USA > Connecticut > New London County > Biographical review, containing life sketches of leading citizens of New London County, Connecticut > Part 27
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Captain Dudley Brand married first, in 1836, Evelyn Bailey. She was drowned off the coast of Long Island from the "Catherine F. Hale" in 1847, her husband, the Captain, the mate, and one 'sailor being saved. He married second, March 30, 1851, Catherine, daughter of John A. Champlin, and the widow of William Burdick, who was drowned
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DUDLEY A. BRAND.
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in the prime of life, leaving but one son. Mr. Champlin's wife, the mother of Catherine, was a Greene. Captain Dudley and Mrs. Catherine Brand had three sons and one daughter, namely: Dudley A., the yacht com- mander, a further account of whom is given below; John H., who is in Montana; Lyman, a marine engineer in Boston; and Hattie, who died at the age of eighteen. The father's death occurred at the age of eighty-four years. He had been captain and part owner of differ- ent vessels.
At the age of twelve years Dudley A. Brand was brought to New London, where he re- ceived a common-school education; and at eighteen he went to sea, shipping as a sailor before the miast on the coasting schooner "Daniel T. Willets," under Captain Stapelin. In 1872 he made his last voyage as a seaman, and in his twenty-second year sailed as mate of the "H. R. King," Captain Bliven. Since that time he has commanded many different vessels. In 1882 he took charge of the yacht " Alice," owned by Mr. Thomas G. Appleton, brother-in-law of the poet Longfellow. He sailed this craft for four years, leaving her to take command of the steam yacht "Wanda," owned by Woodward & Stillman, of New York City. This position was held by Captain Brand for ten years. In 1894-95 the Captain took an extended trip in charge of the "Mar- garita," owned by A. J. Drexel, of Philadel- phia, sailing from New London on September 22, reaching Southampton, England, in eleven days and five hours. During the year they touched at Gibraltar, Tangiers, Barcelona, Marseilles, Algiers, Toulon, Nice, Mentone, Ajaccio, Cividivitch, then went inland to Rome, thence to Naples, through the Strait of Messina to Brindisi, thence to Corfu, through the Gulf of Corinth and Corinth Canal to Athens, from there to Alexandria,
and inland to Cairo, from Port Said to Joppa, Jerusalem, and Beirut. Returning from Beirut, they went through the Adriatic Sea to Venice, thence to Genoa and Marseilles, thence to Leith. Scotland; from there they went to the opening of Kiel Canal, and then they sailed to Copenhagen, to Stockholm, and St. Petersburg. They returned via Kiel Canal to Southampton, England, and, taking in coal and stores at the Isle of Wight, made a safe voyage back to Philadelphia. The boat has been renamed the "Narada " since it be- came the property of Mr. Harry Walters, of Baltimore; and Captain Brand will again take her to Europe, starting about January 1, ISOS, going also to China and Japan.
He was married on January 15, 1877, to Lottie E. Brown, of this county, daughter of Lyman and Mary Ann (Jones) Brown. Her father was one of the first Deacons of the First Baptist Church in Brooklyn, N. Y. The eldest-born of Captain and Mrs. Brand is Mary Catherine, eighteen years of age, now studying in the Williams Memorial, belonging to the class of 1898. Their second child was a boy, and died in infancy. The youngest is Harold Brand, now about eleven years old. Captain Brand is the owner of a handsome house on Ocean Avenue, which he purchased in 1876. As a Mason he is a member of Brainard Lodge, No. 102, F. & A. M .; Union Chapter, R. A. M .; Cushing Council, R. S. M .; and Palestine Commandery, K. T. In politics he is Republican.
OGER BURNUM CHAMPION. a merchant of Old Lyme, was born here, May 30, 1866, son of Calvin and Ann R. (Slate) Champion. The grand- father, Frederick Champion, who was a farmer and spent the greater part of his life here, was
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twice married. The maiden name of his sec- ond wife was Mahala Tinker.
Calvin B. Champion, son of Frederick, born in this town about 1823, was a farmer. In 1845 he married Ann R. Slate, a daughter of Lothrop Slatc, of this town. Of their fifteen children, two died in infancy. The others were: Calvin B., Mary, Annie M., Edith M., Philena A., Wallace R., Christena, Imogene, Ida J., Roger B., Ansil A., Edward T., and Virgil W. Calvin B. died at the age of twenty-three years; Mary, who was the wife of J. C. Lamb, died aged twenty-nine, leaving two sons; Annie M., who married Henry H. Lay, died aged twenty-four years; Edith M. Champion died aged sixteen years; Philena A. is the wife of G. W. DeWolf, of this vil- lage; Wallace R. is a merchant in Black Hall; Imogene is the wife of J. S. Hopper, of Ivoryton, Conn .; Ida J. is the wife of H. M. Caulkins; and Ansil A., Edward T., and Virgil W. reside in this town. The father died in 1876. The mother still re- sides here with her two youngest sons.
Roger B. Champion received his education in the schools of the town and at the academy. At the age of fourteen years he was employed as clerk by the firm of Morley & Champion, of which his brother, Wallace R., was a mem- ber. This position he left in 1889 to engage in the meat business, which he followed for several years. In 1891 he became a member of the firm of Champion & Caulkins, buying out his brother's interest. Since January, 1896, he has carried on the business alone. In the Masonic order he holds the rank of Master. While a Republican in politics, he has never held public office. On May 12, 1891, he married Annie M. Daniels, of East Lyme, daughter of Washington Daniels. They have two sons: Roger W., aged four years; and Harry V., aged two years. Mr.
Champion's success in business is entirely due to his own industry and enterprise.
SAHEL TANNER, an esteemed resi- dent of Preston, was born in Volun- town, May- 19, 1823, son of Asahel. and Susan M. (Tanner) Tanner. The grand- father, Isaac B. Tanner, a cousin of the cele- brated Wendell Phillips, was a native of South Kingston, R.I. He settled in Volun- town early in life, and there reared a large family. One of his great-grandchildren, John R. Tanner, is the present Governor of the State of Illinois. Isaac B. Tanner long sur- vived his wife. He went to Illinois in 1838 to reside with a married daughter, and died there about the year 1840. His son Asahel married Susan M. Tanner in 1820, and by her became the father of the present Asahel Tanner and of Cynthia C. Tanner. The latter married Latham H. Babcock, of Providence, R.I., and died in Galveston, Tex., at the age of seventy-one, leaving a son and a daughter. The father was in the prime of life when he died, in 1836. After his death his widow, who was left without means, came to Nor- wich, where after many years spent as a faith- ful and efficient nurse she died in 1861.
Asahel Tanner, the subject of this biog- raphy, was able to attend school only until the tenth year of his age. He lived upon his grandfather's farm until twelve years old, when he obtained employment in the rope factory at Norwich during the winter, spend- ing the summer months at work upon neigh- boring farms. At the age of eighteen he began to learn the tailor's trade. When twenty-one years of age his services were en- gaged by Mr. R. B. Morey. Three years later he was persuaded to join Mr. Morey in partnership, and invested his savings, amount-
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og to three hundred and fifty dollars, in the usiness. In a short time, having realized twenty thousand dollars, he was able to buy Mr. Morey's interest. After conducting the business alone for about three years, he re- tired. For the past forty years he has made a specialty of breeding fancy fowl, and for nearly half a century he has been the chair- man of the examining judges of the county.
On October 12, 1848, Mr. Tanner married Sarah M. Ward, of Lebanon. By her he has one child, Minnie M. Tanner, who is a gifted musician and a highly successful teacher of music. A strong advocate of temperance re- form for a long time, he has been a member and Chief of the Council of the Temple of Honor. He was Captain of the Norwich Artillery Company of the Third Regiment for seven years, during which time he pro- vided the company with uniforms at his own expense. While his political principles are Democratic, he votes independently. He rep- resented his district in the House in 1862. He has been the First Selectman for many years, and he has served on the Board of Re- lief. He is a regular attendant of the Baptist church. Since coming to Preston in 1856, he has dealt largely in real estate. He bought a large lot of land, which is now covered with dwelling-houses. At the present time he is the owner of five houses and two stores, in- cluding the fine brick house on Main Street, built by him thirty years ago, and in which he now resides.
OSHUA E. BROCKWAY, a prosper- ous farmer of Old Lyme, living near the village of Lyme, was born in East Lyme, Conn., February 18, 1840, son of Ezra C. and Lucy A. (Howard) Brockway. His great - grandfather was Elias Brockway, a farmer of this country and a man universally
esteemed. Christopher, son of Elias, was mate of a vessel, and was lost at sea in 1832, when in the prime of life. He left a wife, whose maiden name was Christiana Chapel, and who reared and educated their family of four sons and five daughters on her small farm. Of this family, one daughter, "Aunt" Caro- line Beckwith, and two sons, Christopher Brockway, a resident of Denver, and Ezra C., father of the subject of this sketch, are living. Ezra C. Brockway was born in this town, then known as Lyme, on March 6, 1814. He mar- ried Lucy A., daughter of Joshua Howard. She died October 3, 1889. Her four children were: Joshua E., Joseph B., Christiana C., and Lucy J. Christiana C. married Irving Watrous, and died May 14, 1874, leaving an infant son, Walter, now a resident of East Lyme. Lucy J. Brockway, who was born August 27, 1854, and became a successful teacher, died November 19, 1875.
Joshua E. Brockway was reared on his father's farm, and received but a limited schooling. In the spring of 1861 he shipped as a sailor on a vessel engaged in the halibut- fishing industry; and he continued to follow the sea for some nine years. On his mar- riage, in 1872, he made a wedding journey to Ohio, where he rented a farm for two years. At the end of that time he bought fifty acres, which he cultivated until 1892, when he re- turned to Lyme, to take charge of the farm owned by Mrs. Brockway's father. Here he carries on general farming, and keeps a dairy of four good cows, besides a yoke of oxen. He still retains the ownership of the Ohio farm. Mr. Brockway is a Democrat politi- cally, and has always voted the straight party ticket. He stands firm for "honest money," and in 1896 he voted the gold ticket. He has been Selectman of Lyme, and has served on the Board of Relief. As a citizen his prob-
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ity is unquestioned, and his word is as good as his bond.
On the 10th of March, 1872, Mr. Brockway married Sarah H. Huntley, of this town, by whom he had one daughter, who died in in- fancy. Mrs. Brockway is a devoted member- of the Congregational church and an active worker in its varied charitable.and benevolent interests. Her parents were Sylvanus H. and Lydia L. (Caulkins) Huntley, both of whom have passed away. Mr. Huntley was shot when only thirty-two years of age, while in the discharge of his duty as constable; and his death made orphans of four children. Mrs. Huntley died in 1883, at the age of seventy-four. The living children of this family are : Louisa C. Huntley, living in this town; David C., a well-known farmer of Lyme; and Mrs. Brockway. Mary E. Hunt- ley, now deceased, was for some years a most successful teacher. She lived a life of great usefulness and helpful service to others, being active in church and Sunday-school work, and helpfully interested in every reform movement.
EORGE PREST, of New London, one of the largest masonry contractors and builders in the State, was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, March 2, . 1830, son of George V. and Mary (Wignall) Prest. The paternal grandfather, also named George, was engaged in lead mining in early life, and subsequently became a stone-mason. His wife bore him two sons and a daughter. The sons, George and Edward, came to Amer- ica with their families in 1843, the voyage occupying thirty-one days. Both were stone- masons, and after their arrival in this coun- try they carried on a successful contracting and building business. In England, in 1820, George, who was also a native of Bolton, born
in 1787, married Mary Wignall, another na- tive of Lancashire. Her parents had twenty- one children, of whom two were born twins, two were married on the same day, and two were buried on the same day. In her child- hood the mother of this numerous family planted an apple-seed. That, later in her life, yielded her the material for a wooden leg, when a white swelling on her knee made necessary the amputation of the limb. George and Mary Prest had five sons and two daugh- ters, of whom the only other survivor is Jacob, who resides in Bellaire, Ohio. Edward, the eldest son, was for many years a leading con- tractor and builder in this city, and acquired considerable property. Among the buildings erected by him are the Episcopal church and the city hall. He was twice married, but had no children. The mother died in England about 1837. The father, who afterward re- mained unmarried, died in this country in 1851, aged sixty-four years.
. The present George Prest learned the mason's trade with his brother Edward, and remained with him until 1864, acting as fore- man for a number of years prior to that. Ile subsequently succeeded Edward in the busi- ness, and many stately structures have since risen under his careful superintendence. Among them may be mentioned the elegant home of Henry A. Mott at Neptune's Nook; the Hooper Manufacturing Company's mills at Aucum, erected in 1865, on which sixty- five men were employed; the stone paper-mill in Montville for Bingham New, built in 1866; the l'equot Dam, an arched structure, thirty two feet high, forty feet wide at the base, and having steps to the top; the Rock- land paper-mill, a solid stone building com- pleted about 1868; the Second Congrega- tional Church edifice of New London and the Buckeye School-house, both of stone, put up
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PETER STEFFENSEN.
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in 1871; the stone summer residence of Zebulon Ely, of New York City, in 1872; four large stone mills for Palmer Brothers, two at Fitchville and two at Montville; a stone paper-mill for C. M. Roberts & Son at Mont- ville; and the Union Railway Station in Nor- wich, in 1892. He has also been largely em- ployed on other masonry work, including the reservoir dam at Lake Konomack for the New London water supply, the foundations of the Harris Block and the Brainard & Armstrong silk-mill; and he has just completed the foundations for the new electric power house and the addition to the old savings-bank in this city. For the past twenty-four years he has done the bridge and culvert work for the New London & Northern Railroad, and he was the superintendent of the large stone dock at East New London for two years.
Mr. Prest was first married in 1853 to Miss Lydia Morris, of New London. A son and daughter were born to them, namely : Mary, who died at the age of nineteen years; and George B. Prest, who is living at home, and is a very promising young business man. The latter began as a messenger boy in the Bank of Commerce, where he now holds the responsible position of cashier. He is the administrator of the estate of his uncle Ed- ward (being appointed without bonds), the treasurer of the Board of Trade, and a com- missioner of the town deposit fund. Mrs. Prest died in October, 1872; and Mr. Prest, Sr., afterward married Miss Martha Maria Tiffany, who was born in Salem, New Lon- don County, and is a daughter of William Tiffany. She was a district-school teacher for a time, and then carried on dressmaking in New London. There are no children by this marriage. The family resides at 18 Blackhall Street, where Mr. Prest erected his fine residence in 1889, after plans made by
himself. He has one hundred and eighty feet frontage on Belden Street and one hundred and twenty on Blackhall Street, making an excep- tionally desirable estate. Politically, he is a loyal Republican, and has served on the Common -Council. Mrs. Prest is an influen- tial member of the Second Congregational Church.
ETER STEFFENSEN, of Norwich, residing just outside the city, on Laurel Hill, was born in Denmark, near Copenhagen, on May 31, 1857. He at- tended pay schools until he was fourteen years of age. Then he was confirmed in the Lu- theran church, and apprenticed for four years to the trade of ship-carpenter. During his apprenticeship he also took lessons in draw- ing and architecture. At eighteen he shipped from Copenhagen as ship's carpenter, at sixty crowns per month. His first voyage was to Brussels and Riga and back. In 1875 he sailed for Antwerp; and in 1876 he shipped as carpen- ter on board the Nova Scotia bark, " Josephine Benjamin," bound for Philadelphia, Pa.
Upon reaching Philadelphia, which was his first stopping-place in America, Mr. Steffen- sen remained there for about a month. At the end of that time he sailed in an American three-masted schooner for Belfast, Ireland. Arrived in Belfast after a quick passage, he joined the crew of a Norwegian bark bound for Pensacola, Fla. From there he went to England, thence on a Scotch bark to Que- bec, Canada, and to Swansea in Wales. HIe was next ashore at Gloucester, Mass. From there he went in the Nova Scotia barkentine "Economy," which was said to be the largest craft of her kind afloat, to New York City. Thence he visited successively St. John, N. B., Dublin, Philadelphia, and Belfast, and
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returned to St. John. Sailing next in an American barkentine, he went to Barcelona, Spain. On the return voyage the vessel was wrecked on the Bermuda Islands, and was sub- sequently condemned, the crew coming to New York by steamer. After spending a" month in New York, he went by rail to Phila- delphia, from which port he sailed to Ant- werp, and thence to Yokahama, Japan, being one hundred and sixty-seven days on the voy- age. After visiting other ports in Japan, he sailed for Sydney, Australia. In a subse- quent voyage from Hiago, Japan, to New York, by way of Cape Horn, the boat was out one hundred and seventy days, and won a new hat for the captain by getting into port ahead of another vessel. Mr. Steffensen next sailed for Cardiff, England. On this voyage the ship fell in with an abandoned vessel, which Mr. Steffensen and three others of the crew, including the first mate, undertook to take to England. The craft was soon found to be in a sinking condition, and the four men would have gone down with it had they not been res- cued just in time. They got ashore at South- ampton. From there they were sent by the English Shipwreck Society to London, and thence to Cardiff, where they saw their own vessel coming into port.
Having been absent from home for seven years, Mr. Steffensen now returned to Copen- hagen for a two months' visit. He next took steamer for Antwerp, and thence shipped in a Dutch bark for Alexandria, Egypt. On this voyage he visited Smyrna, Salonica, Gibral- tar, and France. Returning to Antwerp, he shipped on a full-rigged German ship, bound for Philadelphia. In 1884 he entered the United States Coast Survey as ship-carpenter, and remained in the service for six years, em- ployed on cruisers engaged in surveying the At- lantic coast from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico.
From the foregoing account it will be seen that Mr. Steffensen has visited every conti- nent, and most of the great ports of the world. He has acquired in this world-wide travel a surprising fund of information, and can spin sailor's yarns with the best purveyors of the article. He left the sea when he resigned from the United States service in 1887, and came to Norwich, where he settled his family in Greenville. Here he purchased a few acres of land, which he has since planted with fruit-trees and shrubbery, and upon which he erected his pleasant dwelling-house. For the last four years he has been the repair man for the Uncas Paper Mills. He is a member of the American Order of United Workmen and a Master Mason. In politics he is a Re- publican.
Mr. Steffensen was united in marriage with Alida Anderson, on November 29, 1885, the twenty-fifth birthday of the bride. Mrs. Stef- fensen was born in Gottenburg, Sweden, daughter of Andres Anderson. She was only sixteen years old when she arrived in Ston- ington, Conn., where Mr. Steffensen first be- came acquainted with her. Mr. and Mrs. Steffensen have a very interesting family of children, and are desirous of giving them every educational advantage, including a train- ing in music, for which the children have a marked talent. The eldest child, Albert Palmer, was born August 6, 1887. The next is Abby Palmer, born December 11, 1839: and the youngest is Raymond, a bright little man of five years, born July 17, 1892.
HOMAS MURRAY, one of the ablest farmers in the county, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, March 29, 1835, son of Gilbert and Janet Murray. The grand- father, Gilbert Murray, a Scotch farmer, lived
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and died on his native heath. He had three sons and two daughters. His son Gilbert, Jr., who was born December 7, 1805, married in 1826, and had thirteen children. Two of their sons came to this country. The father and mother followed them two years later, ac- companied by ten children. In the next year the remaining son followed with his bride. William died in Illinois in ISSo, at the age of forty-three, leaving a widow and four chil- dren. Nellie, who was the wife of Edwin Niles, died in 1887, at the age of thirty-nine years, leaving two children. The parents bought a farm of two hundred acres in Salem, where they lived until the death of the father, in 1886. The mother, after surviving her husband five years, died in Norwich in 1891. In religion they were Congregationalists. The father was a well-informed man, was First Selectman for a time, and was in the legislature.
Thomas Murray received a part of his edu- cation in Scotland. In 1861 he enlisted in the Fiftieth New York Volunteer Engineers for three years. Upon receiving his honor- able discharge after the expiration of that term, he re-enlisted in the same corps. Dur- ing the entire war he was off duty but two days. He was in the Pontoon Brigade, and worked on forts in front of Petersburg and at other places. Though blessed with good health, his experience in the field impaired his physical condition, and in consideration of this he draws a small pension. On March I, 1881, he married Mrs. Clarissa A. Sisson, the widow of Ebenezer F. Sisson and a daughter of Joseph D. and Clarissa (Watrous) Will- iams, all of Colchester. Her grandfather, Daniel Williams, married Asenath Day. Her father, one of eleven children, was born April 12, 1799. lle married Miss Watrous, who died in 1891, at the age of eighty-one. Mrs.
Murray comes of a long-lived race. Nearly all her ancestors and their children were octo- genarians. Her parents had five children, one of whom died in early youth. She was a student at Bacon Academy, and taught her first school at the age of fifteen years. At the age of twenty-two she married. E. T. Sisson, who died. February 7, 1879, aged fifty-six years. Hier children by Mr. Sisson were: a son, who died in infancy; Katie, who died at the age of four years; and Millie W., who is the wife of the Rev. Charles A. Purdy, a pas- tor in the Methodist church, and has a daugh- ter, Clara E. Purdy. Gilbert Joseph Murray, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Murray, was born February 17, 1884.
Mr. Murray owns a fine farm of one hun- dred and seventy acres, which is kept in the most perfect condition, and shows Mr. Murray to be a thorough farmer. Besides carrying on general farming, he is engaged the year round in making butter, which is of the finest qual- ity, and brings the highest market price. His fine estate shows him to be a typical Scotchman, frugal and industrious. He is an adherent of the Republican party, and he puts more faith in deeds than creeds. Mrs. Mur- ray is a member of the Congregational church.
ASON CRARY HILL, a dealer in paints, oils, and similar materials, and a jobber in general mer- chandise, was born in the north-western part of Stonington, Conn., January 27, 1817. His foster-father, John Bennett, by whom he was reared, was a farmer in this town. Mr. Ben- nett was also a house and ship carpenter, hav- ing been employed many years by the Leeds, who were early ship-builders in Old Mystic. Mr. Hill was the only son of his mother. Mary Hill, who was born on Block Island
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