Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 158

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

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James R. Eells, the subject proper of these lines, was nine years old when he came from Harlem, N. Y .. to New Canaan, Conn., thence in a short time removing to Stamford, where he remained, however, only a few months, going to . De Ruyter, N. Y. In that city he made his . home two and one-half years, and then returned to New Canaan for a time. Again coming to Stamford, he was here employed some seven

years in B. J. Daskam & Son's grocery business, at the end of which time he went to Kansas, where he engaged in farming two and one-half years; then once more returned to Stamford, Conn., two years later entering the employ of E. B. Lawrence, in the market business. Six months afterward he bought a half-interest in the concern, and within a year became sole owner of the market. He has now been in busi- ness in Stamford since August 24, 1882, and has met with uniform success.

On August 10, 1873, Mr. Eells was united in marriage with Miss Emma Eliza Seymour, of Stamford. daughter of Ira Seymour, formerly of North Wilton, Conn. He was descended from Matthew Seymour, one of the original settlers of Ridgefield, Conn. He (Matthew) was one of four men appointed to lay out the lots of Ridge- field. The colony bought that land, and also considerable of the surrounding country of Ca- toonah, the Indian chief. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Eells, viz .: Harriet Seymour and Anna Randell. Socially, Mr. Eells is a member of Rippowam Lodge, I. O. O. F., at Stamford, and he and his family enjoy the uniform respect and esteem of the community in which they live.

W ILLIAM H. BENJAMIN, a well-known market gardener of the town of Stratford, is a substantial citizen whose career is worthy of emulation, his success being the outcome of his own industry and thrifty management.

Mr. Benjamin belongs to an old and respected family, his great-grandfather, Capt. George Ben- jamin, having been a hero of the Revolutionary war. His grandfather, Gideon Benjamin, who was probably a native of Danbury, was for many years a resident of Stratford, where he conducted the " Benjamin House," a noted tavern once patronized by General LaFayette.

William H. Benjamin (1), our subject's fa- ther, was born in Stratford in 1795, and followed farming in that locality throughout his life. Po- litically, he was a Democrat, and in religious faith he was an Episcopalian. His wife, Cynthia A. (McEwen), was a native of Stratford, and her father, Samuel McEwen, who was also born there, was a well-known agriculturist. Of the six children of William and Cynthia Benjamin, the eldest, Samuel, is a resident of Stratford; William H., our subject, is second in the order of birth; Albertina never married; Mary married Robert W. Curtis, of Stratford; Fannie married Theodore Judson, a machinist of Stratford, now retired; and John is a plumber in Bridgeport.

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The father of this family died in 1860, and his estimable wife did not long survive him, her death occurring in 1865.

Our subject was born February 16, 1830, at the old home in Stratford, and he was educated in the schools of the town. When about fifteen years old he left home and began a sea faring life, which he continued for more than ten years, making many long trips and visiting various ports in the West Indies, South America and in the Mediterranean Sea. During this time he was employed in different positions including that of first mate, but in 1858 he decided to make his home upon dry land once more. Accordingly returning to Stratford, he engaged in market- gardening upon a tract of sixteen acres of land, which he has improved according to modern methods, his greenhouses being admirably ar- ranged and equipped. While he is not active in public life, he is interested in political questions and is a stanch Democrat. Socially, he and his family are much esteemed, and he is a member of Blue Lodge No. 8. F. & A. M., at Stratford. In 1855 he married Miss Sarah A. Meachen, a native of Paterson, N. J., whose father, James Meachen, is now a respected citizen of Stratford. Two children have blessed this union: Susan C., wife of Wallace Sturgis, formerly of Fairfield, but now of Stratford, where he is employed by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Rail- road Company; and Fannie, wife of Frank Rus- sell, of the City Bakery, at Bridgeport.

ORACE BANKS BURR, a wealthy and in- fluential citizen of Fairfield township, is a man whose character does honor to his pioneer ancestry. His family is one of the oldest in his locality, and he is of the ninth generation in di- rect descent from Jehu Burre, who came from England in 1630 with Winthrop's famous com- pany, and after spending some years in Roxbury and Springfield, Mass., located in Fairfield, where he died in 1670. The line of descent is traced through Daniel Burr, who married Abi- gail Glover, daughter of Henry Glover, of New Haven; Daniel (2) and his wife Abigail; Timothy, who married Sarah Rowland; Ebenezer, who married Sarah Sherwood; Ebenezer (2), who married Amelia Goodsell; Timothy, who married Sarah Taylor; and John Burr, our subject's fa- ther, who married Sarah Nichols. The family has always been noted for fine musical ability, and several musicians of more than local fame have been found among its members. .

Ebenezer Burr, our subject's great-grand- father, was an extensive landowner in Fairfield

township, and resided on what has been known from pioneer times as Burr's Highway, the fam- ily holding large tracts of land there. He was a "minute man " during the Revolutionary war. His wife was a daughter of Epapheras Goodsell, and a granddaughter of Rev. John Goodsell, the first minister to preach at Greenfield Hill.

Timothy Burr, the grandfather of our subject. was born September 3, 1788, in Greenfield, this county, and was one of the prominent citizens of the section in his day. For many years he was successfully engaged in mercantile pursuits and in farming, and he also carried on an extensive business in surveying lands and in settling up es- tates. The clarionet was his favorite musical in- strument, and he was often called upon to per- form upon it at different places in this State, bis music enlivening many a dancing party. He died February 16, 1858, and he and his wife, who was a daughter of Barak Taylor, of Danbury, wert both interred for a time in the old cemetery it Greenfield, but their remains have since been transferred to Oak Lawn cemetery in Fairfield township. Of their children, the eldest, George. who died in his eighty-ninth year, was for many years a merchant at Plattsville, Conn .; Jobo, ou: subject's father, is mentioned more fully below: Elihu, who died at the homestead on Burr's High- way, was at different times a merchant in East- on, Trumbull and Bridgeport; Abigail (deceased never married; Barak T. (deceased) resided upon Burr's Highway, and for some years was engaged in mercantile business; Sarah A. (deceased) wraz the wife of Henry Hanford, of Wilton, this cono- ty; Amelia (Mrs. Seth Bradley) died in Green- field; Ann M., widow of Thomas Bartram, ft- sides at Black Rock; and Timothy E., who died at Black Rock, was a successful business man of Danbury for years, and later in New York City. much of his attention being given to mercantit pursuits and music.

Hon. John Burr, the father of our subject. was born in Fairfield February 22, 1810, and re- sided throughout his life on Burr's Highway While he seemed to take life easy, he carried oc an extensive business as a shoemaker, employing several apprentices and workmen, and in late: years he devoted much time to farming. He was often called upon to settle estates, and the fre- quency with which his advice was sought oper different matters won for him the title of "Squire." He was justice of the peace fs: thirty or forty years. His musical gifts were of & high order, and for a long time he was leader o' the choir of the Congregational Church at Greer- field Hill, their music during that period attract- ing wide notice. He also taught singing school

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in various localities. Although his educational opportunities were limited, his natural ability and common sense enabled him to acquire a wide range of information by reading. of which he was extremely fond. He was active in religious work, and held various administrative offices in the Congregational Church. In politics he was first a Whig and later a Republican, holding leading place in the local organization of each party, and . he served as a representative in the State Leg- islature for two terms. His death occurred April 11, 1883. and his wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Nichols, died October 19, 1894, their re- mains being laid to rest in the Oak Lawn ceme- tery. Mrs. Burr was born October 11, 1811, in Deerfield District, Fairfield township, the daughter of Walter and Charity (Banks) Nichols.

Our subject is the eldest of seven children, the others being: (2) George L., a clothing mer- chant in New York City, who married Miss Char- lotte Bennett, and resides in Brooklyn; they have had five children-Alida, Edith, Olive, George E. and Charlotte, Alida and Olive being deceased. (3) Marcus, a Congregational minister at Leba- non, Conn., who married (first) Eliza F. Gould, and (second) Cornelia Payne. (4) Sally M., wife of Horace B. Banks. of Hull's Farms. (5) Ann J., wife of Stephen B. Wakeman, of Saugatuck. (6) Evaline, who married Hon. James R. Howe, of Brooklyn, the present member of Congress from his district. (7) Mary E., who died at the age of six years.

Horace B. Burr, whose name opens this sketch, was born February 12, 1832, at the old homestead on Burr's Highway, and for some years of his boyhood he attended the Deerfield district school. Among his first teachers was Miss Charity Winton, and later he studied under Peter Fairweather in the same district. After completing the course of study offered there, he pursued some of the higher branches under the tuition of Zalmon Wakeman, of Greenfield Hill. As a boy he had ample opportunity to make him- self acquainted with the details of farm work, and at the age of twelve or fourteen he began to learn the shoemaker's trade, which he followed at various times. He also clerked for three years in the post office at Southport, Conn., for David Bradley, and later he spent the same length of time in the New Haven post office, his aptitude for work making him a valued employe. In 1857 he went to New York City, where he spent a year in a wholesale importing house; he then returned home.

On October 28, 1858, Mr. Burr was married, in Fairfield, to his first wife, Miss Cordelia S. Hill, daughter of Dimon Hill, and granddaughter

of Judge David Hill. During the winter of 1858-59 he taught school in Burr's District for $16 per month, boarding himself, and in 1862 he again had charge of the school. In 1866 he became connected with the Freeman & Burr Clothing Company, which his brother, George L., and Alpheus Freeman established in 1861, at the corner of Fulton and Nassau streets, New York City, and he continued in this business, in 1874 becoming a member of the firm. . In the latter part of the 'sixties he had purchased from the estate of his uncle, Lewis Burr, the home- stead which he now occupies, a fine farm which has been held in the family name since the orig- inal grant to an ancestor, more than 250 years ago. He has made his home there since 1873, and he also owns another farm in the same town. At present he attends personally to the manage- ment of his estates, and he is still hale and hearty. Politically, he is a Republican, and although he is not an office-seeker his fellow citizens, desir- ing the benefit of his sound judgment, have at times chosen him to important service, and in 1896 he was a member of the equalization com- mittee of the town.

On March 31, 1863, Mr. Burr's first wife passed to the unseen world, and on October 22, 1868, he was married, in Brooklyn, N. Y., to Miss Emeline Bennett, who was born in West- port, this county, November 17, 1845, the daugh- ter of Edwin and Mary (Couch) Bennett. She resided at Westport until about ten years old, when she removed to Brooklyn. By his first marriage Mr. Burr has one son, Ebenezer H., who is engaged in the insurance business at Long Branch, N. J. By the second marriage there are two sons: Eugene B., who married Miss Antonia Jacobs, of Easton (they have one son, Joseph William); and William H., now in charge of our subject's farm in the Deerfield District (he married Miss Louise Jacobs, and they have three children - Emma M., Walter N. and Evelyn Amanda). The family is identified with the Con- gregational Church at Greenfield Hill, to the sup- port of which they are liberal contributors.

A LONZO PERCY ELLSWORTH. It would be difficult to find a more beautiful spot, even in this favored region, than the Ellsworth homestead in the Mill Plain District, town of Danbury. It comprises seventy acres lying on the shore of the celebrated Lake Kanosia, whose inlet, a picturesque stream, flows through the es- tate, and the residence commands a charming view on all sides. Mr. Ellsworth, the fortunate owner of this home, is a capable manager, keep-

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ing the land in an excellent state of cultivation, and he ranks among the leading agriculturists of his locality.

Our subject comes honestly by his faculty for careful and judicious management, being of good old Vermont stock in both paternal and maternal lines. His grandparents, Joseph and Lucy (Haines) Ellsworth, were well-known residents of Fletcher, Franklin Co., Vt., and his grandfather was a soldier in the war of 1812. Van Rensselaer Ellsworth, our subject's father, was born at Fletcher in 1808, and became a prominent farmer in that vicinity, owning 200 acres of land. He died in 1863; his wife, Sarah (Blair), who was born in 1808, survived him many years, pass- ing away in 1892. She was a daughter of Elias and - (Parsons) Blair, both of whom were members of pioneer families of the State. Our subject was one of thirteen children. Four daughters died in childhood, but the nine sons lived to adult age, to wit: George H. (now de- ceased), Hudson, Charles, Alonzo P., Elias B., Edgar E. (deceased), James Delos, Alexander Noble, and Cyrus (deceased).

Mr. Ellsworth, our subject, was born Novem- ber 23, 1837, at the old home near Fletcher, where he remained until the age of twenty-seven. His youth was spent after the usual custom of country lads, a common-school education being obtained during boyhood while helping with the farm work. On leaving home he came to Dan- bury, and in 1865 he entered the employ of George F. Bailey, the showman, as an advance agent. He started from Zanesville, Ohio, with the advertising wagon. and for nine years he traveled in advance of the show, without any loss of time from sickness or other cause. This busi- ness took him to all parts of the United States and Canada, and gradually the delights of a quiet, settled life became apparent as he wearied of the constant change. In 1874 he gave up his position and purchased a farm in the town of Patterson, Putnam Co., N. Y., but three years later he sold it and bought his present home- stead. He gives much attention to dairy work, keeping from sixteen to twenty cows, and also raises general crops. He owns a large portion of the lakefrontage, and his farm is bounded on the north by the lands of Henry Mead and the lake inlet; on the west by the main road leading from Mill Plain to Ridgebury; on the south by the lands of Carrie Warner, and on the east by the lake.

In 1870 Mr. Ellsworth married Miss Julia Ann Burt, by whom he has had two children: Emma S., now Mrs. Benjamin O. Rockwell, of Mill Plain; and William Van Rensselaer, who.

died at the age of eight months. Mrs. Ellsworth is a daughter of William Burt, a well-known cit- izen of North Salem, N. Y., and a granddaughter of William and (Tryon) Burt. Her mother, whose maiden name was Jane A. Cree, was a daughter of William and Matilda (Griffin) Cree.

Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth are believers in the · Universalist faith. He takes keen interest in the political issues of the day, and while he is not active as a party worker, he gives his support to Democratic doctrines and policies.

L EVI W. SLAUSON, a veteran of the Civil war, is a prominent resident of Glenbrook where he is serving as postmaster, and for some years has held the responsible position of agent for the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad.

Mr. Slauson comes of patriotic stock, his great-grandfather, Nathan Slauson, having served in the Revolutionary war, while his grandfather, Nathan Slauson, who resided at Pound Ridge, Westchester Co., N. Y., met a soldier's death in the war of 1812:

Eleazer Slauson, the father of our subject. was born at Pound Ridge, where he still resides, and for many years has been engaged in the car- penter's trade there. He married Miss Emily Brown, of the same town, who died in 1891, and of their thirteen children only six are now living. Nathan B. resides at Norwalk, this county; Mary married Cyrus Raymond, of Danbury; Levi W., our subject, is mentioned more fully below; Han- nah married Joshua Knapp, of Stamford; and Edward and Herbert reside at Pound Ridge.

Mr. Slauson, our subject, was born April 18, 1842, at the old home in Pound Ridge, where be received a common-school education. On lear- ing school he began to learn the machinist's trade at Norwalk, this county, but owing to ill bealth he was obliged to give up the work. When the Civil war broke out he was anxious to enlist, but was twice refused on account of his age, and it was not until July 3, 1863, that his desire was gratified by his enrollment at Hartford as a mem- ber of the First Connecticut Infantry, afterward known as the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery. The regiment, which was commanded by Colonel White, was assigned to service in the Department of the Potomac, and Mr. Slauson remained on duty until the close of the war, being mustered out at Hartford in 1865. He then went to Lewisboro, N. Y., and for a time drove a stage between that town and Katonah, N. Y .; in the spring of 1866, however, he came to Fairfield

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county to take charge of a farm in Darien for John A. Holmes. Later he was employed for a year in Mr. Holmes' rattan broom store, in New York City, afterward returning to the farm for a couple of years. For eighteen months he re- sided upon a farm at Roxbury, in the town of Stamford, and then he settled at Glenbrook, where he followed the carpenter's trade fortwo years. In April, 1881, he became the agent for the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad at that point, being the first to hold the position, and he has served acceptably ever since. In June, 1881, he received the appointment of post- master there, under President Arthur's adminis- tration, and this office he has also held continu- ously since that year, his ability and fidelity to duty being highly appreciated by the public.

Mr. Slauson was married at Glenbrook to Miss Martha J. Bates, of Darien, and six children have blessed the union: Edith, Julia, Harry, Minnie, Edward and Ethel. The eldest daughter married John B. Perry, of Bridgeport. this county, and they have one son, Herald Slauson Perry. Mr. Slauson and his family are much esteemed socially, and he is a leading member of the Union Memorial Church at Glenbrook. He is also connected with various fraternal societies, including the G. A. R .. Hobbie Post, and the Royal Arcanum, Council No. 999, both at Stamford, Connecticut.

LOYD B. BOUTON is one of the leading, active and enterprising business men of Georgetown, where he is conducting an undertak- ing establishment that is first-class in all of its appointments, having a livery stable in connec- tion with same. He is a native of the town of Redding, born November 26, 1858.

Wilson Bouton. his father. was born in the town of Pound Ridge, Westchester Co., N. Y. The father dying when the son was an infant, he was raised in a family by the name of Bishop. He attended the schools of Westchester county, and then learned the shoemaker's trade under a Mr. Lounsbury, of the town of Ridgefield, sub- sequently embarking in business for himself in the town of Ridgefield, Fairfield Co., Conn., and he prospered. Later in life he turned his attention to farming, and by good management and the practice of economy he became well-to- do, accumulating considerable property. He was married to Miss Julia Picket, born July 15, 1828, a daughter of Harry and Phoebe (Johnson) Picket, of Redding, and to them were born children as follows: (1) Frank C. learned the car- penter's trade, at which he is now working in

Danbury, Conn. He married Anna Lockwood, and their children were-William, married to Emma Pine; Eugene, who married Josie Ship- man; Julia, wife of John Newbury; Charles, who died in youth; George, who married Eva Rada- forth: and Jennie and Frederick, both unmar- ried. (2) Benjamin died in youth. (3) One son died in infancy. (4) Wanzer died in youth. (5) Leander is single. (6) Floyd B. is our subject. (7) Schuyler. (8) Carrie married Frank Taylor, had one child, and died in early womanhood. (9) Alderetta married Albert Platt, a farmer of Redding, and they have one son, Orrin. (10) Leroy married Anna Weed, and they had one child, Helen. He was a lock manufacturer first at South Norwalk, then at Stamford, where his death occurred. (11) Thedia married George Hazen, a worker in wire, of Georgetown, and had one child-Horace. (12) Gordon died in infancy.

Floyd B. Bouton was reared and schooled in the town of Redding. He worked on a farm for a time, then was employed in a shoe shop, and later went to the village of Georgetown and be- came engaged in his present business, in the management of which he has displayed tact and ability. He is affable and genial, and by his tact and close attention to business, coupled with good management, he has met with that success which well-directed efforts deserve. He has been a resident of Georgetown twelve years, during which period he has taken an active par in the affairs of the village. In politics, he is a Democrat, is registrar of the village, and has served as its constable. Socially, he is a mem- ber of Georgetown Ark Lodge, F. & A. M., and of Ridgefield Lodge, I. O. O. F. He married Miss Sarah Webb, and to them have come children as follows: Florenia, born March 9. 1879; John, born November 17, 1881; Frances, born January 30, 1883: Harry, born August 16, 1886; Wilson, born January 15, 1888; Lillian, born March 21. 1889; Alderetta, born December 6, 1892; Floyd, born May 19, 1895, and Clifford, born July 31, 1897.

The Webb family into which our subject mar- ried have for several generations resided in Fair- field county. Jared Webb, the grandfather of Mrs. Floyd B. Bouton, was born August 21, 1766, in the town of Wilton, where he was edu- cated, reared and passed his early life in agricult- ural pursuits. He married Miss Hannah Scho- field, who was born January 22, 1770, and the names with dates of birth of their children are: Charles, December 14, 1788; Epinetus, June 8, 1791: Sabrina, May 25, 1793; Judson, March 25. 1795; Sarah, May 11, 1797; Rufus, July 24,

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1799; Rebecca, October 6, 1801 ; Eliza, October 16, 1803; Nancy, September 18, 1805; George, August 10, 1807; William, October 8, 1809; J. Smith, November 11, 1811, and Seth, July 1, 1814.

William Webb was born in the town of Wil- . ton, where he was reared, educated and followed farming. He married Miss Jane Clark, and the children born to them were: (1) Foster married Ella Mccullough, who died December 26, 1898, without issue. (2) Lucy married Hiram Stevens, a mason by trade, though now engaged in the laundry business at Ridgefield; they had the following children-William married Jennie Kel- ler; Samuel died at the age of twenty years; Isabelle married Matthew Nesbet; Joseph died in infancy; Carrie; and Jennie, who died in in- fancy. (3) Sarah (Mrs. Floyd B. Bouton). William Webb by a former marriage (to Mary A. Fitch) had one child, Mrs. Charles Clark.

C HARLES A. AMBLER (deceased), who in his lifetime was a prominent farmer of the town of Wilton, was born in the city of Dan- bury, Conn., April 23, 1846. His earlier edu- cation was obtained in the common schools of that city, and after removing with his parents to Charleston, S. C., he there continued his studies for a short time. In March, 1861. he returned to the Jackson school in Danbury, and still later, at Ridgefield, attended a private school, William O. Seymour being the teacher. For some time after leaving school he was engaged in farming, and then became clerk in a store in Danbury, and later in Norwalk. During a portion of the Civil war he was in Charleston, S. C., attending to his father's store (he being a merchant), and in 1871 he became a farmer in the town of Wilton. In politics he was a strong Republican, and held the office of first selectman of his town for two terms, while in 1884 he was elected to the Legislature of the State. At one time he was a member of the fire department of Norwalk, belonging to the Pioneer Hook and Ladder Com- pany. Mr. Ambler thus became a man of va- ried experience, and the knowledge which he acquired at school was largely augmented by ob- servation and wide reading. He attended the services of the Congregational Church, and was honored by the holding of official positions in that organization. In 1872 he married Miss Hannah Raymond, daughter of Lewis and Cath- erine (Meeker) Raymond, of Wilton, which is her native place. The children of this union are: Lewis R., born May 6, 1873; and Charles

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 158

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