Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 116

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

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Harvard in 1687 and moved to Glastonbury in 1692. He was called to the Church of Christ in Glastonburg in that year, and was ordained at the completion of the church in the following year (1693). He was a man of more than or- dinary ability, and was pastor in Glastonbury I until 1726, when he died.

| thy Stevens. He was born in Meriden in 1856. I and is the son of the late Joseph Hollister and Laura E. Post Stevens. Another ancestor of

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name was Fairbairn, but at a very early date the direct ancestors of our subject settled in England, and the name was changed to its present form. The first of whoin we have a definite record is Thomas Fairchild (1), a native of England, who came to Stratford, Conn., in 1638 or 1639, being one of the earliest settlers at that place. He probably accompanied his brother-in-law, Thomas Sherwood, and William Judson, another pioneer. Thomas Fairchild became a merchant, and was one of the leading men of the little colony, holding various important positions. In 1664 he was a justice of the peace, then a most responsible office, and at one time he was leather sealer for Fairfield county. In 1654 he was appointed, with Thomas Sherwood and the con- stables, to draft men for the Narragansett war. His death occurred December 14, 1670. His first wife was a daughter of Robert Seabrook and a sister of Mrs. Thomas Sherwood, Mrs. William Preston, of New Haven, and Mrs. Lieut. Thomas Wheeler, of Milford, Conn. His second wife, Catherine Craigg, of London, was a relative of Mrs. Elizabeth Whiting, of Hartford, to whom he left a legacy of two hundred pounds sterling. There were four sons by his first marriage and two by the second, and his son Thomas (2), who isthe next in the line of descent which we are now tracing, was the first white child born in Strat- ford. Thomas Fairchild (2) was born in 1644, and from him through Josiah (3), born in 1664; Edward (4). who settled at Newtown, this county; James (5); James (6); James (7); James (8); Kiah B. (9); Burton (10); George N. (11); to George B. (12), the subject of this biography, the line of descent proceeds, covering twelve genera- tions.

James Fairchield (8) was born in 1751, and on May 9, 1775, enlisted in the Colonial army, in Company 8, 5th Regiment, commanded by Colonel Waterbury and General Wooster. He married Mary Beers, of Newtown, this county, and his death occurred February 22, 1813. Kiah B. Fairchild (9), the great-grandfather of our sub- ject, was a school teacher in Newtown. On June 6, 1809. he enlisted in the United States army, and during the war of 1812 he held the rank of sergeant. He died about 1868, at the age of eighty-six years. His wife, Polly (Hubbell), bore him five children: Matthew, Burton, Maria, Mary and Lucinda. Burton Fairchild (10), our subject's grandfather, was killed in 1840, at the age of thirty-two, while blasting rock. His wife was Amy Wayland, and they had three children: George Newton, who is mentioned more fully below; Robert Bruce, formerly a member of the firm of Sammis & Fairchild, clothiers, at Bridge-

port, who served in the Civil war in the 23d Con- necticut Volunteer Infantry, and at the time of his death, in 1878, was a colonel in the 4th Con- necticut Militia; and Frank Harrison, a resident of Bridgeport. Capt. George N. Fairchild (11), our subject's father, was born in the town of Newtown, January 8, 1833, and remained there until he was about sixteen years old, making his home with his grandfather after his father's un- timely death. About 1849 he ran away, shipped aboard a whaler, and spent at least seven years at sea. He then returned home, and was mar- ried at Bethel to Miss Mary Jane Sherman, by whom he had two children: George Burton, our subject; and Annie M., now Mrs. Stuart Kyle, of Bethel. In 1856, immediately after his marriage, he settled in New York City, taking a position as bookkeeper at the Sailors Home, No. 190 Cherry street, and he held similar situations with different firms in the city until his death, which occurred July 19, 1875. For some time he was captain of Company K, 71st New York Militia, and in 1862 he went with them to the seat of war, being mustered out at the close of the struggle with the rank of captain. He was a member of the G. A. R., the I. O. O. F., and the F. & A. M.

Our subject's mother, who is now a highly esteemed resident of Bethel, was the daughter of David Sherman, and granddaughter of Andrew Sherman, both natives of Newtown, where the family has long been prominent. David Sher- man, who died in 1860, at the age of sixty-two, married Tamar Beebe, who also died in 1860, and had five children: Ethel, deceased; Andrew and William, who reside in Bethel; Lemuel, a resident of Woodbury, Conn .; and Mary Jane (Mrs. Fairchild).

George B. Fairchild was born July 22, 1857, in the town of Bethel, but his education was be- gun in the schools of New York City. At the age of ten years he returned to Bethel, where he attended the public schools for a time. In 1873 he began surveying for maps in Massachusetts, Maryland and Indiana, a business which he con- tinued about seven years. In 1880 he took a special course in assaying at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Penn., and later in the same year he went to Ouray, Colo., where he spent two years. In 1882 he came back to Bethel, and for four years was employed in the packing depart- ment of George A. Hickok & Son. In Novem- ber, 1886, he formed a partnership with Howard T. Farnam, and engaged in the manufacture of men's hats, the firm being known as Farnam & Fairchild. In 1888 they began manufacturing ladies' hats in the rough, in which they command

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a good trade, their factory on Greenwood avenue employing about fifty hands.

As a citizen Mr. Fairchild takes an intelligent interest in all progressive movements, and he is greatly respected among all classes in the com- munity. His home in Bethel is a most attractive one, the house being an old Colonial mansion, built in 1760. On November 9. 1882, he was married to Miss Martha B. Farnam, daughter of Ethel Tavlor Farnam, the well-known hatter. One child has blessed this union, Merah Somers, born November 30, 1888.

E AZRA A. MALLORY. of Danbury, Fairfield county, Conn., has been connected with the business of hat manufacturing for more than sixty years, his first experience having been gained as a boy in his father's factory. In the present fri of E. A. Mallory & Sons the third genera- hun of this noted family enters upon a promis- ing career in the same industry, the two sons of our subject having the management, Mr. Mallory having retired in 1897.

Our subject is descended from an old English family, the first representatives in America being two brothers who crossed the ocean before the Revolution and located-one at Redding. Conn .. and the other in one of the Southern colonies. He (E. A. Mallory) traces his lineage to the brother who settled at Redding. Samuel Mal- lory, his grandfather, married Hannah Hull, and their son Ezra, our subject's father, was born at Redding February 21, 1785, and after spending some years of his early manhood as a cattle deal- er and drover, settled at Great Plain, near Dan- bury, and conducted a hat factory until his death in 1845. His wife, Eliza (Andrews), who was born November 28, 1788, and died July 17, 1876, was a daughter of Eden and Deborah (Knapp) Andrews. To Ezra and Eliza (Andrews) Mal- lory came a family of eight children, of which our subject was one.

Ezra A. Mallory was born at Danbury, in the Great Plain District. After attending the public schools for some years he was sent, at the age of ten years, to a private school or academy at Redding, of which Walker Bates was principal. At thirteen he returned to Danbury, and while attending schools in the mornings and evenings was employed for several hours each day in his father's factory in Great Plain. When sixteen years old. having left school, he began to work steadily in the shop, and after his father's death, in 1845. he continued the business without inter- ruption for nine years. In 1854 he removed to Danbury and carried on the hat-manufacturing !

business, until 1862, when he formed a partner- ship with P. A. Sutton, under the firm name of P. A. Sutton & Co., and continued the business under that firm name with increasing success, until 1863 when Mr. Sutton withdrew, and Mr. Mallory continued alone until 1878, in that year taking his son Charles A. into the firm under the title of E. A. Mallory & Son. Five years later his other son, William E., joined the partnership, which has since continued as E. A. Mallory & Sons. They manufacture all kinds of fur felt hats, including women's wear, and employ about three hundred people at present, although the business at times requires considerable more. When Mr. Mallory started at his present location the shop was quite small. and was run by a fifty- horse-power boiler and a six-horse-power engine. Now the work requires five one-hundred-horse- power boilers and a one-hundred-and-fifty-horse- power engine, and the principal building, which is four stories high, with a frontage of 125 feet on Beaver street, has two additions, four stories in height and measuring 130x 30 and 75 x 60 feet, respectively. Another four-story building is 200 feet long by 40 feet wide, and a sizing and color- ing shop runs back 100 feet to the rear.

Immediately after the passage of the Wilson Tariff Bill, Senator Hawley of the district asked I the Danbury factories to make a statement of the amount of wages paid out by them in the five years previous. The result was as follows: In 1889. $2,996,690; 1890, $3,039, 196; 1891, $3,142,000; 1892, $3,225,000, and 1893, $2 .- 261.000. An idea of the comparative volume of Mr. Mallory's business can be gained from the following statement as to his individual pay- roll: In 1890, $74,004; 1891, $95,455; 1892. $123, 544; 1893, $102,738; 1894, $97,917, and 1895, $107,915.

In 1843 Mr. Mallory married Miss Hannah Mallory. daughter of William and Mary (Judd) Mallory, of Wilton, Conn. The two sons born of this union are now conducting the business established by their father. Charles A., born October 16, 1850, was married in 1873 to Miss Ella L. Ryder. daughter of Dr. William H. and Olivia (Frye) Ryder, and they have two children -Harry B. and Clara J .; William E., born in 1856. was married October 23, 1878, to Miss Fannie Ravmond, daughter of George E. and Mary Frederica (White) Raymond, and they have three children-Belle, Florence and Chris- tine. Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Mallory are members of the First Congregational Church, of Danbury, and for a number of years previous to 1896 he served on the society committee of that Church. The other members of the family are

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identified with the Disciples Church, in which Mr. E. A. Mallory has for more than twenty years been one of the three elders. He has always taken active interest in local affairs, but although he is a stanch Republican he has held but one office, that of selectman, to which he was elected in 1868.

W TILEY B. BLACKMAN is a leading con- tractor and builder at Danbury, Fairfield Co., Conn., to whose taste and skill that city is indebted for some of its handsomest residences and business blocks. His success is the more notable because he began as a carpenter, and made his way to the wider and more profitable field of work through his own efforts.

Mr. Blackman is a native of this county, and belongs to one of its pioneer families, being of the seventh generation in descent from Rev. Adam Blackman, who was born in Staffordshire, England. in 1598, and entered Christ College, Oxford, when nineteen years of age. Cotton Mather writes of him: "He was a useful preacher of the Gospel, first in Leicestershire, then in Derbyshire, England. A desirable com- pany of the faithful followed this holy man from England," and by way of Wethersfield came to Stratford as early as 1639, making their settle- ment at the bend of the creek in Sandy Hollow. His home lot was on Academy Hill, and ran south to Stratford avenue. Mr. Blackman's ministry continued until his death, September 7, 1665. Of his writings only his will remains ex- tant. From 1646 to 1648 he was a member of the Synod which drew up the Cambridge plat- form. In 1651, "by the town in public meet- ing," it was agreed that " Mr. Blackman shall have sixty-three pounds and pay part of his own rate." That was not a time of large salaries.

John Blackman, a grandson of Rev. Adam Blackman, born in the year 1685 or 1686, was one of a company-fifty-two in number-that purchased the township of Newtown of the Colon- ial Government, and removed there. He mar- ried Abigail Beers, and settled at the north end of the " Town Street." He died in 1756. John, first son of John and Abigail Blackman, was born in 1721, married Margerie Glover and settled in Newtown, in the vicinity of Taunton Lake. Their son, Josiah, the great-grandfather of our sub- ject. was born there on February 22. 1751, mar- ried Clarissa Camp, and died suddenly January 10, 1803. leaving two sons and three daughters. Abner. the eldest son, was born August 12, 1788. Josiah. the second, was six years younger. Each

had chosen a profession, but Abner, not willing to leave his widowed mother alone, relinquished his plans and remained with her. Josiah studied medicine with Dr. Gideon Shepard, of the same town, attended medical lectures at Yale during the winters of 1814 and 1815, and received his diploma to practice medicine, according to the custom of the time, from the Connecticut Medical Society, January 16, 1816. In April of the same year he settled in Gilbertsville, Otsego Co., N. Y., having practiced in Danbury, Conn., for a short time. In September, 1829, he moved to Binghamton, N. Y., and in July, 1836, he settled in Montrose, Penn., where he died July 25, 1875. In 1820 Dr. Blackman married Miss Emily Dan- ielson, of Butternut, N. Y., and they had three daughters, only one of whom survives.

Abner Blackman, the grandfather of W. B. Blackman, married Miss Nancy Beers, a daugh- ier of Philo Beers, of the township of Monroe. on January 19, 1814, remaining in his ancestral home for some years. In this old home, which is still standing, are securely imbedded several bullets, fired into it by the Tories in the war of 1812-14. Two children were born to them while here, Philo B., on January 11, 1815, and Hannah, on August 12, 1817. In the year 1818 | or 1819, Abner Blackman removed with his family to Brookfield, and settled upon a farm near the Still river. Here two more children were added to their number: Levi, the father of our subject, and a daughter, Mary, who married John Campbell, a carpenter, of Newtown. Philo B., the elder son, at the age of fourteen went to what was then considered the "west," into Tompkins county, New York State, where he learned the carpenter's trade and resided with an uncle, Herman Beers. He married Miss Maria Baldwin, of Springville, N. Y., and finally, re- turning to Connecticut, located at Middletown, where he engaged in the manufacture of doors. sash and blinds. He now resides with his only surviving daughter at Clyde, Ohio, in his eighty- third year. Hannah, eldest daughter of Abner Blackman, born in Newtown, was married in 1841 to John L. Foote, of Brookfield. Three chil- dren were born to them, two daughters-Mrs. George W. Slade and Mrs. Theodore S. Dun- ning, both living in the State of Minnesota-and a son-Lewis C. Foote, who is railroad super- intendent in the West.

Levi Blackman was born October 26, 1820. He became a carpenter and builder, carrying on the business in Brookfield and adjoining towns for many years. At the age of twenty he pur- chased a small farm, erected a house, barn and workshop with his own hands, and there made

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his home until the spring of 1871. In 1850 he married Miss Susan J. Ellwood, daughter of Joseph S. Ellwood, of the same town, and grand- daughter of Stephen Ellwood, of the township of Fairfield, a soldier of the Revolutionary army. The first representatives of the Ellwood family in this country were of English birth. Two children were born to Levi and Susan J. Black- man: Evaline C., born May 18, 1855 (who died at the age of six years), and Wiley Beers.

Wiley Beers Blackman, the only son of his parents, was born May 26, 1858, in the town of Brookfield, and his earliest years were spent on ; upon the market a new sub-division of Stratford, a small tarm on the banks of the Still river. In his childhood he manifested the liveliest interest in all kinds of machinery and building tools, and Mr. Sheppard was born January 8, 1859, in was never so happy as when, in his father's | Kings County, Ireland, a son of Ambrose Shep- workshop, little carts, wheelbarrows, sleds and | pard (1). and grandson of Capt. Joseph Shep- pard, an officer in the British army, who lived and died in the old country. Ambrose Sheppard (1), the father of our subject, was also a native of Kings County, Ireland, where he owned a large tract of land, being known as "Squire Sheppard." He learned the cabinet maker's trade in youth, but never followed it, and in 1866 he came to America, locating first in Naugatuck, and later in Bridgeport, this county, where he died December 25, 1896. His wife, Susan (Hall). who died many years ago, was the daughter of Capt. William Hall, of the British navy. They had ten children, of whom the following came to this country: William, John, Samuel, Martha, Mary, Harriet, Ambrose A. and Thomas. various other things were in process of construc- tion; all were freely distributed to the children in the neighborhood. He was a great lover of books, and usually went to sleep at night with one under his pillow. His education began in the local schools, but as he was only fourteen when his parents went to Stepney he continued his studies there, giving his spare moments, when not engaged in study. usually to some artistic woodwork designed either for use or ornament, much of this work still remaining in his childhood home. On leaving school he learned the carpenter's trade with his father, and in 1878 began work as a journeyman, being em- ploved in different places. In 1882 Mr. Black- man located at Danbury, and while following the trade gained a reputation for ability which enabled him to engage in business on his own account, in 1886, as a contractor and builder, meeting with success from the start. His

activity is not confined wholly to business lines, however. as he is much interested in local affairs, and in 1885 and 1886 he served as a councilman from the Third ward of Danbury. On March 9. 1897, he was elected by the common council of the city of Danbury to fill the position of super- intendent of the city water works. Politically, he is a stanch Democrat, in this respect follow- ing his father's example.

On April 3, 1882, Mr. Blackman was united in marriage with Miss Effa M. Toucey. daughter of David H. Toucey, a native of Newtown, and a well-known carpenter of Stepney, and one daugh- ter has blessed the union, Maud T., born Feb- ruary 2. 1886. The Blackman family has been identified with the Episcopal faith for genera- tions, but our subject and his wife attend the First Congregational Church of Danbury, and take a generous interest in its varied lines of |

work. Mr. Blackman is an active member of several fraternal orders, including the I. O. O. F. and the American Mechanics.

A MBROSE A. SHEPPARD, a prominent resident of Stratford, holds a responsible position with the Wheeler & Wilson Manufactur- ing Co., having charge of one of the departments in their extensive plant at Bridgeport. He is noted for his sound judgment and business abil- ity, and during the last few years he has placed adding many tasteful homes to that pleasant village.

Our subject spent the first seven years of his life in his native land, and after coming to the United States he attended school at Beacon Fall and Holvoke. Mass. On March 13, 1872, he came to Bridgeport to enter the employ of the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Co., with whom he remained ten years. Having now made up his mind to prepare for the Bar, he for a time pursued a course of study in law, but ill health compelled him to relinquish his plan. For a brief period he had charge of a gang of men in the painting business; however, he afterward returned to the Wheeler & Wilson Manufactur- ing Co .. and at present he has sole charge of the bobbin department. On September 2, 1892, he removed to Stratford, where he purchased seven- teen acres of land and built a number of resi- dences for sale, the entire tract being laid out into village lots. On January 31, 1885, he mar- ried Miss Ada A. Greenwood, a native of Glas- tonbury. Conn., daughter of Samuel Greenwood, who was born in Canada of French ancestry. Her mother, whose maiden name was Mary E. Squires, was an American by birth. Mr. Shep-

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pard and his wife are much esteemed socially, and he is identified with several fraternal organ- izations, including the Order of the Golden Cross and the I. O. O. F., Samuel Harris Lodge No. 99, at Bridgeport. He has always been a strong advocate of temperance, and is one of the lead- ing workers in the Nonpareil Lodge of Good Templars at Bridgeport, in which he has held numerous offices. He has much ability as a speaker, and while studying law he took a promi- nent part in the Excelsior Lyceum. at Bridge- port, which then boasted two debating societies where young men could obtain practice in public speaking. His talents commanded the admira- tion of the society, and one time he served as its president. Politically. he is a Republican, and he and his wife are members of the Congrega- tional Church at Bridgeport, Connecticut.

J TESSE L. WESSELS, a well-known and prominent merchant of East Port Chester, Fairfield county, where he has passed forty odd years in a successful career in business and useful citizenship, is descended from one of the old families of New York State.

The wife and mother was an unusually sweet singer.

Jesse L. Wessels, whose school days reach back nearly three-quarters of a century in the days when were in vogue the rude log school house with its slab benches and old-time stove, being the eldest child and son, did not get as great privileges as the younger children had, having to assist more in the work at home, and often away from home. At the age of sixteen years he went New York City to work for a cousin-E. P. Lawrence-who was engaged in the grocery business on the corner of Willett and Delancy streets, receiving for his first year's serv- ice $25 per year, and, for the second, $30, do- ing his own washing. After two years there he returned home and for a time worked for his father. He again went to New York, where he became a member of the Mechanics' Grocery Association, whose place of business was located on Seventh street between avenues C and D. This association was an Odd Fellows organiza- tion, having for its object the furnishing mem- bers of the order their supplies cheaper, yet those | not members were at liberty to deal at the store. This was strictly a cash store. Young Wessels was employed at this place two years, and the I store prospered under his direction as manager

Harkless Wessels, his grandfather, was of English extraction. During the war of the Revo- lution he was a patriot, and served all through | of the retail department. Later he went as a those memorable years in the Continental army. clerk with Garrett Brower, who was a grocer on the corner of Sixth and Avenue D, of the same city. He remained there until on March 3, 1855, In line of descent his son James was the father of Jesse L. Wessels, of this sketch. James was a farmer, and being an industrious man passed | when he came to East Port Chester, and here the winters in working at bottoming chairs and ¡ purchased two lots, paying for them $300, on one of which now stands his store building, and here making shoes. He was frugal and economical, and 1 became the owner of several farms. He gave | he built the first store room in the town, and has the land for Church purposes, on which were | from that time to this been in business on that built Rosedale chapel, the Methodist church and i site. He was the pioneer merchant of the town, the Third Episcopal church edifices. Both Harkless and James Wessels lived in White : business career reaches back over a period of ! and of course is now the oldest one. His active Plains town. James married Letitia Lawrence, a native of White Plains, and a daughter of James Lawrence. The children born of this marriage were as follows: Jesse L., our subject, is mentioned farther on; William H. was a shoe- maker by occupation. but in early life went to Bridgeport, and, with his brother John, carried on a very extensive wholesale fruit store, also served as selectman of the town; and John L., of Bridge- port, where he was three years mayor, also in the council. The father of these lived to be upward of seventy years of age, dying at White Plains. His wife also lived to be over seventy years, and both were buried in Union cemetery, at Rye, N. Y. Politically, the husband was a Whig. He was an honorable man, upright and honest, and was held in high regard as a citizen.

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 116

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