Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 27

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

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His prominence in his profession led to his appointment, in October. 1891, to his late posi- tion, one which requires ripe experience and thorough knowledge. His practical and scien- tific management of his department of the Sol- diers' Home was an important factor in the suc- cess of that institution, as so many of our brave heroes are now suffering the ills attending ad- vanced age. No man who passed through the hardships of the battle-field, the camp or a Southern prison is the stronger for the experi- ence, and the tenderest care is but the just due of those who happily still remain among us. In the New York Evening Leader of June 26, 1897, we find an account of a visit to the Home in which well-deserved praise is bestowed upon the Doctor. The writer says: "Doctor Brownson shows in his face that a kind heart beats beneath his coat, and that familiarity has never hardened his sympathies. Under his conduct we made a tour of the offices, dispensary and barber's room, as well as the wards and private rooms where the sick were cared for. In the wards the sick men were lying on their beds or sitting in their easy chairs, while in a shady nook on the lawn we could see the paralytics and convalescents seated in rolling chairs. Wan, pathetic faces some of them had, for, comfortably as they were situ- ated, they were away from friends and home, with none endeared to them by ties of blood to cheer them." The Doctor was devoted to his charges, neglecting nothing that might contribute to their welfare, and, as he had a fine voice, he led them in the singing during the Sunday serv- ices at the Home.

In 1854 Doctor Brownson married Miss Caro- line Louise Barstow, a daughter of Samuel Barstow, of Oswego county, N. Y., and four children have blessed the union. The eldest, William Clarence, is a successful physician at Asheville, N. C. Frances Mabel is the wife of Stephen G. Beers, a jeweler at Taunton, Mass. Carleton Lewis is a professor at the City College, New York. Wendell Greene, a graduate of Yale College and law school, is engaged in the practice

of law at Springfield, Mass. Politically, the Doctor affiliated with the Republican party, but in local affairs he voted independently when oc- casion required. Although he never entered the ranks of office seekers, preferring to give his time to his profession, he took much interest in all educational work, and for a number of years served as a school visitor in connection with the boards of education of New Canaan and Noroton. He was a member of the Congregational Church at New Canaan, and belonged to the Fairfield County Medical Society, of which he was presi- dent for three years, and to the Connecticut Medical Society, in which he also held the same office. In 1864 he was given the honorary de- gree of A. M. by Hamilton College, at Clinton, N. Y. In addition to his contributions to the medical journals, he showed much literary ability in other lines, and while serving as president of the State Medical Society he wrote and delivered before that body a poem entitled "The Country Doctor," which was widely copied.

J SMITH DODGE, M. D., D. D. S. Few citizens of Stamford have worked as assidu- ously for the best interests of the community as has the gentleman whose history is briefly out- lined in this sketch. While pursuing an arduous profession, he has found time to assist effectively in many worthy movements-religious, philan- thropic and educational-and that valued insti- tution, the Ferguson Library, owes much to his patient, unremitting care.

Dr. Dodge was born Decemder 3, 1834, in New York City, and is descended from an old Connecticut family. His father, Dr. J. Smith Dodge, Sr., was born in Connecticut, and for many years practiced dentistry in New York City, but later he removed his residence to Morris- town, N. J., where his last days were spent. Our subject's mother, whose maiden name was Julia Ann Burger, was a native of New York City.

During his boyhood our subject attended a boarding school at Rye, N. Y., and afterward he took a course in the literary department of Columbia College, graduating in 1853. He then entered the College of Physicians' and Surgeons in New York City, where he was graduated in 1856, and the following year he spent in Bellevue Hospital as house physician. On leaving that institution he pursued a course of study in the Baltimore College of Dentistry, graduating with the class of 1858, and soon afterward he engaged in practice with his father in New York. He is a man of broad intelligence and original thought,

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his studies taking a wide range, and at one time he prepared for the ministry of the Universalist Church. In 1862 he was ordained, and for twelve years he served acceptably as pastor of the congregation in Stamford. He was quick to appreciate the vast power for good promised by the Ferguson Library, of which he was an incor- porator, and from the first he has served as a trustee and has performed continuously the duties of secretary of the institution.

In 1858 Dr. Dodge married Miss M. R. Hall, of Stamford, and since that time he has resided at his pleasant home in West Broad street. Of his four children only one is now at home.

D AVID PECK RHOADES. Few men in this section are more widely known in metro- politan business circles than this venerable and respected resident of Stratford, who was for many years actively identified with newspaper work in New York city. He held a responsible position on the force of the New York Tribune in the early days, and while he is now living in retirement he is a stockholder in the American News Company, and keeps in touch with the de- velopment of journalistic enterprise.

Mr. Rhoades belongs to a good Colonial fam- ily. His paternal ancestors, who were descend- ants of Roger Williams, settled at Wethersfield at an early date, and a member of the branch later removed to Stratford. For many years the family has been connected with shipbuilding in- terests, and John Rhoades, our subject's father, who was born in Wethersfield, was engaged in that business in New York City from 1826 until his death, which occurred in 1834. He married Miss Esther Peck, a native of Milford, where the first years of his married life were spent, his twelve children being born there. Of these, three died in infancy, and, of the others, the first seven -Sarah, Susan, Esther, Mary, John, William and Henry-are now deceased. The youngest child, Edward, is now a resident of Providence, R. I. He was formerly a printer by trade.

The Peck family, which was also of English origin, became identified with Milford at an early period, Mr. Rhoades' first ancestor on that side of whom we have definite record, having come from England about 1638 and settled at Milford, and some of his descendants also lived in that town. Capt. Samuel Peck, Mr. Rhoades' ma- ternal great-grandfather, served as an officer throughout the Revolutionary war. Michael Peck, his grandfather, who was born at the old home- stead in Milford, and lived to the age of 103 years, was an extensive landowner at Milford,

and probably followed farming as an occupation. He was a sort of commissary and home guard at Milford, supplying recruits for the army, arrest- ing deserters, etc., during the Revolutionary war.

David P. Rhoades, the ninth among the chil- dren who lived to maturity, was born August 5, 1824, and was about two years old when his parents removed to New York City, where he grew to manhood. The early death of his father compelled him to forego his plans for an educa- tion, and seek such employment as a boy of his age could secure. He worked at various "odd jobs " until he was fifteen, when he had the good fortune to attract the notice of Horace Greely, at that time managing editor of the New Yorker, a literary paper. Mr. Greeley, recognizing the young lad's ability, gave him a place in the printing office, and a year later, in 1841, when he started the New York Tribune, Mr. Rhoades became clerk, having charge of much of the circulation business of the paper. He remained with Mr. Greeley twenty-six years, a firm friend- ship being established between the two, and as time passed he acquired a share in the paper. In a published account. "The organization and By-laws of the New York Tribune," the names of the owners of the paper in 1860 appear as below: "The following gentlemen signed the By-laws which were adopted by a special meet- ing of the Proprietors of the Tribune held on Thursday, April 4, 1860-Horace Greeley, George M. Snow, Samuel St. Clair, Robert M. Stre- beigh, Charles A. Dana, James Cuthell, Thomas N. Rooker, C. E. Wilbur, Solan Robinson, Oliver Johnson, George J. Ripley, Theodore Til- ton, D. P. Rhoades, and Bayard Taylor." About 1862 Mr. Rhoades purchased his present residence in Stratford, a beautiful estate, and while making his home there with his family he continued his business in New York City. Some years later he became connected with the New York News Company (now the American News Company), but since 1895 he has lived in retire- ment at Stratford.

Mr. Rhoades has taken an active part in political work since early manhood, first as a Whig and later as a Republican, his first Presi- dential vote having been cast for Zachary Taylor. He has often been urged to allow his name to be presented as a candidate for different offices, but has invariably declined. His public spirit has been shown in various ways, and he was one of the chief promoters of the Stratford Library. be- coming a life member at its organization, and at present he is serving as a life trustee. For thirty-six years he has held a pew in the Episco- pal Church at Stratford, and socially he is

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identified with numerous orders, including the Masonic Fraternity. He is now acting as presi- dent of the Stratford Social Club, of which he was also vice-president for some years.

In 1846 Mr. Rhoades married Miss Mary L. Godwin, a native of Bath, England, who came to America when six years of age. She passed to the unseen world in 1898, after fifty-one and one-half years of wedded life. Of their seven children, the eldest, John W., is manager and director for the American News Company; Selena M. married John Peterkin, of New York, now deceased; Daniel G. is at home; Sarah E. is the widow of J. P. Routh, formerly a druggist in Boston; Franklin O. is a bookkeeper for the American News Company; Mary died at the age of six years; David L. resides in Stratford, and is at present serving as assessor of that town.

EHEMIAH BROWN is now living retired N at his home in King Street, in the town of Greenwich, Fairfield Co., Conn., in the full enjoyment of health and the prosperity which came to him during the years he spent in active work. He is a descendant of one of the old established families of this part of the country, and traces his lineage to good old English and French Huguenot stock.

The progenitor of this Brown family in America was Samuel Brown, who came to this country from Rye, England, in 1660, and settled in what is now known as Rye township, West- chester Co., N. Y., named after his Old-World home. Here he had received a large grant of land from the English sovereign, which has ever since remained in the family, and the site on which he erected his dwelling, in King Street, is still occupied by his descendants. His son Sam- uel (2), born April 15, 1689, married Hannah Sherwood, who was born July 16, 1696. Their children were born as follows: Hannah, March 20, 1721; Samuel, July 16, 1722; Elizabeth, November 27, 1724; Nehemiah, June 7, 1726; Eunice, November 7, 1728: Rachel, September 4, 1731; Roger, December 25, 1733; Mary, June 10, 1737, and Andrew, February 10, 1739. Nehemiah and Roger owned the land in the vicinity of Round Hill, Greenwich township, having inherited seven hundred acres from their father, and their descendants, especially Ne- hemiah's, still live in that neighborhood.

Samuel Brown (3), being the eldest son in the family above enumerated, inherited the bulk of his father's property, and thus became the owner of one thousand acres in New York along the Croton river. On February 16, 1757, he mar-

ried Amy Merritt, who was born April 24, 1730, and their children were: Samuel (4), born Novem- ber 21, 1757, was a trader and died in Savannah, Ga. (he was married); John, born October 15, 1759, was a farmer of Rye township, where he died at the age of seventy-three years; Mary, born August 21, 1761, married to Moses Crooker, of Long Island; Hannah, born September 25, 1763, married to Daniel Hauxhorst, a Quaker minister, who died in New York of yellow fever while visiting the sick; Nehemiah, born January 20, 1766; and Merritt, born January 27, 1768. married Hannah Pine and died in Rye township, where he carried on farming (he left no children). The father and mother of this family died August 5, 1811, and December 12, 1808, respectively. Their remains were the first to be interred in the private cemetery of the Brown family, on the homestead farm.

Nehemiah Brown was reared a farmer boy on the old home place in Rye township, where he passed his entire life as a tiller of the soil. In 1792 he was married to Miss Anne Anderson, who was born February 15, 1771, in King Street. Greenwich township, and was the daugh- ter of William Anderson. Their family com- prised ten children, of whom we have the follow- ing record: Lawrence, born August 5. 1794, died at the homestead in Rye township, Novem- ber 28, 1851. Phoebe M., born July 19, 1797, died July 24, 1863, unmarried. Moses C., born July 29, 1799, will be more fully spoken of. Charity, born November 20, 1801, died on the old place May 25, 1885; she never married. Samuel S., born January 9, 1804, was a merch- ant and lived in New York City for some years, returning, however, to the homestead, where he died February 16, 1853; he married Louis Ann Wood, and they had six children, four of whom are still living-Elizabeth L., Ed W., Francis S. and Charles A. Hannah, born January 3, 1806, lived on the old homestead, and died March 13, 1899, aged ninety-three years; she was unmarried. Merritt, born April 5, 1808, lived in New York for some time, being engaged in mercantile business, and died July 26, 1861; he married Jane Hatfield; they left no children. Daniel H., born June 14, 1810, lived in New York for a number of years, and died February 18, 1877, on the homestead; he never married. Amy, born February 21, 1813, has always lived on the homestead; she is single. Nehemiah, born April 7, 1816, died August 24, 1893, on the home place; he never married. The father of this family passed away December 4, 1847, the mother surviving until November 28, 1851. They were laid to rest in the Brown family cem-

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etery in Rye township, near Port Chester. He held a lieutenant's commission under Governor Clinton, dated 1801, and filled several township offices of honor and trust. His political sym- pathies were with the Whig party.

Moses C. Brown was born on the homestead, and grew to manhood there. When a young man he taught school for a time, and later he went to New York City, where he resided several years, engaged in carting during the days when that business was profitable. Previous to this, during his early married life, he lived in Mt. Pleasant, and near Harrison Depot, N. Y., but eventually returned to the place of his birth, and relinquished active work at a time when he was able to best enjoy his leisure. He was especial- ly fond of fishing, and indulged considerably in that sport. In 1826 he married Mary Renoud, who was born February 15, 1805, in Westchest- er county, daughter of Stephen and Martha (Purdy) Renoud, and lived at Mt. Pleasant, N. Y., at the time of his marriage. Her ancestors, the Renouds, were driven from France at the time of the religious persecutions in that coun- try, and coming to America settled in New York State, founding the town of New Rochelle, of which they were the first settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Moses C. Brown became the parents of five chil- dren: Allen M., who is a retired butcher of Portchester, N. Y .; Anna A .. who married Charles Cypher, and died at White Plains, N. Y .; Nehemiah; Emeline S., unmarried, who makes her home in White Plains; and Mary (Mrs. Edward Brown), of Rye township. Mr. Brown died March 13, 1889, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years, and was well preserved ment- ally and physically, the result of careful living and regular habits. He was small of stature. In political sentiment he was a Whig and Re- publican, but he was not an active party worker and the only office he ever held was that of school commissioner. He and his wife, who died Jan- uary 28, 1845, were buried in the Brown family cemetery.

Nehemiah Brown was born May 6, 1834, in Rye township, Westchester Co., N. Y., and in his early boyhood attended the neighboring dis- trict school. Later he was a pupil in a private school taught by Jesse Lounsbury. When eigh- teen years of age he commenced to learn the carpenter's trade with his uncle Leonard Miller (who married his mother's only sister, Eliza J. Renoud). and served an apprenticeship of three years with him, receiving $25 per annum and working more hours in a day than is now re- quired of the average tradesman. After learning the trade he continued in Mr. Miller's employ for

another year, and then for a short time worked at Irvington, N. Y., returning thence to his first employer, with whom he remained until, in 1876, he embarked in business on his own account. He was engaged continuously in contracting un- til 1890, since which time he has not done any great amount of work, only undertaking odd con- tracts; in 1897 he erected a $5,000 barn for John H. Shults. During his active business life he made his home in White Plains, where he worked steadily at his trade for forty years, and in all that time never asked but one man for work, 'never asked to estimate on any work, and did not, unless called on to do so, and was never out of work. Being a thorough mechanic, he took a pride in having any job he attempted done in a neat and workmanlike way, and the result was suffcient recommendation for him among those who engaged his services. His reputation for promptness and integrity in business matters has remained unsullied, and he is highly re- spected wherever known, in either a social or business way. There are many evidences of his skill in this locality, where his work as a success- ful contractor and builder is equaled by few. Mr. Brown commenced life with nothing but a good name and a thorough knowledge of a good trade as a foundation for his fortunes, and that he is now able to take his leasure and enjoy a comfortable competence is due solely to his own industry and efficient toil. In spite of the years of hard work which he has passed through, he is, at the age of sixty-three, a well-preserved man, has never been sick and does not know from ex- perience wbat a headache is.

On June 12, 1867, Mr. Brown wedded, in Middletown, N. Y., Miss Jane A. Horton, who belongs to an excellent New York family. She was born May 7, 1843, in Middletown, daughter of O. H. and Almira (Houston) Horton, the former of whom was a direct descendant of Barnabas Horton, a noted man in his day; the mother was a daughter of George Houston, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Mr. Horton was a carpenter by trade. He had a family of five children-one son and four daugh- ters. Mrs. Brown was given a good education for her day. She and her husband commenced housekeeping in White Plains, where they made their home until July 5, 1890, when they removed to their present residence in King Street-the William Merritt homestead. The house has been remodeled, and is a very commodious, comfort- able place, standing on sixteen acres of ground, which form very pleasant surroundings. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have two sons: Frank H., who is an architect of White Plains, N. Y .; and

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Robert H., a carpenter. Mr. Brown is a stanch member of the Republican party, but he takes no special interest in politics. Mrs. Brown is a devout member of the Presbyterian Church.

H TON. CHARLES B. CURTIS is one of Strat- ford's most influential citizens, as is shown by the number of times that he has been chosen to fill offices of trust and responsibility. As a representative in the State Legislature he gained more than a local reputation for ability and pub- lic spirit, and in less prominent positions he has also shown characteristic energy, tact and fideli- ty to duty.

The Curtis family has been prominent for many years in the business, social and political 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 Cur- tis 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 grand-child 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 de- cease." This is the only recorded direct evi- dence 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 Jona- than, 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 ye Inhabitants of Rocks- bury." about 1638-1640, and at a time previous to the date of the above will, appears the name 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 is reason- able to believe the John Corteis of Roxbury was a brother of William of Roxbury, and a husband

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 Abby," by W. Winters, F. R. Hist. Soc., of Waltham Abbey, Essex, Eng- land, page 46, are the names of William Curtiss, who married Sarah Eliot, a sister of John Eliot, the Indian Apostle, and one of the original settlers of Roxbury, Mass., and John Curtiss, who mar- ried Elizabeth Hutchins, April 19, 1610, and had children: John, baptized February 26, 1614-15; Wiliam, baptized June 21, 1618; and Thomas, baptized March 12, 1619-20. The ship " Lion" arrived in Boston harbor Sunday evening, Septem- ber 16, 1632. She brought, so Winthrop says, one hundred and twenty-three passengers on this trip. The names of about thirty only are mat- ters of record. and one of them was William Cur- tiss, above referred to. We know, however, that the arrivals by the " Lion" were what may be termed the better class. The ministers were well educated and influential; the laity were edu- cated and possessed a certain degree 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 re- corded ancestress of the Curtiss family of Strat- ford, Conn. 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. I, published 1795, page 105, says they came from Roxbury about 1639, and that Stratford was settled by immigrants 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 in- vested with civil authority. He came directly from the Mother country. John and William Curtiss were among the prominent men in the town at this early period. Lieut. John Curtis, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a na- tive of Stratford, where he passed his life in ag-

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 27

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