Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 5

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

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On December 31, 1885. Dr. Oley was united in marriage with Miss Fannie Weld Bennett, daughter of Chauncey and Lovina M. (Atwell) Bennett, of Wayland, Steuben county, N. Y., and one child, Willard Simon Van Ant Wer Pen Oley, born September 23. 1887, has blessed this union. Dr. and Mrs. Oley are members of the Episcopal Church at Danbury, of which he is a vestryman. Politically he is a Republican. So- cially he is a member of the F. & A. M., Union Lodge, No. 40; of the I. O. O. F., Progressive Lodge, No. 18, and of the Echo Rebekahs; of the Royal Arcanum, in which he has passed all the chairs, and is now a member of the Grand Council, and of the Loyal Additional Benefit Association, No. 54. of Danbury.

The Doctor is practically a self-made man, having by industry earned the means whereby

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his college and other expenses incident to his study for the profession were defrayed. About the years 1881-82-83 he and his brother rented the estate of Gen. William Wadsworth, a farm of 375 acres in Rush, Monroe county, N. Y., and during those years realized, by assiduous labor, a handsome sum of money. At the pres- ent time Dr. Oley enjoys one of the largest practices in the city of Danbury.

Fannie Weld (Bennett) Oley was born July 30, 1854, in Steuben county, N. Y .. daughter of Chauncey and Lovina Marilla (Atwell) Bennett. Her grandparents, Chauncey and Sallie Bennett, lived in Lennox, Mass., removing thence to Rochester, N. Y., where Chauncey Bennett, Jr., was born July 20. 1798, the seventh son in a family of ten children. Here all the family were sick, and becoming weary of the place-which then consisted of only a few houses, the land so low and swampy that nearly every one living there was ill with malaria-they moved back to Massa- chusetts. Some time later they again moved to New York State, settling at Cohocton, Steuben county. When Chauncey Bennett, Jr., became old enough to make a start for himself he located in Wayland, Steuben county. Here he married Sallie Griffeth, who was born February 20, 1800, and died May 31, 1851. Their union was blessed with five children, viz .: Cynthia A., born Feb- ruary 14, 1823; James G., born August 16, 1825; Dan C .; Guy B., born December 29, 1830; and Philo F., born December 14, 1840, all of whom except Guy Bennett are still living. On October 12, 1851, Chauncey Bennett married, for his second wife, Lovina Marilla Atwell, who was born September 16, 1823, and died July 5, 1862; her parents were Chauncey and Polly (Bush) Atwell. They had four children: Fannie Weld, born July 31, 1854, married Dr. S. W. Oley on December 31, 1885. Byron Atwell, born December 8, 1855, was married in 1881 to Lois Post, of Wayland, Steuben county, and to them was born one daughter, Myrtle; his wife passed away in 1888. William Henry, born July 18, 1857, was married in 1880, in Michi- gan, to Delia Granger, who died in January, 1896; they had four children-Mable, Fannie, Maud and LaVern. John A., born June 11, 1861, married Lyda Granger, of Wayland, in 1885; they have no children.

Mrs. Fannie Oley's maternal great-grandfa- ther, Conrad Bush, was born in Methinhime, Holland, Oct. 29, 1753, and died in Pompey, N. Y., Dec. 19, 1854, at the great age of 101 years. He came to this country about 1770. Conrad Bush was a Revolutionary soldier, serving in the war for seven years, as was recorded at Albany, N.

Y., under Lieut. Col. Johe Van Rensselar, Col. John Kinnickerbocher, and, part of the time, under Captain Doughty. He applied for a pension June 7, 1828, and drew a pension as a matross in the New York State troops. Conrad Bush married Mary Watson, who was born in Ulster county, N. Y., December 18, 1766; she died December 3, 1848. They had two daughters, one of whom, Pol- ly Bush, was Mrs. Fannie Oley's grandmother, she having married Chauncey Atwell about 1809. They had seven children: (1) Myron Atwell, born in 1811, died April 24, 1883. (2) John Atwell was born August 16, 1813. (3) Susan Atwell, born in 1815, died November 28, 1894. About 1838 she married Abram DuBois, and they had one child, Abram C. DuBois. (4) Jacob Atwell, born January 9, 1817, married Mary Tates, Sep- tember 9, 1855, and died April 16, 1873. They had three children-Ellen Jane, William Hen- ry and Charles Francis. (5) Conrad Atwell, born February 20, 1819, married Safronia Leg- gett May 31. 1845, and by her had three children -Alan Nelson, Martha Wilson and Herman Howe. For his second wife he married Mrs. David Fish. (6) William Atwell married and had four children, Melissa, Mary, Henrietta and Henry, all of whom are now deceased. (7) Lov- ina Marilla Atwell, born September 16, 1823, died July 5, 1862.

ON. JOHN D. NASH, a well-known re- tired merchant of Titicus, Ridgefield town- ship, is a man whose ability and sterling quali- ties of character have won for him wide popu- larity, and the following history will be of general interest.

The Nash family has for several generations held a prominent place in this section, its mem- bers showing the qualities of leadership in var- ious lines of effort. From all information ob- tainable the ancestor of the subject of this sketch was Edward Nash, who was born in Lan- caster, England, in 1592, and is supposed to have died there. Edward Nash (2) emigrated to America, and, as appears in reliable record, set- tled in Norwalk, Conn., in 1651. where he lived the remainder of his life. He had a son John, born late in the year 1652, who married Mary, . daughter of Thomas Barlow, of Fairfield, Conn. They died in 1711 and 1713, respectively, leaving among other children John, born December 25, 1688, who married May 19, 1709, Abagail, daughter of Ebenezer Blakely, of New Haven, Conn. He lived in Norwalk, and died there in 1769, leaving ten children. The one which di- rectly concerns our subject was Abraham, the

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fifth son, born October 10, 1718, who married Rhoda, daughter of John Keeler, November 21, 1738. At thirty years of age he removed from Norwalk to Ridgefield, on his farm, which lay in the extreme southern part of the town. He had twelve children. For his second wife he mar- ried Mrs. Mary, widow of Samuel Lynes, of Red- ding, Conn., May 19, 1780. In this house, where he died June 24, 1801, and which is still standing at this date, was born his son Riah, the great-grandfather of our subject; also Lewis L., the grandfather, and Hiram O., the father.

Riah Nash, born August 3, 1763, at Ridge- field (as above), married Esther, daughter of Samuel and Mary Lynes, August 15, 1782, and spent the greater part of his life on the old farm. When about sixty years of age he was elected to the State Legislature, and afterward, in 1832, removed to Sullivan county, N. Y., where he died March 17, 1837. Lewis L., the eldest son, born October 24, 1784, married Rachel, daughter of Jaired and Hannah Olmstead, of Ridgefield, February 18, 1809; he was a shoe- maker by trade, and spent his life in the south- ern part of Ridgefield, and the northern part of Wilton, this county. His death occurred at the home of his son Hiram O., November 19, 1856. This worthy couple had seven children: Sally, Hiram O., Albert, Cornelia, Harry W., Betsey L., and Lavinia.

Hon. Hiram O. Nash, our subject's father, was born March 22, 1811, in the town of Ridge- field, and in early manhood engaged in farming there in connection with the shoemaker's trade, but later he followed mercantile pursuits. He took an active part in local affairs, serving one term as a member of the State Legislature, and holding different local offices, including that of selectman. He also took an ardent interest in religious work as a member of the Methodist Church in Ridgefield, and for many years he served as trustee, steward or treasurer of that society. On November 3, 1833, he married Miss Sally Roberts, who was born October 24, 1810, and died May 15, 1886, his own death occurring November 10, 1867.

Our subject was born May 25, 1838, at the old homestead in Ridgefield, and as the only child of a busy farmer he was trained to habits of in- dustry. He received a common-school education, and as he wished to enter mercantile life he went to Norwalk in 1856 to take a position as clerk in a book and drug store. There he remained three years, gaining a thorough knowledge of the drug business, and in the spring of 1859 he located at Titicus, where he engaged in general mercantile business with his father under the firm name of

H. O. Nash & Son. They purchased an old es- tablished business from S. S. Olmstead, the store being on the site of the present post office in Ti- ticus. After his father's death, Mr. Nash con- tinued the business alone for some time, but on January 1, 1875, he formed a partnership with Milan H. Mead, under the firm name of Nash & Mead. This partnership lasted twenty years, the business increasing constantly under their able management; in 1895, however, they sold out, Mr. Nash retiring from active business life. He has been a stanch Republican ever since the organization of the party, and from time to time he has been chosen to office. In 1879-80 he represented his town in the Legislature, that session being the first held in the new capitol building, and he has also held numerous local offices, serving some time as selectman. In 1882 he became postmaster at Titicus, and in 1896 resigned after fourteen years of satisfactory serv- ice. For nine years he was a member of the school board, and at present he is serving his third term on the board of assessors. He and his family are prominent socially, and he is an active worker in the Congregational Church at Ridgefield, serving as a member of the Church committee.

On November 28, 1861, Mr. Nash married Miss Sarah J. Holmes, daughter of Abram and Esther (Smith) Holmes, of Ridgefield (a sketch of whom appears elsewhere), and three children have blessed the union: (1) Miss Marion Holmes Nash, born November 15, 1862, graduated from the normal school at New Britain, Conn., and later took an advanced course in German at Michigan University. She resides at home, and is doing efficient work as a private teacher in various branches. (2) Luther Roberts, born Jan- uary 22, 1871, studied in the common schools and spent three years at Williston Seminary, E. Hampton, Mass. He then entered the Boston School of Technology, where he was graduated four years later, and after one year in Harvard College he took a position with Stone & Webster, the noted electricians of Boston. On October 15, 1896, he married Miss Bonnibel Remington, a relative of Remington of typewriter fame, and he now resides in Cambridge, Mass. (3) How- ard Patterson, born February 17, 1877, attended the common schools of Ridgefield, and then spent one year in a boys' school in Stamford, and one at Williston Seminary. In September, 1896, he entered the Lawrence Scientific School of Har- vard University for a four-years' course.

To this sketch it may be added that on the land of J. D. Nash, opposite the school house in Titicus, still stands a large flat-top rock, upon

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which tradition says the first white men that ever came to Ridgefield were encamped for the night, they having walked up from Norwalk, a distance of fourteen miles, and on the following day purchased of the old Indian chief (Titicus by name), for a few brass trinkets, a large tract of the surrounding country.

H ON. RICHARD C. AMBLER (deceased). The Ambler family originated in England, the name appearing sometimes as Aubler of De- Aubrey. The coat of arms has for a crest two dexter hands conjoined, sustaining a royal crown, while the shield is embossed, according to the symbology of Heraldic science, " sa, on a fesse, or between three pheons; a lion pass. guard., gre."

The first ancestor of whom we have a definite account was Richard Ambler, who was born in Somersetshire, England, in 1611, and came to America in 1639, landing at Weymouth, Mass. He was at Watertown, Mass., in 1639, at Wey- mouth in 1640, and at Boston in 1660, but he removed to Stamford, this county, soon after the settlement of the place, and in 1685 he and his son Abraham were among the men who purchased the town of Bedford from the Indians, the locality being then known as the Hop Grounds. In 1666, he was said to be about fifty-five years old, and his death occurred in 1699. Before remov- ing to Stamford he had, by his first wife Sarah, the following children: Sarah, born December 4, 1639; Abraham (1), September 27, 1641; and Abraham (2), September 22, 1642. His second wife, Elizabeth, died March 27, 1685.

II. Abraham Ambler, youngest child of Richard, was married December 25, 1662, to Mary, daughter of Robert Bates. They had five children: Mary, born January 15, 1663; Abraham, January 5, 1665; John, February 1, 1667; Joshua, September 8, 1670; and Sarah, October 6, 1672.

III. John Ambler, the next in the line of de- scent in which we are now interested, married, and had three children; John, born February 15, 1695; Stephen, June 22, 1698; and Martha, March 17, 1700.

IV. Stephen Ambler was a prominent citi- zen of Stamford in his day, and held the office of selectman. He married Deborah -, and had four children: Joseph (born October 4, 1727), John, Stephen, and David.

V. John Ambler was born March 24, 1728, and married Huldah Fairchild, by whom he had eight children: Stephen, Peter, Squire, Weborn, Silas, Gilead, Huldah and John.

VI. Squire Ambler passed his boyhood amid

the stirring times which preceded the Revolu- tionary war, and at the age of fourteen, instead of learning a trade, he enlisted at Danbury as an artificer in the Continental Army, under Captain Osborne. During the terrible winter at Valley Forge his exceptional fortitude and unswerving fidelity were noted by General Washington, who after several personal interviews promoted him, in the spring of 1778, to a position as one of his special guards. Thus the hardy and patriotic lad served throughout the war under the eye of the commander-in-chief, and he was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. The sword which he carried is a heavy blade encased in an iron sheath, forged by N. Starr. of Dan- bury, and is now in the possession of Mrs. R. C. Ambler, of Nichols, this county. At the close of the war Squire Ambler made his home in Dan- bury, and for a time he served as captain in the local militia. On February 5, 1784, he married Elizabeth Pickett, by whom he had two sons: Charles, born January 29, 1791; and Franklin Pickett, next in the line of descent which we are now tracing.

VII. Hon. Franklin Pickett Ambler was born at Danbury, June 3, 1797, and died August 1, 1873. His youth was spent in poverty, but not- withstanding his disadvantages he rose through his own efforts to wealth and prominence. At fourteen years of age he was bound out to Mr. Hull, a saddle-tree manufacturer in Danbury, and at the expiration of his term he was em- ployed by Benjamin Stiles, of New York, in the same line of business. Later he made his home in Derby, being employed in the Chatfield fac- tory. In 1822 he settled in Trumbull, taking the position of general superintendent in the fac- tories of Reuben and Eben Fairchild. In 1825 he engaged in the business as a member of the firm of Fairchild, Peet & Co., and in 1844 he purchased the plant, which he conducted in part- nership with his three sons, under the firm name of F. P. Ambler & Sons. Later he bought land in the vicinity of Mountain Hill, and built the present factories, which have been enlarged from time to time to meet the demands of the busi- ness. Politically he was a stanch Democrat of the Jeffersonian school, and his fellow-citizens frequently called him to official positions, in which his able and conscientious discharge of duty gained him new honors. In addition to many local offices, he served in the Legislature, and in 1862 he was elected to the State Senate. Socially, he and his family held a prominent place, and for more than fifty years he was a consistent member of the Masonic Fraternity.

In all the relations of life his conduct was

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marked by the strictest integrity. and from his youth he was an earnest student of the Bible, which he regarded as the inspired word of God and the guide to salvation. His mental abilities were of a high order, his memory being remark- able, and although he had had but limited school- ing, he gained through private reading a fund of information, which enabled him to converse on equal terms with those who had enjoyed far greater privileges. He acquired a large and well-selected library, and as his memory readily recalled anything which he had once read or heard, his conversation was replete with anec- dotes, information and illustration, which added much to the charm of his genial manner. His home was to him a sacred spot, and to his family was given a warm affection, too seldom seen among business men. On March 15, 1820, he married Eliza Bartholomew, who was born August 1, 1801, a daughter of Jerrod Bartholo- mew, and died in 1853. On October 4, 1854. he married Emily S. (Bacon) Ambler, born Feb- ruary 14, 1813, who was the widow of Joel Ambler, of Danbury. By his first marriage he had four children: Charles, who is mentioned more fully below; George B., born May 17, 1822; Mary E., born September 20, 1823; and Franklin P., Jr., born February 17, 1825.

VIII. Hon. Charles Ambler was born March 21, 1821, at Derby, Conn., and is now deceased. He was married October 22, 1844. to Mary E. Curtis, daughter of Joseph L. Curtis, of Strat- ford. They had two children: Georgianna Fran- ces, born March 17, 1847, who married Rev. F. B. Lewis, of Bozeman, Mont .; and Richard Charles, the subject proper of this sketch.

IX. The late Richard C. Ambler, formerly one of the leading lawyers of Bridgeport, was born August 31, 1853, at Nichols, and after at- tending the schools of that village for some years he completed an academic course at Oxford, N. Y. In 1878 he was graduated from the law de- partment of Yale College, and soon afterward he was admitted to the Bar at Bridgeport, where he engaged in practice with marked success. He died September 12, 1891, at his residence in the town of Trumbull, the sad event bringing sincere grief to a large circle of friends. It had been known for some time that he was in poor health, his illness being doubtless caused mainly by un- due devotion to professional work; but as he had continued his labors, and had even spent the day previous to his death at his usual routine in his office, no one was prepared for the shock of his sudden demise. The respect in which he was held by the community was shown by the large concourse of people who met at his funeral to

pay the last tributes to his memory, and by the numerous touching memorials and resolutions which appeared in the public press from various organizations. The following notice, which ap- peared in the Connecticut Reports, gives such an accurate and appreciative view of his life and character that it may well be preserved in this volume: "His ancestors had been for many years among the most prominent business men of this community; but as their business was al- most exclusively with the Southern States, it was destroyed by the war. This necessarily interfered with his cherished educational plans. Determined not to be deprived wholly of these advantages, he set himself to work, as soon as he had acquired a common-school education, in a book store, where he devoted all his spare time to reading and storing his mind with useful in- formation. The money he earned was saved that he might take a course of legal training at the Yale Law School. While there he earned, by his industry and courtesy, the high opinion of his instructors and the sincere respect of his fellow classmates. After graduating, he con- tinued his studies in the law office of Seymour & Seymour, in Bridgeport, for two years, devoting his time to acquiring the details of practice. He then opened an office there for himself, and at the time of his death he was gradually but cer- tainly building up a good practice and acquiring an enviable reputation for integrity, ability and learning. The prevailing characteristic of Mr. Ambler's professional, political, social, and re- ligious life was faithfulness. No client's inter- est was ever neglected. Indeed so far did he carry the idea that he must accomplish all that his client desired, that he was almost martial in regard to it. His client's case was his case so fully that every failure, short of complete suc- cess, seemed a personal failure.

" His career was not long enough to gain the first rank in his profession or to reap its highest rewards; but what faithfulness, diligence, up- rightness and intelligence could do to carry him towards that end was done. When that can truthfully be said of a lawyer, what matter when or where he fails? His eulogy is pronounced; his monument raised. Mr. Ambler was a repre- sentative in the General Assembly from the town of Trumbull, in 1889, and as the only lawyer on the railroad committee he exercised a domina- ting influence in its action through the memorable railroad fight of that year; and though stories of improper conduct were rife, no man dared impugn his integrity. Always a student. he was especially fond of historical research, and he was a contrib- utor to the Fairfield County Historical Society,

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in which for some time he served as curator and treasurer. He was a devout member of the Episcopal Church, and not only represented his parish in the conventions of that body in this diocese, but maintained, personally, as a lay reader, services in the parish Church, in which he also served for a number of years as a vestryman. His brief but useful life left, as such a life could not fail to leave, a fragrant memory of upright manliness and kindly courtesy, that will not soon be forgotten."

On October 1, 1879, Mr. Ambler married Miss Jennie Beardsley, of Huntington, who sur- vives him with one daughter, Katharine Beards- ley Ambler. Mrs. Ambler is a member of a well- known pioneer family, and is of the ninth gener- ation in descent from William Beardsley, a na - tive of Stratford-on-Avon, England, who came to America in 1635 with his wife Mary, and was among the first settlers at Stratford, this county. The place was named in honor of bis old home, and for many years he was a leader in local affairs, serving seven years as a deputy from that town in the General Court. The line of descent is traced through Samuel Beardsley and his wife Abigail; Daniel Beardsley, who married Rebecca Jackson; Benjamin Beardsley; David Beardsley and his wife Mary; Stephen Beardsley and his wife Catherine; Stephen (2), who married Susan Nichols; and Stephen Beardsley (3), Mrs. Am- bler's father, who married Jane Shelton.

T HOMAS H. MORISON. The founder of the Morison family in America was one John Morison, who came to this country between 1720 and 1723 from Ireland, whither the family had fled from Scotland during religious persecution. John Morison, was the father of John (2), who was the father of Thomas, who was born in New Hampshire, and had a son Ezekiel. Ezekiel Morison was born at Peterboro, N. H., as was also his son Thomas, who left the Granite State in 1824 and went to New York. Thomas Mor- ison was a tailor by trade, and his practical in- genuity evolved the idea of making shirts as they are now worn, so he abandoned his trade and engaged in the manufacture of shirts, about 1845. In this business he continued the remainder of his life, dying in Brooklyn, N. Y., Nov. 22, 1874. He married Amy. H. Hoyt, and in his family was a son Thomas H., who is the subject proper of this review.

Thomas H. Morison was born August 24, 1839, in Brooklyn, and there he passed his early days. acquiring his school education. At the age of fourteen he laid aside his text books, and

entered the employ of his father. He soon grasped the details, and in 1867 he came to Nor- walk and assumed control of the factory there. For nearly twenty years Thomas H. Morison successfully conducted this factory, and proved himself a man of remarkable executive and financial ability. When he retired from active business in 1883, he carried with him the genuine respect and esteem of his employes, and of all who had in anyway been associated with him.

On November 17, 1863, Thomas H. Morison was married to Miss Julia Sheffield, who though a native of Rhode Island had lived since four years of age in Brooklyn. Mrs. Morison was a daughter of Thomas T. Sheffield (a tea merchant in New York City), and his wife, Ann (Peckham), both of English extraction. The Sheffield and Peckham families were active and prominent through the Colonial and Revolutionary periods, being resolute and determined adherents of the policy of the Continental Congress. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Morison were born three children: Thomas S., born June 22, 1865, died April 21, 1894; Charles H., born November 10, 1868, died September 26, 1869; and Frederick A., born September 3, 1870, died May 24, 1879.

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 5

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