Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 50

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

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N RS. DELIA A. JELLIFF, one of the hon- ored ladies of Georgetown, whose noble life in this world is now merging into the better. purer life beyond, now showing its silver radiance in the serenity of her later years, was born June 16, 1827, a daughter of Elijah Gregory, and a granddaughter of Moses Gregory, one of the early citizens in the town of Norwalk.

Moses Gregory was born February 22, 1771, and educated in the common schools of Norwalk. Early in life he was apprenticed to the tailor's trade, at which he worked but a very short time, however, finding in farming a more congenial occupation. He married Miss Polly Fillow, who was born February 14, 1779, a daughter of James Fillow, a farmer of Westport, and their children were: Chloe, born February 3, 1796, married Al- fred Taylor; Annie, born April 17. 1798, married John Hurlburt: Orpha, born June 15, 1800, mar- ried Nathan Gregory; Nathan, born December 23, 1802, married Harriet Disbrow: Elijah, father of our subject; Esther, born December 14. 1812, married John P. Hurlburt; Moses, born Decem- ber 13, 1808; and Delia, born December 29, 1809.

Elijah Gregory, father of Mrs. Jelliff, was born May 31, 1805, and after a few years attend- ance in the district schools learned the shoemak- er's trade, which, together with farming, was his lifelong occupation. He married Orpha Godfrey, a daughter of Bradley and Orpha (Fillow) God- frey, farming people of Weston. This union was gladdened by four children: Delia A .. our sub- ject; Alfred T .. born May 3, 1831, died May 11. 1843; Nancy, born February 1. 1834. married George B. Sturges, who was born August 3, 1834: and Orpha L., born August 9. 1840, married George E. Smith, who was born June 1. 1844.

Delia A. (Gregory) Jelliff, our subject, re- ceived a good education in the schools of Wes- ton, and on reaching young womanhood was married to Aaron Bartram, Jr., of Redding, by

whom she became the mother of two children: (1) Elijah G., born May 23, 1855, now in the employ of the wire factory at New Canaan. He married Miss Sarah Bell, who was born Septem- ber 21, 1858, and they have three children: Clayton G., born June 3, 1878; Floyd B., born September 3, 1882, and Stanley B., born April 16, 1885. (2) Lavinia F., born June 8, 1857, married John Hohman, a son of Henry Hohman, a farmer of Redding, and they had two children: Charles L., born October 18, 1882, and Frank G., born February 9, 1888. Aaron Bartram was given the usual educational privileges of the time, and learned the shoemaking trade, which fur- nished him occupation all his life. On March 7. 1861, he was called to his last rest, greatly re- spected by all who knew him. After his death our subject married Aaron Jelliff, who was en- gaged in the wire business and also in farming in Weston. Mr. Jelliff passed away January 1, 1884, leaving, besides his widow, several children by a former marriage to mourn his departure. Mrs. Jelliff has since lived practically retired, de- voting her time to her father, Elijah Gregory (who died January 26, 1899, at the advanced age of ninety-three years, seven months). and to char- itable organizations, in which she takes a keen interest. She is much beloved by all who know her for her many kindly traits of character.

James Fillow. the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Jelliff, was born in 1737 at Norwalk, and on February 8, 1759, he married Mary Olm- stead, who was born in 1742, a daughter of Gar- ner Olmstead, and died November 26, 1828. Mr. Fillow received only a common-school edu- cation, but possessed a memory so retentive, and a reason so logical, that his early disadvan- tages were in a great measure overcome by his natural ability. He followed farming as a life work, and knowing the value of personal effort in the management of an estate, he carefully supervised his own affairs, and became a large land holder, at his death leaving an estate of $1,114,909 to be divided among his heirs. He attended strictly to his own affairs, and was well and favorably known for his probity and manly worth. In his political affiliations he was, in middle life, a Loyalist; he was fifty-two years of age when Washington became President, and after seeing the dark day of the formative period of our government, saw peace declared after the war of 1812. In charitable works he played a generous part, and was a devout member of the Methodist Church. He acquired the habit of taking snuff, and had a leather pocket put in his jacket in order to facilitate this, to him, pleas- i ure. He was a man of fine physique, weighing

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at least 175 pounds, though in the last years of his earthly career he was a great sufferer from asthma. He died April 16. 1817, and was bur- ied in Poplar Plains, Westport. His children were: (1) Benjamin, born August 19, 1765; married Miss Clementine Gregory. (2) Susan- nah, born April 2, 1769, married Lewis H. Hanford. (3) Chloe, born September 24, 1772, married Stephen Gregory. (4) Orpha, born June 18, 1775, died in 1858, married on August 20, 1805, to Bradley Godfrey, who was born July 12, 1783, and died August 12, 1837, and there was born to them Elias Godfrey, who mar- ried Matilda Godfrey. (5) Polly. born Febru- ary 14, 1779, married Moses Gregory, and to this union were born-Elijah, who married Or- pha Godfrey, daughter of Bradley Godfrey; Orpha, born April 26, 1809, married May 11, 1826, to Elijah Gregory, died September 15, 1878. (6) Elijah, born May 6, 1781. married Elizabeth Disbrow. (7) Anna, born March 29, 1784, married Aaron Jelliff.

The above mentioned Elijah, who married Elizabeth Disbrow, was a son of our subject's great-grandfather. James Fillow, brother to her two grandmothers, Orpha and Polly.

HEODORE LEEDS, an active citizen and well-to-do merchant of Stamford, Fairfield Co., Conn., was born in that town May 9, 1838, on the farm of his father, Samuel Leeds. Carey Leeds, the grandfather, came to this sec- tion from Long Island at an early date.

Samuel Leeds was born at Flushing, Long Island, and was only a boy when the family set- tled in Stamford, where he attended the public schools and grew to manhood. He married Re- becca Scofield, daughter of Silas Scofield, and by her had two children: Theodore, and Emma F. (Mrs. Mortimer Mosher), of Stamford. Mr. Leeds carried on farming in Stamford all his life. He was an Episcopalian in religious connection, and politically was a supporter of the Demo- cratic party.

Theodore Leeds was reared on the home farm, in his youthful days attending the local district schools, where he acquired a good education. He began his business life by clerking in the grocery store of Roswell Hoyt, in Stamford, continuing with him in that capacity until 1859, when he became a partner in the concern, the firm being known as Hoyt & Leeds. They con- ducted this store in partnership until Mr. Hoyt's death, which occurred in 1884, and our subject has since carried on the store alone. He has acquired a comfortable competence in the steady

pursuit of his business affairs, and is looked upon as one of the substantial citizens of the town, financially and otherwise. He was treasurer of the borough, and in 1895-96 he served the county of Fairfield in the position of treasurer to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. Socially, he is an active member of the Rod and Gun Club, and he affiliates with the F. & A. M., unit- ing with Union Lodge and Rittenhouse Chapter (which is a branch of same), Stamford; he joined the former in 1852, and has served as treasurer for the past thirty-four years, and for nearly as long a period he has held that position in Ritten- house Chapter. Mr. Leeds is unmarried. He is a man of large social attributes, genial and companionable, possessing a wide circle of ac- quaintances, and it is enough to say that to be his acquaintance is to be his friend.

A' LLAN PAUL MACDONALD, M. D. No citizen of Danbury is better known than this skillful and popular homeopathic physician, who for more than ten years has ministered to the sick and suffering in the locality.

The Doctor is of Highland-Scotch descent, and his family is an old one, running back to Somerled of the Isles, in the twelfth century. The family name MacDonald originated from Donald, the grandson of Somerled, whose de- scendants since his time, in all branches, have called themselves MacDonalds. Mac, in the Gaelic language, signifies son, therefore MacDon- ald means son of Donald, Donald signifying "brown eyed." From Somerled the line de- scends, in the eighth generation through Ronald, known as the first Clan Ronald, and from him the line runs through his grandson Allan, second son of Allan MacDonald, the second Clan Ron- ald, who settled in Knoydart, Scotland, in 1415. and became the progenitor of the Knoydart family of MacDonalds. Twelve generations later a descendant of the same name crossed the ocean in 1812, and located at the present site of Knoydart. Picton Co., Nova Scotia, the place being named afterward in honor of the old home.

The Doctor's father, Alexander MacDonald, son of Allan, the pioneer settler of Knoydart. N. S., was born at that place August 25, 1813, and resided at Antigonish, N. S., throughout his life following architecture and building as a profes- sion. He married Ann MacDougall, of Hollo- well Grant, Antigonish Co., N. S. He died March 27, 1861. Ann MacDougall was born at Moidart, Scotland, January 1, 1815. and through her mother, Marjorie MacDougall, ncc Mac-

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Theodore Leeds

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Donald, traces her family through the " Mac- Eachern" family of MacDonalds back to the third Clan Ronald. This Marjorie MacDonald was a cousin of Marshal MacDonald, one of Na- poleon's celebrated generals. Neil MacDonald. the Marshal's father, assisted the heroine Flora MacDonald during that memorable night in which "HEODORE EDWARD SMITH (deceased) was one of Norwalk's leading citizens, and although his business interests required his resi- dence in New York City for many years he never lost his affection for his native place, to which he gladly returned. As a conservative and suc- cessful business man he was held in high regard among financiers, but the qualities of character which win general esteem were also strongly marked in his nature. they aided Prince Charles, the Pretender, to es- cape from the Island of South Uist to Skye, after the defeat of the Highland army at Culloden in 1746. After suffering a short period of imprison- ment for this act, he went to France and served as colonel in a Scotch regiment in the French service. The Doctor's mother is still living, and of her ten children all but two survive. (1) Ann married John Boyd; she died at Halifax, N. S., June 4. 1872. (2) John, a resident of Chi- Mr. Smith was born June 18, 1827, at Nor- 1 walk, where his family, which is of English origin. cago since 1865, served in the Union army dur- ing the Civil war, and was severely wounded in | had resided since 1690. The first of the family the chest during the battle of the Wilderness. | (in America) was Lieut. Samuel Smith, who came (3) Allan P. is mentioned more fully below. (4) Marjorie married Neil MacInnis, of Tower. Wis. (5) Daniel resides at Antigonish, N. S .; he is a pensioner of the United States Government, hav- ! ing lost his left hand during the charge of Han- cock's corps in the gray dawn at Cold Harbor. (6) Mary E. married James Shaw, of Chicago. (7) William F. resides in Colorado. (8) Ellen G. married Alexander D. Chisholm. of Anti- gonish, N. S. (9) Margaret A. died in infancy in 1857. (10) Elizabeth married John J. Mac- Pherson, of Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Doctor MacDonald was born at Antigonish, N. S., May 30, 1841. His first name, Allan, is a family name, appearing seven times in his genealogy from the time of Allan MacDonald, the progenitor of the Knoydart family of MacDon- alds, to the present time. In 1856, after receiv- ing an elementary education in the public schools, he entered St. Francis Xavier College. in the same town, and took a complete course, gradu- ating in 1861. He began his professional studies in Hahnemann Medical College, at Chicago, Ill., and in 1874 received the degree M. D. from that noted homeopathic institution. A few months were spent in prospecting for a suitable location, and after short periods of residence at Martins- burg. W. Va., and Patterson, Putnam Co., N. Y., he settled in Port Jervis, N. Y., where he estab- lished a fine practice and remained thirteen years. In 1887 he came to Danbury, and received an introduction to the practice of Dr. S. M. Griffin when that physician retired from active practice in October, 1887. Immediately he took a promi- nent place among the leading physicians of Dan- bury, and he enjoys a large and lucrative practice among the wealthiest and most intelligent fami-

lies of that place. The Doctor is not married. Although his professional duties occupy a large part of his time, he finds leisure to keep abreast of his profession by systematic reading and study.

: on the ship " Elizabeth " from Ipswich, Eng- land. April 30, 1634, and settled in Wethersfield, September 3, 1634. He was representative from Wethersfield and Hadley for twenty-seven years, I and died in December. 1680. Chiliab Smith, | his son. born at Wethersfield in 1636, married i Hannah Hitchcock October 2. 1661, and died i March 7, 1731. Ebenezer Smith, born July 11. 1668, at Wethersfield, married Abigail Bouton, daughter of John Bouton, a Huguenot, in October, 1691. Eliakim Smith, born January 13. 1704, married in 1727 Abigail Hoyt, and died February 11. 1777. Noah Smith, born May 7, 1739, died June 5, 1794. Asa Smith, mar- ried, January 16. 1792, Jeruse Knapp. Asa Ed- ward Smith, born October 1, 1798, married Sep- tember 11, 1823. Ann Maria Brown, and died January 3. 1880; he was the father of Theodore Edward Smith. He (Asa E. Smith), was a native of the town, and became connected with a large pottery business there.

After receiving an education in the schools of Norwalk our subject went, at the age of seven- teen, to New York City, and took charge of the salesrooms which had been established some time before by his father for the disposal of the prod- uct of the Norwalk factory, and he continued in charge of this until his death. He showed un- usual ability from the first, and throughout his life was devoted to business interests, never tak- ing any active part in public affairs, although he was a firm believer in the principles and policy of the Democratic party. Religious work claimed his active sympathy and support, and for years he was a vestryman in St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Norwalk. At his death, which occurred April 3, 1879, he was deeply mourned by a large circle

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of friends. On November 10, 1853, he married Miss Hannah Louise Camp, who survives him, and now occupies the handsome family residence at No. 33 France street, Norwalk. For some time after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Smith made their home in New York City. where two children were born to them: (1) Wilfred, who is now engaged in the pottery business, married Miss Mary E. Atwater, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and has had two sons-Leonard Atwater and Arthur Eugene. (2) Miss Elinor Louise resides with her mother.

MRS. H. LOUISE SMITH is a native of Nor- walk, and a member of one of the oldest and most highly-esteemed families of this State. The Camp family traces its descent from Nicholas Camp, who lived in the town of Nasing. County of Essex, England, prior to the year 1620, and came to this country with his son. .. Nicholas the younger," who was married in 1652 to Catherine Thompson, of New Haven, Conn., and made his residence, for a time at least, at Mil- ford. Samuel Camp, Sr., the next in the line of descent, was born at Milford, September 15, 1655, and was married November 13, 1672, to Hannah Betts, of Norwalk. Their son, Samuel Camp, Jr., was married April 28, 1696, to Re- becca Canfield. Capt. Jonathan Camp. the great-great-grandfather of Mrs. Smith, is the next in order, and was born at Milford, Decem- ber 17, 1702; he married Ann Platt, who was born in 1710. Jonathan Camp, Jr., Mrs. Smith's great-grandfather, was born at Norwalk, May 17, 1735, and was married in 1759 to Mary Burwell, who was born in the same locality, April 17, 1734. They had nine children.

Jonathan Camp (3), the grandfather of Mrs. Smith, was born in Norwalk, February 20, 1768, and became a farmer by occupation. He mar- ried Hannah Bouton, a lineal descendant of Count Nicholas Bouton, a Huguenot, who is mentioned again below. Six children were born of this union: Sarah, Mary, William, Jonathan, Stephen W., and Mary E.

Jonathan Camp (4), the father of Mrs. Smith, was born at Norwalk September 15. 1801, and engaged in agriculture in that locality. He was a leader in various progressive movements, serv- ing at times as president of different agricultural associations, and helping to promote the best in- terests of this section in every possible way. He was instrumental in securing the construction of the Danbury & Norwalk railroad, and was also connected with a large paper-mill in that city. In politics he was a Democrat, and he took much interest in Church work, being a vestryman and, later, warden of St. Paul's Episcopal Church at

Norwalk. He died April 14, 1880, and his wife, Mary C. Newkirk, who was also a devout Church member, died December 4, 1896. She was born in Norwalk, February 15, 1808, where she was married January 11, 1826, and was of the fifth generation in descent from Garrett Newkirk, of Holland, who probably never came to America. His son. Conrad, who was born in Holland, crossed the Atlantic and located, it is thought, in New York. John Newkirk, the next in the line of descent, was born in 1752, probably in New York, and became a resident of Norwalk. where Garrett Newkirk, the father of Mary C. Newkirk, was born. Mrs. Smith was one of a family of six children, as follows: Stephen W., who died November 20, 1831; Rebecca G., wife of Samuel E. Olmstead: Mary E., wife of Rev. Eugene C. Pattison; H. Louise (Mrs. Smith); Jonathan (5), formerly a civil engineer and city surveyor of Jer- sey City, N. J., who married Miss Frances J. Wood, and died in 1874; and Albert N., who is not now engaged in any business.

Count Nicholas Bouton, mentioned above. was a native of France, but on account of relig- ious persecutions his son John went to England in his boyhood, where, in December, 1635, he set sail for America in the bark " Assurance,' and, as a young man of twenty, landed at Bos- ton, Mass. He had a son Joseph, who had a son Jachain, whose son Esaias, a native of Norwalk, was the father of Hannah Bouton, Mrs. Smith's grandmother.

L IEUT .- COL. RICHARD FITZ GIBBON. Among the citizens of mark in Bridgeport no one is more worthy of consideration than he whose name here appears, and whose war record is second to none in the State.

Our subject was born October 6, 1836, in Montreal, Canada. the eldest in the family of six children born to Edward and Johanna FitzGib- bon, who in 1832 emigrated from Ireland to Can- ada. Later they removed to New York, and thence came to Bridgeport. Edward FitzGib- bon was born in 1810, at Youghal, County Cork, Ireland, where he married Johanna Lockhart, of the same country, and who died in 1885. He was a saddler by trade, and, while a resident of Bridgeport, for a time worked for Harral & Cal- houn. He was a member of the volunteer fire department of the borough. He passed from earth in Bridgeport in 1893.

When our subject came of age he was ap- prenticed to the firm of Harral & Calhoun to learn the saddler's trade, but after serving some time in this business he abandoned it to fill a po-

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sition as assistant storekeeper on the "North Star " and " Ariel," Vanderbilt line of steamers, which at that time plied between New York and Havre, France, touching at Southampton, Eng- land. With this line he remained for almost three years, during which time he crossed the ocean many times. In 1860 he accepted a posi- tion as messenger with the Adams Express Com- pany, and ran between Bridgeport and Great Barrington. He was thus engaged when the war of the Rebellion broke out, prior to which he had been deeply interested in the State Militia, hav- ing served in different capacities some five years. He commanded the famous Washington Light Guards of Bridgeport, and was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 8th Regiment.

When the President's first call came for vol- unteers to defend the Union, Col. FitzGibbon responded promptly, and assisted in organizing Company H for the Ist Conn. V. I., of which, on April 20, 1861, he was commissioned captain. The regiment served in Tyler's brigade, Depart- ment of Northwestern Virginia, from May, 1861, and in the ist Brigade, ist Division, Army of Northwestern Virginia. It participated in the engagements at Vienna, June 17, and Bull Run, July 21. and was mustered out July 31, 1861. On his return home Col. FitzGibbon assisted in organizing the 6th Conn. V. I., and September 3, 1861. he was mustered in as lieutenant-colonel of the 9th Conn. V. I .. of which regiment he was in command from June 20-24, 1863, till October 26, 1864. when he was mustered out, his term of service having expired. The regiment sailed from Boston to Ship Island, Miss., December 26, 1861; took part in the expedition to Biloxi, April 3-4, 1862; was in evidence at the skirmish at Pass Christian and the capture of the 3rd Miss- issippi Infantry's colors, also at the capture of Forts Morgan and St. Philip on the Mississippi river. The 9th Regiment was also present at the taking of New Orleans, May 1, 1862, and at the operations near Vicksburg June 26. 1863. Other engagements, etc., in which it participated were the battles of Baton Rouge, duty at defences of New Orleans, expedition to St. Charles Court House and from New Orleans to Ponchatoula and Manchat Pass; also the skirmish at Chaca- houla. an expedition from New Orleans to Madi- sonville Station under the command of the lieu- tenant-colonel. The regiment was ordered to New Haven on a veteran furlough for thirty days. At the expiration of the furlough it was ordered to report to General Grant at City Point; from thence it was ordered to report to Gen. W. S. Hancock at Deep Bottom on July 28. 1864. The regiment was at the Shenandoah in the campaign

of August 9 to November 28; also at the battle of Opequan Creek on September 19. and Fisher's Hill.

When the war ended Col. FitzGibbon turned his attention to the paths of peace, and for some time was engaged in the manufacture of fans in New York City, later removing to Bridgeport, where he accepted a position with the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Company, where he had charge of the assembling of the parts until 1877. In that year he was appointed health officer, which incumbency he filled until January, 1896, when he resigned. While his resignation was pending he was offered the position of inspector by the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company, which he accepted.

On April 15, 1862, Colonel FitzGibbon was married to Miss Nellie A. Barnum, who was born in Bridgeport, November 23, 1844. She died in July, 1889, leaving no children. Socially, Col. FitzGibbon was a member of St. John's Chap- ter, R. A. M., during the war, and is a charter member of Corinthian Lodge, F. & A. M., at Bridgeport; he also is a member of the Loyal Legion of the United States, with the Army and Navy Club of Connecticut, and with Elias Howe, Jr., Post No. 3, G. A. R. During Mayor De- Forest's administration he served as fire com- missioner.

A LFRED E. AUSTIN, of Norwalk, is a member of the legal fraternity in this sec- tion, being especially noted for his mastery of the difficult and complicated department of juris- prudence, known as real-estate law.

Mr. Austin comes of a good old Colonial family, whose members have won distinction for the name in various lines of effort, and is of the eighth generation in direct descent from John Austin, of Sandwich, County of Kent, England. who came to America at a very early date, and died at Greenwich, this county, September 5, 1657. The line of descent is traced through his son, John, Jr., born in 1635; David, born Febru- ary 23. 1670; David (2), born November 2, 1703; David (3), our subject's great-grandfather. who was born in 1732 at New Haven; John, our subject's grandfather, who is mentioned more fully below; and David R., the father of our sub- ject. Among the children of David Austin (3), our subject's great-grandfather, was a son. Stephen, who, with one or two others, went to Texas in the early times and located at the site of the present city of Austin, which was named in bis honor. John Austin, the grandfather of our subject, was born in New Haven June 28,

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 50

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