USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut > Part 160
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JOHN BATEMAN. The Old World has given to this country many expert mechanics, and the Mother Country has contributed no small percentage of these experts. The steel works at Sheffield have long been noted for the fine grade of work, and the men employed there have at- 50
tained to a degree of perfection seldom found elsewhere. Enoch Bateman, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a native of Sheffield, England, and there learned and followed his trade of shear making until 1860. when, lured by re- ports of the fortunes awaiting all toilers, he came to America, and was soon employed as a gun- smith in the army. He is now in the employ of the Ohio Co-operative Shear Company at Elyria, Ohio. He was married in Sheffield to Miss Amelia Middleton, who still makes her home in England. The children born to this union were: John, Jane and Ellen, still living in Sheffield; James, in Elyria, Ohio; Mary, deceased; and Emily, in London, England.
John Bateman, the subject proper of these lines, was born in Sheffield, October 7, 1852, and was educated in the common schools of that city. At the age of nineteen he came to this country and entered the employ of his mother's brother. John Middleton, who was engaged in the manu- facture of rattan chairs. Here he remained for six months, and in March, 1872, he came to Brookfield, where he learned the art of shear manufacturing in the shop of Bennett & Wet - more, where at that time his father, too, was em- ployed. Ten years of faithful service with this firm brought its own reward, and in 1882 he was admitted into the firm, which later became F. A. Bennett & Co. In 1889 Mr. Bennett retired, his share being bought by Stephen Meaney, and the firm then became known as the " Lenox Shear Company." On May 22, 1895, Mr. Bateman bought the interest of Mr. Meaney, and is now the sole proprietor. The business is well estab- lished, making some fifty different brands of their specialty-shears and scissors. Last year alone they manufactured nine thousand dollars worth of goods.
On October 7. 1873. Mr. Bateman was mar- ried to Helen Isabella Wetmore, daughter of Lemuel P. Wetmore, who was born in Newtown, Conn., but moved to Brookfield to serve an ap- prenticeship at the blacksmith trade, and re- mained there up to his death, which occurred September 17, 1897, when he was aged seventy- three years. Her mother was born in Brook- field, and lived there to the age of seventy-four years, dying November 8. 1898.
Mr. Bateman is a naturalized citizen and firm in the belief that the country that opened the doors of its business and social life to his energy and honesty is the country to which he owes his allegiance. He is a stanch Republican in his political affiliations, and is now serving on the town committee. In his social relations he is a member of St. Peters Lodge, No. 21, F. & A.
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M., of New Milford; and Samaritan Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Danbury. In religious faith he and his wife are faithful members of St. Paul's Parish, and are prominently identified with the society of the place. Few men stand as high in the es- timation of his fellow townsmen as Mr. Bateman, and financially he is looked upon as one of the most substantial citizens of the community.
EORGE GREGORY. Among the eight fam- GT ilies that settled, in 1684, at the present site of Danbury, then a wilderness, was that of Judah Gregory, and throughout the intervening years the name of Gregory has been intimately asso- ciated with the development of this section. Several members of the family took an active part in the struggle for our National inde- pendence.
The late William H. Gregory, the father of the well-known resident of Darien whose name opens this sketch, was born in Danbury, and his life was mainly spent within the limits of this county. By occupation he was a carpenter and joiner, but after some years he turned his atten- tion to the lumber business. Although he was thoroughly progressive in his ideas, he was quiet and unassuming in manner, and never sought to take a place in public life. He died in 1890 at the age of eighty-six, and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Richards, breathed her last in 1868.
The subject of this sketch, who is the only surviving member of his family, was born in Dar- ien, March 20. 1835, and obtained his education in the schools of that town. At the age of six- teen he began to learn the blacksmith's trade, and so rapidly did he progress that when he was twenty-five he was foreman of the largest shop in New Haven. Conn. In 1880 he went to | is deceased; Elizabeth, born in 1833 (now de- South Bend. Ind., to take charge of a shop for | Studebaker Bros., but owing to ill health he re- mained there only about fourteen months. He then returned to his native place, and he has since been engaged in carpentering and farming. As a mechanic he ranks very high, being able to weld copper to iron, an achievement that few could ever attempt. He has a pleasant home in |
ceased), married Edward Davis; Selenor, born in 1835. died unmarried; Hannah, born 183 ;. married Thomas Walters; William, born in 1839. | died in 1885 in Kansas, where he had been en- gaged in farming; Thomas. our subject, is men- tioned more fully below; Samuel, born in 1844. | is a retired farmer and resides in Stratford; Bath S., born in 1846, died unmarried; and Luke. Darien, and is regarded as one of the substantial | born in 1848, resides in Stratford, and is in the citizens of the place. In 1859 he married Miss employ of the Graphophone Company at Bridge- port. Sarah J. Whitlock, of Weston, this county, and three sons have blessed the union. Henry W. Our subject's education was obtained in the is . a rising young lawyer of Norwalk, and at | schools of his native land, and as he displayes present holds the position of judge of the city i artistic ability he made choice of a congenial oc- court there. William H., the second son, is now a dentist in Stamford; and Ira, the young- est, is a student in the Norwalk high school.
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory are leading members of the Episcopal Church, and he has been iden- tified for more than forty years with the Masonic Fraternity. In politics he gives an unwavering allegiance to the Democratic party, and he is a foe to monopolies of any sort. He has always been active in party work, and while residing in New Haven was a member of the city council. Since locating in Darien permanently, he has served as selectman and assessor, holding the latter office five terms. At present he is the representative from his town in the General As- sembly.
7 WHOMAS LOWE. of Stratford, familiarly known among a large circle of friends as "Tom," is a successful business man, and al- though, now less active than formerly, he is largely interested in real estate in Stratford and vicinity. Among his most important deals in the past we may mention the valuable property at the corner of Main and Gilbert streets, Bridge- port (where now stands Barnum Institute ;. which he sold to the late P. T. Barnum as a site for his famous museum. In addition to his in- vestments in this section he owns residence prop- erty in Anniston, Ala., where a portion of his time is spent.
Mr. Lowe was born February 4. 1842. in Staffordshire, England, and comes of a hardy ancestry that was connected with agriculture for many generations. William Lowe , the father of our subject, was born in Staffordshire in 1805. and became a brass finisher by occupation. He and his wife, Mary (Bryan), both died in England. They had eleven children: Mary Ann, born in 1826, married Edward Owen; Sarah, born in 1828, married John Rhoden; John, born in 1831.
cupation when he learned the business of paint- ing flowers for decorative purposes. At the age of twenty-two, he came to America, locating first
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in New York City, where he was employed at his trade for a few years. In 1867 he came to Bridgeport to enter the employ of the Wheeler & Wilson Mig. Company, with whom he re- mained some time. He then engaged in the saloon business on E. Main street, Bridgeport. and afterward removed to another building on Wall street, in the same city, where he carried on an extensive business for about twenty years. Later he spent two years upon a farm, and in . 1896 he made his home in Stratford, devoting his attention to the management of his real-es-
tate interests. Politically, he is a Republican, and he has always taken keen interest in all questions of the day. In 1868 he married Miss Grace Hanes, a native of England, but no chil- dren brighten their home.
G EORGE LEE, a respected resident of the town of New Fairfield, has been for some time identified with the agricultural interests of that locality.
His ancestors located many years ago in the town of Kent, Putnam Co., N. Y., where his father, Thomas Lee, was born and reared and spent his manhood in the occupation of farming. He and his wife, Esther Meed, had ten children: Absalom. who married Susan Horton; Daniel, who married Margaret Eastwood; Rachel, wife of Silas Russel; Phoebe A., wife of Jack Hicks; Hannah. wife of Charles Baker: Beckie, who married William Baker; Matilda, who married John Whitefield; George, our subject; Thomas, who married Mary Tompkins; and Joseph, who married Dennie Russell.
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Mr. Lee, our subject, was born at the old home in Putnam county, and obtained his early education in the common schools of the town of Kent. He has always followed agricultural pur- suits. He married Miss Emma Tompkins, and four children blessed the union: Clarence, born October 4. 1884, and Frankie. born in March, 1887, are at home: the two younger children, Annie and Belle, died in infancy.
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Mrs. Lee is also a native of Putnam county. having first seen the light in the town of Kent February 1. 1854. She received a good com- mon-school education, and possesses much ability. Her father. Howard Tompkins, was born in the town of Kent, Putnam county, in 1816, and after securing an education in the local schools, engaged in farming. Although he never took an active part in political life, being indifferent to official honors, he was a strong believer in the principles and policy of the Republican party. By his first wife, whose maiden name was Julia Wash-
burn, he had eight children: Ann E., deceased; Louisa, wife of Harrison Barrett; Martha, who married Michael Russell; Mary A., wife of Thomas Lee; Elizabeth, wife of Henry Stevens; Susan, who married James Miller; Emma, wife of our subject, and George H., who married Margaret Hunt. The mother these children died, and the father subsequently married Margaret Light, by whom he had two children: Pruella, who died in infancy, and Julia, who married George B. Rus- sell, and has one daughter, Viola. After the death of his second wife Mr. Tompkins formed a third matrimonial union, this time with Mary Cole, but no children were born of this marriage.
L EWIS BURRITT. The family, of which the subject of these lines is an honored member. came originally from Wales, and the first of the name to emigrate to this country was William Burritt, the pioneer, who came to Strat- ford in 1639.
For three generations the Burritts of whom we write were born in the town of Stratford, Fairfield Co., Conn., and were all farmers- Joseph, David and George-the great-grand- father, grandfather and father, respectively, of our subject. Of these, David (the grandfather) was a hatter by trade. He married Annie Wells, of the town of Stratford, and by her had a fam- ily of four children, viz .: George was the father of our subject; William was for many years a tinner in Norwalk, Conn., whence he moved to Waterbury, Conn., where he died, in 1897; Catherine married Alfred Burnett, who is now a retired cabinetmaker (she is also still living); and Albert, who was first a hatter by trade, later in the hardware business, and died in 1899 in Waterbury.
George Burritt, father of our subject, mar- ried Catherine Curtis, a daughter of Nehemiah Curtis, of the town of Stratford, and they had four children, all yet living: Lewis, our subject; Mary J., wife of John Gauntlett, of Ithaca, N. Y .; Cornelia, single; and Sarah, wife of John W. Thompson, a real-estate dealer in the town of Stratford. The parents of this family are both deceased, the father dying in 1889, the mother in 1891. They were consistent Congregational- ists in religious belief, and in politics he was a Whig.
Lewis Burritt, the subject proper of this sketch, was born in Elmira, N. Y., March 21, 1831, and was an infant when the family re- turned to the town of Stratford. He has ever since lived in the same house, and has always devoted his time to agricultural pursuits, his
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farm comprising about twenty-five acres of first- class land.
In 1858 Mr. Burritt was united in marriage with Miss Cordelia Plumb, a daughter of Wate and Rebecca (Taylor) Plumb, of Monroe, Conn., and two children were born to this marriage: Ida (single), and Arthur, who married Fannie Clark, of the town of Stratford; he is a member of the firm of A. W. Burritt & Co., of Bridge- port. Our subject and his wife and family are members of the Congregational Church. Polit- ically he is a Republican, and he has always identified himself with matters tending to the advancement of the community in which he lives.
W 'ENZESLAUS DIERINGER. During the dark days of the Civil war. when the cause of freedom seemed to be trembling in the balance, the German-born citizens were almost unanimous in their support of the Union, many of them offering their services to the government and enduring bravely the hardships and dangers of the camp, the battlefield and the prison cell. Three years as a Union soldier entitles the sub- ject of this sketch, now a well-known resident of Bridgeport, to the esteem of every true Ameri- can.
Malachious Dieringer was born in 1822 at Garmia, Germany, and was married in the Fa- therland to Dorothea Britner. In 1846 he came to America and located in New York City. where he was employed as a glass-blower. He became a member of the 28th Regiment New York Militia, and later joined the Metropolitan Brigade, known during the Civil war as the 173rd N. Y. V. I. After the battle of Port Hudson he was taken ill. He died April 23, 1894, at Brooklyn, New York.
Our subject was born September 28, 1845, at Hohenzollern, Germany, and was an infant when brought to New York, where he grew to man- hood, his education being acquired in the public schools of that city. At an early age he learned the tinker's trade, which he followed until his enlistment, on September 17, 1862, in Company G, 173rd N. Y. V. I. His regiment was assigned for a time to the Department of the Gulf, after- ward to the Department of the Shenandoah, and they took part in numerous engagements, the battle of Cedar Creek being the last. On June 23, 1863, he was taken prisoner at Brasier City, La., and on being paroled he was sent to Ship Island, where he remained until his exchange in September of the same year. In October, 1865, he was mustered out of service at Savannah, Ga.,
and for three years following he was employed at his trade in New York City. On July 25, 1868. he removed to Bridgeport, for five years was con- nected with the Ornamental Wood Company, and on leaving that firm he worked two years for the Kiefer Furniture Company. In September. 1875, he engaged in business as a butcher, estab- lishing a market at No. 331 Broad street, and in 1876 he removed to Railroad avenue. Later he opened a shop in Main street, and at present be conducts a prosperous business at No. 65 Warren street, his various removals being of advantage in the accommodation of his growing trade.
In 1870 Mr. Dieringer was married in Bridge- port to Miss Kate Sonard, who was born in Ger- many, near Frankfort-on-the-Main. Of their four children, the eldest, Carl Louis, married Miss Elizabeth Koehler, and has one son, Louis Henry; Joseph Henry, George W. and Alice K. are at home. The family is much esteemed so- cially, and Mr. Dieringer is connected with vari- ous fraternal orders, including the United Friends, Charter Oak Council No. 100; the Knights of Honor. Victor Lodge No. 2028; the Knights of Pythias, Myrtha Lodge No. 8; the I. O. O. F., Arcanum Lodge No. 41; the Sons of Veterans, William H. Mallory Camp; and the G. A. R., Elias Howe, Jr., Post No. 3. He joined the last named organization in 1878, and has filled every office from officer of the guard to that of commander, to which he was elected in 1878.
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H ENRY AUSTIN BARBER, a successful ag- riculturist and dairyman. resides in the Middle River District, town of Danbury, Fair- field county, and the product of his well-man- aged farm finds a ready market in the neighbor- ing city.
Mr. Barber comes of good Colonial stock. His great-grandparents were Nathaniel and Re- becca (Lindley) Barber, the former of whom was the son of one of three brothers who came from the North of Ireland and settled in New Hamp shire. Jerry Barber, our subject's grandfather. married Amelia Gregory, and their son, Thomas G. Barber, father of Henry A., was born in 1818 at Danbury, Westville District, and died in 1876. He was a hatter by occupation, and made his home in the town of Danbury near the present residence of our subject. He married Miss Mary E. Baldwin, who was born in 1825, daugh- ter of Starr and Mary Ann (Penny) Baldwin, and is still living at the old homestead. They had four children, of whom Henry Austin is the only survivor. Two died in infancy, and Law- rence at the age of nine years.
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Mr. Barber, our subject, was born December 4, 1855. at the old home, and was educated in Middle River District. On leaving school at the age of seventeen, he devoted his attention to farming, and also worked at the business of car- pentering and wagon making. He still has charge of the homestead, which contains thirty acres, and owns thirty acres besides, making a . farm of sixty acres which he keeps constantly under cultivation. For four years past he has made a specialty of raising fine fruits and vege- tables, and he also keeps four or five cows to supply his dairy trade, in addition to which he deals in domestic lumber and wood.
In 1876 Mr. Barber married Miss Eva C. Gage, daughter of Joseph and Eliza (Morris) Gage, and granddaughter of Cole and Clarissa (Seymour) Gage; her mother was a daughter of Stephen and Betsy (Brush) Morris. Mr. Barber and his wife have no children. They are actively interested in all progressive movements in their locality, and in religious connection are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Dan- bury. Fraternally, Mr. Barber belongs to Sa- maritan Lodge No. 7. and Devotional Encamp- ment No. 13. I. O. O. F .. and he and his wife are members of Myrtle Lodge No. 16, Daugh- ters of Rebekah. In politics he is identified with the Republican party.
W EBSTER W. WALKER. Among the brave soldiers who made up Connecticut's quota during the Rebellion was the subject of this sketch. then in the first years of manhood, and he won an honorable record by gallant serv- ice in many hard-fought battles. For a num- ber of years Mr. Walker has been engaged in bus- iness in Bridgeport, and in peace as in war he has displayed the sterling qualities of character which distinguish the typical American citizen.
The Walker family has been identified with this county from an early period, and our sub- ject's great-grandparents, Eliakim and Abigal Walker, and his grandparents, David and Eliza- beth (Shelton) Walker, were all residents of the town of Trumbull. David Walker, the father of our subject, was born in Trumbull in 1803, and became a farmer and merchant there. He died in 1845, and his wife, Eliza (Edwards), who was born in 1809, at Easton, this county, died in 1853. She was a daughter of Lewis E. Edwards and his wife, Hannah (Sherwood) Edwards, grand- daughter of Deacon John Edwards (3) and Ruth (Beach), great-granddaughter of John Edwards (2) and Rebecca Porter. and great-great grand- daughter of Duke John Edwards (1) and Mary
(Hanford), who came to this country about the year 1700 (born in 1662 in Scotland). To David and Eliza Walker eight children were born: Eliakim L .; John O .; Elizabeth; Frances M .. who died in 1855; David S. ; Webster W .; Charles H., who died in 1891; and Ida E.
Our subject was born September 10, 1840, at the old homestead in Trumbull, and was educa- ted in the public schools of that town. At the age of fifteen he entered upon business life as a clerk in the dry-goods store of S. C. Patterson & Co., at Bridgeport, where he remained until the breaking out of the Civil war. On Septem- ber 10, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, 6th Conn. V. I., for three years, and during his I term he took part in several important engage- ments, including the battles of Hilton Head, Fort Wagner, and Secessionville, S. C., Drurys Bluff and several others in the vicinity of Peters- burg. On September 14, 1864. he was mustered out at Petersburg, but he again went into the army, being assigned to duty as chief clerk in the commissary, and stayed till the close of the war in the Department of the South. This position he held until September, 1865, and on his return to Bridgeport he resumed work with S. C. Pat- terson & Co., continuing two years.
In January, 1867, Mr. Walker married Miss Mary C. Hubbell, daughter of Elisha and Mary (Hurd) Hubbell, highly respected residents of Bridgeport, and soon afterward removed to Chi- | cago. For a year and a half he was engaged in | a dry-goods business in that city, and then he returned to Bridgeport, where he found employ- ment in the Malleable Iron Works. His health had been impaired by the hardships of army life, and finding an outdoor occupation desirable he gave up his position in the iron works after three or four years, and engaged in farming. During the first two years on the farm he gained sixty pounds, and seven years so restored his health that he felt prepared to undertake mercantile business again. In 1886 he purchased his pres- ent store in Bridgeport, and engaged in business as a dealer in wall paper, paints, oils and simi- lar commodities, in which he has built up an ex- tensive trade, while he also fills many orders for painting and decorating interiors. His store is 22 x 65 feet, and 14 feet high, with new addition 24 x 36 and 14 feet high, while a basement of the same size is also used for the storing of his large and well selected stock. In politics Mr. Walker is a Republican, and he is active in local affairs, having served as alderman from the Third ward of Bridgeport for two terms-1891 and 1892.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker had four children: (1)
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Harry W., born in Chicago, married Edith Up- son, and they have one child, Webster Upson Walker; (2) Elisha H .; (3) Howard E., who died in 1876; and (4) Maude Louise. The family at- tend St. John's Episcopal Church, and are much esteemed in social life. Mr. Walker is also con- nected with the G. A. R .; the K. of P. : Corin- thian Lodge No. 104, F. & A. M .; Jerusalem Chapter No. 13, R. A. M .; and Jerusalem Coun- cil No. 16.
G MEORGE WILLIAM DURGY, a well-known agriculturist and cattle dealer of this section, owns a fine farm in the lower part of the town of Sherman, near New Fairfield, and is regarded as one of the leading citizens of that locality.
The Durgy family became identified with Fairfield county many years ago. John Durgy, our subject's great-grandfather, who came to America from Wales, enlisted in the Revolution- ary war, and served all through that struggle. At its close he came to New Fairfield, where he married. His son Joel married Olive, daughter of Eliad Wanzer, and they had the following named children: Clarissa (Mrs. David Canfield); Diamon, father of G. W. Durgy; Lucy (Mrs. Stephen Whitehead); Eliad, who married Betsy Pepper; Caroline, who died unmarried; Susan, wife of George W. Barnum; John, who mar- ried Mary Jane Davis; Jay, unmarried; Lewis, who married Helen --; James, who married Mary Smith; Luther, who died young; and Char- lotte (Mrs. Bulkley Pepper).
Diamon Durgy was born February 25, 1816, in the town of Sherman, and was reared to man- hood there, receiving a good common-school education. He engaged in farming, but was also interested extensively and profitably in speculat- ing in cattle, his excellent judgment making him an expert in that line. As a stanch Democrat he took an active part in politics, and he held numerous offices in the town of Sherman, includ- ing those of selectman and member of the board of relief. He married Miss Lucy A. Hurd, and they had four children, all of whom lived to ma- turity: (1) Susan O., born November 16, 1848, in the town of Pawling, Dutchess Co., N. Y., married John M. Treadwell, a well-to-do farmer of New Fairfield, this county; she died in 1882; they had three children: Anna, Marshall and Minnie, of whom Marshall alone is living. (2) Caroline M., born April 10, 1850, in Sherman, Fairfield county, married Charles E. Penny. an agriculturist of the same town; she died in 1882, leaving no children. (3) George W. is mentioned more fully below. (4) Lucy A., born June 18,
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