Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 57

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

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M RS. M. A. MERRILL. The president and proprietor of the Merrill College. this capable and talented woman needs no introduc- tion to the readers of this volume. By her own energy in and persistent devotion to her particu- lar line of work she has made for herself a worthy name among educators everywhere in this sec- tion, and placed the institution, of which she is at the head. in the foremost rank among those of its kind. Mrs. Merrill's maiden name was Har- riet E. Mills, and she is a native of Cornwall-on- Hudson, N. Y. She has for a number of years followed her present profession, having, prior to her marriage, taught in private schools in New York City and Norwalk, Conn. In 1883 she be- came the wife of M. A. Merrill, instructor in classics in Dr. Warring's Preparatory School for Boys, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., who died in 1886. For some time Mrs. Merrill was the principal, and had entire management of a business school in Hartford, Conn., and in 1888 she established herself in Stamford. Fairfield Co., Conn., open- ing a school of which the Merrill College is the outgrowth.

Mrs. Merrill's first school, known as the Mer- rill Phonographic Academy, occupied one large room in the Ayres Block, and only two branches of study - shorthand and typewriting - were taught. Another room was soon found neces- sary, and at the end of the first eight months, to meet a growing demand in that direction, a bookkeeping department was added. With the beginning of the second year more space was secured, a commercial department, suitably equipped, was opened in the day school, and the

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name was changed to the Merrill Business Col- lege. When the school entered upon the third year of its career, two floors of the building were leased and handsome new fittings were put in, with facilities for the conducting of two new de- partments-an English department and one for the study of telegraphy. Since then depart- ments for the study of architecture and the fine arts have been added, and the school is now known as the Merrill College, with Mrs. Merrill as president and sole owner. It is not often that even the most industrious and enterprising are rewarded with such a degree of success as has come to this lady. Those who have had the opportunity of watching the steady and rapid growth which this school has experienced from the start are filled with amazement at its present attainments and capacity. From the date of its comparatively humble beginning eleven years ago to the present time the history of its expan- sion, both as to size and usefulness, is full of interest. Each year the facilities have broad- ened. the standard raised. the equipment en- larged. and the high rank of the college among kindred institutions made more and more ap- parent by the patronage and commendation of competent judges.

In the spring of 1895 Merrill College was re- moved to its present home. a building planned and erected expressly for its use, and fitted up in the most approved modern style, with special attention to the sanitation, which is perfect throughout. The assembly hall, 40 x 80 feet in dimensions, occupies the center of the first floor, and adjoining, on the first floor, are the college and school offices, typewriting and reception rooms, main corridor, coat rooms, etc. The second floor is on two sides indicated by gal- leries, from which may be viewed the large audi- torium, and the entire front part of this story is devoted to the English school, which opens on the north gallery. This department is replete with appropriate furnishings, and in the char- acter of its work is separate and distinct from the others. A library, reading-room, studio and lunch-room open on the east gallery.

Merrill College is not remarkable only for its material improvement. It has gained a wonder- ful reputation for the many able students gradu- ated and the great number who through its in- fluence, especially in New York City, have been placed in good positions in business houses, it having been said, and truthfully, that this school provides ninety per cent. of the graduates with profitable employment. The general courses are taught in different departments, viz .: The de- partment of Commerce, department of Short-

hand and Typewriting, department of English. department of Art, department of Architecture and department of Telegraphy. Evening school is held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The instructors are all carefully chosen, and have the personal as well as intellectual interests of the students at heart, tolerating none whose intention is not work, and giving encourage- ment and help in every possible way, their aim being to make the graduates useful and success- ful men and women, as far as practical. The influence cannot be otherwise than refining and stimulating to all the better faculties, and, localiy, the school is regarded as adding considerably to Stamford's standing as an educational center. i Unique in its methods, and devoted entirely to the preparation of young men and women for practical, wage-earning work in the commercial and manufacturing world, it occupies a field peculiar to itself, and one of no inconsiderable importance and value in the economy of modern business. Its prestige throughout New England is a source of pride to the citizens of Stamford. and its benefits are fully recognized and ap- preciated in that and the neighboring towns, where it draws its support, as well as by the busi- ness public of New York and other cities where graduates are employed.

G EORGE MORGAN. For several genera- tions the Morgan family has been identified with this county, and the name has always been associated with industry, thrift and intelligence. The subject of this biography, a prominent citi- zen of Bethel, was born in Wolf Pits District. in the same town, April 29, 1828, the son of Eli Morgan and grandson of Abijah Morgan, both of whom were natives of this county.

Abijah Morgan was born in the town of Red- ding, where he spent his boyhood, but he after- ward located in Bethel and for many years fol- lowed the cooper's trade there successfully. He was an excellent citizen, and was a regular at- tendant of the Episcopal Church at Redding. The family is noted for longevity, and he attained the advanced age of eighty-four years. His wife, whose maiden name was Molly Williams, was a native of the town of Bethel. Four chil- dren were born to them: Eli, our subject's father; Sally, who married Lodovick Dart, of Red- ding, and died at the age of ninety-three; Melinda (deceased), formerly the wife of Mr. Hickok, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y .; and Edson, who died at the age of seventy-eight.

Eli Morgan, the father of our subject, was born August 11, 1791, in Wolf Pits District,

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of the town of Bethel, and was educated in the district schools of that locality. He learned the hatter's trade with Joseph Hitchcock, of Plum Trees District, town of Bethel, and later engaged in hat manufacturing in his own district, continuing until 1855. when he turned his atten- tion to farming. In religious work he was active as a member of the Episcopal Church, and his sterling qualities of character won for him the esteem of all who knew him. He died June 25, 1876, in his eighty-fifth year. His wife, Fannie Burr, to whom he was married in Redding on October 2, 1816, was a daughter of David Burr and granddaughter of Moses Burr, both well known residents of Weston. this county. Eight children were born of this union, all of whom lived to maturity: (1) Lorenzo, born Novem- ber 29, 1817, started to California by sea in 1849, and died on the voyage. (2) Maria, born September 2, 1819, was married in 1846 to Josiah H. Hornblower, who died March 29, 1879. She had one daughter, Annie S., who married George B. Benjamin, Jr., of Danbury, and died August 24, 1896. (3) Caroline, born November 18, 1821, married Russell Hoyt, of Danbury, now deceased, and they had five children-Le- Grande, a resident of St. Louis; George, de- ceased; Julia, who married Louis Wakely, of Stepney, this county; Russell, a resident of Brooklyn, N. Y., and Lorenzo, of Bethel. (4) Emeline, born April 18, 1824, is the widow of William K. Banks, of Norwalk, Conn., and has two children-Emma and Edward K. (5) Fannie, born December 28, 1826, married the late Reuben Taylor, and has one son, Reuben R. (6) George, our subject, is mentioned more fully below. (7) Edson, born March 15, 1834, is a resident of Danbury. He married Miss Searls, and has one daughter, Frances. (8) William, born March 4. 1838, resides in Bethel.

During his boyhood our subject attended the district schools near his home, and also learned some branches of the hatter's trade under his fa- ther's direction. Later he went to Danbury to learn the details of silk-hat manufacturing with Mckenzie & Roe, and from 1849 to 1861 he gave his attention to that line of work. He then re- moved to New York City and followed his trade for a time. In the spring of 1865 he located at New Britain, Conn., where he clerked in a hotel until 1870. His next employment was as a fore- man in a hat shop in Newark, N. J., and from there he went to Philadelphia. In 1879 he re- turned to Bethel and purchased the farm upon which he was born, having decided to engage in the healthful calling of agriculture, and this he continued until 1891, when he sold the farm and

moved to his present home in Bethel. Mr. Mor- gan is a member of the Episcopal Church at Bethel, and his sympathies are always on the side of progress, any movement for the benefit of the community receiving his endorsement.

F FREDERICK C. TAYLOR, present judge of the Court of Probate for the district of Stamford, Fairfield county, stands foremost among the younger men of this section who have made a mark for themselves. He is a native of Stamford, born November 3. 1866, and is a son of Henry F. Taylor.

Henry F. Taylor was born in the town of Westport, Fairfield county, Conn. John W. Taylor, his father, was prominent there in his day, carried on a drug and stationery business, and was town clerk for thirty-two years. Henry F. Taylor, our subject's father, was born in the town of Westport, Fairfield county, and there grew to manhood, receiving a good education. During the principal part of his business life he was engaged on "Scribner's Magazine," and, later on. " The Churchman," holding the posi- tion of advertising editor. In October. 1863, he was married in Stamford to Mary E. Clark, and is now living retired in that town. His family consisted of children, as follows: Emily L., Fred- erick C., Francis G. and Sarah H.

The elder son in this family, Frederick C. Taylor, received his preliminary education in Stamford, attending the common and high schools of that town. In 1883, at the age of eighteen years, he entered the employ of The Continental Insurance Company, in New York City, continu- ing in its service some five years, and in 1888 embarked in the insurance brokerage business in New York, on his own account. Two years later he came to Stamford, and in partnership with R. J. Bishop, under the firm name of Bishop & Tay- lor, engaged in the real-estate business, in which he was interested for several years. Meantime. in 1893. he commenced the study of law, and in 1894 entering the law school of Yale University. from which he was graduated in 1896. His con- nection with the real-estate business was severed after his graduation, and in February of the fol- lowing year he formed a law partnership with James S. Jenkins, the firm name being Taylor & Jenkins. In November of the same year. he was elected on the Republican ticket. to the office of Judge of Probate, for the District of Stamford, Fairfield county.

In 1892 Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Elizabeth H. Tilley, daughter of George H. Tilley, who resides in the town of Darien, and is

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secretary and treasurer of the Southern Express Company. Two children have been born to them: Harriet Dorothy, December 4, 1894, and Frederick Heath, September 15, 1896.

Judge Taylor has always taken a lively interest in social organizations. He is a member of the Suburban Club of Stamford, the Graduates Club of New Haven, the Phi Delta Phi fraternity, and the Yale Club of New York. While at New Haven he was chairman of the editorial board of the "Yale Law Journal."

J JAMES W. GORDON, M. D. The Gordon family has held a prominent place in Scot- tish history, and the branch to which this well-known physician belongs has been identified with the city of Glasgow, Scotland, for many gen- erations.

Dr. Alexander Gordon, our subject's grand- father, was a native of that city, and although he served as a surgeon in the English army previ- ous to his marriage, he afterward engaged suc- cessfully in general practice there, and at one time he owned two apothecary shops in the city.

A tinge of romance surrounds his marriage, as his wife, Elizabeth Hellen Gordon, was a mem- ber of the Catholic branch of the family while he was a Protestant in religious faith, and the oppo- sition of the lady's brothers, John W., George and Charles, formed for a time a serious obsta- cle to the, union. About 1848 he came to `America, leaving his wife and children in Glas- gow, and for five years he was not heard from. Hoping to gain some knowledge of him, his wife disposed of their property and followed him to this country, with five of their six children, the eldest son remaining in Madrid, where he was at- tending college at the time. After a short period they located in this county, in what is now known as South Center District, of the town of Newtown, where the wife and mother died in 1853. Of the six children, John, the eldest, our subject's father, is mentioned more fully below. William married Margaret Egan, and made his home at Newtown, Conn .; James enlisted when eighteen years old in the Union army, and met a soldier's death at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Georgianna married John Ennis, of Ansonia; Elizabeth married Edward Eagan, of Newtown; and Ina married William Baum, of New Haven, Connecticut.

John Gordon, the father of our subject, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1832, and was carefully educated, having the advantage of study in several noted European schools. In 1851 he followed the family to America, but as he did

not know where any of them were to be found, he was in sore perplexity for a time. On landing in New York City he called upon James Gordon Bennett, who had been a friend and college chum at Paris; but his reception was not as cordial as he had expected. He then turned his attention to the search for his family, and finally found them at Newtown, where he remained some eight months. He then joined the regular army, and from 1852 to 1857 served as a scout on the frontier. On his return to the East he learned of his mother's death, and after a three- months' sojourn he went South. At one time while in Texas he found himself penniless, but securing a position as a cattle drover he worked his way to St. Louis, Mo., where he entered the ordnance corps at the arsenal. Being an accom- plished linguist, speaking German, French and Spanish as well as English, he was appointed, at the outbreak of the Civil War, to the charge of all equipment issued from the department at St. Louis to the department of the Southwest and the forces under Generals Grant and Sherman, which position he held until the close of the war, with the rank of sergeant. When peace was re- stored he took charge of girls numbering about two hundred, whose duties were to remove the powder and balls from millions of cartridges, and he continued this work until his death, which occurred January 4, 1867. In 1861, while re- siding in St. Louis, he came East and married Miss Margaret Colgan, a native of Westmeath, Ireland, whose father, James Colgan, was a teacher in the national school there, and who died in the year 1863 at Newtown, Connecticut.

Our subject, who was the only child of this marriage, was born in St. Louis, December 22, 1862. After his father's death his mother brought him to Newtown, arriving in August, 1868, and from his sixth to his sixteenth year he attended the public schools of that town. In the meantime his mother married a second husband, Joseph Lavery, boss machinist in the rubber fac- tory. In the fall of 1877 Doctor Gordon entered St. Charles College, at Ellicott City, Md., near Baltimore, and after completing a three-years' course there he pursued his studies at St. John's College at Fordham, N. Y., where he received the degree of A. B. in 1885. He then began his preparation for the medical profession in the office of Dr. Robert Hubbard, of Bridgeport, this county, and in October, 1885. he entered the medical department of the University of New York, where he attended lectures for three win- ters, his vacations being spent in study with Doc- tor Hubbard. In 1888, after securing the degree of M. D., he took the civil service examination

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for a position on the staff of physicians attached to the asylums of New York City, and, the result being satisfactory, he obtained the coveted post, and at the end of the first year was promoted to the rank of first assistant. The work afforded most valuable opportunities for gaining pro- fessional knowledge and skill, and after two years and a half he resigned to engage in private practice in Bridgeport. where he remained about four years. As might be expected in the case of one of his attainments, he met with success from the start, and during his stay there he served as physician to the county jail for two years, and as one of the staff of the Emergency Hospital for three years. On July 15, 1895. he opened an office in Sandy Hook, where he speedily built up a large and lucrative practice. While his pro- fessional work occupies his time to the exclusion of other interests, he is in sympathy with all pro- gressive movements in his locality, and although he is not an office seeker he wields much influence in a quiet way as a member of the Democratic party. He has served on the board of education of Newtown. Conn., and he is one of the leading members of St. Rose's Catholic Church at New- town, Conn. He belongs to the Bridgeport Medical Society, the Fairfield County Medical Society, and the State Medical Society.

In June, 1890, Doctor Gordon was married to Miss Louisa Telgmann, third daughter of Dr. Jene Ferdinand Telgmann, of Kingston, Ontario, a native of Germany, who was sent by the German Government to Canada to attend to matters.re- lating to a settlement there. On the maternal side Mrs. Gordon is a great-granddaughter of Johan Jacob Leonardi, who served as minister of war in Germany during the time of Louis Na- poleon. One daughter, Margaret Doretta Leon- ardi Gordon, has blessed the union.

HOMAS JUDD AND HIS DESCENDANTS. Thomas Judd came from England in 1633 or 1634, and settled at Cambridge, Mass. His home lot of four acres, granted in August, 1634, was in that part of Cambridge called the "West End," on the northeast side of the highway to Watertown. He built a house upon this lot. His name was among those who were to receive their portion of the meadow ground, August 20, 1635, and also in the list of those who had a house or houses in Cambridge in February, 1636. He was admitted freeman of the Colony, May 25, 1636. In 1636, he removed to Hartford, and it is not improbable that he was one of that company, of about a hundred men, women and children, who departed from Cambridge on the last day of May, 1636,

and traveled through the wilderness to the Con- necticut river, His house lot at Hartford is thus described in the records: "One parcel of land on which his dwelling house now standeth, with other outhouses, yards and gardens thereon be- ing, containing by estimation two acres, more or less. Abutting on the highway leading from Will- iam Gibbons's to the ox pasture on the east, on James Cole's land on the south, on the highway leading from John Moody's towards Wethersfield on the west, and on Mr. Willys's land on the north." Thomas Judd's house lot was on the south side of Willys's home lot, which is distin- guished by the Charter Oak, and both lots ex- tended westward to the highway leading to Weth- ersfield.

Thomas Judd was one of the first proprietors and settlers of Farmington. The year in which he removed from Hartford is not known, but it was apparently about 1644. His home lot was the third lot from the north end of the main street, on both sides of the street, and extended westward to the Farmington river. He was a substantial farmer and an influential man. Farm- ington first sent deputies, viz .. Stephen Hart and Thomas Judd, to the General Court in May, 1647. Thomas Judd was subsequently a deputy at the May session, 1648; May, 1649; September, 1650; September, 1651; February, 1657; October, 1658; October, 1659; May and October. 1661, 1662, 1663; May, 1666; October, 1668; October, 1670; May and October, 1677; May, 1678; and Octo- ber, 1679.

The wife of Thomas Judd died in Farming- ton, perhaps about 1678; her death is not re- corded. Thomas Mason, of North Hampton, died in 1678, leaving a widow (Clemence) with a good estate, and no children. On December 2, 1679, Thomas Judd married Widow Clemence Mason, and he resided with her in North Hampton most of the time during the remainder of his life. Her homestead was on the east side of Pleasant street, the front extending from two or three rods below the great elm down to Hawley street, and she owned about forty acres of meadow land. Thomas Judd was one of the selectmen of North Hamp- ton in 1682. His youngest son, Samuel, came to North Hampton and lived with his father, and after his decease took care of his widow, Clem- ence, and she gave to him her estate.

Thomas Judd was a member of the Church under the care of Rev. Thomas Hooker and Rev. Samuel Stone, both at Cambridge and Hartford, and his connection with the Hartford Church con- tinued until a Church was gathered at Farming- ton, October 13. 1652. Some of his children were carried from Farmington to Hartford to be

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baptized. He was one of the seven pillars of the Church at Farmington at its organization, and his wife united in November, 1652. The first pastor was Rev. Roger Newton. 1652, and the second Rev. Samuel Hooker, 1661. Stephen Hart was the first deacon, and Thomas Judd the the second. In what year the latter was chosen deacon is uncertain. He is styled . deacon " in the Connecticut Colony record. in 1668 and after, and he bore the same title in North Hamp- ton. Deacon Thomas Judd died November 12. 1688. His death is not in the North Hampton record. but it was registered by the county clerk at Springfield. His age must have been about eighty, perhaps above. His second wife, Clem- ence, died November 22, 1696. He was prob- ably married before he came from England, but neither the family name nor the Christian name of his first wife has been found. He settled his estate by deeds. and not by will. Several of his deeds to his children are dated in 1683, 1684 and 1685.

Deacon Thomas Judd was one of the eighty- four proprietors of Farmington among whom the lands of that extensive township, now embracing five or six townships, were to be divided, accord- ing to an agreement made January S, 1673. Many divisions were made after his decease, and administrators on his estate were appointed once or twice after 1708. Large tracts of his land were distributed to his children and grandchildren at several times between 1708 and 1730. Five of his sons were also among the eighty-four pro- prietors. Samuel was not of age in 1673, and not a proprietor. In March, 1662, the General Court granted to Thomas Judd, probably for some pub- lic service. 200 acres of land, which were located, and called Judd's Farm, but some years after the land was found to be within the bounds of Wal- lingford and was given up, an equivalent being taken elsewhere.

Il. Thomas Judd had nine children, viz., six sons and three daughters. No record of their birth can now be found, but from records at Hart- ford and Farmington the order of birth is ascer- tained, excepting in regard to the two oldest, and some knowledge is obtained in regard to the years in which they were born, though not so exact as is desirable. When Thomas Judd died he had a large number of grandchildren, each of his sons anddaughters having had children. (1) Elizabeth, (2) William, both born from 1633 to 1636 (it is not known which was the eldest); (3) Thomas, born about 1638; (4) John, born about 1640 (called thirty-six years of age in 1676); (5) Ben- jamin, born about 1642; (6) Mary, born about 1644; (7) Ruth, born in 1647, baptized February

7, 1647; (8) Philip, born in 1649, baptized September 2, 1649; and (9) Samuel, born about 1651 or 1653. Waterbury, called by the Indians Mattatuck, began to be settled by families from Farmington about 1677. Among the early set- tlers were Thomas Judd and Philip Judd, sons of Deacon Thomas Judd: and, a few years later. Thomas Judd, son of William Judd. Four of the sons of Thomas Judd, contemplating a removal to Mattatuck, and being members of the Church, desired the advice of their brethren in the Church. The following counsel was given, and is recorded in the Church records of Farmington:

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 57

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