USA > Connecticut > New London County > Biographical review, containing life sketches of leading citizens of New London County, Connecticut > Part 39
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Captain Ebenezer Morgan, the father of Thomas F., was born in Groton, July 22, 1817. He began his unusually successful career by shipping as cabin boy on a whaling- vessel. His experience as mariner covered a period of thirty-five years, during which he was captain and part owner of many vessels. Later he abandoned whaling, being one of the first to go to Alaskan waters and engage in seal fishing, in command of the bark "Peru." He made his last sea voyage in 1868. The first of his two marriages was contracted on May 24, 1843, with Ann Elizabeth Price, of Newport, R.I. The children of this union were: Thomas Franklin, the subject of this
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sketch; William HI., of Groton; Lavinia, the wife of Frank P. Marsh, of Providence, R. I. ; and a son who died in infancy. The mother died January 29, 1888, at the age of sixty-one years. Mary J. Strong, of Vernon, Conn., became the Captain's second wife. She sur- vives him, and is now a resident of Provi- dence, R.I. The Captain died August II, 1890, leaving an estate worth half a million dollars, of which his son, Thomas Frank- lin, was appointed the executor.
While his father and mother were at sea, Thomas Franklin Morgan lived with his grandfather Price in Newport, R.I., where he received his early education. In 1857 he re- moved with his parents to Groton, where he continued his school life, being further men- tally equipped in New London. The family resided on Coon Hill until 1869, when it moved to its present residence on Monument Street, which fine piece of property belonged to the estate of Mr. Morgan's mother. At the age of sixteen he went before the mast, continuing a sailor's life on his father's vessel until he was made second mate. In politics he was a Republican. Following in the foot- steps of his father, he became a Royal Arch Mason. His later years were spent as a gentleman of wealth and leisure, having no business but the care of his father's estate. He owned a good yacht, in which he enjoyed many a sail and fishing excursion.
On February 6, 1870, Mr. Morgan was mar- ried to Frances A. Crumb, of Mystic, Conn. Her parents, Albert and Amanda (Davis) Crumb, are now residents of Groton. Her brother, Theodore Crumb, died in early man - hood; and her sister is now Mrs. Charles Fair- banks, of Groton. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, Emma L., now the wife of Harry A. La Montagne, resides in New York City. Mr. Morgan died May 24, 1897. He
was a man of fine physique, and he was much esteemed by the community for his kindness and generosity.
HARLES E. MAINE, the well-known contractor and builder, of Voluntown, Conn., now serving as Representa- tive to the State legislature, was born in the town of Ledyard, New London County, on February 1, 1827, son of Samuel and Patty (Tift) Maine.
Samuel Maine, Sr., father of Samuel, above named, is a prosperous farmer of Ledyard. His wife, Sally Chapman, who was a native of Rhode Island, died at the age of eighty; and he, surviving her some five years, died at the age of eighty-five or eighty-six. Their remains rest in the family burial-ground, near the farm in Ledyard. Of their eight chil- dren, six grew to mature years, and two are. living. One son, Warren Maine, is a farmer at Ledyard, living near the old homestead; and Sally Ann Maine, his sister, resides in South Stonington.
Samuel Maine, second, father of Mr. Charles E. Maine, was born in 1803, and died in 1885. His grave is at Milltown. He was a man of prominence and active in town affairs, serving in various official capacities and with rare fidelity and ability. His wife, Patty, who died in 1880, at the age of seventy, was born in South Stonington, and was about his age. They were married in 1823, and had a family of three sons and three daughters - Samuel L., Charles E., Eliza, Susan, Orrin, and Orilla. Samuel L., the eldest child, born in 1824, is a farmer resid- ing in North Stonington. Eliza is the widow of Daniel Holderidge. She has a number of children, and is still living in her native town. Susan, who has no children, is the wife of Erastus Park, and resides at North
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Stonington. The two youngest children were twins, and are now deceased. Orrin died on September 15, 1889, and his widow is living in this town. Orilla was the wife of John Frink.
After obtaining a fair education in the public schools, Mr. Charles E. Maine taught school for one winter term in Voluntown. Hle subsequently made his home in Norwich until 1859, when he bought at auction the residence property at Voluntown where he now makes his home. He has decided me- chanical ability ; and for twenty years he has had charge of the mechanical department of the Briggs Manufacturing Company, of Vol- untown, at a good salary.
When twenty-three years of age Mr. Maine married Sarah Crary, whose father, James Crary, had died when she was very young. Six children were born of this marriage. A daughter, Martha, died at the age of two years; and twin children, Byron and Bertha, died at the age of a year and a half. The three now living are: Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler, who has lost one daughter, and has living a son and a daughter; Charles Edwin Maine, who has a wife and a son, Charles Edwin, Jr. ; and Lucy, who is the wife of Charles Hazard, of Rhode Island, and is residing in Bayonne, N. J. Four of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hazard are living. Mr. Maine's two eldest children, Elizabeth and Charles, live near him. Their mother died in 1875, at forty-four years of age; and on February 7, 1876, Mr. Maine was united in marriage with Mary E. Colgrove, of Volun- town, daughter of Christopher and Lydia (Rouse) Colgrove. Mrs. Maine comes of an educated and talented family, and was a teacher before her marriage. Her eldest brother, Dr. Charles H. Colgrove, is a suc- cessful and prominent physician of Williman- tic, and has accumulated a handsome fortune.
Mr. Maine is nominally a Democrat, but was elected to office by many Republican votes when John E. Lewis received one hun- dred and sixty Republican majority. He has been Selectman for many years, Town Clerk for ten years, and for many years he has been on the Board of Relief and a Justice of the Peacc. He has made out a large number of legal papers, and bas married many couples. He was in the legislature in 1861 and 1874, and is now serving for the term of 1897.
USTIN J. BUSH, lawyer, farmer, and miller, now serving his third term as Probate Judge, was born on April 7, 1853, on the farm in East Lyme upon which he now resides, son of Ira A. and Ma- tilda P. (Austin) Bush. The family is of English origin; and its early representatives in America were among the first settlers of Wethersfield, Conn. On the maternal side, it is said, the Judge is of German descent.
Amaziah Bush, great-grandfather of Judge Bush, married first Miss Lay; for his second wife, a Smith, sister of Captain Simon Smith; and for his third wife, Dorothy Dennison, of Essex, the mother of the Judge's grandfather, Amasa, who was her only child. Grandfather Amasa Bush, born May 21, 1742, was a farmer and miller, owning the old mill built in 1690, the earliest in the county with the exception of the old mill in New London built in 1650. He died at the age of fifty-six years. His wife was before marriage Lucretia May- nard, of Norwich. She bore him eight chil- dren, namely: Betsey, born in 1804, who went West and is supposed to be still living; Ira A., the Judge's father, who was the sec- ond child; Abbie; Jerry F .; Nancy, who married Solomon Adams, and went to Michi-
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gan ; Maria; Angeline; and Emmeline. All married, and nearly all had families. Ira and Abbie are now deceased. Ira A. Bush was a farmer, owning one hundred acres with the mill site and pond on Pattagansett Creek, where the dam was built in 1690. He died in 1888, a man universally respected and hav- ing the good will of his townsmen. His wife, who was a devoted member of the Baptist church, was a native of New Bedford, Mass., born April 27, 1814, and married September 20, 1832. She died January 28, 1890, and is buried in the churchyard at Niantic. Of her eight children four sons and two daughters grew to maturity. One son, William P. Bush, studied medicine at the Albany Medical School, and was surgeon in the Sixty-first New York Regiment during the Civil War until his death at Georgetown from overwork at the battle of Gettysburg. He was only thirty years of age. He left a wife and one son. The living children of Ira A. and Ma- tilda P. Bush are: Mary L., widow of Francis E. Morgan, residing in Niantic at the old home; Julius M., in Pasadena, Cal. ; and Judge Bush, of East Lyme.
Austin J. Bush attended the district schools until twelve years of age, when he was sent to the grammar and high schools at New Lon- don. Later he studied for a year in Suffield and for two years at Williston Seminary in Easthampton, Mass. He then read law for a year with Pettis & Davis, of Meadville, Pa., and after returning home read a year with T. C. Coogan at Enfield, Conn. Entering Yale Law School in the fall of 1878, he took the course in one year; and in June, 1879, he was admitted to the practice of his profession in the Connecticut and United States courts.
On the 30th of December, 1878, Judge Bush was united in marriage to Mary Jo- sephine Stine, of Philadelphia, Pa., daughter
of Charies Stine. He has lived in different places, having spent some time in Colorado and in Florida. From 1882 to 1887 he was Special Examiner of Pensions in the New England and Middle States, and since 1887 he and his family have lived at the old home- stead. They have lost two children, an in- fant son and infant daughter. The living children are: Mary Josephine Bush, who is at home and attending school; and Wait Bush, a maiden of thirteen, who was named for Colo- nel John T. Wait, and is now a pupil in the high school.
Judge Bush is a Republican. In 1888 he was elected Town Clerk, and in 1892 Judge of Probate. Having been twice re-elected since, he is now serving on his third term. He is interested in agriculture, and carries on considerable farming. He also operates the mill. As a legal adviser he has the confi- dence of a wide circle of clients, and he is one of the most respected and influential citizens of the town.
RS. LYDIA WILLIAMS NOYES, of Mystic, Conn., whose hus- band, Captain Benjamin Franklin Noyes, died in Savannah, Ga., June 18, 1879, is the daughter of. Sanford Avery and Lucy (Stanton) Williams, and comes from old and substantial Colonial stock, one line of her an- cestry reaching back to the " Mayflower " Pil- grims, and several lines including notable Revolutionary patriots. One of her great- great-grandfathers, Elnathan Perkins, perished in the Fort Griswold massacre. He went to the fort with his four sons; and all were killed but one son, who was one of the few rescued. Two of her great-grandfathers, Captain John Williams and Captain Amos Stanton, were also killed the same day. Mrs. Noyes is in possession of the muster-roll of Captain Amos
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BENJAMIN F. NOYES.
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Stanton in the original handwriting, dated November 9, 1777. She takes much interest in tracing back and preserving the family history. Her great-grandmother, Eunice Williams, wife of Richard Williams, reared four sons; namely, Paul, Barnabus, Sanford, Silas; and ene daughter, named Prudence, who married a Halscy. Barnabus and Paul Williams settled in Akron, Ohio; Sanford was wounded at Fort Griswold; Silas Will- iams was the grandfather of Mrs. Noyes. Her father, Sanford Avery Williams, was a farmer in Groton. He died in 1871, at the age of sixty-five; and her mother died in 1877, at the age of sixty-six. Of their four daughters, Lydia, Betsey, Prudence, and Mary, the third dicd at the age of four; Betsey married Amos Giles Stanton, and died at the old home in Groton in September, 1894, in the fifty-ninth year of her age, leaving three sons and two daughters; and Mary Prudence, the youngest, died at the age of twenty-two years.
Lydia, the eldest, was married to Benjamin F. Noyes on the thirteenth day of August, 1854, at her father's home. Mr. Noyes was born in the town of Stonington. Until six- teen years old he lived on a farm. He then shipped before the mast on a whaling-vessel called the "Coriolanus," of Mystic, Captain Gustavus Appleman, and made a three years' voyage. His next trip was as boat steerer on the bark "United States," Captain Barnum, out for sea elcphants, for eightcen months. From this time on he was promoted until he became master and part owner of the vessels in which he sailed. At the time of his death, which occurred at the age of fifty-one, Captain Noyes was in charge of the schooner "Chainer." He was a Master Mason in Nor- wich and afterward in Mystic. He was a member of the Baptist church.
Mrs. Noyes accompanied her husband on
three different voyages, two South, and one across the Atlantic to Bordeaux, France; but all seemed long to her, as she was unable to overcome her seasickness. She lost her eld- est son, Sanford Frank, at the age of two years. She has two living children: Edith May, wife of Christopher Morgan, who has two children; and Charles Williams Noyes, who married Mary T. Foote, of Mystic, and who now owns and manages a greenhouse in Prophetstown, Whiteside County, Il1.
Mrs. Noyes is a communicant of the Epis- copal church. While not in robust health, except for her hearing, which has been im- paired of latc, she preserves a good degree of youthful vigor. Her intelligence and loveli- ness of character have endeared her to many friends. Mrs. Noyes and her daughter are both members of the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution, and Mrs. Morgan for the past two years has held the office of Regent of the Fanny Ledyard Chapter. These ladies are also numbered among the posterity of two of the most famous of the Pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock on Forefathers' Day, 1620 - John Alden and Priscilla Mul- lins - Mrs. Noyes tracing her lineage to the historic pair through her mother, Lucy Stan- ton Williams. Mrs. Morgan is a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants.
ILLIAM HERBERT BUSH,* a talented musician of New London, Conn., the son of Aaron and Hen- rietta (Parkhurst) Bush, is a native of this city. His grandfather, Anson Bush, was born in. Connecticut. He was a boss ship-rigger, and worked for the old established firm of Hlovens & Williams. He was a member of the Methodist church in New London, where he died in 1880.
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His son Aaron was born in 1832, and died on Easter Sunday in 1893. He married Henrietta, a daughter of John Parkhurst. Her grandfather Parkhurst was a bearer of despatches in the Revolutionary War. Both Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Bush were Methodists in religious belief, and Mr. Bush was an active worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church of New London. They had eight children, only three of whom attained maturity, namely : William Herbert, the second-born son and the subject of this sketch; Ida M., a graduate of the high school, living in this city; and Charles.
William Herbert, the elder of the two brothers now living, received a general educa- tion in the public schools, which he attended until he was fifteen years of age, when his musical education began under the direction of Charles B. Jennings, of New London. He afterward took lessons on both organ and piano of Charles S. Elliot, who had been a pupil of the great Guilmant, of Paris; and later he went to New York to study, where his teacher was Samuel P. Warren, for twenty- five years the organist of Trinity Church. He continued under the instruction of Mr. Warren for three years; and at the end of that time he returned to New London, where he has been a successful teacher of both organ and piano ever since. He has been the organ- ist of the Second Congregational Church for eleven years and master of the choir for three years. Mr. Bush has given recitals in his na- tive city and in other places, which have been most successful, his interpretation of the great masters being sympathetic and impressive. He married Julia De Sant, of New London, February 14, 1887. Mrs. Bush is a woman of an artistic temperament and much musical ability. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bush are mem- bers of the Second Congregational Church.
EORGE E. FELLOWS,* of Nor- wich, Superintendent of Streets, was born in New London, August 9, 1853, his parents being Joshua E. and Eunice H. (Hempstead) Fellows. His grandfather, Robert Fellows, was Sheriff of New London County, and ran the old grist-mill in New London. Robert was a man of magnificent physique, standing six feet, two inches, and with a body perfectly proportioned. He died about 1859. His wife, whose name in maidenhood was Hannah Williams, died at an advanced age; and both are buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London. They had a family of eight sons and one daughter, most of whom grew to maturity. Joshua E. Fellows was born in Stonington in 1825, and came to this town about 1888. He was a mason and contractor, and built several brick churches and other edifices in New London and Nor- wich, among them the Broadway Congrega- tional Church, with its steeple two hundred feet high, the Catholic school-house, and the annex to the Broadway school-house. He was a non-commissioned officer in the Volun- teer Infantry during the Civil War, and served for a year. He died February 2, 1885. His wife, Eunice, whom he married about 1845, was a descendant of one of the first fam- ilies of this section. She is now residing with her two daughters in Norwich. Of her family of six children three are living, namely : Anna E., who has been for several years a teacher in Norwich ; George E., whose name appears at the head of this sketch; and Elizabeth Hannah, a stenographer and type- writer, now filling an important position with the Norwich Bleachery Company. Joshua Fellows was a Methodist in religious faith, and his wife and daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
George E. Fellows learned the mason's
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trade in his youth, and subsequently worked with his father. After the death of the latter he carried on the business until 1894, when he was appointed to the responsible position he now holds. He has some forty miles of street under his charge, and employs from thirty-nine to one hundred men and from five to ten double teams. Mr. Fellows is a Mason, and has advanced as far as the Coun- cil. In politics he is a Republican, but has never sought office nor held it until being Commissioner.
On November 25, 1875, Mr. Fellows was united in marriage with Lila E. Harvey, of Preston, daughter of Henry Harvey, now de- ceased. Mrs. Fellows has one sister and two brothers, namely: Isabella, wife of John E. Sherman, of Norwich; Frederick A., living in Preston; and Clinton A., of Norwich. Mr. and Mrs. Fellows have lost a daughter, Alice, who died at the age of four years. They have three living children: Edith A., who is now pursuing a course in stenography and type- writing; Lillie Louise, residing at home and attending school; and George Robert, a lad of nine years. Mr. and Mrs. Fellows reside in the large frame house at 343 Franklin Street, the erection of which was begun by Mr. Joshua Fellows.
AJOR EUGENE A. BANCROFT,* of New London, formerly of the Fourth Artillery Corps of the United States Army, was born in Boston, Mass., June 17, 1825, the son of Thomas and Betsey (Tileston) Bancroft. His great-grand- father was Thomas Bancroft, and his grand- father, Aaron Bancroft, of Boston. At least one member of the family fought in the Revo- lutionary War, Captain Bancroft, who partici- pated in the battle of Bunker Hill.
Thomas Bancroft, the Major's father, was born in Boston in 1798, and died there in 1886. His first wife, Betsey Tileston, died in her twenty-second year in 1828, leaving two children - Eugene and an infant daugh- ter. The daughter died in early married life. Mr. Bancroft and his second wife, Eliza Os- born. reared two sons and two daughters. Of this family three are living, namely: the two daughters; and a son, Thomas J., who is an Assessor in Boston.
Major Eugene A. Bancroft was given good educational advantages, finishing his course of study at the Chauncy Hall School, Boston. From 1849 to 1856 he was in the employ of the Adams Express Company in California, going via New Orleans and Texas, the jour- ney consuming six months; and in 1861 he began his military career, enlisting in the Sturgis Rifles in Chicago. On October 24 of that year he was commissioned Second Lieu- tenant in the regular army ; on June 25, 1862, he was brevetted First Lieutenant for gallan- try near Fair Oaks, Va .; on December 13, 1862, he was commissioned First Lieutenant ; and on July 3, 1863, brevet was conferred upon him for bravery at Gettysburg. Though not a physically strong man, Major Bancroft has the resolute will, the nerve and fire. that characterize leaders of men; and, whenever danger was to be faced, he was found in the thickest of the fray. The rank of Captain of the Fifteenth Infantry was offered him Janu- ary 22, 1867; but he declined it, accepting, however, the Captaincy of the Fourth Artil- lery, April 26, 1873. He was in active ser- vice against the Indians in the West and at Clear Water, Idaho, was severely wounded by a gunshot in the left arm, left lung, and thorax. For gallant conduet at this time he received his major's brevet. He went to Europe on a pleasure trip in 1873, but within a few
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months was recalled, and ordered to join the army in the West. Stationed for some time in California, he was two years in Sitka and different parts of Alaska, spending nine years in all in the Far West. On June 17, 1889, his sixty-fourth birthday, he was honorably discharged, having attained the age limit for active military service. Though not a. con- firmed invalid, Major Bancroft suffers from physical disability to some extent, caused by the hardships and exposure of army life, and his hearing is impaired by climatic causes; but he is constitutionally cheerful, keen, and witty, and enjoys heartily a good joke or story. In all things he is a typical Yankee soldier.
Major Bancroft was married June 19, 1861, to Miss Eleanor Croes, a native of St. Charles, Il1., daughter of Ralph V. M. and Anna N. (Blanchard) Croes. Mr. Croes died in Chicago in 1855. His widow is yet living. Ten children have been given to Major Ban- croft and his wife, and nine of them are liv- ing: Anna B., wife of William D. Coit, pros- ecuting attorney of New London; Thomas Eugene, in New York City, unmarried; Eleanor, a graduate of the New London High School; Henry Edward, Mary Edith, Bessie Tileston, Charlotte J., Helen McDowell, and George Croes, ten years of age, all with their parents. In politics the Major favors the Re- publican side. He is a Master Mason.
LLEN TIFFANY,* a carpenter by trade, now engaged in general farm- ing, was born at his present home in Salem, New London County, Conn., Au- gust 25, 1843. His parents were William S. and Maria (De Wolf) Tiffany. His paternal grandfather was Eleazer Tiffany, a farmer of this place, who died in 1851, past eighty
years of age. He had five sons and three daughters, all of whom lived to an old age. The last of the family was Mrs. Palmer, of Stonington, a widow, now deceased.
William S. Tiffany married first a Miss Atwater. She died leaving one daughter. By his second wife, who was a sister of Ed- ward De Wolf, he had five children, namely: Alien and his sister, Ellen E., who became the wife of Joshua Enos; Martha M., wife of George Priest; John F., who is a widower, and makes his home with his brother Allen: and Joseph F., who died in 1870, at the age of twenty-one. The mother died February 15, 1885, in her seventy-sixth year, and the father died in September, 1891, after leading the life of an invalid for twenty years. In relig- ious belief and affiliation both parents were Congregationalists.
Allen Tiffany received a common-school ed- ucation, and remained at home until twenty- one years of age. He worked at carpentering under his father, who was also a wheelwright: and he afterward was engaged for fourteen years in constructing the wood-work of steam printing presses in Norwich. He returned to the home farm in December of the year 1884; and since his father's death he has carried on the farm, which was his inheritance, keeping the place up in good style, the new buildings being of his own erection.
He married on Thanksgiving Day, 1871. Ann E. Stanton, of Ledyard, daughter of Henry W. and Lydia E. Chesebro, of Ston- ington. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Tiffany, as follows: Nellie M., of New London; Jennie M., who is still at home and is her mother's right hand helper: George F. A., who, though but sixteen years old, is six feet in stature, like his father; and Mattic E., the youngest, a bright child of seven years. In politics Mr. Tiffany is a Republican.
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