philosophy 
of  it  at  his  fingers'  ends,  so  to  speak,  and  in  which 
he  confidently  prophesied  developments,  then 
unknown  and  unheard  of,  but  which  have  since 
been  realized  in  practical,  everyday  working. 
Such  were  the  capabilities  of  a  mind,  in  these  di- 
rections, which,  if  it  had  had  the  advantages  of 
early  technical  training,  such  as  is  now  available 
to  thousands  of  the  youth  of  this  country,  could 
scarcely  have  failed  to  become,  not  only  merely 
an  eager  and  intelligent  follower  of  these  inven- 
tions, but  in  all  probability  a  leader  and  creator  in 
the  same   field. 

His  accomplishments  as  a  writer,  whether  of 
newspaper  reports,  comments,  etc.,  or,  more  espe- 
cially, the  large  and  respectable  body  of  original 
literary  material  he  produced  in  the  form  of 
essays,  lectures  and  addresses  for  public  delivery 
on   special   occasions,  are  marked  first  of  all  by 


347 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  manifest  mastery  of  the  subjects  he  chose  for 
exposition.  .  .  .  Yet  it  may  be  remarked  as 
another  tribute  to  the  rare  versatility  of  his  men- 
tal endowments,  that  his  writing  ability  was  less 
the  possession  of  the  distinctive  literary  tempera- 
ment, inherited  or  acquired,  than  it  was  a  demon- 
stration of  that  extraordinary  all-round  capability 
which  could,  so  to  speak,  do  anything  that  he  at- 
tempted, and  do  it  well,  whether  the  work  was  in 
the  domain  of  mechanical  or  of  literary  crafts- 
manship. But  he  possessed  the  poetic  and  imagi- 
native faculties  in  a  marked  measure.  Without 
these,  indeed,  he  could  scarcely  have  used  verse 
so  frequently,  and  certainly  not  with  such  im- 
pressive effect,  in  so  many  of  his  speeches  and 
addresses. 

Mr.  Gillespie  was  much  sought  after 
as  a  speaker  for  all  manner  of  public  oc- 
casions such  as  Memorial  Day,  Christmas, 
etc.  He  often  delivered  formal  addresses 
on  anniversary  and  other  important  oc- 
casions before  the  fraternal  bodies  with 
which  he  was  affiliated,  and  his  lectures 
on  scientific  and  literary  topics  and  travel 
were  largely  attended  and  highly  appre- 
ciated for  their  educational  and  inspira- 
tional value.  He  was  a  ready  and  witty 
speaker,  whose  happy  manner  of  phrasing 
sentiments,  and  whose  keen  and  hearty 
sympathies,  won  his  audiences.  He  made 
the  first  speech  delivered  in  the  old  Stam- 
ford town  hall  when  he  introduced  the 
famous  John  B.  Gough,  and  he  made  the 
last  public  address  in  the  building  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  a  few  days 
before  the  hall  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

After  his  arrival  in  Guelph,  Canada, 
young  Gillespie  worked  for  about  two 
years  in  the  store  of  his  elder  brother. 
But  he  was  ambitious  to  become  identi- 
fied with  the  printing  and  publishing 
business,  and  when  the  opportunity  of- 
fered he  became  an  apprentice  in  the 
office  of  a  small  weekly  paper  published 
in  Fergus,  Ontario,  Canada.  In  less  than 
a  year  he  had  learned  all  that  was  possi- 
ble there,  and  accordingly  he  sought 
larger  opportunities  in  New  York  City. 


That  was  in  1859.  Though  he  had  served 
but  a  year  at  the  printer's  trade,  he  went 
to  work  as  a  journeyman  for  Baker  & 
Godwin,  and  by  dint  of  his  native  inge- 
nuity and  adaptability  he  overcame  the 
handicaps  of  his  inexperience  and  met  all 
the  demands  made  upon  him.  After  a 
short  period  in  another  print-shop,  he  re- 
moved, in  i860,  to  Stamford,  Connecticut, 
and  entered  the  employ  of  William  S. 
Campbell,  proprietor  of  the  "Weekly  Ad- 
vocate," as  foreman.  It  has  been  said  of 
him  in  this  connection : 

There  was  no  detail  which  his  ready  adaptabil- 
ity, his  alert,  inventive  mind,  and  his  tireless 
industry  did  not  touch  with  an  efficient  and  help- 
ful hand.  He  made  up  to  a  large  extent  for  the 
scant  mechanical  resources  of  the  place  by  his 
extraordinary  capacity  for  getting  results  out  of 
the  most  unpromising  material.  He  found  valu- 
able use  for  things  that  had  been  lying  for  years 
among  discarded  odds  and  ends,  and  the  little 
establishment  began  to  attract  new  attention  for 
the  brightness  and  taste  of  the  work  it  turned 
out,  and  for  the  new  and  original  ideas  which 
began  to  broaden  and  lighten  up  the  narrow, 
stale,  conventional  and  stereotyped  aspects  of  the 
country  printing  office. 

And  he  soon  added  to  his  duties  the 
work  of  a  reporter  and  editor.  It  would 
seem  that  these  arduous  activities  would 
consume  the  energy  of  the  man,  but  such 
was  not  the  case,  and  as  illustrative  of  the 
versatility  of  his  talents  it  is  noted  that 
in  his  evenings  he  busied  himself  in  con- 
structing things  for  his  new  home,  for  he 
had  been  married  soon  after  his  removal 
to  Stamford.  The  most  notable  product 
of  his  mechanical  skill  at  this  period  was 
a  pipe  organ,  which  he  designed  and  con- 
structed without  the  aid  of  anyone  else, 
and  which  he  was  able  to  play  to  the 
delight  of  his  friends,  if  not  entirely  to  his 
own  satisfaction.  While  his  native  mod- 
esty made  any  pretense  to  musicianship 
impossible,  he  possessed  no  mean  talent. 
When  the  Civil  War  overwhelmed  the 


348 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


country,  Mr.  Gillespie  supported  the 
Union  cause  with  ardour,  and  but  for  a 
slight  physical  injury  received  in  boy- 
hood he  would  have  gone  to  the  front  as 
a  member  of  a  Connecticut  regiment. 
During  these  years,  and  owing  quite 
largely  to  his  ability  and  efforts,  the 
business  with  which  he  was  identified 
grew  apace,  and  in  1866  recognition  of 
his  worth  came  in  the  form  of  an  interest 
in  the  business,  the  firm  name  of  Camp- 
bell &  Gillespie  being  adopted.  Mr. 
Campbell  died  the  following  year,  and 
after  a  short  time  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Woolsey 
became  a  partner,  the  firm  name  being 
changed  to  Gillespie  &  Woolsey.  The 
new  partner  remained  in  the  firm  but  a 
short  time,  and  the  firm  name  was  again 
changed,  this  time  to  W.  W.  Gillespie  & 
Company.  The  next  change  was  made  in 
1883,  when  Mr.  Gillespie  withdrew  from 
the  company,  and  the  business  was  taken 
over  by  his  younger  brothers,  E.  T.  W. 
and  R.  H.  Gillespie.  In  June,  1906,  the 
business  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Gillespie  Brothers,  under  which 
it  is  still  conducted. 

When  William  W.  Gillespie  withdrew 
from  the  publishing  business,  he  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  White,  Gillespie 
&  Thayer,  formed  at  that  time,  and  which 
for  some  years  conducted  a  large  lumber 
business.  In  1889  Messrs.  White  and 
Thayer  retired  from  the  business  and  a 
corporation  was  organized  under  the 
name  of  The  Gillespie  Lumber  Company. 
This  continued  until  1897,  when  the 
stockholders  (who  were  the  Gillespie 
brothers)  closed  up  the  business.  From 
that  time  until  his  death,  William  Wright 
Gillespie  was  associated  with  his  broth- 
er who  owned  and  operated  the  Water- 
side Mills. 

Mr.  Gillespie  was  always  a  student  of 
affairs,  and  from  the  days  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  a  staunch   supporter  of  the  Re- 


publican party.  With  voice  and  pen  he 
labored  zealously  for  the  good  of  the  com- 
munity. The  only  elective  office  he  ever 
held  was  that  of  representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  of  1882.  At  that  ses- 
sion there  was  much  talk  of  lobbying  and 
bribery.  He  used  to  say  that  no  one  ever 
approached  him  with  a  proposition  of  that 
sort,  but  perhaps  he  did  not  guess  the 
reason.  His  refusal  to  serve  a  second 
term  was  readily  accepted  by  the  man- 
aging politicians  of  the  time.  He  was  not 
the  sort  of  man  they  preferred.  About  a 
year  before  his  death  he  was  appointed  as 
collector  of  the  port  of  Stamford. 

Mr.  Gillespie  was  a  man  of  deeply  re- 
ligious and  broadly  fraternal  instincts. 
He  loved  his  fellowman  without  distinc- 
tion of  race  or  creed.  It  was  therefore 
natural  that  he  should  be  attracted  to 
those  orders  whose  fundamental  teach- 
ings are  based  on  the  truth  expressed  in 
a  favorite  phrase  of  his,  "the  brotherhood 
of  man."  He  was  an  active  member  of 
Union  Lodge,  No.  5,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  of  Rippowam  Lodge, 
No.  24,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  was 
elected  to  honorary  membership  by  Minor 
Post.  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  upon 
whose  records  an  eloquent  tribute  was 
placed  upon  his  decease.  Early  in  boy- 
hood he  became  identified  with  the  church 
and  Sunday  school.  In  1888,  owing  to 
certain  action  in  connection  with  the 
business  policy  of  the  Stamford  Baptist 
Church,  with  which  he  had  been  identified 
since  he  came  to  Stamford,  and  of  whose 
Sunday  school  he  had  for  years  been  su- 
perintendent, and  which  change  in  busi- 
ness policy  he  did  not  approve,  Mr. 
Gillespie  transferred  his  membership  to 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  March  3,  1861,  Mr.  Gillespie  was 
married,  in  New  York  City,  to  Elizabeth 
J.  Reilly,  of  New  York.    This  union  was 


349 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


blessed  with  two  sons :  Edward  F.  W.  and 
George  R.,  and  two  daughters :  Mary  L. 
and  Lillian  M. 

Mr.  Gillespie's  creed — and  his  practice 
was  in  accord  with  it — the  message  which 
he  sought  always  and  everywhere  to  pro- 
claim, and  which  is  universal  in  its  ap- 
plication, is  summed  up  in  the  following 
brief  quotation  from  his  lecture  on  Ire- 
land: 

The  promulgation  of  the  gospel  of  peace  and 
good  will,  of  kindly  spirit,  and  the  brotherhood  of 
mankind,  is  to  be  the  gospel  of  salvation  for  Ire- 
land. If  men  only  understood  the  true  relation- 
ship there  exists  between  them  as  children  of  a 
Universal  Father,  and  practised  the  Golden  Rule 
of  life  as  taught  by  Him  "who  spake  as  never 
man  spake,"  if  they  only  brought  to  bear  on  the 
settlement  of  all  disagreements  the  all-conquering 
power  of  fraternal  love,  how  quickly  would  the 
still  open  wounds  of  centuries  be  healed,  the 
transmitted  sores  and  heartburnings  of  genera- 
tions, long  sleeping  in  their  native  clay,  be  dried 
up  and  assuaged  by  the  soothing  potency  of  the 
truth — practiced  and  believed — that  God  is  our 
Father,  and  all  we  are  brethren. 


GILLESPIE,  Edward  T.  W., 

Jonrnalist. 

As  editor  of  the  "Stamford  Advocate," 
Mr.  Gillespie  has  for  more  than  half  a 
century  wielded  an  influence  which  has 
rendered  him  one  of  the  political  and  in- 
tellectual forces  of  his  community  and 
his  State.  As  president  of  the  widely 
known  firm  of  Gillespie  Brothers,  Inc., 
he  is  numbered  among  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  the  city  of  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut. 

Edward  T.  W.  Gillespie,  son  of  John 
(2)  and  Mary  J.  (Cunningham)  Gillespie 
(q.  v.),  was  born  August  27,  1841.  He 
received  his  preliminary  education  under 
the  tuition  of  his  parents.  In  1856  he  and 
his  brother,  William  W.  Gillespie,  ac- 
companied an  uncle  to  Canada,  settling 
in  Guelph,  Ontario,  where  their  brother 


John  was  already  established  in  business 
as  a  merchant.  By  this  elder  brother  Mr. 
Gillespie  was  employed  as  a  clerk  until 
1859,  when  he  removed  to  New  York  City, 
at  which  port  he  had  landed  upon  arriving 
in  the  New  World.  For  a  time  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  mercantile  estab- 
lishments, but  it  was  not  long  before  he 
found  an  opening  into  that  sphere  of 
action  for  which  Nature  had  especially 
designed  him.  This  opening  was  a  hum- 
ble position  in  the  pressroom  of  an  old 
paper  called  "Vanity  Fair,"  but  his  stay 
there  was  of  short  duration.  Early  in 
i860  his  brother,  William  W.  Gillespie, 
came  to  Stamford,  Connecticut,  and  en- 
tered the  office  of  the  "Weekly  Advocate" 
as  foreman.  His  fitness  for  the  work 
quickly  became  apparent,  and  in  the  au- 
tumn of  the  same  year  he  induced  his 
mother  and  his  brother  Edward  T.  W.  to 
make  Stamford  their  home. 

This  removal  might  be  called  the  turn- 
ing point  in  Mr.  Gillespie's  life.  The  lit- 
tle village  weekly,  which  had  been 
established  in  1829,  was  known  as  the 
"Stamford  Advocate,"  and  was  one  of  the 
oldest  newspapers  in  the  State.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1862,  Mr.  Gillespie  wrote  his  first 
article  for  the  paper.  It  was  entitled  "A 
Visit  to  the  Seat  of  War,"  and  from  that 
time  forth  he  assumed  the  editorial  man- 
agement. During  the  many  years  which 
have  since  elapsed  he  has  devoted  the 
best  that  was  in  him  to  furthering  what 
appeared  to  him  to  be  the  highest  inter- 
ests of  the  city.  Possessed  of  natural 
literary  talent  and  having  a  strong  liking 
for  the  work,  he  cultivated  his  gift  by 
years  of  assiduous,  practical  endeavor  in 
the  development  of  his  newspaper.  Al- 
ways a  fluent  and  forceful  writer,  his 
evident  sincerity  of  purpose  has  given 
weight  to  his  editorials,  carrying  convic- 
tion to  his  readers.  With  his  powers  as 
a  reasoner  he  combines  the  poetic  gift. 


.■^50 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  when  he  gives  ear  to  its  promptings 
the  product  of  his  pen  is  graceful  and  in- 
spiring. Nor  is  Mr.  Gillespie  lacking  in 
a  sense  of  humor.  His  ready  wit  and  his 
inexhaustible  fund  of  anecdote  contribute 
greatly  to  the  entertainment  and  happi- 
ness of  every  gathering  at  which  he  is 
present,  and  his  keen  sympathies  make 
him  a  friend  well  worth  having  in  time  of 
need. 

With  advancing  years  Mr.  Gillespie  has 
gradually  permitted  the  burden  of  his 
strenuous  duties  to  fall  upon  younger 
shoulders,  but  with  interest  unabated  and 
mind  as  keen  and  alert  as  ever  he  con- 
tinues to  write,  as  the  spirit  moves  him, 
virile  editorials  on  topics  of  current  inter- 
est that  attract  wide  attention.  For  a 
number  of  years  Mr.  Gillespie  has  been 
president  of  Gillespie  Brothers,  Inc.,  who 
in  addition  to  publishing  the  "Stamford 
Advocate"  operate  one  of  the  best 
equipped  printing  plants  in  Connecticut 
and  carry  on  a  large  retail  stationery 
business.  His  brother,  William  W.  Gil- 
lespie, was  connected  with  the  firm  for 
nearly  twenty  years,  and  when  he  with- 
drew, in  1883,  the  business  was  taken  over 
by  Edward  T.  W.  and  Richard  H.  Gilles- 
pie. In  June,  1906,  it  was  incorporated 
under  its  present  title. 

During  the  half  century  and  more  of 
his  residence  in  Stamford,  Mr.  Gillespie 
has  witnessed  the  marvellous  growth  of 
every  department  of  the  city's  life.  One 
instance  in  his  own  career  forcibly  illus- 
trates this.  From  1865  to  1867  he  served 
as  Postmaster  Daskam's  assistant,  and  by 
these  two  all  the  work  of  the  office  was 
accomplished.  There  are  today  seventy- 
eight  men  on  the  payroll  of  the  Stamford 
Post  Office.  The  only  fraternal  affilia- 
tion of  Mr.  Gillespie  is  with  Rippowam 
Lodge,  No.  24,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  his  only  club  is  the  Stamford 
Yacht.    He  is  vice-president  of  the  Stam- 


ford Historical  Society,  and  he  attends 
and  contributes  to  the  support  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Gillespie  married,  September  12, 
1872,  Emma  Meudell,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam F.  and  Margaret  (Mitchell)  Meudell. 
Mr.  Meudell  was  for  many  years  collector 
of  the  port  of  Toronto.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gillespie  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  i.  Edward  Lathrop,  graduated 
from  Yale  University  in  the  class  of  1903, 
and  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Law  School 
of  the  New  York  University ;  now  a  resi- 
dent of  San  Francisco,  California.  2. 
Gardner  Wynne.  3.  May  L.  4.  Evelyn 
C.  5.  Dorothy  R.,  graduated  at  the  Nor- 
mal School,  New  Britain,  and  is  now  a 
teacher  in  the  Stamford  public  schools. 

The  memories  of  Mr.  Gillespie,  enriched 
by  the  experiences  of  long  and  wide  ac- 
quaintance with  men  and  affairs,  embrace 
a  period  of  more  than  three  score  years, 
one  of  the  momentous  eras  in  our  national 
history,  and  throughout  this  long  ex- 
tended time  his  attitude  toward  the  great 
problems  presented  for  solution  to  three 
successive  generations  has  been  that  of 
a  man  whose  fidelity  to  high  ideals  has 
inspired  his  pen  and  determined  every 
action  of  his  daily  life. 


GILLESPIE,  Richard  H., 

Printer,   Publisher. 

The  debt  which  America  owes  to  its 
citizens  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  is  widely 
recognized  and  is  past  computation. 
Characterized  by  deep  piety,  thrift,  ambi- 
tion and  industry,  immigrants  of  this 
sturdy  race,  cherishing  the  same  ideals 
of  freedom,  religious  and  personal,  as 
brought  the  Pilgrims  and  Puritans  to  our 
shores,  have  never  needed  to  be  assimi- 
lated ;  they  are  naturally  one  with  us.  Of 
such  stock  came  the  late  Richard  H.  Gil- 
lespie.    He  was  born  in  Collon,  County 


351 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Louth,  Ireland,  August  13,  1848,  son  of 
John  (2)  and  Mar}'  J.  (Cunningham)  Gil- 
lespie (q.  v.). 

Richard  H.  Gillespie  went  to  Brooklyn 
with  his  mother,  and  was  employed  in 
various  lines  of  business  for  some  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Canada  and  with  his 
brothers  established  a  hay  pressing  busi- 
ness in  Hespeler.  Some  years  later  he 
removed  to  Stamford,  Connecticut,  where 
members  of  the  family  were  already  resi- 
dent, and  became  a  clerk  in  the  grocery 
store  of  A.  G.  Weed  &  Company.  Later 
he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Gil- 
lespie Brothers.  When  the  business  was 
incorporated  in  1906,  he  became  vice- 
president,  treasurer  and  general  manager. 
At  the  time  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm,  the  "Stamford  Advocate"  was  a 
weekly  newspaper,  and  the  job  printing 
business,  while  satisfactory  in  volume  for 
those  days,  would  now  seem  to  be  a  small 
business.  From  that  time  on  the  enter- 
prise had  a  healthy,  steady  growth  until 
it  reached  a  high  position  among  the  lead- 
ing printing  establishments  in  that  part 
of  the  State.  In  1892  the  paper  became 
a  daily,  and  in  1895  the  company  erected 
its  present  commodious  three-story  build- 
ing on  Atlantic  street.  Those  who  are  in 
a  position  to  know  credit  the  develop- 
ment of  the  business  largely  to  his  energy, 
enterprise,  industry  and  business  sagacity. 
Among  the  master  printers  of  Connec- 
ticut he  was  recognized  as  a  leader  in  the 
industry.  His  thoughtful  solicitude  for 
all  in  his  employ,  the  kindness  and  gen- 
erosity that  were  part  of  his  nature,  his 
true  friendship  and  his  loyalty  to  all  that 
was  right  and  noble,  and  above  all  his 
cheerfulness  and  industry,  will  ever  be 
remembered  by  those  who  were  associ- 
ated with  him. 

Notwithstanding  the  exacting  demands 
upon  his  time  and  attention  made  by  his 
newspaper  and  printing  business,  Mr.  Gil- 


lespie found  time  to  interest  himself  in 
public  afifairs.  He  was  an  active  and  use- 
ful leader  in  numerous  movements  for  the 
general  benefit  of  the  community.  His 
sound  business  judgment  and  diplomacy, 
coupled  with  unswerving  loyalty  to  what 
he  considered  to  be  the  right,  made  his 
counsel  sought  by  important  business  in- 
terests. He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
organization  of  master  printers  known  as 
The  Typothetae,  and  his  death  occurred 
on  September  7,  191 1,  while  he  was  at- 
tending as  a  delegate  the  convention  of 
that  organization  held  in  Denver.  He 
was  vice-president  of  the  Fidelity  Title 
and  Trust  Company  of  Stamford ;  presi- 
dent of  the  Shippan  Point  Improvement 
Association  from  the  date  of  its  organiza- 
tion, and  was  identified  with  numerous 
other  business  and   social  organizations. 

His  favorite  recreation  was  found  upon 
Long  Island  Sound,  on  the  shores  of 
which  he  had  made  his  summer  home  for 
many  years.  He  served  for  three  years 
as  commodore  of  the  Stamford  Yacht 
Club,  and  during  his  term  of  office  did 
much  to  advance  the  interests  of  that  or- 
ganization. He  was  a  member  of  Rip- 
powan  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows ;  and  for  some  years  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associ- 
ation. Mr.  Gillespie  was  a  natural  leader 
and  possessed  the  force  of  character  nec- 
essary to  accomplish  his  purposes. 

On  October  4,  1870,  Mr.  Gillespie  mar- 
ried Sarah  E.  Scofield,  daughter  of 
Charles  W.  Scofield,  of  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, and  this  union  was  blessed  by 
the  following  children:  Edna,  Elsie,  Va- 
lina,  Richard  H.,  Jr.,  a  sketch  of  whom 
follows ;  William  F.,  a  sketch  of  whom 
follows :  Schuyler  W.,  a  sketch  of  whom 
follows ;  Kingsley  A.,  a  sketch  of  whom 
follows. 

In  his  public  as  well  as  in  his  private 
life,   the   late   Richard  H.   Gillespie  was 


352 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


above  reproach.  He  won  his  place  as 
leader  through  his  own  ability,  industry 
and  integrity.  He  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Prebyterian  church,  and  sought  in 
his  daily  intercourse  to  exemplify  the 
ideals  of  Christianity. 


GILLESPIE,  Richard  H.,  Jr., 

Printer,    Publisher. 

No  resident  of  Stamford  is  more  fully 
identified  with  the  business  interests  of 
that  city  than  is  the  representative  of 
those  interests  whose  name  heads  this 
article.  Not  only  is  Mr.  Gillespie  treas- 
urer and  general  manager  of  the  long 
established  firm  of  Gillespie  Brothers, 
Inc.,  but  he  is  also  officially  connected 
with  the  Fidelity  Title  and  Trust  Com- 
pany and  the  Stamford  Rubber  Supply 
Company,  holding  the  presidency  of  the 
latter  organization.  He  is,  moreover, 
active  in  church  work,  and  well  known  in 
club  and  social  circles. 

Richard  H.  Gillespie,  Jr.,  was  born  Au- 
gust 13,  1877,  in  Stamford,  Connecticut, 
son  of  Richard  H.,  Sr.,  and  Sarah  E.  (Sco- 
field)  Gillespie  (q.  v.).  The  education  of 
Richard  H.  Gillespie,  Jr.,  was  received 
in  the  Stamford  High  School,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1895.  He  then  entered 
the  service  of  the  firm  of  Gillespie  Broth- 
ers, of  which  his  father  was  a  member. 
Later  Mr.  Gillespie,  Sr.,  became  vice-pres- 
ident and  general  manager,  also  holding 
the  office  of  treasurer.  Upon  his  death  he 
was  succeeded  in  all  these  positions  by 
Richard  H.  Gillespie,  Jr.,  who  had  long 
before  that  time  abundantly  proved  that 
he  possessed  the  ability  which  would  en- 
able him  to  fill  them  most  efficiently. 
Marty  years  before,  the  "Stamford  Advo- 
cate," published  by  the  firm,  had  been 
a  weekly  newspaper,  and  the  job  printing 
business,  judged  according  to  the  then 
standards,  was  not  inconsiderable.     The 


impetus  imparted  to  it  by  Mr.  Gillespie, 
Sr.,  caused  it  to  increase  rapidly,  and  the 
establishment  took  its  place  among  the 
foremost  printing  houses  in  that  part  of 
Connecticut.  In  1892  the  "Advocate" 
became  a  daily  paper,  and  since  1895  the 
company  has  occupied  its  present  spa- 
cious quarters  on  Atlantic  street.  Today 
the  printing  business  of  Gillespie  Broth- 
ers, Inc.,  is  the  largest  between  New 
Haven  and  New  York  City.  This  simple 
statement  furnishes  the  most  convincing 
evidence  of  the  executive  and  adminis- 
trative ability  of  both  father  and  son. 

As  president  of  the  Stamford  Rubber 
Supply  Company,  Mr.  Gillespie  is 
increasing  the  strength  and  promoting 
the  prestige  of  an  enterprise  which 
was  organized  by  his  father  and  brother, 
William  F.  Gillespie,  whose  biogra- 
phy follows.  Richard  H.  Gillespie  also 
holds  a  directorship  in  the  Fidelity 
Title  and  Trust  Company.  Though  tak- 
ing no  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
Mr.  Gillespie  is  keenly  interested  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  prosperity  and 
welfare  of  his  home  city  and  can  always 
be  relied  upon  to  do  all  in  his  power  for 
their  advancement.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
and  belongs  to  The  Typothetae.  His  clubs 
are  the  Suburban  and  the  Kiwanis.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  in  which  he  holds  the  office 
of  elder. 

Mr.  Gillespie  married,  October  12,  1909, 
Sarah  Barret  Pounds,  of  Paterson,  New 
Jersey,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Richard  H.  (3),  born  January 
23,  1912,  and  Elizabeth  Barret,  born 
March   11,  1920. 

In  succeeding  to  the  offices  held  by  his 
father  Mr.  Gillespie  has  brought  to  them 
full  and  complete  ability  to  accomplish 
the  work  which  they  involve,  and  by  his 
manner  of  fulfilling  their  important  trusts 


353 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  responsibilities  has  added  to  the  al- 
ready high  reputation  of  a  name  long 
honored  in  the  business  world. 


GILLESPIE,  WiUiam  Frederick, 

Mannfactnrer. 

William  Frederick  Gillespie  was  born 
November  lo,  1878,  in  Stamford,  Connec- 
ticut, son  of  the  late  Richard  H.,  Sr.  and 
Sarah  E.  (Scofield)  Gillespie  (q. v.).  In 
1896  he  graduated  from  the  Stamford 
High  School,  and  in  1900  received  from 
Yale  University  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  The  same  year  Mr.  Gillespie  in- 
corporated the  Stamford  Rubber  Supply 
Company  and  began  the  manufacture  of 
chemicals  for  manufacturers  of  rubber 
goods.  He  enlisted  in  Company  F,  4th 
Military  District  State  Guard,  serving 
with  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant.  He 
belongs  to  the  Yale  Club  of  New  York 
and  the  Stamford  Yacht  Club. 

Mr.  Gillespie  married,  November  24, 
1908,  Mabel  Miner,  daughter  of  John  D. 
and  Jane  (Bennet)  Miner,  of  New  York 
City,  and  of  the  children  born  to  them 
the  following  are  now  living:  William 
Frederick,  Jr.,  born  October  16,  1909; 
Bindley  McMillin,  born  November  26, 
191 1 ;  Robert  Miner,  born  October  8, 
1913;  Jane  Elizabeth,  born  June  21,  1920. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gillespie  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 


GILLESPIE,  Schuyler  W., 

Printer,   Publisher. 

As  secretary  of  the  widely  known  firm 
of  Gillespie  Brothers,  Inc.,  Mr.  Gillespie 
has  for  a  number  of  years  held  an  assured 
position  in  the  business  circles  of  his  na- 
tive city  of  Stamford.  He  is  actively  con- 
nected with  her  fraternal  organizations, 
and  takes  an  earnest  interest  in  all  that 
makes  for  her  truest  welfare. 


Schuyler  W.  Gillespie  was  born  Sep- 
tember 26,  1884,  in  Stamford,  Connecticut, 
son  of  Richard  H.,  Sr.  and  Sarah  E.  (Sco- 
field) Gillespie  (q. v.).  In  1903  Schuyler 
W.  Gillespie  graduated  from  the  Stam- 
ford High  School,  and  immediately  there- 
after entered  the  service  of  the  firm  of 
Gillespie  Brothers.  He  acquired  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  art  of  printing, 
and  also  developed  a  full  measure  of  the 
business  ability  characteristic  of  his  fam- 
ily. Soon  after  his  father's  death  he  as- 
sumed charge  of  the  mechanical  end  of 
the  business,  including  the  printing  of 
the  paper  as  well  as  the  job  printing 
plant.  To  these  responsibilities  he  gives 
the  fullest  and  most  vigilant  attention  as 
well  as  to  the  duties  of  his  secretarial 
office.  He  affiliates  with  Union  Lodge, 
No.  5,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  with  Puritan  Lodge,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Since  identifying  himself  with  the  firm 
so  largely  developed  by  the  efforts  and 
energy  of  his  father,  Mr.  Gillespie  has 
proved  to  the  business  world  that  the  sec- 
ond generation  is  abundantly  able  to  carry 
on  and  extend  the  work  of  its  predecessor. 


GILLESPIE,  Kingsley  A., 
Mannfactnrer. 

After  serving  his  country,  Mr.  Gilles- 
pie has  taken  his  place  as  superintendent 
of  the  Stamford  Rubber  Supply  Company, 
among  the  younger  business  men  of 
Stamford. 

Kingsley  A.  Gillespie  was  born  August 
15,  189s,  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  son 
pi  the  late  Richard  H.,  Sr.  and  Sarah  E. 
(Scofield)  Gillespie  (q.  v.).  His  prepara- 
tory education  was  received  in  the  Stam- 
ford High  School,  and  in  1917  he  gfradu- 
ated  from  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science,  in  Chemical  Engineering.  Im- 


354 


6c-  CJoA^c.^^'/V.'^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mediately  thereafter  Mr.  Gillespie  became 
associated  with  the  E.  I.  Dupont  De 
Nemours  &  Company  in  the  development 
of  military  explosives,  going  from  their 
laboratories  to  the  Chemical  War  Service. 
He  was  stationed  for  a  few  months  in  the 
Edgewood  Arsenal  with  the  rank  of  sec- 
ond lieutenant.  The  professional  organ- 
izations in  which  Mr.  Gillespie  is  enrolled 
include  the  American  Chemical  Society 
and  the  Stamford  Chemical  Society.  He 
belongs  to  the  Phi  Sigma  Kappa  frater- 
nity, and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 


CLARKE,  J.  A.,  M.  D., 

Surgeon,   Hospital  OfiBciaL 

The  greatest  gift  that  a  man  can  bestow 
upon  his  fellowmen  is  the  gift  of  himself. 
Whether  in  the  daily  offering  of  little 
services  or  in  the  ultimate  sacrifice,  the 
world  is  better  for  every  life  that  is  spent 
in  unselfish  devotion  to  duty.  There  is 
no  line  of  human  endeavor  which  involves 
more  closely  the  wellbeing  of  the  entire 
community  than  that  of  the  physician. 
And  there  is  no  work  that  demands  more 
of  entire  self-forgetfulness.  That  Dr. 
J.  A.  Clarke  fills  well  the  important  place 
which  he  holds  in  the  town  of  Greenwich 
is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  he  is  one  of 
the  busiest  of  men. 

Dr.  Clarke  is  a  descendant  of  a  fine  old 
Irish  family.  His  father  was  born  in 
Newtownards,  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  in 
1843,  and  died  in  New  York  City,  June  7, 
1905.  He  received  an  excellent  education 
in  the  old  country,  and  then  learned  the 
business  of  linen  draper.  He  was  ambi- 
tious, and  possessed  of  more  than  usual 
business  talent,  so  desiring  to  place  him- 
self in  more  advantageous  surroundings 
he  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years.  In  New  York  City  he  found 
ample  scope  for  the  development  of  his 


taste  and  business  ability  in  the  great  dry 
goods  establishments.  He  first  entered 
the  employ  of  James  McCutcheon,  and  re- 
mained for  some  little  time.  But  he  found 
the  appeal  of  the  new  country  was  not 
confined  to  one  locality,  and  his  thoughts 
turned  to  the  great  West.  After  a  time 
he  went  to  Lemars,  Iowa,  and  started  in 
business  for  himself  in  the  same  line.  He 
remained  there  for  some  years,  meeting 
with  the  varying  success  which  conditions 
at  the  time  made  inevitable.  He  then  re- 
turned East,  and  worked  for  some  years 
for  Altman,  in  his  great  New  York  house  ; 
then  later,  again,  for  McCutcheon.  He 
was  a  valued  and  trusted  member  of  the 
McCutchon  force  when  his  health  gave 
way,  and  lingering  only  a  short  time,  he 
died.  He  married  Cassandra  Lee,  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  William  Lee,  a  devoted  Bap- 
tist missionary  engaged  in  home  mission 
work.  The  children  of  this  union  were : 
J.  A.,  of  whom  further;  Mary  Elizabeth, 
widow  of  James  Davidson  Clarke,  of 
Mount  Vernon,  New  York ;  and  James 
Matthew,  deceased. 

J.  A.  Clarke,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  June  13,  1871,  and  is  the  elder 
son  and  oldest  child  of  Alexander  and 
Cassandra  (Lee)  Clarke.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Mount  Vernon,  New  York,  where  his 
parents  resided  for  many  years.  He  made 
his  start  in  life  in  the  business  world 
somewhat  along  the  lines  which  his  fa- 
ther had  followed.  He  first  entered  the 
employ  of  J.  B.  Locke  &  Potts,  large 
wholesale  linen  merchants  of  New  York 
City.  In  this  connection  he  remained  for 
three  years,  then  became  associated  with 
C.  E.  Rycroft,  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness, with  whom  he  remained  for  a  year 
and  a  half.  At  this  time  his  father  was 
managing  the  business  of  Wellington  & 
Company,  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  young  man  was  persuaded  to  be- 


353 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


come  a  part  of  that  well  organized  estab- 
lishment. But  he  remained  there  only  a 
year  and  a  half.  He  felt  that  he  could  not 
command  the  keen  interest  in  business 
that  is  so  vital  an  element  of  success.  His 
tastes  led  in  other  directions,  and  much 
of  his  leisure  time  was  devoted  to  study 
along  his  chosen  line — medicine.  In  1893 
he  entered  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1897.  He  spent  about  six  months  in  Har- 
lem Hospital,  gaining  the  invaluable 
experience  which  covers  so  broad  a  scope 
in  a  large  city  hospital;  in  the  fall  of  1897 
he  went  to  South  Manchester,  Connecti- 
cut, and  began  the  practice  of  medicine. 
He  soon  built  up  a  gratifying  practice 
there,  but  a  flattering  opportunity  was 
offered  him  in  Greenwich,  and  he  removed 
there  on  June  i,  1900.  He  quickly  won 
the  confidence  of  the  people  of  this  vicin- 
ity, and  has  built  up  a  very  large  practice 
as  physician  and  surgeon.  His  high 
standing  in  the  medical  fraternity  is  gen- 
erally acknowledged,  and  his  advice  is 
much  sought  in  consultation. 

Dr.  Clarke  is  a  member  of  the  Surgical 
Division  of  Greenwich  Hospital ;  a  mem- 
ber of  City,  County  and  State  Medical 
societies,  and  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation. Socially  he  is  a  member  of 
Acacia  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  of  Pine  Lodge,  No.  68,  Knights 
of  Pythias ;  and  of  the  Improved  Order  of 
Red  Men.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Amogerome  Fire  Company.  Much  of  Dr. 
Clarke's  time  has  been  impressed  into  the 
public  service,  where  his  broad  outlook 
on  life  and  his  sound  common  sense  make 
him  indeed  an  invaluable  acquisition.  He 
has  long  served  as  coroner's  physician ;  is 
a  member  of  the  Republican  Town  Com- 
mittee, and  served  on  the  High  School 
Committee  when  the  new  high  school 
building  was  completed.  During  the  re- 
cent World  War  he  was  chief  examiner 


of  the  Exemption  Board  of  the  Draft  for 
this  district.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and 
an  enthusiastic  worker  for  the  good  of 
that  organization. 

Dr.  Clarke  married  Lily  Glover,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  S.  Glover,  of  Mt.  Vernon, 
New  York,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
two  children :  Alexandra,  and  James 
Sherwood,  who  died  October  9,  1919,  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Clarke  are  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 


PECK,  Wilbur  Marvin, 

Head  of  Electrical  Business. 

The  well  established  reputation  of 
Greenwich  business  men  for  the  qualities 
which  make  for  success  in  commerce  and 
manufacturing  was  never  more  ably  sus- 
tained than  it  is  now  by  the  president  and 
treasurer  of  the  Greenwich  Electrical 
Company,  Wilbur  Marvin  Peck,  who  is 
also  the  president  of  the  Stamford  Elec- 
trical Contractor,  Inc.  Prominently  as 
Mr.  Peck  stands  before  his  community  in 
these  responsible  positions,  he  is  also  well 
known  and  influential  in  the  fraternal 
and  club  circles  of  both  the  cities  in  which 
he  is  engaged  in  business. 

The  name  Peck  is  probably  derived 
from  an  ancient  personal  name,  Pack,  or 
Peck,  and  is  said  by  some  to  be  taken 
from  an  Anglo-Saxon  word  meaning  "a 
deceiver,"  and  by  others  to  signify  "a 
peak."  As  the  Latinization,  De  Peccato, 
is  applied  both  to  Peche  and  Peck  the 
names  may  be  identical. 

(I)  William  Peck,  founder  of  the 
Greenwich  branch  of  the  family,  was  born 
in  1601,  in  London,  England,  or  the  vi- 
cinity, and  in  1638  helped  found  the 
New  Haven  Colony,  becoming  one  of  its 
influential   citizens. 

(II)  Jeremiah    Peck,    son    of    W^illiam 


^S6 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Peck,  was  born  in  1623,  in  or  near  Lon- 
don, and  before  leaving  England  with  his 
father  received  an  excellent  education. 
He  took  charge  of  the  Collegiate  Gram- 
mar School  in  New  Haven,  and  subse- 
quently preached  at  Saybrook  and  various 
other  places,  finally  at  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  married  Johannah 
Kitchell,  daughter  of  Robert  Kitchell,  in 
1656.  His  death  occurred  in  Waterbury 
in  1699. 

(III)  Samuel  Peck,  son  of  Jeremiah 
and  Johannah  (Kitchell)  Peck,  was  born 
in  1659,  in  Guilford,  Connecticut.  He  was 
a  man  of  large  wealth  and  influence,  hold- 
ing the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and 
other  important  positions.  He  married, 
in  1686,  Ruth  Ferris,  said  to  have  been  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Ferris,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Jeffrey  Ferris,  of  Stamford. 
Samuel  Peck  died  in  1746. 

(IV)  Theophilus  Peck,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Ruth  (Ferris)  Peck,  was  born  in 
1702.  He  was  the  owner  of  an  extensive 
tract  of  land  in  the  town  of  Greenwich, 
where  he  spent  his  entire  life.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1728,  Elizabeth  Mead,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Mead,  of  Greenwich.  His 
death  occurred  in  1783,  his  wife  surviving 
him  but  ten  days. 

(V)  Benjamin  Peck,  son  of  Theophilus 
and  Elizabeth  (Mead)  Peck,  was  born 
October  10,  1740,  and  lived  and  died  in 
Greenwich,  Connecticut.  He  married 
(first)  in  1766,  Deborah  Sackett,  who  died 
in  1769.  He  married  (second)  in  1772, 
Hannah  Reed,  who  died  November  11, 
1783.  Benjamin  Peck  died  March  12, 
1806. 

(VI)  Elias  Peck,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Hannah  (Reed)  Peck,  was  born  May  9, 
1779,  in  Clapboard  Ridge,  Connecticut. 
He  married  (first)  in  1804,  Deborah 
Hobby,  who  was  born  September  4,  1784, 
and  died  May  24,  1818.    He  married  (sec- 


ond) Mary  Haight.  Elias  Peck  was  a 
farmer.  His  death  occurred  May  14, 
1846. 

(VII)  William  (2)  Peck,  son  of  Elias 
and  Deborah  (Hobby)  Peck,  was  born 
November  6,  1809,  in  Clapboard  Ridge, 
town  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  and  was 
a  farmer  and  shoe  manufacturer,  employ- 
ing eight  or  ten  men.  He  was  captain  of 
the  militia,  and  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Mr.  Peck  married,  in 
1838,  Caroline  Sherwood,  born  November 
28,  1816,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Annie 
(Anderson)  Sherwood,  the  former  a 
farmer  of  Riversville,  town  of  Greenwich, 
Connecticut.  Benjamin  Sherwood  was 
born  May  9,  1773,  and  died  in  1862.  His 
wife  was  born  June  20,  1775,  and  died 
in  1848.  The  death  of  William  (2)  Peck 
occurred  March  3,  1885,  and  his  widow 
passed  away,  November  28,  1896,  the  day 
on  which  she  completed  her  eightieth 
year. 

(VIII)  Elias  Sherwood  Peck,  son  of 
William  (2)  and  Caroline  (Sherwood) 
Peck,  was  born  February  6,  1842,  in 
Greenwich,  Connecticut.  He  received  his 
education  in  public  schools,  Button's 
Academy,  and  also  attended  the  academy 
presided  over  by  the  Rev.  William  Peck, 
of  North  Greenwich.  He  afterward 
learned  the  tinner's  trade.  During  his 
apprenticeship  the  Civil  War  began  and 
he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  loth  Regiment, 
Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving 
within  a  few  weeks  of  three  years.  After 
the  war  he  became  for  a  year  the  assistant 
of  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 
farm,  and  then  spent  three  years  as  a 
journeyman  in  New  York  City,  afterward 
living  for  a  year  in  Port  Chester.  In  1870 
he  went  into  business  in  partnership  with 
George  La  Forge  under  the  firm  name  of 
La  Forge  &  Peck.  They  established  the 
first  hardware  store  in  Greenwich,  Con- 
necticut, but  at  the  end  of  a  year  the  part- 


357 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


nership  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Peck  asso- 
ciated himself  with  his  cousin,  Addison 
Peck,  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  S.  &  A. 
Peck.  This  connection  was  maintained 
for  a  number  of  years,  the  firm  engaging 
in  roofing  and  tinning.  Eventually  Mr. 
Peck  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and 
continued  the  business  alone,  continuing 
until  January,  1919,  when  it  was  taken 
over  by  his  son.  Elias  Sherwood  Peck 
was  at  that  time  the  oldest  man  in  Green- 
wich actively  engaged  in  business.  He 
took  a  prominent  part  in  town  afifairs, 
serving  at  one  time  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Burgesses.  He  affiliates  with 
Acacia  Lodge,  No.  85,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  for  two  years  holding  the  rank 
of  master.  For  two  or  three  years  he  was 
commander  of  Lombard  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  he  now  fills  the 
position  of  adjutant.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church. 

Mr.    Peck    married    (first)    Emma    R. 

Ritch,    daughter   of   Justus   and    

(Rodman)  Ritch,  who  died  May  20,  1883, 
leaving  two  children:  Elizabeth,  who  died 
in  childhood ;  and  Gordon,  of  New  York 
City.  Mr.  Peck  married  (second)  Sarah 
Amelia  Marvin,  born  March  15,  1859, 
daughter  of  George  Marvin,  of  Staten 
Island,  and  a  cousin  of  his  first  wife.  The 
children  of  this  marriage  were :  Wilbur 
Marvin,  of  whom  further;  Walter  Sher- 
wood, a  sketch  of  whom  follows ;  Martha 
Elizabeth ;  and  Frank  R.,  of  Greenwich. 
Mrs.  Peck  died  March  10,  1908,  and  Mr. 
Peck  died  September  3,  1920. 

(IX)  Wilbur  Marvin  Peck,  son  of  Elias 
Sherwood  and  Sarah  Amelia  (Marvin) 
Peck,  was  born  December  22,  1887,  in 
Greenwich.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  city,  graduating  from 
the  Greenwich  High  School  in  1907.  For 
two  years  thereafter  Mr.  Peck  was  in  the 
service  of  the  Greenwich  Electric  Light 


Company,  being  employed  in  their  testing 
and  inspecting  department.  He  then 
spent  a  year  with  Walter  Sheldon,  an 
electrical  contractor,  at  the  end  of  that 
time  becoming  assistant  to  the  manager 
of  the  New  England  Engineering  Com- 
pany. A  year  later  he  was  made  manager 
of  the  concern,  his  promotion  being  a 
notable  recognition  of  the  business  ability 
of  a  man  as  young  as  he  then  was.  This 
position  was  retained  by  Mr.  Peck  until 
October  i,  191 7,  when  he  resigned  in 
order  to  accept  the  presidency  and  treas- 
urership  of  the  Greenwich  Electrical 
Company,  then  newly  organized.  The 
concern  took  over  the  Greenwich  end  of 
the  business,  which  had  previously  in- 
cluded both  Stamford  and  Greenwich,  and 
under  Mr.  Peck's  efficient  leadership  has 
steadily  strengthened  and  prospered.  The 
company  employs  about  twenty-two  men, 
maintaining  a  store  in  which  a  general 
line  of  electrical  merchandise  is  handled 
and  also  carrying  on  an  electrical  con- 
tracting business. 

On  March  i,  1919,  Mr.  Peck  became 
president  of  the  Stamford  Electrical  Con- 
tractor, Inc.,  a  Stamford  concern  which 
carries  on  a  business  in  that  city  similar 
to  that  of  the  Greenwich  company,  of 
which  Mr.  Peck  is  also  president.  They 
give  employment  to  thirty-five  men,  and 
Mr.  Peck,  as  head  of  this  organization, 
has  accomplished  by  his  energy,  aggres- 
siveness and  skillful  management  results 
fully  equal  to  those  which  he  has  achieved 
as  president  of  the  Greenwich  company. 

It  may  well  be  supposed  that  business 
positions  as  onerous  as  those  held  by  Mr. 
Peck  leave  their  incumbent  little  time  for 
aught  else.  Never  does  he  fail,  however, 
in  any  of  the  duties  of  good  citizenship, 
or  abate  a  jot  of  his  habitually  keen  inter- 
est in  every  plan  having  for  its  object  any 
phase  of  municipal  reform.  He  affiliates 
with  Acacia  Lodge,  No.  85,  Free  and  Ac- 


358 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cepted  Masons,  and  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias, in  Greenwich.  Of  the  latter  he  is  past 
chancellor-commander.  He  is  also  past 
commander  of  the  local  camp  of  the  Sons 
of  Veterans.  His  clubs  are  the  Suburban 
and  Kiwanis  clubs  of  Stamford. 

Mr.  Peck  married,  June  30,  1920,  Ber- 
nice  E.  Rockwell,  daughter  of  Frank  S. 
and  Elizabeth  Rockwell,  of  Olean,  New 
York.  Mrs.  Peck  was  a  teacher  in  the 
Port  Chester  schools  before  her  marriage. 

The  record  of  Wilbur  Marvin  Peck, 
considered  as  that  of  a  man  who  has  not 
yet  completed  his  thirty-fourth  year,  is 
a  notable  one  and  seems  to  open  the  way 
to  a  future  full  of  promise. 


PECK,  Walter  Sherwood, 

Plumber,   Heating   Engineer. 

Few  names  are  more  familiar  to  the 
people  of  Greenwich  than  the  one  in- 
scribed at  the  head  of  this  article.  As  a 
descendant  of  ancestors  who  became  two 
centuries  ago  residents  of  the  town,  and 
as  the  head  of  a  flourishing  business,  Mr. 
Peck  stands  in  no  need  of  an  introduction 
to  his  fellow-citizens. 

Walter  Sherwood  Peck,  son  of  Elias 
Sherwood  and  Sarah  A.  (Marvin)  Peck 
(q.  v.),  was  born  June  15,  1889,  '"  Green- 
wich, and  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town.  He  learned  the 
plumber's  and  tinsmith's  trades  under  the 
instruction  of  his  father,  becoming  pro- 
ficient in  both.  On  February  i,  1919,  he 
succeeded  his  father  as  head  of  the  busi- 
ness which  Mr.  Peck,  Sr.,  had  many  years 
before  helped  to  found  and  which  he  had 
ever  since  been  continuously  engaged  in 
building  up  into  a  large  and  flourishing 
concern.  Under  the  leadership  of  his 
son  it  has  steadily  increased  in  strength 
and  in  the  scope  of  its  transactions. 

To  his  present  responsible  position  Mr. 
Peck  brought  the  equipment  of  five  years 


of  valuable  experience  acquired  while 
serving  as  manager  for  his  father.  The 
business  is  conducted  chiefly  on  a  basis 
of  local  contracts,  giving  employment  on 
an  average  to  about  thirteen  men.  The 
establishment,  situated  on  Greenwich 
avenue,  is  thoroughly  modern  in  all  its  ap- 
pointments. 

While  never  neglecting  the  duties  of  a 
good  citizen,  Mr.  Peck's  time  is  so  fully 
occupied  as  to  render  it  impossible  for 
him  to  take  an  active  part  in  community 
affairs.  He  is  ever  ready  to  give  all  the 
attention  possible  to  any  project  for  ad- 
vancing the  town's  best  interests. 

Mr.  Peck  married,  in  April,  1912,  Eliza- 
beth I.  Thompson,  born  in  County  Long- 
ford, Ireland,  daughter  of  James  Thomp- 
son, and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child : 
Hazel  K..  born  March  11,  1915. 

Mr.  Peck,  in  succeeding  to  the  headship 
of  an  old  established  and  flourishing  busi- 
ness, has  proved  himself  to  be  the  right 
man  in  the  right  place,  and  there  is  every 
prospect  that  under  his  wise  guidance 
and  skillful  management  the  house  has 
entered  upon  a  future  which  will  in  all 
respects  be  worthy  of  its  past. 


DAYTON,    Henry, 

Man   of  Great   TTaefnIness. 

The  Dayton  family  is  an  old  one  in  the 
annals  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut.  For 
many  generations  there  have  been  mem- 
bers of  this  family  prominent  in  the  busi- 
ness and  public  life  of  the  town  and 
vicinity.  Especially  is  this  true  in  public 
matters,  and  it  seems  fitting  that  the  de- 
scendants of  the  early  settlers  should  be 
found  at  the  helm  of  the  town's  affairs. 
Henry  Dayton,  a  worthy  scion  of  the 
family,  has  brought  honor  to  his  name 
through  his  work  with  the  schools,  which 
has  extended  over  a  period  of  three  dec- 
ades.    There  is  perhaps  no  other  man  of 


359 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  town  who  has  done  more  for  the  youth 
of  the  day  in  an  educational  way,  which, 
after  all,  is  the  foundation  of  their  life's 
career.  Mr.  Dayton  is  held  in  the  highest 
respect  and  esteem ;  he  is  among  Green- 
wich's ablest  citizens. 

The  origin  of  the  name  of  Dayton  is 
from  Dal-ton,  previously  Dale-ton,  mean- 
ing a  farm  in  the  dale,  which  places  it 
among  the  names  derived  from  location. 
The  ancestor  of  the  family  was  Ralph 
Dayton,  of  whom  further. 

(I)  Ralph  Dayton,  who  was  probably 
born  in  County  York,  England,  about 
1588,  and  was  one  of  those  who  formed 
the  company  of  Governor  Theophilus 
Eaton  and  Rev.  John  Davenport,  settled 
in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  in  1638. 
Later,  Ralph  Dayton  sold  out  and  re- 
moved to  Easthampton,  Long  Island, 
where  he  died  in  1657. 

(II)  Robert  Dayton,  son  of  Ralph  Day- 
ton, was  born  in  1628,  in  England,  and 
came  to  New  Haven  with  his  father,  re- 
moving with  him  to  Long  Island,  and 
there  he  died,  April  16,  1712.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Woodruff,  a  daughter  of 
John  Woodruff. 

(III)  Beriah  Dayton,  son  of  Robert 
and  Elizabeth  (Woodruff)  Dayton,  was 
born  in  1668,  and  died  April  30,  1746.  The 
Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Jane. 

(IV)  Beriah  Dayton,  Jr.,  son  of  Beriah 
and  Jane  Dayton,  was  born  in  1708.  Lit- 
tle is  known  of  this  generation  except  that 
he  had  a  son. 

(V)  Jesse  Dayton,  son  of  Beriah  Day- 
ton, Jr.,  was  born  in  1733,  and  he  mar- 
ried Hannah  — - — -.  They  were  the 
parents  of  David  Dayton,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

(VI)  David  Dayton,  son  of  Jesse  and 
Hannah  Dayton,  was  born  in  Easthamp- 
ton, Long  Island,  December  21,  1761,  and 
died  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  January 
23,  1838.     He  married,  January  21,  1789, 


Elizabeth  Osborne,  who  was  born  in 
Easthampton,  November  2,  1766,  and  died 
April   10,   1837,  in  Greenwich. 

(VII)  David  (2)  Dayton,  son  of  David 
(i)  and  Elizabeth  (Osborne)  Dayton,  was 
born  March  2,  1798,  and  died  January  26, 
1872.  He  married,  March  6,  1827,  Eliza- 
beth Brush,  daughter  of  Edward  Brush, 
and  member  of  a  family  long  resident  in 
Greenwich.  Elizabeth  (Brush)  Dayton 
was  born  in  1797,  and  died  September  20, 
1863.  David  (2)  Dayton  learned  the 
trade  of  weaver,  which  he  followed  for 
many  years.  He  was  also  an  extensive 
farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dayton  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  two  daughters 
and  five  sons,  one  of  them  Henry  Day- 
ton, of  whom  further. 

(VIII)  Henry  Dayton,  son  of  David 
(2)  and  Elizabeth  (Brush)  Dayton,  was 
born  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1834.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  his  native  town,  and 
early  in  February,  1849,  he  went  to  the 
metropolis  to  engage  in  business.  His 
first  employment  was  with  a  cousin,  who 
was  in  the  grain  business  in  "The  Old 
Greenwich  Village,"  New  York  City,  and 
after  a  few  years  Mr.  Dayton  drifted  into 
mercantile  fields,  as  a  salesman  on  the 
road.  Over  a  half  century  ago,  Mr.  Day- 
ton became  identified  with  the  insurance 
business  and  this  has  been  the  occupation 
which  he  has  since  followed,  maintaining 
offices  in  New  York  City. 

Mr.  Dayton  has  spent  his  life  among 
children,  having  been  interested  and  ac- 
tive in  Sunday  school  work  from  early 
boyhood,  and  also  has  served  for  thirty- 
eight  years  on  different  school  boards. 
For  ten  years  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  old 
public  schools  of  "Greenwich  Village," 
New  York  City,  and  when  he  returned  to 
his  native  town  as  a  resident  in  the  mid- 
dle of  April,  1885,  he  was  put  on  the 
school  board  there.     Mr.  Dayton  was  an 


360 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


active  man  on  the  board.  He  had  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  work  prior  to  the 
building  of  the  school  presented  to  Green- 
wich by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  O.  Have- 
meyer,  and  which  bears  their  name.  Mr. 
Dayton  also  took  an  active  part  in  con- 
nection with  the  high  school.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly true  that  Mr.  Dayton  put  a 
greater  impress  upon  the  work  of  the 
school  board  than  any  other  man  of  his 
day.  He  encountered  much  opposition 
to  many  of  his  ideas,  particularly  in 
bringing  in  many  teachers  from  other 
towns.  In  this  he  was  greatly  opposed, 
as  there  were  many  who  believed  that  this 
patronage  should  be  distributed  among 
the  daughters  of  the  town,  but  Mr.  Day- 
ton maintained  that  teachers  from  other 
fields-  would  bring  in  many  new  ideas 
that  would  strengthen  and  broaden  the 
work  of  the  schools.  Mr.  Dayton  was 
chairman  of  the  School  Committee  that 
built  the  high  school  building.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  the  Havemeyer  fund  left  for 
the  upkeep  of  the  school. 

Mr.  Dayton  has  ever  been  in  great  de- 
mand as  a  public  speaker.  He  is  a  gifted 
speaker,  with  a  fine  command  of  English 
and  a  sense  of  humor  which  gives  great 
delight  to  his  audiences.  He  is  familiar 
with  the  best  of  literature  and  possesses 
a  sound  judgment.  During  the  recent 
World  War  he  gave  freely  of  his  services 
in  many  instances.  His  oratory  helped 
the  sales  of  the  Liberty  Bonds,  and  his 
public  spirit  was  an  example  to  his  fel- 
low-citizens. 

Mr.  Dayton  married  Elizabeth  Davies, 
daughter  of  John  L.  Davies.  Mrs.  Dayton 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  her  father  a 
native  of  Wales,  her  mother,  Annie  Ro- 
gan,  a  native  of  Ireland.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dayton  were  the  parents  of  two  children : 
I.  Charles  H.,  born  August  6,  1881 ;  mar- 
ried, June  10,  1915,  Alice  Francis  Smythe, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  a  son,  John ; 


they  reside  in  Riverside,  Connecticut.  2. 
Edith  Elizabeth,  born  January  6,  1883; 
married  Godfrey  V.  D.  Titsworth,  of  Mil- 
waukee, and  they  have  four  sons :  Godfrey 
V.  D.,  Jr. ;  Henry  Dayton ;  John  Ran- 
dolph ;  and  Eugene  Whittemore ;  and  one 
daughter,  Ann  Titsworth.  The  family  at- 
tend the  Congregational  church,  and  Mr. 
Dayton  has  held  many  of  the  offices  of 
this  church. 

The  following  is  a  contribution  from 
Rev.  Oliver  Huckel,  D.  D.,  Mr.  Dayton's 
pastor,  on  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Dayton's 
eighty-sixth  birthday : 

Has  he  drunk  from  some  old  fountain 

Such  as  Ponce  de  Leon  knew? 
Or,  mayhap,  is  the  old  birth-record 

In  the  Bible,  not  quite  true? 

Here  he  is,  as  hale  and  hearty 

As  a  youth  of  gay  eighteen, 
Straight  and  slender  as  a  poplar — 

Have  you  e'er  his  equal  seen? 

Brain  as  crisp  and  keen  as  ever, 

Memory  a  treasure  store; 
Tongue  still   eloquent  and  golden. 

Wit  as  sparkling  as  of  yore. 

Hair  and  beard  a  little  snov^y, 

But  his  eye  as  bright  and  gay. 
Hand  and  heart  as  warm  as  ever — 

"Hot  for  business"  every  day. 

What's  the  secret  of  this  wonder — 

This  perpetual  youth  fulness? 
I  have  questioned  'til  I  learned  it, 

Tho'  perhaps  you'd  never  guess. 

First,  he  always  loved  the  children — 
That's  the  big  part  of  the  truth— 

And  he  keeps  young  as  he  loves  them 
And  absorbs  their  glow  of  youth. 

Second,  he  always  lived  religion. 
That's  his  second  source  of  wealth — 

Loves  his  church  and  loves  God's  precepts, 
Says  a  true  life  makes  for  health. 

Third,  he  always  loved  old  Greenwich — 
That's  the  third  and  crowning  word, 

All  his  life  he's  lived  in  Greenwich — 
Even  in  New  York,  I've  heard. 


361 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


So  he  claims  a  youth,  perpetual, 
Greenwich  special  "Grand  Old  Man," 

May  he  live  to  be  a  hundred ! 
He  will  do  it,  if  he  can. 


TODD,  Arthur  Stanley, 

Enterprising  Citizen. 

Among  the  hardy  pioneers  of  the  early 
settlements,  the  members  of  the  Todd 
family  held  a  prominent  place.  They  con- 
tributed much  to  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  colonies.  They  were  honest 
citizens,  industrious  toilers,  and  when 
necessity  demanded,  hard  fighters.  Of 
such  worthy  ancestors  is  Arthur  Stanley 
Todd,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of 
the  town  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  a 
descendant. 

Arthur  S.  Todd  was  born  in  Ridgefield, 
Connecticut,  July  15,  1881,  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam Sheridan  Todd,  M.  D.,  and  his  wife, 
Mary  (Conklin)  Todd.  He  is  a  grandson 
of  David  Todd,  who  married  Clarissa 
Bradford,  a  direct  descendant  of  Governor 
William  Bradford,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  important  figures  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  New  England. 

William  Sheridan  Todd,  M.  D.,  father 
of  Arthur  S.  Todd,  was  born  in  Colerain, 
Massachusetts,  January  i,  1840,  and  died 
February  19,  1893.  His  father,  David 
Todd,  was  a  Methodist  clergyman,  and 
his  son,  William  S.,  was  brought  up  in 
various  towns,  as  Rev.  David  Todd  was 
assigned  to  various  pastorates.  William 
S.  Todd  was  graduated  from  Deerfield 
Academy,  and  from  Wesleyan  University, 
in  1864.  From  Middletown  he  went  to 
Ridgefield  as  an  instructor  in  the  clas- 
sics in  the  famous  Peter  Parley  School. 
Subsequently,  Mr.  Todd  became  principal 
of  Hill's  Academy,  in  Essex,  Connecti- 
cut. The  medical  profession  had  early 
appealed  to  him,  and  the  opportunity  pre- 
sented   itself   in    Essex    to    take    up    this 


study  under  the  able  preceptorship  of  the 
leading  physician  of  that  town.  Mr.  Todd 
availed  himself  of  this  chance,  and  pre- 
pared himself  for  entrance  to  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of  New  York 
City,  and  was  graduated  from  this  insti- 
tution in  due  course  of  time.  He  took  up 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Ridge- 
field, continuing  until  his  death.  By  his 
uprightness  and  high  ideals  he  won  many 
friends ;  he  was  the  true  physician,  and 
brought  solace  to  the  mind  as  well  as  to 
the  body. 

Dr.  Todd  was  interested  in  many  activi- 
ties outside  of  his  profession,  particularly 
those  which  had  to  do  with  the  welfare 
of  the  community.  He  served  in  the  Leg- 
islature, and  was  on  the  Committee  on 
Prisons.  A  great  deal  of  his  time  was  de- 
voted to  educational  matters,  and  he  also 
served  on  the  State  Charities  Commission. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the 
Bridgeport  Hospital,  and  was  frequently 
called  in  important  consultations.  Dr. 
Todd  was  a  member  of  the  Fairfield  Coun- 
ty and  Connecticut  Medical  societies,  and 
the  American  Medical  Association.  It  was 
through  the  eiTorts  of  Dr.  Todd  that  the 
public  library  in  Ridgefield  was  founded, 
and  he  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Ridgefield  Press.  Fraternally,  he  was 
affiliated  with  the  Masonic  order  of  Ridge- 
field, and  was  a  member  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Dr.  Todd  married  Mary  Conklin,  daugh- 
ter of  Gamaliel  Conklin,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  two  children :  Walter  Brad- 
ford, and  Arthur  Stanley  Todd,  of  further 
mention. 

Arthur  Stanley  Todd  received  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Ridgefield  and  Norwalk,  and  under  the 
able  teachings  of  his  father.  On  complet- 
ing his  studies  he  went  to  New  Haven 
and  there  entered  the  employ  of  the  New 


362 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad 
Company ;  in  1902  he  located  in  Green- 
wich, where  for  a  time  he  worked  at  the 
building  trade.  In  1908  he  became  iden- 
tified with  his  present  business  as  an  em- 
ployee, and  sufficient  warrant  of  his  abil- 
ity is  shown  by  the  fact  that  four  years 
later  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm. 
The  business  is  conducted  under  the  name 
of  the  Mead  Stationery  Company.  They 
have  a  very  fine  store,  up-to-date  in  all  its 
appointments.  A  fine  general  line  of  sta- 
tionery is  carried  in  addition  to  gift  ar- 
ticles. Besides  these  lines  a  very  large 
job  printing  business  and  finishing  for 
amateur  photographers  forms  an  import- 
ant part  of  the  work. 

Like  his  father,  Mr.  Todd  is  interested 
in  many  outside  matters.  In  1904  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  National  Guard 
of  Connecticut,  and  the  same  year  was 
made  a  corporal ;  in  1905,  lieutenant ;  first 
lieutenant  in  1906.  Mr.  Todd  continued 
in  the  Connecticut  Guard  until  1910.  Later 
he  went  in  again  and  was  commissioned 
second  lieutenant  of  the  Connecticut  State 
Guard,  in  which  he  continued  two  years 
as  a  member  of  Company  A,  Fifth  Sepa- 
rate Battalion. 

Mr.  Todd  was  the  first  president  of  the 
Greenwich  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
held  this  ofiice  for  two  years.  During 
the  World  War  he  was  treasurer  of  the 
local  Liberty  Loan  Committee,  and  was 
a  member  and  treasurer  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  drive,  and 
the  United  War  Work  drive ;  he  was  one 
of  the  executive  committee  and  treasurer 
of  the  Greenwich  War  Bureau.  The  Red 
Cross  also  came  in  for  a  share  of  his  ac- 
tivities, he  serving  as  a  member  of  its 
executive  committee ;  he  also  was  secre- 
tary of  the  Greenwich  Fuel  Commission. 
Mr.  Todd  was  a  representative  of  the 
United  States  Army  Intelligence  Service, 


and    served   on   the   Citizens'    Committee 
and  the  executive  committee. 

Mr.  Todd  married  Nellie  Louise  Hop- 
kins, daughter  of  James  Allison  and  Maria 
Hopkins,  of  Oxford,  New  York.  Their 
children  who  grew  to  maturity  were: 
Arthur,  born  June  21,  1911;  James  Hop- 
kins, born  May  24,  1916.  The  family  at- 
tend Christ  Episcopal  Church. 


ST.  JOHN,  Darius  Ayres, 

Farmer,  Public  Official. 

The  ancestry  of  the  St.  John  family  is 
an  old  and  honored  one.  The  records  of 
this  family  are  found  very  early  in  the 
annals  of  Connecticut  and  particularly  in 
Fairfield  county. 

(I)  The  immigrant  ancestor  of  the  fam- 
ily was  Matthias  St.  John  or  Sension,  as 
the  name  was  originally  spelled.  He  was 
among  the  earliest  settlers  in  Dorchester, 
Massachusetts,  in  1631-32,  and  was  free- 
man of  the  town,  September  3,  1634.  In 
1640  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Windsor, 
Connecticut,  and  there  he  was  among  the 
earliest  planters  and  acquired  land  by  pur- 
chase and  by  grant.  Between  1636  and 
1655  he  was  in  Wethersfield.  In  1654  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  Norwalk, 
Connecticut,  where  he  was  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  the  town  government.  His 
will  was  dated  October  19,  1669,  and  he 
died  in  Norwalk,  in  the  latter  part  of  Oc- 
tober or  the  first  part  of  November,  1669. 

(II)  Matthias  (2)  St.  John,  son  of  the 
immigrant,  Matthias  (i)  St.  John  or  Sen- 
sion, was  born  in  England  in  1631-32.  He 
died  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  December, 
1728-29.  He  was  a  freeman  of  Norwalk, 
and  served  as  selectman  and  fence  viewer 
in  1659.  The  Christian  name  of  his  wife 
was  Elizabeth. 

(III)  Ebenezer  St.  John,  son  of  Mat- 
thias   (2)    and   Elizabeth    St.   John,   was 


363 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


born  about  1660,  and  died  in  1723-24.  He 
was  a  cooper  by  occupation.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Comstock,  born  October  7, 
1674,  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Han- 
nah (Piatt)  Comstock,  and  granddaughter 
of  the  immigrant,  William  Comstock. 
They  were  members  of  the  Norwalk 
church  in  1725. 

(IV)  Daniel  St.  John,  son  of  Ebenezer 
and  Elizabeth  (Comstock)  St.  John,  was 
born  in  1693,  and  died  December  or  Jan- 
uary 28,  1757.  He  followed  his  father's 
occupation  of  cooper.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried ;  his  first  wife  was  Grace  Sherman 
and  his  second,  Hannah  Seymour,  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Matthew  Seymour. 

(V)  Daniel  (2)  St.  John,  son  of  Dan 
iel  (i)  St.  John,  was  born  in  1716,  and 
died  November  10,  1802.  He  was  a  shoe- 
maker, and  lived  in  New  Canaan.  Dan- 
iel (2)  St.  John  married  Mary  Mills,  and 
she  died  February  3,  1806. 

(VI)  Benoni  St.  John,  son  of  Daniel 
(2)  and  Mary  (Mills)  St.  John,  was  born 
December  5,  1763,  and  according  to  the 
family  Bible,  December  11,  1762.  He  died 
in  Binghamton,  New  York,  October  5, 
1814.  He  married,  November  8,  1781, 
Elizabeth  Burcharcf,  born  June  13,  1764, 
died  December  9,  1836,  daughter  of  James 
Burchard.  Benoni  St.  John  served  as  col- 
lector in  1785  in  Wilton,  and  as  surveyor 
in  Norwalk  in  1791,  1793,  and  from  1797 
to  1799. 

(VII)  Darius  St.  John,  son  of  Benoni 
and  Elizabeth  (Burchard)  St.  John,  was 
born  March  20,  1799,  and  died  August  25, 
1880.  He  was  a  farmer  and  dealt  exten- 
sively in  timber.  For  some  years  he 
served  as  tax  collector.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  6, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Norwalk,  and  was  demitted  to  the  lodge 
in  New  Canaan  when  that  was  estab- 
lished. He  married,  October  16,  1829, 
Elizabeth    Ann    Crofoot,   born    June    12, 


1798,  died  January  24,  1877,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  and  Sarah  W.  (Gregory)  Cro- 
foot. 

(VIII)  Lewis  Vincent  St.  John,  son  of 
Darius  and  Elizabeth  Ann  (Crofoot)  St. 
John,  was  born  March  12,  1832,  and  died 
September  11,  1902.  He  learned  the  tan- 
ner's trade,  which  he  followed  until  the 
death  of  an  elder  brother.  The  latter  had 
been  in  charge  of  the  home  farm,  and 
after  his  death,  Lewis  V.  St.  John  as- 
sumed the  responsibility.  He  specialized 
in  dairying  and  sold  the  milk  wholesale. 
He  married,  September  4,  1858,  Hannah 
Kellogg  Comstock,  born  February  17, 
1835,  daughter  of  George  Edwin  and  Mary 
(Dibble)  Comstock,  and  a  descendant  of 
William  Comstock,  the  immigrant.  Thus 
in  two  diflferent  lines  the  ancestry  is 
traced  to  the  Comstock  immigrant,  both 
being  through  the  line  of  Christopher 
Comstock,  of  the  second  generation.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  St.  John  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children  :  Lewis  W. ;  Darius  A., 
of  further  mention ;  Edson  Kellogg,  of 
East  Norwalk ;  Anna  Comstock.  Mrs.  St. 
John  survives  her  husband,  and  with  her 
family  attends  the  Congregational  church. 

(IX)  Darius  Ayres  St.  John,  son  of 
Lewis  Vincent  and  Hannah  Kellogg 
(Comstock)  St.  John,  was  born  in  New 
Canaan,  Connecticut,  November  30,  1862. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
He  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  fa- 
ther, making  a  specialty  of  milk  produc- 
tion, and  has  been  on  the  home  farm  all 
his  life.  On  an  average  he  keeps  about 
twenty  head  of  cattle  and  wholesales 
most  of  the  milk.  Aside  from  his  farm 
duties,  Mr.  St.  John  has  often  found  time 
to  be  of  public  service  and  has  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  several 
years,  and  has  also  been  on  the  board  of 
assessors  for  some  time.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church  of  New 
Canaan  and  has  served  on  the  board  of 


364 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


trustees  and  served  as  deacon  for  many 
years.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  New 
Canaan  Grange,  No.  38,  of  which  he  is 
past  master,  and  is  a  charter  member  and 
past  master  of  Pomona  Grange,  of  Fair- 
field county,  being  a  member  of  the  sev- 
enth degree. 

Mr.  St.  John  married,  November  3, 
1886,  Sarah  Estella  Selleck,  born  October 
31,  1866,  daughter  of  John  Edwin  and 
Mary  E.  (Crawford)  Selleck,  of  New  Can- 
aan. They  are  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  i.  Vincent  Selleck,  born 
June  17,  1892;  during  the  World  War  he 
served  in  the  artillery  in  France,  acting  as 
driver  for  a  colonel ;  he  married  Mildred 
Heath  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Ruth,  Edwin  Heath,  and  Rich- 
ard Vincent.  2.  Lawrence  Darius,  born 
August  21,  1896;  he  was  a  graduate  of 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technol- 
ogy; when  this  country  entered  the  World 
War,  he  was  a  student  in  college  and  at 
once  enlisted  in  a  college  corp,  but  re- 
mained in  college  until  after  his  gradua- 
tion ;  he  was  then  stationed  in  the  Officers' 
Training  Camp  in  Virginia,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  city  of  Washington,  and  there 
remained  until  the  armistice  was  signed, 
when  they  were  disbanded,  and  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  New  Canaan,  Con- 
necticut ;  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  experi- 
mental rooms  of  the  Norwalk  Tire  and 
Rubber  Company. 


McCREADY,  Robert  Halsey,  D.  D.  S., 
Served  in  World  ^Var. 

Dr.  McCready's  active  professional  ca- 
reer began  in  the  military  ser\'ice,  and 
then,  after  reciving  his  degree  in  dentistry 
in  June,  1920,  he  succeeded  Dr.  Cunning- 
ham in  practice  in  New  Canaan,  Connec- 
ticut, his  present  home.  Dr.  McCready  is 
a    grandson    of    James    McCready,    who 


spent  his  entire  life  in  his  Ireland  home, 
Belfast,  and  a  son  of  Robert  Workman 
McCready. 

Robert  Workman  McCready  was  born 
in  Belfast,  Ireland,  in  i860,  and  was  there 
educated.  As  a  youth  of  twelve  years  he 
began  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world 
and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  came  to 
the  United  States.  After  a  short  period 
spent  in  New  York  City  he  located  at 
Little  Falls,  New  York,  and  there  fol- 
lowed the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  had 
learned  in  the  shipyards  of  Harlem  & 
Wolfe,  at  Belfast.  He  remained  in  Little 
Falls  for  a  few  years,  then  made  his  home 
in  Sloatsburg,  New  York,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  His  business  activities  fol- 
lowed the  line  of  contracting,  and  for 
thirty  years  he  has  conducted  independent 
operations,  principally  residential  work, 
being  widely  known  in  the  district  as  a 
contractor  and  builder.  Mr.  McCready 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  as  is  his  wife,  and  he  has  been  a 
zealous  worker  in  the  denomination,  hav- 
ing served  as  president  of  the  official 
board.  He  holds  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree in  the  Masonic  order,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Newburgh  Lodge,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons  ;  Hudson  River  Command- 
ery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Newburgh,  New 
York ;  and  Mecca  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic 
Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
New  York  City.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  Mr.  McCready  served  as  president 
of  the  school  board  for  two  years,  and  is 
president  of  the  Builders'  Union  at  the 
present  time  (1921'). 

Robert  Workman  McCready  married 
Mary  Finch,  daughter  of  John  H.  and 
Catherine  (Bowen)  Finch,  her  father  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  having  served 
in  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
Fourth  Regiment,  New  York  Volunteer 


36s 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Infantry.  John  H.  Finch  was  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Abigail  Finch,  his  father  a 
soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  a  grand- 
son of  Solomon  Finch,  who  enlisted  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  but  who  was  dis- 
charged to  return  to  his  occupation  of 
iron  worker  on  the  ground  that  such  serv- 
ice was  more  essential  to  the  Colonial 
cause  than  his  work  as  a  soldier. 

Robert  Halsey  McCready,  son  of  Rob- 
ert Workman  and  Mary  (Finch)  Mc- 
Cready, was  born  in  Sloatsburg,  New 
York,  May  10,  1895.  After  attending  the 
public  schools  of  Sloatsburg,  he  was  a 
student  in  preparatory  schools  in  Hack- 
ettstown  and  Pennington,  New  Jersey. 
After  completing  his  freshman  year  in  the 
dental  school  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania he  transferred  to  the  dental  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Louisville. 
He  left  college  April  6,  1918,  and  enlisted 
during  the  World  War  in  Dental  Com- 
pany No.  I,  being  assigned  to  duty 
at  Camp  Greenleaf,  Chickamauga  Park, 
Georgia,  where  his  maternal  grandfather, 
John  H.  Finch,  had  fought  during  the 
Civil  War.  Receiving  an  honorable  dis- 
charge from  the  United  States  army,  De- 
cember 20,  1919,  he  returned  to  college, 
was  awarded  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Dental  Surgery  in  June,  1920,  and  estab- 
lished in  practice  in  New  Canaan,  pur- 
chasing Dr.  Cunningham's  practice.  Dr. 
McCready  entered  professional  work  with 
a  thorough  and  comprehensive  training, 
and  his  early  work  has  gained  him  stand- 
ing and  reputation  in  the  community.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Chapter  of 
Delta  Sigma  Delta  fraternity,  Philoma- 
thean  fraternity  at  Pennington,  and  Alpha 
Phi  fraternity  at  Hackettstown. 

Dr.  McCready  married  Myrtle  B.  De- 
laney,  of  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  Decem- 
ber 22,  1917,  at  Louisville,  Kentucky. 


DURYEA,  George  W., 

Merchant,  Pnbllc  Official. 

One  of  the  representative  citizens  of 
New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  is  George  W. 
Duryea,  whose  achievements  have  been 
accomplished  through  his  own  unaided 
efforts.  He  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
September  16,  1866,  son  of  Stephen  Cor- 
nell and  Mary  Ann  (Evanshearer)  Dur- 
yea. 

Stephen  Cornell  Duryea,  father  of 
George  W.  Duryea,  also  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  September  5,  1814.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools,  and  for  many 
years  of  his  life  was  engaged  in  the  jew- 
elry business.  Later  he  received  an  ap- 
pointment in  the  searcher's  office  of  the 
county  clerk,  where  he  remained  until 
1879.  In  the  latter  year  Mr.  Duryea  re- 
moved to  Poundridge,  New  York,  and 
there  his  death  occurred.  May  24,  1887. 
Mr.  Duryea  married,  February  2,  1859, 
in  New  York  City,  Mary  Ann  Evanshear- 
er, born  in  that  city,  June  i,  1842,  died  in 
Jersey  City,  New  Jersey,  March  26,  1916. 

George  W.  Duryea  attended  the  schools 
of  New  York  City,  and  after  his  father's 
removal  to  Poundridge,  helped  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old.  At  that  time  Mr. 
Duryea  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter, 
which  he  followed,  and  subsequently 
formed  a  partnership  with  Samuel  Brown, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Brown  &  Duryea, 
to  engage  in  contracting.  Their  business 
was  largely  in  the  adjoining  town  of  New 
Canaan,  Connecticut,  and  for  twenty  years 
the  firm  prospered.  Mr.  Duryea  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Weed  &  Turner,  then 
owners  of  the  business  of  which  he  is 
now  one  of  the  proprietors,  and  in  1913, 
Mr.  Duryea  succeeded  Mr.  Turner  as  a 
member  of  the  firm. 

Mr.  Duryea  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 


366 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  has  been  chairman  of  the  Republican 
Town  Committee  for  a  number  of  years ; 
for  eight  or  ten  years  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Relief,  and  has  been  a 
delegate  to  county  and  State  conven- 
tions. 

Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Wooster 
Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, of  which  he  is  past  grand,  and  has 
also  served  as  district  deputy  of  the  Grand 
Lodge.  Mr.  Duryea  is  past  chief  patri- 
arch of  Wahackma  Encampment,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Rebekas ;  he  is  also  a 
member  of  Harmony  Lodge,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons. 

Mr.  Duryea  married  Alice  E.  Bulkley, 
daughter  of  Augustus  and  Emily  (Wil- 
liams) Bulkley.  They  were  the  parents 
of  three  children  :  i.  Elsie,  married  Walter 
Johnson,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years.  2.  Blanche,  wife  of  Dr.  E.  G. 
Cunningham,  of  New  Canaan,  Connecti- 
cut, and  the  mother  of  a  daughter,  Blanche 
Weed.  3.  G.  Stanley,  a  student  in  the 
University  of  Louisville,  class  of  1924,  in 
dentistry. 


SELLECK,  John  Henry, 

Agriculturist,  Pablic   0£BciaI. 

A  prosperous  farmer,  who  is  at  the 
same  time  a  justice  of  the  peace  is  always 
a  figure  of  prominence  in  his  community, 
and  all  his  friends  and  neighbors  of  Dar- 
ien  can  testify  that  this  is  emphatically 
the  case  with  Mr.  Selleck.  In  township 
affairs  Mr.  Selleck  has  always  been  active, 
having  in  former  years  filled  other  local 
offices  of  trust  and  responsibility. 

The  race  of  the  Sellecks  is  a  very  an- 
cient one,  as  appears  from  records  of  1086, 
in  which  it  is  mentioned.  The  name  is 
Cornish-British,  which  is  a  dialect  of  the 
Celtic,  Belgic,  or  Cambrian,  formerly 
spoken  throughout  Cornwall.     It  means 


"an  open  view,"  conspicuous.  Family 
records  show  that  about  the  seventeenth 
century  John  Selyocke  "declined  knight- 
hood," and  in  the  deed  of  Galdon  Manor 
Robert  Selleck  is  spoken  of  as  "a  trustie 
and  well  beloved  friend."  John  Selioke, 
father  and  son,  were  mayors  of  St.  Albans 
in  1684-1700.  At  that  time  "Selleck-on- 
the-Wye"  is  mentioned  as  a  beautiful  vil- 
lage. 

Branches  of  the  family  of  Selleck  are 
found  in  different  portions  of  the  United 
States.  David  Selleck  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Massachusetts,  and  it  ap- 
pears from  old  records  that  Jonathan  and 
John  Sellicke  were  residents  in  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries  of  Rye, 
Westchester  county.  New  York. 

Benjamin  Selleck,  father  of  John  Henry 
Selleck,  was  born  in  Poundridge,  New 
York,  and  was  a  son  of  Major  (not  a  mil- 
itary title)  and  Nancy  (Jump)  Selleck. 
Major  Selleck  was  a  native  of  Pound- 
ridge, which  is  situated  in  Westchester 
county,  and  was  by  trade  a  basket-maker. 
Basket-making  was  in  fact  one  of  the 
principal  industries  of  the  community,  and 
it  was  this  trade  which  Benjamin  Selleck 
learned  and  which  he  followed  all  his 
life.  About  1854  he  removed  to  Darien, 
Connecticut,  and  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  baskets  on  his  own  account. 
During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Selleck  served 
in  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany H,  Seventeenth  Regiment,  Connec- 
ticut Volunteer  Infantry,  being  out  three 
years  and  all  that  time  remaining  with 
his  regiment.  Mr.  Selleck  married  Amel- 
ia Curtis,  and  their  children  were:  Betsey 
J.,  married  Holly  H.  Draper,  of  Darien ; 
Lois,  became  the  wife  of  George  Bates, 
of  Darien ;  Kate,  married  Louis  St. 
George ;  Ida,  mrried  Benjamin  F.  Offen, 
of  New  Canaan ;  and  John  Henry,  men- 
tioned below.     Mr.  Selleck  died  in  1905. 


367 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis-     CURTIS,  Louis  Julius, 
copal    church.      All    his    daughters,    with 
the  exception   of  the  youngest,  are  now 
deceased. 

John  Henry  Selleck,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Amelia  (Curtis)  Selleck,  was  born 
June  17,  1859,  in  Darien,  Connecticut.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
birthplace.  On  reaching  manhood  he 
chose  to  devote  himself  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  has  since  followed  them  with 
marked  success,  making  farming  his  life 
work.  For  many  years  he  was  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 
homestead.  About  1901  Mr.  Selleck  be- 
came superintendent  for  S.  T.  Mather  and 
for  fifteen  -years  took  charge  of  the  es- 
tate, resigning  about  three  years  ago.  In 
the  sphere  of  politics,  Mr.  Selleck  has  al- 
ways remained  loyal  to  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  but  has  never  cared 
to  participate  actively  in  the  work  of  the 
organization.  Several  times  he  has  been 
called  by  his  fellow-citizens  to  serve  them 
in  public  positions.  For  some  years  he 
held  the  office  of  assessor,  and  in  1918  he 
was  chosen  first  selectman.  He  is  now 
serving  his  second  term  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  affiliates  with  Butler  Lodge, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of 
South  Norwalk,  and  with  the  Improved 
Order  of  Red  Men,  of  Norwalk.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Mr.  Selleck  married,  June  13,  1888, 
Delia  V.  Carrier,  daughter  of  James  A. 
Carrier,  of  Norwalk,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  son,  Joseph  Carrier  Selleck. 

The  ancestors  of  John  Henry  Selleck, 
in  the  successive  generations,  have  always 
stood  for  the  best  interests  of  their  com- 
munities, and  his  record  bears  testimony 
that  he  has  worthily  followed  their  exam- 
ple, always  manifesting,  both  as  agricul- 
turist and  citizen,  that  disinterested  pub- 
lic spirit  invariably  expected  of  a  loyal 
American. 


Iiaivyer,    Legislator. 

Since  the  foundation  of  the  nation  by 
the  pioneer  from  other  lands,  the  most 
striking  phase  of  her  history  has  been 
developed  in  the  capacity  of  her  sons  to 
adopt  themselves  from  time  to  time  to 
the  exigencies  of  the  moment.  The  high- 
souled  ancestors  came  seeking  relief  from 
political  oppression  and  freedom  to  wor- 
ship God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their 
own  conscience.  With  expressions  of 
spiritual  fervor  on  their  lips,  they  busied 
their  hands  with  the  most  menial  tasks. 
They  met  poverty  with  fortitude,  they 
resisted  attacks  of  Indians  and  wild  ani- 
mals, they  even  turned  in  armed  protest 
upon  their  mother  country.  The  men  of 
our  day  have  shown  the  world  that  the 
spirit  still  lives,  even  in  the  world  of  busi- 
ness, and  in  the  continual  readjustment  of 
public  matters  which  the  march  of  prog- 
ress involves.  Louis  Julius  Curtis,  promi- 
nent lawyer  of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  is 
an  example  of  this  spirit. 

In  the  very  early  days  there  were  many 
and  varied  methods  of  adopting  surnames, 
among  them  being  occupation,  location  of 
home  and  description.  The  first  named 
are  generally  classed  as  "Occupational 
Names,"  the  second  as  "Place  Names," 
and  the  third,  "Personal  Qualities."  It 
is  to  this  latter  classification  that  the  sur- 
name of  Curtis  belongs.  It  is  derived 
from  a  Norman-French  word — curteis  or 
curtois — meaning  courteous,  civil.  In 
early  records  it  is  found  spelled  Curtice. 
The  family  were  early  settled  in  Kent, 
England. 

(I)  William  Curtiss  embarked  in  the 
ship  "Lion,"  June  22,  1632,  from  England, 
landing  December  16,  1632,  at  Scituate, 
Massachusetts.  He  brought  with  him  four 
children  :  Thomas,  Mary,  John  and  Philip. 
They  settled  in  Roxbury,  Massachusetts, 


368 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


whence  they  removed  to  Stratford, 
Connecticut.  From  the  records  of  Strat- 
ford, it  appears  that  the  father  of  these 
must  have  died  before  the  removal  of  the 
family  thither,  and  previous  to  that  a  son, 
William,  was  born.  The  first  of  the  name 
that  appears  on  those  records  are  John, 
William,  and  their  mother,  Elizabeth  Cur- 
tiss.  The  coat-of-arms  of  the  Curtis  family 
is  as  follows :  Azure,  a  fess.  dancettee  be- 
tween three  crowns  or.  This  is  according 
to  Cothren,  the  historian,  and  the  motto 
of  the  family  is :  Saepere  audc. 

(II)  William  Curtis,  the  second  son  of 
the  Widow  Elizabeth  Curtiss,  was  born 
June  21,  1618,  in  England,  and  came  to 
Stratford,  Connecticut,  with  his  mother 
and  brother  John.  His  name  appears 
among  the  property  owners  there  in  1650. 
As  well  as  being  an  original  proprietor  of 
Stratford,  he  was  active  in  town  affairs 
and  held  the  rank  of  sergeant.  William 
Curtis  was  representative  to  the  General 
Court,  commissioner  and  assistant.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  grantees  of  Wood- 
bury, although  he  never  lived  there.  The 
first  wife  of  William   Curtis  was   Mary 

.     William  Curtis  died  December 

21,  1702. 

(III)  Josiah  Curtis,  ninth  child  and 
youngest  son  of  William  and  Mary  Curtis, 
was  born  August  30,  1662,  in  Stratford, 
where  he  died  in  1745.  He  was  captain 
of  the  Train  Band,  and  had  a  saw  mill. 
He  also  served  as  deputy  to  the  General 
Court.  He  married  (second)  Mary 
Beach,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Beach,  of 
Stratford,  and  granddaughter  of  John 
Beach,  immigrant  ancestor,  born  in  Eng- 
land and  settled  in  Stratford. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Curtis,  son  of  Josiah 
and  Mary  (Beach)  Curtis,  was  bom  De- 
cember 15,  1704,  in  Stratford,  and  died 
July  28,  1782-83,  in  Newtown,  where  he 
settled  about  1728.  He  was  a  leader  in 
community  affairs,   and   represented  his 

Conn— 8— 24 


town  in  the  General  Court.  He  married 
(first)  Elizabeth  Birdsey,  daughter  of 
Abel  and  Comfort  (Welles)  Birdsey,  of 
Stratford,  August  27,  1727-28,  and  she 
died  February  24,  1773. 

(V)  Benjamin  (2)  Curtis,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin (i)  and  Elizabeth  (Birdsey)  Curtis, 
was  born  February  14,  1736,  in  Newtown, 
where  he  died  February  20,  1817.  He 
served  as  a  private  in  Captain  David 
Smith's  company,  April  21,  1776.  He 
married  (first)  Phedina  Nichols,  daugh- 
ter of  Nathaniel  Nichols,  of  Newtown, 
November  23,  1758,  and  she  died  Febru- 
ary 15,  1773.  Mrs.  Curtis  was  descended 
from  Sergeant  Francis  Nichols,  ancestor 
of  the  family,  who  wa:s  born  in  England. 
Francis  Nichols  was  in  Stratford  in  1639, 
an  original  proprietor,  and  first  settler 
there.  His  son,  Isaac  Nichols,  born  in 
England,  died  in  Stratford,  in  1695.     He 

married  Margaret  ,  and  their  son, 

Isaac  Nichols,  was  born  March  12,  1654, 
and  died  in  1690.  In  November,  1686,  he 
owned  a  house  and  land  in  Stratford.  He 
married  Mary ,  and  their  son,  Rich- 
ard Nichols,  was  born  November  26,  1678, 
and  died  September  20,  1756.  Richard 
Nichols  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
men  of  his  day.  He  married,  June  3,  1702, 
Comfort  Sherman,  daughter  of  Theophi- 
lus  Sherman,  who  died  February  11, 
1726-27.  Nathaniel  Nichols,  their  son, 
was  born  April  8,  1708.  He  settled  at 
Newtown,  and  was  the  father  of  Phedina 
Nichols,  who  became  the  wife  of  Benja- 
min Curtis,  as  above  stated. 

(VI)  Philo  Curtis,  son  of  Benjamin  (2) 
and  Phedina  (Nichols)  Curtis,  was  born 
June  27,  1760,  and  died  March  7,  1818,  in 
Newtown.  He  was  selectman  of  New- 
town for  six  years,  1802-1807  and  1809. 
He  married  Huldah  Hubbard,  of  Weston, 
and  she  died  January  25,  1853,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-six  years. 

(VII)  Nichols    Curtis,    eldest    son    of 

369 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Philo  and  Huldah  (Hubbard)  Curtis,  was 
born  September  27,  1784,  and  died  April 
20,  1852.  He  married  Sarah  Ann  Bennett, 
daughter  of  Amos  Bennett,  of  Newtown, 
November  3,  1803,  and  she  died  October 
29,  1858.  Nichols  Curtis  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  and  the  Cheshire  Acad- 
emy. He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and 
raised  sheep  on  a  large  scale.  A  quiet, 
modest,  retiring  man,  he  was  very  domes- 
tic in  his  tastes.  His  education  was  con- 
siderably better  than  most  men  of  his 
vicinity,  and  he  was  often  called  upon  to 
draw  up  legal  papers  and  his  advice  was 
sought  on  many  matters. 

(VIII)  Julius  Bolevar  Curtis,  only  son 
of  Nichols  and  Sarah  Ann  (Bennett)  Cur- 
tis, was  born  December  10,  1825,  in  New- 
town, Connecticut.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Newtown,  the  Newtown 
Academy,  and  a  private  academy.  He 
studied  alone  to  a  large  extent,  and  under 
the  preceptorship  of  the  Hon.  Edward 
Hinman,  of  Southbury,  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law.  That  was  in  the  year  1846, 
and  Mr.  Curtis  walked  fourteen  miles 
every  day  to  recite  his  law  lessons.  Sub- 
sequently he  studied  with  Isaac  M. 
Sturges  and  the  Hon.  Amos  S.  Treat.  His 
legal  studies  were  completed  at  a  law 
school  in  Ballston  Springs,  Saratoga 
county.  New  York,  and  in  1850  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Fairfield  county  bar.  Mr. 
Curtis  engaged  in  practice  in  Greenwich, 
Connecticut,  and  was  recognized  as  one  of 
the  foremost  men  of  his  profession  in  the 
State.  His  knowledge  of  substantiative 
law  was  broad  and  deep,  and  he  was  a 
strong  pleader.  In  ability  and  accom- 
plishment he  was  comparable  with  the 
best  lawyers  at  any  period  in  the  history 
of  the  bar  of  this  State.  He  had  an  un- 
usually attractive  personality,  combined 
with  great  keenness  of  intellect  that  was 
allied  with  the  judicial  temperament,  and 
won  enviable  reputation  as  a  strong  trial 


lawyer.  In  1864  Mr.  Curtis  removed  to 
Stamford,  Connecticut.  In  his  youth  he 
had  been  a  strong  Abolitionist  and  later  a 
Free  Soiler.  He  had  an  extensive  cor- 
respondence with  Horace  Greeley,  and 
also  wrote  many  strong  papers  on  im- 
portant issues  of  the  day.  He  voted  for 
Van  Buren,  and  later  was  a  member  of 
the  Republican  party.  In  1858  and  i860 
he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate; 
from  1861  to  1864  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  military  committee  of  the  town  of 
Greenwich,  at  whose  meetings  he  was  a 
very  regular  attendant.  From  1867  to 
1870  Mr.  Curtis  served  as  judge  of  probate 
in  Stamford;  from  1885  to  1889  he  was 
vice-president  of  the  American  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, and  also  served  as  chairman  of 
the  Fairfield  County  Bar  Association. 
For  several  years  he  was  a  director  of  the 
Stamford  Street  Railway  Company. 

Mr.  Curtis  entered  actively  into  patri- 
otic work  at  home,  and  was  a  warm  per- 
sonal friend  of  Connecticut's  great  Civil 
War  Governor,  W.  A.  Buckingham,  and 
was  frequently  in  conference  with  him. 
Mr.  Curtis  was  an  earnest,  industrious 
and  thoughtful  man.  He  gave  the  best 
that  was  in  him  to  the  task  in  hand, 
whether  a  case  at  law  or  a  matter  of 
public  policy  and  interest.  He  was  strong 
in  his  attachments.  To  hear  him  talk  of 
his  friends  or  of  the  Republican  party,  or 
of  the  bar  association,  was  to  feel  con- 
vinced that  love  and  loyalty  were  strong 
traits  of  his  character.  He  loved  books 
and  literature,  for  he  had  a  genuine  ap- 
preciation of  all  true  culture.  He  was 
especially  devoted  to  his  profession,  and 
in  its  practice  financial  considerations 
were  entirely  secondary.  He  was  not  a 
lover  of  money  and  was  not  influenced  in 
his  views  or  activities  by  mercenary  mo- 
tives. Such  a  personality  cannot  fail  to 
win  and  hold  friends,  and  Mr.  Curtis  was 
loved  and  trusted  by  all  who  knew  him. 


370 


\ 


^ 


c/^dc^^c  xy  6^.uto^<^oi  ^-  ^. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Brookhaven,  who  married  Charity  Haw- 
kins. He  was  a  contractor  and  builder, 
and  some  of  the  houses  erected  by  him 
are  still  standing  in  Speonk.  Charity 
Hawkins  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Haw- 
kins, of  Setauket,  Long  Island,  son  of 
Alexander  Hawkins,  son  of  Eleazar  Haw- 
kins, of  Stony  Brook,  Long  Island,  son  of 
Zachariah  Hawkins,  who  came  to  Long 
Island  about  1655,  son  of  Robert  Haw- 
kins, of  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  1635. 
Daniel  Warren  Ruland,  son  of  Daniel 
Ruland,  was  born  in  Speonk,  Suffolk 
county,  Long  Island,  September  4,  1821, 
and  died  in  February,  1905.  He  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  and  as  a  young  man 
entered  independent  building  operations, 
becoming  the  principal  contractor  of  the 
village,  and  erecting  most  of  the  struc- 
tures there  built  during  his  contracting 
career.  Later  in  life  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, following  this  calling  until  old  age 
compelled  him  to  become  less  active.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  political  faith,  was 
postmaster  for  years,  and  also  held  nu- 
merous other  town  offices.  He  married 
Amelia  Tuthill,  born  in  Speonk,  Long 
Island,  daughter  of  Elisha  and  Harriet 
(Rogers)  Tuthill.  The  Tuthill  family 
was  founded  by  Henry  Tuthill,  who  came 
to  America  from  Norfolk,  England,  in 
1635,  and  who  was  first  of  Hingham, 
Massachusetts,  then  of  Southold,  Long 
Island.  The  line  from  him  and  his  wife, 
Bridget,  is  through  their  son,  John  Tut- 
hill, and  his  wife.  Deliverance  (King) 
Tuthill;  and  their  son,  John  (2)  Tuthill, 
born  February  14,  1658.  He  was  called 
"Chalker  John,"  a  man  of  note,  of  great 
shrewdness  and  energy,  affable  and  of 
sterling  honesty  ;  was  a  favorite  with  peo- 
ple, and  held  many  offices,  among  them 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  one  of  the  com- 
missioners that  laid  out  "King's  High- 
way." He  was  a  member  of  the  New 
York  Colonial  Legislature,   1693-94,  and 


sheriff  in  1695.  Through  him  and  his 
wife,  Mehitable  (Wells)  Tuthill,  the  line 
continues  to  Joshua  and  Hannah  (Reeve) 
Tuthill ;  their  son,  John  Tuthill,  and  his 
wife,  Sarah  (Wells)  Tuthill  (this  John  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  Suf- 
folk county  militia,  under  Colonel  Josiah 
Smith) ;  their  son,  Joshua  Tuthill,  and  his 
wife,  Polly  (Benjamin)  Tuthill  (Polly 
Benjamin  was  a  daughter  of  James  Ben- 
jamin, of  Southold.  This  James  Benja- 
min served  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island, 
and  also  at  White  Plains  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and,  according  to  Mather, 
was  a  refugee  to  Connecticut.  There  was 
a  James  Benjamin,  of  Connecticut,  who 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  forces  in 
1775-76-78-80-81,  but  there  is  no  proof 
that  this  is  the  same  James,  and  it  seems 
unlikely,  despite  the  identity  of  names); 
and  their  son  Elisha  Tuthill,  married 
Harriet  Rogers,  daughter  of  Jesse  and 
Amelia  (Jagger)  Rogers,  and  had  a 
daughter  Amelia,  wife  of  Daniel  Warren 
Ruland. 

Dr.  Frederick  D.  Ruland,  son  of  Daniel 
Warren  and  Amelia  (Tuthill)  Ruland, 
was  born  in  Speonk,  Suffolk  county.  Long 
Island,  July  19,  1865.  After  attending 
public  schools,  a  private  school,  and 
Franklinville  Academy,  he  entered  the 
medical  department  of  Columbia  Univer- 
sity, and  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  the 
spring  of  1889.  For  the  following  one 
and  a  half  years  he  was  an  interne  in  a 
Long  Island  sanitarium,  in  1891  coming 
to  Westport  and  organizing  the  Westport 
Sanitarium.  Dr.  Ruland  has  been  presi- 
dent and  chief  of  the  medical  staff  for 
more  than  twenty-five  years,  and  under 
his  direction  the  sanitarium  has  come 
into  high  rank  among  institutions  spe- 
cializing in  the  treatment  of  nervous  and 
mental  diseases.  The  personnel  of  the 
institution,  professional  and  practical, 
numbers  about  fifty  to  sixty.     One  hun- 


372 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


dred  and  ten  acres  of  land,  sixty  owned 
and  fifty  rented,  are  under  cultivation, 
and  a  herd  of  twenty-five  cows  supplies 
dairy  products.  The  sanitarium  is  widely 
known,  and  its  reputation  for  careful,  sci- 
entific treatment  of  its  patients  by  emi- 
nent specialists,  has  brought  it  patrons 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Dr.  Ruland 
is  a  member  of  the  medical  organizations 
of  the  County,  State  and  Nation,  the 
Medical  Society  of  Greater  New  York, 
and  the  American  Medico-Psychological 
Association. 

In  addition  to  his  practice  in  his  special 
branch  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Ruland  has 
taken  a  public-spirited  interest  in  town 
affairs.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  serves  on  the  finance  board  of  West- 
port.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Westport 
Library,  and  a  director  of  the  Westport 
Bank  and  Trust  Company.  In  fraternal 
relations  he  affiliates  with  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  holding 
membership,  in  the  first  named  order,  in 
Temple  Lodge,  No.  65,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  of  which  he  was  master,  1899- 
1901 ;  Washington  Chapter,  Royal  Arch 
Masons,  of  Norwalk ;  Clinton  Command- 
ery.  No.  3,  Knights  Templar,  of  Norwalk ; 
Lafayette  Consistory,  of  Bridgeport;  and 
Mecca  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  New 
York  City,  of  which  he  has  long  been  a 
member.  Dr.  Ruland  is  held  in  high  re- 
gard in  the  community  that  has  so  long 
been  his  home,  and  has  done  much  to 
promote  its  welfare. 

Dr.  Ruland  married,  January  27,  1909, 
Leo  Mabel  Shattuck  Van  Deusen,  daugh- 
ter of  Wellington  and  Sylvia  Adelaide 
(Shattuck)  Van  Deusen,  a  member  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  the  Society  of  Founders  and  Patriots. 
They  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Sylvia,  Charity  Shattuck,  and  Daniel 
Frederick  Van  Dusen. 


Leo  Mabel  Shattuck  (Van  Deusen) 
Ruland  was  born  in  Durhamville,  Oneida 
county.  New  York,  June  23,  1876,  daugh- 
ter of  Wellington  and  Sylvia  Adelaide 
(Shattuck)  Van  Deusen.  Wellington 
Van  Deusen,  a  druggist  in  occupation, 
was  born  in  Oneida,  New  York,  June  5, 
1845,  and  died  at  Bernhards  Bay,  New 
York,  October  28,  1885.  Sylvia  Adelaide 
(Shattuck)  Van  Deusen  was  born  in  Dur- 
hamville, New  York,  June  29,  1845, 
and  died  in  Oneida,  New  York,  December 
ID,  1907.  They  were  the  parents  of:  Eva 
Maude,  born  April  7,  1867,  died  March  i, 
1882 ;  Leo  Mabel  Shattuck,  married,  Jan- 
uary 27,  1909,  in  Oneida,  Madison  county, 
New  York,  Dr.  Frederick  D.  Ruland. 

Mrs.  Ruland  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  She  is  a  member  of  numerous 
societies,  including  the  Order  of  the  East- 
ern Star  and  the  Order  of  the  Amaranth, 
and  her  patriotic  ancestry  gives  her  mem- 
bership in  the  Daughters  01  the  American 
Revolution.  She  is  also  a  member  of  St. 
John's  Episcopal  Church,  Oneida,  New 
York. 

(The  Shattuck  Line). 

(I)  Mrs.  Ruland's  Shattuck  ancestry 
traces  to  William  Shattuck,  who  was  born 
in  England  in  1621-22,  died  in  Watertown, 
Massachusetts,  August  14,  1672.  His 
name  appears  in  an  old  list  of  the  propri- 
etors of  Watertown  made  about  1642,  and 
he  became  the  owner  of  a  large  estate. 
He  and  his  wife,  Susanna,  were  the  par- 
ents of  ten  children,  the  third,  John,  of 
whom  further. 

(II)  John  Shattuck,  son  of  William 
Shattuck,  was  born  in  Watertown,  Massa- 
chusetts, February  11,  1647,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  records  of  that  town,  "was 
drowned  as  he  was  passing  over  Charles- 
town  Ferry,  the  14th  Sept.  1675."  He  had 
lands  granted  to  him  in  Groton  in  1664, 
but  it  does  not  appear  that  he  was  an  in- 
habitant of  that  town  for  any  great  length 
of  time,  if  at  all.    He  was  a  carpenter,  and 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


resided  principally  in  the  Middle  District, 
the  present  village  of  Watertown,  where 
he  was  employed  by  the  town,  in  1669  and 
subsequently,  to  keep  the  town  mill.  He 
was  a  sergeant  in  Captain  Richard  Beers' 
company  in  King  Philip's  War,  and  was 
one  of  sixteen  of  thirty-six  who  escaped 
death  when  their  company  was  attacked 
from  ambush  by  Indians  as  they  marched 
to  the  relief  of  the  town  of  Squawkeague 
(now  Northfield).  Sergeant  John  Shat- 
tuck  was  immediately  dispatched  as  mes- 
senger to  the  governor  to  announce  the 
disastrous  result  of  the  expedition,  and 
his  accidental  death  occurred  ten  days 
later.  He  married,  June  20,  1664,  Ruth 
Whitney,  daughter  of  John  Whitney,  and 
they  had  four  children,  among  them  Wil- 
liam, of  whom  further. 

(III)  William  (2)  Shattuck,  son  of  John 
Shattuck,  was  born  in  Watertown,  Mas- 
sachusetts, September  11,  1670,  and  died 
in  Groton  in  1744.  He  lived  in  Groton 
with  his  mother  and  step-father  from  1678 
until  about  the  time  of  his  marriage  in 
1688,  when  he  returned  to  Watertown. 
In  1691  he  was  impressed  into  the  public 
military  service  of  the  Colony,  and  in  1702 
he  bought  lands  in  and  moved  to  Groton. 
He  married  (first),  in  Watertown,  March 
19,  1688,  Hannah  Underwood;  (second), 
in  Groton,  March  24,  1719,  Deliverance 
Pease,  and  the  line  of  descent  is  through 
his  son,  John. 

(IV)  John  (2)  Shattuck,  son  of  Wil- 
liam (2)  Shattuck,  was  born  in  Watertown 
in  1696.  He  was  a  mason  and  farmer, 
and  first  settled  in  Shrewsbury,  but 
exchanged  places  in  1723  with  John  Bige- 
low,  of  Marlborough,  and  removed  to  the 
latter  town  and  occupied  the  "Farms," 
where  he  died  about  1759.  He  admin- 
istered on  his  father's  estate  in  Groton, 
and  was  a  highly  intelligent  man.  He 
married  (first),  December  24,  1716,  Si- 
lence Allen,   of   Marlborough;    (second). 


October  23,  1754,  Mary  Newton,  widow, 
of  Southborough.  The  third  child  of  his 
first  marriage  was  Thomas,  of  whom 
further. 

(V)  Thomas  Shattuck,  son  of  John 
(2)  Shattuck,  was  born  in  Marlborough, 
Massachusetts,  March  3,  1724.  As  early 
as  1 75 1  he  settled  in  Petersham,  then 
called  Nichewang.  He  often  bought  and 
sold  real  estate  in  that  and  the  neighbor- 
ing towns.  He  married  Elizabeth  Par- 
menter,  daughter  of  Joseph  Parmenter, 
of  Framingham,  born  May  17,  1722,  and 
they  both  died  in  Petersham.  The  line 
continues  through  their  sixth  child,  Abel. 

(VI)  Abel  Shattuck,  son  of  Thomas 
Shattuck,  was  born  in  Petersham,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1759.  He  first  settled  in  his 
native  town,  but  after  the  death  of  his 
first  wife  went  to  New  Lebanon,  Colum- 
bia county,  New  York,  and  united  with 
the  Shakers,  with  whom  he  lived  ten 
years,  during  this  time  learning  the 
clothier's  trade.  He  afterwards  left  that 
group  and  followed  the  same  occupation 
in  Coleraine,  where  he  died  July  i,  1816. 
He  was  much  employed  in  the  public 
business  of  the  town,  and  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  War  (Massachusetts 
State  Records).  He  married  (first),  in 
Petersham,  in  1780,  Mary  Marble,  of  that 
town,  who  bore  him  one  son,  and  died 
a  year  after  their  marriage.  He  married 
(second),  in  1793,  Lydia  Oak,  (see  Oak 
line),  and  there  were  fourteen  children  of 
this  union,  the  second,  Jethro,  of  whom 
further. 

(VII)  Jethro  Shattuck,  son  of  Abel 
Shattuck,  was  born  in  Coleraine,  Mas- 
sachusetts, June  14,  1795,  and  died  May 
20,  1865.  He  was  a  local  inspector  of  the 
Erie  canal,  a  Whig  in  political  faith,  and 
either  a  Unitarian  or  a  Universalist  in  re- 
ligious belief.  He  married,  1840-41,  Eliz- 
abeth Brown  (Barber)  Walker  (see  Bar- 
ber line). 


374 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(The   Oak  Line). 

Oakes,  Oak,  Oaks,  Oke,  are  variations 
of  the  name  which  originally  was  Oak,  a 
form  found  in  Colonial  records.  Oakes  and 
Oaks  are  the  usual  present  day  spellings. 
Ac  or  Ack  was  an  Anglo-Saxon  word, 
meaning  oak,  the  oak  tree,  and  it  formed 
part  of  many  local  names  in  Great  Brit- 
ain ;  Ackley,  now  Oakley ;  Acfield  or  Ack- 
field,  now  Oakfield ;  Acden,  now  Oakden ; 
Ackam,  now  Oakman ;  and  Halyac,  now 
Halyook,  Holyoake  or  Holyoke.  From 
residence  in  an  oak  forest  or  near  oaks  the 
family  came  to  be  called  Oak,  and  all 
coats-of-arms  of  the  family  have  borne 
oaks  or  acorns.  Another  theory  accounts 
for  the  name  Oak  as  derived  from  the 
Gaelic  act  or  auct,  meaning  a  field  in 
Somersetshire  there  is  an  ancient  parish 
called  Oake ;  in  Shropshire  live  the  Oak- 
leys, who  trace  back  to  Philip,  Lord  of 
Oakley,  in  the  time  of  Henry  III.  Del 
Oak,  or  "of  the  oak,"  is  a  surname  found 
in  old  English  records. 

(I)  Nathaniel  Oak  was  the  immigrant 
ancestor  of  the  branch  herein  recorded, 
and  a  writer  of  1826  calls  him  an  English- 
man. Of  his  coming  to  America  there  is 
only  the  following  record,  doubtless  his 
own  statement,  handed  down  to  his  grand- 
children and  by  the  son  of  one  of  them 
(John  Conant)  inscribed  in  the  family 
Bible:  "The  grandfather  of  my  mother 
was  a  cabin  boy  on  an  English  vessel 
bound  to  Boston.  Nine  miles  from  land 
the  vessel  foundered.  All  the  ship's 
crew  except  the  boy,  whose  name  was 
Oaks,  were  lost.  He,  being  a  good  swim- 
mer, swam  ashore.  In  his  distress  he 
solemnly  promised  the  Lord  that  if  He 
would  preserve  him  to  get  to  land  he 
would  never  go  onto  the  water  again.  This 
promise  he  sacredly  kept.  His  wife,  my 
great-grandmother,  could  never  persuade 
him  even  to  cross  Charles  river  in  a  boat 
to  Boston.    He  would  always  go  around 


upon  the  neck.  Thus  he  reached  his  after- 
home,  poor  and  penniless,  and  without 
even  clothes  to  cover;  and  as  was  then 
the  custom,  having  no  friends  in  America, 
he  was  bound  out  to  earn  his  living.  His 
master  set  him  to  work  in  a  pitch-pine 
forest  to  pick  up  pine  knots.  In  this 
employ  he  was  attacked  by  a  catamount, 
or  wild  cat,  which  he  slew  with  a  large 
pine  knot.  His  master  gave  him  the 
bounty  the  State  paid  for  the  pelt  of  this 
furious  beast,  with  which  he  bought  a 
sheep  or  two,  which  he  let  out  to  double. 
These  sheep  were  all  the  property  he 
began  the  world  with  when  he  became  of 
age."  The  first  record  of  Nathaniel  Oak 
is  of  his  marriage  in  1686.  In  documents 
of  the  time  he  is  named  "yeoman," 
"planter,"  and  sometimes  "gentleman." 
In  1692  he  served  in  a  garrison,  and  in 
1707  as  one  of  the  Goodnow  garrison  he 
took  part  in  a  fight  with  the  Indians.  He 
married  (first),  December  14,  1686,  Me- 
hitable  Rediat,  daughter  of  John  and  Ann 
Rediat;  (second).  May  20,  1703,  Mary 
(Holloway)  Farrar,  daughter  of  Adam 
and  Hannah  (Hayward)  Holloway,  and 
widow  of  Jacob  Farrar,  who  was  killed  in 
King  Philip's  War.  There  were  eight 
children  of  his  second  marriage. 

(II)  George  Oak,  son  of  Nathaniel 
Oak,  was  born  in  Westboro,  Massachu- 
setts, February  15,  1720.  He  lived  in 
Westboro  on  the  farm  that  became  known 
as  the  "Wesson  Place,"  through  the  own- 
ership of  one  of  the  firearms  firm.  As 
early  as  1769  he  settled  in  Rutland.  He 
had  served  in  the  Colonial  wars,  being 
mustered  into  service,  September  25,  1755, 
for  the  Crown  Point  expedition ;  enlisting 
again  April  2,  1759,  and  serving  as  ensign 
in  1762  in  Captain  Jonathan  Fay's  com- 
pany. In  the  Revolution  he  is  named  in 
a  company  of  Rutland  minute-men  at  the 
Lexington  alarm,  1775,  and  he  enlisted 
August  20,  1777,  in  the  company  of  Cap- 


375 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tain  David  Bent,  marching  to  Benning- 
ton. After  1777  nothing  is  known  of  him. 
He  married  (first),  October  23  or  26,  1744, 
Lydia  Eagar,  daughter  of  Captain  James 
and  Tabitha  (Howe)  Eagar;  (second), 
June  12,  or  13,  1765,  Mercy  Bartlett, 
daughter  of  Ensign  Daniel  and  Martha 
(Howe)  Bartlett.  There  were  six  chil- 
dren of  his  first  marriage,  two  of  his 
second. 

(III)  Sylvanus  Oak,  son  of  George 
Oak,  was  born  in  Westboro,  Massachu- 
setts, March  30,  1749,  died  about  1800. 
In  1 77 1  he  bought  of  Nathaniel  Waite  for 
one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  a  fulling 
mill  and  clothier's  shop  in  Princeton, 
Massachusetts,  and  lived  also  in  Holden, 
where  some  of  his  children  were  born.  He 
served  twelve  days,  from  April  20,  1775, 
at  the  Lexington  alarm,  in  the  company  of 
Captain  Sargent,  marching  from  Rutland 
to  Cambridge.  After  the  war  he  sold  out 
his  Princeton  property,  took  his  pay  in 
Continental  money,  and  lost  it  all.  He 
lived  subsequently  in  Coleraine,  dying,  it 
is  said,  across  the  line  in  Vermont.  He 
married,  in  Rutland,  November  25  (or 
December  3),  1771,  Abigail  Ball. 

(IV)  Lydia  Oak,  daughter  of  Sylvanus 
Oak,  was  born  in  Holden,  Massachusetts, 
September  17,  1774,  died  February  25, 
1852.  She  married,  in  1793,  Abel  Shat- 
tuck  (see  Shattuck  line). 

(The  Barber  Line). 
The  origin  of  the  name  of  Barber  is  a 
question  upon  which  there  is  some  diflfer- 
ence  of  opinion.  All  agree,  however,  that 
Normandy  was  its  original  European 
home,  and  that  it  came  into  England  at  the 
time  of  the  Norman  Conquest  in  the  elev- 
enth century.  The  greater  number  of  those 
who  have  made  a  study  of  family  names 
ascribe  its  derivation  to  the  trade  of  hair- 
cutting  and  hair-dressing.  The  fashion  of 
elaborate  hair-dressing  and  of  fastidious 
care  of  the  beard  was  brought  into  Eng- 


land by  the  Normans,  and  so  popular  did 
it  become  at  court  that  skillful  hair- 
dressers were  much  sought.  Among  the 
royalty,  nobility,  and  wealthy  gentry,  the 
barber's  position  was  an  important  one 
in  the  household.  No  less  an  authority 
than  Dr.  Henry  Barber  (deceased)  of 
London,  claimed  that  the  theory  of  its 
derivation  from  the  hair-dressing  trade 
was  extremely  doubtful.  He  stated  that 
the  more  probable  origin  "is  from  St. 
Barbe  sur  Gaillon,  a  local  name  in  Nor- 
mandy, where  was  the  celebrated  Abbey 
of  St.  Barbara,  whence  comes  the  name 
Barber  or  Barbour,  a  hamlet  in  Dunbar- 
tonshire," and  he  cites  in  support  of  this 
theory  the  personal  names  "Bernard  Barb 
de  Barbes,  tenant  in  the  Domesday  Book, 
St.  Barbe  on  the  Roll  of  Battle  Abbey, 
William  de  St.  Barbara,  Bishop  of  Dur- 
ham, A.  D.  1 143,  Le  Barbier  Court  of 
Husting,  London,  1258."  Dr.  Barber  also 
gives  the  various  French  forms  of  the 
name  as  Barbe,  Barbier,  Barbare,  Bar- 
berie,  and  Barbry;  the  German  form  as 
Barber. 

(I)  Thomas  Barber,  whose  name  ap- 
pears in  the  early  Colonial  records  of 
Windsor,  Connecticut,  was  born  probably 
in  the  County  of  Bedford,  England,  about 
1614.  He  came  to  Windsor  in  1635  with 
the  party  fitted  out  by  Sir  Richard  Salton- 
stall,  under  Francis  Stiles,  a  master  car- 
penter of  London.  He  was  then  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  and  was  the  first  of  the 
Barber  name  in  New  England.  Thomas 
Barber  was  a  soldier  with  the  rank  of  ser- 
geant in  the  Pequot  War,  and  distin- 
guished himself  by  his  bravery  in  a 
number  of  fights  with  the  Pequots  and 
particularly  in  the  taking  of  a  fort  which 
the  Indians  considered  impregnable.  He 
died  September  11,  1662.  He  married, 
October  7,  1640,  and  he  and  his  wife,  Jane 
(or  Joan),  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren. 


376 


^.l\sSUi£U. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(II)  Samuel  Barber,  son  of  Thomas 
Barber,  was  baptized  October  i,  1648.  He 
married  (first),  Decerrfber  i,  1670,  Mary 
Coggins;  (second),  January  25,  1677, 
Ruth  Drake,  daughter  of  John  and  Han- 
nah (Moore)  Drake,  descendant  of  the 
noted  English  farnily  of  Drake.  There 
were  fourteen  children  of  his  two  mar- 
riages, three  being  of  the  first,  Joseph, 
through  whom  this  line  continues,  a  child 
of  the  second. 

(III)  Joseph  Barber,  son  of  Samuel 
Barber,  was  bom  in  Windsor,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1681.  He  married.  May  6,  1707-08, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Moore)  Loomis,  his  second  cousin. 
They  had  nine  children. 

(IV)  JrFseph  (2)  Barber,  son  of  Joseph 
(i)  Barber,  was  born  January  28,  1708-09. 
He  married,  June  18,  1728,  Elizabeth 
Cook,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Cook,  who 
was  born  in  1707.  The  line  traced 
through  Joseph,  the  eldest  of  their  five 
children. 

(V)  Joseph  (3)  Barber,  son  of  Joseph 
i2)  Barber,  was  born  May  6,  1729.  He 
and  his  wife,  Zain,  lived  for  a  time  in 
tiarwinton,  Connecticut,  but  later  moved 
to  Bethlehem,  New  York,  where  he  died 
111  1795,  his  wife  in  February,  1817.  He 
>vas  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War 
; Connecticut  State  Records).  They  had 
eleven  children.  Roswell  continuing  this 
branch. 

(VI)  Roswell  Barber,  son  of  Joseph 
13)  Barber,  was  born  in  Harwinton,  Con- 
necticut, December  4,  1777.  In  181 1  he 
moved  from  Schoharie  county  to  Oneida 
county,  New  York,  making  the  journey 
with  ox-teams.  He  built  his  log  cabin  on 
the  banks  of  the  Oneida  river  between  the 
present  towns  of  Oneida  and  Durhamville, 
later  erecting  a  large  frame  farm  house  on 
the  same  site.  Soon  after  arriving  at  their 
new  home,  Roswell  Barber  and  a  few  oth- 
ers arranged  for  religious  services  which 


were  maintained  steadily  until  1815,  when 
a  church  of  twelve  members  was  organ- 
ized. Their  pulpit  was  supplied  by  the 
"Circuit  Riders,"  and  to  these  hardy,  self- 
sacrificing  pioneer  preachers,  who  formed 
such  an  important  factor  in  the  life  of  a 
century  ago,  the  home  of  Roswell  Barber 
was  always  open.  He  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  the 
bell  of  the  church  in  Durhamville  was  his 
gift.  During  the  War  of  1812  Roswell 
Barber  was  stationed  at  Sacketts  Harbor 
to  guard  supplies.  He  married  Elizabeth 
(Betsey)  Brown,  who  was  bom  July  22, 
1785,  and  died  February  5,  1876.  They 
had  six  children,  of  whom  the  second  was 
Elizabeth  Browr-i,  of  v.-hom  further. 

(VII)  Elizabeth  Br.>i\'n  Barber,  daugh- 
ter of  Roswell  Barber,  was  born  February 
29,  1804,  and  died  about  -May,  1S87.  She 
married  (first)  Willis  Warnti  Walker; 
(second)  Jethro  Shattuck  (sec  Shattuck 
line). 


KEELER,  John  Everett, 

liswyer.  Jurist. 

In  appointing  John  Everett  Keeler,  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  to  the  bench  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  Connecticut,  Governor 
Holcombe  selected  a  man  whose  natural 
endowment  of  mind  and  personality, 
broad  knowledge  of  the  law,  calm  judicial 
temperament,  and  constant  adherence  to 
the  highest  ethical  ideals,  eminently  fitted 
him  for  the  exalted  position.  Xo  st  iioint- 
nicnt  to  the  bench  was  more  ac.  '-Dtable 
to  the  legal  profession  and  to  the  general 
public.  In  Fairfield  county  the  name  of 
Keeler  is  full  of  significance,  both  in 
the  records  of  genes  :•;i'!n.•^  now  gone  and 
in  the  living  Ttcor-is  oi  the  present  day. 

In  olden  days  one  of  the  commonest 
ways  of  identifying  a  man  was  according 
to  his  occupation.  In  this  manner  the 
name  of  Keeler  originated.    Its  source  is 


377 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


obvious.  It  refers  to  the  man  who  laid 
the  keels  of  vessels  and  perhaps  helped 
to  construct  other  parts. 

(I)  Ralph  Keeler,  the  immigrant  an- 
cestor of  this  family,  was  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  as  early  as  1639,  and  was  a 
first  settler  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut.  He 
was  chimney  viewer  in  1645,  ^^^  pur- 
chased lands  in  September,  1666.  He  was 
a  carpenter  and  builder,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  building  many  of  the  early 
houses.  His  will  was  dated  August  20, 
1672.  The  name  of  his  second  wife  was 
Sarah  Whelpley,  widow  of  Henry  Whelp- 
ley,  of  Norwalk. 

(II)  Samuel  Keeler,  son  of  Ralph 
Keeler,  was  born  in  1656,  in  Norwalk, 
died  in  171 3.  He  served  in  the  Great 
Swamp  fight,  receiving  in  return  a  bounty 
of  land  in  Norwalk.  He  became  one  of 
the  original  proprietors  of  Ridgefield, 
Connecticut,  holding  the  grant  to  the 
lower  part  of  the  town.  He  married,  in 
1682,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Mark  and  Eliza- 
beth (Stanley)  Sention  (St.  John),  of 
Norwalk.    She  died  in  1714. 

(III)  Timothy  Keeler,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Sarah  (Sention  or  St.  John)  Keeler, 
was  born  in  1695,  in  Norwalk,  and  settled 
in  Ridgefield.  His  will  was  dated  August 
30,  1748,  and  was  proved  September  22, 
1748.  He  married  (first),  in  1720,  Abigail 
Osborne,  who  died  in  1735.  He  married 
(second),  in  1736,  Widow  Sarah  Couch. 

(IV)  Jeremiah  Keeler,  youngest  son 
of  Timothy  Keeler,  succeeded  to  the 
property,  and  in  1750  built  the  house 
which  until  it  was  razed  in  1916  was  the 
residence  of  his  descendants.  The  farm 
is  still  in  the  possession  of  Judge  Keeler. 
Jeremiah  Keeler  married  Hannah  Say- 
mour. 

(V)  Jeremiah  (2)  Keeler,  son  of  Jere- 
miah (i)  and  Hannah  (Seymour)  Keeler, 
married  Sarah  St.  John,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  Benjamin,  of  whom  further. 


(VI)  Benjamin  Keeler,  son  of  Jere- 
miah (2)  and  Sarah  (St.  John)  Keeler, 
was  born  March  2,  1792.  He  became  in- 
terested in  the  coasting  trade,  and  was 
also  associated  with  a  firm  of  potters  in 
Huntington,  Long  Island.  He  was  a 
captain  and  sailed  during  the  summer 
months,  and  worked  at  pottery  making  in 
lhe  winter  time.    He  also  followed  farm- 

ng  on  the  old  homestead.  In  1819  he 
married  Sarah  Slessor,  who  was  born 
October  13,  1799,  and  died  May  5,  1875, 
daughter  of  John  Slessor.  Benjamin 
Keeler  died  August  23,  1864. 

(VII)  Samuel  (2)  Keeler,  son  of  Benja- 
min and  Sarah  (Slessor)  Keeler,  was  born 
February  8,  1826,  and  from  the  age  of  four 
years  resided  in  Stamford,  Connecticut. 
His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  Stamford,  and  on  leaving 
school  he  learned  the  trade  of  saddler  and 
harness  maker.  This  business  he  followed 
through  the  long  period  when  riding  and 
driving  were  the  pastimes  of  the  rich,  and 
the  merchant  and  the  manufacturers  were 
dependent  on  hand-made  vehicles  and 
harnesses  for  their  delivery  equipment. 
Mr.  Keeler  was  in  business  for  himself 
about  fifteen  years.  He  married  Mary 
Jane  June,  a  native  of  Stamford,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  John  Everett,  of  further  mention ; 
Edith  Egeton,  born  January  22,  1859,  '^^^^ 
February  27,  1896. 

(VIII)  John  Everett  Keeler,  the  only 
son  of  Samuel  (2)  and  Mary  Jane  (June) 
Keeler,  was  born  February  26,  1856,  in 
Stamford,  Connecticut.  He  received  his 
preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools,  but  later  entered  Yale  Univer- 
sity. He  chose  the  classical  course  and 
was  graduated  in  1877.  He  then  studied 
law  with  the  eminent  Calvin  G.  Child, 
Esq.,  of  Stamford,  and  in  1879  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Fairfield  county  bar.  One 
year  later  he  was  made  borough  attorney, 


378 


^^W^y^^ 


ENO'CLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


N^'hich  office  he  held  for  two  years.    From 
1883  to  1887  he  was  judgft  of  the  Pioiough 
Court.    He  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  the  entire  lime.     From  1879  to  1887 
he  was  alone  in  practice,  and  in  th*;  latter 
year  formed  a  •■•'••■-  '••    •  *•    "■•■.i-"--' 
R.   Hart,   th' 
Keeler.     Mr.   . 
and  from  thai  yea. 
he  continued  alone,  Ji'.  ii  •!..  .>i.  ,,   ; 
ship  under  the  name  of  Keeler  &  i 
continuing  until  Judge  Keeler  wtui   ^  i. 
the  bench.     He  was  appointe-l   judif    ' 
February,  1917,  and  took  his  seat,    '• 
19,  1918,  in  the  Superior  Court,  in 
position  he  is  still  serving  (1921).    in  in 
latter  named  year  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Lake  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Errors,  the  appointment  to  take 
effect  August  30,  1922.    The  Senate  by  a 
ballot  vote   confirmed    Governor    Lake's 
appointment. 

On  October  14,  1885,  Judge  Keeler  mar- 
ried Harriet  Alice  Home,  daughter  of 
William  and  Harriet  J.  (Dodge)  Home, 
of  Morristown,  New  Jersey.  They  are  the 
parents  of  a  son,  Ralph  Keeler,  born  De- 
cember I,  1887,  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  1912, 
subsequently  a  student  in  the  Biltmore 
Forest  School,  graduated  in  1914,  and  in 
1917  became  first  lieutenant  of  Engineer 
Corps,  Company  A,  502d  Engineers,  and 
was  later  promoted  captain  of  this  com- 
pany. The  (^u'.i.'-Stt'r,  Marf;ery  Keeler, 
was  bom  Septemrcr  .?.  ??')(.',  and  gradu- 
ated from  Wellesley  College  in  1918.  Miss 
Keeler  now  resides  at  home. 

Judge  Keeler  is  one  of  those  men  whose 
standing  in  the  community  places  him  in 
a  position  where  the  dignity  of  an  i  . 
life  and  fine  character  are  exempli-, 
fore  the  rising  generation.     He  »s  cri.    o- 
the     substantial     citizens     of     S?  >"ir<  r^! 
whose  keen  insight  and  soutv 
have  always  been    .at    the    c 
every  movement   for  civic  projjii.  -    .1:. 


social  uplift.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sub- 
urban Club,  being  ont  of  the  governors; 
member  of  the  StatrN'd  Yacht  Club; 
Yale  Club  of  New  York  ,  Graduates'  Club 
of  New  Haven,  and  of  the  University 
■  i'lb  of  Bridgeport. 


:ELER,  Robert  Wellington, 

Baalmeu    Man,    I^grislator. 

!n   every    community   there  are  found 

.  t.if.  man  who  are  known  for  their  up- 

r:i;h\    lives,    strong   common   sense    and 

•'!  one  of  the  citizens  of 

•it,  who  is  thus  distin- 

'  '"ington  Keeler,  a 

I.  ii    known    Keeler 

(III)  Samuel  ;  :  Sam- 
uel (i)  and  Sara!  fohn) 
Keeler  (q.  v.),  w;-  \or- 
walk,  and  in  1710  mjhj  Hl^  >,.:>.■  -.  .".'jre- 
field  to  his  father  for  thirty  poisnd.*^.  .^l<* 
married  (first),  in  1704,  Rebecca  Benedict, 
daughter  of  James  Benedict,  of  Danbury, 
and  after  her  death,  which  occurred  in 
1709,  he  married  (second),  in  1712,  Sarah 
Betts,  daughter  of  Thomas  Betts.  Sam- 
uel Keeler  died  in  1763. 

(IV)  Samuel  (3)  Keeler,  son  of  Samuel 
(2)  and  Rebecca  (Benedict)  Keeler,  was 
born  in  1706,  in  Norwalk,  and  became  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Wilton,  Connecticut. 
During  the  Revolutionary  War,  he  was 
an  active  patriot.     In  180=;  th*-   house  he 


built  was  sti'I 
bv  F.  D    B-; 


;i<  occupied 

Keeler  mar- 

!  tus  will,  filled 


;\oi'ier,  son  of  .Samuel 

Keeler,   was   born    in 

.■re  passed  his  life. 

itha  Betts ;  (sec- 

u.^.n.'  ^nh;  (thir^  Widow 

'  ;muel  Keeler  died   in   1826, 

urvived  by.  his  widow  until  1842. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(VI)  Isaiah  Keeler,  son  of  Samuel  (4) 
Keeler,  was  born  in  Wilton,  in  1790,  and 
lived  all  his  life  on  the  old  homestead.  He 
was  a  very  successful  farmer  and  raised 
horses  and  colts.  He  had  an  apple 
orchard  of  one  thousand  trees,  an  im- 
mense orchard  in  those  days.  He  made 
cider  in  a  mill  of  his  own  and  sold  it  for 
seventy-five  cents  and  when  he  got  a 
dollar  for  it  he  thought  he  was  making 
big  money.  Isaiah  Keeler  was  a  big, 
strong  man ;  he  was  strong  of  voice  and 
limb  and  was  noted  for  his  strength.  He 
could  pick  up  a  barrel  of  cider  from  the 
ground  and  throw  it  into  a  wagon.  Mr. 
Keeler  was  often  heard  to  say  that  he 
did  not  know  what  it  was  to  be  tired 
until  he  became  afflicted  with  what  was 
called  rheumatism.  He  married  Lucy 
Watrous,  and  his  death  occurred  in  1874. 

(VII)  Le  Grand  W.  Keeler,  son  of 
Isaiah  and  Lucy  (Watrous)  Keeler,  was 
born  in  October,  181 5,  and  died  in  1892. 
He  grew  up  on  the  home  farm,  and  was 
educated  in  the  district  school  and  at  the 
private  academy  conducted  by  Professor 
Hawley  Olmstead.  After  completing  his 
schooling,  Le  Grande  W.  Keeler  taught 
school  for  a  number  of  years  in  various 
places.  Part  of  the  time  he  was  instructor 
in  the  Union  School  at  Norwalk.  That 
winter  was  unique  in  that  there  were 
seventeen  weeks  of  sleighing,  and  he  was 
driven  to  Norwalk  on  the  first  of 
every  week  and  back  home  at  the  end  of 
the  week  in  a  sleigh.  During  this  period, 
he  engaged  in  farming  in  the  summer. 
Subsequently  Mr.  Keeler  went  to  New 
York,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  whole- 
sale grocery  store  for  a  time,  and  then, 
at  his  father's  solicitation,  returned  to 
Norwalk.  The  health  of  the  latter  had 
begun  to  fail  and  he  needed  the  son's  help 
in  running  the  farm.  From  that  time  on 
Le  Grande  W.  Keeler  remained  on  the 
home  farm  as  long  as  he  lived.    He  was 


a  very  successful  farmer  and  would  have 
left  quite  an  estate  had  he  not  lost  heavily 
through  misplaced  confidence  in  endors- 
ing notes.  But  notwithstanding  this  mis- 
fortune and  heavy  expense  caused  by 
sickness,  he  was  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances when  he  died.  Thrifty,  prudent 
and  inherently  honest,  Mr.  Keeler  pos- 
sessed force  and  determination,  and  he 
was  a  true  representative  of  that  type  of 
old  New  Englander  that  did  so  much  to 
give  American  institutions  their  color  and 
character.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig 
and  later  a  Republican.  He  was  several 
times  honored  with  public  office  and 
served  as  assessor,  selectman,  and  in  other 
minor  offices.  He  took  a  very  active  in- 
terest in  town  affairs,  although  not  a 
politician. 

Mr.  Keeler  married  Catherine  Lock- 
wood,  daughter  of  Horace  Lockwood,  of 
the  neighboring  town  of  Poundridge,  New 
York.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  five  of  whom  grew  to  maturity. 
They  are :  Samuel,  of  Ridgefield ;  Edward 
L.,  deceased ;  Robert  Wellington,  of  fur- 
ther mention ;  Catherine  L.,  resides  in 
Stamford ;  William  L.,  of  Wallingford. 
Mr.  Keeler  and  his  family  were  regular 
attendants  of  the  Congregational  church 
and  much  interested  in  all  its  good  works. 
Mrs.  Keeler  died  in  1895. 

(VIII)  Robert  Wellington  Keeler,  son 
of  Le  Grande  W.  and  Catherine  (Lock- 
wood)  Keeler,  was  born  in  North  Wilton, 
Connecticut,  September  5,  1853.  After 
completing  the  district  school  studies 
Robert  W.  Keeler  attended  Professor  Olm- 
stead's  Academy,  which  was  at  that  time 
conducted  by  the  son  of  Professor  Hawley 
Olmstead,  who  had  instructed  Robert 
W.'s  father.  The  youth  was  brought  up 
on  the  home  farm,  one  of  the  best  in  the 
town  and  which  had  been  in  the  Keeler 
family  for  generations.  Robert  W. 
Keeler  remained  there  until  1870,  and  in 


380 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  latter  year  became  a  clerk  in  the  very 
store  building  he  now  owns  and  occupies. 
It  was  then  carried  on  by  the  firm  of 
Keeler  &  Gilbert,  the  brother  of  Robert 
W.,  Edward  L.,  being  the  head  of  the 
firm.  After  two  or  three  years  the  firm 
dissolved,  and  Robert  W.  returned  to  the 
farm,  where  he  continued  work  until 
1876.  In  the  meantime  another  party  had 
taken  the  store  at  Wilton,  and  Mr.  Keeler 
worked  for  them  for  a  summer.  He  then 
went  to  Hinsdale,  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained only  a  few  months  as  pioneer  con- 
ditions in  the  West  did  not  appeal  to  him. 
He  went  back  to  the  homestead  and  re- 
mained there  until  1882.  Soon  after  this 
time  he  received  an  advantageous  offer 
from  James  Comstock,  who  then  owned  a 
store  in  North  Wilton,  and  Mr.  Keeler 
went  to  work  for  him.  When  his  em- 
ployer died,  about  two  years  later,  Mr. 
Keeler  purchased  the  business  from  the 
heirs  and  continued  there  with  gratifying 
success  for  seventeen  years,  until  1900. 
He  succeeded  Mr.  Comstock  as  postmas- 
ter and  had  the  office  all  those  years. 
During  that  time  he  also  kept  the  town 
poor  on  a  contract  for  a  period  of  about 
twenty  years.  In  1899  Mr.  Keeler  sold 
his  business.  He  then  remained  on  the 
farm  for  a  year  or  two,  giving  his  entire 
attention  to  its  cultivation.  In  1903  he 
opened  his  present  store,  and  in  1909  pur- 
chased the  property.  A  line  of  general 
merchandise  is  handled,  including  agri- 
cultural implements  and  building  ma- 
terials. The  business  of  the  general  mer- 
chant has  changed  greatly  since  Mr. 
Keeler  went  into  business  for  himself 
more  than  a  third  of  a  century  ago.  Then 
a  large  part  of  the  business  was  trans- 
acted on  a  basis  of  barter  for  farm  pro- 
duce, and  was  the  principle  means  by 
which  a  merchant  made  a  profit.  Now 
there  is  very  little  of  that  kind  of  trading, 


and  the  country  merchant  is  not  a  shipper 
of  produce  as  in  days  of  yore. 

In  politics  Mr.  Keeler  is  a  Republican, 
and  from  1880  to  1900,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  or  four  years,  served  as  tax 
collector.  He  made  a  record,  never 
equalled  but  for  one  year  by  any  other 
incumbent  of  that  ofiice,  in  settling  the 
tax  accounts  in  full  every  year  and  never 
carrying  delinquent  taxes  from  one  year 
to  the  next.  In  1900  he  was  sent  to  the 
Legislature  to  represent  the  town,  and 
discharged  his  duties  in  a  manner  which 
brought  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 
He  served  on  the  insurance  committee 
and  on  the  committee  having  in  charge 
the  seating  of  the  members  of  the  House. 
Of  the  latter  committee,  Mr.  Keeler  was 
chairman  and  learned  how  popular  a  man 
is  when  he  has  it  in  his  power  to  bestow 
favors,  for  of  course  every  member  wanted 
the  best  seat  on  the  floor,  yet  only  one 
man  could  have  it. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Keeler  is  a  member  of 
Ark  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Washington  Chapter,  Royal 
Arch  Masons ;  Clinton  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  of  Norwalk ;  Lafayette 
Consistory,  Sublime  Princes  of  the  Royal 
Secret ;  Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine, 
of  Bridgeport.  Mr.  Keeler  is  a  director 
of  the  Central  Trust  Company  of  Nor- 
walk, that  being  the  first,  with  one  excep- 
tion, that  Wilton  has  been  represented  in 
a  bank  in  Norwalk  since  the  first  Sher- 
man Moonhouse.  Sr.,  was  made  director 
of  the  old  Central  Bank  some  forty  years 
ago. 

Mr.  Keeler  married  Ruth  Zelda  Ray- 
mond, daughter  of  William  M.  Raymond. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keeler  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  i.  Florence 
Catherine,  married  George  C.  Brown,  of 
Norwalk,  now  manager  of  the  Park  Ave- 
nue Hotel  of  New  York  City ;  they  have 


381 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


one  daughter,  Zelda,  and  an  adopted 
daughter.  2.  Alice  R.,  married  Raymond 
Comstock,  of  Wilton,  and  is  the  mother  of 
two  children,  Sarah  and  Marjorie.  3. 
Bessie  L.,  married  Townsend  B.  Wick- 
wire,  of  Norwalk,  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work.  4.  Samuel 
J.,  a  sketch  of  whom  follows.  5.  Ray- 
mond, who  tried  to  enlist  in  the  army, 
navy  and  aviation,  but  was  refused  by  all 
three.  He  was  finally  drafted,  and  though 
physically  not  rugged  enough  for  service, 
was  sent  to  Camp  Devens.  When  it  was 
learned  there  that  he  had  had  store  ex- 
perience, he  was  transferred  to  the  Quar- 
termaster's Department  and  had  not  been 
there  long  when  it  was  discovered  that 
he  was  an  expert  automobile  driver  and 
he  was  assigned  to  drive  the  car  of  Major 
Briggs.  He  was  kept  at  this  work  until 
finally  discharged  for  physical  disability 
after  eighteen  months  of  service,  worn 
out  from  overwork  without  ever  getting 
out  of  this  country. 

Robert  W.  Keeler  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  of  Wilton,  in 
which  he  has  held  several  offices,  and  Mrs. 
Keeler  is  a  Christian  Scientist. 

(The    Raymond    Line). 

This  surname,  derived  from  an  ancient 
Christian  name,  Raimundus,  was  intro- 
duced into  England  at  the  time  of  the 
Conquest,  or  soon  after.  It  signifies  "light 
of  the  world,"  being  derived  from  rai,  a 
beam  of  light,  and  monde,  from  mundus, 
the  world.  The  family  played  an  illustri- 
ous part  in  the  history  of  the  Old  World, 
and  its  record  in  the  New  is  entirely 
worthy  of  its  past. 

(I)  Richard  Raymond  came  from  Es- 
sex, England,  and  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts. His  occupation  is  given  as  that  of 
a  mariner.  In  1634  he  was  made  a  free- 
man in  Salem,  where  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  First  Church.  He  moved 
to  Norwalk  and  then  to  Saybrook,  where 


he  died  in  1692,  aged  ninety  years.     He 
married  Judith . 

(II)  John  Raymond,  son  of  Richard 
and  Judith  Raymond,  was  born  in  Nor- 
walk. He  married,  in  1664,  Mary  Betts, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Betts,  of  that  place. 

(III)  John  (2)  Raymond,  son  of  John 
(i)  and  Mary  (Betts)  Raymond,  was 
born  at  Norwalk,  where  he  was  a  prom- 
inent man  and  served  as  captain  of  the 
train  band ;  he  also  served  as  surveyor, 
and  was  a  large  owner  of  real  estate.  John 
Raymond  married,  in  1690,  Elizabeth  St. 
John,  daughter  of  Samuel  St.  John.  He 
died  in  1737. 

(IV)  Jabez  Raymond,  son  of  John  (2) 
and  Elizabeth  (St.  John)  Raymond,  was 
born  in  1705.  He  married  Rebecca . 

(V)  Josiah  Raymond,  son  of  Jabez  and 
Rebecca  Raymond,  was  born  about  1740. 
He  married,  in  1765,  in  Norwalk,  Molly 
Merwine,  who  died  in  1809.  Josiah  Ray- 
mon  passed  away  in   1827. 

(VI)  Thomas  Raymond,  son  of  Josiah 
and  Molly  (Merwine)  Raymond,  was 
born  in  1797.  He  married  Eunice  Meeker, 
of  Greenfield. 

(VII)  William  Meeker  Raymond,  son 
of  Thomas  and  Eunice  (Meeker)  Ray- 
mond, married  Sarah  E.  Thorp. 

(VIII)  Ruth  Zelda  Raymond,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Meeker  and  Sarah  E. 
(Thorp)  Raymond,  became  the  wife  of 
Robert  W.  Keeler,  as  above  stated. 


KEELER,  Samuel  J., 

Business  Man. 

As  one  of  the  most  aggressive  repre- 
sentatives of  that  constantly  recruited 
body,  the  younger  business  men  of  Nor- 
walk, Mr.  Keeler  has  already  become  a 
figure  of  prominence  in  his  own  special 
sphere  of  action.  He  is  officially  con- 
nected with  a  number  of  financial  organ- 
izations and  scrupulously  fulfills  all  the 


382 


OU^cn^  >/  ^2tk^^^. 


ENCYCLOPF.iUA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


'^quirements    of    public-spirited 
hip. 

(IX)  Samuel  J.  Keeler,  .crt 

Wfilington  and  Fntl:   /    '  -A 

T  (q.  v.),  V. 
■  ut,  NcA-en 
lucation  '.' 
....  c  town.    He  ....    . ,  ., 
'tn  years  by  his  father,  a; 
i  real  estate  and  insurance  u... 
'in.     On   January    i,    1915,    Mr.    Keeler 
_    purchased  the   Norwalk   Agency,   Incor- 
Ih  porated,  of  Norwalk.     Later  he  bought 
■■    the  Harry  Smith  Agency,    of   the    same 
I       iiiuce,  and  still  later  the  Philip  D.  Mason 
■        \gency.     These  combined  concerns  fur- 
nished a  large  and  strong  foundation  on 
.'•hieh  to  build  a  business  which  has  been 
-.teadily  expanding  ever  since  its  incep- 
■  ion.    The  insurance  branch  has  been  of 
specially    rapid    growth  '  and    includes 
very    description   of   the   business — life, 
're,   accident,   compensation,  automobile 
nd  others.     Ever  since  the  inception  of 
ne  Central  Trust  Company  of  Norwalk, 
lanuary  i,  1920,  Mr.  Keeler  occupied  a 
^eat  on  its  board  of  directors,  and  in  1919 
-as  vice-president  of  the  company.    He  is 
ne  of  the  corporators  of  the  Fairfield 
"ounty  Savings  Bank,  and  vice-president 
of    the    Denver    Coal    Mines    Company, 
..  hose  properties  are  situated  in  Kentucky 
ind    Oklahoma       Ht-    affiliates    with    St. 
!ohn's  Lodge,  X  '  ree  and 

Accepted  Ma.son  hapter, 

Royal  Arch  Masoii>.     .-te  ^.m  ins  family 
re   members    of   the    Christian    Science 
hurch.     Throughout  the  recent   World 
War.  Mr.  Keeler  was  a  leader  in  th^  x» 
'riotic  activities  of  his  communii 
ng  as  secretary  of  the  Liberty  L" 
mittees  of  Norwalk. 

Mr.  Keeler  married,  December  l«;.  3 
Esther  Gregory,  daughter  of  Julia :■ 
Anna  M.  (Condell)  Gregory,  of 
Connecticut,  and  they  are  the  ^m>    v>  i^t 
one  child,  Samuel,  born  June  20,  \tji6. 


citizen-     KEELER,  Anson  Foster, 


IV 


Since  1905  a  resident  of  .N.'  iwalk,  Mr. 
Keeler  is  now  the  proprietor  oi  the  largest 
-iMTidry   establishment    in    Southwestern 
ecticut.     In  addition  to  this  he  has 
"   md  honorable  record  of  service 
recent  World  War. 
v>.-ithy  (2)  Keeler,  son  of  Tim- 
'    Sarah     (Couch)     Keeler 
;  ,  ■'  '"1  1721,  and  settled  in 

Rio-  Hed  (first),  in  1744, 

Mar)    ..  •    '--'7     He  mar- 

ried  (sec.  Hannah 

Dunning,  «<i.. 

(V)  Jeremiai- 

(2)  and  Mary  .  Ji..v.,.  ■. 
in  1760,  in  Ridgefield,  and 
nessed  Tryosi's  attack  on  in^  >,,  .. 
lage.  So  moved  ;\  :t.>  he  by  the  heartrend- 
ing spectacle  that  he  immediately  enlisted 
in  the  Continental  service  and  served  to 
the  close  of  the  war.  As  orderly-sergeant 
under  General  Lafayette  he  was  present  at 
the  siege  of  Yorktown,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  to  scale  the  breastworks  under 
a  murderous  fire.  In  recognition  of  his 
bravery  he  was  presented  by  General  La- 
fayette with  a  sword  which  is  still  in  the 
possession  of  his  descendants.  Orderly- 
Sergeant  Keeler  married  Huldah  Hull, 
and  settled  in  South  Salem,  New  Yr.rk. 
He  died  in  1853. 

(VI)  John  Ely  Keeler.  scj«  o<  I<?f*miah 
and  Huldah  (H>  "  '  nrn  May 
16,  1810.     Fnr                                  as  estab- 


1839,  in  '" 
.  -V.'rn'va  Chapman,  wl..  4^. 

Married    (second).    iS  ><ith 

!,-,rer,   whose    ancestral    <■•  Is    ap- 

pended to  this  biography,  uti^i  who  died 
in  1891,  in  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Keeler  passed 
away  at  the  .same  place  in  1892     He  was 


383 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  prominent  member  of  the  Throop  Ave- 
nue Presbyterian  Church. 

(VII)  John  Foster  Keeler,  son  of  John 
Ely  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Foster)  Keeler, 
was  born  December  i8,  1854,  in  Flushing, 
Long  Island,  New  York.  He  received 
his  preparatory  education  at  a  boarding 
school  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  later 
graduating  from  the  University  of  the 
City  of  New  York  with  the  degree  of 
Civil  Engineer.  He  never,  however,  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
preferring  to  associate  himself  with  his 
father  in  the  latter's  carpet  cleaning  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Keeler,  senior,  operated  a  car- 
pet cleaning  plant  and  storage  warehouse 
in  Brooklyn,  and  his  son  made  it  the  busi- 
ness of  his  life.  In  politics  he  was  an 
active  Republican,  representing  the 
Twenty-first  Ward  of  Brooklyn  in  the 
New  York  Legislature.  He  affiliated  with 
Euclid  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, of  Brooklyn,  and  had  also  taken  the 
Royal  Arch  degrees.  Mr.  Keeler  married 
Mary  Gazella  Foster,  whose  ancestral 
record  is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  i.  Harold,  died  at  the  age  of 
nine  years.  2.  Helen  De  Forest,  born 
June  26,  1884;  married  Walter  McLaren, 
M.  D.,  of  Brooklyn,  and  has  one  child, 
Anson  Austin.  3.  Anson  Foster,  men- 
tioned below.  The  family  were  members 
of  the  Congregational  church.  Mr. 
Keeler  died  July  3,  1902. 

(VIII)  Anson  Foster  Keeler,  son  of 
John  Foster  and  Mary  Gazella  (Foster) 
Keeler,  was  born  September  22,  1887,  in 
Brooklyn,  New  York.  He  received  his 
education  in  public  schools  of  his  native 
city.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  came  to 
Norwalk,  where  for  some  years  he  was 
variously  employed.  In  1910  Mr.  Keeler 
entered  the  service  of  Armour  &  Com- 
pany, and  for  six  years  remained  with 
them  as  a  salesman.     In  February,  1916, 


he  formed  a  partnership  with  Alvin  R. 
Heerdt  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Nor- 
walk Steam  Laundry.  Later  they  bought 
out  Lowe's  Laundry,  consolidating  the 
business  with  their  own,  and  in  December, 
1919,  they  purchased  the  Old  Well  Laun- 
dry. They  are  now  the  proprietors  of  the 
largest  steam  laundry  in  Southwestern 
Connecticut,  perfectly  sanitary  in  every 
department,  and  having  the  most  com- 
plete and  modern  equipment.  Their  pa- 
tronage is  not  confined  to  Norwalk,  but 
extends  to  neighboring  towns.  Their 
present  flourishing  condition  is  largely 
due  to  the  tireless  energy  and  sound  busi- 
ness judgment  of  Mr.  Keeler,  who  from 
the  day  of  his  first  connection  with  the 
concern  has,  with  the  exception  of  his 
period  of  military  service,  labored  stren- 
uously for  the  upbuilding  and  main- 
tenance of  the  business. 

When  the  United  States  entered  the 
World  War,  Mr.  Keeler  was  among  the 
first  to  respond  to  the  call  to  arms,  en- 
listing July  10,  1917,  in  the  Sixth  Com- 
pany, Coast  Artillery  Corps,  Connecticut 
National  Guard.  On  July  15th  they  went 
to  Fort  Terry,  New  York,  remaining  until 
January  4,  1918,  when  they  proceeded  to 
the  Third  Officers'  Training  School,  Camp 
Upton.  On  April  19,  1918,  they  left  there 
for  Camp  Gordon,  Mr.  Keeler  then  hold- 
ing the  rank  of  sergeant.  At  Camp  Gor- 
don, on  June  6,  1918,  he  received  his  com- 
mission as  second  lieutenant,  and  on  July 
i8th  left  for  overseas  duty.  Lieutenant 
Keeler  went  over  with  a  replacement 
company,  landing  in  Liverpool,  August 
3rd,  and  soon  after  going  to  France.  From 
Cherbourg  they  proceeded  to  St.  Aig- 
man,  where  the  company  was  taken  from 
the  officers,  and  Lieutenant  Keeler  was 
assigned  to  Company  A,  i6ist  Infantry, 
Sunset  Division  (41st).  He  was  with 
them  until  September  26th,  when  he  was 
ordered    to    report    to    the    Sixth    Army 


384 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Corps  Replacement  Battalion.  There  he 
remained  until  November  3rd,  going  then 
to  the  Sixth  Army  Corps  as  assistant  corps 
gas  officer.  They  moved  into  Luxem- 
bourg on  December  24th,  and  Mr.  Keeler 
vi^as  then  transferred  to  Headquarters 
Troop,  6th  Army  Corps.  He  remained 
there  until  April  28,  1919,  when  he  started 
for  home,  landing  in  Boston,  May  27, 
X919,  and  receiving  his  discharge  at  Camp 
Dix  in  June,  1919. 

The  fraternal  affiliations  of  Mr.  Keeler 
are  numerous.  He  is  past  master  of  St. 
John's  Lodge,  No.  6,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  and  affiliates  v^rith 
Washington  Chapter,  No.  28,  Royal  Arch 
Masons ;  Clinton  Commandery,  No.  3, 
Knights  Templar,  all  of  Norwalk;  the 
Connecticut  Consistory,  Norwich,  Con- 
necticut ;  Norwalk  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix ; 
Van  Rensselaer  Council,  Princes  of  Jeru- 
salem ;  and  King  Solomon  Lodge  of 
Perfection ;  Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Bridgeport ;  the  Patrol ;  and  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 

Mr.  Keeler  has  proved  himself  an  able 
business  man,  a  good  citizen  and  a  brave 
soldier.  Such  a  record  is  the  best  promise 
for  the  time  to  come. 

(The  Foster  Line). 

This  ancient  name,  which  is  a  contrac- 
tion of  Forrester  and  Forester,  first  be- 
came known  in  history  when  Sir  Richard 
Forester,  then  called  by  his  Latinized 
name  of  Forestarius,  went  to  England 
with  his  brother-in-law,  William  the  Con- 
queror, and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  partici- 
pated in  the  battle  of  Hastings.  Through- 
out the  subsequent  history  of  England 
this  family  was  among  the  most  distin- 
guished, being  the  principal  chieftains  in 
Northumberland,  and  of  high  standing  in 
the  counties  of  Galway  and  Clare,  Ireland. 

(I)  Christopher  Foster,  born  in  1603, 
in  England,  sailed  from  London,  in  1635, 


on  the  "Abigail,"  and  in  1637  was  made 
a  freeman  in  Boston.  The  same  year  he 
became  a  resident  of  Lynn,  where  he 
owned  sixty  acres.  In  165 1  he  went  to 
Southampton,  Long  Island,  where  he  was 
still  living  in  1670.  The  Christian  name 
of  his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  England, 
was  Frances.  Christopher  Foster  died 
in  1687. 

(II)  Joseph  Foster,  son  of  Christopher 
and  Frances  Foster,  was  born  in  1638, 
and  lived  in  Southampton.  The  name  of 
his  wife  is  unknown.  The  death  of  Jo- 
seph Foster  occurred  January  30,  1708. 

(III)  Joseph  (2)  Foster,  son  of  Joseph 
(i)  Foster,  was  born  in  1665,  in  South- 
ampton, where  he  appears  to  have  lived 
all  his  life.  He  married  there,  and  died 
in  1704. 

(IV)  Josiah  Foster,  son  of  Joseph  (2) 
Foster,  was  born  about  1698,  on  Long 
Island,  where  he  continued  to  live.  He 
married . 

(V)  Timothy  Foster,  son  of  Josiah 
Foster,  lived  in  Ridgefield,  Connecticut. 
He  married  there  (first),  in  1748,  Sarah 
Smith,  who  died  November  24,  1751.  He 
married  (second)  Mrs.  (Corn- 
wall) Ketchum.  His  death  occurred  prior 
to  1776. 

(VI)  Jonah  Foster,  son  of  Timothy 
and  Sarah  (Smith)  Foster,  was  born  No- 
vember 14,  1751.  He  lived  in  Ridgefield 
and  Redding,  Connecticut.  He  married, 
in  1778,  Hannah  Benedict,  who  was  born 
February  28,  1762,  and  died  December  22, 
1834,  surviving  her  husband  many  years, 
he  having  passed  away  on  December  17, 
1815. 

(VII)  John  Benedict  Foster,  son  of 
Jonah  and  Hannah  (Benedict)  Foster, 
was  born  January  17,  1785.  He  learned 
the  cloth-dressing  industry  in  his  father's 
mill.  Later  he  moved  to  Sullivan  county, 
New  York,  where  he  had  his  own  estab- 
lishment.    Thence  he  migrated  to  South 


385 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


East,  Putnam  county,  New  York,  where 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life  he  was  the 
proprietor  of  a  woolen  factory.  He  mar- 
ried (first),  in  1806,  Phoebe  Burchard, 
who  was  born  March  13,  1782,  and  died 
April  27,  1814.  He  married  (second), 
Phoebe  Hobbs,  who  was  born  October  19, 
1792,  and  died  May  31,  1871,  in  Elizabeth, 
New  Jersey.  The  death  of  Mr.  Foster  oc- 
curred October  10,  1833. 

(VIII)  Anson  Foster,  son  of  John  Ben- 
edict and  Phoebe  (Burchard)  Foster,  was 
born  November  19,  1806,  in  South  East, 
New  York,  and  lived  in  New  York  City 
and  in  Stoningfton,  Connecticut.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Atwater.  He  died  October  22, 
1880. 

(VIII)  Mary  Elizabeth  Foster,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Benedict  and  Phoebe  (Hobbs) 
Foster,  was  born  June  23,  1829,  in  South 
East,  New  York,  and  became  the  wife  of 
John  Ely  Keeler,  as  stated  above. 

(IX)  Mary  Gazella  Foster,  daughter 
of  Anson  and  Mary  (Atwater)  Foster, 
was  born  April  13,  1856,  in  Stonington, 
Connecticut,  and  on  November  15,  1882, 
became  the  wife  of  John  Foster  Keeler, 
as  stated  above. 


BEERS,  Louis  S., 

Attorney. 

In  the  parish  of  Westcliffe,  County 
Kent,  England,  the  Beers  family  appears 
to  have  originated  at  a  place  called  Bere's 
or  Byers  Court.  William  de  Bere  of 
Bere's  Court,  was  bailiff  of  Dover  about 
1275,  and  Nicholas  de  Bere  held  the  manor 
of  Bere's  Court  in  the  twentieth  year  of 
Henry  III.  Of  this  same  family  was 
Roger  Bere,  who  died  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Mary,  and  whose  son  John,  in  1542, 
purchased  the  Horsman  place,  in  Dart- 
ford,  said  to  have  been  a  mansion  of  some 
note.  In  his  will,  1572,  this  John  Bere 
founded  four  almshouses  in  Dartford,  and 


devised  his  mansion  to  his  son  Henry. 
His  grandson,  Edward,  died  unmarried, 
in  1627. 

Martin  de  Bere,  the  first  of  the  family 
to  whom  an  unbroken  line  is  traced  from 
the  American  pioneer,  lived  at  Rochester, 
County  Kent,  in  i486;  he  married  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Myssell,  of  Wrot- 
ham,  and  had  a  son,  John  Beers,  who 
married  Faith,  daughter  of  John  Royden. 
James  Beers,  their  son,  married  Dorothy, 
daughter  of  John  Kingswood,  of  Roches- 
ter, and  their  son,  John  Beers,  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Robert  Selby,  of  York- 
shire. They  were  the  parents  of  James 
Beers,  who  was  a  mariner,  and  was  lost 
at  sea ;  he  married  Hester,  and  she  died 
in  1635.  Anthony  Beers,  his  son,  came 
to  America  with  his  uncle,  Richard  Beers, 
in  1635 ;  he  was  first  in  Watertown,  later 
in  Roxbury,  and  served  as  a  sergeant  in 
the  Indian  Wars  in  1649.  In  1658  he  re- 
moved to  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  and  like 
his  father,  he  was  a  mariner,  and  was  also 
lost  at  sea,  in  1676.  His  wife  was  Eliza- 
beth, and  their  children  were :  Ephraim, 
born  in  1648;  John,  born  in  1652;  Samuel 
B.,  born  in  1657;  Barnabas,  born  1658. 
Anthony  Beers  was  undoubtedly  the  an- 
cestor of  the  Beers  family  whose  history 
is  given  herein. 

Ezekiel  Beers,  grandfather  of  Louis  S. 
Beers,  was  born  in  1793,  and  died  De- 
cember 25,  1859.  He  lived  for  many  years 
in  New  Canaan,  and  may  have  been  a 
native  of  that  town.  In  his  youth  he 
learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-maker  and 
undertaker,  which  occupation  he  followed 
in  Westport  for  some  years.  In  those 
days  a  cabinet-maker  did  his  own  finish- 
ing, and  that  part  of  the  work  so  affected 
the  health  of  Mr.  Beers  that  he  was  forced 
to  give  it  up  and  take  up  the  occupation 
of  carpenter. 

Mr.  Beers  married,  September  10,  1818, 
Abigail  St.  John,  born  in  1800,  daughter 


386 


■,  and  was  also 


whose  histor)' 


r  ot  Louis  S 


[ormanvvears 


have  t 


l-maker  and 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  Abijah  and  Hannah  (Hendricks)  St. 
John.  One  of  the  oldest  families  in  Fair- 
field county  is  the  St.  John  family,  or 
Sention,  as  it  was  early  written.  The 
founder,  Matthias  Sention,  was  one  of  the 
prominent  men  of  his  day.  He  was  the 
ancestor  of  Mrs.  Abigail  (St.  John)  Beers, 
who  traces  in  an  unbroken  line.  The 
children  of  Ezekiel  and  Abigail  (St.  John) 
Beers,  were:  William  S.,  born  April  17, 
1820,  died  May  19,  1857;  George,  born 
June  28,  1823,  died  June  15,  1829;  Sarah 
Ann,  bom  April  15,  1825,  married  Stephen 
James ;  Adolphus  Perry,  of  whom  fur- 
ther;  Abigail  Amelia,  born  June  17,  1829, 
married  James  James ;  Jane  Augusta,  born 
June  24,  1831,  married  Isaac  W.  Daniels; 
and  Esther  Mary,  born  October  16,  1841, 
married  William  Wardwell.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Beers  were  among  the  founders  of  the 
Methodist  church  at  Silver  Mine,  in  New 
Canaan. 

Adolphus  Perry  Beers,  son  of  Ezekiel 
and  Abigail  (St.  John)  Beers,  was  born  in 
Silver  Mine,  on  the  old  Beers  homestead, 
January  2,  1827,  died  in  April,  1906.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  with  his 
father  and  followed  it  some  years.  After 
the  death  of  his  wife  he  removed  to  Nor- 
walk,  where  he  spent  the  last  ten  years 
of  his  life.  Mr.  Beers  was  a  natural  me- 
chanic and  had  picked  up  the  essentials 
of  the  machine  trade.  In  Norwalk  he 
worked  for  some  time  at  the  Union  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  where  he  was  in 
charge  of  the  machine  shop.  Mr.  Beers 
married  Sarah  L.  Gilbert,  daughter  of 
Josiah  Gilbert,  of  Brighton,  New  York. 
Among  their  children  was  Louis  S.  Beers, 
of  whom  further. 

Louis  S.  Beers,  son  of  Adolphus  Perry 
and  Sarah  L.  (Gilbert)  Beers,  was  born 
in  Silver  Mine,  August  18,  1866,  died  May 
8,  1920.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  the  Norwalk  High  School. 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  First 


National  Bank  of  South  Norwalk,  where 
he  was  teller  for  many  years.  In  his  spare 
time  Mr.  Beers  had  been  reading  law 
and  had  become  so  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject that  when  the  bank  went  out  of  busi- 
ness he  entered  the  offices  of  Judge 
George  H.  Vosburgh  and  General  Russell 
Frost.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar, 
Mr.  Beers  practiced  alone  until  his  death. 
He  was  clerk  of  the  City  Court  for  several 
years,  and  was  assistant  secretary  of  the 
Norwalk  Building  and  Loan  Association. 
In  his  practice  of  law,  Mr.  Beers  special- 
ized on  real  estate  law  and  also  carried  on 
a  real  estate  business,  developing  a  num- 
ber of  tracts.  In  politics,  a  Republican, 
Mr.  Beers  was  several  times  called  upon 
to  hold  public  office,  and  held  the  office 
of  assessor,  and  for  seven  years  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education ;  for 
four  or  five  years,  and  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  he  served  on  the  Board  of 
Estimate  and  Taxation. 

Mr.  Beers  married  Mary  Albertson, 
daughter  of  William  and  Jane  Albertson, 
of  New  York  City,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  three  children:  i.  Lois  St. 
John,  born  July  i,  1893;  married  William 
Ferris,  of  Norwalk.  2.  Albertson  S.,  a 
sketch  of  whom  follows.  3.  Kenneth 
Sanford,  born  June  11,  1903.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Beers  were  members  of  the  South 
Norwalk  Congregational  Church  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Beers  served  as  treasurer  of 
the  church,  and  was  also  greatly  inter- 
ested in  the  welfare  work  done  by  the 
churches. 


BEERS,  Albertson  S., 

Dairyman. 

Albertson  S.  Beers,  son  of  Louis  S.  and 
Mary  (Albertson)  Beers  (q.  v.),  was  born 
in  Norwalk,  January  i,  1897.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
place,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in 


387 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1914.  The  following  year  and  a  half  were 
spent  at  Cornell  University  studying  me- 
chanical engineering.  For  a  year  he  was 
with  the  Connecticut  State  Dairy  Depart- 
ment testing  cows,  and  this  led  him  to 
enter  the  retail  milk  business  on  his  own 
account.  He  purchased  the  business  of 
T.  B.  Woodruff,  and  until  May  i,  1920, 
continued  alone.  On  that  date  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Samuel  J.  Stewart,  of 
Norwalk,  under  the  name  of  The  Nor- 
walk  Dairy  Company.  On  October  i, 
1921,  they  bought  the  business  of  Charles 
H.  Hawxhurst,  and  at  the  same  time 
Clarence  Seymour  was  admitted  to  the 
firm  and  became  vice-president.  They  do 
a  large  and  profitable  business;  Mr.  Beers 
is  very  well  fitted  for  his  work  through 
training  and  experience,  and  their  suc- 
cess is  assured. 

Mr.  Beers  married  Gladys  Louise  Olm- 
stead,  daughter  of  Gilson  and  Caroline 
Olmstead,  of  North  Wilton,  Connecticut. 
Mrs.  Beers  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  while  her  husband  at- 
tends the  Congregational. 


STEWART,  Samuel  J., 

Business  Man, 

By  perseverance  and  application,  Sam- 
uel J.  Stewart  has  so  utilized  his  life  as  to 
render  it  of  value  not  only  to  himself  but 
to  others.  Prominent  as  a  citizen  and  as 
a  man  of  highest  integrity,  he  is  in  every 
sense  of  the  phrase  a  self-made  man.  Mr. 
Stewart's  surname  is  one  of  the  oldest 
in  English  records.  Originally  it  was  de- 
rived from  the  occupation  of  steward,  and 
was  the  name  assumed  by  the  Fitz  Wal- 
ters and  the  Fitz  Allans  from  their  office 
of  steward  of  the  Royal  household,  and 
destined  to  become  famous  through  their 
deeds.  In  the  Hundred  Rolls  (1274)  the 
name  of  Hugh  le  Steward  is  found.    Other 


spellings  of  the  name  are:  Styward,  Stu- 
art and  Stuard. 

The  Stewart  family,  of  which  Samuel 
J.  Stewart  is  a  scion,  was  early  settled  in 
New  York  State.  Thomas  B.  Stewart, 
his  father,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  bom  in 
1842,  and  died  in  191 1.  As  a  young  man 
he  went  to  Orange  county,  and  there  was 
engaged  in  dairy  farming  throughout  his 
active  life.  He  married  Mary  F.  Baird, 
daughter  of  John  Baird,  of  Warwick,  Or- 
ange county,  New  York.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Samuel 
J.,  of  further  mention ;  Julia,  wife  of  Frank 
Laroe,  and  a  resident  of  North  Beverly, 
Massachusetts;  and  Mary,  wife  of  J.  B. 
Laroe,  residing  in  Sugar  Loaf,  Orange 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  church  at  Warwick. 

Samuel  J.  Stewart,  son  of  Thomas  B. 
and  Mary  F.  (Baird)  Stewart,  was  born 
February  2,  1871,  in  Bellvale,  Orange 
county.  New  York,  and  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  in  Warwick.  He  attended  the 
district  schools,  and  while  still  in  his  teens 
went  to  Brooklyn,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Tuttle  &  Bailey  Manufac- 
turing Company,  manufacturers  of  venti- 
lators. It  did  not  take  very  long  for  Mr. 
Stewart  to  discover  that  he  could  not 
stand  the  confinement  of  indoor  work,  so 
after  a  little  more  than  a  year  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Meadowbrook  Dairy 
Company,  of  Brooklyn,  where  he  re- 
mained about  two  years.  When  he  was 
nineteen  he  bought  a  milk  route  and  went 
into  business  for  himself,  and  after  about 
five  years  formed  a  partnership  with  Ira 
C.  Hunter,  under  the  firm  name  of  Stew- 
art &  Hunter.  That  continued  about  two 
years  and  then  Mr.  Stewart  disposed  of 
his  interests,  removing  at  the  same  time 
to  Sugar  Loaf,  Orange  county,  where  he 
bought  a  farm   and  became  a  milk  pro- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ducer,  shipping  milk  to  the  company  from 
which  he  had  just  withdrawn.  After  two 
years  he  sold  this  farm  and  bought  the 
milk  business  in  which  he  had  been  a  part- 
ner. His  next  location  was  in  Rosendale, 
New  York,  where  he  engaged  in  similar 
business.  After  disposing  of  this  farm, 
Mr.  Stewart  entered  the  insurance  field 
as  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Kings- 
ton agency  of  the  Metropolitan  Life  In- 
surance Company.  From  Kingston  he 
was  transferred  to  Rosendale,  thence  to 
Saugerties,  and  then  back  again  to  Kings- 
ton. From  the  latter  town  he  went  to 
Peekskill,  and  from  there  to  Ossining. 
Mr.  Stewart's  success  in  the  insurance 
business  was  assured,  but  a  tempting 
proposition  from  the  White  Plains  Milk 
and  Creamery  Company  in  1908,  forced 
him  to  resign,  and  he  became  manager  of 
the  latter  company.  After  a  year  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  H.  C.  Buck- 
hout  and  they  purchased  the  business, 
which  they  conducted  under  the  firm 
name  of  Buckhout  &  Stewart.  Subse- 
quently, they  formed  the  Purity  Milk  and 
Cream  Company  and  admitted  a  third 
partner. 

A  little  later  Mr.  Stewart  sold  his  in- 
terests and  went  with  the  Goucher  Elec- 
tric Purifying  Company,  manufacturers 
of  an  electrical  device  for  pasteurizing 
milk,  a  much  superior  method  to  the  one 
then  and  now  generally  in  use.  This  ven- 
ture, however,  proved  unsuccessful  be- 
cause it  called  for  an  immense  amount  of 
money  which  was  not  available.  Mr. 
Stewart  became  associated  with  the  Crys- 
tal Lake  Ice  Company,  and  for  seven 
years  was  engaged  in  business  on  his  own 
account.  Some  seasons  money  was  made 
and  other  seasons  the  accumulated  profits 
were  lost  so  that  the  net  results  were  not 
so  great.  During  the  last  two  years  of 
that  period  Mr.  Stewart  had  engaged  in 
the  dairy  business  and  this  had  grown  so 


that  he  decided  to  give  it  his  undivided 
attention.  Few  milk  dealers  have  the 
technical  knowledge  of  the  product  they 
handle  that  Mr.  Stewart  possesses.  When 
he  was  selling  the  pasteurizing  device,  he 
traveled  all  over  New  England,  selling 
and  installing  outfits,  and  then  establish- 
ing a  demand  for  the  milk  handled  by  the 
new  process.  In  the  course  of  his  work, 
he  called  upon  thousands  of  physicians, 
and  the  questions  they  asked  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  be  familiar  with 
every  technical  detail  of  the  chemical 
structure  of  milk,  how  it  is  effected  by 
various  treatments,  both  with  reference 
to  its  physical  and  chemical  properties, 
and  as  to  the  effect  of  its  food  value. 
Mr.  Stewart  was  heavily  in' debt  when  he 
started  in  the  milk  business  for  the  last 
time,  so  much  so  that  he  was  advised  to 
take  advantage  of  the  bankruptcy  laws  to 
relieve  himself  of  the  burden.  That  he 
refused  to  do,  but  went  manfully  to  work 
and  has  paid  off  every  cent  of  indebted- 
ness, working  early  and  late,  and  he  has 
established  a  most  enviable  reputation  for 
sterling  honesty.  In  the  spring  of  1920 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Albertson 
S.  Beers,  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Nor- 
walk  Dairy  Company,  and  October  i, 
1921,  they  bought  the  milk  business  of 
Charles  H.  Hawxhurst,  which  was  added 
to  their  business.  They  installed  a  new 
and  modern  plant  for  pasteurizing  and 
handling  milk,  and  have  four  routes  which 
are  served  by  two  autos  and  two  wagons, 
and  in  addition  they  do  quite  a  large 
wholesale  business. 

During  all  these  years  Mr.  Stewart  has 
dealt  in  real  estate  as  opportunity  and 
limited  capital  offered.  As  the  tide 
turned  in  his  favor,  he  was  able  to  en- 
large his  operations  until  by  the  spring 
of  1920  he  was  one  of  the  leading  real 
estate  operators  in  Norwalk.  In  1920 
he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  Cranbury  dis- 


38Q 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


trict  of  Norwalk,  of  about  twenty-one 
acres,  and  this  he  is  operating  as  a  small 
dairy  farm,  producing  specially  inspected 
Jersey  milk. 

Mr.  Stewart  married  Annie  B.  Lane, 
daughter  of  Timothy  Lane,  of  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
eight  children :  i.  Anna,  married  Leo 
Leonard,  who  is  associated  with  Mr. 
Stewart  in  his  business,  and  they  have 
three  children :  Leo,  Marion,  and  Helen. 
2.  Marion,  wife  of  Rowland  Legg.  3. 
Julia,  wife  of  Garland  Harward.  4. 
Helen.  5.  Samuel  J.,  Jr.  6.  Durland,  as- 
sociated with  his  father.  7.  Thomas,  who 
is  also  connected  with  the  business.  8. 
Grace. 


GREEN,  Francis  E., 

Business  Man. 

For  several  generations  the  Green  fam- 
ily has  held  an  esteemed  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  Poundridge,  State  of  New  York, 
but  a  town  adjoining  New  Canaan,  Con- 
necticut. Many  of  the  early  families  in 
Poundridge  removed  there  from  Fairfield 
county  so  that  they  are  among  the  Co- 
lonial families  of  Connecticut. 

Thaddeus  Keeler  Green,  grandfather 
of  Francis  E.  Green,  was  a  resident  of 
Poundridge  most  of  his  lifetime.  He  was 
the  father  of  Lewis  Green,  born  in  Pound- 
ridge, and  lived  to  be  fifty-six  years  of 
age.  He  was  accustomed  to  farm  life, 
and  in  due  time  succeeded  to  the  owner- 
ship of  the  home  farm.  Agricultural  pur- 
suits occupied  most  of  his  time,  and  for 
eighteen  years  he  served  in  the  interests 
of  the  town  as  assessor.  Mr.  Green  mar- 
ried Clarissa  Scofield,  daughter  of  Squire 
Scofield,  of  Poundridge,  and  a  descendant 
from  one  of  the  oldest  families.  Of  their 
children,  the  following  grew  up :  Leroy, 
now  deceased ;   Philo,  resides  in  Spring- 


dale  ;  Sarah,  married  William  Granger, 
and  resides  in  New  Canaan ;  Francis  E., 
of  further  mention ;  Minerva,  married 
Edward  Zarr,  and  resides  in  Worthington, 
Massachusetts.  Mr.  Green  attended  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  his  wife 
was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church. 

Francis  E.  Green  was  born  in  Pound- 
ridge, February  14,  1864.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and  also  the  Eastman's 
Business  College,  a  famous  school  of  that 
time.  He  grew  up  on  the  home  farm,  and 
after  completing  his  studies  at  Eastman's 
came  to  New  Canaan.  There  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Raymond  &  Sutton,  dry 
goods  merchants,  where  he  remained  for 
six  years.  About  1895  Mr.  Green  was 
attracted  to  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business  as  an  occupation,  and  he  resigned 
from  the  mercantile  work  to  enter  this 
field.  He  has  been  signally  successful  in 
his  undertaking,  and  owes  much  of  his 
success  to  his  sterling  traits  of  character 
and  pleasing  personality.  Mr.  Green  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  public  matters, 
as  has  been  customary  with  the  members 
of  his  family  for  many  years ;  he  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  is  now  president 
of  the  School  Board ;  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Board  for  almost  twenty 
years.  Mr.  Green  is  a  corporator  of  the 
New  Canaan  Savings  Bank,  and  is  now 
a  director  of  that  institution.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Volunteer  Fire  Depart- 
ment, president  of  the  New  Canaan  Li- 
brary Association,  and  president  of  the 
New  Canaan  Cemetery  Association. 

Mr.  Green  married  Carrie  Hodges, 
daughter  of  Charles  W.  Hodges,  of  New 
Canaan,  and  they  have  two  children:  Bea- 
trice, married  Edward  Lawrence,  of  New 
Canaan ;  Blanche,  a  student  at  Drew 
Seminary,  New  York.  The  family  attend 
and  support  the  Congregational  church 


390 


'  attended  the 
•'Mdliismit 


1  owe.!  inucli  of  his 

[  tilts  of  charactei 

Mr,  Green  has 

IJn  public  matters, 

iith  the  meniberi 

:  he  is  a 


I  teen  a  mem- 
Umost  twenty 


(orator  of  the 

;  and  is  now 

He  is  also 


Ident  of  the 


LOtNew 


lofNf 
DrfB' 


i 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BRADLEY,  Daniel  Burr, 

Fiiut&cier,  IieKi»l*t'>T 

It  is  no  uncommon  thing  v-  .  ^.L  lac 
head  of  affairs  in  many  of  th<^  S<  v.  Eng- 
land towns  and  cities  men  whos?;  .v'lccstry 
can  be  traced  to  the  first  settler."  of  those 
towns.  It  seems  particularly  fitting  that 
this  should  be  so.  Qne  whose  family  is 
old  in  the  history  of  I^'airfield  county,  and 
whose  career  has  been  \  one  to  further 
honor  the  name  is  Daniel  Burr  Bradley, 
leading  citizen  and  banker  of  Wcstport. 
Connecticut. 

The  name  of  Bradley  is  of  Norman 
origin,  and  is  a  place  name  derived  from 
Bradley,  in  Lincolnshire,  England.  In  its 
old  English  form  it  was  Brad- Leah  and 
literally  signified  broad  lea  or  meadow. 
The  earliest  Bradley  known  seems  to  be 
Sir  Francis  Bradley,  who  probably  flour- 
ished in  Yorkshire,  and  who  must  have 
been  born  about  mo.  The  American 
immigrant  ancestor  of  the  family  herein 
described  was  Francis  Bradley.  John 
Bradley,  brother  of  the  latter,  was  of  the 
parish  of  St.  Andrew's,  Middlesex,  and 
died  in  March,  1697-98.  He  was  buried, 
according  to  all  directions  in  his  will,  in 
the  parish  church  of  St.  Pancras,  on 
March  30th.  His  will,  dated  February 
20,  1696,  was  proved  March  31,  1697-98, 
in  the  Prerogative  Court  of  Canterbury, 
and  is  recorded  in  the  records  of  that 
court,  47  Pyne.  The  original  will  is  pre- 
served in  the  files. 

The  family  of  the  immigrant  in  Eng- 
land has  been  traced  to  William  Bradley, 
of  Sheriff  Hutton,  County  York,  and  the 
pedigree  is  given  in  'Camden's  "Visitation 


of   the    County    of 
which  is  published 
"Publications   of  t!; 
The  arms  of  the  fnn 
Gules,  a  chevron   ./ 


1619, 

•f  the 

"♦v." 


boars'  heads  couped  or  These  arms  were 
not  contained  in  early  eaitions  of  Burke's 
General  Armory,  but  ii;  tr  -.lition  of  1868 
he  copied  it  and  gave  (.auiacti  as  his  au- 
thority. 

This  William  Bradley  had  a  son,  Wil- 
liam Bradley,  of  the  city  of  Coventry, 
County  Warwick,  England,  who  married 
Agnes  Margate.  Francis  Bradley,  eldest 
son  of  William  and  Agnes  Bradley,  mar- 
ried Francisca  Watkins,  and  their  son, 
Francis  Bradley,  son  and  heir,  aged 
J  wets')  tour  in  1619,  was  the  founder  of 
the  A-me^Jcan  line.  Joseph  P.  Bradley, 
attthor  of  'Family  Notes  Respecting  the 
Bradlej    '  ['airfield,"  and  one  of 

the    \.Uh  ui   tiie   family,   an- 

nounced n  ;.-. .  :-  :ifs  descent  in  the 
above  work, 

(I)  Francis  Pr;i     • 

first  mentioned  in  ,;  ^ 

in  1650;  he  was  a  ■. 

hold  of  Governor   1 

it  is  possible  that  he  canu   >. 

latter  in  1637,  or  with  his  ecu- 

in  1644.    Francis  Bradley  settle j  va  Biaa- 

ford  in  1657,  and  in  Fairfield  in  1660.    He 

was  made  a  freeman  in  October,  1664.    He 

married  Ruth  Barlow,  daughter  of  John 

Barlow. 

(II)  Daniel  Bradley,  fifth  child  and 
third  son  of  Francis  and  Ruth  (Barlow) 
Bradley,  was  born  in  1673,  and  died  in 
1 7 14.  He  married  Abigail  Ta<'k='<»n, 
datjghter  of  Joseph  Jackson 

(III)  Captain  Daniel 
of  Daniel  (i)  anH  ^ 
Bradley,  wa?  ' 

23,   176>      ^ 

teemed  r ,  he 
served  a  1724, 
Captain  ,  chst)  Esther 
Burr,  1  1702-^,  a  de- 
scendant ol  Jcliuo  i'lurr,  and  a  si'itcr  of 
Rev.  Aaron  Burr,  the  first  pre*ident  of 


391 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Princeton  College  (see  Burr  IV).  In  1759 
Captain  Bradley  and  his  family  removed 
to  Ridgefield. 

(IV)  Daniel  (3)  Bradley,  son  of  Cap- 
tain Daniel  (2)  and  Esther  (Burr)  Brad- 
ley, was  baptized  May  25,  1729,  and  died 
in  Greenfield,  Connecticut,  January  8, 
1780.  In  1757  his  father  deeded  him  a 
homestead,  and  later  he  came  in  posses- 
sion of  the  homestead  at  the  front  of  Long 
Lots  at  Hull's  Farms,  in  the  town  of 
Fairfield,  and  in  1773  he  lost  his  property. 
Daniel  Bradley  married,  August  8,  1751, 
Mary  Banks,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  (Sherwood)  Banks,  born  July  19, 
1731,  died  July  28,  1815. 

(V)  Major  Daniel  (4)  Bradley,  son  of 
Daniel  (3)  and  Mary  (Banks)  Bradley, 
was  born  February  13,  1757,  and  died  De- 
cember 8,  1837.  Major  Bradley  served 
two  months  in  1716  in  New  York,  and 
was  in  the  retreat  from  New  York  when 
the  British  took  possession  of  it.  He  was 
in  the  battle  of  Harlem  in  1776,  in  Colonel 
Lewis'  regiment,  and  received  his  ensign's 
commission,  January  i,  1777.  He  was 
annexed  to  Captain  Hart's  company, 
Colonel  Philip  Burr  Bradley's  regiment, 
of  the  Connecticut  line  under  the  conti- 
nental establishment  without  any  vaca- 
tion until  November  3,  1783,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  at  West  Point,  New 
York.  Major  Bradley  was  in  the  battle 
of  Ridgefield,  Connecticut,  when  the 
British  burned  the  public  stores  at  Dan- 
bury  ;  also  in  the  battle  at  or  near  King's 
Bridge,  and  in  the  battles  of  Monmouth 
and  Germantown.  He  served  on  the  staff 
of  General  Lafayette,  who  presented  him 
with  a  sword.  Afterwards  Major  Brad- 
ley served  in  the  Indian  War  in  the 
Northwest,  and  was  in  General  St.  Clair's 
army,  but  was  left  as  one  of  a  garrison 
in  a  small  fort  before  that  army  was  de- 
feated on  November  4,  1791.  He  was 
commissioned  captain  to  take  rank  from 


that  date,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Mau- 
mee  when  the  Indians  were  defeated  by 
General  Wayne,  August  20,  1794.  On 
March  3,  1797,  he  was  commissioned 
major  of  the  4th  Regiment  of  Infantry, 
and  his  commission  is  in  the  hands  of  his 
descendant,  Edward  B.  Bradley,  of  West- 
port  (q.  v.).  In  1795  Major  Bradley  re- 
turned to  Fairfield,  stopping  en  route  for 
a  time  in  Philadelphia.  Major  Bradley 
married  Elizabeth  Stratton,  born  Decem- 
ber I,  1760,  died  November  5,  1837,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Grace  (Osborn)  Stratton. 

(VI)  Daniel  Banks  Bradley,  son  of 
Major  Daniel  (4)  and  Elizabeth  (Strat- 
ton) Bradley,  was  born  November  30, 
1795,  in  Westport,  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  there  all  of  his  lifetime.  He  had 
a  strong  natural  instinct  for  trading,  and 
at  one  time  or  another  he  owned,  it  is 
said,  numerous  farms  in  Fairfield.  He 
was  an  extensive  dealer  in  cattle  and  made 
many  trips  into  New  York  State  to  pur- 
chase them. 

(VII)  Daniel  Burr  Bradley,  son  of 
Daniel  Banks  Bradley,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 28,  1823,  and  died  May  11,  191 1.  His 
farming  was  on  an  extensive  scale,  keep- 
ing at  times  as  many  as  thirty  or  forty 
cows.  He  was  thus  actively  occupied 
until  within  a  few  years  before  his  death. 
During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Mr. 
Bradley  enlisted,  but  was  refused  on  ac- 
count of  his  teeth,  which  were  not  strong 
enough  to  bite  the  cartridges.  Frater- 
nally he  was  a  member  of  Temple  Lodge, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Washington 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons  ;  and  Clinton 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar.  Mr. 
Bradley  married,  February  6,  1848.  Sarah 
M.  Henshaw,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Elizabeth  (Lockwood)  Henshaw.  Eliza- 
beth Lockwood  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Lockwood,  who  was  a  brother  of  Luke 
V.  Lockwood,  a  biography  of  whom,  to- 
gether with  his  genealogy,  appears  else- 


392 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


where  in  this  work.  Mr.  Bradley  and  his 
wife  were  both  graduates  of  Green  Farms 
Academy,  studying  under  the  same 
teacher,  the  well  known  Ebenezer  B. 
Adams.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bradley  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children  :  William 
Henshaw,  born  December  5,  1848  (q.  v.); 
Daniel  Burr,  of  whom  further;  Emily 
Amelia,  born  August  2,  1853,  married, 
April  28,  1874,  Robert  H.  Coley,  and  has 
three  children :  Leila  M.,  born  September 
3,  1877,  married  Henry  Kelley;  Burr  M., 
born  May  3,  1884;  Robert  H.,  Jr.,  born 
February  28,  1886,  married  Lezia  Talen ; 
Frances  Adella,  born  June  2,  1858,  mar- 
ried William  Nathaniel  Cole,  of  New  York 
City. 

(VIII)  Daniel  Burr  (2)  Bradley,  son  of 
Daniel  Burr  (i)  and  Sarah  M.  (Henshaw) 
Bradley,  was  born  April  11,  1850,  in  West- 
port,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  and  the  Green  Farms  Academy, 
under  the  preceptorship  of  Ebenezer  B. 
Adams,  same  teacher  and  school  as  his 
father  and  mother  attended,  from  which 
he  graduated.  He  then  attended  a  busi- 
ness college,  after  which  he  taught  school 
for  seven  years.  During  this  time  Mr. 
Bradley  read  both  law  and  medicine  for 
pleasure.  Finally,  being  compelled  to  give 
up  teaching  on  account  of  his  health,  he 
went  to  Mount  Kisco,  New  York,  where 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  L.  B.  Gor- 
ham,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Gorham 
&  Bradley,  they  bought  a  furniture  busi- 
ness which  they  soon  enlarged  by  the 
addition  of  musical  instruments  and  sew- 
ing machines.  After  two  successful  years 
they  sold  the  business,  and  Mr.  Bradley 
returned  to  Westport,  where  for  several 
years  he  was  engaged  in  farming. 

Mr.  Bradley  is  among  the  most  es- 
teemed citizens  of  Westport ;  he  has  been 
active  in  the  business  and  public  life  of 
that  town  throughout  his  lifetime,  and  has 
several  times  held  public  office.     A  Re- 


publican in  politics,  Mr.  Bradley  served  as 
selectman  for  eleven  years  from  1885,  in 
1896  was  elected  judge  of  probate,  and 
was  reelected  continuously  to  that  office 
as  long  as  he  was  eligible.  On  April  20, 
1920,  he  retired  from  this  office,  having 
reached  the  age  limit  fixed  by  law  at 
which  judges  may  hold  office  in  Connecti- 
cut. Mr.  Bradley  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  about  thirty  years,  until  re- 
tired for  the  same  reason. 

He  was  elected  from  his  district  to  the 
State  Legislature,  in  1921,  and  is  serving 
on  the  committee  on  banking.  He  has 
been  connected  with  the  Westport  Bank 
and  Trust  Company  since  1887  as  a  di- 
rector, and  since  1913  has  served  as  its 
president.  He  is  treasurer  and  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Westport  Public  Library, 
and  a  senior  member  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  Staples  High  School,  president 
of  the  Willowbrook  Cemetery  Associa- 
tion, and  a  corporator  of  the  Norwalk 
Savings  Society.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Brad- 
ley is  a  member  and  a  trustee  of  Temple 
Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Westport;  Aspetuck  Lodge,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  of  Westport ;  Westport  Country 
Club  and  Westport  Club.  He  is  a  vestry- 
man of  Trinity  Episcopal   Church. 

On  December  29,  1875,  Mr.  Bradley 
married  (first)  Sarah  A.  Coley,  daughter 
of  Lamson  Coley.  They  were  the  parents 
of  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  One  son 
died  in  infancy.  The  second  son,  Herbert 
S.,  was  born  December  11,  1877,  and  died 
May  14,  1883.  The  daughter,  Edith,  was 
born  October  14,  1883,  married,  October 
31,  1906,  Winfred  Martin  Gaylord,  of 
Easthampton,  Massachusetts,  and  they 
have  the  following  children :  Elizabeth, 
born  December  21,  1908 ;  Ruth  Anita,  born 
April  21,  1910;  Daniel  Bradley,  born  Oc- 
tober 20,  1912 ;  and  Winfreda,  born  May 
15,  1916.  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Bradley  died 
April    27,    1890.      Mr.    Bradley    married 


393 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(second)  in  November,  1892,  Grace  Hunt, 
daughter  of  Floyd  and  Eleanor  Hunt,  of 
Ridgefield. 

Surrounded  by  associations  and  friends 
of  many  years,  Mr.  Bradley  makes  his 
home  in  Westport,  his  native  town,  where 
the  history  of  his  life  has  been  written  as 
a  record  of  wholly  honorable  attainment. 

(The  Burr  Line). 

(I)  Jehue  Burr  was  born  in  England 
about  1600,  and  died  in  Fairfield  in  .1670. 
He  came  over  in  the  Winthrop  fleet  in 
1630,  and  was  among  those  who  settled 
in  Roxbury.  Two  years  later  he  was  ad- 
mitted a  freeman,  and  in  1635  was  a 
member  of  the  church  with  his  wife.  Je- 
hue Burr  joined  the  company  headed  by 
William  Pynchon,  and  was  among  the 
first  settlers  of  Springfield,  Massachu- 
setts, remaining  there  for  eight  years, 
whence  he  removed  to  Fairfield,  Connec- 
ticut. In  1645  and  1646,  he  was  repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Court  from  Fair- 
field. 

(II)  Jehue  (2)  Burr,  son  of  Jehue  (i) 
Burr,  the  immigrant,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, in  1625.  and  died  in  1692,  in  Fair- 
field. He  was  a  captain  in  King  Philip's 
War.  His  first  wife  was  Mary  Ward, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Ward. 

(III)  Daniel  Burr,  son  of  Jehue  (2)  and 
Mary  (Ward)  Burr,  was  born  about  1642 ; 
he  was  made  a  freeman  in  1668,  and  in 
1690  was  commissary  of  Fairfield  county. 
He  married  (second)  Mary  Sherwood. 

(IV)  Esther  Burr,  daughter  of  Daniel 
Burr,  became  the  wife  of  Daniel  Bradley 
(see  Bradley  III). 


BRADLEY,  Edward  Burr, 

Attorney-at-Iiaw. 

From  the  time  of  its  American 
founding  the  family  of  Bradley  has  had 
honorable  representation  in  Connecticut, 


its  first  home,  and  numerous  members 
of  the  lines  established  by  Francis  Brad- 
ley there  continue  their  residence.  Num- 
bered among  these  is  Edward  Bun- 
Bradley,  a  legal  practitioner  of  Westport, 
whose  professional  activity  and  reputa- 
tion have  been  in  keeping  with  distin- 
guished and  worthy  traditions.  The 
history  of  his  family  has  always  interested 
him,  and  a  valued  possession  is  the  origi- 
nal commission  as  major  issued  to  his 
great-great-grandfather,    Daniel    Bradley. 

(VIII)  William  Henshaw  Bradley,  son 
of  Daniel  Burr  Bradley  (q.  v.),  was  born 
in  Westport,  Connecticut,  December  5, 
1848.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  Green  Farms  Academy,  fin- 
ishing his  schooling  with  a  course  in 
Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College, 
Bridgeport.  He  was  well  known  in  the 
district,  served  for  one  term  as  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
as  tax  collector.  Politically  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  in  religious  faith  an 
Episcopalian,  a  communicant  of  Trinity 
Church.  He  affiliated  with  Aspetuck 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Westport. 
He  married  Annie  H.  Gray,  daughter  of 
Eliphalet  and  Harriet  (Coley)  Gray,  of 
Westport.  Their  only  child  was  Edward 
Burr,  of  whom  further. 

(IX)  Edward  Burr  Bradley,  son  of 
William  Henshaw  and  Annie  H.  (Gray) 
Bradley,  was  born  in  Westport,  Connec- 
ticut, July  28,  1880.  After  attending  the 
public  schools  of  his  birthplace  he  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
New  York,  whence  he  was  graduated 
LL.  B.  in  1903.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
New  York  bar  in  1903,  and  to  practice  in 
Connecticut  two  years  later,  for  three 
years  thereafter  being  associated  with 
Robert  H.  Hibbard.  Subsequently  he 
established  independently  in  New  York 
City,  and  after  a  short  time  made  West- 
port  the  scene  of  his  professional  work 


394 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Bradley  has  confined  his  practice 
mainly  to  corporation  and  surrogate  chan- 
nels, and  has  built  up  a  substantial  cli- 
entele in  the  district  and  in  New  York. 
He  is  held  in  esteem  for  personal  and 
professional  qualities,  and  his  place  in  the 
community  is  that  of  a  responsible,  pro- 
gressive citizen.  He  is  a  vestryman  of 
Trinity  Episcopal  Church,  and  a  member 
of  Temple  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  of  Westport.  His  club  is  the 
University  of  New  York  City. 

Edward  Burr  Bradley  married  Eliza- 
beth Babbitt,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  Daniel 
Burr,  born  March  7,  1918. 


GRAY,  Walter  Thomas, 

Business  Man. 

The  name  Gray  is  of  local  origin,  that 
is,  following  the  name  of  a  place  in  Bur- 
gundy, France.  In  the  department  of 
Haute-Saone,  there  is  a  town  called  Gray. 
The  name  was  originally  Croy.  A  Nor- 
man chief  named  Rolf,  Rollo,  or  Raoul, 
invaded  France  with  his  Norwegian  fol- 
lowers and  established  himself  there  in 
the  ninth  century.  A  descendant,  or  at 
all  events  a  member  of  the  same  family, 
became  chamberlain  to  Robert,  Duke  of 
Normandy,  and  received  from  him  the 
castle  and  honor  of  Croy,  from  which  his 
family  assumed  the  name  of  De  Croy, 
which  was  afterwards  changed  to  De 
Gray,  and  at  last  to  Gray  without  the 
prefix. 

Gray  instead  of  Grey  is  the  orthography 
in  use  in  this  branch  of  the  family,  as  it 
is  almost  universally  in  the  different 
branches  of  the  country.  In  England  and 
Ireland,  however,  in  the  titled  families, 
Grey  still  obtains,  while  in  Scotland  it 
is  Gray.  However,  this  slight  difference 
makes  but  a  narrow  line  of  demarcation 
between   different   branches   of  a   family 


all  evidently  descended  from  one  parent 
stock  and  of  one  origin. 

The  Grays  unquestionably  came  over  to 
England  with  William  the  Conqueror  in 
1066,  for  among  the  names  of  those  in- 
scribed at  Battle  Abbey,  after  the  decisive 
battle  of  Hastings,  as  worthy  to  be  re- 
membered for  valiant  services  there  ren- 
dered, was  John  de  Gray. 

The  Gray  family  in  America  is  numer- 
ous, widespread,  and  consists  of  many 
diverse  branches.  They  were  among  the 
Pilgrims  of  New  England,  the  Quakers  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  were  also  early  settlers 
of  Virginia  and  other  Southern  States. 
Within  the  first  century — from  1620  to 
1720 — researches  made  warrant  the  esti- 
mate that  at  least  twenty  different  families 
of  Grays,  or  different  branches  of  the 
same  family,  had  emigrated  to  this  coun- 
try and  made  their  homes  in  the  New 
World.  As  early  as  1622,  two  brothers, 
Thomas  and  John  Gray,  had  become  pro- 
prietors of  the  island  of  Nantasket  in 
Boston  Harbor,  by  purchase  from  the 
Indians.  At  an  early  period  there  were 
also  Grays  at  Salem,  Boston,  Plymouth, 
and  Yarmouth,  and  in  the  provinces  of 
Connecticut  and  Maine. 

The  fact  that  the  Gray  family  was 
largely  represented  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  was 
soon  ascertained,  but  it  seemed  probable 
at  first  that  they  were  among  other  pio- 
neers from  the  Colony  of  Plymouth  and 
Massachusetts  Bay  who  had  pushed  on 
toward  the  frontiers  on  the  line  of  west- 
ward emigration,  and  so  helped  to  people 
the  sister  Colony  of  Connecticut.  And 
this  reasonable  inference  found  ready  con- 
firmation in  the  discovery  that  the  Grays 
of  Beverly  and  Yarmouth  had  representa- 
tives at  an  early  day  in  Litchfield  county, 
and  in  the  northern  part  of  Fairfield,  and 
on  the  adjoining  "Oblong."  However, 
further  research  dispelled  that  theory  and 


395 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


disclosed  the  fact  that  there  was  a  very 
early  and  doubtless  direct  emigration  of 
Grays  to  old  Fairfield,  Connecticut.  The 
records  show  that  there  were  two  broth- 
ers, John  and  Henry  Gray,  among  the  first 
settlers  in  1643.  They  had  married  sis- 
ters, daughters  of  William  Frost,  who 
with  his  family  had  come  from  Notting- 
ham, England. 

Henry  Gray  is  said  to  have  been  a  man 
of  consequence,  and  represented  his  town 
at  the  General  Court.  He  married  Lydia 
Frost,  and  was  in  middle  life  when  he 
migrated  to  this  country.  He  died  about 
1658,  aged  probably  fifty  years.  He  left 
four  sons:  Jacob,  Henry,  Levi,  and  Wil- 
liam. John  Gray,  brother  of  Henry  Gray, 
married  Elizabeth  Frost,  but  the  names 
of  his  children  cannot  be  definitely  de- 
termined. The  name  of  William  Gray, 
of  Fairfield,  appears  on  the  early  records 
of  Westchester  county.  New  York,  as 
having  been  appointed  administrator  of 
the  estate  of  his  brother  Levi,  date  of 
June  3,  1684,  who  had  paid  church  rates 
in  Eastchester,  March  30,  1678.  A  "home 
lot"  had  been  granted  to  William  Gray 
on  November  9,  1680.  His  name  again 
appears  on  the  records  of  Westchester 
county  as  having  paid  church  rates  in  the 
town  of  Eastchester  in  1692;  and  again 
the  real  estate  records  show  that  "Wil- 
liam Gray  of  Fayrefield  in  Conn.,  weaver, 
sold  his  home  lot  in  Eastchester,"  date  of 
April  23,  1697.  It  is  not  known  whether 
he  then  returned  to  Fairfield,  but  that 
some  of  his  descendants  remained  is  evi- 
denced by  the  fact  that  the  name  of 
William  Gray  appears  on  record  there  in 
1775,  and  on  a  map  of  Westchester 
county,  date  of  1779,  William  Gray's 
place,  in  the  town  of  Eastchester,  is  noted. 
None  of  the  name  of  Gray  have,  however, 
at  any  recent  date,  resided  in  that  vicin- 
ity. Henry  and  Lydia  (Frost)  Gray  were 
the  parents  of  Henry,  who  was  the  father 


of  Isaac  Gray.  Isaac  Gray's  grave  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  one  in  the  old  North- 
field  burying  ground.  Isaac  Gray  had  a 
son,  Nathan,  of  whom  further. 

Nathan  Gray  was  born  in  1714,  and 
married,  in  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  July 
24,  1735,  Mary  Holibert.  One  of  his  thir- 
teen children  was  Elijah,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

Elijah  Gray  married  (first),  in  Weston, 
Connecticut,  September  10,  1769,  Esther 
Sturges;  (second).  May  6,  1793,  Rhoda 
(Morehouse)  Disbrow,  a  widow;  (third) 
Lydia  Taylor.  Elijah  Gray  died  on  his 
eightieth  birthday,  November  16,  1827. 

Walter  Thomas  Gray,  son  of  Elijah  and 
Esther  (Sturges)  Gray,  was  bom  Decem- 
ber 15,  1785.  He  died  in  Westport,  sur- 
vived by  six  children.  He  was  a  shoe- 
maker, following  that  occupation  all  of 
his  active  life. 

Henry  Gray,  son  of  Walter  Thomas 
Gray,  was  born  in  Easton,  Connecticut. 
He  learned  his  father's  trade  of  shoemak- 
ing,  and  in  that  pursuit  and  farming 
passed  his  life.  He  married  Charlotte 
Brant,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  Wal- 
ter Thomas,  of  whom  further. 

Walter  Thomas  (2)  Gray,  son  of  Henry 
and  Charlotte  (Brant)  Gray,  was  born  in 
Easton,  Connecticut,  in  1846,  and  died  in 
1895.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the 
home  farm,  and  in  early  manhood  he  was 
for  a  few  years  an  itinerant  merchant  of 
tinware,  a  picturesque  type  of  peddler,  of 
which  there  are  few  representatives  at 
this  time.  Modern  methods  of  transporta- 
tion and  distribution  have  caused  their 
passing,  but  their  wagons,  well  stocked 
with  household  goods  of  every  descrip- 
tion, were  a  boom  to  rural  communities 
and  farmers  remote  from  business  cen- 
ters. About  1875,  Mr.  Gray  opened  a 
bottling  establishment  in  South  Norwalk, 
and  later  purchased  a  site  in  East  Nor- 
walk,  where    he    installed    his    business. 


396 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


His  product,  bottled  soda  water,  found  its 
market  in  the  surrounding  territory,  and 
Mr.  Gray  continued  in  this  line  with  in- 
creasing success  until  his  death.  Five  or 
six  men  were  employed  by  him  in  the 
manufacture  of  his  beverages,  and  several 
wagons  distributed  his  goods  throughout 
the  neighboring  towns.  Mr.  Gray  was  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of 
South  Norwalk,  a  man  widely  known  and 
as  universally  respected. 

Walter  T.  Gray  married,  in  1879,  Mary 
Arline  Bradley,  daughter  of  Eli  and  So- 
phia (Srtiith)  Bradley.  They  were  the 
parents  of  one  child,  Walter  Henry,  who 
died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Gray  was  educated 
in  the  Western  Female  Seminary  in  Ox- 
ford, Ohio,  and  upon  the  death  of  her 
husband  assumed  the  direction  of  his  busi- 
ness. She  was  totally  inexperienced  in 
practical  affairs,  had  never  shared  the 
burden  of  managing  the  business  with 
her  husband,  and  the  intricacies  of  com- 
mercial enterprise  were  entirely  unknown 
to  her.  Taking  over  the  responsibility  of 
management,  she  met  every  emergency 
that  arose  with  wisdom  and  foresight, 
and  in  a  day  when  women  were  not  so 
generally  active  in  affairs  as  now,  when 
they  have  proved  their  possibilities  in 
executive  positions.  She  not  only  re- 
tained the  trade  built  by  her  husband,  but 
increased  its  scope,  and  conducted  the 
business  successfully  for  about  a  quarter 
of  a  century.  Then  the  high  cost  of  ma- 
terials caused  by  the  war  leaving  only 
a  narrow  margin  of  profit,  combined  with 
the  fact  of  her  advancing  years,  caused  her 
to  close  down  the  plant  in  1918.  This 
action  at  this  time  was  not  due  to  inabil- 
ity to  continue  manufacture,  but  was  a 
decision  that  proved  the  same  careful 
judgment  and  acumen  that  had  guided  her 
throughout  the  years  of  her  independent 
administration. 

The    Bradley    family,    of    which    Mrs. 


Gray  is  a  member,  is  of  Norman  origin, 
and  is  given  in  full  in  the  preceding 
sketches. 

Henry  Bradley,  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Gray,  was  known  during  his  life  as  Cap- 
tain Harry  Bradley,  a  sea  captain,  who 
was  lost  on  one  of  his  voyages.  His  home 
was  in  Greenfield,  Connecticut.  He  mar- 
ried Roxie  Seeley.  His  son,  Eli  Bradley, 
was  born  in  Greenfield,  Connecticut,  in 
May,  1819,  and  died  January  4,  1907.  He 
was  a  member  of  Temple  Lodge,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Westport.  He 
married  Emily  Sophia  Smith,  daughter 
of  Hezekiah  and  Eunice  (Meeker)  Smith, 
of  Saugatuck.  They  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Emma  Au- 
gusta, married  Samuel  Baker,  deceased, 
of  East  Norwalk ;  Mary  Arline,  married 
Walter  Thomas  (2)  Gray,  aforemen- 
tioned ;  Caroline,  deceased,  married  Frank 
Curtis,  of  Norwalk;  Charlotte,  died  un- 
married ;  Henry  Eli,  died  in  infancy ; 
Harry  Burr. 


FISHER,  Clinton  Reed, 

Banker,  Usefnl  Citizen. 

The  banking  interests  of  a  community 
constitute  one  of  the  elements  most  vital 
to  its  prosperity,  and  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  those  interests  should  be 
committed  to  the  care  of  men  of  unques- 
tioned ability  and  unimpeachable  integ- 
rity. As  treasurer  of  the  Stamford  Trust 
Company,  Mr.  Fisher  fulfills  most  com- 
pletely all  the  exacting  demands  involved 
in  the  tenure  of  such  an  office,  to  the  du- 
ties of  which  he  brought  a  ripe  and  com- 
prehensive experience. 

(I)  William  Fisher,  grandfather  of 
Clinton  Reed  Fisher,  was  a  native  of  New 
York  City.  He  was  employed  as  a  mas- 
ter mechanic  by  the  Harlem  Railroad 
Company.  He  was  the  inventor  of  the 
form  of  oil  boxes  now  in  use  on  Journals 


397 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  railroad  trucks.     Mr.   Fisher  married 
Ann  Lowrey,  of  New  York  City. 

(II)  Daniel  M.  Fisher,  son  of  William 
and  Ann  (Lowrey)  Fisher,  was  born  Au- 
gust 21,  1846,  in  Saybrook,  Connecticut. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  of  New 
York  City.  During  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  he  was  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  7th 
Regiment,  New  York  National  Guard. 
Mr.  Fisher  married  Emma  L.  Reed, 
daughter  of  Sands  Reed,  of  Norwalk,  Con- 
necticut, and  their  only  child,  Clinton 
Reed,  is  mentioned  below.  The  death  of 
Mr.  Fisher  occurred  October  12,  1912. 

(III)  Clinton  Reed  Fisher,  son  of  Dan- 
iel M.  and  Emma  L.  (Reed)  Fisher,  was 
born  July  15,  1870,  in  Darien,  Connecti- 
cut. He  received  his  education  in  New 
York  public  schools.  When  the  time 
came  for  him  to  enter  upon  the  active 
work  of  life  he  entered  the  service  of 
Henry  Clews  &  Company,  well  known 
bankers  of  the  metropolis,  with  whom  he 
remained  seven  years,  acquiring  a  thor- 
ough insight  into  the  methods  of  banking 
and  laying  up  a  fund  of  valuable  experi- 
ence. In  1891  the  Stamford  Trust  Com- 
pany was  organized,  and  Mr.  Fisher  en- 
tered their  service  in  the  capacity  of 
bookkeeper.  As  time  went  on  he  filled, 
successively,  every  position  up  to  his 
present  one  of  treasurer,  becoming  assist- 
ant treasurer  on  July  i,  1917,  and  in  July, 
1918,  being  elected  treasurer.  During  the 
many  years  which  have  elapsed  since  he 
associated  himself  with  the  institution  he 
has,  by  the  excellence  of  his  work  and  the 
clearsighted  wisdom  of  his  words  of  coun- 
sel, contributed  in  no  small  measure  to 
the  maintenance  and  extension  of  its 
strength  and  prosperity.  The  well-nigh 
unceasing  demands  of  duty  have  left  Mr. 
Fisher  little  leisure  for  social  enjoyment, 
and  the  only  club  in  which  he  holds  mem- 
bership is  the  Suburban  Club  of  Stamford. 


Of  the  obligations  of  citizenship  he  has 
always  been  mindful,  and  no  institution  or 
cause  which  he  deemed  worthy  of  en- 
couragement has  appealed  to  him  in  vain. 

Mr.  Fisher  married,  October  24,  1895, 
Janet  Sammis,  daughter  of  Frederick  H. 
and  Elizabeth  (Hatfield)  Sammis,  of  Ore- 
gon, Illinois,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
one  son,  Edward  C,  born  August  2,  1896 ; 
graduated  from  the  New  York  Law 
School  in  1917,  and  in  December  of  the 
following  year  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisher  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

The  record  of  Mr.  Fisher  is  one  of 
quiet,  forceful  and  effective  usefulness  in 
a  position  involving  high  trusts  and  great 
responsibilities.  He  is  a  type  of  man 
essential  to  the  upbuilding  of  large  cities 
and  of  all  communities. 


HUBBARD,  Frederick  Augustus, 
liawyer.  Public  Official. 

An  able  member  of  the  Fairfield  county 
bar.  Judge  Frederick  A.  Hubbard,  is  also 
a  representative  of  one  of  the  earliest  fam- 
ilies of  New  England.  It  is  an  old  tra- 
dition in  the  Hubbard  family  that  the 
name  was  derived  from  Hubba  (Ubba  or 
Ubbo),  the  Danish  sea  king,  who  in  the 
fall  of  866  with  an  immense  fleet  and 
twenty  thousand  warriors  landed  on  the 
coast  of  East-Abglia  or  Kent  to  avenge 
the  death  of  his  father,  Ragnar  Logbrog. 
The  latter  had  made  his  name  a  cause  for 
terror  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  and  the 
British  Isles  on  account  of  his  invasions. 
After  taking  possession  of  Paris,  he 
planned  an  invasion  of  England,  and  his 
expedition  was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of 
Northumbria,  but  Ragnar,  with  a  band  of 
his  followers  who  reached  the  shore,  be- 
gan their  usual  career  of  depredation  in 
spite  of  the  inferiority  of  their  numbers. 
When  the  Northumbrians  learned  of  the 


398 


'•^'••P  lie  lias 
''-Million  or 
"%  of  ea. 
•iiminvain, 

■■■^•% 
• 'edericl;  H, 

"mis,  of  Ore- 

^''"if  parents  of 

"""•V  2, 1856' 

■  -^'^  Vork  Law 

^«*rofthe 

nittfd  to  the  bar. 

^Minbersoftlie 
ctiircli. 

f*r  is  one  of 

tee  usefulness  in 


[the  FairSeld  county 


mily  that  the 
!  fUliba  or 


a  ause  for 
laltic  and  the 
s  invasions, 
I  Paris,  he 
,  and  his 
[  coast  of 


lation  in 
iinihers, 
I  of  the 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


descent  of  the  Norsemen,  they  flew  to  the 
coast  and  fought  the  invaders,  and  made 
Ragnar  a  prisoner.  He  was  put  to  death 
immediately  and  is  said  to  have  consoled 
his  last  moments  with  the  hope  that  "the 
cubs  of  the  boar  would  avenge  his  fate." 

His  son,  Hubba,  above  mentioned, 
spent  the  winter  in  fortifying  his  camp 
and  equipping  his  followers.  In  Febru- 
ary, 867,  despite  the  desperate  battle 
given  by  the  Northumbrians,  the  forces 
of  Hubba  triumphed.  They  killed  Osbert 
in  battle,  but  took  prisoner  Aella,  his  erst- 
while rival  chieftain,  but  now  compatriot 
in  fighting  the  common  foe.  Hubba  and 
his  followers  now  gave  themselves  the 
pleasure  of  torturing  to  death  the  men 
who  had  thrown  King  Ragnar  Lodbrog 
into  a  cage  of  snakes  to  be  devoured. 
This  victory  gave  Hubba  and  his  brother, 
Hingua,  undisputed  possession  of  all  the 
country  south  of  the  Tyne  and  north  of 
Nottingham.  They  continued  to  increase 
their  dominions  by  victorious  invasions 
of  the  surrounding  countries,  and  their 
exploits  form  one  of  the  most  thrilling 
chapters  in  early  British  history.  Hubba 
was  finally  slain  in  his  camp  with  twelve 
hundred  of  his  followers  by  Odyn.  Scat- 
tered across  Britain  and  Wales  have  stood 
seven  historic  eminences  each  known  as 
"Hubba's  Hill." 

It  is  common  knowledge  that  there  was 
great  confusion  in  spelling  names  during 
several  centuries  following  the  adoption 
of  family  surnames,  and  that  of  Hubbard 
was  no  exception  to  the  rule,  more  than 
fifty  different  spellings  of  what  is  appar- 
ently the  same  name  being  found  on 
record.  Even  in  America,  the  forms, 
Hubbard,  Hubbert,  Hubard,  Hubert,  Ho- 
bart  and  Hobert  are  common.  Several 
branches  of  the  family  in  England  have 
borne  coats-of-arms. 

(I)  George  Hubbard,  the  ancestor  of 


the  family,  is  distinguished  from  other 
immigrants  of  the  name,  by  the  reference, 
"George  Hubbard  of  Guilford."  He  is 
believed  to  have  been  in  Watertown,  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  1633  ;  '^  October,  1635,  he 
removed  to  Wethersfield,  Connecticut,  in 
that  part  which  is  now  called  Wethers- 
field. There  he  resided  for  three  years, 
and  later  settled  in  Milford,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  church,  January  15,  1644. 
Four  years  later,  September  22,  1648,  he 
purchased  land  in  Guilford,  whence  he  re- 
moved, and  was  admitted  to  the  church 
there,  October  6,  1650.  He  was  a  sur- 
veyor. In  each  community  he  interested 
himself  in  public  matters,  and  was  several 
times  honored  with  public  office.  In  1639 
he  served  as  representative ;  for  eight 
terms  he  served  as  deputy  magistrate,  and 
in  1666-67  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly.  He  died  in  Guilford,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1683.  George  Hubbard  married 
Mary  Bishop,  daughter  of  John  and  Anne 
Bishop,  and  she  died  in  Guilford,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1675. 

(II)  John  Hubbard,  son  of  George  and 
Mary  (Bishop)  Hubbard,  was  born  in 
England,  in  1633,  and  died  in  1705.  He 
was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents, 
and  in  1650  was  a  resident  of  Wethers- 
field, Connecticut.  On  March  26,  1661, 
he  was  admitted  a  freeman  in  Wethers- 
field. A  few  years  before  his  death  John 
Hubbard  removed  to  Hatfield,  Massachu- 
setts. About  1648  he  married  Mary  Mer- 
riman,  of  Concord,  Massachusetts. 

(III)  Jonathan  Hubbard,  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Merriman)  Hubbard,  was 
born  January  3,  1658-59,  in  Wethersfield, 
Connecticut,  and  died  in  Concord,  Massa- 
chusetts, January  17,  1728.  He  had  re- 
moved to  the  latter  town  in  1680,  and 
there  married,  January  15,  1681,  Hannah 
Rice,  who  was  born  in  1658,  and  died 
April   9,    1747,    in    Concord;    she   was    a 


399 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (King) 
Rice,  of  Sudbury  and  Marlboro,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

(IV)  Thomas  Hubbard,  son  of  Jona- 
than and  Hannah  (Rice)  Hubbard,  was 
born  August  27,  1696,  in  Concord,  Massa- 
chusetts. He  married  Mary  Fletcher,  of 
that  town. 

(V)  Nathan  Hubbard,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Fletcher)  Hubbard,  was  born 
January  23,  1723,  in  Concord,  Massachu- 
setts. Subsequently,  he  lived  in  Groton, 
Massachusetts.  He  married,  April  2, 
1745,  Mary  Patterson. 

(VI)  Thomas  (2)  Hubbard,  son  of 
Nathan  and  Mary  (Patterson)  Hubbard, 
was  born  December  28,  1745,  and  died 
May  25,  1807.  His  second  wife  was  Lois 
White,  who  was  born  April  30,  1747,  and 
died  March  26,  1834,  of  Lancaster,  Massa- 
chusetts.    They   were   married    October 

I.  1777- 

(VII)  Luther  Hubbard,  son  of  Thomas 
(2)  and  Lois  (White)  Hubbard,  was  born 
August  13,  1782,  and  died  March  2,  1857, 
in  Manchester,  New  Hampshire.  He  was 
a  stone  cutter  and  maker  of  tomb  stones 
for  surrounding  counties.  He  was  known 
as  Major  Hubbard,  but  there  is  no  record 
of  his  having  performed  military  service. 
Luther  Hubbard  married,  December  18, 
1806,  Hannah  Russell,  born  July  9,  1781, 
in  Westford,  Massachusetts,  died  in  Man- 
chester, New  Hampshire,  December  12, 
1870. 

(VIII)  Luther  Prescott  Hubbard,  son 
of  Luther  and  Hannah  (Russell)  Hub- 
bard, was  born  June  30,  1808,  in  Hollis, 
New  Hampshire,  and  died  in  Greenwich, 
Connecticut,  September  18,  1894.  The 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  afforded 
his  early  education,  and  these  courses 
were  supplemented  by  a  term  in  the  Pin- 
kerton  Academy  in  Derry,  New  Hamp- 
shire. In  1824  Mr.  Hubbard  learned  the 
trade  of  stone  cutter,  which  his  father  had 


long  followed.  In  Quincy,  Massachu- 
setts, Mr.  Hubbard  worked  at  his  trade 
and  was  one  of  the  men  employed  in  shap- 
ing the  stones  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monu- 
ment. In  1827  he  came  to  New  York, 
where  he  had  charge  of  much  important 
work.  Subsequently  he  accepted  a  posi- 
tion as  confidential  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Ira  Morris  &  Company,  granite  dealers 
of  New  York  City. 

Mr.  Hubbard  was  always  interested  in 
his  fellowmen,  and  it  was  this  desire  to 
be  of  assistance  which  led  to  his  later  em- 
ployment as  secretary  of  the  American 
Seamen's  Friend  Society.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  to  distribute  Bibles  in  New 
York  for  the  Marine  Bible  Society  in  1833. 
In  1863  he  became  financial  agent  of  the 
former  society.  Mr.  Hubbard  removed 
with  his  family  to  Greenwich,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1859,  ^nd  there  was  warden  of  the 
borough.  Mr.  Hubbard  published  a  small 
genealogy  bearing  on  his  family  history 
in  1872.  He  was  secretary  of  the  New 
England  Society  in  the  City  of  New  York 
for  forty  consecutive  years. 

Mr.  Hubbard  married  (first)  November 
28,  1832,  Sarah  Ogden  Johnson,  and  for 
his  second  wife,  Mary  Cummings  Ten- 
ney,  who  was  born  November  19,  1819, 
in  Hollis,  daughter  of  Hon.  Ralph  E.  and 
Phebe  Colburn  (Smith)  Tenney.  Their 
children  were :  Frederick  A.,  of  further 
mention ;  Mary  Tenney,  born  October  12, 
1855 ;  John  Theodore,  born  October  2, 
1857,  died  February  2,  1882;  William 
Norris,  born  November  2,  1865,  a  physi- 
cian in  New  York  City ;  Benjamin  Farley, 
deceased. 

(IX)  Frederick  Augustus  Hubbard, 
eldest  son  of  Luther  Prescott  and  Mary 
Cummings  (Tenney)  Hubbard,  was  born 
November  17,  1851,  in  Hollis,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  was  seven  years  old  when 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Greenwich, 
Connecticut.     There  he  attended   school 


400 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  the  Greenwich  Academy.  The  legal 
profession  had  attracted  him  from  youth, 
and  with  the  purpose  of  making  that  his 
career  he  began  the  study  of  law  under 
the  preceptorship  of  Evarts,  Southmayd 
&  Choate,  noted  New  York  lawyers  and 
friends  of  his  father.  In  1875  Mr.  Hub- 
bard was  graduated  from  the  University 
of  the  City  of  New  York  with  the  degree 
of  LL.  B.  and  in  the  same  year  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  there  and  also  in  the 
State  of  Connecticut.  His  practice  has 
been  in  Greenwich  and  he  has  made  a 
specialty  of  probate  cases,  care  of  estates, 
real  estate  law,  and  a  good  deal  of  convey- 
ancing. 

For  many  years  Judge  Hubbard  has 
been  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of 
Greenwich.  Upright  in  his  dealings,  he 
has  commanded  the  respect  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.  His  political  affiliations  are  with 
the  Republican  party ;  although  not  de- 
sirous of  holding  office.  Judge  Hubbard 
never  shirks  a  public  duty,  and  any  move- 
ment for  the  general  welfare  can  count 
upon  his  loyal  support.  He  was  appointed 
deputy  judge  of  the  Borough  Court  of 
Greenwich. 

Judge  Hubbard  has  found  time  outside 
of  his  business  cares  to  indulge  in  his 
talent  for  writing.  His  library  at  home 
and  collection  of  curios  is  typical  of  his 
tastes.  His  writing  is  entertaining  and 
instructive.  He  has  contributed  many 
articles  to  newspapers  over  the  pen  name, 
Ezekiel  Lemondale.  Many  who  are  famil- 
iar with  his  articles  feel  that  his  literary 
work  should  be  embodied  in  a  more  en- 
during form.  He  is  a  fluent,  graceful 
writer,  possesses  a  keen  sense  of  humor 
and  has  a  splendid  sense  of  proportion. 
He  will  always  be  remembered  for  his  one 
published  volume  "Other  Days  in  Green- 
wich," which,  while  disclaiming  to  be  a 
history,  splendidly  supplements  the  work 
of  other  historians  by  relating  interesting 


facts  and  anecdotes  of  people,  places  and 
things  identified  with  the  past  of  that 
town.  It  is  a  unique  and  valuable  con- 
tribution to  Connecticut's  historical  liter- 
ature. Fraternally,  Judge  Hubbard  is  a 
member  of  Acacia  Lodge,  No.  85,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Greenwich, 
and  is  a  life  member  of  the  New  England 
Society  of  New  York. 

Judge  Hubbard  married,  August  i, 
1883,  Agnes  Helena  Waterbury,  daugh- 
ter of  George  P.  and  Ellen  F.  (June)  Wa- 
terbury. They  are  the  parents  of  three 
sons:  I.  Carleton  Waterbury,  born 
April  25,  1884 ;  he  graduated  from  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology, 
class  of  1909,  and  is  a  mechanical  engi- 
neer in  New  York ;  he  married  Katharine 
Chase,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  Mal- 
vern Drexel,  Richmond  Chase,  Dorothy 
Georgia  and  Frances  Alice.  2.  Drexel 
Tenney,  born  August  22,  1886;  he  mar- 
ried Katherine  Bond,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Charlotte  Bond,  born  June  3,  1919. 
3.  George  Frederick,  born  October  19, 
1899;  he  was  educated  in  Repton  School, 
Tarrytown,  and  was  a  first  lieutenant  in 
the  Royal  Air  Force,  and  was  injured 
while  in  service  by  an  airplane  crash ;  he 
has  fully  recovered.  The  family  attend 
the  Second  Congregational  Church  of 
Greenwich,  and  aid  in  its  support. 


WEED,  Edward  Franklin, 

Ziover  of  Natural  Science. 

For  almost  three  hundred  years  the  sur- 
name of  Weed  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  interests  of  Fairfield 
county,  Connecticut.  Members  of  this 
family  have  been  among  the  useful  and 
upright  citizens  of  their  communities,  and 
they  have  left  definite  impress  upon  the 
industrial  and  public  life  of  these  com- 
munities. 

The  Weed  family  is  a  very  ancient  one 


401 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  England.  The  name  is  derived  from 
the  place  which  was  the  residence  of  the 
family,  Weed-on-the-Street,  or  Weed-on- 
Beck,  one  of  the  oldest  parishes  in  the 
hundred  of  Fawsley  county,  Northamp- 
ton, situated  four  miles  from  Daventry. 
The  name  could  be  found  only  in  North- 
amptonshire at  the  time  of  Jonas  Weed's 
emigration  to  this  country. 

There  is  a  record  of  Ralph,  of  Weed- 
on-Beck,  or  as  the  name  became  simpli- 
fied, Ralph  de  Weedon,  having  settled  in 
Buckinghamshire  in  1307.  He  became 
knight  of  the  shire,  and  his  arms  were: 

"Argent,  two  bars  gules,  in  chief  three  marlets 
sable." 

The  family  became  scattered  through- 
out Great  Britain,  and  different  branches 
were  soon  established  in  various  sections 
of  the  kingdom.  The  form  of  the  name 
changed  with  the  different  environment, 
and  we  find  Wedon,  Wead,  Weedon, 
Weede,  and  Weeden,  as  well  as  other 
names  somewhat  similar.  Only  in  the 
County  of  Northampton  did  the  simple 
spelling  Weed  survive.  From  this  fact 
it  is  possible  to  state  with  more  than 
ordinary  certainty  the  locality  where  this 
line  of  the  family  originated. 

(I)  Jonas  Weed,  the  immigrant  ances- 
tor of  the  family  in  America,  lived  near 
Stamford,  Northampton  county,  England, 
and  with  a  group  of  friends  became  in- 
terested in  the  stories  of  the  new  colonies 
across  the  ocean,  and  joined  Governor 
Winthrop's  fleet,  sailing  in  company  with 
Sir  Robert  Saltonstall  on  the  good  ship, 
"Arabella."  The  expedition  landed  in 
Boston,  May  29,  1630,  and  old  records  of 
Watertown,  Massachusetts,  show  that 
Jonas  Weed  was  among  the  settlers  there 
the  following  year.  On  May  18,  163 1,  he 
was  admitted  a  freeman  in  Watertown. 
He  removed  to  Wethersfield,  Connecticut, 
in  1635,  and  during  his  stay  there  served 


as  a  juror,  this  service  carrying  great  re- 
spect and  honor  in  the  pioneer  communi- 
ties. He  removed  from  Wethersfield  to 
New  Haven,  and  the  colonizing  expedition 
to  Stamford  was  organized  and  started 
from  there.  In  1641  he  removed  to  Stam- 
ford, and  there  received  a  grant  of  land 
in  1642.  He  died  in  1676,  and  his  wife  sur- 
vived him  until  1689  or  1690. 

(II)  Daniel  Weed,  son  of  Jonas  Weed, 

married  Ruth ,  and  was  the  father 

of  Nathaniel,  of  whom  further. 

(III)  Nathaniel  Weed,  son  of  Daniel 
and  Ruth  Weed,  born  October  22,  1696. 

The  latter  married  Mary ,  and  was 

the  father  of  Nathan,  of  whom  further. 

(IV)  Nathan  Weed,  son  of  Nathaniel 
Weed,  was  born  January  i,  1725.  He 
married  and  was  the  father  of  Nathan, 
of  whom  further. 

(V)  Nathan  (2)  Weed,  son  of  Nathan 
(i)  Weed,  married,  September  2,  1787, 
Mary  Scofield. 

(VI)  Joseph  Weed,  son  of  Nathan  (2) 
and  Mary  (Scofield)  Weed,  was  born  De- 
cember 20,  1801,  and  died  March  9,  1888. 
He  was  a  Whig,  and  later  a  Republican. 
He  attended  the  Congregational  church 
of  Darien.  He  married  (first)  Louise 
Weed,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Mary 
(Waterbury)  Weed,  March  7,  1825,  and 
their  children  were:  Joseph  Henry,  Na- 
than, Louisa,  and  Alvah.  He  married 
(second)  Jane  Tweedy,  of  New  York 
City,  and  their  children  were :  Samuel 
Richard  of  whom  further ;  Arthur,  Bea- 
trice, Mary,  Edgar,  Edwin,  Mary  J., 
Jessie  G.,  and  Annie  Tweedy. 

(VII)  Samuel  Richard  Weed,  eldest 
child  of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Tweedy) 
Weed,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1837,  where  he  died,  Feberuary  4, 
1918.  He  was  a  writer  by  occupation, 
and  in  later  years  was  in  the  insurance 
business.  In  politics  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and  in  religious  faith  a  Congrega- 


402 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tionalist.  Mr.  Weed  married,  October  ii, 
1859,  Nellie  S.  Jones,  daughter  of  David 
W.  and  Mary  Cabor  (Newell)  Jones,  the 
former  of  Boston,  and  the  latter  of  Fram- 
ingham,  Massachusetts.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Weed  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  i.  Walter  Harvey,  bom  May 
I,  1862.  2.  Nathan  Herbert,  born  August 
I,  1868.  3.  Edward  Franklin,  of  whom 
further. 

(VIII)  Edward  Franklin  Weed,  son  of 
Samuel  Richard  and  Nellie  S.  (Jones) 
Weed,  was  born  January  20,  1870,  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri.  When  he  was  about  six 
years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  Edward  F.  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  city.  Following  his  courses  there, 
he  became  a  student  in  the  Connecticut 
Agricultural  College  in  Storrs,  Connecti- 
cut. Mr.  Weed  then  became  a  special 
student  of  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of 
Yale  College  in  microscopic  botany  and 
entomology.  Mr.  Weed  has  never  lost 
his  interest  in  his  natural  science  work, 
and  spends  much  of  the  leisure  time  from 
his  business  in  this  work.  Mr.  Weed's 
hobby  is  stamp  collecting.  For  forty 
years  he  has  been  collecting  stamps,  spe- 
cializing at  different  times  in  the  stamps 
of  certain  countries.  At  the  present  time 
Mr.  Weed  is  making  a  specialty  of  Brit- 
ish Colony  stamps  and  has  a  valuable  col- 
lection of  them.  The  social  activities  of 
Mr.  Weed  are  many.  He  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason ;  he  affiliates  with 
Old  Well  Lodge,  No.  108,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons ;  Butler  Chapter,  No.  38, 
Royal  Arch  Masons ;  Clinton  Command- 
ery.  Knights  Templar ;  Lafayette  Con- 
sistory ;  and  Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Bridgeport.  He  is  secretary 
of  the  local  Red  Cross  Association,  and  a 
member  of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal  Church, 
of  Noroton,  of  which  he  is  junior  warden. 

Mr.  Weed  married  (first)  Mrs.  Louise 


(Lane)  Colyer,  daughter  of  Adolphus  and 
Eliza  Jane  (Stearns)  Lane.  He  married 
(second),  July  18,  1912,  Isabel  M.  Weed, 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Elizabeth  (Dor- 
Ion)  Weed,  of  New  York  City,  and  Ma- 
con, Georgia,  the  former  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Louise  (Weed)  Weed. 


WEED,  Hanford  Smith. 

Lairyer,  Legislator. 

In  the  annals  of  Fairfield  county  fre- 
quent mention  is  found  of  the  Weed 
family.  This  family  is  not  only  among 
the  oldest  families  of  that  county,  but 
also  among  the  most  prominent. 

(II)  John  Weed,  eldest  son  of  Jonas 
Weed  (q.  v.),  purchased  land  in  Stam- 
ford, Conn.,  April  20,  1657,  and  died  in 
1688.  He  married,  in  1665,  Joanna  West- 
cott,  daughter  of  Richard  Westcott. 

(III)  Daniel  Weed,  son  of  John  and 
Joanna  (Westcott)  Weed,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary II,  1669.  He  married  and  was  the 
father  of  Abraham,  of  further  mention. 

(IV)  Abraham  Weed,  son  of  Daniel 
Weed,  was  born  August  18,  1680.  He 
married  and  was  the  father  of  Abraham, 
of  further  mention. 

(V)  Abraham  (2)  Weed,  son  of  Abra- 
ham (i)  Weed,  was  born  in  that  part  of 
Stamford  now  included  in  New  Canaan, 
January  11,  1727-28.  He  married  Naomi 
Pond. 

(VI)  Enos  Weed,  son  of  Abraham  (2) 
and  Naomi  (Pond)  Weed,  was  born 
March  14,  1731-32.  The  Christian  name 
of  his  wife  was  Mary. 

(VII)  Lieutenant  Seth  Weed,  son  of 
Enos  and  Mary  Weed,  was  born  January 
30,  1752.  He  was  a  member  of  the  First 
Company,  5th  Regiment,  under  Captain 
David  Waterbury  (later  colonel),  and 
Lieutenant  Jonathan  Whitney,  in  May, 
1775.  This  regiment  marched  to  New 
York  under  General  Wooster.  Seth  Weed 


403 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  commissioned  lieutenant,  January  i, 
1777,  and  resigned  September  30,  1777. 
In  June,  1776,  he  was  in  Captain  Hall's 
company  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Thomas  Seymour  of  the  Connec- 
ticut Light  Horse,  which  was  ordered  to 
New  York  for  service.  In  1779,  Seth 
Weed  was  in  Captain  Scofield's  company 
under  Major-General  Oliver  Wolcott 
during  the  New  Haven  alarm.  Lieuten- 
ant Seth  Weed  and  Silas  Davenport  were 
appointed  to  procure  provisions  needed 
for  the  Continental  army  and  State 
troops.  Lieutenant  Seth  Weed  married, 
January  3,  1771,  Hannah  Andreas  or 
Andros.  He  died  December  26,  1822.  A 
house  which  Lieutenant  Seth  Weed  built 
was  remodelled  in  1920.  It  stands  on 
Weed  street,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
south  of  the  Weed  homestead. 

(VIII)  Seth  (2)  Weed,  son  of  Lieu- 
tenant Seth  (i)  Weed  and  Hannah  (An- 
dreas, or  Andros)  Weed,  was  born  July 
7,  1772,  and  died  January  14,  1833.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  with  his  father  owned 
most  of  the  land  through  which  Weed 
street,  New  Canaan,  now  passes.  He 
married,  November  27,  1793,  Sally  Ayres, 
born  March  27,  1774,  died  March  5,  1844. 

(IX)  Samuel    Andros    Weed,    son    of 
.Seth   (2)  and  Sally   (Ayres)   Weed,  was 

born  in  New  Canaan,  November  13,  1799, 
and  died  July  7,  1868.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  wholesale  grocer  in  New  York 
City,  during  which  time  he  resided  there. 
On  his  return  to  New  Canaan,  he  built 
the  house  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Hanford 
S.  Weed,  on  his  father's  property.  At 
this  time  Mr.  Weed  retired  from  business. 
He  was  the  first  president  of  the  first  bank 
organized  in  New  Canaan.  Mr.  Weed 
married,  April  7,  1835,  Anna  Smith,  born 
March  14,  1799,  died  March  23,  1894, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Tall- 
madge)  Smith,  of  New  Canaan. 

(X)  Seth  Chauncey  Weed,  son  of  Sam- 


uel Andros  and  Anna  (Smith)  Weed,  was 
born  May  4,  1838,  and  died  January  26, 
1896.  He  attended  Rockwell's  schools  in 
New  Canaan,  and  prepared  for  college  at 
Hoyt's  private  school  at  Niagara  Falls. 
About  this  time  his  father  opened  a  hard- 
ware store  in  New  Canaan,  and  Seth  C. 
Weed  took  charge  of  the  management  of 
this  store.  He  continued  in  this  business 
for  some  years,  finally  resigning  to  travel 
with  his  wife.  Mr.  Weed  married,  June 
19,  1862,  Jane  Amelia  Smith,  daughter 
of  Hanford  and  Naomi  C.  (Wortendyke) 
Smith,  of  New  York  City,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  i.  Jennie  C.  A.,  born  April 
23,  1863,  a  member  of  Hannah  Benedict 
Carter  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution.  Miss  Weed  is  past 
regent,  and  was  active  in  Red  Cross  work 
during  the  World  War.  2.  Amanda  P., 
born  September  16,  1865;  she  is  now 
regent  of  the  above  named  chapter  and 
also  was  active  in  aiding  the  Red  Cross. 
3.  Samuel  Andros,  born  December  4,  1866, 
died  September  10,  1914.  4.  Hanford 
Smith,  of  further  mention.  5.  Chauncey 
James,  born  October  23,  1870,  died  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1872.  6.  Sherman  Chauncey, 
born  March  20,  1872.  7.  Naomi  W.,  born 
February  11,  1874,  a  member  of  Hannah 
Benedict  Carter  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  was  active  in 
Red  Cross  work.  8.  William  St.  John, 
born  January  27,  1875.  The  family  still 
own  the  three  Weed  homesteads,  their 
great-great-grandfather's  and  their  great- 
grandfather's and  they  make  their  home  in 
their  grandfather's  homestead.  For  many 
years  the  family  have  attended  St.  Mark's 
Episcopal  Church  and  aid  in  its  good 
works. 

(XI)  Hanford  Smith  Weed,  son  of 
Seth  Chauncey  and  Jane  Amelia  (Smith) 
Weed,  was  born  in  New  Canaan,  October 
3,  1868.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  spent  two  years  at  Rev.  Dr. 


404 


J^^<z-v^JHm-x^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Selleck's  school,  Norwalk,  and  two  years 
it  the  King  School,  Stamford.  In  1891, 
Mr.  Weed  received  his  degree  of  B.  A. 
'rom  Yale  College,  and  in  1893  received 
lis  dcgi^ee  of  LL.  D.  from  the  New  York 
i-av^r  School.  The  same  year  Mr.  Weed 
was  admitted  to  the  New  York  bar,  and 
ome  time  later  to  the  Connecticut  bar. 
After  association  in  practice  with  other 
ittorneys  in  New  York  for  about  three 
years,  Mr.  Weed  opened  an  office  of  his 
nvn  in  New  York,  in  1896,  where  his  prin- 
ipal  practice  has  been,  although  he  has 
a  large  and  growing  practice  in  No  (.<•<■ 
tiaan  and  vicinity.  Mr.  Weed  specialises 
on  surrogate  and  probate  work  and  real 
estate  law  and  has  the  care  of  many 
estates. 

Mr.  Weed  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
has  been  very  active  in  the  work  of  his 
narty.  He  is  not  a  politician,  but  takes 
a  very  sincere  and  earnest  interest  in 
public  aflfairs,  especially  a";  concerns  the 
lovvn  where  he  and  his  ancestors  for  so 
many  generations  were  born.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  and  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  finance.  He  went  to  the  convention 
that  nominated  the  candidate  for  State 
Senator  in  1912,  pledged  to  support  an- 
other candidate  for  the  nomination,  one 
of  the  county's  most  estimable  citizens,  but 
it  developed  that,  because  of  certain  pro- 
fessional activities  in  connection  with  lit- 
igation, that  candidate  at  that  time  would 
not  be  acceptable  to  the  voters  of  his 
party,  and  so  quite  unexpectedly  Mr. 
Weed  was  nominated  for  the  office  and 
was  elected.  As  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate,  in  1913,  Mr.  Weed  served  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  banks  and 
banking,  chairman  of  the  finance  commit- 
tee, and  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
constitutional  amendtnents.  These  ap- 
pointments were  a  signal  honor,  as  it  has 
been  very  rare  in  the  history  of  the  State 

405 


that  a  man  at  one  session  has  been  made 
chairman  of  so  many  committees.    But  it 
was  only  a  just  recognition  of  his  ability, 
indefatigable  industry  and   patriotic  de- 
votion to  public  duty.    The  committee  on 
banking  revi.^ed  the  entire  banking  laws 
of  the  .Statc.^nd  so  thoroughly  and  satis- 
factorily was  the  work  done  that  since 
that    time    very    few    and    those    minor 
changes  have  been  made  in  the  laws  as 
then   adopted.     Mr.   Weed    has   another 
unique  distinction,  that  is,  that  every  bill 
tbat  he  in  his  capacity  as  chairman  of  a 
'"   .':niittee    approved    was    enacted    into 
u  ■<    -I'.i'l  every  bill  that  he  disapproved 
i?.i\-.i    .*  enactment.     He  also  served  as 
.1  17  ■•  •  Tal  other  committees: 

T<  ,  districts,    Putnam 

meiii--.        ......  '   'i   elections,  and 

Senate  a[>iK>;n' 

Mr.  Weed  is  a  ir.ci.iucr  ■-/■  t.u,-  Yale  Club 
of  New  York,  and  of  thv  iS  JT-^alk  and 
Roxbury  clubs.  He  is  held  w  'nigh  es- 
teem among  his  fellow-citizens,  and  takes 
his  place  among  the  leading  men  of  Fair- 
field county. 


WEED,  Eugene  Augustus, 

Contractor  and  Ballder. 

From  the  beginning  of  time  the  build- 
ers of  the  world  have  left  their  mark  on 
the  pages  of  history.  In  this  day.  when 
it  is  hard  to  believe  that  there  is  anything 
further  to  be  said  or  written  in  the  story 
of  construction,  still  the  builder  puts  him- 
self, his  best,  into  his  work,  and  to  the 
discerning  observer  there  is  individualitv 
and  meaning  in  the  edifices  which  to  the 
multitude  signify  only  use  or  shelter.  In 
the  structural  development  of  the  city  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  Eugene  Augustus 
Weed  has  had  a  large  share 

(III)  Abraham  Weed,  son  of  Daniel 
and  Ruth  Weed  (q.  v.),  was  born  August 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


i8,    1680.      He    married,    April    11,    1706, 
Susannah  Bell. 

(IV)  Abraham  (2)  Weed,  son  of  Ab- 
raham (i)  and  Susannah  (Bell)  Weed, 
married,  January  11,  1727  or  1728,  Na- 
omi Pond. 

(V)  Peter  Weed,  son  of  Abraham  (2) 
and  Naomi  (Pond)  Weed,  was  bom 
March  29,  1745.  He  married,  June  i, 
1768,  Esther  Bouton. 

(VI)  Zenas  Weed,  son  of  Peter  and 
Esther  (Bouton)  Weed,  was  born  Au- 
gust 24,  1790.  He  lived  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut. 
He  was  an  industrious,  thrifty  man,  and 
besides  following  farming  was  a  skilled 
shoemaker.  He  married  Betsey  R.  Com- 
stock,  daughter  of  Abijah  and  Betsey 
(Raymond)  Comstock.  This  family  were 
descendants  of  William  Comstock,  an 
early  settler  of  New  London. 

(VII)  Rufus  Weed,  son  of  Zenas  and 
Betsey  R.  (Comstock)  Weed,  was  born  in 
New  Canaan,  Connecticut.  He  received 
a  thorough  grounding  in  the  essentials  of 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
town.  He  then  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade.  But  he  was  not  a  young  man  to 
sit  quietly  down  and  watch  the  world 
pass  by  him,  and  he  looked  upon  his  trade 
more  as  an  equipment  in  case  of  emer- 
gency than  as  a  definite  life  work.  He 
left  home  at  an  early  age  and  went  to 
New  York  City,  where  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  He  re- 
mained there  until  he  had  acquired  a 
working  knowledge  of  the  business,  then 
opened  a  store  for  himself.  His  location 
was  the  corner  of  Seventeenth  street  and 
Tenth  avenue,  quite  well  uptown  some 
seventy-odd  years  ago.  He  continued  in 
business  for  some  years,  then  was  ofifered 
an  excellent  position  on  the  police  force 
of  New  York  City,  which  he  accepted. 
Later  he  resigned  and  went  into  draying. 
In  this  line,  as  in  the  grocery  business. 


he  operated  for  himself.  The  rapidly  in- 
creasing trade  of  the  Metropolis  made 
this  a  profitable  venture.  He  increased 
his  equipment  judiciously,  and  after  he 
had  acquired  a  sufficient  sum  of  money 
for  further  ventures  disposed  of  the  busi- 
ness to  advantage  and  went  to  Wiscon- 
sin. This  was  in  1855,  and  he  found  him- 
self one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  that  State. 
He  bought  a  quarter  section  of  land,  erec- 
ted a  house  for  his  little  family,  and  re- 
mained there  for  seven  years.  The  open 
spaces  appealed  to  him,  and  the  opportu- 
nity of  shaping  the  beginnings  of  the  State 
thrilled  him  as  his  ancestors  had  been 
thrilled  by  early  Colonial  life  in  the  East. 
In  1862,  still  imbued  with  the  pioneer 
spirit,  he  pressed  farther  West,  removing 
to  Minnesota.  Here  he  again  established 
himself  and  his  family,  and  here  he  died 
in  the  home  he  had  chosen  for  himself 
rather  than  any  place  circumstances 
might  have  apportioned  him.  His  wife 
was  Charlotte  Bowman,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Bowman,  whose  family  home  was 
near  Freehold,  Monmouth  county.  New 
Jersey.  Of  their  six  children  four  grew 
to  maturity  ;  the  children  were  as  follows  : 
Zenas,  deceased ;  Eugene  Augustus,  of 
whom  further ;  William,  deceased ;  Har- 
riet, who  married  James  Pike,  of  Aurora, 
Brookings  county,  Dakota ;  Ithiel ;  and 
Charles,  of  Rochester,  Minnesota.  The 
family  were  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  of  which  the  father  was 
deacon  for  many  years. 

(VIII)  Eugene  Augustus  Weed,  the 
second  son  of  Rufus  and  Charlotte  (Bow- 
man) Weed,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
December  22,  1847.  ^t  was  in  Wisconsin 
that  he  began  attending  school,  and  he 
enjoyed  only  the  advantages  aflforded  by 
the  primitive  schools  of  the  pioneer  coun- 
try. But  many  men  of  orderly  minds  and 
a  capacity  for  assimilating  information 
have  won  their  way  to  success  with  no 


406 


]i:NCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


better  start,  and  Mr.  Weed  has  added  his 
name  to  this  group.  In  accordance  with 
his  family  tradition,  he  made  his  start  in 
life  on  his  own  responsibility,  leaving 
home  and  coming  East.  He  remained 
with  his  grandparents  for  about  a  year, 
in  Monmouth  county.  New  Jersey,  then 
went  to  Portchester,  New  York,  and  be- 
gan to  learn  the  trade  of  mason.  When 
about  seventeen  years  old  he  located  in 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  and  followed  his 
trade  as  a  journeyman.  He  was  indus- 
trious and  economical,  but  what  is  more 
important,  perhaps,  he  never  was  satis- 
fied with  a  piece  of  work  unless  it  was 
completed  in  a  workmanlike  manner.  In 
1876  he  went  into  business  for  himself, 
he  had  not  only  his  savings  with  which 
to  build  his  success,  but  an  established 
reputation  for  excellence  of  work.  In  his 
long  career  Mr.  Weed  has  built  innu- 
merable structures,  many  of  them  of  vital 
significance  to  the  industrial  and  business 
world  of  Stamford  and  vicinity.  Note- 
worthy among  these  are  the  Blickensder- 
fer  Typewriter  factory,  and  several  build- 
ings for  the  Yale  &  Towne  Manufactur- 
ing Company.  Included  in  his  earlier 
work  were  the  Irving  block,  since  torn 
down ;  the  Hurlburt  block,  the  first  five- 
story  building  to  be  erected  in  Stamford, 
which  stood  at  what  is  now  No.  107  At- 
lantic street;  and  the  Adams  four-story 
block,  where  the  Town  Hall  now  stands. 
He  also  built  many  school  houses  in 
Stamford  and  neighboring  towns.  In 
January,  1910,  he  retired  from  active 
business.  He  is  still  hale  and  hearty,  and 
is  keenly  interested  in  every  phase  of  pub- 
lic progress.  He  has  always  borne  his 
share  in  public  responsibility,  but  has  al- 
ways been  reluctant  to  enter  the  political 
game.  He  is  afifiliated  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  served  a  term  of  six 
years  as  a  member  of  the  Park  Board. 
For  some  years  Mr.  Weed  was  a  director 


of  the  Blickensderfer  Typewriter  Com- 
pany, and  is  now  a  director  of  the  Stam- 
ford Realty  Company.  He  is  an  hon- 
ored member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  5,  An- 
cient Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  of  Rit- 
tenhouse  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons; 
of  Washington  Council,  Royal  and  Se- 
lect Masters ;  of  Clinton  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  of  Norwalk;  and  a 
member  of  Pyramid  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Noblesof  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
of  Bridgeport. 

Mr.  Weed  married  Emily  Morrell, 
daughter  of  Elijah  P.  Morrell,  a  promi- 
nent public  ofiicial  of  Portchester,  New 
York.  They  have  one  child,  Harry  E.,  of 
Lakewood,  Ohio,  who  married  Minnie  E. 
Wilson,  of  Stamford,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Harriet  and  Wilson.  Mr.  Weed 
has  long  been  identified  with  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church,  as  was  his  wife, 
who  passed  away  December  25,  1919,  and 
he  has  always  been  active  in  every  move- 
ment that  made  for  the  public  good. 


WEED,  Edgar  S., 

Real  Estate  and  Insarance. 


One  of  the  oldest  families  in  Fairfield 
county,  Connecticut,  and  one  which  has 
played  an  important  part  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  that  county,  particularly  in  the  city 
of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  is  the  Weed 
family,  represented  in  the  present  gener- 
ation by  Edgar  S.  Weed,  of  Stamford. 

(I)  Hezekiah  (2)  Weed,  great-grand- 
father of  Edgar  S.  Weed,  was  born  July 
26,  1756,  and  was  a  son  of  Hezekiah  (i) 
Weed,  and  traced  descent  to  the  emigrant, 
Jonas  Weed,  through  his  son,  Jonas  (2) 
Weed.  Hezekiah  (2)  Weed  married, 
October  28,  1779,  Rebecca  Knapp,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  Alanson,  of 
whom  further. 

fll)  Alanson  Weed,  son  of  Hezekiah 
(2)  and  Rebecca  (Knapp)  Weed,  was 
407 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


born  July  23,  1780,  and  died  March  3, 
1849,  in  New  York  City.  He  went  to 
New  York  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  and 
clerked  in  a  store.  Eventually,  through 
his  good  judgment  and  thrifty  habits,  he 
was  able  to  open  a  store  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  this  was  situated  at  East 
Broadway  and  Catherine  street.  For  al- 
most half  a  century  he  continued  success- 
fully in  business.  He  married  (first) 
April  8,  1804,  Betsey  Wilson.  Dr.  Mitchell 
ofificiating;  he  married  (second)  Clorinda 
Smith,  April  27,  1826,  Rev.  Henry  Chase 
officiating.  His  first  wife  died  June  25, 
1824,  his  second,  December  3,  1857. 

(Ill)  Edgar  S.  Weed,  son  of  Alanson 
and  Clorinda  (Smith)  Weed,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  December  26,  1835,  and 
died  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  July  i, 
1890.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  subsequently  became  a  clerk 
in  a  grocery  store.  He  removed  to  Stam- 
ford, and  there  entered  into  a  partnership 
with  his  brother,  Albert  G.  Weed,  under 
the  firm  name  of  A.  G.  Weed  &  Brother, 
and  engaged  in  a  similar  business.  For 
many  years  they  were  among  the  best 
merchants  of  Stamford,  and  were  remark- 
ably successful  in  their  business  life.  Mr. 
Weed  finally  disposed  of  his  interests  to 
his  brother,  and  was  retired  for  several 
years  before  his  death.  He  married  Em- 
ily Bishop,  daughter  of  Edwin  and  Han- 
nah (Palmer)  Bishop,  a  native  of  Stam- 
ford, and  a  direct  descendant  of  Rev.  John 
Bishop,  of  Stamford  (1642).  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Weed  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  grew  to  maturity. 
They  were:  i.  Harriet,  who  married 
Frank  Weed,  and  now  resides  in  Roch- 
ester, New  York.  2.  Edgar  Smith,  of 
whom  further.  3.  Julia  D.  4.  Herbert 
Stanley,  of  whom  further.  5.  Horace  N., 
a  resident  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut.  6. 
Qarence,  a  resident  of  Stamford,  Connec- 


ticut. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weed  and  their  fam- 
ily were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  Mr.  Weed  was  treasurer 
for  many  years. 

(IV)  Edgar  Smith  Weed,  son  of  Edgar 
S.  and  Emily  (Bishop)  Weed,  was  born 
in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  January  20, 
1863.  The  public  and  private  schools  of 
that  city  afforded  him  his  early  education, 
and  his  first  step  in  the  business  world 
was  with  the  Yale  &  Towne  Manufac- 
turing Company,  where  he  remained  for 
ten  years.  The  first  eight  years  were 
spent  as  an  accountant  in  the  paymaster's 
department,  which  was  followed  by  a 
year  in  New  York  City,  and  on  returning 
to  Stamford,  Mr.  Weed  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  pattern  work.  In  1891  he 
went  to  New  York  City  again  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Iron  Car  Company,  re-  ■ 
maining  for  two  years.  At  that  time  the 
health  of  Mr.  Weed  was  somewhat  un- 
dermined and  it  became  necessary  to  give 
up  his  business  interests  for  a  year.  From 
1898  to  1919,  a  period  of  twenty-one  years, 
Mr.  Weed  was  associated  with  the  Dia- 
mond Ice  Company,  having  charge  of 
their  office  in  Stamford.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  resigned  from  this  position, 
and  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Weed  &  Weed,  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business  and  has  prospered  from  the  first. 
Their  business  is  of  a  general  nature,  and 
although  vastly  dififerent  from  the  lines 
followed  by  Mr.  Weed  for  so  many  years 
his  business  acumen  and  good  judgment 
are  important  factors  in  his  success.  In 
politics  Mr.  Weed  is  a  Republican,  and 
served  two  years  as  town  auditor.  In 
October,  1918,  he  was  elected  town  treas- 
urer, which  office  he  still  holds.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  was 
for   five   years    a    member   of   the    State 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Guard  of  Connecticut,  and  for  two  years 
served  in  the  Home  Guard.  His  club  is 
the  Suburban,  of  Stamford. 

Mr.  Weed  married  (first)  Isabella 
Brennan,  daughter  of  Owen  W.  Bren- 
nan,  at  one  time  charity  commissioner  of 
New  York  City.  He  married  (second), 
June  23,  1900,  Mary  E.  Horan,  daughter 
of  James  J.  Horan,  of  Stamford,  who  was 
born  July  21,  1874. 

(IV)  Herbert  Stanley  Weed,  son  of 
Edgar  S.  and  Emily  (Bishop)  Weed,  was 
born  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  August 
27,  1870.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  after  eight  years  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Yale  &  Towne  Manufacturing 
Company,  in  1894  entered  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  work  as  as- 
sistant secretary  of  the  Stamford  Asso- 
ciation. The  following  year  he  went  to 
Sewickley,  Pennsylvania,  as  general  sec- 
retary. In  1900  he  became  general  sec- 
retary of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  where 
he  remained  until  1910,  largely  increasing 
the  membership  and  vigorously  prosecut- 
ing association  activities,  attesting  the 
value  of  his  leadership,  and  in  that  year 
he  took  up  the  duties  of  general  secre- 
tary in  Richmond,  Indiana.  In  1913  he 
resigned  from  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  and  was  appointed  spe- 
cial agent  of  the  Equitable  Life  Assur- 
ance Society  of  the  United  States,  in 
Richmond,  continuing  until  the  entry  of 
the  United  States  into  the  World  War. 
He  was  sought  for  overseas  service  in 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
and  for  twenty  months  was  a  part  of  the 
"Y"  organization  with  the  American  Ex- 
peditionary Forces  in  France,  his  previous 
association  experience  and  friendly  un- 
derstanding of  men  of  all  walks  of  life 
enabling  him  to  serve  efificiently  and  help- 
fully in  the  great  work  accomplished  by 


the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
in  France. 

Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States  in 
July,  1919,  Mr.  Weed  became  associated 
with  his  brother,  Edgar  S.  Weed,  in  real 
estate  and  insurance  operations  in  Stam- 
ford. Mr.  Weed  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  re- 
tains an  active  interest  in  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  afTairs,  although 
not  as  an  executive,  and  was  a  supporter 
of  the  movement  that  gave  Stamford  its 
splendid  new  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation building. 

Herbert  S.  Weed  married  Elma  A. 
Law,  of  Sewickley,  Pennsylvania,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  children:  i. 
Robert  L.,  was  a  second  lieutenant  of  ar- 
tillery, receiving  his  commission  in  Sau- 
mur,  France.  2.  William  D.,  a  member 
of  the  "Columbia  Unit"  in  the  United 
States  during  the  World  War.  3.  Ruth 
Bishop. 


WEED,  Richmond, 

liawyer,  Man  of  Affairs. 

Among  the  early  Colonial  families  there 
is  none  which  achieved  a  more  honorable 
record  in  early  Connecticut  history  than 
the  Weed  family.  Its  members  have  been 
worthy  citizens,  brave  soldiers,  and  prom- 
inent men  for  many  generations.  The 
family  was  founded  by  Jonas  Weed 
(q.v.). 

The  venerable  home  of  this  ancient  race 
is  still  standing  on  the  Boston  post  road 
in  Darien.  It  is  the  old  styled  structure 
of  about  two  hundred  years  ago  and  was 
built  to  replace  the  first  house  built  by 
Jonas  Weed,  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  The  original  chimney  escaped  the 
general  demolition,  and  the  house  now 
standing  was  built  around  it,  thus  pre- 
serving it  as  the  center  of  this  dwelling. 


409 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(I)  "Gentleman"  John  Weed,  the  great- 
grandfather of  Richmond  Weed,  directly- 
descended  from  the  immigrant,  was 
born  October  15,  1771.  He  saw  service 
in  the  Connecticut  Legislature.  He  mar- 
ried, December  23,  1799,  Sarah  Water- 
bury,  a  widow. 

(II)  Henry  Davis  Weed,  son  of  John 
and  Sarah  (Waterbury)  Weed,  was  born 
August  30,  1803,  and  died  February  i, 
1875.  As  a  boy  he  went  to  Savannah, 
Georgia,  making  the  greater  part  of  the 
journey  on  foot.  There  were  no  railroads 
in  that  day  and  probably  no  vessel  bound 
for  the  port  he  desired.  In  association 
with  his  brother,  Nathaniel  B.  Weed,  he 
established  a  hardware  business  in  Sa- 
vannah under  the  firm  name  of  N.  B. 
Weed  &  Company,  which  is  still  carried 
on  by  descendants  and  is  the  oldest  hard- 
ware concern  in  the  United  States.  In 
the  course  of  time  Mr.  Weed  became  the 
head  of  the  firm,  the  name  being  changed 
to  H.  D.  Weed  &  Company.  When  the 
business  was  started  it  was  retail,  but  in 
the  passing  years  has  grown  to  such  pro- 
portions that  it  has  been  largely  whole- 
sale. The  territory  extends  into  neigh- 
boring states  and  many  of  the  surround- 
ing country  stores  are  supplied.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  the  financial 
situation  of  the  South  was  such  that  Mr. 
Weed  was  not  able  to  make  his  collec- 
tions, and  he  accepted  cotton  in  payment 
of  the  accounts,  which  was  stored  in  a 
building  in  Savannah.  When  the  army 
of  General  Sherman  entered  the  city  the 
cotton  was  destroyed.  It  had  always  been 
the  custom  of  Mr.  Weed  to  spend  his 
summers  at  the  old  homestead  in  Darien, 
and  during  the  war  he  ran  the  blockade 
eight  times  in  order  to  reach  the  North. 
In  his  claim  against  the  United  States 
Government  for  the  cotton  destroyed,  Mr. 
Weed  was  allowed  $90,000,  and  with  this 
money  the  brick  Weed  house  now  stand- 


ing in  Noroton  was  built.  Immediately 
after  the  return  of  peace,  Mr.  Weed  as- 
sisted in  the  establishment  of  the  Freed- 
men's  Bank,  but  the  Southern  whites 
were  not  yet  ready  to  support  such  an  in- 
stitution and  the  venture  was  necessarily 
abandoned.  This  unsuccessful  undertak- 
ing was  the  cause  of  Mr.  Weed  losing 
many  thousands  of  dollars,  but  the  episode 
serves  to  indicate  the  fine  spirit  of  the 
man  and  also  his  far-reaching  business 
instinct. 

Mr.  Weed  married  Sarah  M.  Dunning, 
December  10,  1835,  daughter  of  Sheldon 
C.  and  Gertrude  (Russell)  Dunning,  of 
Savannah,  Georgia.  Mrs.  Weed  died 
August  16,  1865.  Their  children  were : 
Joseph  Dunning;  John  Waring,  of  fur- 
ther mention ;  Edwin  G.,  who  is  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Bishop  of  Florida ;  Ger- 
trude, who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years.  The  family  were  members  of  the 
Christian  church,  a  denomination  some- 
times known  as  the  Campbellites.  Henry 
Davis  Weed  died  February  i,  1875,  ii"* 
Savannah,  Georgia. 

(Ill)  John  Waring  Weed,  son  of 
Henry  Davis  and  Sarah  M.  (Dunning) 
Weed,  was  born  July  5,  1845,  in  Savan- 
nah, Georgia.  He  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Georgia  in  Athens,  receiv- 
ing his  degree  in  1915.  Mr.  Weed  had 
only  been  a  year  there  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out  and  he  went  into  the  Con- 
federate army.  He  was  in  the  Signal 
Service  and  was  out  four  years,  and  after 
the  war  he  returned  to  Georgia  with  his 
horse.  He  subsequently  travelled  in 
Germany  a  year  for  his  health.  On  his 
return  he  entered  Columbia  Law  School, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1869, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York 
City.  During  his  lifetime  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
there,  and  was  at  one  time  in  partnership 
with  John  D.  Townsend ;  previous  to  this 


410 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


time  he  had  been  associated  with  the  legal 
firm  of  Evarts,  Choate  &  Barlow.  In 
1882  Mr.  Weed  began  to  practice  alone, 
continuing  until  1889,  in  which  year  the 
law  firm  of  Weed,  Henry  &  Meyers  was 
organized.  Their  practice  was  a  general 
one,  and  Mr.  Weed  continued  a  member 
of  this  firm  until  his  death. 

In  politics  Mr.  Weed  was  an  independ- 
ent Democrat,  and  although  he  gave  much 
time  to  public  speaking  and  took  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  affairs  of  civic  importance, 
he  did  not  seek  to  hold  public  office.  Mr. 
Weed  was  much  interested  in  charitable 
organizations  and  was  never  too  busy  to 
give  his  time  to  the  furthering  of  those 
movements  for  the  general  welfare.  He 
was  a  member  of  St.  John's  Guild,  of 
which  he  was  president  for  several  years. 
Mr.  Weed  was  a  member  of  the  Bar  As- 
sociation of  New  York ;  member  of  the 
Georgia  Society ;  Nyantic  Club  of  Flush- 
ing, New  York ;  Wee  Burn  Golf  Club,  of 
Darien,  Connecticut,  and  of  the  Stamford 
Yacht  Club.  During  the  summer  Mr. 
Weed  lived  in  Noroton,  and  his  winter 
residence  was  in  Flushing.  He  was 
an  attendant  of  St.  George's  Episcopal 
Church  in  Flushing,  and  was  warden  of 
St.  Luke's  Church  in  Noroton. 

Mr.  Weed  married  Louise  Richmond, 
daughter  of  General  Lewis  Richmond,  of 
Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  and  their  children 
were :  Rev.  Edwin  D.,  who  married  Mar- 
guerite H.  Johnson,  and  resides  in  Du- 
luth,  Minnesota ;  Richmond,  of  further 
mention ;  Magdelaine,  wife  of  Lindley  M. 
Franklin,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Franklin  reside 
in  Flushing,  Long  Island,  and  are  the  par- 
ents of  Lindley  Murray,  John  Weed,  Ed- 
ward Vernon,  Martin  Franklin ;  Sarah, 
wife  of  Samuel  M.  Dorrance,  of  New 
York  City,  and  the  mother  of  Samuel  and 
Louise  Dorrance. 

(IV)  Richmond  Weed,  son  of  John 
Waring  and  Louise   (Richmond)    Weed, 


was  born  in  Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  July 
26,  1875.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  the  Flushing  High  School. 
In  1895  Mr.  Weed  received  his  A.  B. 
degree  from  Columbia  University,  and 
two  years  later  graduated  from  the  Co- 
lumbia Law  School  with  the  degree  of 
LL.  B.  Mr.  Weed  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  the  same  year,  and  immediately  en- 
tered his  father's  office  where  he  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1902 
Mr.  Weed  was  made  assistant  corpora- 
tion counsel  of  New  York  City,  which 
office  he  ably  filled  for  two  years.  In 
1904  he  resigned  and  returned  to  his  fa- 
ther's office,  being  admitted  a  member 
of  the  firm  the  same  year.  This  arrange- 
ment continued  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Weed's  father,  and  after  this  time  Mr. 
Weed  practiced  alone  until  1919.  In  the 
latter  year  the  firm  of  Gordon,  Weed  & 
Young  was  organized.  As  a  lawyer,  Mr. 
Weed  has  made  a  well  deserved  success. 
He  applied  himself  diligently  to  the  mak- 
ing of  his  career,  and  is  actively  interested 
in  all  matters  of  public  interest.  Outside 
of  his  legal  affairs,  he  serves  as  a  director 
of  several  corporations.  During  the 
Spanish-American  War,  he  enlisted  as  a 
seaman  in  the  United  States  Navy,  April 
26,  1898;  served  on  the  United  States 
Steamship  "Yankee"  with  the  New  York 
Naval  Militia  on  blockade  in  Cuba  until 
the  termination  of  the  war ;  was  dis- 
charged, September  2,  1898.  During  the 
World  War,  he  was  December  22,  1917, 
appointed  member  of  the  War  Loan  Staff 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  at  Wash- 
ington, with  special  reference  to  legal 
matters  connected  with  the  Government 
loans.    He  served  until  February,  1919. 

Mr.  Weed  is  a  member  of  the  New 
York  State  Bar  Association,  Association 
of  the  Bar  of  the  City  of  New  York,  the 
New  York  County  Lawyers'  Association, 
the  Queens  County  Bar  Association,  the 


411 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


New  York  Law  Institute.  The  chief 
recreations  of  Mr.  Weed  are  hunting  and 
fishing.  He  spends  the  summers  at  his 
country  home  in  Noroton,  Connecticut, 
and  there  finds  an  opportunity  to  indulge 
in  these  sports.  Mr.  Weed  is  a  member 
of  several  clubs,  among  them  being :  Down 
Town  Club  of  New  York  City,  Columbia 
University  Club,  Metropolitan  Club  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  Oakland  Golf  Club, 
Wee  Bum  Golf  Club  of  Stamford,  the 
Stamford  Yacht  Club,  the  Woodway 
Country  Club,  and  the  Orchard  Lake 
Club.  In  politics,  Mr.  Weed  is  an  inde- 
pendent Democrat ;  he  does  not  seek  to 
hold  public  office,  yet  he  is  ever  willing  to 
do  his  share  of  the  public  service.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  St. 
George,  Flushing,  and  of  St.  Luke's  Epis- 
copal Church,  Noroton,  and  aids  in  the 
support  of  their  charitable  works.  He 
also  serves  as  trustee  of  the  Home  for 
Old  Men  and  Aged  Couples,  St.  John's 
Guild,  New  York  City. 


MARSHALL,  Alfred  Wilkinson  Walton, 

Banker. 

The  qualities  of  sound  principle  and 
singleness  of  purpose  are  revealed  in  the 
life  of  Alfred  W.  W.  Marshall,  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  Greenwich  Trust  Company. 
He  has  devoted  his  interests  to  one  line 
of  work,  and  as  a  result  now  holds  an  im- 
portant executive  position  in  that  work. 
Mr.  Marshall  is  a  man  worthy  of  confi- 
dence, and  of  strong  personality.  He  was 
born  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  April  i, 
1875,  son  of  Joseph  Hoyt  and  Mary  Louise 
(Marshall)   Marshall. 

The  surname  of  Marshall  is  one  of  the 
most  ancient.  In  fact,  we  find  mention  of 
it  in  "Canterbury  Tales,"  which  also  gives 
an  inkling  of  its  origin  : 

And  with  that  word,  he  gan  unto  hyme  calle 
A  squier,  that  was  marchal  of  his  halle. 


It  is  formed  from  the  word  (old  Eng- 
lish) marah,  meaning  horse,  and  scalh, 
signifying  keeper  or  caretaker.  It  is  a 
name,  then,  belonging  to  the  class  known 
as  occupational,  and  was  early  assumed 
by  one  who  was  in  charge  of  the  king's 
horses,  or  in  some  way  connected  with 
the  royal  hunts. 

(I)  Gilbert  Marshall,  the  ancestor  of 
this  family,  was,  according  to  family  tra- 
dition, one  of  three  brothers  who  came  to 
America  from  Scotland  in  1750.  His 
name  is  first  found  on  Greenwich,  Con- 
necticut, records,  in  the  tax  list  of  1769. 
On  December  30th  of  that  year,  land  in 
Coscob,  Connecticut,  is  conveyed  by  Ste- 
phen Marshall  to  Andrew  and  Gilbert 
Marshall  of  the  same  place.  The  names 
of  these  men  appear  on  the  tax  lists  for 
a  number  of  succeeding  years.  Accord- 
ing to  the  probate  records  in  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  Gilbert  Marshall  died  in 
1795;  he  married  Sarah  Brown.  Gilbert 
Marshall  was  known  as  "Captain  Jack," 
and  ran  a  boat  between  Coscob  and  New 
York.  He  served  in  the  Revolution  as 
corporal  in  Captain  Abraham  Mead's 
company  (the  Sixth)  9th  Regiment,  Con- 
necticut Militia. 

(II)  Stephen  Marshall,  son  of  Gilbert 
and  Sarah  (Brown)  Marshall,  was  born 
April  22,  1783,  and  died  June  30,  1835. 
He  married,  November  i,  1807,  Pamelia 
Bush  Mead,  daughter  of  Captain  Mat- 
thew and  Mary  (Bush)  Mead  (see  Bush 
and  Mead  lines).  She  was  born  January 
21,  1784,  and  died  February  8,  1857. 

(III)  Gilbert  (2)  Marshall,  son  of  Ste- 
phen and  Pamelia  Bush  (Mead)  Mar- 
shall, was  born  in  Greenwich,  Connecti- 
cut, November  3,  1809,  and  died  March 
8,  1892,  at  Port  Chester,  New  York.  For 
a  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  retail  shoe 
business  with  his  cousin,  Matthew  Mead, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Marshall  &  Mead. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders,  November 

412 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


14,  1843,  of  the  Greenwich  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  was  active  in 
church  work  until  the  end  of  his  life.  He 
removed  to  Port  Chester,  and  there  en- 
gaged in  the  shoe  business  with  his  son- 
in-law,  under  the  firm  name  of  Marshall 
&  Betts.  He  married  (first),  October  22, 
1834,  Deborah  Bouton  Hoyt,  born  July 
13,  1813,  died  January  11,  1876,  daughter 
of  Joseph  Bouton  and  Thankful  (Bene- 
dict) Hoyt,  of  New  Canaan,  Connecticut 
(see  Hoyt  line). 

(IV)  Joseph  Hoyt  Marshall,  son  of 
Gilbert  (2)  and  Deborah  Bouton  (Hoyt) 
Marshall,  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Con- 
necticut, February  6,  1839.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Greenwich, 
and  on  completing  his  courses  there  en- 
tered a  dry  goods  store  as  a  clerk.  For 
several  years  he  was  thus  occupied,  but 
an  opportunity  presenting  itself  to  pur- 
chase a  bakery  Mr.  Marshall  took  advan- 
tage of  it,  conducting  it  very  profitably  in 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Stephen 
Marshall,  for  several  years.  About  1870 
Mr.  Marshall  accepted  a  position  as  book- 
keeper with  Russell,  Burdsall  &  Ward, 
manufacturers  of  nuts,  bolts,  etc.,  of 
Greenwich.  He  later  became  paymaster, 
which  position  he  now  holds.  He  has 
been  associated  with  this  company  for 
almost  half  a  century,  and  is  one  of  their 
valued  and  trusted  employees. 

Mr.  Marshall  married,  September  10, 
i860,  Mary  Louise  Marshall,  daughter  of 
John  Ennis  and  Susan  Morgan  (Covert) 
Marshall,  who  was  born  at  West  Farms, 
New  York,  May  12,  1841  (see  Marshall 
line).  The  children  of  Joseph  Hoyt  and 
Mary  Louise  (Marshall)  Marshall  were: 
Howard  Ellsworth,  born  March  11,  1862, 
married  Mary  E.  Melville :  Mary  Edith, 
died  in  infancy ;  Jessie  Amanda,  born  No- 
vember 3,  1866;  Susan  Mary,  born  March 

15,  1869,  married  June  5,  1901,  Joseph 
Haight,  Jr.;   Alfrew   W.   W.,    of   further 


mention;  Joseph  H.,  died  in  infancy;  Ze- 
tella  Josephine,  died  in  infancy;  Chester 
Arthur,  died  in  infancy. 

(V)  Alfred  W.  W.  Marshall,  son  of  Jo- 
seph Hoyt  and  Mary  Louise  (Marshall) 
Marshall,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Port  Chester,  New  York.  In 
1890  he  entered  the  First  National  Bank 
of  that  city  as  a  messenger,  remaining 
in  the  employ  of  this  institution  for  six- 
teen years,  rising  through  the  various 
grades  until  he  was  made  teller.  He  held 
that  position  until  1906,  and  in  the  latter 
year  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of 
secretary  of  the  Greenwich  Trust  Com- 
pany, which  office  he  still  holds.  Later, 
Mr.  Marshall  was  made  vice-president  of 
this  institution,  and  he  is  discharging  the 
duties  incumbent  on  these  two  offices  in 
a  most  commendable  manner.  Through- 
out the  early  years  of  his  bank  service  he 
was  always  alert  to  learn  every  detail  of 
the  business,  and  retained  his  knowledge. 
As  time  went  on  and  positions  entailing 
greater  responsibilities  were  offered  him, 
he  was  able  to  accept  them  and  fill  them 
creditably. 

In  the  public  life  of  his  community,  Mr. 
Marshall  has  ever  been  interested.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
has  several  times  been  honored  with  po- 
litical office.  For  two  terms  he  served  as 
clerk  of  the  town  of  Rye.  During  the 
World  War,  1917-18,  when  men  of  ex- 
ecutive ability  and  keen  minds  were  in 
such  demand,  Mr.  Marshall  freely  gave 
of  his  experience  and  time  in  the  Liberty 
Loan  work.  He  served  as  chairman  of 
four  of  the  five  drives,  which  in  itself  is 
sufficient  warrant  of  his  ability.  He  was 
also  actively  identified  with  many  other 
phases  of  the  war  work. 

Socially,  Mr.  Marshall  is  a  member  of 
Mamaro  Lodge,  No.  653,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  of  Port  Chester,  New 
York,  of  which   he  is  past  master ;  is  a 

ri3 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


member  of  the  Past  Masters'  Association 
of  the  Twelfth  Masonic  District;  and  is 
past  high  priest  of  Anmour  Chapter,  No. 
292,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  Port  Chester, 
which  he  helped  to  organize.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  New  York  Consistory 
and  the  Mecca  Shrine;  the  Azim  Grotto; 
and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  of  Port  Chester;  he  was  organ- 
izer and  served  as  treasurer  of  the  latter 
organization  for  several  years.  Other 
social  activities  of  Mr.  Marshall's  include 
membership  in  the  Greenwich  Country 
Club,  which  he  serves  as  treasurer;  is  a 
member  and  secretary  of  the  Indian  Har- 
bor Yacht  Club ;  and  the  New  York  Ath- 
letic Club.  His  chief  recreation  is  found 
in  hunting  and  fishing,  and  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  several  rod  and  gun  clubs,  includ- 
ing the  Red  Spot  Fishing  Club,  of  Upton, 
Maine;  and  River  Hill  Fishing  Club,  of 
Greenwich,  Connecticut. 

Mr.  Marshall  married  Edith  B.  Walsh, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Robert  Jay  Walsh. 
They  were  the  parents  of  a  son,  Robert 
Jay  Walsh  Marshall,  born  August  20, 
1906.  Mrs.  Marshall  died  February  4, 
1910. 

(The  Mead  Line). 

(I)  William  Mead,  of  Fairfield,  Con- 
necticut, was  born  about  1600,  and  died 
in  1663.  In  1625  he  married,  and  was  the 
father  of  John  Mead,  of  whom  further. 

(II)  John  Mead,  son  of  William  Mead, 
was  born  in  1634,  and  died  February  5, 
1609.  He  married  Hannah  Potter,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Potter,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  John  (2)  Mead,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

(III)  John  (2)  Mead,  son  of  John 
Mead,  was  born  about  1658,  and  died  May 
12.  1693.  He  married,  in  1681,  Ruth  Har- 
dey,  daughter  of  Richard  Hardey,  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  John  (3)  Mead,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 


(IV)  John  (3)  Mead,  son  of  John  (2) 
Mead,  was  born  October  7,  1682.  He 
married,  in  1724,  Elizabeth  Lockwood, 
and  died  in  1759.  They  were  the  parents 
of  Captain  Matthew  Mead,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

(V)  Captain  Matthew  Mead,  son  of 
John  (3)  Mead,  was  born  about  1734,  and 
died  in  1812.  He  married,  about  1759, 
Mary  Bush,  a  descendant  of  an  old  fam- 
ily (see  Bush  V),  and  they  were  the  par- 
ents of  Pamelia  Bush  Mead,  born  Janu- 
ary 21,  1784,  died  February  8,  1857,  who 
married  Stephen  Marshall  (see  Marshall 
II). 

(The  Bush   (Bosch)   Line). 

(I)  Hendrick  Bosch,  ancestor  of  the 
Bush  family,  was  a  native  of  Leyden, 
Holland.  He  was  married  three  times, 
his  first  wife  being  Anna  Maria  (Rem- 
bach)  Bosch. 

(II)  Albert  Bosch,  son  of  Hendrick 
Bosch,  was  born  in  Holland,  in  1645,  and 
came  to  America  with  his  father  and  step- 
mother. Like  his  father,  he  was  a  sword 
cutler.  In  1689  he  was  sergeant  and  then 
leader  of  Captain  Peyster's  company  in 
Leister's  Rebellion.  He  married.  May  i, 
1668,  Elsie  Blanch,  baptized  February  22, 
1643,  daughter  of  Jeurian  Blanch,  a  gold- 
smith. 

(HI)  Justus  Bosch,  son  of  Albert  Bosch, 
was  born  in  1674,  and  died  in  1739;  he 
was  a  merchant.  In  1726  he  bought  pro- 
prietary rights  in  land  in  the  Peningo 
Neck  Purchase,  Rye,  New  York.  At  one 
time  he  was  a  resident  of  Greenwich,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  also  purchased  land. 
Probably  he  lived  in  Greenwich  before 
settling  in  Rye,  for  on  June  15,  1716,  the 
town  of  Greenwich  voted  to  "Justice  Bush 
of  New  York"  mill  privileges  on  Horse- 
neck  brook.  Earlier  than  this  he  is  re- 
corded in  Newtown,  Connecticut,  where 
on  July  25,  1705,  he  and  two  other  men 
purchased  from  the  Indians  a  tract  of 
414 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land  eight  miles  long  and  six  miles  broad. 
Later  Mr.  Bush  and  William  Junos  sold 
their  interest  in  the  tract  for  £22  los. 
His  will  is  dated  June  24,  1737.  The 
records  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  of 
New  York  show  "July  i3.  1698,  Justus 
Bosch  married  Anna  Smith  " 

(IV)  Justus  (2)  Bosch  or  Bush,  son  of 
Justus  Bosch,  was  baptized  December  3, 
1699.  He  was  an  extensive  landowner  in 
Greenwich,  Connecticut,  his  holdings  be- 
ing in  that  part  of  town  known  as  Belle 
Haven.  According  to  "Selleck,"  Nor- 
walk's  historian,  he  married  Ann  Hayes, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Ruth  (Moore) 
Hayes,  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut.  Letters 
of  administration  on  the  estate  of  Justus 
Bush  were  granted  to  his  sons,  Justus  and 
Henry,  May  15,  1761. 

(V)  Mary  Bush,  daughter  of  Justus 
(2)  Bush,  married,  about  1759,  Captain 
Matthew  Mead  (see  Mead  V).  At  the 
time  of  their  marriage  they  were  said  to 
be  the  richest  couple  in  Fairfield  county. 
She  outlived  her  husband,  who  died  in 
1812.  They  were  the  parents  of  Pamelia 
Bush  Mead,  who  married  Stephen  Mar- 
shall (see  Marshall  II). 

(The  Hoyt  Line). 

(I)  Simon  Hoyt,  son  of  John  Hoyt, 
was  born  in  Dorchester,  England,  Janu- 
ary 20,  1590,  and  died  at  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, in  1657.  ^6  married  (first)  at 
Upway,  England,  Deborah  Stowers, 
daughter  of  Walter  Stowers.  He  married 
(second)  soon  after  coming  to  America, 
Susanna  Smith.  Children  by  his  first 
wife :  John  ;  Walter,  of  whom  further  ; 
Thomas,  Deborah,  Nicholas,  and  Ruth. 

(II)  Walter  Hoyt,  son  of  Simon  and 
Deborah  (Stowers)  Hoyt,  was  born  June 
3,  1616.  He  came  with  his  father  to 
America  about  1629.  He  lived  at  Fair- 
field, Connecticut,  and  died  about   1698. 


He  married  and  had  children,  among  them 
Zerubbabel,  of  whom  further. 

(III)  Zerubbabel  Hoyt,  son  of  Walter 
Hoyt,  was  born  about  1650.  He  married 
Mehitable  Keeler,  widow  of  John  Keeler, 
and  lived  at  Norwalk,  Connecticut. 
Among  their  children  was  Caleb,  of 
whom  further. 

(IV)  Caleb  Hoyt,  son  of  Zerubbabel 
and  Mehitable  (Keeler)  Hoyt,  married, 
in  1707,  Mehitable  Blatchley,  a  widow 
(daughter  of  John  Keeler).  They  lived 
at  Norwalk.  The  will  of  Caleb  Hoyt  was 
proved  in  May,  1755.  Among  his  chil- 
dren was  David,  of  whom  further. 

(V)  David  Hoyt,  son  of  Caleb  and  Me- 
hitable (Keeler-Blatchley)  Hoyt,  was 
born  December  3,  1710,  died  in  1771.  He 
removed  to  New  Canaan,  Connecticut, 
from  Norwalk  in  1737.  He  married,  Jan- 
uary 5,  1735-36,  Ruth  Lockwood,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Lockwood,  and  among  their 
children  was  Timothy,  of  whom  further. 

(VI)  Timothy  Hoyt,  son  of  David  and 
Ruth  (Lockwood)  Hoyt,  was  born  May 
27,  1739,  died  in  1815.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolution,  and  lived  in  Norwich 
and  New  Canaan,  Connecticut.  He  mar- 
ried, February  4,  1761,  Sarah  Benedict 
(see  Benedict  V),  and  among  their  chil- 
dren was  Joseph  Bouton,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

(VII)  Joseph  Bouton  Hoyt,  son  of 
Timothy  and  Sarah  (Benedict)  Hoyt, 
was  born  September  6,  1775,  and  died  Oc- 
tober 12,  1844.  He  married,  February  8, 
1800,  Thankful  Benedict,  and  among  their 
children  was  Deborah  Bouton  Hoyt,  of 
whom  further. 

(VIII)  Deborah  Bouton  Hoyt  was 
born  in  1813.  She  married  Gilbert  (2) 
Marshall  (see  Marshall  HI). 

(The   Benedict   Line). 

(I)  Thomas  Benedict  was  of  Notting- 
hamshire, England.     Tradition  says  that 


415 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  family  lived  for  many  years  in  the 
silk  manufacturing  district  of  France  and 
were  of  Latin  origin.  Thomas  Benedict 
was  born  in  1617,  and  came  to  America 
in  1638.  He  married,  about  1640,  Mary 
Bridgum,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  among  them  John,  of  whom 
further. 

(II)  John  Benedict,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Bridgum)  Benedict,  was  born  in 
Southold,  Long  Island,  but  removed  to 
Norwalk,  Connecticut.  He  married  Phebe 
Gregory,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
Gregory  (see  Gregory  line).  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  among 
them  John  (2),  of  whom  further. 

(III)  John  (2)  Benedict,  son  of  John 
(i)  and  Phebe  (Gregory)  Benedict,  was 
born  in  1676,  and  died  in  1766.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  (probably  Haight),  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  among 
them  John  (3),  of  whom  further. 

(IV)  John    (3)    Benedict,  son  of  John 

(2)  and  Mary  (Haight)  Benedict,  was 
born  in  1701,  and  died  in  1770.  He  lived 
in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  Dinah  Bouton.  He  married 
(second)  Mary  .  Children:  Dan- 
iel, John,  Jachin,  Joseph,  Dinah,  Heze- 
kiah,  Rhoda,  Mary ;  Sarah,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

(V)  Sarah  Benedict,  daughter  of  John 

(3)  and  Dinah  (Bouton)  Benedict,  mar- 
ried, in  1761,  Timothv  Hoyt  (see  Hoyt 
VI). 

(The  Gregory  Line). 

Henry  Gregory,  who  founded  the  fam- 
ily in  America,  came  from  an  old  and  dis- 
tinguished Nottingham  family.  He  was 
born  there  about  1570;  was  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  in  1633;  at  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  in  1639,  and  in  a  few  years 
removed  to  Stratford,  Connecticut,  of 
which  town  he  was  one  of  the  founders. 
A  distribution  of  his  estate  was  ordered 
July  19,  1665. 


John  Gregory,  son  of  Henry  Gregory, 
was  early  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
whence  he  removed  from  Stratford,  and 
thence  to  Norwalk,  where  he  was  an  orig- 
inal settler.  He  represented  the  town  in 
nine  May  sessions  of  the  Legislature  and 
at  eight  October  sessions.  His  will  was 
executed  August  15,  1689,  and  on  the  9th 
of  the  following  October  his  wife,  Sarah, 
was  represented  at  court  as  a  widow. 
They  had  a  daughter,  Phebe,  who  mar- 
ried John  Benedict  (see  Benedict  II). 

(The  Marshall  Line).  I 

Captain  Sylvanus  Marshall,  of  Green- 
wich, Connecticut,  was  bom  May  4,  1746, 
and  died  September  28,  1833.  He  was 
second  lieutenant  in  Captain  Jesse  Bell's 
company.  First  Battalion,  State  Troops, 
Colonel  Samuel  Whiting,  1776;  ensign  in 
Captain  Abraham  Mead's  company,  Ninth 
Regiment,  Connecticut  Militia,  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel John  Mead,  August  13  to  Sep- 
tember 8,  1776;  lieutenant  in  Captain  Syl- 
vanus Mead's  company,  same  regiment, 
November  i,  1776,  to  January  11,  1777; 
and  captain  of  rangers  in  1781.  After 
leaving  the  service,  Captain  Marshall  con- 
tinued to  reside  for  a  time  in  Greenwich, 
and  then  lived  for  a  year  or  two  in  Bed- 
ford, New  York.  He  removed  to  Salem, 
New  York,  and  then  back  to  Greenwich, 
Connecticut.  He  spent  the  last  fifteen 
years  of  his  life  with  his  son,  Walter  Mar- 
shall. 

Walter  Marshall,  son  of  Captain  Syl- 
vanus Marshall,  was  born  December  29, 
1788,  and  died  December  29,  1836.  He 
was  of  Mamaroneck,  New  York.  He  mar- 
ried. May  25,  1812,  Martha  Ennis,  born 
October  27,  1788,  died  May  22,  1864. 
They  were  the  parents  of  John  Ennis 
Marshall,  of  whom  further. 

John  Ennis  Marshall,  son  of  Walter 
Marshall,  was  born  February  7,  1815,  and 
died  October  5,  1897.     He  was  a  member 


416 


ENCY< 


>IV 


of  the  "Union  Defence 
Town  of  Rye,"   foriT- 
He  was  supervisor  ' 
to  1859,  and  7:.  - 
1863.     In   rcc 


Mew  York,  which  from  th.. 

'  itie  gatherings  there  acquired  'i^ 
:  i   "Leather  Tammany."     He  wa« 
jjiesident  of  the  Westchester  Fire   '■>.>■• 
..nee  Company,  and  remained  a  Hu'.,' 
until  his  death.    In  religious  faith  h; 
an  Episcopalian 

John  Ennis  Marshall  married,  June  j\. 
1837,  Susan  Morgan  Covert,  born  No 
vember  9,  1820,  died  January  i,  1896,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  Mary  I>ouise 
Marshall,  who  married  Joseph  Hoyt  Mar- 

iiall  (see  Marshall  IV). 


SHERWOOD.  Harry  R, 

There  is  a  half-way  point  \v 
"very  man  hesitates,  and  it  '<; 
;nost  difficult  moments  < 
very  often  success  is  just  h 
turn  in  the  road.    Harry  '■■ 
leading  lawyer   and  este- 
vVestport,  Connecticut,  ^^ 
various  employment?   J v 
that  his  career  was  t 
.^herwood  family  is 
of  Fairfield  county.  ' 
hzs  a  prominent  phi. 
ture. 

(I)  David  Sherwoo<i    1 
grandfather  of   Han 
buried  at  Greetifioli), 

(II)  Ruel 
Sherwood 
from   Gr- 
ried  Rachi 


V..3- 

of  ' 
th< 

an. 

tr:  : 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


W.  and  Lois  A.  (Osborn)  Sherwood,  was  MATHEWSON,  Clifford  Earl, 
born  January  31,  1873,  in  Westport,  Con- 
necticut, and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  there  and  in  the  South  Norwalk 
High  School.  After  three  or  four  years 
spent  in  various  employments,  Mr.  Sher- 
wood entered  Yale  Law  School,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1899  and  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  June  of  the  same 
year.  He  engaged  in  general  practice  of 
his  profession,  and  for  two  years  was  in 
the  office  of  Davenport  &  Banks,  at  the 
same  time  maintaining  an  office  of  his 
own  in  Westport. 

Mr.  Sherwood  has  actively  entered  into 
public  matters,  and  has  several  times 
been  honored  with  public  office.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  191 5,  serv- 
ing on  the  judiciary  committee.  In  1917 
he  was  reelected,  which  in  itself  is  suffi- 
cient warrant  of  his  ability  and  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  him  by  his  constitu- 
ents, and  he  again  served  on  the  judiciary 
committee.  Two  years  later  he  was  for 
a  third  time  honored  by  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, and  was  House  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  cities  and  boroughs.  In 
192 1  he  was  again  reelected  Representa- 
tive and  served  on  the  judiciary  com- 
mittee. 

Mr.  Sherwood  is  a  member  of  Temple 
Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Westport,  Connecticut,  and  of  Washing- 
ton Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  Nor- 
walk, Connecticut.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Westport  Country  and  the  University 
clubs  of  Bridgeport. 

Mr.  Sherwood  married  Edna  Mason, 
daughter  of  William  B.  Mason,  of  Jersey 
City,  New  Jersey,  but  a  native  of  Eng- 
land. Their  children  are :  Lois,  and  John 
Mason  Sherwood.  The  family  attend  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  Mr. 
Sherwood  is  a  trustee. 


Bnsiness  Man. 

As  sales  manager  and  secretary  of  the 
Norwalk  Tire  and  Rubber  Company,  of 
Norwalk,  Connecticut,  Mr.  Mathewson 
continues  active  in  a  line  in  which  he  has 
been  well  known  since  1902,  at  which  time 
he  took  over  the  entire  management  of 
the  Diamond  Rubber  Company's  business 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  and  the  Orient.  Mr. 
Mathewson  is  a  native  of  the  West,  and 
a  member  of  an  old  New  England  fam- 
ily, of  which  numerous  representatives 
have  chosen  western  homes. 

(I)  The  founder  of  the  branch  of  the 
Mathewson  family  was  James  Mathew- 
son, who  came  from  England,  locating  at 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  and  moving, 
about  1658,  to  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 
He  was  born  about  1624,  and  died  in 
1682.  He  married  Hannah  Field,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Field,  who  died  in  1703.  Their 
children  were :  Ruth ;  James,  bom  in 
1666,  died  in  1737;  John,  died  in  1716; 
Isabel,  died  in  1719;  Thomas,  born  in 
1673,  died  in  1735 ;  Zacheriah ;  Lydia ; 
and  Daniel,  of  whom  further. 

(II)  Daniel  Mathewson,  son  of  James 
and  Hannah  (Field)  Mathewson,  was 
born  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1683,  died  in  Gloucester,  Rhode 
Island,  January  13,  1751.  He  married 
(first),  February  10,  1704,  Sarah  Inman ; 
(second),  in  1732,  Esther,  surname  un- 
known; (third),  September  26, 1742,  Char- 
ity Inman;  (fourth),  July  12,  1747,  Lydia 
Montague.  There  were  seven  children  of 
his  first  marriage,  four  of  his  second,  one 
of  his  third,  and  two  of  his  fourth. 

(III)  Othniel  Mathewson,  son  of  Dan- 
iel and  Sarah  (Inman")  Mathewson,  was 
born  February  2,  1705.  He  married,  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1733,  Sarah  Winson,  and  they 
had  six  children. 


418 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(IV)  Joseph  Mathewson,  son  of  Oth- 
niel  and  Sarah  (Winson)  Mathewson, 
was  born  December  20,  1748.  He  mar- 
ried, April  8,  1773,  Betty  Brown,  daughter 
of  Nicholas  Brown.  Among  their  chil- 
dren was  Samuel,  of  whom  further. 

(V)  Samuel  Mathewson,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Betty  (Brown)  Mathewson,  was  born 
about  1780.  He  married  Candace  Ballou, 
descendant  in  the  sixth  generation  of  Ma- 
turin  Ballou,  and  they  moved  to  Connec- 
ticut, from  Burrillville,  Rhode  Island. 
Children:  Ada,  born  May  11,  1802;  Su- 
sanna, born  Oct.  15,  1803;  Charlotte,  born 
August  17,  1805 ;  Julia  Ann,  born  July  27, 
1807;  Polly  M.,  born  May  7,  1809;  Dear- 
born, of  whom  further;  Phebe,  born  June 
22,  1813 ;  Sessions,  born  May  5,  1815 ; 
Laura,  born  March  15,  1817;  Esther,  born 
November  20,  1822. 

(VI)  Dearborn  Mathewson,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Candace  (Ballou)  Mathew- 
son, was  born  in  Burrillville,  Rhode  Is- 
land, March  27,  181 1.  When  he  was  a 
lad  of  eleven  years  his  parents  went  to 
Connecticut  and  settled  in  North  Coven- 
try, Tolland  county,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood.  Mr.  Mathewson  was  reared  on 
a  farm,  and  when  he  arrived  at  years  of 
manhood,  purchased  a  tract  of  land  near 
that  owned  by  his  father.  He  remained 
upon  it  a  few  years,  then  removed  to 
Manchester,  and  purchased  a  half  inter- 
est in  a  stone  quarry,  which  he  retained 
possession  of  for  one  year.  He  then  dis- 
posed of  his  interest  in  this  and  removed 
to  Windsor,  where  he  rented  a  farm  and 
remained  until  1855,  then  decided  to  go 
West.  He  proceeded  to  Rock  Island,  Il- 
linois, and  thence  to  Henry  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  wild  land,  situated  a  mile 
from  Oxford,  upon  which  he  settled  and 
lived  for  eight  years.  There  were  great 
improvements  to  be  made,  all  of  which 
he  accomplished.    He  erected  a  dwelling- 


house,  and  after  he  had  brought  much  of 
the  farm  land  to  a  good  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, he  sold  out  to  good  advantage,  and 
purchased  a  tract  of  fifty  acres  in  Winne- 
bago county.  This  land  he  also  greatly 
improved,  and  erected  a  house  upon  it. 
Here  he  remained  until  1870,  when  he  de- 
termined upon  removal  to  Iowa.  He  ac- 
cordingly came  into  Linn  county,  and 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  on  Section  21, 
Maine  township.  Here  he  established  a 
permanent  home,  and  remained  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  April  30,  1885.  He 
was  a  man  of  industry,  energy  and  gen- 
erous impulses,  and  made  substantial  con- 
tributions to  the  welfare  of  his  commu- 
nity. 

Mr.  Mathewson  married  (first)  Maria 
W.  Whiton,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who 
died  in  Tolland,  that  State.  He  married 
(second),  March  24,  1840,  Martha  Savan- 
tia  Kimball,  born  in  Bozrah,  Connecticut, 
September  23,  1818,  daughter  of  John  and 
Nancy  (Turner)  Kimball,  descendant  in 
the  seventh  generation  of  Richard  Kim- 
ball. Children :  Albert,  born  February 
14,  1841,  died  October  29,  1841  ;  Harriet 
Maria,  born  October  20,  1842 ;  Albert 
Watson,  of  whom  further ;  Martha  Lou- 
isa, born  March  27,  1846,  died  November 
27,  1846;  Martha  Janet,  born  November 
24,  1850;  George  Dearborn,  born  August 

II,  1853- 

(VII)  Albert  Watson  Mathewson,  son 
of  Dearborn  and  Martha  S.  (Kimball) 
Mathewson,  was  born  in  New  Britain. 
Connecticut,  March  8,  1844,  and  died 
February  8,  1920.  When  he  was  a  boy  of 
six  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to 
Iowa  City,  Iowa,  later  settling  at  Morse, 
in  the  same  State,  and  there  he  was  edu- 
cated in  such  schools  as  existed  in  what 
was  then  a  frontier  State.  In  early  young 
manhood  he  entered  business  indepen- 
dently, establishing  a  creamery,  and  de- 
veloped a  large  wholesale  trade,  which  he 


419 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


continued  for  about  four  years.  Selling 
his  interests  in  this  line,  he  removed  to 
Fairmont,  Nebraska,  where  he  conducted 
real  estate  operations,  two  years  later  lo- 
cating in  Trenton,  that  State,  where,  in 
addition  to  dealing  in  property,  he  founded 
the  first  bank.  He  remained  in  this  place 
two  years,  and  in  1890  was  the  pioneer 
settler  in  what  is  now  Brady,  Nebraska. 
He  was  the  owner  of  the  first  store  and 
bank,  brought  many  families  to  the  town, 
and  was  the  principal  factor  in  its  large 
growth  and  development.  He  built  the 
bridge  across  the  North  Platte  river  to 
connect  the  rich  farming  country  to  the 
south  with  Brady,  then  a  small  village. 
This  bridge  saved  the  farmers  of  this  sec- 
tion a  journey  of  thirty,  miles  to  North 
Platte,  and  fifteen  miles  to  Gothenburg, 
and  was  the  determining  cause  of  Brady's 
rise  to  importance.  Mr.  Mathewson  re- 
tired from  business  in  1906  with  a  record 
of  extreme  usefulness  that  had  benefited 
large  numbers  of  pioneer  settlers  in  the 
West.  He  made  his  home  in  Denver, 
Colorado,  until  his  death  in  1920.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  donated  land  for  the  church  and 
school  in  Brady,  and  was  a  man  of  great 
public  spirit,  although  avoiding  diligently 
personal  publicity. 

Albert  W.  Mathewson  married  Mattie 
J.  Mack,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of:  Ernest  Linn,  and 
Clifford  E.,  of  whom  further. 

(VIII)  Cliflford  E.  Mathewson,  son  of 
Albert  W.  and  Mattie  J.  (Mack)  Math- 
ewson, was  bom  in  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  De- 
cember I,  1879.  He  obtained  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Trenton, 
Brady,  and  North  Platte,  Nebraska,  and 
as  a  young  man  entered  the  bicycle  busi- 
ness in  Denver,  Colorado.  From  1899 
to  1902,  during  the  boom  in  the  bicycle 
business,  he  engaged  in  racing,  and  held 
many  track  and  road  records,  and  in  the 


latter  year  became  general  manager  of  all 
the  twelve  Pacific  coast  branches  of  the 
Diamond  Rubber  Company,  manufactur- 
ers of  automobile  and  bicycle  tires.  While 
serving  in  this  capacity  his  headquarters 
were  San  Francisco,  California.  He  de- 
veloped this  business  to  the  point  where 
a  volume  of  many  millions  of  dollars 
worth  of  business  was  done  yearly.  In 
1914  he  decided  to  go  into  business  for 
himself  and  the  Norwalk  Tire  and  Rub- 
ber Company  was  organized  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  head  men  of  the  parent  com- 
pany. Mr.  Mathewson  becames  sales 
manager  and  secretary  of  the  new  com- 
pany, an  ofifice  he  holds  to  the  present 
time.  This  company  has  gained  wide 
reputation  in  its  line,  and  has  enjoyed 
successful  and  prosperous  continuance. 
Mr.  Mathewson  has  borne  a  full  share  in 
the  shaping  of  its  policies  and  the  up- 
building of  its  interests,  and  is  widely 
known  in  the  tire  trade.  He  holds  the 
thirty-second  degree  in  the  Masonic  or- 
der, his  lodge  Mt.  Moriah,  No.  44,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  and  he  is  also  a 
member  of  Islam  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic 
Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
San  Francisco,  California.  He  was  at 
one  time  the  youngest  thirty-second  de- 
gree Mason  in  California. 

Mr.  Mathewson  married  Marie  A.  Hall, 
daughter  of  William  Hall,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  they  are  the  parents  of:  Clif- 
ford E.,  Jr.,  born  April  27,  1917;  and  Joan 
Marie,  born  December  i,  1918.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  branch  of  the  family  now  live 
in  Stamford,  Connecticut. 


MATHEWSON,  Herbert  A., 

Mannfaotnrer,  Fnblie  Official. 

The  origin  of  the  name  of  Mathewson 
is  similar  to  that  of  Williamson  and  John- 
son and  many  other  names  of  that  order. 
They  were  derived  from  the  combination 
420 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  Christian  name  of  the  father  com- 
bined with  the  word  "son."  In  the  early 
dates,  before  surnames  were  in  general 
use,  it  was  common  to  refer  to  a  man  as 
John's  son,  William's  son,  and  Matthew's 
son.  As  time  went  on  and  surnames  be- 
came a  necessity,  in  order  to  distinguish 
members  of  a  family,  it  was  very  natural 
that  these  names  would  be  assumed  by 
those  who  had  borne  them,  as  their  sur- 
names. The  name  of  Mathewson  is  an 
old  one  in  England  and  is  frequently  met 
with  in  the  records  there.  In  the  State 
of  Connecticut  the  name  has  been  known 
since  1850,  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
New  England  being  John  Mathewson. 

John  Mathewson,  above  referred  to, 
was  born  in  Hounslow,  England,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  appren- 
ticed to  Mr.  Charles  Peck  in  the  Wool- 
wich Arsenal,  and  after  serving  his  time 
went  with  his  father,  who  was  general 
superintendent  of  the  Government  Gun 
Powder  Works  in  Hounslow.  About 
1845  ^I''-  Mathewson  came  to  America, 
bringing  with  him  and  putting  into  oper- 
ation the  first  steam  machinery  for  mak- 
ing gunpowder.  After  installing  the  ma- 
chines in  the  plants  of  A.  G.  Hazard  and 
the  Du  Ponts,  Mr.  Mathewson  remained 
with  the  Hazard  Powder  Company  as 
general  superintendent  for  many  years, 
until  his  removal  to  Enfield,  at  which 
time  he  engaged  in  the  brewing  business 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Mathewson  & 
Gray,  which  he  organized  to  take  over 
the  old  Connecticut  Valley  Brewery  in 
Thompsonville.  Mr.  Mathewson  was  ac- 
tive in  the  business  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1879.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
His  wife,  who  was  Ann  (Turvey)  Math- 
ewson, died  in  1888,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  John, 
deceased;  Edwin  E.,  a  former  partner  of 
Herbert  A.,   now   deceased ;   Ann    Eliza, 


wife  of  William  O.  Collins,  of  Springfield, 
Massachusetts  ;  Albert  H.,  of  Springiield ; 
Florence  A.,  of  Enfield,  Connecticut; 
George  T.,  deceased ;  Charles  P.,  of  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut;  Herbert  A.,  who  re- 
ceives extended  mention  below. 

Herbert  A.  Mathewson,  son  of  John  and 
Ann  (Turvey)  Mathewson,  was  born  in 
Enfield,  Connecticut,  April  21,  1861,  and 
died  June  i,  1921.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  town  and  in  the 
private  school  of  the  Rev.  C.  M.  Selleck, 
of  Norwalk.  In  1879  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Lounsbury  Brothers  &  Company, 
beginning  as  assistant  shipping  clerk,  and 
held  all  of  the  various  positions  up  to  a 
partnership  in  the  business.  About  1876 
Edwin  E.  Mathewson,  brother  of  Herbert 
A.  Mathewson,  became  a  member  of  the 
firm,  and  the  name  was  changed  to  Louns- 
bury, Mathewson  &  Company,  and  later 
Herbert  A.  became  a  member  of  the  firm. 
The  product  of  manufacture  has  always 
been  women's  shoes,  sold  direct  to  the  re- 
tailer. Salesmen  cover  the  entire  United 
States  in  the  interests  of  the  business,  and 
there  are  three  hundred  and  ten  people 
employed.  Mr.  Mathewson  was  one  of 
the  energetic  American  type  of  business 
men,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  among 
his  fellow  business  men  and  citizens.  He 
was  a  director  of  the  City  National  Bank 
of  South  Norwalk.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  gave  able  service  to  the 
interests  of  his  constituents  as  treasurer 
of  the  city  of  Norwalk.  His  clubs  were 
the  South  Norwalk  and  the  Norwalk 
Country,  and  he  was  also  a  member  of 
several  clubs  in  other  cities.  In  all  of  the 
many  departments  of  city  life  into  which 
his  activities  led  him  he  filled  a  place  of 
usefulness  and  made  worthy  contribution 
to  the  general  welfare.  He  was  esteemed 
for  personal  qualities  of  rare  merit,  and 
the  record  of  a  busy  life  has  no  page  that 
will  not  bear  the  public  view. 


421 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Mathewson  married  Mary  E. 
Knapp,  daughter  of  Burr  Knapp,  of  Nor- 
walk.  Her  mother  was  Rebecca  (Fitch) 
Knapp,  daughter  of  Samuel  Mason  Fitch. 
The  Knapp  ancestry  of  Mrs.  Mathewson 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work  (see 
Knapp,  John  H.).  Mr.  Mathewson  was 
an  attendant  of  Trinity  Episcopal  Church, 
of  South  Norwalk,  in  whose  work  Mrs. 
Mathewson  takes  an  active  part. 

Below  is  a  copy  of  resolutions  adopted 
by  the  directors  of  the  City  National  Bank 
at  their  regular  meeting  held  June  20, 
1921 : 

To  THE  Board  of  Directors  : 

Your  committee,  appointed  to  prepare  a  suitable 
minute  upon  the  death  of  Herbert  A.  Mathewson, 
beg  leave  to  report  the  following: 

In  the  death  of  Herbert  A.  Mathewson  this 
Board  has  lost  one  of  its  ablest  and  most  effi- 
cient members.  He  was  conscientious  and  out- 
spoken, and  never  hesitated  to  say  and  to  do  what 
he  deemed  to  be  just.  He  was,  however,  open  to 
conviction,  and  was  always  considerate  of  the 
opinion  of  his  associates,  and  we  always  found 
him  willing  to  cooperate  in  the  most  helpful  way. 
His  successful  career  as  a  man  of  business,  and 
his  complete  mastery  of  the  underlying  principles 
of  finance  and  banking,  served  to  render  his  advice 
invaluable  in  making  loans  and  extending  credits. 
Therefore,  we  feel  a  personal  loss  in  this  death, 
and  we  share  with  the  whole  community  in  the 
loss  of  a  good  citizen. 

We  beg  to  extend  to  his  widow  and  family  our 
heartfelt  sympathy. 

John  H.  Light, 
Lewis  R.  Hurlbutt, 

Committee. 


ADAMS,  Elbert  Sherman, 

Business   Man,   Iiegislator. 

In  every  man  there  is  some  natural 
tendency  toward  certain  lines  of  work 
and  success  depends  largely  upon  giving 
heed  to  this  bent.  And  it  is  equally  true 
that  the  man  who  is  not  interested  in  pub- 
lic affairs  cannot  hope  to  succeed.  He 
must   be   willing   to  do  his   part   for   the 


community  in  which  he  lives,  and  it  is 
knowledge  of  these  facts  which  has  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  success  of  Elbert 
S.  Adams,  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut. 

The  Adams  family  is  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  honored  of  the  New  England 
Colonial  families,  and  is  traced  to  Robert 
Adams,  who  was  born  in  England,  in 
1602.  Eventually  his  descendants  re- 
moved to  Braintree,  Massachusetts,  where 
Squire  Adams,  the  grandfather  of  Elbert 
S.  Adams  was  born.  He  married  Par- 
melia  Waterbury,  born  in  Norwalk,  a 
scion  of  an  old  Fairfield  county  family. 
They  were  the  parents  of  Jonathan  Tay- 
lor Adams,  born  in  Weston.  As  a  boy 
he  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker  and 
completed  his  apprenticeship  in  Norwalk 
and  Westport.  For  about  thirty  years 
he  was  occupied  at  this  work,  and  then 
entered  the  butcher  business  in  Norwalk. 
He  continued  in  this  business  for  about 
fifteen  years,  and  then  sold  out  to  his  sons. 
During  most  of  his  lifetime  Mr.  Adams 
lived  in  Norwalk  and  there  he  married 
Caroline  Disbrow,  daughter  of  Sherwood 
Disbrow,  of  Norwalk,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  namely:  Royal 
W.,  resides  in  Norwalk ;  William  T.,  de- 
ceased ;  Elbert  S.,  of  further  mention ; 
Arthur  R. ;  Sylvia  Estella,  deceased ; 
James  Howard ;  Edith,  wife  of  Nathaniel 
Jones,  of  Norwalk,  both  now  deceased ; 
Ernest;  Lester.  The  father  and  mother 
of  these  children  attended  the  Congre- 
gational church  of  Norwalk  for  many 
years. 

Elbert  Sherman  Adams  was  born  March 
4,  1854,  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  there. 
Soon  after  completing  his  studies,  he 
went  into  the  meat  business  with  his  fa- 
ther, and  later  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  Royal  W.,  succeeded  his  father 


422 


ENCYCLOPEDi. 


I 


e  business  und 
:iis    Brothers. 
.  irew  from  the 

.;.Unued  alone  unt!> 
-ie  disposed  of  his  ini' 
!ig  his  connections  wiui  . 
Adams  entered  into  the  ; 
it  the  same  time  taking  li  .. 
the  Sonora  phonograph  for  th< 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island.     •  >        - 
and  one-half  years  Mr.  Adams  coiirinu<-d 
■his  business  and  then,  owing  to  a  scriou? 
illness,  he  was  compelled  lo  give  up  th< 
agency,  which  he  sold  bark  to  the 
^iany,  having  built  up  a  si'if^r.'i.'*  •■:;■ 
in  the  comparatively  short   tune  iio  iuiii 
:he  territory. 

Til  politics  Mr.  Adams  is  a  Republican, 
.u\d  has  always  taken  more  than  a  passive 
interest  in  public  affairs.  He  served  a 
year  as  city  treasurer,  and  was  ^  member 
of  the  Common  Council  for  two  terms. 
In  1902  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  served  .-js  rlerk  of  the  commit- 
tee on  appropriations  and  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  new  towns  and  pro- 
bate districts.  He  also  served  on  si»v<«'!il 
other  special  committees.  Ir 
Adams  was  appointed  postma:  . 
walk  by  President  Willuim  H<.v,v«id  i»:i, 
which  office  he  held  for  nine  years. 

Mr.  Adams  married  (first)  Ida  Bouton, 
daughter  of  Juh,-  fir) u ton,  and  they  were 
the   parents  of  two  children:     i.    Grs'-c 
Bouton,  manied  Charles   T.,.   **.'-:;r    -'^^ 
has  two  daughters.  Franr 
Carol  Vida.     2.  Spencer 
treasurer   of   the   South   i\ui  • 
Company ;  he  mnrricc'  ''firsi     ' 
ter,  and  has  * 
brow  and  El  hi 
of  these  chil:; 
ams  married  ; 
Randolph    *  M 
of   Silas    Barr. . 
Meeker,   and   wKlo. 


ihc  bore  one 


mi'mber? 


Surname:: 

id  is  that  or    '  J;i    ■        ::     - 
■in   ancient   wt>rd   "ii.uiiuritr 


OCCUp'i^l'U.!  !:        ■,■• 

spelled    Gramme, 
mainly    found    in 
Massachusetts      li. 
the  name  is  v- 
of  this  family 
migrants  to  the  Aew  v. 
John  Ciani,  was  born  in  1 
a    proprietor  of    1/ 
in    i^.JC      H#  ws^a 


Cram   family 
ediy  descends. 

(I)   Daniel   Cram,  grandfather 
Cram,    was    born    in    South 

J^rv/  Hampshire,  nhort  rRi5 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


They  were  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cram  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  George 
W.,  of  further  mention ;  Mary  Jane,  born 
about  1843 ;  Elizabeth,  1845 ;  Daniel 
Henry,  August  14,  1847;  Sarah  Melissa, 
1849;  Josephine  Lily,  1852;  Adeline,  1854; 
Ida  May,  1856;  Benjamin  Manley,  1858. 
All  of  these  children  were  born  in  Boston. 

(II)  George  W.  Cram,  father  of  Dr. 
Cram,  was  born  in  East  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, January  25,  184:2,  and  died  De- 
cember 26,  1905.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Boston  public  schools,  and  then  learned 
the  trade  of  civil  engineer,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  a  short  time.  Then  Mr.  Cram 
followed  in  his  father's  footsteps  and  en- 
tered the  contracting  business,  only  of  a 
more  general  nature.  He  was  awarded 
a  contract  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  to 
put  in  the  city  water  works,  and  he  re- 
moved to  that  city  where  he  was  a  resi- 
dent until  his  death.  Most  of  the  sewer 
system  of  the  old  city  of  Norwalk  was 
installed  by  Mr.  Cram,  and  he  also  had  a 
contract  for  construction  of  that  part  of 
the  railroad  in  the  vicinity  of  Roxbury. 
Mr.  Cram  was  a  Republican,  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  and  although  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  campaigns  he  was  never 
a  seeker  for  public  office.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  6,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  member  of 
the  Grolier  Club,  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Cram  married  Lydia  Ann  Bartlett, 
bom  in  Newburyport,  Massachusetts, 
July  II,  1841,  died  April  25,  1919.  Her 
father,  Horace  W.  Bartlett,  was  born 
December  2,  1812,  in  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts, and  died  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut, 
June  II,  1897.  He  went  to  sea  early  in 
life  and  became  a  captain.  Later  he  was 
in  the  shoe  business  in  Newburyport  as  a 
manufacturer  and  retailer.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Grolier  Club,  of  New  York, 
of  Ex  Libris,  of  London,  and  the  Sons  of 


the  American  Revolution.  Horace  W. 
Bartlett  married  Ann  Maria  Currier, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Currier,  born  July 
4,  1813,  in  Newburyport,  died  September 
12,  1892.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  W.  Cram 
were  the  parents  of:  Albert  Stevens,  died 
unmarried ;  George  E.,  of  further  men- 
tion ;  Alice  Bartlett,  married  Hubert  E. 
Bishop,  of  Norwalk,  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work ;  Clarence 
Currier,  of  Seattle,  Washington.  The 
family  attend  Grace  Episcopal  Church. 

(HI)  Dr.  George  Eversleigh  Cram  was 
born  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  October 
14,  1875.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city.  He  tutored  for  col- 
lege, and  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  Ph.  B.  at  Sheffield  Scientific  School  in 
1897,  and  in  1901  received  his  degree  of 
M.D.  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  of  New  York.  The  seven 
months  following  were  spent  in  a  Brook- 
lyn hospital,  thence  he  went  to  Tamali- 
pas,  Mexico,  as  physician  for  a  mining 
company.  During  the  Yellow  Fever  Epi- 
demic in  1903,  he  was  stationed  in  Tam- 
pico,  Mexico,  and  in  his  eiiforts  to  min- 
ister to  the  sick  contracted  the  fever  him- 
self. After  his  recovery  he  spent  some 
time  in  the  State  of  Durango,  and  alto- 
gether was  in  Mexico  ten  years.  During 
that  time  he  completely  mastered  the 
Spanish  language,  which  is  spoken  there, 
and  this  knowledge  made  his  services 
even  more  valuable. 

In  191 1  Dr.  Cram  returned  to  Norwalk 
and  engaged  in  general  practice.  He  has 
made  that  city  his  residence  since  and  has 
built  up  a  large  clientele.  For  six  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Health,  and  is  also  on  the  staff  of  the 
Norwalk  Hospital.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Norwalk  Medical  Association,  the 
Fairfield  County  Medical  Association,  the 
Connecticut  Medical  Society,  and  the 
American   Medical  Association.     Frater- 


424 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


nally,  he  is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge, 
No.  6,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, of  which  his  father  was  a  member; 
Our  Brothers  Lodge,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  ;  Norwalk  Club  ;  Norwalk 
Country  Club ;  Norwalk  Yacht  Club. 

On  April  2,  1916,  Dr.  Cram  enlisted  in 
the  naval  militia  as  a  junior  lieutenant. 
When  the  United  States  entered  the 
World  War,  he  was  sent  to  Boston  and 
shortly  after  was  transferred  into  the  Na- 
tional Naval  Volunteers.  He  was  or- 
dered to  New  York  Navy  Yard  to  go 
aboard  the  United  States  Steamer  "Chris- 
tobal,"  and  from  there  to  Brest.  He  was 
stationed  at  Brest  for  a  year,  then  sent 
through  Spain  to  Gibraltar  and  went 
aboard  the  United  States  Steamer  "An- 
ahma,"  where  he  remained  seven  months. 
At  this  time  the  armistice  had  been 
signed,  and  Dr.  Cram  was  ordered  to 
Constantinople ;  he  was  aboard  the  first 
American  war  vessel  that  had  ever  passed 
through  the  Dardanelles,  and  was  in  Con- 
stantinople when  the  Allies  took  posses- 
sion of  that  city.  They  were  sent  to  the 
relief  of  the  crew  of  the  United  States 
Steamer  '"Scorpion,"  that  had  been  in- 
terned by  the  Turks  during  the  War,  and 
subsequent  to  this  time  Dr.  Cram  was  at- 
tached to  the  "Scorpion"  for  a  time  as 
medical  officer,  and  on  his  release  came 
home  on  a  United  States  army  transport 
by  way  of  Smyrna.  He  arrived  in  this 
country,  July  i,  1918,  and  was  released  on 
inactive  duty  the  following  month.  Thus 
through  this  very  creditable  record  in 
time  of  need.  Dr.  Cram  has  brought 
honor  to  his  family  name,  and  proves 
himself  worthy  of  descent  from  those 
courageous  and  hardy  pioneers. 

Dr.  Cram  married  Jeanne  (Barrett) 
Hoke,  daughter  of  John  Barrett,  of  Sher- 
idan, Indiana,  and  widow  of  Charles  Hoke. 
By  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Cram  was  the 
mother   of   three   sons,    George,    Charles 


and  William  Hoke.  Dr.  Cram  and  his 
wife  attend  and  aid  in  the  support  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Norwalk. 


TAYLOR,  Cornelius  G., 

Agriculturist,  Public  Official. 

Among  the  surnames  of  occupational 
derivation  is  Taylor,  of  ancient  origin, 
found  in  New  England  at  the  time  of  the 
earliest  Colonial  settlement.  Hall's  "His- 
tory of  Norwalk"  gives  the  marriage  of 
Josiah  Taylor  and  Thankful  French,  Au- 
gust 2,  1729,  and  their  children :  Josiah, 
born  1730;  Jonathan,  born  1731 ;  Levi, 
born  1733;  Gamaliel,  born  1735;  Borak, 
born  1737;  Abijah,  born  September  22, 
1740,  of  whom  further;  Paul,  born  1741- 
1742 ;  Sarah,  twin  of  Paul ;  Thankful,  born 
1746;  Eleazer,  born  1749;  Deborah,  born 
1756. 

The  family  records  of  Norwalk,  sup- 
plementing Hall's  "History  of  Norwalk," 
have  the  children  of  Abijah  Taylor  and 
Isabella,  his  wife,  as  follows :  Robert  W., 
born  1769;  Thomas  W.,  born  1772;  Gil- 
bert, born  1775;  Dan,  born  1778;  David, 
of  whom  further;  Samuel,  born  1784; 
Charles  W.,  bom  1786. 

David  Taylor  was  born  August  2,  1781 ; 
he  married  Sally  Dykeman.  All  of  the 
name  of  Dykeman  in  America  are  be- 
lieved to  have  descended  from  William 
Dykeman,  a  native  of  Holland,  who  was 
among  the  early  settlers  of  New  Amster- 
dam. Of  his  children  there  is  no  record. 
He  had  grandchildren,  among  whom  was 
Jacobus.  Jacobus  Dykeman  married  a 
member  of  the  Kesur  family,  and  had 
children,  among  them  William.  William 
Dykeman,  born  1725,  died  1787,  married 
Mary  Turner.  One  of  their  children  was 
Michael.  Michael  Dykeman  was  born 
.A.ugust  9,  1756,  and  died  in  January,  1808, 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He  married, 
about  1778,  Sarah  Oakley,  and  had  two 


425 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughters :  Sarah,  to  whom  all  indications 
point  as  the  wife  of  David  Taylor,  and 
Maria.  Children  of  David  and  Sarah 
[Sally]  Taylor:  Dykeman;  Sandusky,  of 
whom  further;  Hiram;  David;  Abigail, 
married  Peter  Brower;  Jerusha,  married 
Thomas  Bird;  Sarah  Elizabeth,  married 
George  Hoyt;  and  Betty,  who  died  in 
childhood. 

Sandusky  Taylor,  son  of  David  and 
Sarah  [Sally]  Taylor,  was  born  in  Pound- 
ridge,  New  York,  and  died  in  Hoboken, 
New  Jersey,  in  1864.  He  took  up  rail- 
roading for  his  life  work,  and  it  was  while 
following  this  occupation  he  met  with  a 
fatal  accident.  Mr.  Taylor  married  Ore- 
atha  Juliere,  daughter  of  David  Juliere, 
of  West  Norwalk,  of  French  descent. 
Their  children  were:  Eva,  married 
Charles  Tooker,  of  Hoboken,  and  is  now 
deceased ;  Cornelius  G.,  of  whom  further. 

Cornelius  G.  Taylor,  son  of  Sandusky 
and  Oreatha  (Juliere)  Taylor,  was  born 
in  White  Plains,  New  York,  December  i, 
1856.  He  came  to  New  Canaan,  Connec- 
ticut, when  he  was  but  a  lad  of  ten  years, 
and  with  the  exception  of  two  years  has 
resided  there  continuously  since  that  time. 
He  started  in  life  as  an  apprentice,  and 
through  his  own  unaided  efforts  carved  a 
recognized  place  in  his  community.  He 
lived  in  Hoboken  until  apprenticed  to 
Stephen  Raymond,  of  New  Canaan,  at 
the  age  of  ten.  He  was  with  Mr.  Ray- 
mond for  eight  years  and  then  went  to 
New  York  City,  where  he  learned  the 
tinsmith's  trade.  Not  finding  this  to  his 
liking,  Mr.  Taylor  returned  again  to  New 
Canaan  and  purchased  his  present  farm  of 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and 
has  since  engaged  in  general  farming. 
He  has  about  twenty  head  of  cattle. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  Democrat, 
and  served  several  terms  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  selectmen,  and  also  served 
as  assessor.    He  is  a  member  of  Wooster 


Lodge,  No.  n.  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows ;  New  Canaan  Grange ;  Pomona 
Grange,  and  the  State  Grange ;  and  served 
on  the  school  board. 

Cornelius  G.  Taylor  married,  in  1877, 
Nancy  E.  Tallmadge,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam H.  and  Nancy  (Weed)  Tallmadge, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Lorena.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  trus- 
tee of  the  Tallmadge  Hill  Union  Chapel. 

(The   Tallmadge   Line) 

(I)  Thomas  Tallmadge  was  of  New- 
ton Stacy,  Hants,  England.  He  came  to 
America  in  1631,  landed  at  Boston,  re- 
moved to  Lynn,  later  to  Southampton, 
Long  Island,  and  was  allotted  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  He  died  about  1653. 
His  wife's  name  is  not  mentioned.  He 
had  seven  children,  among  whom  was 
Robert. 

(II)  Robert  Tallmadge,  son  of  Thomas 
Tallmadge,  was  born  in  England,  and 
came  to  America  as  a  young  man.  It  is 
said  he  was  one  of  the  original  purchasers 
of  New  Haven  in  1639.  He  married  Sarah 
Nash,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Margery 
(Baker)  Nash.  Among  their  six  children 
was  Enos. 

(III)  Lieutenant  Enos  Tallmadge,  son 
of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Nash)  Tallmadge, 
was  born  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
October  4,  1656.  He  was  on  Bradley's 
list  of  proprietors  of  New  Haven  in  1685. 
He  went  to  the  defense  of  Schenectady  in 
command  of  assistance  sent  by  Connec- 
ticut, and  was  killed  in  the  burning  of  the 
town,  February  9,  1690.  He  married, 
May  9,  1682,  Hannah  Yale,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Yale.  They  had  four  children, 
among  whom  was  Thomas. 

(IV)  Thomas  Tallmadge,  son  of  Lieu- 
tenant Enos  and  Hannah  (Yale)  Tall- 
madge, was  born  in  New  Haven,  Decem- 
ber 7,   1688,  removed   to  Stamford,  and 


426 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


died  in  1766.  He  married,  in  1715,  Su- 
sanna Weed,  who  died  in  1756.  They  had 
six  children,  among  whom  was  James. 

(V)  James  Tallmadge,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Susanna  (Weed)  Tallmadge,  was 
born  September  10,  1721,  and  died  in  New 
Canaan,  in  1797.  He  was  probably  the 
founder  of  Tallmadge  Hill.  He  married, 
at  Norwalk,  in  1741,  Mary  Seymour. 
They  had  five  children,  among  them  Sey- 
mour. 

(VI)  Seymour  Tallmadge,  son  of  James 
and  Mary  (Seymour)  Tallmadge,  was 
born  May  28,  1755,  ^"^  died  July  6,  1840, 
at  Pike,  Allegheny  county.  New  York, 
where  he  had  removed  some  time  after 
1816.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  married,  April  7,  1774,  Sarah 
Hoyt.  They  had  eight  children,  among 
them  John. 

(VII)  John  Tallmadge,  son  of  Sey- 
mour and  Sarah  (Hoyt)  Tallmadge,  was 
born  in  New  Canaan,  March  3,  1777,  and 
died  May  25,  1852.  He  married.  May  15, 
1798,  Sarah  Bates,  of  New  Canaan,  who 
died  December  17,  1856.  Children:  Polly, 
born  1799;  John  L.,  born  1801  ;  Sarah  D., 
born  1803;  Seth.  born  1809;  William  H., 
of  whom  further;  James  H.,  born  1816. 

(VIII)  William  H.  Tallmadge,  son  of 
John  and  Sarah  (Bates)  Tallmadge,  was 
born  May  12,  1810,  lived  in  New  Canaan, 
and  died  February  3,  1875.  He  married, 
January  11,  1848,  Nancy  Weed.  Chil- 
dren :  Sarah,  born  1849,  married  D.  S. 
Sholes ;  Nancy  E.,  born  1852,  married 
Cornelius  G.  Taylor  (see  Taylor  line)  ; 
Mary,  born  August  2,  1853. 


TAYLOR,  Frederick  Clark, 

Attorney-at-Laxr. 

Frederick  Clark  Taylor  was  born  in 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  November  3,  1866, 
son  of  Henry  F.  and  Mary  E.  (Clark) 
Taylor. 


(I)  The  ancestor  of  the  Taylor  fam- 
ily, John  Taylor,  was  a  Puritan.  He  came 
from  England  and  settled  first  in  Lynn, 
Massachusetts.  In  1639  he  was  in  Wind- 
sor, and  there  received  a  grant  of  land  in 
1640.  He  was  the  father  of  two  sons  born 
about  1646.  In  1647  John  Taylor  sailed 
on  a  return  voyage  to  England  on  the 
ship  '"Phantom,"  which  was  lost  at  sea 
together  with  those  aboard. 

(II)  John  (2)  Taylor,  eldest  son  of 
John  (i)  Taylor,  was  born  in  1641,  and 
was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  1704.  He 
settled  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
and  was  granted  a  home  lot  there  on 
Elm  street.  He  was  granted  permission 
to  set  up  a  saw  mill  there  in  1674.  In 
1703  he  received  eighty  acres  of  land,  in 
which  section  the  town  of  Southampton 
was  later  located.  He  was  among  the 
men  who  contributed  to  Harvard  College 
in  1672-73.  In  1688-90  John  Taylor  served 
in  King  W^illiam's  War,  and  also  served 
in  Queen  Anne's  War,  and  it  was  during 
a  pursuit  of  Indians  he  met  his  death, 
May  13,  1704.  He  married  Thankful 
Woodward,  daughter  of  Henry  Wood- 
ward, who  was  quartermaster  of  the 
Hampshire  Troop,  of  which  John  Taylor 
was  captain,  formed  in  1663. 

(III)  John  (3)  Taylor,  son  of  John  (2) 
and  Thankful  (Woodward)  Taylor,  was 
born  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  in  1667, 
and  died  in  1774.  He  married  (second), 
January  19,  1726,  Hannah  Stewart, 
daughter  of   Lieutenant  Joseph   Stewart. 

(IV)  Seth  Taylor,  son  of  John  (3)  and 
Hannah  (Stewart)  Taylor,  was  born 
March  30,  1735.  He  married,  March  7, 
1765,  Martha  Gaylord,  daughter  of  Rev. 
William  Gaylord,  of  Wilton. 

(V)  Seth  (2)  Taylor,  eldest  son  of  Seth 
(i)  and  Martha  (Gaylord)  Taylor,  was 
born  February  4,  1771,  and  died  in  1837. 
He  married  Abigail  Warren. 

(VI)  John  Warren  Taylor,  son  of  Seth 


427 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(2)  and  Abigail  (Warren)  Taylor,  was 
bom  April  8,  1810,  in  Norwalk,  Connecti- 
cut, and  died  December  29,  1876,  in  West- 
port,  Connecticut.  Until  he  was  fifteen 
years  of  age  he  attended  the  public 
schools  and  also  was  a  student  at  the  Nor- 
walk Academy.  Until  1832  he  was  in- 
structor in  a  school  in  Norwalk.  In  1834 
he  purchased  a  small  stock  of  drugs  from 
Dr.  Nash,  of  Westport,  and  entered  into 
the  drug  business,  to  which  he  later  added 
books  and  stationery  supplies,  continuing 
this  business  until  his  death.  Mr.  Taylor 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of 
Westport;  was  an  old  line  Whig;  served 
in  many  public  offices ;  for  thirty-seven 
consecutive  years  was  town  clerk,  and 
also  served  as  postmaster  and  justice  of 
the  peace.  He  married,  March  20,  1832, 
Mary  Jerusha  Hoyt,  born  in  Norwalk, 
Connecticut,  October  29,  1812,  daughter 
of  Uriah  Hoyt. 

(VII)  Henry  F.  Taylor,  son  of  John 
Warren  and  Mary  Jerusha  (Hoyt)  Tay- 
lor, was  born  in  Westport,  Connecticut, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  associated  with 
"Scribner's  Magazine."  Subsequently  he 
was  advertising  manager  of  "The  Church- 
man." In  October,  1863,  Mr.  Taylor  mar- 
ried, in  Stamford,  Mary  E.  Clark,  daugh- 
ter of  Austin  Griswold  Clark,  of  Stam- 
ford. Their  children  were :  Emily  Lou- 
ise, Frederick  Clark,  of  further  mention ; 
Francis  Gilbert,  Sarah  Howe.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Taylor  were  members  of  St.  An- 
drew's Episcopal  Church,  of  Stamford,  of 
which  for  many  years  he  was  senior  war- 
den. Mr.  Taylor  now  resides  in  Seattle, 
Washington. 

(VIII)  Frederick  Clark  Taylor,  son  of 
Henry  F.  and  Mary  E.  (Clark)  Taylor, 
began  his  education  in  Stamford,  attend- 
ing the  common  and  high  schools  there. 
In  1883  he  left  school  temporarily  and 
entered   the   employ   of   the    Continental 


Insurance  Company,  of  New  York  City, 
continuing  with  them  for  about  five  years. 
In  1888  he  entered  the  real  estate  and  in- 
surance brokerage  business  in  New  York 
on  his  own  account.  Two  years  later  he 
came  to  Stamford  and  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  there.  This  continued 
for  several  years.  In  the  meanwhile  Mr. 
Taylor  took  up  once  more  the  pursuit  of 
his  studies.  In  1893  he  began  the  study 
of  law,  preparing  himself  for  the  law 
school  of  Yale  University.  In  1894  he 
entered  the  law  school,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1896.  While  there  he 
was  chairman  of  the  editorial  board  of  the 
"Yale  Law  Journal."  In  February,  1897, 
he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  James 
S.  Jenkins,  under  the  firm  name  of  Taylor 
&  Jenkins.  Mr.  Taylor  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  yet  is 
not  a  politician  in  the  commonly  accepted 
sense  of  that  term.  He  was  elected  in 
November,  1897,  to  the  office  of  judge  of 
the  Court  of  Probate  for  the  District  of 
Stamford,  Fairfield  county,  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and  was  reelected  for  four  con- 
secutive terms  of  two  years  each,  and  de- 
clined to  be  a  candidate  to  succeed  him- 
self in  1907.  He  was  chosen  the  last  time 
as  the  candidate  of  both  the  Republican 
and  Democratic  parties,  being  the  first 
man  in  the  history  of  the  court  to  be  thus 
honored  with  a  unanimous  election.  In 
1907  he  resumed  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession,  specializing  in  corporation, 
estate,  trusts  and  family  practice.  I 

Mr.  Taylor  is  a  director  of  the  newly 
consolidated  First-Stamford  National 
Bank,  and  a  member  of  its  executive  com- 
mittee, having  been  one  of  the  vice-presi- 
dents of  the  Stamford  National  Bank  at 
the  time  of  the  consolidation.  He  is  an 
incorporator  and  director  of  the  Stamford 
Savings  Bank,  a  director  of  the  Stamford 
Gas  &  Electric  Company,  the  Stamford 
Hospital,  the  Ferguson  Library  of  Stam- 


428 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ford,  the  Stamford  Home  for  the  Aged, 
and  many  other  corporations.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  State  Bar  Examining 
Committee,  of  the  grievance  committee 
of  the  Fairfield  County  Bar,  member  of 
the  American  Bar  Association,  the  Con- 
necticut State  Bar  Association,  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Stamford  Bar  Associa- 
tion. Mr.  Taylor  is  a  director  of  the 
Woodway  Country  Club  and  of  the  Sub- 
urban Club  of  Stamford,  a  member  of  the 
Stamford  Yacht  Club,  the  Wee  Burn  Golf 
Club,  of  Noroton,  the  Graduates'  Club,  of 
New  Haven,  the  Metropolitan,  Racquet 
and  Tennis,  and  Yale  clubs,  of  New  York. 
On  November  5,  1892,  Mr.  Taylor  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  H.  Tilley,  daughter  of 
George  H.  Tilley,  of  Darien,  Connecti- 
cut, who  was  for  years  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Southern  Express  Com- 
pany. They  have  two  children :  Harriet 
Dorothy,  bom  December  4,  1894;  Fred- 
erick Heath,  born  September  15,  1896. 
The  latter  left  Williams  College  as  a  vol- 
unteer with  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  and  served  in  France  as  a  member 
of  the  Headquarters  Troop  of  General 
Hodges,  Seventy-Sixth  Division.  He  is 
now  studying  the  textile  industry  at  the 
Georgia  School  of  Technology,  Atlanta. 
Mr.  Taylor  and  his  family  are  members 
of  St.  Andrew's  Episcopal  Church,  of 
Stamford,  of  which  he  is  a  vestryman. 


SHERWOOD,  Stuart  Wakeman,  M.  D., 
Specialist  in  Mental  and  Nervous  Diseases. 

(I)  The  ancestor  of  this  branch  of  the 
Sherwood  family  was  Thomas  Sherwood, 
born  in  England  in  1585-56,  traditionally 
in  Warwickshire,  and  who,  in  April,  1634, 
with  his  wife,  Alice,  and  children,  Ann, 
Rose,  Thomas  (2),  and  Rebecca,  sailed 
from  Ipswich,  County  Suffolk,  England, 
in  the  ship  "Frances."  He  was  for  a 
time    at    Wethersfield,    Connecticut,    ap- 


peared at  Fairfield  about  1648,  and  was 
there  in  1650.  His  will  was  dated  July 
21,  1655,  and  probated  October  25  of  the 
same  year.  Among  his  children  was 
Thomas. 

(II)  Thomas  (2)  Sherwood,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Alice  Sherwood,  was  born 
about  1624,  and  died  at  Fairfield,  Con- 
necticut, in  1697.  He  was  a  freeman  at 
Hartford  in  1664,  and  was  the  first  miller 
on  Mill  river  in  Fairfield.  He  married 
four  times;  (first)  Sarah  Wheeler,  who 
died  before  1659;  (second)  Ann  Turney; 
(third)  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cable;  (fourth) 
Mrs.  Sarah  (Hide)  Coley.  By  his  second 
wife  he  had  six  children,  among  them 
Samuel. 

(III)  Samuel  Sherwood,  son  of  Tho- 
mas (2)  and  Ann  (Turney)  Sherwood, 
married  at  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  and 
had:  Sarah;  Samuel  (2),  of  whom  fur- 
ther; Abigail;  Anne;  Daniel,  born  April 
5,  1708,  died  1784. 

(IV)  Samuel  (2)  Sherwood,  Esq.,  son 
of  Samuel  Sherwood,  was  born  between 
1700  and  1702,  and  was  deacon  of  the 
Congregational  church  of  Westport  in 
1747.  He  married,  March  8,  1722,  Jane 
Burr,  daughter  of  Daniel  Burr;  she  was 
baptized  April  17,  1702.  Among  their 
children  was  Samuel  (3). 

(V)  Samuel  (3)  Sherwood,  son  of  Sam- 
uel (2)  and  Jane  (Burr)  Sherwood,  was 
born  between  1722  and  1725.  This  is 
probably  the  Samuel  Sherwood  (Connec- 
ticut Soldiers  in  the  Revolution,  page  11) 
who  served  from  Fairfield,  Connecticut. 
He  married  Ann  Nichols,  and  among  their 
children  was  Samuel  Burr  Sherwood. 

(VI)  Samuel  Burr  Sherwood,  son  of 
Samuel  (3)  and  Ann  (Nichols)  Sher- 
wood, was  born  November  26,  1767,  and 
died  April  26,  1833.  He  graduated  from 
Yale  College,  in  1786,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1790,  and  practiced  at  West- 
port,  Connecticut.     The  Christian  name 


429 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  his  wife  was  Charity ;  she  was  born  in 
1767,  died  in  1814,  and  was  buried  at 
Westport. 

(VII)  Henry  Sherwood,  toward  whom 
all  indications  point  as  the  son  of  Sam- 
uel Burr  and  Charity  Sherwood,  was  a 
graduate  of  Yale  College,  in  the  class  of 
1818.  He  resided  in  Westport,  Connec- 
ticut, his  death  occurring  in  1878,  and  he 
was  always  known  as  Captain  Sherwood, 
drilling  the  town  militia.  He  married, 
and  was  the  father  of  Henry  Edgar  Sher- 
wood, of  whom  further. 

(VIII)  Henry  Edgar  Sherwood  was 
born  in  Westport,  Connecticut,  in  1841, 
and  died  in  October,  1903.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  Westport  public  schools  and 
Westport  Academy,  and  entering  the  lo- 
cal bank  at  an  early  age,  was  connected 
with  that  institution  nearly  all  of  his  life. 
B.  L.  Woodworth  was  cashier  of  the 
bank,  an  office  he  retained  for  more  than 
fifty  years,  although  during  the  latter  part 
of  that  period  Mr.  Sherwood  for  several 
years  carried  the  responsibility  and  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  the  position.  Mr. 
Sherwood  was  not  strong  in  his  youth, 
and  in  addition  to  his  banking  work,  for 
many  years  conducted  a  dairy  farm,  an 
enterprise  that  brought  him  excellent  re- 
turns financially  as  well  as  in  improved 
health.  Mr.  Sherwood  was  a  man  of  un- 
usual talents,  and  developed  no  mean 
ability  as  an  artist,  although  his  painting 
was  confined  largely  to  the  copy  of  mas- 
terpieces. He  was  also  an  amateur  mu- 
sician of  ability,  for  many  years  sang 
tenor  in  the  choir  of  Christ  Episcopal 
Church,  and  took  much  interest  in  local 
music  generally.  He  was  also  a  vestry- 
man and  treasurer  of  Christ  Church,  of 
which  his  wife  was  also  a  member.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  political  belief,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  filled  the  office  of 
town  treasurer. 

Mr.   Sherwood   married   Alice   Dotten, 


daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Knowles) 
Dotten,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Stuart  Wakeman,  of 
whom  further ;  Hetty,  who  married  Louis 
Weidlich,  of  Stratford,  Connecticut;  El- 
sie, who  married  Claude  W.  Gillette, 
M.  D.,  of  Schuylkill  Haven,  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  Leonard,  a  resident  of  Los  An- 
geles, California ;  Ethel,  a  trained  nurse 
of  New  York  City,  served  in  Base  Hos- 
pital No.  7,  of  the  American  Expedition- 
ary Forces  in  France,  during  the  World 
War ;  Frances,  who  lives  in  Los  Angeles ; 
Katherine,  a  resident  of  New  York  City. 

(IX)  Stuart  Wakeman  Sherwood,  son 
of  Henry  Edgar  and  Alice  (Dotten)  Sher- 
wood, was  born  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1874.  In  his  youth  he  attended 
grammar  school  and  Staples  High  School 
in  Westport,  Connecticut,  and  for  seven 
years  was  employed  in  the  bank  with 
which  his  father  was  connected,  then 
known  as  the  First  National  Bank.  En- 
tering the  medical  school  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  he  was  graduated 
M.  D.  in  the  class  of  1902,  completing  his 
training  with  one  year  as  interne  in  the 
Harrisburg  General  Hospital.  Shortly 
after  his  return  to  Westport  and  the  sub- 
sequent death  of  his  father,  Dr.  Sherwood 
became  assistant  physician  at  the  West- 
port  Sanitarium,  remaining  on  the  staff 
of  this  institution  until  1904.  At  this 
time  he  became  mine  physician  for  the 
mining  company  owning  coal  lines  near 
Wilkes-Barre,  Pennsylvania,  and  for  three 
years  he  served  in  this  capacity. 

About  191 5  Dr.  Sherwood  founded  the 
Alderbrook  Sanitarium  in  the  town  of 
Norwalk,  Connecticut,  and  here  he  has 
specialized  in  the  treatment  of  mental 
and  nervous  diseases.  The  sanitarium 
has  come  into  high  standing  among  or- 
ganizations of  its  kind,  and  is  distinctive 
in  the  degree  to  which  its  institutional 
aspects  are  minimized  and  from  the  em- 


430 


ENCYCLO' 

phasis  that  is  plac- 

and  environment. 

the  Alderbrook  S;* 

tice  a  number  of  o: 

ods   in   ps)'chiatr\ 

won  favorable  pro. 

as  constituting  a  p' 

terprise.     E>r.  Sher'. 

the  Norwalk  Medical  S  ■ 

American  Medical  As- 

for  many  years  bee: 

urer  of  Christ  F.pi  ■ 

that  his  honored  father  held 

Dr.  Sherwooii   married   Lin 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Batsor.. 
Canada,  and  they  are  the  pari:.  .. 
children:     Benjamin    Edgar,    3.nd    '/Ji.i.. 
beth  Batson. 


RORECH.  John  J., 

Contractor,  Builder. 

Business  responsibilities  came  to  Mr 
Rorech  at  an  early  age,  and  the  promise 
of  youthful  years  fof  a  useful,  successful 
career  has  been  amply  fulfilled  in  his  ma- 
ture years. 

John  J.  Rorech  was  bom  in  Sta  —  '- " 
the   son  of  John   and   Matilda    (.'.i 
Rorech,  and  was  educat-  '    -    • 
schools  and  King's   Ft 
and   graduated    from    !v 
College.     He  grew  up  ■ 
business  with  his  father.  .\:  .1        ' ; 
young  man  was  given  charge  of  ' 
ther's  men.     At  an  unusually  eari>    .jj.; 
Mr.   Rorech   began   taking  contracts   on 
his  own  ;  recognition 

among  •  'iien  of  his 

native  ci'  ' 

of  struLi 
includinc 
buildiiijj 
Mr.  Roi  • 
ford  Mas 
widely  know  ' 


ton  L 
Or  ... 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  an  Independent,  he  was  the  manager 
of  the  three  campaigns  for  the  governor- 
ship of  Massachusetts  of  Governor  Wil- 
liam Russell,  and  managed  several  other 
political  campaigns.  Subsequently,  he 
was  owner  of  the  railroad  between  East 
Aurora  and  Buffalo.  Mr.  Leon  is  a  great 
student  and  has  given  considerable  time 
to  the  invention  of  Cellugraph,  an  oilless 
bearing  which  has  been  widely  adopted 
by  the  largest  textile  manufacturers  of  the 
country.  Mr.  Leon  married  Lorion  H. 
Nice,  daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  (Clark) 
Nice.  The  father  of  Mr.  Leon  was  Er- 
nest Leon,  who  was  born  in  Paris.  He 
died  when  his  son,  Albert  Ernest,  was 
but  twelve  years  of  age.  His  wife  was 
Mercy  Jane  (Jones)  Leon,  of  an  old  New 
Hampshire  family. 

The  family  home  is  a  most  attractive 
residence  at  Shippan  Point,  built  by  Mr. 
Rorech  in  1919.  It  was  designed  entirely 
by  Mrs.  Rorech,  is  constructed  of  stucco, 
and  in  architecture,  floor  plan,  and  ap- 
pointments shows  discriminating  taste 
and  judgment  in  homemaking.  A  view  of 
this  beautiful  home  accompanies  this 
record. 


WATERBURY,  William  TeU, 

Master  Mariner. 

The  career  which  Captain  William  Tell 
Waterbury  chose  was  one  which  has  ap- 
pealed to  the  youth  of  the  land  for  gener- 
ations. It  was  a  natural  tendency  for 
him  to  follow,  considering  the  many  hours 
he  spent  with  his  father,  and  his  associa- 
tions. The  Waterbury  family,  which  has 
been  identified  with  Stamford  since  ear- 
liest Colonial  days,  were  pioneers  in 
steamboat  transportation  for  Stamford 
freight  and  passenger  traffic,  and  contrib-. 
uted  more  in  their  time,  perhaps,  than 
any    other    agency   to    the    material    up- 


building of  the  city.  The  family  is  still 
prominent  in  the  commercial  life  of  Fair- 
field county. 

(I)  John  Waterbury,  the  first  of  this 
family  to  settle  in  Stamford,  was  among 
those  who  came  from  Wethersfield,  Con- 
necticut. He  received  a  grant  of  land  in 
1650,  and  died  eight  years  later.  His  chil- 
dren remained  there  and  founded  the  nu- 
merous families  of  that  name  which  are 
still  prominent  in  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try. In  an  old  "History  of  Stamford"  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Huntington,  the  author  speaks 
of  this  family  in  the  most  glowing  terms, 
as  follows : 

There  were  the  Waterburys,  then  known  as 
Senior  and  Junior,  the  former  being  a  colonel  in 
the  Continental  service,  who  had  earned  some 
reputation  for  good  judgment  and  military  ability 
in  the  field,  and  the  latter  soon  to  earn  by  his  per- 
sonal fitness  for  it,  the  rank  of  general  of  brigade. 

(II)  David  Waterbury,  the  son  of  John 
Waterbury,  was  born  in  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, in  February,  1722,  the  twelfth 
day.  He  did  excellent  service  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  and  was  com- 
missioned major.  He  was  representative 
in  the  General  Assembly  when  the  Rev- 
olutionary War  broke  out,  and  served  the 
cause  of  the  colonies  with  such  ardor 
and  fidelity  that  he  was  esteemed  one  of 
the  noblest  patriots  of  Stamford.  He  en- 
tered the  war  a  colonel  and  was  promoted 
to  brigadier-general  in  1776.  After  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  was  selectman  and 
representative,  and  remained  a  resident  of 
Stamford  until  his  death,  June  29,  1801. 

(III)  Captain  William  Waterbury, 
fourth  son  of  David  Waterbury,  was 
born  October  10,  1765,  and  died  January 
ID,  1842.  He  was  much  in  the  public 
service,  and  opposed  the  tax  on  the  Con- 
gregational Church  Society,  using  his  pri- 
vate means  liberally  to  establish  the  free- 
dom of  the  church  in  the  same  spirit  that 
he  had  given  his  services  to  the  cause  of 


432 


■first  of  this 


/^'.H  is  still 

''*nford,  • 

•'■'^l^er,  Hischil. 

ledtkcmi. 

'•^'"'"'ewWare 

^iMoitliecoan. 

''"}'ofStaiiy»|)j. 

iT'StjIomng  terns, 

'»!i'm  tlffl  bowii  IS 

»i«i  liail  eanieii  soim 
^tandniilitaryjiijijij, 

isoontoeankyliisper.  • 
^oifBinjIofbrijjfc   •   i 

■iuTi-.tliesonofJolin 
ini  in  Stamford,  Con- 
ly,  1/22,  tlie  fweiftk 
service  in  tlie 
',  and  was  corn- 
It  was  representative 
ibly  when  tke  Rev- 
loot,  and  !tmi  the 

with  such  ardor 

j  esteemed  one  of 

lamiord,  Heen- 


II  was 
ll7/i  After  the 


led  a  resident  of 

I  June  29,  ita- 

Waterbur)', 

ilerhiiry,  was 

died  januar)' 


1  the  i-on- 


lause  o: 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


political  freedom.    He  married  Mrs.  Sally 
Jessup,  daughter  of  Philip  Lockwood. 

(IV)  Captain  David  (2)  Waterbury, 
eldest  son  of  Captain  William  and  Sally 
(Lockwood-Jessup)  Waterbury,  was  born 
April  17,  1819.  His  education  was  limited 
to  such  as  the  times  and  location  afforded. 
When  about  fifteen  years  old  he  shipped 
as  a  sailor  on  a  market  boat  trading  week- 
ly between  Stamford  and  New  York.  He 
rose  rapidly  from  one  position  to  another 
until  before  his  twentieth  birthday  he  was 
captain  and  owner  of  the  "Rival,"  a  sloop 
of  about  fifty  tons.  In  1852,  in  company 
with  Edmund  Lockwood  and  Lewis  Wa- 
terbury, he  purchased  the  steamer,  "Wil- 
liam W.  Frazier,"  a  daily  passenger  and 
freight  boat  plying  between  Stamford  and 
New  York,  Captain  Lockwood  command- 
ing and  Captain  Waterbury  serving  as 
superintendent,  agent  and  so  forth,  with 
offices  in  Stamford.  This  steamer  was 
the  first  to  run  between  Stamford  and 
New  York  regularly,  and  to  be  owned  in 
Stamford.  In  1859  the  company  built  a 
new  steamer,  the  "Ella,"  which  was  run 
on  this  route  until  it  was  sold  to  the 
United  States  Government  at  the  time  of 
the  Civil  War.  When  Captain  Lock- 
wood  retired  from  active  business,  Oliver 
Scofield  joined  interest  with  the  two  re- 
maining partners  and  they  built  the 
"Stamford,"  which  they  placed  on  the 
same  route  in  1863.  They  sold  this 
steamer  the  next  year  and  built  the 
"Shippan,"  placing  her  on  this  route  in 
1865.  In  May,  1870,  she  was  burned  at 
the  Stamford  Wharf,  also  the  entire  prop- 
erty of  the  company,  the  loss  being  about 
$70,000,  only  half  covered  by  insurance. 
In  1870  the  business  was  sold  to  R.  Cor- 
nell White,  of  New  York.  The  same  year, 
Captain  Waterbury  started  a  business  in 
Stamford  in  coal  and  wood,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death,  November  22,  1894. 
Also  he  organized  the  Stamford  Trans- 


portation Company,  of  which  he  was 
manager.  This  was  in  1873,  after  the 
New  York  parties  had  failed  with  the 
steamboat  business.  Captain  Waterbury 
sold  the  transportation  interests  to  the 
North  &  East  River  Steamboat  Company. 
Captain  Waterbury  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  disregarded  partisan  connec- 
tions for  the  sake  of  the  better  man  if 
that  man  was  an  opponent  of  his  party. 
He  was  broadly  liberal  in  his  religious 
views,  and  was  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  parish  of  the  Universalist 
church. 

Captain  Waterbury  married  (first), 
January  23,  1842,  Sarah  M.  Selleck,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Charlotte  (Mead)  Sel- 
leck, of  Greenwich,  Connecticut.  Of 
their  children  six  grew  to  maturity.  They 
are :  Captain  William  Tell,  of  whom  fur- 
ther; John  S.,  Mary  E.,  Sarah  M.,  Charles 
F.,  whose  sketch  follows ;  Lottie  A.  Mrs. 
Waterbury  died  September  26,  1867. 
Eight  years  later  Captain  Waterbury 
married  (second),  her  sister,  Mrs.  Joseph- 
ine E.  Colby. 

(V)  Captain  William  Tell  Waterbury, 
son  of  Captain  David  (2)  and  Sarah  M. 
(Selleck)  Waterbury,  was  born  March  4, 
1843,  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  where  he 
died,  February  12,  1912.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Stamford  and  the  fa- 
mous Glendenning  Academy.  We  can 
picture  the  young  lad  accompanying  his 
father  on  every  opportunity  and  finding 
in  the  life  on  the  water  the  fulfillment  of 
his  desire.  On  completing  his  schooling 
he  obtained  work  on  a  small  sailing  ves- 
sel, one  of  the  type  which  was  used  in 
transporting  commerce  between  Stam- 
ford and  New  York.  Having  set  himself 
to  mastering  all  the  details  of  the  vessel, 
Captain  Waterbury  rose  rapidly  until  he 
was  qualified  to  take  charge  and  was 
made  captain. 

Throughout  the  many  years  of  his  ac- 


433 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tive  business  life  he  was  identified  with 
the  business  of  sea  transportation,  and 
enjoyed  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 
A  few  years  before  his  death,  finding  the 
life  of  a  captain  too  arduous,  he  retired  to 
pass  his  remaining  days  with  his  family 
and  among  the  associations  of  his  child- 
hood. Captain  Waterbury  was  one  of 
the  early  members  of  Union  Lodge,  An- 
cient Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Stamford,  and  also  of  Rittenhouse  Chap- 
ter. The  only  fire  company  in  his  day 
was  the  one  formed  of  the  volunteer  cit- 
izens, of  which  he  was  one,  and  he  was 
also  a  member  of  the  veteran  organiza- 
tion formed  after  the  new  fire  company 
was  installed. 

Captain  Waterbury  married  Sarah  Gu- 
ley,  daughter  of  Jacob  Guley.  The  latter 
was  a  native  of  England,  and  came  to 
America  about  18/^4.  He  was  in  the 
woolen  business,  and  resided  in  various 
textile  centers  in  the  East.  His  wife  and 
daughter  came  to  this  country  to  join  him 
seven  years  later.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Water- 
bury were  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Harry  Guley,  a  sketch  of  whom  follows 
in  the  work ;  S.  Maude ;  Alice  Dodge.  For 
many  years  the  family  were  actively  iden- 
tified with  the  Presbyterian  church,  of 
Stamford. 


WATERBURY,  Charles  P., 
Merchant. 

As  a  man  is  broadened  by  contact  with 
his  fellows,  so  a  city  is  enriched  by  con- 
tact with  the  outside  world.  Men  who 
control  the  arteries  of  commerce  are  vital 
factors  in  the  growth  and  development 
of  a  community,  and  among  this  number 
is  Charles  F.  Waterbury,  of  Stamford. 

(V)  Charles  F.  Waterbury,  son  of 
Captain  David  (2)  and  Sarah  M.  (Sel- 
leck)  Waterbury  (q.  v.),  was  born  May 
15.  1855.    He  was  educated  in  the  public 


and  private  school  of  Professor  Glenden- 
ning.  He  then  was  employed  in  his  fa- 
ther's steamboat  business  for  a  short  time. 
He  then  learned  the  trade  of  moulder, 
which  he  followed  until  1875,  in  which 
year  he  again  became  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  coal  business.  He  was  soon 
made  manager  of  the  business,  and  in 
1888  was  admitted  to  partnership.  In 
1892  he  purchased  his  father's  interest 
and  has  since  continued  alone.  It  is  the 
largest  coal  business  in  Stamford  and  a 
large  wholesale  trade  is  conducted.  Other 
business  interests  of  Mr.  Waterbury  in- 
clude: Director  of  the  First  Stamford 
National  Bank;  vice-president  of  the 
East  Dock  Branch  Corporation;  president 
of  the  Woodland  Cemetery  Association; 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  Shippan  Wa- 
ter Realty  Company ;  director  of  the  Mor- 
ris Plan  Bank.  In  politics  Mr.  Water- 
bury holds  independent  views,  and  re- 
fused to  be  a  candidate  for  public  office. 
Mr.  Waterbury  married  Annie  Samuel 
Lockwood,  daughter  of  Charles  A.  Lock- 
wood,  of  Stamford,  and  thev  are  the  par- 
ents of  two  children:  i.  David,  born  Oc- 
tober 12,  1882;  now  manager  of  his  fa- 
ther's business ;  he  married  Ida  Zahn, 
daughter  of  Frederick  Zahn,  of  New  York 
City ;  he  is  the  father  of  two  sons  and  one 
daughter:  David  C,  John  Lockwood, 
Margaret  Z.  2.  Josephine  Waterbury 
became  the  wife  of  Walter  Edward  Lea- 
man  ;  one  son,  Walter  Edward,  Jr.  The 
mother  of  this  family  is  an  attendant  of 
the  Universalist  church  of  Stamford.  Mr. 
Waterbury  is  a  member  of  the  Suburban 
Club,  of  Stamford,  the  Stamford  Yacht 
Club,  and  the  Woodway  Country  Club. 


WATERBURY,  Harry  Guley, 

Business  Man,  Public  Official. 

In  one  of  his  addresses,  the  late  Mar- 
shall Wilder  said:    "The  genealogy  of  a 


434 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


family  is  completely  barren,  unless  en- 
riched by  the  intermingling  of  biograph- 
ical sketches  which  may  stand  as  land- 
marks in  the  history  of  the  race."  A  fam- 
ily, therefore,  whose  members  have  con- 
ducted their  lives  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
bring  honor  and  distinction  to  the  name 
is  indeed  enriched  by  the  addition  of  the 
biographies  of  those  members. 

(VI)  Harry  Guley  Waterbury,  son  of 
Captain  William  Tell  and  Sarah  (Guley) 
Waterbury  (q.  v.),  is  a  splendid  example 
of  the  type  of  capable  man  of  affairs.  He 
was  born  November  lo,  1868,  in  Stam- 
ford, Connecticut.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  there.  He 
entered  the  employ  of  Lyman  Hoyt  & 
Son,  furniture  dealers,  where  he  remained 
for  ten  years.  For  the  succeeding  two 
and  one-half  years,  he  was  assistant  post- 
master, which  position  he  left  to  enter 
the  employ  of  the  Stamford  Gas  &  Elec- 
tric Company.  At  that  time  he  was  their 
only  clerk,  and  some  idea  of  the  growth 
of  Stamford  can  be  gleaned  from  the  fact 
that  there  are  now  twenty  persons  em- 
ployed in  the  office. 

Mr.  Waterbury  progressed  with  the 
passing  of  the  years,  and  to-day  holds  the 
position  of  auditor  of  the  company  with 
which  he  started  as  clerk.  He  is  well 
and  favorably  known  among  the  business 
men  of  his  native  city,  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  civic  and  social  life  there, 
and  has  several  times  served  in  public  of- 
fice. From  1904  to  1905  he  was  town 
treasurer,  and  since  1917  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Finance.  Several 
other  of  Stamford's  business  interests 
claim  his  attention,  namely,  the  Stam- 
ford Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  is  a  di- 
rector ;  treasurer  of  the  Woodland  Cem- 
etery Association,  and  treasurer  of  St. 
Andrew's  Episcopal  Church. 


Mr.  Waterbury,  fraternally,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  LTnion  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  and  has  served  as  past 
master  of  this  lodge ;  is  past  high  priest 
of  Rittenhouse  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons ;  is  past  thrice  illustrious  master  of 
Washington  Council,  Royal  and  Select 
Masters;  member  of  Clinton  Command- 
ery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Norwalk ;  Laf- 
ayette Consistory,  and  Pyramid  Temple, 
of  Bridgeport ;  member  of  Past  Masters' 
Association  of  Fairfield  County.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution  and  the  Military  Order 
of  Foreign  Wars. 

Mr.  Waterbury  married  Mary  L.  Clark, 
daughter  of  George  H.  Clark,  of  Pitts- 
field,  Massachusetts,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  a  daughter,  Beryl,  born  March 
20,  1902.  George  H.  Clark  was  the  son 
of  Selden  Yale  and  Hannah  N.  (Sears) 
Clark,  a  descendant  of  an  old  New  Eng- 
land family,  one  of  his  ancestors,  Jon- 
athan Clark,  having  been  a  signer  of  the 
Massachusetts  Constitution.  George  H. 
Clark  was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Massachu- 
setts, April  29,  1848,  and  died  September 
7,  1916.  He  was  long  connected  with 
the  government  paper  mills  at  that  place, 
where  paper  for  United  States  currency 
is  made.  Mr.  Clark  was  a  leading  citizen 
of  Pittsfield,  a  member  of  the  old  volun- 
teer fire  department,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  Democratic  political  affairs.  He 
was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  George  H.  Clark  married  Mary 
Baker,  born  February  16,  1850,  died  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1915.  Children:  George  H.,  Jr., 
and  Mary  L.,  who  married  Harry  G.  Wa- 
terbury. Mrs.  Waterbury  is  a  member  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, eligible  through  the  services  of  both 
Clark  and  Yale  ancestors. 


435 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


FOSTER,  Dean, 
Specialist  on  the  Eye,  Ear,  Nose,  Throat. 

New  York  City,  and  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, have  known  Dr.  Dean  Foster  in 
his  specialized  work  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  has  maintained  oi^ces 
in  both  places  for  the  treatment  of  dis- 
eases of  the  eye,  ear,  nose,  and  throat. 
Stamford  is  his  residence,  and  his  pro- 
fessional, social,  and  civic  connections 
are  mainly  with  the  organizations  and  in- 
stitutions of  Connecticut,  while  he  has 
been  called  into  the  public  service  as  the 
representative  of  his  district  in  the  State 
Senate.  Dr.  Foster  is  well  known  as  an 
able  specialist  in  the  branches  in  which 
he  has  directed  his  life  work,  and  he  has 
come  into  a  position  of  prominence  in  his 
calling  and  in  his  community. 

The  Foster  family,  of  English  origin, 
is  of  Colonial  record  in  New  England, 
and  its  branches  were  early  transplanted 
widely  throughout  the  country.  Andrew 
Foster,  grandfather  of  Dr.  Dean  Foster, 
was  born  at  Mififlinburg,  Pennsylvania, 
and  followed  the  farmer's  calling.  He 
married  Rachel  McMichael,  and  Edwards- 
burg,  Michigan,  became  the  family  home. 
This  was  the  birthplace  of  Thomas  Fos- 
ter, son  of  Andrew  and  Rachel  (Mc- 
Michael) Foster,  who  was  born  in  1846, 
and  there  grew  to  manhood.  Like  his 
father  he  was  an  agriculturist,  and  in 
1884  moved  to  Anthony,  Kansas,  where 
he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
was  a  past  master  in  the  Masonic  order 
at  Anthony,  and  was  also  a  member  of 
Harper  Commandery,  Knights  Templar. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  His  death  occurred  in  1899. 
Thomas  Foster  married  Alice  Dean, 
daughter  of  William  Dean,  of  Mifflin- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  a  member  of  an  old 
Colonial  family,  and  their  children  were : 


Dean,  of  whom  further;  Peggy,  married 
Edward  Fulton,  of  Caldwell,  Kansas : 
Andrew  J.,  of  Springdale,  Connecticut: 
Lloyd,  of  Freeport,  Kansas;  Hugh  M.,  an 
attorney  of  Globe,  Arizona;  and  Graham, 
likewise  an  attorney  of  Globe,  Arizona. 

Dr.  Dean  Foster,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Alice  (Dean)  Foster,  was  born  in  Ed- 
wardsburg,  Michigan,  in  1870,  and  pre- 
pared for  college  at  Lewis  Academy. 
Wichita,  Kansas.  Entering  the  Univer- 
sity of  Kansas,  he  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  the  class  of  1896,  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  having 
interrupted  his  course  by  one  year  of 
school  teaching.  For  one  year  prior  to 
his  college  entry  he  had  also  taught 
school.  His  classical  studies  were  fol- 
lowed by  a  course  in  the  Medical  School 
of  Yale  University,  and  in  1899  he  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
A  portion  of  the  following  year  was  spent 
as  an  interne  in  the  New  Haven  Hospital, 
and  the  two  following  years  were  occu- 
pied with  an  interneship  in  the  Manhattan 
Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  where  he  studied 
the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear, 
nose  and  throat.  In  1901,  Dr.  Foster  be- 
came a  resident  and  special  practitioner 
of  Stamford,  and  in  1902  he  opened  an 
office  in  New  York  City,  to  both  of  which 
he  has  since  given  his  time  and  attention. 
He  is  attending  ophthalmic  aural  and 
otological  surgeon  to  the  Stamford  Hos- 
pital and  to  the  Greenwich  Hospital,  and 
is  also  assistant  surgeon  at  the  Manhat- 
tan Eye  and  Ear  Hospital.  He  has  been 
honored  in  the  past  by  his  professional 
colleagues  of  Stamford  with  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Stamford  Medical  Society, 
and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  County 
and  State  Medical  societies  and  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association. 

Dr.  Foster  was  elected  to  the  Common 
Council  of  Stamford  in  191 1,  and  gave 
willingly  of  his  time  to  public  affairs.    In 


436 


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ind ?3vi  > 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1913  he  was  called  to  a  larger  field  of  use- 
fulness in  the  public  business,  and  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  received 
the  further  distinction  of  reelection  to  the 
same  important  office.  In  the  Senate  he 
was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  pub- 
lic welfare  and  of  the  committee  on  the 
sale  of  lands.  Dr.  Foster  is  a  member 
of  Union  Lodge,  No.  5,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  Clinton  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar,  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  and  is 
also  affiliated  with  Pyramid  Temple, 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Bridge- 
port. His  club  is  the  Suburban  of  Stam- 
ford. 

Dr.  Foster  married  Mabel  E.  Neale, 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Kathryn 
Neale,  of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of:  Alice  Dean,  Kathryn  E., 
and  Mabel  N. 


BRUSH,  Ralph  Emerson, 

Iiawyer,  Served  in  'World  War. 

While  a  resident  of  Greenwich,  Mr. 
Brush  as  the  possesor  of  a  lucrative  and 
growing  clientele  maintains  an  office  not 
only  in  his  home  town  but  also  in  New 
York  City.  During  the  recent  World 
War  he  made  an  honorable  record  in  the 
United  States  Navy,  and  in  the  promotion 
of  the  best  interests  of  his  community  he 
is  always  actively  interested. 

The  Brush  family  is  of  long  standing 
in  Greenwich,  having  been  founded  there 
by  one  of  two  brothers  who  went  thither 
from  Long  Island  soon  after  1700.  Their 
descendants  in  the  successive  genera- 
tions have  been  actively  instrumental  in 
the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the 
town  and  neighborhood. 

Joseph  Brush,  great-grandfather  of 
Ralph  Emerson  Brush,  was  the  owner  of 
a  large  part  of  the  town  of  Greenwich, 
from  Putnam  avenue  through  Rock  Ridge 
and   Edgewood  Park.     Mr.   Brush  mar- 


ried Sarah  A.  Mead,  daughter  of  Richard 
Mead. 

Amos  M.  Brush,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Sarah  A.  (Mead)  Brush,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 9,  1825,  in  Greenwich,  and  as  a  young 
man  was  in  business  at  Coscob,  where  he 
was  the  proprietor  of  a  general  store,  pur- 
chasing produce  from  farmers  and  run- 
ning market  sloops  to  New  York.  He 
also  dealt  extensively  in  cattle,  driving 
them  on  the  hoof  to  the  New  York  stock- 
yards. In  this  enterprise  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother  Benjamin,  under 
the  firm  name  of  A.  and  B.  Brush.  When 
Amos  M.  Brush  was  about  forty  years 
old  he  retired  from  business  and  for  a  few 
years  resided  in  New  York  City,  eventu- 
ally returning  to  Greenwich.  He  was  a 
Democrat,  and  for  many  years  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  Active  in 
town  affairs,  he  at  one  time  served  as 
lieutenant-colonel  on  the  staff  of  the  Gov- 
ernor. He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Congregational  church,  occupying  a  seat 
on  the  board  of  deacons.  Mr.  Brush 
married  Sarah  P.  Mead,  daughter  of 
Amos  Mead,  and  his  death  occurred  July 

30,  1905- 

Augustus  Mead  Brush,  son  of  Amos 
M.  and  Sarah  P.  (Mead)  Brush,  was  born 
May  13,  1856,  in  Greenwich,  and  edu- 
cated in  Prof.  Peck's  private  school.  On 
reaching  manhood  he  entered  the  iron, 
steel  and  plumbing  supply  business.  He 
resided  in  New  York  during  the  winters, 
spending  his  summers  in  Greenwich. 
Yachting  was  his  recreation,  and  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Riverside  Yacht  Club. 
He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  Christ 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Brush  married  Sarah  Hodgman, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Abbott  Hodgman,  of 
New  York  City.  Dr.  Abbott  Hodgman 
was  educated  at  Dartmouth  College  and 
received  his  professional  training  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New 


437 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


York.  His  death  occurred  February  26, 
1901.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brush  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  Abbott 
Purdy,  of  Greenwich ;  Ralph  Emerson,  of 
further  mention ;  Gladys  Merrill,  wife  of 
G.  Lawrence  Redman,  of  Greenwich ;  and 
Marjorie  E.  On  June  6,  1904,  Mr.  Brush 
passed  away  at  the  comparatively  early 
age  of  forty-two. 

Ralph  Emerson  Brush,  son  of  August- 
us Mead  and  Sarah  (Hodgman)  Brush, 
was  born  July  10,  1886,  in  New  York 
City,  and  received  his  earliest  education 
in  the  private  school  of  Miss  Elliott,  pass- 
ing thence,  successively,  to  grammar  and 
high  schools.  He  studied  for  his  profes- 
sion in  the  New  York  Law  School,  grad- 
uating on  June  18,  1908,  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  The  same  year  he 
was  admitted  to  the  New  York  bar,  and 
the  following  year  became  a  member  of 
the  bar  of  Connecticut.  After  practicing 
in  New  York  four  years  in  association 
with  the  firm  of  Wells  &  Snedeker,  he 
opened  his  own  office  in  Greenwich,  but 
still  maintains  an  office  in  New  York 
City. 

The  professional  progress  of  Mr.  Brush 
has  been  both  assured  and  rapid.  For 
two  years  he  filled  the  office  of  prosecut- 
ing attorney  in  Greenwich,  and  his  private 
practice  has  steadily  increased,  keeping 
pace  with  the  excellent  reputation  which 
he  has  built  up  alike  with  his  legal  asso- 
ciates and  the  general  public.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Putnam 
Trust  Company  and  is  now  a  director 
and  also  counsel  for  the  company.  He  is 
a  director  of  the  Putnam  Cemetery  As- 
sociation, and  of  the  Title  Insurance  and 
Mortgage  Company. 

The  interest  of  Mr.  Brush  in  politics  is 
from  the  standpoint  of  what  is  for  the 
best  good  of  the  community.  In  move- 
ments for  good  government  he  takes  an 
active    part.      He    affiliates    with    Acacia 


Lodge,  No.  89,  Ancient  Free  and  Accep- 
ted Masons,  and  belongs  to  the  Indian 
Harbor  Yacht  Club,  and  the  Greenwich 
Country  Club.  He  is  a  member  of  Christ 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

On  November  6,  19 17,  Mr.  Brush  en- 
listed in  the  United  States  Navy,  receiv- 
ing a  commission  as  ensign  in  the  United 
States  Naval  Reserves.  In  view  of  the 
fact  that  he  had  been  very  active  in 
yachting  and  had  made  a  study  of  navi- 
gation, he  was  assigned  to  the  Merchants' 
Auxiliary  at  Pelham  Bay,  as  instructor 
in  navigation.  In  June,  1918,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  lieutenant,  junior  grade,  and  in 
September  was  assigned  to  the  United 
States  Troop  Transport  "America,"  sail- 
ing for  Brest,  France.  His  duties  on 
shipboard  were  those  involved  in  the 
charge  of  fire  control.  Returning  from 
France  in  the  latter  part  of  October,  he 
arrived  in  New  York  harbor  on  a  Friday, 
and  on  the  following  Monday,  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  ship  on  which 
he  came  sank  at  her  pier  in  Hoboken. 
When  the  armistice  was  signed  Mr.  Brush 
was  sent  back  to  Pelham,  and  was  placed 
on  the  inactive  list,  December  31,  1918. 
In  May,  1919,  he  resumed  his  law  prac- 
tice in  Greenwich  and  New  York  City. 

Mr.  Brush  married,  April  29,  1916. 
Electa  Harper,  daughter  of  John  A.  and 
Flora  (Sherbourne)  Harper,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  they  are  the  parents  of  one 
child :  Electa  Harper  Brush,  born  July 
2,  1918. 

Able  as  he  is  to  look  back  upon  a  career 
of  patriotic  service,  as  well  as  upon  a 
record  of  professional  success,  Mr.  Brush's 
life-story  has  opened  under  the  happiest 
auspices.  Ever)'thing  indicates  that  the 
results  which  have  already  crowned  his 
work  at  the  bars  of  two  states  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  others  larger  and  more  satisfy- 
ing as  the  years  go  on. 


438 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


WALSH,  Hon.  Robert  Jay, 

Attorney  and  Statesman, 

In  all  histories  of  public  progress  and 
personal  achievement,  there  are  many 
names  which  it  is  the  delight  of  the  bi- 
ographer to  record.  These  names  are 
fraught  with  significance  to  the  commun- 
ity, the  State,  the  nation.  They  repre- 
sent lives  of  dignity  and  beneficence, 
spirits  strong  to  lead,  wise  to  guide,  capa- 
ble of  handling  great  issues  in  such  a  way 
as  to  avert  disaster.  The  city  of  Green- 
wich, Connecticut,  can  point  to  her  share 
of  these  names,  among  which  the  Honor- 
able Robert  Jay  Walsh  holds  a  high  place. 
While  the  fact  that  the  story  of  his  life 
is  now  a  memorial  record,  gives  it  a 
tinge  of  sadness,  still  it  gives  opportunity 
to  picture  with  greater  freedom  the  beauty 
and  fineness  of  the  character  which  made 
him  a  true  leader  among  men. 

Born  August  i,  1854,  in  Lewisboro, 
Westchester  county.  New  York,  his  boy- 
hood was  spent  in  a  section  which 
abounds  with  historical  interest;  and  per- 
haps it  was  only  natural  that  the  early 
impressions  should  give  him  an  impulse 
toward  the  public  service,  in  which  his 
brilliant  mentality  was  to  become  such 
an  important  factor  in  later  years.  He 
was  a  son  of  James  F.  and  Annie  E. 
Walsh,  highly  respected  citizens  of  the 
town  of  Lewisboro.  The  boy  was  only 
ten  years  old  when  the  family  removed 
to  Ridgefield,  Connecticut.  He  was  a 
studious  child,  and  having  attended 
school  regularly,  was  now  well  advanced 
in  the  elementary  studies,  which  he  con- 
tinued in  the  public  schools  of  the  town. 
When  twelve  years  of  age  he  entered  the 
High  Ridge  Institute  at  Ridgefield,  a 
school  widely  known  for  its  thorough  ex- 
cellence. The  learned  Prof.  William  O. 
Seymour,  later  railroad  commissioner  of 
Connecticut,   was   then   principal   of  the 


institution,  and  took  a  personal  interest 
in  the  lad. 

In  the  life  of  the  school  he  was  a  leader, 
being  popular  with  his  companions,  and 
interested  in  all  the  activities  of  the  in- 
stitution. But  it  was  not  within  the  na- 
ture of  the  boy  to  let  the  social  interests 
of  the  school  outweigh  the  intellectual. 
He  never  neglected  his  studies,  and  his 
work  was  always  characterized  by  that 
precision  which  bespeaks  careful  and 
thorough  preparation.  He  was  always 
cordially  loyal  to  the  ideals  of  the  insti- 
tution, and  in  sport  as  well  as  in  study 
stood  for  right  and  honesty.  He  attended 
this  school  for  two  years,  during  which 
time  he  gained  a  practical  knowledge  of 
the  higher  branches,  then  became  anxious 
to  strike  out  into  the  world  of  men  and 
afifairs  and  make  a  place  for  himself  which 
should  count  towards  his  future.  In  all 
the  later  life  of  the  man  the  most  idle  ob- 
server could  note  a  strong  vein  of  prac- 
tical common  sense.  And  now,  as  a  mere 
boy,  it  was  definitely  apparent  in  his 
choice  of  an  occupation.  Sturdy  and  well- 
grown,  he  delighted  in  athletic  activities 
and  tests  of  strength,  and  he  realized  that 
skill  in  some  branch  of  industry  was  an 
excellent  foundation  for  a  useful  career. 
Possessing  a  great  fondness  for  animals, 
he  chose  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  en- 
tered an  apprenticeship.  He  by  no  means 
dropped  his  studies,  but  spent  many  hours 
of  his  spare  time  in  reading  and  study. 

As  he  grew  towards  manhood  the  in- 
tellectual pursuits  held  stronger  appeal, 
and  when  he  had  mastered  his  trade,  he 
sought  the  advice  of  Dr.  William  S.  Todd, 
then  a  prominent  Ridgefield  physician. 
He  reviewed  his  English  studies  with  the 
doctor,  and  with  this  preparation  and  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  taught  school  for  a 
year.  Appreciating  to  the  full  the  respon- 
sibilities connected  with  this  vocation,  he 
entered  the  State  Normal  School  to  gain 

439 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


more  thorough  training,  but  receiving  a 
very  flattering  offer  from  a  school  in  Port- 
chester,  New  York,  did  not  remain  to  be 
graduated.  The  young  man's  genial  per- 
sonality and  habits  of  careful  study  com- 
bined to  make  him  a  beloved  as  well  as 
a  successful  teacher,  and  he  was  held  in 
warmest  regard  by  parents,  children,  and 
friends.  During  the  entire  period  of  his 
work  along  this  line,  he  made  his  influ- 
ence felt  throughout  the  community  in 
upholding  high  standards  among  the 
children  under  his  care.  Still  in  all  his 
young  manhood,  he  was  constantly  look- 
ing forward,  seeking  from  the  future  some 
higher,  broader  field  of  usefulness.  Char- 
acteristically, while  still  teaching  school, 
he  took  up  the  study  of  law  under  the 
direction  of  Col.  H.  W.  R.  Hoyt,  then 
and  for  many  years  thereafter,  a  promi- 
nent and  successful  attorney  at  Green- 
wich, Connecticut.  Colonel  Hoyt  saw  a 
brilliant  future  before  the  young  man,  ap- 
preciating to  the  full  his  analytical  tem- 
perament and  his  capacity  for  seeing  both 
sides  of  a  question.  He  frankly  en- 
couraged him  to  drop  the  work  of  teach- 
ing and  devote  all  his  time  to  preparation 
for  the  practice  of  the  law.  He  gave  the 
young  man  such  assistance  as  was  most 
practical — remunerative  work  in  his  own 
office,  together  with  help  in  professional 
study. 

Mr.  Walsh  was  admitted  to  the  Fair- 
field county  bar,  and  immediately  there- 
after taken  into  partnership  with  Colonel 
Hoyt,  the  experienced  man  giving  gen- 
erously of  the  ripened  fruits  of  his  years 
of  practice,  in  the  form  of  advice.  With 
unflagging  zeal  the  young  man  threw 
himself  into  the  work  he  had  chosen,  and 
while  he  never  failed  in  his  loyalty  to 
the  man  who  had  smoothed  his  way,  still 
his  native  diligence  and  indomitable  cour- 
age gave  him  the  personal  power  without 
which  no  real  success  can  be  achieved. 


Notwithstanding  his  deep  appreciation  of 
the  assistance  of  Colonel  Hoyt,  in  1882, 
Mr.  Walsh  desiring  absolute  freedom  of 
action  and  purpose,  opened  his  own  law 
offices  in  the  town  of  Greenwich. 

Gifted  with  an  unusually  pleasing  per- 
sonality, an  outgrowth  of  a  wholesome 
optimism  and  a  ready  sympathy  with  his 
kind,  he  won  and  held  the  confidence  of 
the  people,  and  soon  came  to  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  really  big  men  of  the  town. 
He  was  not  permitted  to  confine  his 
public  appearance  to  the  court  room.  His 
cool  judgment  and  invincible  logic  were 
needed  in  the  public  service,  and  it  was 
inevitable  that  the  Republican  party,  with 
which  he  was  closely  affiliated,  should 
make  him  a  leader.  He  gave  of  his  talents 
in  this  work,  as  in  every  branch  of  activ- 
ity, without  stint  of  self-consideration, 
bringing  all  the  force  of  his  nature  to  bear 
in  the  advancement  of  what  he  considered 
the  right. 

During  the  presidential  campaign  of 
1880,  he  took  the  stump  for  Garfield  and 
Arthur,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  a 
long  and  brilliant  public  career.  In  this 
same  year  he  was  elected  to  the  Repub- 
lican State  Central  Committee  for  the 
Twelfth  Senatorial  District  of  Connecti- 
cut, which  honor  he  held  for  nine  years,  j 
until  his  duties  as  judge  led  him  to  re-  I 
sign.  He  again  took  the  stump  during 
the  campaign  of  1884,  doing  eloquent  and 
forceful  work  in  support  of  Blaine  and 
Logan.  The  success  of  the  opposing 
party  in  the  presidential  election  in  no 
way  weakened  his  allegiance  to  Repub- 
lican principles,  and  before  the  close  of 
the  year  he  was  nominated  by  the  Repub- 
licans of  the  twelfth  district  as  their  can- 
didate for  the  State  Senate.  There  was 
great  enthusiasm  among  the  voters  of  the 
district,  and  he  was  elected  by  a  very 
large  majority,  running  far  ahead  of  his 
ticket.     He  was  made  secretary  of  the 


440 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


State  Central  Committee  in  1886,  and  his 
senatorial  record  had  so  established  him 
in  the  confidence  of  his  constituency  that 
upon  his  renomination,  they  reelected 
him  by  twice  his  first  majority. 

He  had  won  recognition  in  the  Senate 
as  a  man  of  power,  fearless  in  spirit,  keen 
of  wit,  relentless  and  untiring  in  pursuit 
of  his  object,  yet  always  a  fair  opponent 
and  graceful  in  relinquishing  a  point  to 
the  mind  of  the  majority.  He  served  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  incorpora- 
tions, in  1885,  and  later,  in  1886  and  1887, 
was  chairman  of  the  judiciary  committee. 
In  filling  these  important  positions,  for 
which  by  nature,  as  well  as  by  training, 
he  was  peculiarly  fitted,  he  demonstrated 
that  element  of  fairmindedness  which  so 
largely  contributed  to  the  success  of  his 
whole  career.  During  the  session  of  1887 
he  had  the  honor  of  being  called  to  pre- 
side over  the  senatorial  body  as  president 
pro  tern,  and  no  one  appreciated  more  than 
he  the  significance  of  the  dignity  being 
accorded  to  so  young  a  man.  In  1888  he 
was  nominated  by  his  party  for  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  State,  and  his  election  was 
included  in  the  success  of  the  ticket.  In 
the  spring  of  1889  the  home  county  called 
upon  him  to  fill  a  position  demanding 
every  power  and  grace  with  which  the 
man  was  so  generously  endowed.  He  was 
appointed  judge  of  the  Criminal  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  in  Fairfield  county. 
Rarely  indeed  is  a  man  found  who  fills  this 
responsible  and  dignified  position  as  well 
and  as  conscientiously  as  did  Judge 
Walsh.  Appreciating  to  the  full  the  psy- 
chological side  of  criminology,  his  fine 
discernment  and  unwavering  sense  of 
justice  made  him  no  easy  prey  to  senti- 
ment. His  thorough  training  and  wide 
experience  gave  him  a  firm  grasp  on  the 
most  complicated  legal  problems,  and  his 
clear-sighted  progress  through  the  most 


tangled  case  made  him  the  admiration  of 
all  connected  with  it. 

With  the  arduous  duties  thus  devolving 
upon  him,  he  made  every  effort  to  with- 
draw from  all  political  connections,  and 
positively  refused  renomination  to  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  State,  which  he  had 
filled  with  so  much  honor  to  his  party 
and  satisfaction  to  his  constituency.  The 
Legislature,  however,  failed  to  declare  the 
election  of  his  successor,  and  since  it  was 
constitutionally  impossible  for  the  office 
to  remain  vacant,  he  filled  the  office  until 
another  election  released  him  from  it,  and 
allowed  him  to  give  his  full  time  to  the 
county  judgeship,  where  his  personality 
was  becoming  a  power  for  right  and  jus- 
tice. But  his  party  had  not  released  him 
permanently  from  the  broader  service  to 
the  State,  as  time  proved. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  noteworthy 
periods  of  Judge  Walsh's  public  service 
was  in  1885.  He  had  for  some  time  served 
as  corporation  counsel  for  the  borough  of 
Greenwich,  and  his  capacity  for  the  wise 
administratiion  of  public  affairs  became 
so  widely  recognized  that  Governor  Har- 
rison, in  that  year,  appointed  him  a  mem- 
ber of  the  commission  to  revise  the  stat- 
utes of  Connecticut.  He  was  one  of  the 
youngest  in  that  body  of  men,  all  eminent 
in  the  legal  profession.  His  influence 
upon  the  deliberations  of  the  commission 
was  apparent  from  the  first.  His  keen 
mind  and  progressive  spirit  made  him  a 
recognized  leader  among  them,  and  it  was 
cordially  conceded  that  much  of  the  suc- 
cess of  the  commission  was  due  to  his 
efforts.  There  is  a  particularly  charac- 
teristic touch  in  the  fact  that  personally 
he  was  more  proud  of  having  been  the 
counsel  for  the  town  of  Greenwich  for 
a  period  of  thirty-five  years  of  changing 
political  administrations  of  the  town  gov- 
ernment than  of  any  of  the  more  showy 


441 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  solid  honors  that  came  to  him  from 
the  larger  outside  world. 

The  depth,  as  well  as  the  breadth  of  the 
character  of  the  man  was  apparent  in  the 
less  conspicuous  activities  for  the  public 
good  which  always  commanded  his  cor- 
dial interest  and  earnest  support.  While, 
as  one  of  the  most  distinguished  attorneys 
of  his  time,  and  as  an  honored  judge,  the 
arduous  duties  of  his  professional  life 
might  have  excused  him  from  many  pub- 
lic offices  in  which  his  talent  was  needed, 
still  he  served  most  devotedly  wherever 
he  found  the  opportunity.  The  financial 
world  of  his  town  and  county  has  reason 
long  to  appreciate  the  prosperity  which 
was  founded  largely  on  his  sound  common 
sense  and  sagacious  judgment.  At  the 
time  of  the  organization  of  the  Greenwich 
Trust  Loan  and  Deposit  Company,  he 
turned  his  great  ability  to  most  practical 
use  in  establishing  it  securely  in  the  con- 
fidence of  the  public.  For  many  years  he 
was  president  of  this  company,  the  honor 
being  entirely  unsought  so  far  as  he  was 
concerned,  indeed  his  election  to  this 
office  took  place  while  he  was  absent  from 
home  on  an  extended  vacation,  one  of  his 
rare  periods  of  relaxation,  and  continued 
as  its  president  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
a  period  of  twenty-seven  years.  He  was 
a  director  of  the  Greenwich  Gas  and  Elec- 
tric Light  Company,  being  one  of  its  most 
enthusiastic  promoters,  this  at  a  period 
when  few  communities  of  similar  size  as- 
pired to  the  dignity  of  city  conveniences. 
He  was  for  some  time  secretary  of  the 
Hawthorne  Mills  Company,  manufac- 
turers of  high-grade  woolen  fabrics,  cap- 
italized in  the  millions,  and  located  in 
Greenwich  and  New  York  City ;  president 
of  Abendroth  Brothers  Foundry  at  Port 
Chester,  New  York,  manufacturers  of 
boilers,  coal  and  gas  ranges  and  soil  pipe, 
a  successful  concern  employing  about  five 
hundred  men,  of  which  he  was  president 


up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Also  presi- 
dent of  the  Greenwich  Water  Company, 
the  water  supply  for  Greenwich,  Port 
Chester  and  Rye,  New  York,  holding 
office  up  to  his  death.  He  was  also  deeply 
interested  in  real  estate  development,  and 
there  are  many  evidences  about  the  vicin- 
ity of  Greenwich  of  his  taste  and  good 
judgment  in  the  laying  out  of  residential 
sections.  He  was  also  president  of  the 
Putnam  Cemetery  Association ;  director. 
New  York  &  Stamford  railroad;  trustee 
of  Greenwich  Y.  M.  C.  A. ;  trustee  of 
Greenwich  Library  Association;  charter 
member  of  Greenwich  Country  Club ; 
member  of  Blind  Brook  Country  Club ; 
of  Indian  Harbor  Yacht  Club ;  of  Repub- 
lican Club  of  New  York;  Acacia  Lodge, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Greenwich ; 
Empire  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  of  Greenwich. 

Perhaps  in  these  varied  activities  one 
can  measure  the  man  more  accurately 
than  in  his  professional  and  political  ca- 
reer. In  the  latter,  unquestionably,  he 
reached  an  enviable  position,  but  in  those 
civic  and  business  interests  to  which  he 
turned  as  relaxation,  in  a  way,  his  world 
found  the  human  and  warmly  personal 
side  of  the  man.  He  had  a  genius  for  the 
right  thing — the  kind  thing — and  his 
world  was  not  slow  to  learn  to  love  him 
as  loyally  and  deeply  as  it  had  long  ad- 
mired him. 

Still  another  side  of  his  rich  and  whole- 
some nature,  but  a  side  known  only  to  his 
closest  friends,  as  the  home  life  in  which 
he  was  a  devoted  husband  and  father.  He 
married  Anna  A.,  daughter  of  Matthew 
Merritt,  a  very  prominent  resident  of 
Fairfield  county.  They  were  the  parents 
of  three  charming  daughters :  Lucy  M., 
who  is  the  wife  of  Walter  B.  Todd, 
son  of  Dr.  William  S.  Todd,  makes  her 
home  in  Greenwich ;  Edith  B.,  who  was 
the  wife  of  A.  W.  W.  Marshall,  vice-presi- 


442 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


dent  of  the  Greenwich  Trust  Company, 
of  Greenwich  ;  she  was  the  mother  of  a 
son,  Robert  Jay  Walsh  Marshall,  bom 
August  20,  1906;  she  died  February  4, 
1910;  Roberta  Jay,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Lloyd  S.  Cooney,  now  living  on  Middle- 
sex road,  Noroton,  Connecticut,  but  for- 
merl}-  of  Greenwich.  They  are  leaders  in 
the  social  life  of  the  county,  and  earnest 
workers  in  every  movement  for  the  public 
welfare,  local.  State  and  National. 


WILLIAMSON,  Charles  E., 

Prosecuting   Attorney. 

One  of  the  acknowledged  leaders  of  the 
Fairfield  county  bar,  Charles  Ernest  Wil- 
liamson, is  also  one  of  the  eminently  pub- 
lic-spirited citizens  of  Connecticut.  He  is 
distinguished  by  his  zeal  in  the  public 
service,  and  has  several  times  been  called 
upon  to  represent  his  fellow-citizens  in 
both  the  upper  and  lower  house  of  the 
Legislature.  Since  1913  Mr.  Williamson 
has  held  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney 
of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  has  discharged  the  duties 
of  this  office  has  been  one  of  satisfaction 
to  the  people  of  that  city. 

(I)  Alanson  Williamson,  grandfather  of 
Charles  E.  Williamson,  was  born  in  Bed- 
ford, New  York,  January  7,  1815,  and  died 
at  Darien,  Connecticut,  April  20,  1904. 
He  married,  August  14,  1836,  Elizabeth 
Hoyt,  born  September  11,  1815,  at  Pound- 
ridge,  New  York,  and  died  November  17, 
1905,  at  Darien,  Connecticut,  daughter  of 
Jesse  and  Sarah  (Norman)  Hoyt.  She 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  the  immigrant, 
Simon  Hoyt,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  whose  ancestry 
follows  in  detail. 

(II)  George  Henry  Williamson,  son  of 
Alanson  and  Elizabeth  (Hoyt)  William- 
son, was  born  December  29,  1843.  He 
lived   at  Darien,   Connecticut,  and   mar- 


ried, July  22,  1869,  Cynthia  Drugen  Mills- 
paugh,  born  September  12,  1846,  daughter 
of  Erastus  Elmer  and  Elizabeth  Ann 
(Derrbon)  Millspaugh  (see  Millspaugh 
line).  George  Henry  and  Cynthia  Dru- 
gen (Millspaugh)  Williamson  were  the 
parents  of  three  sons:  i.  Frederick  H., 
born  October  17,  1876,  of  Brooklyn,  New 
York.  2.  Charles  Ernest,  of  further  men- 
tion. 3.  Norman  Lester,  of  Darien,  Con- 
necticut, born  there,  June  15,  1881. 

(Ill)  Charles  Ernest  Williamson,  son 
of  George  Henry  and  Cynthia  Drugen 
(Millspaugh)  Williamson,  was  born 
March  29,  1879,  ^^  Darien,  Connecticut. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Darien  and  at  the  Stamford  High  School, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1898,  after 
which  he  spent  a  year  in  the  Yale  Law 
School.  In  1900  he  was  employed  as  a 
clerk  in  the  grocery  house  of  Richard  J. 
Rogers  in  New  York  City,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  On  June  16,  1903, 
Mr.  Williamson  was  appointed  financial 
clerk  at  the  Fitch  Home  for  Soldiers  at 
Noroton,  Connecticut,  which  office  he 
resigned  October  21,  1907.  While  thus 
earning  his  living,  he  continued  his  study 
of  law  at  the  New  York  Law  School's 
evening  sessions,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  January,  1907.  The  same  year  he 
entered  the  office  of  John  W.  Banks,  who 
is  now  judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  and 
remained  with  Judge  Banks  until  1916. 
In  that  year  Mr.  Williamson  formed  his 
present  association  with  Spottiswood  D. 
Bowers,  under  the  firm  name  of  Bowers 
&  Williamson,  and  their  practice  is  a 
general  one. 

Mr.  Williamson  has  ever  been  inter- 
ested in  all  matters  of  public  interest  from 
a  youth.  As  early  as  1908  he  was  a  can- 
didate for  Representative  to  the  Legisla- 
ture and  received  one  hundred  and  sixty 
out  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  votes 
in  the  caucus.     In  the  legislative  session 


443 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  1909  he  was  chairman  of  the  commis- 
sion on  banking,  and  was  again  elected 
in  1910,  serving  on  the  same  commission. 
Sufficient  warrant  of  the  confidence  his 
constituents  had  in  his  ability  was  shown 
in  191 5  when  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  and  served  on  the  Judiciary 
Committee.  The  following  year  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  served  as 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Forfeited 
Rights,  and  also  on  the  Humane  Insti- 
tutions Committee.  In  1918  he  was 
reelected  to  the  Senate.  Since  entering 
politics,  Mr.  Williamson  has  been  a  dele- 
gate to  every  State  convention  except  that 
of  1910.  In  1913  he  was  appointed  pros- 
ecuting attorney  of  Bridgeport,  Connecti- 
cut, as  above  noted,  and  he  maintains  his 
residence  in  Darien. 

Mr.  Williamson  is  a  member  of  Puritan 
Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, of  Stamford,  and  of  the  Algonquin 
Club,  of  Bridgeport. 

(The  Hoyt  Line). 

(I)  Simon  Hoyt  was  in  Salem  in  1628 
or  1629,  and  came  in  either  the  ship 
"Abigail,"  or  the  "George."  He  was  a 
pioneer  in  several  places  in  New  England, 
and  at  length  settled  in  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  died. 

(II)  Joshua  Hoyt,  son  of  Simon  Hoyt, 
was  born  about  1641,  and  died  in  1690. 
The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary. 

(III)  Joshua  (2)  Hoyt,  son  of  Joshua 
and  Mary  Hoyt,  was  born  October  4,  1670, 
and  died  January  i,  1744.  He  also  lived  in 
Stamford,  and  married,  March  16,  1698, 
Mary  Pickett,  who  died  November  10, 
1732. 

(IV)  Job  Hoyt,  son  of  Joshua  (2)  and 
Mary  (Pickett)  Hoyt,  was  born  January 
22,  1703-04,  and  died  October  13,  1754. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  New  Canaan 
church,  September  7,  1735.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Lockwood,  born  May  15,  1708, 


at  Stamford,  Connecticut,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Ayers)  Lockwood, 
and  granddaughter  of  the  immigrant  of 
this  distinguished  family,  Robert  Lock- 
wood.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Lockwood)  Hoyt 
was  admitted  to  the  church  in  New  Ca- 
naan, Connecticut,  July  21,  1734. 

(V)  Jesse  Hoyt,  son  of  Job  and  Eliza- 
beth (Lockwood)  Hoyt,  was  baptized 
April  24,  1743,  and  died  between  1829  and 
1831.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  actively  engaged  along  our 
northern  frontier,  and  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  British  troops  in  their  raid  on 
Poundridge  in  1779,  but  escaped.  In  1806 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Poundridge 
church,  and  during  the  Revolution  was  a 
member  of  one  of  the  local  regiments. 

(VI)  Jesse  (2)  Hoyt,  son  of  Jesse 
Hoyt,  was  born  June  3,  1775,  in  Pound- 
ridge, and  died  at  Laceyville,  Ohio,  Octo- 
ber 2,  1856.  He  married  (second),  April 
14,  1804,  Sarah  Norman,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  Elizabeth  Hoyt,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Alanson  Williamson,  as 
above  noted. 

(The  Millspaugh  Line). 

Erastus  Elmer  Millspaugh  was  born 
February  5,  1805,  and  died  September  2, 
1886.  He  married,  April  23,  1831,  Eliza- 
beth Ann  Derrbon,  born  June  17,  1814, 
and  died  February  3,  1889.  Their  daugh- 
ter, Cynthia  Drugen  Millspaugh,  married 
George  H.  Williamson,  as  above  noted. 
Erastus  E.  Millspaugh  was  a  son  of  Ed- 
ward M.  Millspaugh,  the  latter  born  De- 
cember 8,  1781,  died  June  17,  1842.  He 
married,  February  23,  1804,  Ann  Cather- 
ine Latte,  born  September  20,  1787,  died 
December  18,  1823.  His  father,  Matthias 
Millspaugh,  was  born  June  7,  1748,  and 
died  April  27,  1796.  He  married  Elsie 
Kimbach.  He  was  the  son  of  Peter  and 
Susanna  (Comfort)  Millspaugh,  and 
grandson  of  Matthias  Millspaugh.     The 


444 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   B! 


^51 


Millspaugh  family  were  csirJy  settled  in 
Montgomery,  Orange  c"-'>^  '  ••"  V  ,iL 
having  left  their  home  it; 
of  religious  persecution,  .-.^.v  ..■  .  ■.-.■. 
families  who  came  together  in  1730, 
namely,  Sinsb"«gh,  Miltzpach,  Book- 
staver  and  Younjjlilood.  Their  first  win- 
ter was  spent  in  a  dugout,  and  the  fol- 
low^ing  spring  they  built  a  log  church, 
where  they  worshipped  for  many  year? 
These  families  purchased  over  a  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  the  town,  and  part  ol  this 
same  land  is  now'  in  the  possession  of 
their  descendants. 


SMmiel.     A«a»,     ao4 


SKEEL,  Adelbert  Arthur, 

I/awyer,  Veteraa  of  Spaaich-Aaaeriqaji  War. 

<J,    Li  «: 

The  Skeel  family  has  a  long  and  bow-  and  a- 
ored  ancestry  in  Connecticut,  \\hence  conclu 
branches  have  spread  to  neighl)r,nng  Arad  : 
States  ;ir  '    '  '..lut  the  country.    This  ^v 

outline  i  John  Skeel,  who  mar-      Cj'>....r 

ried  Haiir,,:).      ,  i':,!.  daughter  of  Roger     1  ' 
Terrill,  and  refn-^'-ed  from  South  Britain, 
Connecticut,  to  "WModLiury,  in  this  .State.      ^ 
John  Skeel  died  Octolier  5,  1721 ;  his  wife     !> 
died  November  11,  1730.    They  were  the     bn-  .  ; 
parents  of  John,  of  whom  further;  Han-     Lydia 
nah,    Thomas,    Elizabeth,    Abigail,    and      -• 
Ephraim. 

John  (2)  Skeel,  son  of  John  and  Han- 
nah (Terrill)  Skeel,  was  born  in  Novero-     ; 
ber,  1679.  *"<^  ^^^^  May  25,  1727.    He  was     01    '  ■• 
of  Woodbury  in   1702.     He  and  his  wife.      War   ^ 
Sarah,    were    the    pare=i  >■     Prent> 

Miriam;  John,  who,  w~  of  w^h- 

G'-'  Adoniram,  and  L.::-^i.;  ,■..  cj-d  x  :' 
'  Mabel,  settled  in  Durham,  .\1-  J 
■nty,  New  York;  Ephraim;  Abi- 
i:tthan ;  Samuel,  of  whom  further  ; 
id  Hannah. 

;  Skeel.  son  of  John  (2)  and 
Sar.i;,  ^keel,  married  Lydia  Belden,  and 
they  had  children :  Belden ;  Truman,  of 


M  :*. 


O.rcn   Sketi.  >.or.  oi  Rrv 
Lydia  (Prentice)  .Skeel,  wa- 
York-  State,  and  became  an 
in  lH'iioi?.  Vi/'-itirnr  in  the  t 


i  "^per- 
Maria 


445 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Douglas,  daughter  of  Warner  and  Charity 
(Remington)  Douglas,  her  father  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestry  and  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, where  his  father  owned  a  consider- 
able estate.  Warner  Douglas  was  taken 
in  his  youth  by  two  elder  half-brothers  to 
Liverpool  at  a  period  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  and  was  bound  in  service 
to  the  captain  of  a  ship  sailing  out  of  that 
port.  The  lad  escaped  from  the  vessel, 
and  by  good  fortune  was  befriended  by  a 
clergyman  in  Boston,  Massacusetts,  who 
took  him  into  his  family  and  reared  him. 
In  manhood,  Warner  Douglas  moved  to 
Wolcott,  Wayne  county.  New  York.  His 
wife  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  Car- 
oline Maria  Douglas  was  an  early  advo. 
cate  of  prohibition,  militant  in  her  ardoi 
for  the  cause,  and  led  a  mob  in  a  raid 
upon  the  first  saloon  in  Lena,  Illinois. 

James  D.  Skeel,  son  of  Oren  and  Caro- 
line Maria  (Douglas)  Skeel,  was  born  in 
Stephenson  county,  Illinois,  in  1850.  He 
was  educated  in  the  township  schools  and, 
learning  the  trade  of  carpenter  in  ■  his 
youth,  followed  it  for  a  time,  also  engag- 
ing in  agricultural  operations.  Subse- 
quently, he  became  a  pattern-maker,  was 
for  a  time  a  stationary  engineer,  and  after- 
ward superintendent  of  the  Stover  Man- 
ufacturing Company  at  Freeport,  Illinois. 
For  several  years  he  has  been  retired  from 
active  life,  enjoying  a  well-earned  leisure. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Schadell,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Schadell.  Children :  Cora,  mar- 
ried William  M.  Schlott,  of  Freeport, 
Illinois;  Alvah,  of  Freeport,  Illinois; 
Theron,  deceased ;  Adelbert  Arthur,  of 
whom  further;  Pearl,  married  Daniel 
MacNeill,  of  Freeport,  Illinois ;  Maurice, 
a  resident  of  Freeport ;  Ethel,  married 
Albert  Albright,  of  Dakota,  Illinois. 

Adelbert  Arthur  Skeel,  son  of  James  D. 
and  Elizabeth  (Schadell)  Skeel,  was  born 
in  Lena,  Stephenson  county,  Illinois,  May 


15,  1878,  and  after  attending  the  public 
schools  of  Freeport,  Illinois,  became  a 
student  in  the  Northwestern  Academy  at 
Evanston.  For  a  time  he  was  a  student 
at  the  noted  Cheshire  Military  Academy 
at  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  proceeding  to 
the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of  Yale 
University  and  being  graduated  in  1904 
with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  In  1907  he 
graduated  from  the  Yale  Law  School, 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  the  same  year,  and  until  191 1 
pursued  professional  practice  in  New 
Haven.  In  that  year  Mr.  Skeel  came  to 
Stamford  and  formed  an  association  with 
Cummings  &  Lockwood  that  endured  for 
three  years,  since  which  time  he  has  prac-  l 
ticed  independently.  Early  in  his  Stam-  I 
ford  residence  he  was  called  into  the  pub- 
lic service  and  he  has  filled  the  office  of 
corporation  counsel  of  the  city  of  Stam-  J 
ford  for  five  terms  with  conspicuous  sue-  I 
cess.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political  sym- 
pathy, has  acted  as  moderator  of  town 
meetings,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  sev-  J 
eral  party  conventions.  I 

Mr.  Skeel  enlisted  in  Chicago,  Illinois, 
in  Company  B,  3rd  Mississippi  Regiment, 
United  States  Volunteers,  and  served  dur- 
ing the  Spanish-American  War,  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  United  Spanish  War 
Veterans.  During  the  World  War  he 
held  the  rank  of  sergeant  in  the  State 
Guard.  Mr.  Skeel  is  a  member  of  Puri- 
tan Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows ;  Union  Lodge,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Mechanics,  and  of  the  Suburban 
Club. 

Mr.  Skeel  married  Helen  Louise  Peck, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Hall  Peck,  of  Che- 
shire, Connecticut,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  daughter,  Esther,  born  April 
22,  1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skeel  are  mem- 
bers of  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  Mr.  Skeel  is  auditor. 


446 


iiiliiiliii 


^.^  L.lvS^x^^'W^ 


KNCYCLOPEDIA  O' 


WHITE,  Ralph  Lewis 

Physician.    «-t".». 

There  i?  n 
the  prof- 
the  youn 
fulness,  asi.i 
Ralph  Lewis  ' 
necticut,  is  c: 
born    in    Slo;  i 
New  York,  Jutu.  :.. 
and  Frances  (Bee 
i.on  of  David  Whut 

Dr.    White    wa-    . -'  ■ 
School,  New  York 
University.     In    in 
the  University  ol  ' 
gree  of  M.  D.    For  •. 
following,  Dr.  White  was  \\ 
Samaritan  Hospital  of  Ne^v 
and  also  spent  six  months  at  the  u^ 
Hospital.     T'nti!   1913  he  was  I'.k.m 
Eddy    C'  V    Mexico.    v:\\.v 

practice:  -ars,  and  in  th" 

year  loc  Canaan, ' 

There  h-.-  --sfully  pr. 

the  World  Vvar,  which  brou; 
demand  for  trained  men  1. 
sions. 

On  August   II,   TQi: 
commissioned    firs' 
Reserve  Corp^  ;;■ 
school  at  W.: 
bia,  wher^  hs- 
From  Hob'iv 
sailed  for  F-Hj^: 
Blackpool.  R.  A,  M.  C    • 
six  week?.  v.b'Tr  'i'^  :<  .1 
Thenre  ' 
there   h 
Field  T! 
charu'. 


McCrt 


battaho: 
Brigfadc, 


rh  trf  New 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BORG,  Henry  L.,  A.  B.,  Ph.  G.,  Ph.  D., 

state   Chemist. 

All  lines  of  honest  effort  bear  relative 
importance  to  the  public  welfare,  but 
many  a  man  has  made  his  chosen  work 
broadly  significant  for  good  by  tireless 
energy,  a  capacity  for  exhaustive  research 
and  precise  conclusions,  and  the  practical 
application  of  his  knowledge  to  everyday 
problems.  In  such  a  relation  to  the  com- 
munity stands  Henry  L.  Borg,  of  Stam- 
ford, Connecticut. 

The  name  of  Borg  is  of  peculiarly  in- 
teresting origin.  In  Sweden  it  is  custom- 
ary to  give  certain  surnames  to  men  who 
have  given  military  service.  These  sur- 
names are  retained  after  leaving  the  army, 
and  it  is  considered  a  great  honor  to  be 
permitted  to  bear  them.  As  an  inher- 
itance handed  down  from  father  to  son, 
they  are  borne  proudly,  showing  as  they 
do  the  military  record  of  the  family.  The 
nam  of  Borg  is  of  such  derivation. 

Dr.  Borg's  grandfather  was  a  manufac- 
turer of  piano  wire,  and  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  producing  the  finest  bass  strings 
on  the  market  in  his  day.  He  was  a  man 
of  more  than  local  note  in  Sweden,  and 
was  interested  in  public  progress  as  well 
as  in  the  business  in  which  he  attained 
success.  He  controlled  the  local  newspa- 
per, and  was  instrumental  in  forwarding 
the  interests  of  his  community,  his  fear- 
lessness and  sound  common  sense  giving 
him  an  influential  position  in  the  province. 
When  the  telephone  was  first  introduced 
into  Sweden  he  defrayed  the  expense  from 
his  personal  means  of  erecting  a  tele- 
phone line  from  Stockholm  in  order  that 
he  might  give  his  readers  the  latest  news 
while  it  was  still  vitally  fresh  and  im- 
portant in  the  great  centers  of  population. 
He  was  one  of  the  burgomasters  of  the 
town  in  which  his  family  had  been  large 
land-owners  for  generations. 


Of  the  next  generation,  Albert  Borg, 
the  present  Dr.  Borg's  father,  was  bom 
in  the  Province  of  Wwemmerberg,  Swe- 
den. At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  came 
to  America  with  his  parents.  The  family 
settled  in  Altoona,  Pennsylvania,  where 
the  young  lad  began  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  town.  Mentally  he 
was  generously  endowed,  and  his  splendid 
inheritance  of  physical  health  carried  him 
through  the  period  of  his  education,  when 
his  studious  tastes  would  have  been  very 
trying  to  one  less  robust.  He  was  a  great 
student  of  history,  delighting  in  the  great 
deeds  of  men  of  all  times  and  all  nations. 
Later  his  parents  removed  to  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  where  he  continued  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Hartford  public  high  school. 
Later  he  studied  law,  but  while  he  found 
great  satisfaction  in  the  knowledge 
thereby  gained,  he  never  practiced.  The 
field  of  merchandising  appealed  to  him 
more  strongly,  and  here  his  training  in 
broad  and  varied  interests  gave  him  an 
appreciable  advantage.  He  became  in- 
terested in  a  chain  of  grocery  stores  oper- 
ating in  many  Eastern  cities,  including 
Hartford,  New  Britain,  and  Bridgeport, 
having  as  an  allied  interest  the  importa- 
tion of  high  grade  liquors.  These  stores 
were  uniformly  successful.  He  was 
associated  with  this  company  for  about 
twenty  years,  then  withdrew,  but  re- 
tained the  Bridgeport  interests,  which  he 
continued  to  operate  until  the  time  of  his 
death.  Like  his  father,  he  was  public- 
spirited  and  a  thoroughly  progressive 
man,  and  was  prominent  in  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

His  wife,  Christine  Borg,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Axel  Johnson.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  ten  children,  among  whom  seven 
lived  to  mature  years :  Henry  L.,  of  whom 
we  give  more  extended  mention ;  Hilda, 
who  married  Harry  Benedict,  of  Bridge- 
port ;  Eva,  Edith,  Frederick,  Sidney,  and 


448 


•^bert  Borg, 


^'  mnamiiy 
r'™ia,  where 
Jwtion  in  the 


Di  grocer}' stores  0 
Hera  cities,  iEclm 


bterest  the  importa- 
jior;.  These  stores 
ssiol  He  was 
■  for  about 
(ithdrew,  but  re- 
interests,  which  he 
dtil  the  time  of  his 
,  he  was  public- 
progressive 
BthelndepenJ- 


e  the  par- 


m 


m 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Ferris.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church. 

Henry  L.  Borg  was  born  in  Bristol, 
Connecticut,  June  13,  1882,  and  is  the 
eldest  son  of  Albert  and  Christine  (John- 
son) Borg.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  that  town, 
but  showed  such  capacity  for  diligent  and 
precise  work  that  his  parents  gave  him 
opportunities  broader  than  any  to  be 
found  in  a  small  town  to  prepare  for  a 
future  of  usefulness.  When  he  was 
twelve  years  old  he  was  sent  abroad,  and 
enjoyed  a  year  and  a  half  of  study  at 
Upsula,  a  school  connected  with  the  Uni- 
versity of  Gottenberg.  Later,  when  the 
family  resided  in  Bridgeport,  he  attended 
school  in  that  city,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Bridgeport  public  high  school. 
For  a  year  he  attended  Yale  University, 
then  entered  the  University  of  New  York, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1900  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Through 
the  formative  years  of  his  life,  he  showed 
great  decision  of  character  and  steadfast- 
ness of  purpose.  So  it  was  as  a  man,  with 
his  life  work  before  him,  that  he  entered 
Columbia  University  School  of  Pharmacy 
the  following  autumn.  Here  two  years' 
work  gave  him  the  degree  of  Graduate 
Pharmacist,  and  in  1904  he  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  His  the- 
sis, "The  Superphosphates,"  gave  evi- 
dence of  careful  research. 

The  young  man  then  took  up  post-grad- 
uate work  in  Bacteriology  at  the  South- 
ern University,  Baltimore,  Maryland. 
This  institution  is  a  department  of  the 
Johns  Hopkins  University,  world-famous 
in  this  branch  of  science.  In  this  connec- 
tion, Mr.  Borg  also  covered  the  regular 
medical  course.  This  was  not  with  the 
intention  of  practicing  medicine,  but  to 
fit  himself  for  every  branch  of  chemical 
work,  including  autopsies. 

With  this  broadly  comprehensive  pre- 

Conn— 8— 29 


paration,  he  came  to  Stamford  and  estab- 
lished the  Borg  Laboratories.  Here  he 
keeps  well  abreast  of  the  times,  and  has 
done  much  work  of  real  significance.  He 
now  has  nine  men  in  his  employ.  Not  long 
after  this  important  beginning,  he  pur- 
chased a  drug  store,  which  has  since  been 
successfully  conducted  under  the  name  of 
Borg  Brothers.  In  April,  1919,  The  Borg 
Products  Company  was  organized,  with 
Dr.  Borg  as  president  and  manager.  This 
company  manufactures  a  general  line  of 
baker's  supplies,  including  shortening, 
extracts,  flavors,  etc.  The  company  em- 
ploys about  thirty-five  people.  In  this 
eminently  practical  way.  Dr.  Borg  ap- 
plies the  knowledge  he  has  won  through 
the  years  of  study,  giving,  it  need  hardly 
be  said,  the  most  painstaking  attention 
to  every  detail  which  will  perfect  the  qual- 
ity of  his  products.  The  buildings  are 
equipped  with  every  modern  device 
adapted  to  this  line  of  production,  and 
special  attention  is  given  to  sanitation 
through  every  process  of  production.  The 
buildings  occupied  are  those  formerly 
used  by  the  Mianus  Motor  Works. 

It  was  inevitable  that  a  man  of  this 
calibre,  with  training  which  has  made  for 
such  wide  usefulness,  should  be  called  to 
public  service.  Dr.  Borg  has  been  State 
Chemist  for  some  years.  In  1916  he 
opened  a  laboratory  in  Bridgeport.  The 
principal  work  done  there  is  clinical,  and 
five  men  are  employed  under  his  direction. 
Socially  he  has  not  been  allowed  to  for- 
get his  position  in  the  public  eye.  He  is 
a  member  of  Phi  Chi  at  Columbia ;  Kappa 
Phi  at  Johns  Hopkins ;  and  the  Alumni 
Association  of  both  universities.  He  is  a 
member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  5,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Stamford; 
Rittenhouse  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons ;  Washington  Council,  Royal  and 
Select  Masters;  Clinton  Commandery, 
Knights    Templar,    of    South    Norwalk; 

449 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Lafayette  Consistory,  of  Bridgeport;  Pyr- 
amid Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine ;  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  of  Stamford ;  Excelsior 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Stamford. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Stamford  His- 
torical Society,  and  the  Stamford  Subur- 
ban Club  and  Yacht  Club.  In  political 
affiliation,  Dr.  Borg  is  a  Republican.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  Stamford  Board  of 
Health  for  two  years ;  was  chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Finance  for  two  years ;  and 
for  two  years  was  member  of  the  Com- 
mon Council.  In  all  his  public  life  he 
exemplifies  the  same  high  ideals  which 
have  made  his  scientific  work  a  success. 
Dr.  Borg  married  Julia  Bjorklund, 
daughter  of  Charles  A.  Bjorklund,  of 
Bridgeport,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Margaret.  The  family  are  members  of 
St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  of  Stamford 
and  actively  interested  in  the  social  life 
of  the  church. 


WEED,  William  Maury, 

Banker,   Soldier.   Public   Official. 

As  banker,  soldier,  and  man  of  affairs, 
Mr.  Weed  has  been  for  many  years  much 
in  the  public  eye,  but  has  now  withdrawn 
from  the  turmoil  of  the  arena  to  lead  the 
life  of  a  country  gentleman  on  his  beau- 
tiful estate  on  the  shore  of  Long  Island 
Sound,  his  post  office  addrss  being  Noro- 
ton,  Connecticut.  Mr.  Weed  is  a  rep- 
resentative of  one  of  the  oldest  Colonial 
families  of  the  State  of  Connecticut. 

The  venerable  home  of  this  ancient  race 
is  still  standing  on  the  Boston  Post  Road 
in  Darien,  Connecticut.  It  is  the  old- 
styled  structure  of  about  two  hundred 
years  ago  and  was  built  to  replace  the 
first  house  built  by  Jonas  Weed,  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  original 
chimney  escaped  the  general  demolition 
and   the  house  now  standing  was  built 


around  it,  thus  preserving  it  as  the  center 
of  this  dwelling. 

Henry  Davis  Weed,  born  August  30, 
1803,  died  February  i,  1875,  grandfather 
of  William  Maury  Weed,  and  a  son  of 
"Gentleman"  John  Weed,  went  to  Savan- 
nah, Georgia,  when  a  boy,  making  the 
greater  part  of  the  journey  on  foot,  for 
that  was  long  before  the  days  of  railroads, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  departure  there 
was,  probably,  no  vessel  bound  for  the 
port  to  which  he  desired  to  go.  In  1812, 
in  association  with  his  brother,  Nathaniel 
B.  Weed,  he  established  a  hardware  busi- 
ness in  Savannah  under  the  firm  name  of 
N.  B.  Weed  &  Company.  This  business, 
which  is  still  carried  on  by  descendants, 
is  the  oldest  hardware  concern  in  the 
United  States.  In  the  course  of  time  Mr. 
Weed  became  the  head  of  the  firm,  the 
name  being  changed  to  H.  D.  Weed  & 
Company.  In  its  beginning  the  business 
was  retail,  but  its  character  was  changed 
from  time  to  time  in  conformity  to  vary- 
ing conditions  and  in  order  to  improve 
new  or  larger  opportunities.  For  some 
years  the  business  was  largely  wholesale, 
reaching  out  into  neighboring  States  and 
supplying  the  country  stores.  When  the 
Civil  War  broke  out  there  was  no  money 
in  the  South  and  Mr.  Weed  was  not  able 
to  make  his  collections,  it  being  custom- 
ary then  for  merchants  to  carry  their 
patrons  on  their  books  until  such  time  as 
crops  were  marketed.  Mr.  Weed  ac- 
cepted cotton  in  payment  of  his  accounts 
and  stored  it  in  a  building  in  Savannah. 
When  General  Sherman's  army  entered 
the  city  the  cotton  was  destroyed.  It  had 
always  been  Mr.  Weed's  custom  to  spend 
his  summers  in  the  family's  old  home 
town  of  Darien  and  he  made  no  excep- 
tion during  the  war,  for  he  ran  the  block- 
ade no  fewer  than  eight  times.  He  put  in 
a  claim  against  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment  for  the  cotton  destroyed,  and  re- 


4S0 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ceived  in  compensation  the  sum  of  ninety 
thousand  dollars.  With  this  money  he 
built  the  brick  Weed  house,  now  standing 
in  Noroton,  Connecticut.  Immediately 
after  the  return  of  peace,  Mr.  Weed  as- 
sisted in  the  establishment  of  the  Freed- 
men's  Bank,  but  the  Southern  whites  were 
not  yet  ready  to  support  such  an  institu- 
tion and  the  venture  had  to  be  abandoned. 
In  this  unsuccessful  undertaking  Mr. 
Weed  lost  many  thousands  of  dollars. 
The  episode  serves  to  indicate  the  fine 
spirit  of  the  man  and  also  his  far-reaching 
business  instinct,  for  his  plans  and  pur- 
poses were  essentially  wise,  failing  merely 
because  they  were  too  far  in  advance  of 
the  time. 

Mr.  Weed  married  Sarah  M.  Dunning, 
December  lo,   1835,  daughter  of  Shelden 

C.  and  Gertrude  (Russel)  Dunning,  of 
Wilton,  Connecticut,  a  representative  of 
an  old  New  England  famil}\  Gertrude 
(Russel)  Dunning  died  August  16,  1865. 
The  children  of  Henry  Davis  and  Sarah 
M.  (Dunning)  Weed  were:  Joseph  Dun- 
ning, mentioned  below ;  Edwin  G.,  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Bishop  of  Florida ;  and 
Gertrude,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
The  family  were  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  a  denomination  sometimes  known 
as  the  Campbellites.    The  death  of  Henry 

D.  Weed  occurred  February  i,  1875,  in 
Savannah,  Georgia.  He  was  a  man  of 
much  ability  and  great  force  of  character, 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortune  and,  to 
a  certain  extent,  of  the  fortune  of  his  de- 
scendants. 

Joseph  Dunning  Weed,  son  of  Henry 
D.  and  Sarah  M.  (Dunning)  Weed,  was 
born  March  15,  1839,  in  Savannah, 
Georgia,  and  as  he  grew  up  was  initiated 
in  the  business  by  his  father.  He  spent 
his  summers  in  Connecticut  and  his  win- 
ters in  the  South,  and  in  i860  graduated 
at  Harvard  University.  At  the  time  of 
the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  Georgia 


Hussars,  and  his  two  brothers  also  served 
in  the  Confederate  army,  participating  in 
some  of  the  heaviest  fighting.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  Mr.  Weed's  father  took 
him  into  the  business,  to  the  leadership 
of  which  he  succeeded  upon  the  death 
of  Mr.  Weed,  Sr.  For  many  years  Mr. 
Weed  was  president  of  the  Savannah 
Bank  and  Trust  Company,  and  also  of  the 
Middle  Georgia  &  Atlantic  Railroad  Com- 
pany. He  was  the  builder  of  this  road, 
and  served  as  president  of  the  Augusta 
&  Savannah  Railroad  Company.  These 
two  roads  later  became  a  part  of  the  Cen- 
tral Railroad  of  Georgia,  which  eventu- 
ally passed  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver. 
The  Augusta  &  Savannah  railroad  was 
earning  good  dividends,  which  during  the 
reorganization  were  used  to  make  up  the 
deficit  in  the  earnings  of  the  other  road. 
The  bondholders  of  the  Augusta  &  Sa- 
vannah railroad  appealed  to  the  courts 
for  redress  or  relief  and  the  courts  ordered 
a  president  elected  to  represent  the  bond- 
holders of  the  Augusta  &  Savannah.  Mr. 
W'eed  was  honored  by  election  to  that 
office,  which  he  held  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  The  fact  that  he  was  the 
choice  of  the  company  furnished  the  most 
conclusive  proof  of  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence in  which  he  was  held  by  all  who 
knew  him.  For  a  long  period  he  was 
chairman  of  the  bond  commission  of  the 
city  of  Savannah.  His  religious  member- 
ship was  in  Christ  Church,  Savannah,  in 
which  for  many  years  he  held  the  office 
of  warden. 

Mr.  Weed  married,  June  20,  1867,  Sarah 
Fanny  Maury,  whose  ancestral  record  is 
appended  to  this  biography,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Gertrude,  married  Robert  Billing- 
ton,  of  Savannah ;  William  Maury,  men- 
tioned below;  Henry  D.,  of  Savannah; 
and  Josephine  D.,  who  married  John 
Morris,   of   Savannah.      Joseph    Dunning 


451 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Weed  passed  away  February  ii,  1906.    It     cut,  and  engaged  in  the  banking  business 


is  difficult,  in  this  necessarily  limited 
space,  to  do  justice  to  the  character  of 
such  a  man,  combining  as  it  does  the 
varied  qualifications  which  fitted  him  to 
play  the  important  part  which  was  his  at 
a  time  of  unprecedented  crisis  in  our  na- 
tional history,  embracing  the  Civil  War 
and  the  momentous  period  which  fol- 
lowed it.  Essentially  progressive,  he  pos- 
sessed, also,  the  ability  to  read  the  future 
and  to  discern  what  was  necessary  for 
the  rebuilding  and  restoration  of  a  land 
recently  at  war  and  reunited  under  condi- 
tions which  had  no  place  in  its  history. 
Few  men  of  his  time  accomplished  as 
much  as  he  for  the  development  of  the 
New  South  in  the  State  of  Georgia. 

William  Maury  Weed,  son  of  James 
Dunning  and  Sarah  Fanny  (Maury) 
Weed,  born  May  12,  1870,  in  Savannah, 
Georgia,  received  his  preparatory  edu- 
cation at  King's  School  in  Stamford.  In 
1892  he  graduated  from  Harvard  Univer- 
sity, with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
For  three  years,  thereafter,  he  pursued 
special  studies  abroad,  spending  one  year 
at  the  Technische  Hocher  Schule  of  Han- 
over, and  two  years  at  the  Koeniglische 
Bergakademie  at  Clausthel. 

Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Weed  entered  the  German  banking 
house  of  Knauth,  Nachod  &  Kuehne,  of 
New  York  City,  remaining  there  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Spanish-American  War. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  forty  men  to  en- 
list in  the  navy,  went  to  Santiago  and 
served  through  the  campaign  under  Ad- 
miral Sampson.  After  the  war  Mr.  Weed 
spent  about  two  years  in  travel,  and  then 
engaged  in  the  steamship  business.  For 
four  years  he  was  in  Havana  as  agent 
for  the  West  India  Steamship  Company, 
going  there  on  December  25,  1900.  In 
1906,  Mr.  Weed  resigned  his  position,  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Noroton,  Connecti- 


in  New  York  City.  He  also  purchased, 
in  191 1,  a  barren  wilderness  known  as 
Brush  Island,  on  the  shore  of  Cove  Pond. 
There  is,  perhaps,  no  more  picturesque 
spot  on  the  Connecticut  shore  and  there 
is  certainly  none  more  beautiful,  now 
that  Mr.  Weed  has  caused  the  brush  to  be 
cleared  away  and  has  developed  the  land 
into  a  fertile  and,  in  all  respects,  a  model 
farm.  About  fifty  acres  are  under  the 
plough  and  the  estate  is  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  general  crops  and  the  breeding 
of  beef  cattle. 

Politically,  Mr.  Weed  is  a  Republican 
and  a  number  of  years  ago  was  chosen  by 
his  party  to  serve  on  the  Board  of  Finance 
of  Darien,  Connecticut.  He  retained  the 
office  ten  or  eleven  years,  with  an  inter- 
mission of  two  years.  For  the  last  four 
years  he  has  been  elected  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket,  a  striking  tribute  to  his  non- 
partisan interest  in  community  affairs. 

While  at  Harvard,  Mr.  Weed  became 
a  member  of  the  Institute  of  1770,  and  also 
of  the  Hasty  Pudding  Club.  He  belongs 
to  the  Harvard  Club,  the  University  Club 
and  the  Georgia  Society,  all  of  New  York. 
He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Connecticut 
Harvard  Club,  and  was  one  of  the  foun- 
ders of  the  Wee  Burn  Country  Club,  from 
which  he  resigned  about  two  years  ago. 
He  is  senior  warden  of  St.  Luke's  Protec- 
tant Episcopal  Church  at  Noroton. 

Mr.  Weed  married,  December  29,  1909, 
Julia  Victoria  Kaufmann,  daughter  of 
Bernard  and  Charlotte  Wilhelmina  (Von 
Hoffmann)  Kaufmann,  of  New  York 
City. 

After  an  exceptionally  varied  and  suc- 
cessful career  as  financier  and  business 
man,  Mr.  Weed  has  returned  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  his  ancestral  home  and  to  the 
quiet  pursuits  of  rural  life.  In  doing  so 
he  has  taken  with  him  the  aggressive 
force  and  active  public  spirit  always  char- 


452 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


acteristic  of  his  race  and  is  causing  them 
to  be  felt  in  the  advancement  of  the  in- 
terests vital  to  the  vk^elfare  and  progress  of 
his  home  community. 

(The  Fontaine  Line). 

It  seems  clear  that  the  name  of  the  first 
authentic  ancestor  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  Fontaine  family  was  James, 
that  being  the  English  equivalent  of  the 
French  Jacques,  which  is  the  name  given 
in  history.  The  fact  that  his  son,  grand- 
son, and  great-grandson  all  bore  the  name 
of  James  seems  to  corroborate  this  theory. 
Jacques  (or  James)  de  la  Fontaine,  whose 
great-great-grandson,  by  the  way,  was 
also  named  James,  was  born  in  1500,  in 
the  village  of  Chatelas,  parish  of  St. 
Pierre,  de  Royan,  Saintonge,  and  was  a 
Huguenot  pastor.  In  1563  the  religious 
persecution  which  was  then  raging  in 
France  found  in  him  one  of  the  martyrs  of 
the  Reformed  faith. 

(II)  James  (2),  son  of  Jacques  de  la 
Fontaine. 

(III)  James  (3),  son  of  James  (2)  de 
la  Fontaine. 

(IV)  James  (4),  son  of  James  (3)  de 
la  Fontaine,  was  a  minister  of  the  Re- 
formed church. 

(V)  James  (5),  son  of  James  (4)  de 
la  Fontaine,  was  also  a  Protestant  min- 
ister. 

(VI)  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  James 
(5)  de  la  Fontaine,  married  Matthew 
Maury,  of  Virginia  (see  Maury  line). 

(Tlie   Maury  Line). 

Matthew  Maury,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  was  of  Huguenot  descent  and  re- 
sided in  Virginia.  He  married  Mary  Ann 
de  la  Fontaine  (see  Fontaine  line). 

(II)  James,  son  of  Matthew  and  Mary 
Ann  (de  la  Fontaine)  Maury,  was  rector 
of  Fredericksville  parish,  Virginia. 

(III)  Matthew  (2),  the  son  of  James 
Maury,  was  born  in  1744. 


(IV)  James  (2),  son  of  Matthew  (2) 
Maury,  was  appointed  by  President 
Washington  consul  at  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land, and  until  1829,  a  period  of  forty 
years,  filled  that  office  continuously. 

(V)  William,  son  of  James  (2)  Maury, 
was  of  Liverpool,  England. 

(VI)  Sarah  Fanny,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Maury,  became  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Dunning  Weed,  as  stated  above. 

The  Maury  family  is  very  prominent  in 
the  South  and  in  England.  One  of 
its  representatives,  Matthew  Fontaine 
Maury,  was  a  distinguished  hydrographer 
and  a  commander  in  the  United  States 
navy.  Another  Maury  commanded  the 
privateer  "Georgia"  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. Matthew  Fontaine  Maury  charted 
the  ocean,  his  charts  being  in  use  at  the 
present  day.  In  1841  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Department  of  Charts  and 
Instruments  out  of  which  grew  the 
United  States  Naval  Observatorj-  and  the 
Hydrographic  Office. 


WEED,  James  Albert, 

Agricnltnrist. 

Wide  spaces  give  to  the  men  of  studi- 
ous tastes  the  untrammeled  freedom 
impossible  to  be  found  in  centers  of  popu- 
lation, where  neighbor  jostles  neighbor 
and  strangers  congregate  in  more  or  less 
hilarious  companies.  In  the  peace  and 
quiet  and  unmarred  beauty  of  the  country 
the  occupation,  the  surroundings,  and  the 
home  itself  may  be  of  a  man's  own  choos- 
ing, and  reflect  his  true  character.  It  is 
here  that  a  man  may  revel  in  the  real- 
ities of  life,  which,  after  all,  include  those 
things  least  tangible,  and  leave  outside 
— behind— the  baubles  for  which  too 
many  give  the  best  of  life,  only  to  learn 
their  utter  worthlessness.  Richly  endowed 
with  those  mental  qualities  which  make 
a  man  himself,  rather  than  the  reflection 


453 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  his  fellows,  James  Albert  Weed,  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  enjoys  to  the  full 
the  privileges  which  the  country  life  af- 
fords. 

(II)  Jonas  (2)  Weed,  son  of  Jonas  (i) 
Weed  (q.  v.),  was  administrator  of  his 
father's  estate.  While  it  appears  that  he 
remained  in  Stamford  or  thereabouts  all 
his  life,  instead  of  following  his  father's 
example  in  penetrating  new  country,  he 
lived  an  estimable  life,  doing  his  share  in 
the  public  service,  being  townsman  for 
eleven  years.  He  died  November  19,  1704. 
He  married,  November  16,  1670,  Bethia 
Holly,  daughter  of  John  Holly;  she  died 
December  29,  1713. 

(III)  Jonas  (3)  Weed,  son  of  Jonas 
(2)  and  Bethia  (Holly)  Weed,  married 
January  20,  1703  or  1704,  Sarah  Water- 
bury,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Waterbury ; 
she  was  born  August  15,  1677.  The 
meagre  records  of  the  generations  which 
intervene  between  the  immigrants  and  the 
time  when  the  national  prosperity  was 
assured  tell  an  eloquent  tale  of  the  bitter 
hardships  endured  with  fortitude,  and 
deeds  of  courage  which  there  was  no  time 
or  strength  left  to  record. 

(IV)  David  Weed,  son  of  Jonas  (3) 
and  Sarah  (Waterbury)  Weed,  was  born 
April  20,  1707.  He  married,  November 
8,  1733,  Mary  Weed.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  David,  of  whom  further. 

(V)  David  (2)  Weed,  son  of  David  (i) 
and  Mary  (Weed)  Weed,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 28,  1741,  and  died  in  1781.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Selleck. 

(VI)  James  Weed,  son  of  David  (2) 
and  Mary  (Selleck)  Weed,  was  born  in 
1767.  He  married,  January  i,  1787,  Lydia 
Slason,  who  was  born  May  18,  1766, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Lydia  (Bates) 
Slason. 

(VII)  Hezekiah  Weed,  son  of  James 
and  Lydia  (Slason)  Weed,  was  born 
March  2,  1797,  in  Darien,  near  Stamford, 


Connecticut,  and  died  August  6,  1869.  He 
was  possessed  of  a  brilliant  mind,  and 
was  considered  one  of  the  best  mathema- 
ticians in  Connecticut.  In  those  days 
school  text  books  were  not  plentiful,  and 
those  available  fell  far  short  of  what 
would  be  considered  even  mediocre  ex- 
cellence at  the  present  time.  During  the 
early  part  of  his  career,  Mr.  Weed  taught 
school,  and  being  unable  to  find  satisfac- 
tory text  books  in  the  higher  mathematics 
prepared  one  himself  for  use  in  his  school 
from  which  he  taught  trigonometry.  The 
illustrations  of  the  problems  are  speci- 
mens of  fine  draftsmanship,  and  the  text 
exhibits  fine  ability  as  a  penman,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  masterly,  and  often  orig- 
inal, exposition.  This  text  book,  in  ex- 
cellent preservation,  is  now  the  prized 
possession  of  his  grandson,  James  A. 
Weed,  of  Stamford.  Hezekiah  Weed  was 
also  an  excellent  Latin  scholar,  and  was 
familiar  with  one  or  two  other  languages 
besides  his  native  tongue.  He  was  suc- 
cessful as  a  teacher,  and  contributed 
largely  to  the  development  of  a  high 
standard  in  the  schools  of  the  section; 
but  teaching,  then  as  now,  was  unre- 
munerative,  and  Mr.  Weed  was  at  length 
obliged  to  retire  from  this  field  of  activity 
and  enter  the  business  world.  Being  a 
practical  man,  he  became  interested  in 
purveying  the  daily  necessities  of  life,  and 
opened  a  market  in  Stamford,  which  busi- 
ness he  conducted  for  a  number  of  years. 
From  his  wife  he  inherited  property  on 
Tallmadge  Hill,  and  he  made  this  the 
foundation  of  a  prosperous  real  estate 
business.  He  continued  to  carry  on  the 
market,  and  retained  an  active  interest 
until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Weed  was  considered  very  dog- 
matic by  many  people.  Throughout  his 
life  he  never  entirely  lost  the  manner  of 
the  schoolmaster,  and  no  man  of  mental 
depth  and  power  can  help  thinking  and 


454 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


speaking,  at  times,  over  the  heads  of  the 
multitude.  He  was  somewhat  eccentric 
in  dress  and  manner,  yet  this  was  nothing 
more  nor  less,  undoubtedly,  than  the  out- 
growth of  originality  of  thought  and  in- 
dependence of  action.  He  was  deeply 
religious,  but  made  many  enemies  in  the 
church  because  he  did  not  believe  in  the 
rental  of  pews,  then  an  established  cus- 
tom, by  no  means  universally  practiced 
now.  He  refused  to  rent  a  pew  for  him- 
self, and  sat  in  a  chair,  but  out  of  con- 
sideration for  his  wife,  he  rented  a  pew 
for  her.  He  was  an  earnest  believer  in 
practical,  every-day-in-the-week  Chris- 
tianity, and  his  rugged  honesty  and  sin- 
cerity commanded  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  who  knew  him,  regardless  of 
whether  they  agreed  with  his  views  or 
not. 

Mr.  Weed  married  (first)  Mary  Tall- 
madge,  who  was  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  oldest  families  of  Fairfield  county. 
She  was  the  mother  of  two  sons :  James, 
who  never  married,  and  Francis  Bates,  of 
whom  further.  He  married  (second), 
November  5,  1838,  Mary  Weed,  daughter 
of  Nathan  Weed,  and  widow  of  Alvah 
Weed  ;  she  died  December  7,  1866. 

(VIII)  Francis  Bates  Weed,  son  of 
Hezekiah  and  Mary  (Tallmadge)  Weed, 
was  born  in  1819,  in  Darien,  Connecticut, 
and  died  in  1861.  He  received  his  formal 
education  at  the  public  schools,  but  the 
broader  learning  received  from  close  as- 
sociation with  his  father  supplemented 
the  regular  school  course.  While  still  a 
young  man  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  later  became  interested  in  the 
butcher  business.  In  this  he  continued 
until  his  death.  For  some  years  prior  to 
his  death  he  lived  in  Stamford. 

Mr.  Weed  married  Emmeline  Weed, 
and  they  were  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren :  Emma  L. ;  James  Albert,  of  whom 


further;  and  Hezekiah.  Emmeline 
(Weed)  Weed,  wife  of  Francis  Bates 
Weed,  was  born  in  Darien,  Connecticut, 
in  1821.  Her  ancestry  traces  back, 
through  a  different  line  of  descent,  to  the 
original  Jonas  Weed,  the  immigrant. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Paul  and  Ruth 
(Waring)  Weed.  Her  grandfather, 
Jonas  Weed,  was  born  June  28,  1749,  and 
married  Rebecca  Brown.  His  father, 
Silvanus  Weed,  was  born  in  November, 
1713,  and  his  wife's  name  was  Sarah. 
The  father  of  Silvanus  Weed  was  Jonas 
Weed,  the  same  Jonas  as  the  fourth  gen- 
eration of  the  line  of  James  Albert  Weed, 
whose  name  appears  as  the  subject  of  this 
review. 

(IX)  James  Albert  Weed,  son  of 
Francis  Bates  and  Emmeline  (Weed) 
Weed,  was  born  in  Stamford,  Connecti- 
cut. December  24,  1852.  He  received  his 
early  education  at  the  excellent  public 
schools  of  the  place,  then  a  thriving  town 
of  progressive  spirit.  He  completed  his 
education  with  a  course  at  Professor 
Glendenning's  private  academy.  Being 
the  son  of  a  prosperous  father,  he  could 
well  have  taken  his  leisure,  but  feeling 
that  he  wanted  an  interest  of  his  own  in 
the  business  world,  he  became  a  clerk  in 
a  retail  store.  Later  he  built  the  beau- 
tiful house  known  as  "Gray  Towers," 
where  he  resided  from  1876  to  1895.  He 
then  bought  his  present  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred acres.  Here,  in  the  midst  of  the 
peace  of  simple,  country  life,  Mr.  Weed  is 
free  to  indulge  his  quiet  tastes,  and  sur- 
rounds himself  with  treasures  of  the 
world  of  art  and  literature.  His  chief 
interest  is  in  his  really  wonderful  col- 
lection of  old  books.  This  includes  the 
nine  volume  set  of  the  Mahabharata,  the 
Brahman  Bible ;  which  is  one  of  the  four 
sets  known  to  be  in  this  country.  Mr. 
Weed  also  owns  an  ancient  copy  of  Owen 
Feltham's    poems,   brought   out   in    1696, 


455 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  a  copy  of  John  Cleveland's  poems, 
1654.  Perhaps  the  most  curious  of  all 
the  collection  is  a  two  volume  cook  book, 
of  the  thirteenth  century.  Among  these, 
also,  are  a  volume  of  Materia  Medica  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  a  volume  of  old 
English  laws  of  the  same  period. 

Mr.  Weed  and  his  sister,  who  shares  his 
home  and  his  tastes,  are  both  deeply  in- 
terested in  Spiritualism. 


WEED,  William  Francis, 

Artist,  Photograplier. 

(I)  Carey  Weed,  great-grandfather  of 
William  F.  Weed,  was  a  descendant  of 
Jonas  Weed  (q.  v.).  Carey  Weed  was 
born  in  1782,  and  died  November  9,  1842. 
He  married  (first)  Clarissa  St.  John,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  William  H.,  of 
whom  further. 

(II)  William  H.  Weed,  son  of  Carey 
and  Clarissa  (St.  John)  Weed,  was  born 
April  13,  1813,  and  died  November  10, 
1863.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in  his 
native  town,  and  early  in  life  he  learned 
the  trade  of  shoemaker,  but  he  did  not 
follow  this  very  long.  Most  of  his  time 
was  given  to  farming,  and  he  did  some 
contract  work  in  laying  stone  walls  and 
so  forth.  Mr.  Weed  was  a  member  of  the 
Connecticut  Militia,  and  was  captain  in 
the  Horse  Artillery.  He  married,  in 
Poundridge,  New  York,  Januar}'  27,  1837, 
Mary  E.  Hanford,  daughter  of  Austin 
Hanford.  The  latter  met  his  death  in  the 
War  of  1812.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weed  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  among 
whom  was  Francis  Edward,  of  whom 
further. 

(III)  Francis  Edward  ^^'eed,  son  of 
William  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Hanford) 
Weed,  was  born  in  New  Canaan,  Connec- 
ticut, November  26,  1841.  He  attended 
the  public  schools,  and  at  an  age  when 
most  children  are  playing  he  was  helping 


in  the  support  of  the  family  by  working 
by  the  month.  When  he  reached  the  age 
of  eighteen,  he  entered  the  New  Canaan 
Post  OfiSce,  where  he  remained  until 
i860.  After  the  Civil  War  was  over,  Mr. 
Weed  was  employed  for  a  time  with  the 
Hoyt  Manufacturing  Company;  in  1868, 
upon  the  completion  of  the  New  Canaan 
railroad,  he  became  station  agent.  This 
position  he  held  until  1879,  ^"^  during 
the  time  had  not  only  taken  care  of  the 
agent's  duties  but  had  also  made  the 
freight  contracts  of  the  railroad  and  at- 
tended to  the  general  freight  and  ticket 
agent's  duties. 

In  1880,  Mr.  Weed  embarked  in  the 
coal  business  as  the  agent  of  David  Wa- 
terbury,  of  Stamford.  His  mother's  un- 
cle, John  St.  John,  was  the  founder  of 
the  St.  John  Woodworking  Company,  of 
Stamford,  who  had  a  mill  and  lumber 
yard,  and  at  the  same  time  he  entered  the 
coal  business  Mr.  Weed  began  to  sell 
lumber  in  New  Canaan  on  commission. 
He  started  with  almost  no  capital  but  his 
own  sterling  character,  ambition  and  in- 
dustry. In  May,  1882,  he  took  as  a  part- 
ner George  E.  Lockwood,  the  firm  name 
being  Weed  &  Lockwood.  Six  years 
later  George  Kellogg  became  a  member 
of  the  firm,  Mr.  Lockwood  having  with- 
drawn. Subsequently  Mr.  Kellogg  with- 
drew, and  Mr.  Weed  carried  the  business 
on  alone  until  he  admitted  H.  C.  Turner 
as  a  partner,  the  name  being  Weed  & 
Turner.  After  about  five  years  Mr.  Tur- 
ner sold  his  interests  to  George  W.  Dur- 
yea,  and  the  name  was  changed  to  Weed 
&  Dur3'ea.  In  1914  the  business  was  in- 
corporated under  the  name  of  The  Weed 
&  Duryea  Company,  Mr.  Weed  being 
president  of  the  company.  A  large  busi- 
ness was  built  up,  and  among  the  articles 
carried  were  building  supplies,  fertilizers, 
and  heavy  hardware  for  contractors. 

Mr.  Weed  took  an  active  and  interested 


456 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


part  in  all  public  affairs  during  his  life- 
time. Several  times  he  has  been  honored 
with  public  office  and  has  creditably  held 
the  offices  of  selectman,  constable,  justice 
of  the  peace  and  State  representative.  He 
was  the  first  business  manager  of  the  New 
Canaan  "Messenger;"  a  director  of  the 
New  Canaan  Water  Works ;  president  of 
the  New  Canaan  Savings  Bank ;  president 
of  the  New  Canaan  Library,  and  its  build- 
ing was  erected  during  his  administration. 
He  was  also  chairman  of  the  building 
commission  having  in  charge  the  erection 
of  the  town  hall ;  and  was  president  of  the 
New  Canaan  Historical  Society. 

Mr.  Weed  married,  April  3,  1867,  in 
South  Norwalk,  Martha  J.  Brush,  born 
September  7,  1845,  daughter  of  Henry 
Chapman  and  Clarissa  (St.  John)  Brush. 
Henry  Chapman  Brush  was  born  Febru- 
ary 16,  1820,  and  died  April  26,  1897,  in 
Ridgefield.  He  married  Clarissa  St.  John, 
born  January  18,  1820,  died  December 
22,  1888.  The  grandfather  of  Henry  C. 
Brush  was  Azra  Brush,  and  he  was  a  son 
of  Eliphalet  and  Eunice  Hall  (Lee) 
Brush,  and  grandson  of  Thomas  and  Lucy 
(Ball)  Brush.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weed  were 
the  parents  of  two  children :  William 
Francis,  of  further  mention ;  and  Bertha 
G.,  born  April  25,  1875,  died  July  9,  1880. 

(IV)  William  Francis  Weed,  son  of 
Francis  Edward  and  Martha  J.  (Brush) 
Weed,  was  born  in  New  Canaan,  Con- 
necticut, January  31,  1873.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools.  Then  he 
entered  the  New  York  Institute  for 
Artists  and  Artisans,  where  he  took  a 
preparatory  art  course,  training  with  a 
view  to  specializing  as  an  illustrator. 
Subsequently  Mr.  Weed  studied  under  the 
well  known  artist  of  Philadelphia,  How- 
ard Pyle,  and  also  spent  some  time  in 
study  in  the  Drexel  Institute,  and  while 
there  took  up  the  study  of  photography 
as  part  of  his  course  of  training  in  illus- 


trating. At  this  time  an  attack  of  pneu- 
monia so  undermined  his  health  that  he 
was  compelled  to  abandon  his  studies. 
He  then  entered  the  studio  of  a  manufac- 
turer of  stained  glass  windows  as  a  figure 
draughtsman,  and  later  opened  a  studio 
in  New  Canaan  to  do  illustrating.  During 
the  interim,  Mr.  Weed  had  been  making 
pictures  as  an  amateur  photographer,  and 
soon  after  opening  his  New  Canaan 
studio  began  to  devote  all  his  time  to 
photography,  specializing  in  home  por- 
traiture, which  had  not  then  achieved  its 
present  popularity.  After  the  death  of 
his  father,  Mr.  Weed  also  used  his  offices 
as  a  branch  of  the  Weed  &  Duryea  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  treasurer.  He  is  also 
secretary  of  the  New  Canaan  Historical 
Society,  and  is  a  past  commander  of 
Richard  E.  Holcomb  Camp,  Sons  of 
Veterans. 

Mr.  Weed  married  Lilian  Offen,  daugh- 
ter of  B.  T.  Offen,  of  New  Canaan,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Ida  Lilian,  died  aged  twelve ;  Francis  Ed- 
ward, 2nd ;  and  Wilmer  Eveline.  The 
family  attend  the  Congregational  church 
and  aid  in  its  support. 


SANFORD,  Jonathan  Bartlett, 
Jndge  of  Probate. 

A  long  line  of  intelligent  New  Eng- 
land ancestry  could  not  fail  to  prove  a 
priceless  heritage,  yet  it  carries  with  it  a 
heavy  responsibility,  for  the  present  gen- 
eration must  ever  maintain  a  high  stand- 
ard for  the  benefit  of  the  generations  to 
come. 

(I)  Judge  Jonathan  Bartlett  Sanford  is 
a  direct  descendant  of  the  immigrant, 
Thomas  Sanford.  The  latter  was  born  in 
1607-08.  in  County  Essex.  England,  and 
died  at  Milford,  Connecticut,  September 
or  October,  1681.  He  married,  in  1636- 
1637,  at  Dorchester,  ?\lassachusetts.  Sarah 


457 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


-,  and  she  died  May  4,  1681,  at  Mil- 


ford. 

(II)  Ezekiel  Sanford,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Sarah  Sanford,  was  born  in  Dorches- 
ter, Massachusetts,  where  his  father  first 
settled,  and  died  late  in  the  year  1683.  He 
married,  April  25,  1665,  Rebecca  Whelp- 
ley,  daughter  of  John  and  Rebecca 
Whelpley.  Before  1660,  Ezekiel  Sanford 
was  settled  in  Fairfield  county,  and  was 
a  freeman  there  in  1669.  He  was  a  tan- 
ner by  occupation  and  a  large  landowner. 

(III)  Ezekiel  (2)  Sanford,  son  of  Eze- 
kiel and  Rebecca  (Whelpley)  Sanford, 
was  born  March  6,  1668,  and  died  March 
2,  1728.  He  married,  in  March,  1696, 
Rebecca  Gregory.  He  was  an  engineer 
and  built  the  first  stockade  at  Saybrook, 
Connecticut.  With  his  wife  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  church,  September  30,  1705. 

(IV)  Lemuel  Sanford,  son  of  Ezekiel 
(2)  and  Rebecca  (Gregory)  Sanford,  was 
born  December  16,  1699,  and  died  April 
25,  1780.  He  married,  May  12,  1730,  Re- 
becca Squires,  born  June  17,  1705,  died 
March  26,  1779,  at  Redding,  Connecticut. 
Lemuel  Sanford  was  a  very  prominent 
man  of  his  day ;  he  settled  at  Redding 
Centre. 

(V)  Lemuel  (2)  Sanford,  son  of  Lem- 
uel and  Rebecca  (Squires)  Sanford,  was 
born  April  18,  1740,  at  Fairfield,  Con- 
necticut, and  died  at  Danbury,  Con- 
necticut, March  12,  1803.  He  married, 
September  20,  1768,  Mary  Russell,  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  Russell,  of  North  Bran- 
ford,  Connecticut,  and  she  died  June  23, 
1829,  aged  eighty-four  years.  They  set- 
tled at  Redding  Centre,  and  Lemuel  San- 
ford became  a  freeman  in  April,  1792.  He 
was  judge  of  county  court  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  during  the  Revolution 
was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  sup- 
plies. 

(VI)  Jonathan  Russell  Sanford,  son  of 
Lemuel  (2)  and  Mary  (Russell)  Sanford, 


was  born  February  11,  1782,  and  died 
August  21,  1858.  He  married,  October  17, 
1808,  Maria  Davies,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Thomas  Davies,  born  in  Sherman,  Con- 
necticut, in  1791,  died  May  25,  1869.  He 
was  appointed  town  clerk  in  1808,  also 
treasurer;  these  offices  he  held  for  fifty 
3'ears.  He  was  also  judge  of  probate  and 
Representative  to  the  Legislature. 

(VII)  Lemuel  (3)  Sanford,  son  of  Jon-  I 
athan  Russell  and  Maria  (Davies)  San-  1 
ford,  was  born  September  18,  1816,  and 
died  June  9,  1890,  at  Redding  Centre, 
Connecticut.  He  married,  January  13, 
1847,  Abby  Maria  Hill,  daughter  of  Brad- 
ley and  Betsey  Hill.  He  was  like  his 
father,  a  very  public-spirited  man,  and 
held  many  offices,  among  them  being 
town  clerk  and  judge  of  probate  for  about 
forty  years,  and  was  also  the  Representa- 
tive of  his  section  in  the  Upper  House. 

(VIII)  Jonathan  Bartlett  Sanford,  son 
of  Judge  Lemuel  (3)  and  Abby  M.  (Hill) 
Sanford,  was  born  in  Redding,  Connecti- 
cut, October  25,  1862;  he  was  the  only 
son  and  the  youngest  of  seven  children.  He 
prepared  for  college  at  the  famous  Hop- 
kins Grammar  School  in  New  Haven, 
Connecticut.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
engaged  in  the  creamery  business  and 
had  a  general  store  in  connection  with 
the  creamery.  He  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  judge  of  probate  in  November, 
1910,  and  after  assuming  this  office  gave 
up  the  merchant  and  farming  business. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  most  of 
the  time  has  been  placed  in  nomination 
by  both  parties. 

Judge  Sanford  married,  May  25,  1887, 
Edith  Dayton,  born  May  24,  1868,  at  Mor- 
ristown.  New  Jersey,  daughter  of  James 
W.  Dayton,  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Her  mother  was  Clara  Catlin 
Gregory,  granddaughter  of  Benjamin 
Gregory  of  the  old  Fairfield  county  fam- 
ily.    The  latter  married  Abbie  Sanford, 


458 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


•laughter  of  Ezekiel  Sanfm  : 
Mrs.  Sanford  arc  the  j>artnt 
T.  Lem\:v' 

'.-;-:  ediicr. 


1^ 


Judge  and 
(jf  the  fol- 
'  nving  childre- •     r.  Lem\:v'i    i'lsi   Feb- 
"uary  5.  iSJV',  '       v-;^:  edncr.*i;<'   i;   <hei- 
■leld  Scienti'  ul- 

ne  Smith,    ,  > .  'iii. 

Eleanor  Arrowr>mitii.  born  Apr;!  6, 
1890.  3.  Edith,  born  January  i,  1892, 
died  August  24,  1907.  4.  Jonathan  Bart- 
lett,  Jr.,  of  whom  further.  5.  Abby  Hill, 
born  November  i,  1896,  and  is  now  a 
trained  nurse,  having  received  her  train- 
ing in  the  Hartford  Hospital.  6.  Dayton, 
born  March  9,  1899,  graduated  at  the  San- 
ford School  and  is  now  (1921)  with  the 
Travelers'  Insurance  Company  of  Hart- 
ford. 7.  Elizabeth  Russell,  born  Ma/  19, 
1901,  is  a  student  in  the  class  of  1923  at 
Connecticut  College,  New  London,  Con- 
necticut. 8.  Arthur  Redington,  born  May 
19,  1903,  is  now  preparing  for  Yale  at 
Sanford  School.  9.  Theodore  Van  Zandt, 
born  August  30,  1905.  10.  Alice  Davies, 
born  December,  21,  1907.  11.  Dudley 
Gregory.  lx->rn  December  14,  1909,  12. 
Clara  Dayton ,  born  March  7,  191 2 

(IX)  Jonathan  Bartlett  Sanford,  Jr., 
second  son  ot  Judge  Jonathan  B.  and 
Edith  (Dayton)  Sanford.  was  horn  No- 
vember 9,  1894.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Sanford  private  school  and  Storr's  Agri- 
cultural College.  He  plans  to  follow  sci- 
entific farming  for  a  career.  He  enlisted, 
August  14,  1917.  at  New  York  City,  in  the 
old  7th  New  York  Regfiment,  which  was 
made  over  into  the  107th  United  S'ates 
Infantry,  and  w'a.=;  made  corpi>rai,  ''n-tober 
16,  19T7.  He  was  promoted  to  >ergcant 
May  2,  1918,  and  served  in  the  following 
battles:  East  Poperinghe  line.  July  9  to 
August  20,  1918;  Dickebusch  Sector  in 
Belgium,  August  21  to  30,  1918;  Hinden- 
burg  line  (vincinity  of  Bacey),  Company 
K,  7th  Regiment;  arrived  in  the  United 
States,  March  9,  1919.     He  was  awarded 


a  military  medal  by  the  British 
ment.     Citation : 

Dnring  the  operations  against  the  Hin-:-  :> 
line  near  Venduille,  September  29,  1918,  Sir«;eant 
Sanford  gave  proof  of  great  devotion  and  bravery 
when  he  gallantly  insisted  upon  remaining  with 
his  command,  despite  the  fact  that  he  had  been 
seriously  wounded  in  the  Ick-  During  the  advance 
he  later  received  other  wounds  from  shcll-tirc, 
thereby  demonstrating  his  o<.urage  and  devotion  to 
duty  and  setting  a  splendid  example  to  his  com- 
rades. 

By  command  of  General  I'ershiujs:. 

James  G.  H.^rbord,  Chief  of  Sicff. 

He  was  in  Battle-War  Hospital  No,  2, 
Readinji.  England,  for  about  ten  week.-, 
Serpeatu  Sanford  married,  in  ;  )frnl-.«<- 
1920.  Frances  Boughton. 


WALSH.  Hon.  John  J., 

Jariat.  Pnblic  0«BciaI. 

"On  both  sides  of  the  sea"  the  profes- 
sion of  the  law  has  been  largely  and  emi- 
nently recruited  by  men  of  Irish  birth  as 
the  number  of  distinguished  names  which 
adorn  the  legal  annals  of  the  Old  World 
and  the  New  bear  abundant  witness.  The 
bench  and  bar  of  the  United  States  have 
always  owed  much  of  their  prestige  to  the 
talents  and  services  of  their  representa- 
tives of  Irish  blood,  and  at  the  present 
day  the  citizens  of  Fairfield  county  can 
testify  that  the  Hon.  John  J.  Walsh,  of 
Kzst  Norwaik,  Connecticut,  judge  of  the 
Criminal  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  ably 
maintains  the  best  traditions  of  his  race. 
Judge  Walsh  has  always  been  active  in 
the  sphere  of  politics  and  has  wielded  a 
powerful  influence  in  behalf  of  those  prin- 
ciples which  he  believes  constitute  the 
foundation  of  all  good  government. 

The  name  Walsh,  or  Walshe,  signifies  '"a 
native  of  Wales."  its  first  representatives 
in  Ireland  having  been  Philip  and  David, 
kinsmen     and     perhaps    brothers,    who, 


459 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  1 169,  went  thither  with  Strongbow  and 
his  followers.  Like  many  other  foreigners 
they  adopted  an  Irish  surname  and  title 
— Branaghs,  from  Breatrach,  which,  in 
Irish,  signifies  "a  Briton,"  in  allusion  to 
their  having  come  from  Wales.  Their  de- 
scendants settled  in  various  counties,  be- 
coming so  numerous  that  it  was  said 
"their  numbers  were  equal  to  the  nobility 
of  their  origin."  Members  of  the  family 
won  distinction  in  the  Stuart  cause  in 
1688,  and  in  the  eighteenth  century,  or 
earlier,  a  branch  was  transplanted  to  the 
American  colonies.  Here,  as  in  their  an- 
cient home,  many  of  them  have  achieved 
eminence  in  law,  politics  and  divinity, 
many  famous  ecclesiastics  having  borne 
the  family  name.  The  escutcheon  of  the 
Walshes  is  as  follows : 

Artns — Argent,  a  chevron  gules  between  three 
broad  arrowheads,  points  upward,  sable. 

Crest — A  swan  pierced  through  the  back  and 
breast  with  a  dart,  all  proper. 

John  Walsh,  father  of  John  J.  Walsh, 
was  born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Randolph,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  which  he  made  his  lifelong  occupa- 
tion. In  185 1  he  removed  to  Norwalk, 
Connecticut,  and  followed  his  trade  there 
and  in  New  Canaan  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War.  Like  the  loyal  citizen  he 
was,  he  enlisted  without  delay  in  the  12th 
Regiment,  Connecticut  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and,  with  the  exception  of  one  thirty- 
day  furlough,  was  out  the  entire  period  of 
his  three-year  enlistment,  reenlisting  upon 
its  expiration.  While  in  service  he  was 
temporarily  disabled  by  a  sunstroke.  In 
November,  1865,  he  returned  home  and 
moved  from  New  Canaan  to  Norwalk, 
where  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own 
account  as  a  custom  shoemaker.  He  was 
a  member  of  Buckingham  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 


Mr.  Walsh  married  Rose  Burke,  like 
himself  a  native  of  County  Cork,  Ireland, 
her  father  at  one  time  superintendent  of 
schools  of  the  city  of  Cork.  The  Burkes 
were  a  literary  family  and  some  account 
of  their  origin  is  appended  to  this  biogra- 
phy. The  following  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walsh:  i.  Margaret, 
widow  of  James  Cole ;  of  their  children 
two  are  living:  James  and  Thomas.  2. 
Anna,  died  unmarried.  3.  John  J.,  men- 
tioned below.  4.  Rose,  married  James 
Hamilton,  and  has  three  children:  Flor- 
ence, Mary,  and  Augustin.  5.  Catherine, 
widow  of  James  Boyle.  6.  Annie,  mar- 
ried Patrick  Haugh,  and  has  one  child 
now  living,  Harry.  7.  William,  died  leav- 
ing no  children.  8.  Francis,  also  died 
without  issue.  John  Walsh,  the  father, 
died  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven. 

John  J.  Walsh,  son  of  John  and  Rose 
(Burke)  Walsh,  was  born  October  5,  1857, 
in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  and  until  his 
eighth  year  attended  the  public  schools 
of  New  Canaan.  From  that  time  until  the 
age  of  twelve  he  was  in  the  public  schools 
of  South  Norwalk.  He  then  went  to 
work  in  the  woolen  mill,  but  had  been 
there  only  nine  months  when  the  new 
child  labor  law  became  effective  and  he 
was  taken  out.  After  attending  school 
for  nearly  a  year  he  was  instructed  two 
evenings  a  week  by  a  tutor,  H.  B.  Wig- 
gin.  This  continued  for  three  years  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  he  applied  himself 
to  the  study  of  shorthand. 

While  receiving  instruction  from  a  tutor 
and  also  while  studying  shorthand,  Mr. 
Walsh  was  learning  the  stonecutter's 
trade.  It  may  seem  that  much  mental 
progress  was  scarcely  compatible  with 
application  to  manual  labor  as  strenuous 
as  that  of  stonecutting.  Mr.  Walsh,  how- 
ever, has  always  been  a  man  with  whom 
an  intention  is  rarely  suffered  to  remain 
an  intention.     Unless  conditions  render 


46c 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


it  absolutely  impossible  for  it  to  do  so,  it 
must  develop  into  action.  Having  the 
intention  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the 
law  he  would  not  allow  his  work  as  a 
stonecutter  to  frustrate  that  intention, 
and,  hard  as  he  might  be  obliged  to  labor 
during  the  day,  his  evenings  were  invari- 
ably devoted  to  study.  When  he  had 
thoroughly  mastered  shorthand,  Mr. 
Walsh  entered  the  office  of  H.  H.  Barber, 
a  well-known  lawyer,  who  had  established 
a  local  paper  called  "The  Democrat,"  and 
of  this  Mr.  Walsh  became  city  editor. 
Never  neglecting  the  duties  of  the  posi- 
tion, he  steadily  pursued  his  legal  stud- 
ies, and  in  April,  1880,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar. 

Entering  immediately  upon  his  chosen 
career,  Mr.  Walsh  practiced  alone  for  the 
ensuing  twelve  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  formed  a  partnership  with  James 
T.  Hubbell,  under  the  firm  name  of  Walsh 
&  Hubbell.  In  the  years  during  which 
he  practiced  alone  he  established,  by 
sheer  force  of  native  ability,  thorough 
equipment  and  unceasing  devotion  to 
duty,  a  reputation,  both  with  the  profes- 
sion and  the  general  public,  which  has 
been  the  cornerstone  of  a  career  of  bril- 
liant and  well-merited  success.  During 
the  period  of  his  partnership  this  reputa- 
tion increased  and  strengthened,  and  he 
became  a  recognized  leader  of  the  Fair- 
field county  bar. 

In  June,  1913,  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved by  reason  of  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Walsh  was  then  appointed  by  Governor 
Baldwin  judge  of  the  Criminal  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  subsequently  reappointed 
by  Governor  Holcomb.  This  court  has 
both  civil  and  criminal  jurisdiction.  His 
career  upon  the  bench,  in  the  evidence 
it  furnished  of  his  profound  knowledge  of 
the  law,  his  insight  into  the  motives  and 
merits  of  men,  and  the  judicial  character 
of  his  mind,  constitute  one  of  the  most 


interesting  and  instructive  chapters  in  the 
legal  history  of  Fairfield  county. 

In  the  field  of  general  public  service, 
unconnected  with  the  law,  Judge  Walsh 
has  been  equally  prominent  and  useful, 
and  his  activities  have  been  many  and 
varied.  He  was  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tee having  in  charge  the  building  of  the 
new  Fairfield  county  court  house  at 
Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  was  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors  and  building 
committee  of  the  Norwalk  Hospital,  and 
was  general  counsel  for  the  Norwalk 
Bridge  Construction  Committee  which 
built  the  Washington  street  bridge. 

From  his  youth  Judge  Walsh  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  politics,  always  as  an 
advocate  of  Democratic  principles.  In 
the  campaign  of  1876,  being  then  but  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  he  took  the  stump  as 
a  champion  of  Tilden,  and  after  he  be- 
came a  voter,  served  for  ten  or  twelve 
years  as  registrar  of  voters  for  the  First 
District.  For  over  fifteen  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  State  Central  Committee, 
and  for  about  eight  years  served  as  its 
chairman.  He  has  been  district  delegate 
to  conventions  without  number,  including 
the  national  conventions  in  which  Bryan 
and  Parker  were  nominated.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  prosecuting  attorney 
for  the  city  of  Norwalk,  filling  the  office 
in  a  manner  highly  satisfactory  to  all  good 
citizens. 

Until  his  elevation  to  the  bench,  Judge 
Walsh  was  for  some  years  a  director  of 
the  Fairfield  County  Savings  Bank.  He 
affiliates  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks,  and  his  clubs  are  the 
Catholic,  the  Norwalk,  and  the  Norwalk 
Yacht.  Yachting  is  his  favorite  recrea- 
tion, and  during  the  season  he  spends  the 
greater  part  of  his  leisure  time  on  his 
boat. 

Judge  Walsh  married,  October  4,  1884, 
Julia  Finnegan,  daughter  of  Dennis  and 


461 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


Mary  (Wallace)  Finnegan.  The  record 
of  Judge  Walsh,  both  at  the  bar  and  on 
the  bench,  is  that  of  a  high-minded  man, 
faithful  to  the  noble  traditions  of  his 
chosen  profession.  His  many  years  of 
disinterested  service  in  the  political  arena 
have  been  inspired  by  genuine  public 
spirit,  and  there  seems  to  be  little  doubt 
that  his  fellow-citizens  will,  in  the  near 
future,  summon  him  to  assume  greater 
trusts  and  larger  responsibilities. 

(The  Burke  Line). 

This  ancient  race  is  classed,  with  the 
Butlers  and  Fitzgeralds,  among  the  most 
distinguished  of  the  Norman-Irish  fami- 


lies.   The  name  Burke,  or  Burgh,  signifies 
"a  place  of  defense  or  safety." 

William  Fitz-Aldelm  de  Burgo  was  a 
kinsman  of  William  the  Conqueror  and 
accompanied  Henry  the  Second  to  Ire- 
land. He  was  appointed  by  that  monarch 
Lord  Justice  of  Ireland,  and  his  descend- 
ants settled  in  numerous  counties.  They 
were  distinguished  in  the  army,  the 
church,  literature  and  statecraft,  both  in 
Europe  and  America.  In  the  Civil  War 
the  family  was  gallantly  represented.  The 
Burkes  are  entitled  to  display  the  fol- 
lowing escutcheon : 

Arms — Or,  a  cross  gules  on  the  dexter  canton  a 
lion  rampant  sable. 


462 


ERRATA-INDEX 


IN  DEX 


ERRATA 

Cowles,  p.  304,  2nd  col.,  19th  line,  Albert  Abernethy  Cowles  should  be  Alfred  Aber- 
nethy  Cowles. 


/ 


Acheson,  Dean  G.,  134 

Edward  C,  134 

Edward  C,  Bishop,  133 

Eleanor,  134 
Adams,  Clarissa,  295 

David,  294 

Elbert  S.,  422 

Elizabeth  R.,  423 

Henry,  294 

Ida,  423 

Jonathan,  294 

Jonathan  T.,  422 

Levi,  294,  295 

Oren,  295 

Oren  L.,  295 

Robert,  422 

Spencer  S.,  423 

Squire,  422 

Thomas,  Lieut.,  294 
Adorno,  Maria,  200 

Michele,  198 

Salvatore,  198,  199 
Allen,  Benjamin,  263 

Catherine  M.,  269 

Daniel,  263 

Delancey,  263 

George,  262,  263 

Gideon,  263 

Helen,  264 

Isaac,  263 

John, 267 

Joseph,  263 

Kate  M.,  264 

Lauren  M.,  Dr.,  262,  264 

Stephen,  267 

William  M.,  268 


INDEX 


"Atkins,  Albert,  183 

Ephraim,  183 

Grace  M.,  185 

Ithamar,  183 

Joseph,  182 

Luke,  182 

Mary  M.,  185 

Thomas,  183 
y    Thomas  J.,  182,  184 
Avery,  Christopher,  173 

Edward  C,  173,  174 

James,  Capt.,  173 

Joel  E.,  174 

John,  173 

Mabel,  175 

Maria,  173,  175 

Robert,  173,  175 

Samuel,  173 

Bacon,  Benjamin,  185 

Charles  W.,  187 

Henry,  188 

Louis  P.,  185,  187 

Nathaniel,  185 

Nellie  O.,  187 

Phebe,  189 

Phineas,  185 
Bailey,  Christopher,  179 

Edgar  L.,  178,  179 

Ephraim,  179 

John,  178 

Miriam  S..  180 

Richard  M.,  178,  179 

William,  179 
Banning  (Bayning),  Abner,  38,  53 

Annah,  38,  53 

465 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Asenath  C,  40,  43 

Ashel,  38 

Benoni,  35 

David,  33,  38,  43 

Edward,  35 

James,  33,  34 

John,  33,  34,  37 

Kate,  40 

Paul,  35 

Paul,  Sir,  36 

Phineas,  37 

Pierson,  33 

Richard,  33 

Robert,  33 

Samuel,  34,  38 
y    Stephen,  33 

Barber,  Elizabeth  (Betsey),  377 

Joseph,  377 

Roswell,  377 

Samuel,  377 
,    Thomas,  376 
"'Bassett,  Bennett,  336 

Joseph,  336 

Mary,  336 
'Bassick,  Edgar  W.,  100,  102 

Edgar  W.,  Jr.,  103 

Edmund  C,  loi 

Frederick  C,  103 

George,  loi 

Grace  E.,  103 

Lillian  C,  104 

Marshall  M.,  103 
\/    William,  loi 
Beaumont  (Bemont),  David  B.,  214 

Elijah,  214 

Emeline  R.,  214 
/  Makens,  214 
^eers,  Adolphus  P.,  387 

Albertson  S.,  387 

Ezekiel,  386 

Gladys  L.,  388 

Louis  S.,  386,  387 

Mary,  387 
\/Belcher,  Elisha,  Dr.,  240 

Gregory,  241 


/p 


Moses,  241 

Samuel,  241 

William,  241 
y     William,  Capt.,  240 
Belden,  Catherine  L.,  265 

Charles  D.,  264,  265 

David,  265 

Sarah  R.,  265 

William  A.,  266 
Benedict,  Dinah,  416 

John,  416 

Mary,  416 

Phebe,  416 
/  Thomas,  415 
Bennett,  Edwin  B.,  310,  312 

Eli  G.,  311 

Elias,  310,  311 

Isabelle  W.,  312 

James,  310 

Mary,  311 

Nathan,  310 

Sturges,  311 
-/  Thomas,  310 
Bird,  Adam,  47 

George,  48 

Henry,  47 

James,  48 

John,  48 

Joseph,  48 

Moore,  49 

Peter,  47 

Randall,  48 

Thomas,  48 
y   William,  47,  48 
Bishop,  Alfred,  93 

Alfred  F.,  53,  54 

Elizabeth  F.,  55 

Ethan  F.,  Rev.,  53,  54 

Georgianna,  55 

Henrietta,  96 

Henry  A.,  92,  95 

Henry  A.,  Jr.,  96 

Jessie,  96 

John,  54 

John,  Rev.,  54 


466 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Pierson,  54,  93 
Sydney,  55 
William,  54,  93 
William  D.,  93 
^^Blakeslee,  Daniel,  160 
Minnie  O.,  160 
Robert  N.,  160 
1  Bogardus,  Abraham,  274 
Ada  I.,  279 
Clarence  E.,  278 
Cornelius,  273 
Eloise  A.,  275 
Everardus,  272 
Frank  W.,  271,275 
J.  Howard,  276 
John  S.,  274 
Kate,  276 
Matthew,  274 
Samuel,  274 
Borg,  Albert,  448 

Henry  L.,  448,  449 
^   Julia,  450 

Bouteiller,  Austin  W.,  233 
Emile  F.,  232 
Florentine,  232 
Grace  L.,  233 
Griswold  L.,  233 
William  H.,  232,  233     . 
Bradley,  Abraham,  42 
Amy,  43,  45 
Ariel,  43,  45 
Asenath,  43,  49 
Catherine,  328 
Daniel,  391,  392 
Daniel  B.,  392 
Daniel  B.,  Jr.,  391,  393 
Edward  B.,  394 
Eli,  397 
Elizabeth,  395 
Ellen,  43.  49 
Emily  S.,  397 
Enos,  43,  49 
Esther,  391 
Francis,  328,  391 
Grace,  394 


L^T 


Henry,  41.  397 
James,  41 

James,  Capt.,  43,  45 
John,  41,42,43 
Moore  B.,  Dr.,  43 
Sarah  A.,  393 
Thomas,  41,42 
Wakeman,  328 
William,  41,  42 
^    William  H.,  394 
Brainerd,  Abiah,  229 
Daniel,  229 
Erastus,  230 

Erastus  LeR.  (E.  Le  Roy),  229,  230 
James,  229 
Le  Roy,  229,  230 
Mildred,  231 
Silas,  230 
^^  Simon,  230 

Brathwaite,  F.  Windsor,  Rev.,  324 
Frederick  G.,  Dr.,  324,  325 
Marguerite,  326 
Melancthon  W.,  326 
^^rowning,  Ann,  5,  8 
Eliza  S.,  6,  10 
Elizabeth,  3 
Eva  B.,  7,  13 
John, 4 
John  H.,  6,  10 
John  H.  (2),  3,  6,  13 
Nathaniel,  3 
Thomas,  5 
William,  4 
^William  T.,  5 
■^rush.  Amos  M.,  437 
Augustus  M.,  437 
Caleb,  266 
Eleanor,  266 
Electa,  438 
Joseph,  437 
Joshua,  266 
Lucretia,  266 
Ralph  E.,  437-  438 
Bryant,  Calvin  T.,  90 
Clement,  90 
467 


WT 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


George  Q.  A.,  90 

Ichabod,  89 

Ida,  92 

Job,  90 

Ruth,  92 

Stephen,  89 

Waldo  C,  88,  91 
^   Waldo  G.,  92 
Buckingham,  Eliza,  32 

Samuel,  31 
^    William  A.,  Gov.,  31 
Burnham,  Charles,  131 

Edward  G.,  131 

Elisha,  130  S 

George,  130 

Hattie  J.,  133 

Richard,  130 

Thomas,  129 
,  William  E.,  128,  132 
Burr,  Daniel,  394 

Jehue,  394 

Mary,  394 
»/Bush  (Bosch),  Albert,  414 

Ann,  415 

Hendrick,  414 
Justus,  414,  415 


Calhoun,  David,  341 

Frederick  J.,  341 

Jedediah,  341 

John,  341 
/  Mary  A.,  341 
Candee,  Amos,  345 

Annie  M.,  346 

Caleb,  345 

Jason,  345 

Nehemiah,  344,  345 

Samuel,  344,  345 

Zaccheus,  344 
tarmichael,  Frank,  29 

George  E.,  298,  299 

Helen  G.,  299 

James  T.,  299 

Thompson,  298 
'Carpenter,  Abiah,  74 


U- 


Amos,  76 
Ann  E.,  "jy 
Byron  W.,  78 
Christopher,  76 
John,  76 
John  A.,  "j-y 
John  F.,  78 
Joseph,  75 
Marcia  J.,  78 
Oliver,  76 
Robert,  76 
y   William,  71,  72,  73 
Chapman,  Charlotte  F.,  297 
Daniel,  Rev.,  295 
Edwin  N.,  Dr.,  295,  296 
Edwin  N.,  Jr.,  296 
Harold  W.,  296 
John  D.,  297 
Joshua,  296 
Maria  B.,  296 
Marvin  A.,  296 
Mary  A.,  298 
Nathaniel,  295 
Phineas,  295,  296 
,    Robert,  295 
Child,  Annie  C,  70,  78 
Chester  E.,  70,  78 
Ezra  C,  70 
Clarke,  Alexander,  355 
J.  A.,  Dr.,  355 
/   Lily,  356 
Coe,  Carlotta,  301 
David,  Capt.,  300 
Ebenezer  J.,  301 
Elias  C,  301 
John  W.  B.,  301 
Joseph,  Capt.,  300 
Robert,  300 
Seth,  300 

Walter  E.,  299,  301 
Coughlin,  Eva  L.,  160 
John,  159 
William  J.,  159 
*Cowles,  Alfred  A.,  304 
George  P.,  304 
468 


/. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Louise  M.,  306 
,    Russel  A.,  304,  305 
Cram,  Daniel,  423 

George  E.,  Dr.,  423,  424 

George  W.,  424 
^    Jeanne,  425 
Crane,  Albert,  284,  286 

Ebenezer,  285 

Ellen  M.,  286 

Fanny,  286 

Henry,  284 

Joseph,  285 
,    Thomas,  285 
Crosby,  Ansel,  Capt.,  243 

Charles,  2zt4 

Chester  N.,  244 

Elizabeth,  243 

Estelle,  246 

J.   Elton,  246 

Joseph  E.,  244 

Joseph  P.,  243,  244 

Lemuel,  243 

Maria  D.,  244 

Theophilus,  Capt.,  243 
^Culver  (Colver),  Edward,  63 

Joshua,  63 

Ruth,  63 

Samuel,  63 
J      Sarah,  63 
Curry,  Ann,  139 

Edward  P.,  139 

James  A.,  138,  139 

Mary  A.,  139 

Teresa,  139 

Thomas,  138 

Thomas  B.,  139 

William  P.,  139 
"XTurtis  (Curtiss),  Annie  E.  C,  371 

Benjamin,  369 

Josiah,  369 

Julius  B.,  370 

Louis  J.,  368,  371 

Nichols,  369 

Philo,  369 

William,  368,  369 


Daskam,  Benjamin  J.,  302 

Harriet,  304 

John, 301 

Theodore  J.,  302 

Walter  D.,  301,  303 

William,  Capt.,  302 
iDavis,  Abbott  H.,  192 

Alvin,  189 

Andrew,  189 

Charles  T.,  189,  191,  192 

Grace  L.,  191,  192 

Harold  H.,  192 

John,  189 

Lemual,  189 

Peter,  189 

Samuel,  189 

Sydney  T.,  190 
^Davol,  John,  296 

Laura,  296 

Pardon,  296 

Sarah,  296 

Stephen,  296 

William,  296 
^ay,  Annie  E.,  155 

Ebenezer,  154 

Edmund,  154,  155 

Julius,  155 

Robert,  154 

Thomas,  154 

Timothy,  154 
Dayton,  Beriah,  360 

Charles  H.,  361 

David,  360 

Elizabeth,  361 

Henry,  359,  360 

Jesse,  360 

Ralph,  360 

Robert,  360 
^ickerman,  Abraham,  146 

Elihu,  147 

Elihu  E.,  149 

Elihu  J.,  147 

Enos,  147 

Isaac,  Capt.,  147 

Jonathan,  Lieut,  147 
469 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Lillian  A.,  149 

Thomas,  146 
,  William  E.,  146,  147 
Dickson,  Abbie  T.,  234 

Clara  E.,  234 

Isadore  I.,  234 

James,  233 

William,  233 
•Duryea,  Alice  E.,  367 

George  W.,  366 

Stephen  C,  366 
i^Dyer,  Edward,  i8r 

Heman,  181 

Henry,  181 

Kirk  W.,  180,  182 

Ruth,  182 

Samuel,  181 

William,  180 

Edgerton,  Amelia  D.,  153 

Annie  E.,  154,  155 

Elisha,  150 

Francis  C,  153 

Francis  D.,  Dr.,  149,  151 

Henry  C,  153,  155 

John,  149,  150 

John  W.,  153 

Richard,  149 

Simon,  151 
■^Emery,  Albert  H.,  255,  256 

Albert  H.,  Jr.,  261 

Fannie  B.,  261 

John,  255 

Joshua,  255 

Samuel,  255 
''Estabrook,  Joel,  175 

Thomas,  175 


/ 


Fenton,  Jonathan,  65 

Sarah,  65 
Fisher,  Clinton  R.,  397,  398 

Daniel  M.,  398 

Edward  C,  398 

Janet,  398 

William,  397 


•^Fones,  Alfred  C,  Dr.,  96,  98 

Christopher,  97 

Civilian,  Hon.,  96,  97 

Daniel,  97 

Elizabeth,  100 

John,  Capt.,  97 

Phoebe  E.,  98 
"Fontaine,  Jacques,  453 

James,  453 
L^oster,  Andrew,  436 

Anson,  386 

Christopher,  385 

Dean,  Dr.,  436 

John  B.,  385 

Jonah, 385 

Joseph, 385 

Josiah,  385 

Mabel  E.,  437 

Mary,  386 

Thomas,  436 

Timothy,  385 
"^risbie,  Abigail,  56,  64 

Daniel,  56,  63 

Edward,  57 

Edward  L.,  56,  57,  60,  61 

Edward  L.,  Jr.,  58 

Elijah,  56,  64 

Elizabeth,  56,  62 

Emily  J.,  58,  60,  61 

Eunice,  56,  63 

Hannah  A.,  58 

John,  56 
Josephine,  58 

Laurens,  56 

Reuben,  56,  62 

Gilbert,  Benjamin,  312 
Edwin,  313 
i^illespie,  Edward  L.,  351 
Edward  T.  W.,  350 
Elizabeth  J.,  349 
Emma,  351 
John,  346 
Kingsley  A.,  354 
Mabel,  354 
470 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Richard  H.,  351,  352 
Richard  H.,  Jr.,  353 
Sarah  B.,  353 
Sarah  E.,  352 
Schuyler  W.,  354 
William  F.,  354 
William  W.,  346,  347 
'Godfrey,  Caroline  St.  L.,  70 
Charles  C,  Dr.,  68,  69 
Christopher,  68 
Jonathan,  68 
Jonathan,  Rev.,  68 
Nathan,  Lieut.,  68 
''Graham.  Benjamin,  61 
Cyrus,  61 

Fannie,  61 
Jesse,  61 
''Graves,  Bertha,  344 

Carlisle  F.,  344 

Chester  W.,  344 

Henry  M.,  343 

Isaac,  343 

John,  343 

Levi,  343 

Phineas,  343 

Rhodolphua,  343 

Thomas,  343 

William  W.,  342,  344 
"^Gray,  Elijah,  396 

Henry,  396 

John,  396 

Mary  A.,  397 

Nathan,  396 

Walter  T.,  395,  396 
"^Green,  Carrie,  390 

Francis  E.,  390 

Lewis,  390 

Thaddeus  K.,  390 

i4larral,  Crissy  DeF.,  196 
Edward  W.,  193,  I94-  i95 
Ellen  B.,  196 
George,  194 
George,  Dr.,  195 
Henry  K.,  194,  195 
Julia,  196 


Harris,  Channing  P.,  281,  282 
Charles,  281,  282 
Esther,  283 
Stephen,  281 
Sylvester,  281 
"llarstrom.  Carl  A.,  Dr.,  279 
Carl  E.,  281 
Carl  G.,  279 
Eric  E.,  279 
Lee  S.,  280 
Havens,  Elmer  H.,  104,  106 
Emma,  107 
Emmy  L.,  107 
George,  105 
George  O.,  105 
Jonathan,  105 
William,  104 
Hazard,  Jeremiah,  8 
Robert,  7 
Sarah, 8 
Thomas,  7 
''  Hickcox,  Mary,  66 
Samuel,  Capt.,  66 
Samuel,  Serg.,  66 
William,  66 
William,  Capt.,  66 
''Hill,  Eunice,  63,  65 
Jared,  Lieut.,  63,  65 
John,  62 
Obadiah,  62 
/Robert,  62 

Hoyt  (Halt),  Caleb,  415 
David,  415 
Jesse,  444 
Job,  444 
Joseph  B.,  415 
Joshua,  444 
Sarah,  415,  444 
Simon,  415,  444 
Thankful,  415 
Timothy,  415 
Walter,  415 
y  Zerubbabel,  415 
Hubbard,  Agnes  H.,  401 
Alfred,  225 
Alfred,  Hon.,  224 

471 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Carleton  W.,  401 

Caroline  K.,  225 

Charles  E.,  192 

Drexel  T.,  401 

Frederick  A.,  398,  400 

George,  224,  399 

George  F.,  401 

John,  399 

Jonathan,  399 

Julia  A.,  225 

Luther,  400 

Luther  P.,  400 

Margaret  O.,  193 

Margaret  S.,  225 

Nathan,  400 

Robert  P.,  223,  224 

Russell  H.,  192,  193 

Thomas,  400 
^Hubbell,  Andrew,  114 

Gideon  S.,  115 

Harvey,  113,  114,  115 

Harvey,  Jr.,  117 

James,  114 

Louie  E.,  116 

Matthew,  114 
^ull,  Elizabeth,  10 

John  W.,  Col.,  10 

Joseph,  10 

Joseph,  Rev.,  8 

Latham,  10 

Stephen,  10 

Tristram,  10 

Tristram,  Capt.,  9 

^ngersoll,  Dorcas,  309 
John,  309 
Jonathan,  309 

Jennings,  Isaac,  322 
Jacob,  322 
Joshua,  322 

*Keeler,  Anson  F.,  383,  384 
Benjamin,  378 
Esther,  383 


Harriet  A.,  379 

Isaiah,  380 

Jeremiah,  378,  383 

John  E.,  377,  378,  383 

John  F.,  384 

LeGrand  W.,  380 

Mary  E.,  383 

Mary  G.,  384 

Ralph,  378,  379 

Raymond,  382 

Robert  W.,  379,  380 

Ruth  Z.,  381 

Samuel,  378,  379 

Samuel  J.,  382,  383 
^    Timothy,  378,  383 
King,  Anne,  309 

Joshua,  308 
Kirk,  Bennett  B.,  336 

C.  Frances,  336 

Frank  H.,  336 

Theodore  H.,  334,  335 

Warren,  334 

William,  334 
■4Cirkham,  Fanny  L.,  125 

Henry,  122 

John,  122 

John  S.,  123 

Thomas,  121,  122 

Thomas  A.,  120,  122,  124 

William,  122 

"^Lee,  Alonzo,  293 

Barnes,  293 

Daniel,  293 

Guy  E.,  294 

Julia  C,  294 

Mortimer  M.,  292,  293 

Robert  M.,  294 
'Leggett,  Gabriel,  269 

John,  269 

Margaret,  269 

Thomas,  269 

William  H.,  269 
l.ockhart,  Elizabeth,  118 

R.  Harold,  118 


472 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Reuben  A.,  Dr.,  117 
Royal  A.,  118 
"T-ounsbury,  Anna  P.,  238 
Charles  H.,  236,  237 
George,  237 
Joshua,  236,  237 
Michael,  236 
Richard,  236 
Robert,  236 
Silas,  237 

McCready,  James,  365 
Myrtle  B.,  366 
Robert  H.,  Dr.,  365,  366 
Robert  W.,  365 
McFarland,  David,  319 
David  W.,  Dr.,  319 
Marie,  320 
'McHarg,  Frederica  B.,  308 
Henry  K.,  306,  307 
Henry  K.,  Jr.,  308 
John,  306,  307 
Sophia,  307 
,  William,  307 
McNeil,  Abraham,  11 1 
Abraham  A.,  in 
Archibald,  no,  in,  112,  113 
Jean,  113 
Kenneth  W.,  113 
Roderick  C.  R.,  113 
William,  in 
^Malkin,  Albert  D.,  329 
Albert  R.,  328,  329 
Allen  R.,  329 
Catherine  A.,  329 
Richard,  328 
Samuel,  328 
/Ward  G.,  329 
Manwaring,  Allen  W.,  125 
Elizabeth  W.,  126 
Emmeline  L.,  126 
Moses  W.,  Hon.,  125,  126 
Marsh,  Anna,  342 
John, 342 
MVIarshall,  Alfred  W.  W.,  412,  413 


Deborah  B.,  413 

Edith  B.,  414 

Gilbert,  412 

John  E.,  416 

Joseph  H.,  413 

Mary  L.,  413 

Stephen,  412 

Susan  M.,  417 

Sylvanus,  Capt.,  416 

Walter,  416 
Mathewson,  Albert  W.,  419 

Clifford  E.,  418,  420 

Daniel,  418 

Dearborn,  419 

Herbert  A.,  420,  421 

James,  418 

John, 421 

Joseph,  419 

Marie  A.,  420 

Mary  E.,  422 

Othniel,  418 

Samuel,  419 
^Maury,  James,  453 

Matthew,  453 
.  William,  453 
Mazzotta,  Angelina,  177 

Carmelo,  175 

Salvatore,  175 
'^ead,  Alexander,  271 

Henry  S.,  271 

John,  414 

Mary,  414 

Matilda,  271 

Matthew,  Capt.,  414 

Pamelia  B.,  412 
^^,  William,  414 
Miller,  Anne  D.,  81 

Carrie,  317 

Catherine,  315 

Charles  J.,  315 

D.  Henry,  317 

David  H.,  314,  316 

David  H.,  Jr.,  316 

Emily  L.,  81 

Esther  A.,  316 


473 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Frank,  78,  79,  80 

John  H.,  314 

John  H.,  Jr.,  314 

Josephine  L.,  317 

Julius  W.,  315 

Louis  P.,  317 

Mary  F.,  318 

Samuel  J.,  316 

Stephen,  79 

Thomas,  79 
Millspaugh,  Edward  M.,  444 

Elizabeth  A.,  444 

Erastus  E.,  /\/\/[ 

Matthias,  444 
^    Peter,  444 
Montgomery,  James  W.,  320 

LeRoy,  320,  321 

Marion  M.,  321 

William,  320 
,     William  E.,  320 
Moody,  Elizabeth  F.,  55 

John, 55 
Moss,  John,  309 

Joseph,  309 
"Mylchreest,  Grace  E.,  173 

John,  171 

Joseph  H.,  172 

Joseph  W.  (J.  Warren),  171,  172 

William,  171 

vNilson,  A.  H.,  200 

Augusta  S.,  201 

Jacob,  201 

Nil,  200 
"^  Noble,  Anna  E.,  278 

Erastus,  278 

James,  278 

Joseph,  277 

Matthew,  277 

Robert,  278 

Roger,  277 

Thomas,  277 

Oak,  Abigail,  376 
George,  375 


Nathaniel,  375 
Sylvanus,  376 
Osborn,  Carrie  L.,  324 
David,  322 
Gregory  T.,  322,  323 
Ida  F.,  324 
Isaac,  322 
John,  Capt.,  322 
Mary  E.,  323 
Richard,  Capt.,  322 
Turney,  322 
William,  322 
William  E.,  323 
William  F.,  324 
^  Otis,  Carrie  F.,  141 
John  M.,  139,  141 
Marshall,  141 
Richard,  141 
Robert,  140 

Partridge,  Elisha,  281 

Frances  A.,  281 

Samuel  S.,  281 

Thomas  M.,  281 
''Pascall,  George  C,  169 

Helen,  170 

Marie  A.,  169 

Richard,  167 

Richard  B.,  170 

Richard  H.,  Capt.,  167,  168 
Patten,  Daniel  A.,  225 

David,  225 

David  W.  (D.  Walter),  225 

Erminie  I..  226 
Peck,  Benjamin,  134,  135,  357 

Bernice  E.,  359 

Carrie,  136 

Elias,  357 

Elias  S.,  357 

Elizabeth  I.,  359 

Harry  D.,  137 

Henry,  134 

Horace  H.,  136 

Howard  S.,  134,  136 

Jeremiah,  356 


474 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Jesse,  135 

Joseph,  135 

Joseph  N.,  136 

Reuben,  135 

Samuel,  357 

Theophilus,  357 

Walter  S.,  359 

Wilbur  M.,  356,  358 

William,  356,  357 
^enfield,  Almira  G.,  204 

Bessie  P.,  205 

George  H.,  203,  204 

Hiram  A.,  203 

John,  203 

John,  Col.,  203 

Richard  P.,  205 

Samuel,  203 

Walter  H.,  205 
'Perry,  Grace,  314 

Richard,  314 

Thaddeus,  314 
Piatt,  David,  323 

John,  323 

Justus,  323 

Richard,  323 

Samuel,  323 
Plum,  Aaron,  207 

Benoni,  207 

Edna,  210 

Elihu.  207 

Elihu  H.,  206,  210 

Henry  L.,  208 

John, 207 

Loren  H.,  209 

Robert,  207 

Samuel,  207 
Porteous,  Alexander,  235 

Eva,  236 

James  H.,  235 
"^Porter,  Daniel,  Dr.,  67 

Elizabeth,  246 

John,  245 

Joseph  B.,  246 

Margaret,  67 

Martha  D.,  16 


Mary,  16,  19 
Nehemiah,  245,  246 
Noah,  14 

Noah,  Rev.,  13,  14,  19 
Robert,  13,  14 
Samuel,  245 
Thomas,  14 
Timothy,  Dr.,  67 
'Post,  Abraham,  287 
Bissell  E.,  287 
David,  287 
Elijah,  287 
Eliza,  288 
Gurdon,  287 
Jedediah,  287 
Lisetta,  288 
Robert  W.,  287,  288 
Stephen,  287 

^Quintard,  Elizabeth,  332 
Evert,  332 
Francis  E.,  332 
Frederick  H.,  331,  332 
Isaac,  331 
Mary  E.,  333 
Peter,  331 

Radford,  Bessie  H.,  284 
Stephen  L.  (i),  283 
Stephen  L.  (2),  283 
Stephen  L.  (3),  283 

Raftery,  Adelaide  E.,  143 
Harold  B.,  143 
Mary  E.,  143 
Oliver  H.,  Rev.,  141 

,    Thomas,  141 

Raymond,  Amos  N.,  319 
Asa,  319 
Charles  A.,  319 
Jabez,  382 
John,  318,  382 
Josiah,  382 
Nancy,  319 
Richard,  318,  382 
Samuel,  318 


475 


I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Sands,  319 

Sarah  E.,  382 

Thomas,  382 
^y   William  M.,  382 
Reed,  Ebenezer,  339 

Edith  E.,  340 

Herbert  C,  338,  339 

Jesse,  339 

John,  338 

John  B.,  339 

Stephen  E.,  339 
y  Thomas,  339 
Reynolds,  Ebenezer,  222 

Ephraim  O.,  222 

Henry  B.,  222 

John, 222 

Jonathan,  222 

May  B.,  223 

Wilson  S.,  221,  223 
Riley,  Catherine  E.,  206 

Patrick,  206 

Stephen,  206 

William  J.,  205,  206 
Roberts,  David  B.,  212,  213 

Edwin  M.,  212 

Elisha,  212 

Jeanette  L.,  213,  214 

Joseph, 212 

Joseph  W.,  212,  214 

Maude  I.,  214 
/  William,  212 
Rogers,  Amos,  145 

Emma  E.,  146 

Ezekiel  C,  145 

George  E.,  146 

George  L.,  145 

John  W.,  144,  146 

Joshua,  145 

Robert,  144 

Theodore  E.,  146 
■/  Thomas,  144 
Rorech,  John, 431 

John  J.,  431  - 
,  Lorion  S.,  431 
Ruland,  Daniel,  371 


Daniel  W.,  372 
Frederick  D.,  Dr.,  371,  372 
Leo  M.  S.,  373 

St.  John  (De  St.  John),  Benoni,  364 
Daniel,  364 
Darius,  364 
Darius  A.,  363,  364 
Ebenezer,  363 
John, 23 

John.  Sir,  23,  24 
Lawrence  D.,  365 
Lewis  v.,  364 
Matthias,  363 
Oliver,  24 

Oliver,  Rt.  Hon.  Sir,  24 
Oliver,  Sir,  23 
Robert,  23 
Roger,  23 
Sarah,  24 
Sarah  E.,  365 
Thomas,  Rt.  Hon.,  24 
Vincent  S.,  365 
William,  23 
'Salmon,  Daniel  C,  326 
David  A.,  326 
Frederick  M.,  326,  327 
Martha  G,  327 
Mary  C,  326 
Sanford,  Betsey,  144 
Charles  G.,  143 
Charles  H.,  143 
Dayton,  459 
Edith,  458 
Edwin  G.,  143 
Ezekiel,  458 
Frederick  S.,  143 
Glover,  143 
Homer  B..  143 
Jonathan  B.,  457,  458 
Jonathan  B.,  Jr.,  459 
Jonathan  R.,  458 
Lemuel,  458,  459 
Liffe,  143 
Thomas,  143,  457 
476 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Selleck,  Benjamin,  367 
Delia  v.,  368 
John  H.,  367,  368 
Major,  367 
Shattuck,  Abel,  374 

Elizabeth  B.,  374 
Jethro,  374 
John,  373,  374 

Lydia,  374 

Thomas,  374 
^y  William,  373,  374 
Sherman,  Charles  D.,  161 

Edward  F.,  162 

Freeman  C,  160,  161 

Marcia  S.,  161 
Sherwood,  Charles  E.,  417 

Charles  W.,  417 

David,  417 

Edna,  418 

Harry  R.,  417 

Henry,  430 

Henry  E.,  430 

Lillian,  431 

Ruel,  417 

Samuel,  429 

Samuel  B.,  429 

Stuart  W.,  Dr.,  429,  430 

Thomas,  429 
^Sisson,  Charles  G.,  11,  13 

George,  11 

Gilbert,  Maj.,  12 

Martha,  13 

Mary,  13 

Richard,  11 

Thomas,  12 

William,  12 
Skeel,  Abiram,  Rev.,  445 

Adelbert  A.,  445,  446 

Helen  L.,  446 

James  D.,  446 

John,  445 

Oren,  445 

Samuel,  445 
/     Truman,  445 
Skene,  Ellen  A.,  292 


George  M.,  292 

Gilbert,  291 

John,  291 

John  C,  292 

John  D.,  Rev.,  289,  291 

Malcolm  S.,  292 

William,  291 
"^Skidmore  (Scudamore),  Thomas,  49 

Thomas,  Sir,  49 
L'Smith,  Alfred  O.,  202 

Amna,  337 

Amos,  316 

Bessie  E.,  218 

Charles  H.,  210,  211 

Charles  H.  (3),  210 

Clifford  B.,  216,  218 

Daniel,  316 

David,  337 

Edward  A.,  201,  202 

Elisha,  210 

Ella  J.,  216 

Gibson, 330 

Henry,  316 

Herbert  E.,  216 

Jacob, 336 

James,  336 

James  O.,  201,  216 

John, 201 

Joseph,  316 

Josiah,  Lieut.,  316 

Kathryn  H.,  331 

Lottie  S.,  203 

Marion  C,  211 

Nathaniel,  336 

Richard,  210 

Robert  K.,  210,  211 

Sarah,  317 

William,  330 
Sparrow,  Elizabeth,  53 

John,  52,  53 

Jonathan,  Capt.,  51 
Richard,  50 
,    Stephen,  52 
Spear,  Aaron,  218 
Clara,  221 

477 


^c 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


/ 


/ 


Isaac,  219 
Robert  L.,  221 
Viola,  221 
William  P.,  218,  220 

Stevens,  Anna  M.,  163 
Bertha  M.,  163 
Burr  E.,  162 
Frederick  C,  162 

Stewart,  Annie  B.,  390 
Durland,  390 
Samuel  J.,  388 
Samuel  J.,  Jr.,  390 
Thomas,  390 
Thomas  B.,  388 

Stoddard,  John,  226 
Mark,  227 
Martha,  228 
Orrin  E.,  226,  227 
Robert,  227 
Stephen, 227 

,    Stephen  M.,  227 
■'Stow,  Alanson,  214 
Asa  B.,  215 
Frederick  S.,  216 
James  P.,  214,  215 
James  P.,  Jr.,  216 
Mary  D.,  216 
''Strang,  Alma  E.,  243 
Daniel,  239 
Edgar  A.,  241 
Grace  E.,  242 
James  S.,  238,  242 
Joseph,  Maj.,  240 
Joseph  W.,  240 
Lorena  S.,  243 
Samuel,  Dr.,  240 


/ 


Tallmadge,  Enos,  Lieut.,  426 
James,  427 
John,  427 
Nancy,  427 
Robert,  426 
Seymour,  427 
Thomas,  426 
William  H.,  427 


Taylor,  Cornelius  G.,  425,  426 

David,  425 

Daniel,  17 

Elizabeth  H.,  429 

Frederick  C,  427,  428 

Frederick  H.,  429 

Henry  F.,  428 

John,  17,  427 

John  W.,  427 

Lorena,  426 

Nancy  E.,  426 

Nathaniel,  Col.,  18 

Nathaniel,  Rev.,  18 

Nathaniel  W.,  Rev.,  18 

Rebecca  M.,  19 

Sandusky,  426 

Seth,  427 

Thomas,  17 
Terrill,  Almira  O.,  157 

Arad,  156 

Frederick  W.,  158 

Lewis,  156 

Lillian  E.,  159 

Moses,  156 

Moses  W.,  157 

Moses  W.  (2),  155,  158 

Timothy,  156 

Willis  E.,  157 
"^Thompson,  Abigail,  229 

Anne,  45,  46 

Anthony,  44 

Finton,  228 

Finton  (2),  228 

Harriet,  45 

Henry,  44 

James,  45 

John,  44,  47 

Samuel,  Capt.,  45 

Thomas,  44,  228 

Thomas  F.,  229 
Todd,  Arthur  S.,  362 

David,  362 
■    Nellie  L.,  363 
ij   William  S.,  Dr.,  362 
Trevithick,  Frederick  W.,  235 
478 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


v4 


Harry  P.,  235 

Mary  E.,  234 

William,  234 
y  William  J.,  234 
Trumbull,  Alexander  H.,  137 

Hugh  H.,  137 

Mary  J.,  138 
Tucker,  Benjamin,  165 

Henry,  166 

Henry  V.,  166 

Ida  D.,  167 

James  W.,  165 

LeRoy  M.,  164,  167 

Robert,  165 

Stephen,  165 
'buttle,  Daniel,  65 

John,  64 

Mary,  65 

Samuel,  65 

William,  64 

Van  Deusen,  Sylvia  A.,  373 

Wellington,  373 
^  Van  Tassel,  Abraham,  267 
•A^icars  (Vicaris),  Thomas,  46 

Walter,  46 

William,  46 


vX'^akelee  (Wakelyn),  Ebenezer,  62 

Elizabeth,  62 

Henry,  61 

James,  62 
Wakeman,  Grace  M.,  171 

Howard  N.,  170 

Tallmadge  N.,  171 
y    Zalmon,  170 
Waldo,  Annie,  109 

Cornelius,  107,  108 

Daniel,  108 

Edward,  108 

George  C,  107,  108 

George  C.  (2),  109 

John,  108 

Josiah  C,  108 

Maturin  B.,  109 

Shubael,  108 


^/■ 


Walsh,  Anna  A.,  442 

James  E.,  439 

John, 460 

John  J.,  Hon.,  459,  460 

Julia,  461 
,   Robert  J.,  Hon.,  439 
Warner,  Andrew,  127 

Clinton  H.,  196,  198 

Daniel,  Lieut.,  127 

Donald  J.,  127 

Donald  J.  (2),  126,  128 

Donald  T.,  128 

Ebenezer,  197 

George,  197 

Harvey  De  F.,  127 

John,  127,  197 

Lois  C,  128 

Mildred,  198 

Noadiah,  Rev.,  127 

Noble,  197 

Robert,  197 

Theodore,  197 
Warren,  Pedigree  A.,  26 

Pedigree  B.,  27 

Pedigree  C,  2"^ 
.    Pedigree  D.,  29,  30 
Waterbury,  Annie  S.,  434 

Charles  P.,  434 

David,  432,  434 

David,  Capt.,  433  ^ 

Harry  G.,  434,  435  ^ 

John,  432 

Mary  L.,  435 

Sarah,  434 

William,  Capt.,  432 
/   WiUiam  T.,  Capt.,  432,  433 
Watson,  Alice  C,  120 

Arthur  K.  L.,  120 

Catherine,  232 

James  J.,  231,  232 

Thomas  L.,  Gen.,  118,  119 

William,  231,  232 
J     William  L.,  Dr.,  119 
Weed,  Abraham,  403,  405,  406 

Alanson,  407 

Carey,  456 

479 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Daniel,  402,  403 
David,  454 
Edgar  S.,  408 
Edgar  S.,  Jr.,  407,  40: 
Edward  F.,  401,  403 
Elma  A.,  409 
Emily,  407 
Emma  L.,  455 
Emmeline,  455 
Enos,  403 

Eugene  A.,  405,  406 
Francis  B.,  455 
Francis  E.,  456 
Hanford  S.,  403,  404 
Harry  E.,  407 
Henry  D.,  410,  450 
Herbert  S.,  409 
Hezekiah,  407,  454 
Isabel  M.,  403 
Isabella,  409 
James,  454 
James  A.,  453,  455 
Jane  A.,  404 
John,  403,  410 
John  W.,  410 
Jonas,  402,  454 
Joseph,  402 
Joseph  D.,  451 
Julia  V,.  452 
Lilian,  457 
Louise,  403,  411 
Mary  E.,  409 
Nathan,  402 
Nathaniel,  402 
Peter,  406 
Richmond,  409,  411 
Robert  L.,  409 
Rufus,  406 
Samuel  A.,  404 
Samuel  R.,  402 
Sarah  F.,  451 
Seth,  404 
Seth,  Lieut.,  403 
Seth  C,  404 
William  D.,  409 
William  F.,  456,  457 


A 


William  H.,  456 

William  M.,  450,  452 

Zenas,  406 
Weeks,  Daniel  L.,  164 

Frank  B.,  163 

Helen  L.,  164 

Thomas,  163 
vWellstood,  Catherine,  338 

Frank  G.,  338 

James,  337 

John, 337 

John  G.,  337 

Robert,  337,  338 

Robert  M.,  338 

Stephen,  337 
'Welton,  Anna,  59,  68 

Anne,  59,  65 

Dorcas,  59,  67 

George  W.,  59,  61 

Harriet,  60 

John, 58 

John,  Capt.,  59,  67 

Mary,  60,  61 

Richard,  59,  65 
/    Richard  F.,  59,  68 
Wheeler,  Amelia  V.,  88 

Archer  C,  86 

David,  82 

Elizabeth  T.,  88 

Ellen  R.,  88 

Huldah  R.,  86 

James,  82 

Mary  E.,  86 

Moses,  82 

Nathaniel,  82,  83,  88 

Nathaniel  W.,  88 

Samuel,  82 

Samuel  H.,  87 
J    William  B.,  86 
White,  David,  447 

James  L.,  447 

Jane,  246 

Olive  F.,  447 

Ralph  L.,  Dr.,  447 

Warren  P.,  246 
480 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Whiting,  Dorcas,  22 
Elizabeth,  21,  24 
Samuel,  Rev.,  19,  22,  24 
William,  20 
'Whitney,  Abigail,  333 
David,  333 
Henry,  333 
John, 333 
Joseph,  333 


y.. 


Timothy,  333 


Wilcox,  Josiah,  270 

Robert  M.,  269,  270  ^ 

Tillie  A.,  271 
,  Willis  H.,  270 
Williamson,  Alanson,  443    J\ 


Charles  E.,  443 

Cynthia  D.,  443 

Elizabeth,  443 
^/George  H.,  443 
Winchester,  Albert  E.,  246,  250 

Carrie  A.  D.,  254 

Ebenezer,  247 

Edward  Van  S.,  255 

Elhanan,  247 

Elizabeth  G.,  254 

Herbert  D.,  255 

John,  247 

Josiah,  247 

Samuel,  247 

Theodore,  248 


2990