Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 148

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

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John Gerdenier, the father of our subject, was born and reared at Nyack, and for many years followed farming there, but he was also connected with a line of ships, and at times worked in the shipyards at Nyack. His wife. Eliza (Sarvent), was born at that place, and her father, Philip Sarvent, was a wealthy agricult- urist of that locality. Our subject's parents died in Nyack some years ago, and of their eight chil- dren, the first three, Philip, Henry and Theoph- ilus, died in childhood. Theophilus (2) is a farmer in Rockland county. N. Y .; Charles A., the subject of this sketch, was fifth in the order of birth; John, a retired resident of Nyack, was formerly a boiler maker by occupation; Miss Julia resides in Nyack; and Mary married Ed- mond De Baun, a merchant of Nyack.

Our subject was born December 20, 1838, at the old home near Nyack, and passed his early years upon a farm, his schooling being limited to three winter terms of three months each. His summers were spent in farm work, and at the age of fourteen years he became a clerk in a country store where he received a good practical training in business methods. After three years he took a position with a gas company in Nyack, with which he remained some time, becoming thoroughly familiar with all departments of that business, including the rougher portions. Later he worked for a gas company in Haverstraw, N. Y., and on April 1, 1864, he came to Bridgeport

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to take charge of the plant there. On Decem- ber 25, 1858, he married Miss Catherine Ver Valen, who was born at Nyack, of Holland- Dutch ancestry. Her father, Daniel Ver Valen, was also a native of Nyack, but removed to Haverstraw, N. Y., where Mrs. Gerdenier's girl- hood was spent. The two sons of this union, Charles and Harry. are now employed in the office of the Bridgeport Gas Company. Polit- ically, Mr. Gerdenier is a Democrat, and he and his family are prominent in social life of his city. He belongs to the Algonquin Club, the Park City Yacht Club, and the Masonic Fraternity, in which latter he has attained the 32d degree. During his residence in Haverstraw, N. Y., he was initiated into Blue Lodge No. 313, F. & A. M., and the other degrees have been taken since his removal to Bridgeport.

J JOHN F. WOODRUFF. Success in mer- cantile life, in the face of the fierce compe- tition of modern days, demands unusual energy and sagacity, and the subject of this biog- raphy possesses both in a marked degree. The well-known clothing store of J. F. Woodruff & Co., at Danbury, gives ample evidence of this fact, its stock of clothing. trunks, bags and everything in the line of furnishing goods afford- ing the largest variety of any in the city. The building has an advantageous location also, being situated at Nos. 177-179 Main street, at the head of West street, directly opposite the city hall in Monument Square, and no possible factor in suc- cess has been overlooked by this shrewd, far- sighted young business man.

The late Elias N. Woodruff, our subject's father, who was born in New Jersey in 1828, and died in 1870, was for many years connected with the milling business in Danbury, operating what was then known as the Isaac Smith gristmill, now called the Merson mill. Previously he had been engaged in similar business at Hartford and elsewhere. He married Sarah E. Hickok, who was born in Danbury October 17. 1834, a daugh- ter of John and Betsey (Hawley) Hickok, and died July 29, 1893. By a previous marriage she had two children, Henry A. and Adelaide Tay- lor, and our subject is the elder of two children by the second union. His sister, Carrie J., mar- ried Cyrus L. Meade, of Weston, Conn., and has two children, Harold and Sarah Adelaide.

Mr. Woodruff was born January 30, 1861, at Danbury, where he attended the public schools until he reached the age of fifteen. His business ability found early development, as when only ten years of age he had employment during the

mornings and evenings in Augustus Hoyt's hat and furnishing store. After leaving school he devoted his entire time to the same work, and so faithful and capable was he that by the time he attained his majority he had full charge of the store, and was entrusted with most of the buy- ing. He remained with Mr. Hoyt until 1895. when he purchased an established clothing and furnishing-goods business from George M. Tal- lant, which he has since continued at the old location.

On October 24, 1883, Mr. Woodruff married Miss Mary Elizabeth Edgett, daughter of Seneca and Mary Jane (Seeley) Edgett, of Newtown, Conn., the latter being a daughter of Philander and Hattie Seeley, and a descendant of one of the old families of Trumbull, Conn. Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff have one daughter, Marguerite. The family is identified with the Baptist Church, of which Mrs. Woodruff is a member.

Mr. Woodruff, while not a politician, takes keen interest in the questions of the day, and is a stanch believer in the doctrines of the Repub- lican party. He belongs to a number of fraternal orders, viz .: the I. O. O. F., Progressive Lodge No. 18; the Improved Order of Red Men, Pau- gussett Tribe No. 3; the F. & A. M., Union Lodge No. 40 (one of the oldest lodges in the State, having received its charter more than a century ago), and Eureka Chapter No. 23, Royal Arch Masons.

H ENRY B. ROGERS, one of the prominent business men of New Canaan, was born January 13. 1839, in Bridgeport, Conn., a son of Benjamin C. Rogers.

Benjamin C. Rogers was a native of Westport, Conn., was reared there, and in his youth learned the trade of tanner and currier, at which he was engaged up to the time of his death, which oc- curred in Bridgeport when he was but twenty-six years of age. He was married in Darien, Conn., to Mary, daughter of Thaddeus Hoyt, of Darien, and they had one child, Henry B. After Mr. Rogers' death the widow married Seymour Com- stock, by whom she also had one child, Frank L She died at New Canaan in 1896 at the ripe age of eighty-four years, and Mr. Comstock is still living at the advanced age of ninety-five.

Henry B. Rogers passed his boyhood and early youth in Darien, where he attended the district school, and he afterward was a pupil in the private school kept by David S. Rockwell, in New Canaan. For two years he clerked in the general mercantile store of Comstock & Co., and in 1855 he entered the seminary at Amenia

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for one year. On his return to New Canaan he resumed clerking, and continued thus until 1860, when he became a member of the firm of Com- stock, Rogers & Co., consisting of Albert S. Comstock and Henry B. Rogers, for the manu- facture of clothing and the sale of general mer- chandise. In January, 1868, they sold out their store business to J. V. Rockwell & Co., in order to give their entire attention to their manufactur- ing interests. In 1876 A. S. Comstock retired from business, which Mr. Rogers has since con- ducted alone under the firm name of H. B. Rogers & Co. The factory is a commodious brick building, 54 x 80 feet in dimensions, three stories and basement, lighted by gas and heated by steam, and the output consists of men's and boys' clothing, bicycle suits, etc., manufactured from domestic goods. Mr. Rogers disposes of his stock directly to the retail trade through his own traveling men, and he also has an interest in four different stores: Comstock Bros., Nor- walk. Conn .; Comstock Bros., South Norwalk, Conn .; The Keene Cash Clothing Store, Keene, N. H., and C. F. Tolles Company, Ansonia, Conn. It is hardly necessary to say that he has been obliged to devote himself unceasingly to the management of his affairs, but the result has been ample reward for his industry and enter- prise.

Mr. Rogers was married, in Brooklyn, N. Y .. to Mary L. Hoyt, daughter of Charles Hoyt, and they had five children, namely: Mary L., Harry (who died at the age of four years), Charles De- Witt (of South Norwalk), Rosalie and Helen. The mother passed away October 1. 1886, and in 1888 Mr. Rogers wedded, at New Canaan, Miss Edna Hoyt, daughter of Edwin Hoyt. The family occupies a beautiful residence on the cor- ner of Railroad avenue and Park street. They worship at the Congregational Church, of which Mr. Rogers has been a prominent member since 1856, and he has been superintendent of the Sun- day-school of that Church for thirty-seven years. He is at present serving as senior burgess in New Canaan, and has been a member of the board since its organization.

C HARLES B. BAKER is one of the prosperous self-made agriculturists of Fairfield township, Fairfield county, where he owns a fine farm of ninety acres, and he is one of the reliable -

citizens of the town, he and his family being highly respected throughout the neighborhood in which they reside.

Mr. Baker was born June 4, 1838, in New York City, and when a child removed to West-

port, Conn., with his parents, who had a family of ten children. Charles received his education in the public schools, which he attended for a few years during the winter season. He was obliged to help in the support of the family from an early age, and was but twelve years old when he com- menced to work for Capt. Isaac Bennett, of Westport, as a farm hand. When fourteen years of age he went as cook on the sloop "Emily," Capt. John Gorman, from Southport, and he fol- lowed this occupation for three years, between New York and Sound points, and Albany and Providence, finally returning to farming. En- tering the employ of Capt. Joseph Jennings, of Southport, he remained with him for twenty consecutive years, a record which speaks more highly than words for his steadiness, reliabil- ty and genuine worth, and he subsequently lived in Westport for a time, where he was en- gaged in general work, and farmed some land of his own. He returned to Southport, however, and after the death of his former employer, Captain Jennings, farmed land belonging to that gentle- man's estate on shares, in 1877 settling on the farm of ninety acres which he has since occupied, and which was formerly the property of David Bank. Mr. Baker purchasing it from his estate.

Mr. Baker has been very successful in the cultivation of his soil, and he has by persevering industry and careful management attained an enviable standing among the well-to-do farmers of this section. His reputation in both business and private life has always been above reproach, and he is esteemed as one of the substantial cit- izens of the town, and as a deservedly prosperous one.

Mr. Baker was married in 1862 to Miss Harriet Allen, a native of Westport, daughter of Edward Allen, and the young couple commenced housekeeping in Westport, later living in South- port, whence, as above related, they returned to their old home. Their union has been blessed with ten children, namely: Ida, who married James Brotherton, and has one child; Charles, who died at the age of twenty-two years; Julia, the wife of Frank Holl, of South Norwalk, who has one child; Jenny, who died in 1869; Albert, who married Kate Sturges, of Stratfield, Conn .; and Herbert, Clarence, Lyllian, Elmore and Eva, all living at home except Elmore, who died in 1878.

In 1862 Mr. Baker volunteered his services for the Union cause, becoming a member of Company C. 28th Conn. V. I., with which he served in all its engagements during his term, except for one month, when he was in hospital at New Orleans, suffering from illness contracted

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while in the army, and from which he has never fully recovered.

Mr. Baker was once a Democrat in political sentiment, but he now supports the Republican party in State and National issues, in local affairs voting as his conscience dictates. He takes no very active part in politics, however, and has several times refused candidacies for positions of trust in this section. Socially, he is a member of McDonald Post No. 63, G. A. R., at Westport.

R OBERT WILLIAM CURTISS. The fam- ily of which this well-known resident of Stratford is a representative has been prominent for many years in the business, social and polit- ical life of that section, and its members have at all times been noted for the qualities of character which make good citizens. The first of the name came from England at a very early period, and a member of the family settled in the town of Stratford long prior to the Revolutionary war.

The first recorded knowledge we have of the Curtiss family at Stratford is in 1658, at which time the will of widow Elizabeth Curtiss was proved. [Vol. 1648-1656. page 17, Records of Court of Probate within and for the District of Fairfield, Conn.] This will makes mention of her sons, John Curtiss and William Curtiss, and grandsons, John Curtiss and Jonathan Curtiss, sons of her sons, John and William. In item fourth of her will she says: " I doe give unto my grandchild Mary Curtiss ye daughter of Thomas Curtiss forty shillings and to be paid unto her by my sons John and William within a year after my decease." This is the only recorded direct evidence of the existence of a son Thomas, and from this record it will be seen that there were living, at the time the will was made, two sons, John and William, grandsons, John and Jonathan and a granddaughter, Mary, and that she also had a son. Thomas, who died previous to the making of the will. At this time she was a widow, and nowhere in the records of Stratford does the name of her husband appear. In " A note of ye Estates and Persons of the Inhabitants of Rocks- bury," about 1638-40, and at a time previous to the date of the above will, appears the name of John Corteis, having fifteen acres, with five per- sons in his family. This family disappears, and a thorough exhaustive search in the records in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut fails to find them or any of them until the rec- ords of Stratford are reached. That it isreason- able to believe the John Corteis of Roxbury was a brother of William of Roxbury, and the hus- band of Elizabeth of Stratford, is evidenced by

the records both of England and America. In the " Memorials of the Pilgrim Fathers of Nazing and Waltham Abbey," by W. Winters, F. R. Hist. Soc., of Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, page 46, are the names of William Curtiss, who married Sarah Eliot, the sister of John Eliot. the Indian Apostle, and one of the original set- tlers of Roxbury, Mass., and John Curtiss, who married Elizabeth Hutchins April 19, 1610, and had children: John, baptized February 26, 1614- 15; William, baptized June 21, 1618, and Thomas. baptized March 12, 1619-20. The ship "Lion" arrived in Boston harbor Sunday evening, Sep- tember 16, 1632. She brought, so Winthrop says, one hundred and twenty-three passengers on this trip. The names of about thirty only are matters of record, and one of them was William Curtiss, above referred to. We know, however, that the arrivals by the "Lion" were what may be termed the better class. The min- isters were well educated and 'influential, the laity were educated, and possessed a certain de- gree of wealth that enabled them to live in the enjoyment of comforts.

The records of Massachusetts Colony dis- tinctly show, as stated above, that John Corteis was not only a personality but was a landowner. The recorded passengers of the "Lion" are known to have been persons of means, and it is reasonable from the known worth of John, and his appearance at Roxbury at about the time of William and other "Lion" passengers, to con- clude that John was a passenger on the "Lion," and therefore an emigrant from Nazing. If this conclusion is correct there can be no doubt that this John is the John mentioned in the records of Nazing, and the husband of Elizabeth, the recorded ancestress of the Curtiss family of Stratford, ConD. He died probably in Massachusetts, or while en route to Connecticut. When or where he died is not a matter of record in either State. John and William came with their mother Elizabeth to Stratford at an early period of its settlement. Trumbull, in his history, Vol. 1, published 1795, page 105, says they came from Roxbury about 1639, and that Stratford was settled by immi- grants from Massachusetts, and not by immigrants directly from England, with the exception of Mr. Fairchild, who was a prominent man and the first one in Stratford invested with civil author- ity. He came directly from the mother country. John and William Curtiss were among the prom- inent men in the town at this early period . Lieut. John Curtiss, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a native of Stratford, where he passed his life in agricultural pursuits, interrupted only by the long struggle of the colonies for independence,

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during which he served as a lieutenant. The names and dates of birth, etc., of his children, are as follows: Sarah, born September 29, 1769; Stiles, April 13, 1771 ; Judson, February 15, 1774; John, February 8, 1778; Ezekiel, June 6, 1779; Daniel (grandfather of our subject), April 8. 1781; Julia. November 27, 1784 (she married Burritt Curtiss); and Harriet, baptized February -, 1791 (she married Lucius Curtiss).

Daniel Curtiss, grandfather of R. W. Curtiss. was born and reared in Stratford, and after his marriage to Betsey Pixlee settled upon a farm there, where he and his wife both died. Their children were Sheldon P., Peter P., Charles H., Mary (Mrs. Nathan Birdsey), Margaret (Mrs. Morgan Curtiss) and Elizabeth (Mrs. Edward Fitch).

Sheldon P. Curtiss, the father of our subject, was also a native of Stratford, and grew to man- hood at the old homestead. He learned the cabinet maker's trade, which he followed in Stratford and Bridgeport in early manhood, but later he located upon a farm in his native town. He was a Republican in politics, and was active in religious work as a member of the Congrega- tional Church. His death occurred in 1876, and his wife, whose maiden name was Sally McEwen, died in 1891. Her family was of Scotch extrac- tion, and her father, Joel McEwen, was a native of Stratford. Robert William was the eldest in a family of four children, the others being: Al- fred H. (deceased), formerly a merchant in New York City; Charles B., a leading resident of Stratford; and Frederick (deceased), who was engaged in mercantile business with his brother, Alfred H.

Robert W. Curtiss was born July 30, 1836, in the town of Stratford, where his early life was spent. As a young man he learned the ma- chinist's trade, and for twenty-five years he was employed as a tool maker in the Wheeler & Wilson factory at Bridgeport. During that period he resided for eleven years in Bridgeport, but later he returned to Stratford, where he is now living in retirement. He has a beautiful residence, surrounded by five acres of land, and all the appointments of the place suggest refined and cultivated taste. In 1861 Mr. Curtiss mar- ried Miss Mary E. Benjamin, of Stratford, daugh- ter of Henry and Cynthia (McEwen) Benjamin. well-known residents of that town, but they have had no children. Mr. Curtiss has been both active and influential in political work in his lo- cality, being a valued adviser in the Republican organization. He has served five terms as select- man. having been elected in 1889, 1890, 1895, 1896 and 1897, and in 1891 he was chosen to

the office of township assessor, serving one year. Mr. Curtiss is a member of the Grange, and he has been treasurer of his lodge for twelve years, ever since its organization.

G EORGE R. OSBORN. Notwithstanding the prevalent idea that American business men are absorbed in the struggle for the "almighty dollar," it is a recognized fact that they are of a high type of citizenship. The subject of this sketch, a well-known manufacturer of hardware at Bridgeport, is a representative of the best ele- ment in business life, his fine presence and sym- pathetic manner lending a courtly grace even to a chance greeting. while his well-stored mind makes his conversation of rare interest. His fluent and choice language makes one wish that he had tested their abilities in some line of effort which would have developed oratorical power. If he has a " hobby " it is mineralogy, in which he has made extensive research, but he shows a wide and accurate knowledge of general topics, especially history, religion and politics.

Mr. Osborn belongs to an old and highly es- teemed family. His grandfather, Elisha Osborn, was born and reared in the town of Ridgefield, this county, and became an extensive dealer in horses, collecting thousands annually from all parts of New England and selling them in New Haven, where they were shipped to the West In- dies. This well-known citizen passed his last years in Woodbridge, Conn., his death occurring in 1788. His wife, Elizabeth (Peck), was a na- tive of New Haven county, and a member of a prominent family of this State. They had eight children : Elansen, a shoe dealer at De Witt, near Syracuse, N. Y .; Merritt, a draftsman of marked talent, who made a specialty of designs in wood work; Elihu, our subject's father; Elizur, a merchant, who died in early manhood; and Amelia, Clara, Lucinda and Maria.

Elihu Osborn, the father of our subject, was born in Woodbridge, and during his youth learned the comb maker's trade at Bethel with P. T. Bar- num. For some yearshe was engaged in that busi- ness at Seymour, Conn., and later he manufactured builders' hardware at New Haven, where he died in 1860. He married Esther Strong, who was born in Southbury, Conn., a daughter of Noah Strong. She was of English descent, and her ancestors were early settlers in this State. Six children were born of this union : (1) Maria died in infancy. (2) George R., our subject, is mentioned more fully below. (3) Charles M .. who served in the navy during the Civil war, died in 1875. (4) Frederick B. was in the navy

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previous to the Civil war, making a trip to the Mediterranean Sea during his term of service; he also served on the .. Niagara" at the time the Atlantic cable was laid, and helped in that enter- prise; when the war of the Rebellion broke out he organized a company and went into active service, taking part in thirty battles, including one of the engagements at Bull Run; he escaped in- jury and returned home in safety, but in June, 1865. he was killed on the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad, while in the employ of that road. (5) Eugene F. was drowned in New Haven in 1848. (6) Miss Esther M. resides in Bridge- port, Connecticut.

Our subject was born September 4, 1831, in New Haven county. Conn., and his education was mainly obtained in the schools of Wood- bridge, although he also attended school in New Haven for a short time. At the early age of ten years he was thrown upon his own resources, and after serving an apprenticeship in the busi- ness of manufacturing firearms he worked at his trade nearly thirty years in different places, spending about three years in Kansas. He also made some profitable deals in real estate, espec- ially during the period preceding the Civil war. About 1860 he returned to the East, locating at Ilion, N. Y., where he spent six years working as a contractor in manufacturing guns at the Remington armory. He then went to Chicopee Falls, Mass., to make a sewing machine for the Lamb Knitting Machine Co., and in 1866 he en- gaged in the manufacture of birdcages there, be- ing the first to make the bright metal cages now so popular. After a few years he sold out his interests there to two parties; in 1867 he removed to Bridgeport with his machinery, and continued in the same line of business for a time. Later he organized the Osborn Manufacturing Company, and opened an establishment in Bleecker street, New York, which is still in operation although he is not now connected with it. After twelve years with that concern he engaged in the manu- facture of surgical instruments on Elizabethstreet, New York, and afterward he remodeled the plant and began manufacturing art hardware. In the spring of 1889 he removed to Bridgeport, where he built a large brick factory, and he has since made a specialty of fine metallic articles of an ornamental nature, or combining use and orna- ment. His embossed metalic goods show the highest artistic skill and taste, and among the hundreds of articles to be seen in his shops are album easels, of five different designs, bowl eas- els, cup and saucer easels, cushion easels, fan eas- els, frame easels, plan and plate easels, panel easels, picture and photo easels, panel easels,

shell and white-wire easels of all kinds, cup and saucer hangers, cup, saucer and plate hangers, plac hangers, series plate hangers, photo hang- ers, bouquet holders, lamp screen holders, photo holders in ten designs, banner stands, banner rods, nut pix, nut crax and glass medallions. He has offices in New York and Chicago, and his different goods are in demand in all parts of the country, such dealers as Marshall Field & Co., of Chicago, sending large orders.

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 148

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