Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 106

Author: H. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1899
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1795

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Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

have eight children, their names and dates of birth being: Louis Franklin, July 20, 1865; William Irving, Dec. 31, 1866; Harry Tristam, May 2, 1868; Alonzo Keeler, Dec. 1, 1870; Theodore Ernest, Aug. 17, 1872; Elmer Car- roll. June 22, 1874: Laura Colborn; May 8, 1883; Ralph Betts, March 2, 1885.

[The writer of the above sketch of the Ferris family is indebted to the following authorities: Mead's " History of Greenwich;" Huntington's "History of Stamford;" Savage's " First Settlers of New England;" Harman's "Early Settlers;" Original documents at Fairfield and Greenwich; private records in the family, and to one member of the family who has spent years in patient search and investigation. - Nathaniel B. Ferris. ]

D EWITT C. RUSCOE, who has for many years been one of the prominent and well- to-do business men of New Canaan, Fairfield county, was born there August 22, 1840, in Oneoke avenue. He is a son of Chauncey Rus- coe and grandson of Stephen Ruscoe, who was the first of the family to come to Fairfield county.

Stephen Ruscoe was born in Vista, town of Lewisboro, Westchester Co., N. Y., where he spent his early years, after his marriage remov- ing to Wilton, Fairfield Co., Conn., where he passed the last forty years of his life, engaging in the manufacture of shoes, which he sold to the New York trade. He married Annie Ray- mond, by whom he had six children: Chauncey, Hiram who died while serving in the Civil war), Alva, Erastus, Andrus (deceased), and Julia (de- ceased). The Ruscoe family is well known in Lewisboro, Westchester county, where several generations have been born. The great-great- grandfather of our subject, John Ruscoe, was a resident of that town, and .his son James was born in Vista. The latter married Annie Hoyt, and lived to the ripe old age of ninety-three years. He was a farmer and cooper by occupa- tion.

Chauncey Ruscoe was, like his father, a na- tive of Vista, N. Y., where he was reared and educated. He followed in the footsteps of his father, who taught him shoemaking, at which he worked until about fifty years of age, from that time until the close of his life engaging in farming. He also built stone walls. Mr. Rus- coe married Eliza Jane Hoyt, daughter of Jesse Hoyt, of Vista, N. Y., and their family consisted of nine children, as follows: DeWitt C., whose name introduces this sketch; Gertrude R., widow of Samuel Brooks, who has two children-Frank

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and Gertrude; Sands R., who married Millie Burr, and makes his home in New Canaan (he served in the Civil war); Sarah E., deceased wife of Enoch Benedict (she was the mother of two children-Maud and one that died in infancy); Emma Louisa (deceased), who married John Bunting, and had one child-Alice; Samuel I., who married Eliza Burton, and has four children -- William, Edna, Lawrence and Bessie; Mary, who was first married to Isaac McGowan (by whom she had one child-Ernest) and is now the wife of Rev. David DeForest, a M. E. minister at Elwood, L. I .; Annie (Mrs. Vincent L. Bossa), who has three children-Harry Evelyn and How- ard; and Stephen, of New Canaan, who married Carrie Hyatt, and has three children -- Ernest, Florence and an infant daughter. The father died at the age of seventy-five years, the mother at the age of sixty-four; both were members of the Methodist Protestant Church. Mr. Ruscoe was captain of a military company during his earlier years.

De Witt C. Ruscoe received his literary edu- cation at Vista, N. Y., and learned shoemaking there with Oscar Arnold, following that trade until the Civil war broke out. On August 11, 1862, he enlisted in the army, joining Company H, 17th Conn. V. 1., and was mustered into the U. S. service at Bridgeport on August 28. He was in several engagements, taking an active part On October 15, 1867, Mr. Ruscoe was mar- ried, at High Ridge, Conn., to Phobe Jane Provost, daughter of Thomas and Almira Provost, and four children have been born to them, namely: Hattie L., Nellie A., Floyd T. and Lewis DeWitt. Hattie L. is the wife of William H. Bertine, of New Canaan; Nellie A. is a sten- ographer in the employ of the National Wall Paper Company, New York City, having charge of the office. Floyd T. died in infancy. in the battle of Chancellorsville, May 1, 2, 3, 1863, on the second day of which fight he was wounded, which necessitated his remaining in hospital until the 6th of June, when he returned to his command. On June 12, they started for Gettysburg, Penn., and our subject went into the battle at that place, where he was captured on the first day of the engagement and sent to Libby Prison, in which he was confined and at Belle Isle until August 25, following, when he was exchanged. For the next three months he was in Parole Camp at Annapolis, finally, in Decem- ber. 1863, rejoining his regiment at Folly Island, G EORGE HEATH TILLEY, for some years a resident of Darien, is well known in busi- ness circles as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Southern Express Company. S. C. On January 1, 1864, he was sent to hos- pital at Buford, S. C., but in returning to duty he was taken ill again, this time more severely Mr. Tilley was born in England in 1841, and after receiving a common-school education, fol- lowed by a short term of office experience, he came to America and located in New York City, where his abilities received quick recognition. About 1858 he became connected with the freight department of the Pennsylvania railroad, and in 1865 he went South. than before, and in October he was sent to David's Island, N. Y. In the middle of Novem- ber he again joined his command at Hilton Head, S. C., where he was on duty with the provost marshal for about a month, on the first of Janu- ary, 1865, going to St. Augustine, Fla., Jackson- ville and Tallahassee where he remained until the close of the war. He was mustered out July 19, In the year following, at Augusta, Ga., he be- came the private secretary to the president of the Southern Express Company, with which 1865, at Hilton Head, S. C., and returned to his home at Vista, N. Y., where on April 1, 1867. he embarked in the butcher business. I concern he has ever since been identified. In

This he continued until 1868, in that year remov- ing to Wilton, Conn., where he carried on a butcher business for about two years, on Novem- ber 26, 1869, settling in his present home in New Cannan, where he also engaged in the meat business. At first he sold meat from a wagon which he drove through the town, and in the spring of 1872 he built the market now carried on by Crissey & Brinckerhoff, where he was in business until 1875. Since that time he has worked a little at butchering, having taken charge of Crissey's market for six years, but he has not engaged in it to any extent. In 1876 he traveled through the West, States of Illinois. and lowa, and has since made several similar trips to South Dakota. For the past six years he has conducted an ice business, which has proved very profitable, and he has now two sum- mer houses at Hickory Bluff, in the town of Norwalk, Conn., adjoining Bell Island on the Sound. He has not been particularly active as a public man except in a commercial way, and he is no office seeker, though he filled the position of first door-keeper of the Connecticut State Senate in 1888-1889, and is again (1898-99) filling that incumbency. Socially, he is quite prominent, especially in G. A. R. circles, being past commander of S. P. Ferris Post No. 61 and a member of the O. U. A. M.

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1868, the then secretary of the Company, Hon. R. B. Bullock, was elected Governor of Georgia, and Mr. Tilley was chosen to fill the vacancy thus created. In 1885 he was elected treasurer of the Company, and has since held both positions.

Mr. Tilley has some personal business inter- ests in England, which require his occasional presence there. His family is prominent in the best social circles of this section, and identified with St. Luke's Episcopal Church at Noroton.

In 1867 Mr. Tilley married Miss Harriet Taylor Brown, of Jersey City, N. J., by whom he has had three children: Elizabeth Hannah, Harriet Agnes and George Dudley, the latter be- ing now a student in King's school at Stamford, Conn. The eldest daughter was married Novem- ber 5, 1892, to Frederick C. Taylor, of Stam- ford, a prominent member of the Fairfield County Bar, and who in 1896 was elected Pro- bate Judge. He was re-elected in 1898.

On June 3, 1897, the second daughter was united in marriage to Walter D. Daskam, of Stamford, the Secretary and Treasurer of the Stamford Trust Company. In 1894 Mr. Das- kam was elected town treasurer, and each fol- lowing year has been re-elected to the same office.

T HEODORE E. CLOSE, a substantial farmer and citizen residing at Round Hill, in the town of Greenwich, Fairfield county, is a descendant in both paternal and maternal lines of one of the early and prominent families of Greenwich, where their descendants have lived lives of usefulness and left their impress upon society for upwards of two centuries.

Mr. Close is of the seventh generation of the Close family who have lived in Greenwich, the line of descent being through Thomas, Joseph, Joseph (2), Odel, Tompkins, Tompkins (2).

Thomas Close, the progenitor of the Fairfield county family, came to Greenwich in 1661, and was presumably of Scotch lineage. He had four sons: Thomas, Joseph, Benjamin and John. Of these, Joseph had two sons: Joseph and Odel. The latter had eleven children, among whom was Tompkins (1), the grandfather of our subject, and the seventh child in order of birth. Tompkins Close (1) was a respected and esteemed citizen of the vicinity of Round Hill. By trade he was a blacksmith, and in his earlier life worked at the business and operated a forge. Later he owned a good farm, was industrious and frugal, and made a comfortable living for his family. In politics he was a Whig. His -

wife was formerly Mary Finch, and to their mar- riage were born children as follows: (1) Ezekiel (now deceased) was a farmer of near Round Hill; he married Althea Palmer, and their daugh- ter Emily is the widow of Silas D. Mead, for- merly of North Greenwich. (2) Gilbert (now deceased) was a farmer living near Stanwich; he was twice married, marrying two sisters, Rundle by name. (3) Odel died in youth. (4) Tompkins (2) is referred to farther on. (5) Zachariah (now deceased) was a farmer; he was first a Democrat in his political views, and served as a selectman of his town, but on the or- ganization of the Republican party he joined it; he left one daughter. now Mrs. F. C. Potter, the wife of a Congregational minister. (6) Louisa, (8) Nancy, (9) Abigail never married. (7) Maria married Platt Brush. (10) Amanda married Jeremiah Palmer, and died in the town of North Castle, Westchester Co., N. Y. They had two daughters-Gertrude and Mary. The parents of these ten children were members of the Stanwich Congregational Church, and were buried in the cemetery of that church.

Tompkins Close (2) was born October 5, 1805, at Round Hill, and there was reared on his father's farm in a manner in keeping with the general farmer's sons. He resided at home un- til his marriage, December 24, 1835, to Miss Sally D. Reynolds, born April 13, 1814, a daugh- ter of Ard Reynolds, and this union was blessed with children as follows: (1) John F., born Jan- uary 19, 1839, was for many years a merchant at Round Hill, but is now a farmer. He married, December 6, 1862, Amy M. Husted, who was born June 18, 1841, near Greenwich, and died March 2, 1888; she was the daughter of Silas and Martha (Mead) Husted. John F. Close and wife had one son-Fred W., born April 24, 1865. This son married Sarah Husted, and has two children, Amy E. and Agnus H. John F. Close is a prominent citizen of Round Hill. He is an ardent supporter of the Republican party, has held many local town offices, and has several times represented the people of Fairfield county in the State Legislature. (2) Theodore E., our subject, is mentioned farther on:

After his marriage Tompkins Close (2) and his wife settled on the north end of the Close homestead, where they reared their children and continued to live during their lifetime, excepting two years spent in Stanwich. He died May 15, 1884, and she passed away January 20, 1882. Both were members of the M. E. Church, in which he was an official for years. Their re- mains were interred in the Reynolds family cem- etery. They were good Christian people, and held

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the esteem and respect of all who knew them. He was a plain, unassuming gentlemen of intelli- gence and worth. Politically, he was first a Whig, then a Republicnn.

The Reynolds family into which Tompkins Close (2) married was of English origin. Mrs. Close was of the fifth generation from one Na- thaniel Reynolds, a son of one of four brothers who came from England in the latter part of the seventeenth century, and settled in Greenwich, Fairfield Co., Conn. Nathaniel Reynolds was a farmer and owned a large tract of land near Stanwich, in the town Greenwich. He married Sarah Lockwood, and had eleven children, the eldest of whom was named Nathaniel. This Na- thaniel (2), grandfather of Mrs. Close, was born September 1, 1745; he married Debora Husted, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Newman) Husted. and to them were born children as follows: Ard, Harriet, Benjamin and Husted. Of these, Ard Reynolds (father of Mrs. Close) was born March 20, 1781, about one mile south of Stan- wich. He became one of the useful citizens and prominent men of the town of Greenwich. He held various town offices, among them, those of magistrate and selectman, and was known as "Squire Reynolds." In politics he was a Whig; he represented the county in the State Legislature, taking an active part in that body. On December 13, 1810, he was married to Anna Eliza Doell, a native of Germany, who came to New York when nine years of age. To this union were born as follows: Elizabeth P. married Rev. Warner Hoyt, of Danbury; Sally D. (Mrs. Tomp- kins); Benjamin H. was killed when eight years of age; Anna Eliza; John G .; Harriet E. married Charles S. Guion, of Bedford, N. Y .; Julia H. married Rev. Senica Howland, of New York; and Maria S. The father of this family died April | 26, 1857, and the mother on February 25, 1858, and both lie buried in the private cemetery on 1 the home farm.

Theodore E. Close was born July 14, 1841, on the farm upon which he now resides. He attended the district schools of the locality, one of his first teachers being Augustus Rundle; he also attended the North Greenwich Academy, taught by Whitman Peck. His lifetime has been passed on the home farm, where he has been oc- cupied in agricultural pursuits. On January 26, 1871, he was married to Miss Agnes C. Howland, born March 23, 1849, in Tompkins county, N. Y., a daughter of Francis and Clara (Casteline) Howland. After their marriage our subject and wife located on a part of the homestead, where he erected a house of his own. He has since added to his possessions until he owns some 170

acres of land, including the old home place. This is a finely improved and highly cultivated tract of land. Mr. Close is one of the suc- cessful agriculturists of the town, and one of its enterprising and public-spirited citizens. He is an intelligent gentleman well and favorably known throughout Fairfield county. Politically, he is a stanch Republican, but of a modest, re- tiring nature, one who has rather avoided than sought political preferment. Himself and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Middle Patent, N. Y., of which he is a trus- tee, and is active in Church work.

To our subject and his wife have come the following children: (1) Ralph T., born January 9, 1872, was graduated with the class of '94 from Cornell University. He is a promising young man, now holding the responsible position of superintendent of the distributing department | of the Consolidated Gas Company in New York City. (2) Everett R., born September 13, 1879. | is attending school at Greenwich. (3) John L., born December 10, 1881, also is in school in Greenwich.

FREDERICK SCHAVOIR, M. D., a prom- inent physician and surgeon of Stamford. Fairfield county, where for a decade he has been well and favorably known to the citizens of the city and county, was born at Aix-la-chapelle, December 11, 1859.

Doctor Schavoir received a liberal education in his native country, until eighteen years of age attending a Latin school. Later he was a pupil in a special classical school at Brussels. He at- tended medical lectures at the Royal University i of Brussels, and also at the School of Medicine, Paris, France. Subsequently, for a period of | six years, he was surgeon on board Belgian ves- sels. On coming to the United States in 1882 he stopped at Boston, Mass. Later he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Balti- more, Md., and was a graduate therefrom in 1887. For a time he served as assistant to Professor Erich, who was in charge of the Mary- land Woman's Hospital. Later in the year 1887 he located in Stamford, Conn., and has ever since practiced medicine there. His liberal education, his large experience, and his studious habits have made him a factor in the medical profession in Fairfield county, where he has become well established in practice. He is a successful professional man, one well deserving of the reputation he is making for himself. He is president of the Stamford Medical Society; is lecturer on gynecology in the New York School

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of Clinical Medicine; is a non-resident fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine; assistant gynecologist of the West Side German Dispen- sary, New York City; also gynecologist to the Stamford Hospital. The Doctor is a mem- ber of the executive council of the American Electro-Therapeutic Association; also a mem- ber of the committee on X-Rays, American Electro-Therapeutic Association; he was health officer of Stamford during the typhoid fever epidemic of 1895, and very carefully prepared a report of the epidemic which was published in the "Medical Record." for December of that year, and in 1896 reprinted in pamphlet form under the title of " Origin and Course of the Typhoid Fever Epidemic in Stamford, 1895." Doctor Schavoir has frequently made contribu- tions to medical papers, which have attracted attention for their conciseness and practical value. They were published in the New Eng- land and metropolitan medical journals. One of his articles, entitled " Electricity, as Applied to Medicine and Surgery," was published in the "New York Polyclinic," November 15, 1896, and has been reprinted frequently in other med- ical publications.

In December, 1889, Doctor Schavoir was married to Miss Eleanor James, of Decatur, Ill. The Doctor is very partial to outdoor life and athletics. He is an accomplished horseman, and a skillful fencer. In his hunting and fishing expeditions he has been exceedingly successful. and his cozy home is ornamented with a number of very fine trophies of the chase. As a mem- ber of several golf clubs he has taken part in a number of competitions, in which he has carried off a fair share of prizes.

C HARLES W. HALL, well known among the successful business men of New Canaan as a member of the firm of R. L. Hall & Bro., was born July 1, 1842, at Warren, Conn., son of Norman S. and Mary A. (Stone) Hall, and is de- scended from one of the earliest settlers of this State.

In the spring of 1639 Francis Hall, the first of the family in this country, arrived in New Haven. He was a son of Gilbert Hall, of Eng- land. He returned to England for his wife and family, and they settled in Fairfield, Conn., liv- ing there and at Stratford, where he died. He was an attorney. His son, Isaac Hall, was a physician. His son, John Hall, had a son El- nathan, who was one of the first settlers of New Fairfield, Conn., and died in 1770. He was an ensign, lieutenant and captain in the militia.

Elnathan's son, also named Elnathan, moved to Mt. Washington, Mass., where, in 1776, Elnathan Louis Hall, the grandfather of our subject, was born. He learned the trades of tanner and shoe- maker at Warren, Conn., where he followed same for many years, dying in May, 1852, at New Canaan, Conn. He married Huldah Stone, and they became the parents of eight children. namely: Norman S .; Maria (deceased), who married Seth Hickok; Herman L. (deceased); Elnathan Smith (deceased); Miranda (widow of Isaac Knapp), living at Danbury; Sarah E., wife of James W. Lockwood, of New Canaan; John N., residing in Mankato, Minn .; and Emily L., wife of H. J. Taylor, of Sharon, Connecticut.

Norman S. Hall, the eldest of this family. was born at Warren, Conn., and received his schooling there. He learned the tanner's trade under his father, with whom he and his brother. Herman L., were in partnership in Warren for many years. During the 'forties Norman Hall abandoned his trade and took to farming, which he engaged in the remainder of his life. He was married at Kent, Conn., to Mary A. Stone, who died in 1876, and he died in 1892; their children were Russell Louis, Harriet E. (Mrs. Gibson. of Washington, Conn.), Ezra S. (of Norwalk), Mary J. (Mrs. Finch, of Norwalk), Laura 1. (Mrs. Benedict, of Warren, Conn.), Charles W., and Lucy Ann and Amelia S. (both deceased). This family attended the Congregational Church, of which Mr. and Mrs. Hall were members. Po- litically he was a Whig and Republican.

Charles W. Hall was the sixth in the family. He attended the district school at Warren dur- ing his boyhood, and afterward worked on a farm there for three years. At the age of about sixteen he came to New Canaan to learn cabinet making with his brother, Russell L., and under him served an apprenticeship of four years and three months at the trade, continuing thus un- til he enlisted for service in the Civil war. In August, 1862, he became a member of Company H, Seventeenth Conn. V. I., which was with the Army of the Potomac for some months. Mr. Hall was honorably discharged in 1863, and returning to New Canaan resumed work with his brother, with whom he became an equal part- ner, July 10, 1871, since which time the firm has been known as R. L. Hall & Bro. For the part thirty-five years he has been a professional funeral director, and in addition to being a thoroughly capable workman at his trade he is a practical embalmer, for which branch he has qualified himself by a college course in em- balming. His knowledge along this and other lines has been of great service to him in his busi-

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ness, and has been no small factor in promoting the success of the firm.

Mr. Hall was married, on November 22, 1864, in New Canaan, to Miss Mary E. Sher- wood, daughter of Nehemiah Sherwood, and three children have come to their union, namely: (1) Lizzie S., born October 19, 1866, died May 25, 1895; she was a teacher in the public schools for nine years. (2) Eda L. graduated from the normal school at New Britain, and is at present teaching in the Centre school, New Canaan. (3) Clifford W. was born July 8, 1880. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Hall is a prominent member and one of its active workers. He has served as trustee since 1871, and has been clerk of the board of trustees. He is the present chairman of the finance committee, and is also serving as superintendent, to which office he was first elected in 1874, holding it continuously until 1891. In 1896 he was re-elected. He has always been interested in Church work, and identified with many benevolent and religious enterprises. Fraternally, Mr. Hall is no less popular; he affiliates with the Order of United American Mechanics, the Sons of Temperance and the Order of Red Men, and is also a well- known member of S. P. Ferris Post No. 61, G. A. R., of which he has been commander. He is now serving as assistant State inspector G. A. R. posts. As a public-spirited citizen. he is always ready to give his aid and influence to proj- ects for the promotion of the welfare of his community, and her advancement and prog- ress.

W ILLIAM EDGAR NASH, who for several years was the popular postmaster at Westport, Fairfield county, and for a lifetime engaged in mercantile lines of business in the county, where his ability and energy have made him an important factor in business and social life, has descended from one of the old and prom- inent families of the county.

The name Nash frequently appears in the rec- ords of the Connecticut Colonies. But to go back a few generations: Edward Nash (I) was born in 1592 in Lancaster, England, where was also born, in 1623, Edward Nash (II). John Nash (I) was born in Norwalk, Conn., late in the year 1652; and John Nash (II) was born Decem- ber 25, 1688. Abraham Nash, born October 10, 1718, was married in Norwalk to Rhoda Keeler in 1738, and had eight sons. Riah Nash was born August 3, 1763.

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 106

Author: H. H. Beers & Co. Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1795

Author: H. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1899
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1795