Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 70

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

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During the past year Schleicher & Sons have opened a warehouse in the Burlington Arcade (where the main office is also located ), which is under the management of Andrew J. Schleicher. The New York City warerooms, managed by George Schleicher, are located at No. 9 West Fourteenth street. They have a third ware- house at Mt. Vernon, N. Y., of which John C. Schleicher has charge. Pianos are sold and shipped direct from Stamford, Conn., to every State and Territory in the Union. These brothers are all distinguished as experts in their line, and this, united with their equally prominent traits of business and executive ability, has been the power which caused such steady development and widening of their interests over the country.

They are highly esteemed by all who come in contact with them, on any occasion, for their recognized fairness, capacity and genuine worth.

H ENRY HORN. Industry, frugality and honesty make an excellent foundation for success in life, and the subject of this brief biog- raphy, a prosperous farmer and florist of South- port, has shown that he possesses in a high de- gree all of these desirable characteristics.

Like many of the leading citizens of the country, Mr. Horn is of German birth, having been born October 1. 1827, at Nassau, Germany, opposite Bingen-on-the-Rhine, a son of John and Anna Horn, who both died in Germany, the parents of four sons and one daughter, our sub- ject being the youngest but one, and the only one to come to America. The father owned a vineyard in Germany, was fairly well-to-do, and reared his sons in the school of honest labor.

Our subject received a good education in his native city, after which he served three years at the florist business, in Mayence, Hessen-Darm- stadt, completing his apprenticeship in 1845, during which time he received only his board by way of compensation. When he became of age he joined the German army, and participated in the war of 1849 between Prussia and Denmark, immediately after his discharge again taking up the business of florist, in which he continued until the spring of 1852, when he decided to try his fortune in the New World, with its illimitable resources. Sailing down the Rhine from May- ence to Rotterdam, in Holland, he crossed the North Sea to London, England, where he took passage on the sailing ship . Margaret Evans," bound for New York, where he arrived after a voyage of thirty days. Accompanying him was another German florist, and on Staten Island they. together, soon succeeded in securing work in their line. After four months, however, Mr. Horn went to Madison, N. J., where for seven years he was a florist and gardener for Judge La- throp. In the fall of 1859 he left this place for New York, where he expected to fill a position as florist, but found that he had been forstalled, so during the winter of 1859-60 he was out of work. In March, 1860, he came to Southport, having accepted a position with Frederick Mar- quand to take charge of his extensive green houses. With this gentleman he remained until early in 1862. in April of which year he bought. from Samuel Pike, five acres of land on Sasco Hill, whereon he built a small house, and which exhausted all his savings; but his credit was good. These few acres he planted with onions

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and potatoes, and by dint of hard work pros- pered, in course of time branching out into the florist business, adding other land to his first pur- chase, and as his family grew up he had their help.

On September 3, 1857. Mr. Horn was mar- ried in Madison, N. J., to Miss Phoebe Anderson, a native of County Cavan, Ireland, born in 1829. and who came to the United States in 1851. Children as follows were born of this union: Isabella, who died at the age of eleven years; John, a farmer of Southport; Henrietta, wife of Arthur Sherman, of Southport; George T .. at home; Charles, deceased when twenty- seven years old; Henry W., at home: and Vir- ginia, who died in childhood. The mother of these was called from earth July 12. 1892, and her remains now rest in Oakland cem- etery. In religious faith Mr. Horn attends the services of the Episcopal Church; in politics, he is a stanch Democrat, and he has twice been selectman, being first elected to that office in 1892, and serving continuously to date, except from the fall of 1896 to the fall of 1897. He is one of the best-known old citizens of the town, respected by everyone. His comfortable home stands on an elevation, commanding a view of the Sound for many miles east and west, and is the abode of peace and hospitality. Mr. Horn is one of the self-made men of Fairfield, and one of the most representative of the German citi- zens. He has been very successful.

A UGUSTUS I. MEAD. The Mead family. which is probably more numerously repre- sented than any other in the town of Greenwich, has been noted from pioneer times for the quali- ties that go to the making of good citizens. In war and peace its members have been willing to do their share toward the maintenance of right and justice, as shown in the more complete ac- counts of various branches of the family.

The subject of this sketch, a prominent busi- ness man of Belle Haven, in the town of Green- wich, is of the eighth generation in direct descent from John Mead (1), who came from England about 1642 [other authorities say 1635], and set- tled in Greenwich in 1660 with his two sons, John and Joseph. The line of descent is traced through John, son of the pioneer; Ebenezer (1); Ebenezer (2); Abraham, who served as an officer in the Revolutionary army; Isaac, the grandfather of our subject: and Hon. Augustus Mead, our subject's father, who was for many years a lead- ing citizen of Greenwich, serving as a repre- sentative from the town in the State Legislature

and as probate judge of his district. Our sub- ject's mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth L. Mead, was also a descendant of John, the pioneer, the line being traced through Ebenezer (2) to Deliverance Mead, her grandfather, and Ephraim Mead, her father, who was a well-known resident of Greenwich in his day. The father of our subject died April 22, 1864, and the mother passed away April 4. 1890. This worthy couple had four children: Nelson B., now a resident of Belle Haven; Augustus I., our subject; his twin brother, Oliver Z., who died in infancy; and Sam- uel Close, who also died in infancy.

Augustus J. Mead was born November 21. 1861, at the old homestead in Field Point. where his family have owned a large tract of land since the days of his great-grandfather, Captain Abram, the Revolutionary hero. Our subject's youth was spent mainly at the old homestead, which still remains in the possession of the family, and after a preparatory course in the academy at Greenwich he attended the " Gunnery," at Wash- ington, Conn. On leaving this institution he returned to Belle Haven, and remained at the homestead with his widowed mother for a time; but in 1886 he built a handsome dwelling in Field Point road, where he has since resided. He gives his attention to the real-estate business, his con- servative management giving him a high standing in financial circles. Before he attained his ma- jority Mr. Mead was appointed clerk and assist- ant in the Probate office in Greenwich, a position which he filled acceptably for about ten years. In manner he is quiet and undemonstrative, and he has never sought prominence in public life. While he is a firm believer in the principles of the Republican party. and gives his support to the State and National ticket, he is not a strict party man in local affairs, preferring to vote for the candidate whose personal fitness ensures sat- isfaction.

In 1886 Mr. Mead was married, in Green- wich, to Miss Mary E. Mead, daughter of Solo- mon Mead, a leading resident of that town. Two children have blessed this union: Mildred and Stewart Augustus. Mr. Mead and his wife are prominent in the best social circles of the local- ity, and both are members of the Congregational Church at Greenwich.

D OCTOR RALPH N. BETTS, JR., of Sandy Hook, for about thirty years was prominent as a dentist, his practice being one of the most extensive in this region, but of late he has turned his attention to mercantile pursuits in Sandy Hook. He has won success in that line also, and

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his wide popularity among the people of his vicinity is doubtless a factor in the development of the trade enjoyed by him.

THE BETTS FAMILY GENEALOGY .* Thomas Betts, the ancestor of the family, was born in Smithfield, London, England, in 1618. He brought to America with him a Bible, dated 1591, which is still in the possession of a descendant of the family. He died in Norwalk, Conn., in 1688, aged seventy years. He was one of the forty original planters of the town of Guilford. Conn., 1639, being then but twenty-one years of age. His house lot in Guilford was opposite the old stone house built by Rev. Henry Whitfield, 1639, that served as a fort for the planters, and it is still (1899) standing. The Betts house was taken down in 1895. Thomas Betts remained in Guil- ford about twenty-one years, when he went to Mil- ford, Conn., where he remained about one year. From there he moved to Norwalk. and in the rec- ords of that locality, 1661, he is described as a "planter inhabiting in Norwalk." His name appears in May, 1672, at the head of a list of fourteen residents of Norwalk, who petitioned for and received a grant of land, for the beginning of a plantation, which was afterward known as the town of Wilton, and there many of his descend- ants lived.

The names and dates of birth of the children of Thomas and Mary Betts are as follows: Thomas, 1644; Mary, 1646; John. 1650; Hannah, 1652; Stephen, 1655; Daniel, 1659; Samuel, April 4. 1660; James, 1663: and Sarah. 16 -. The first six were born in Guilford, Conn .. Samuel in Milford, and James and Sarah in Norwalk.

Samuel, seventh child of Thomas and Mary Betts, born at Milford April 4. 1660, married Judith Reynolds, December 10. 1692. Their children were: Mary. Samuel. Stephen. Nathan, Hephzibah and Judith.

Samuel, second child of Samuel and Judith Betts. married Dorothy [last name not traced]: children: Stephen, Thaddeus. Samuel, Rebecca and David. Of these, Stephen married Mary Burwell April 14, 1747: Thaddeus [not traced. supposed to have been a bachelor]; Samuel married Sarah Raymond: Rebecca mar- ried Hezekiah de Forest; David married Betty Cole. daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Belden) Cole, of Norwalk; they settled in Wilton, Fair- field county, where David died December, 1767, aged thirty-seven; his widow, Betty (Cole) Betts, married in 1770 Capt. Caleb Baldwin. of New- town, and had one child, Caleb. born October

15, 1772, and died December 10, 1844; she died June 20, 1787, aged fifty-six. The children of David and Betty (Cole) Betts were: (1) Jared, baptized March 23, 1755. married twice; no children. (2) Nathan, baptized January 15, 1758, killed in the war of 1776-77. (3) Mary, baptized April 5. 1761, married Capt. Josiah Lacey, of Bridgeport, 1776. (4) Abner (great- grandfather of our subject), baptized August 21, 1763, married Huldah Northrop, daughter of John Northrop, of Newtown, Conn. Abner died November 6. 1802, his wife on October 15, 1804. Their children were: David, born February 15, 1786, died January 6, 1877, aged ninety-one; Nathaniel (our subject's grandfather), born Febru- ary 2, 1788. died September 15, 1851, aged sixty-three: Betsey, born January 12, 1789, died April 17, 1818, aged twenty-nine; Polly. born December 28. 1792. died July 14. 1798, aged six years; John, born December 12, 1794, died December 31, 1829, aged thirty-five. Abner, the father of these, removed from Wilton to New- town, locating in Palestine District, where his last years were spent. Of his sons were David, Nathaniel and John. of whom David and Na- thaniel were reared in Woodbury, Conn., by their uncle. Deacon Elijah Sherman, and both were taught the tanner's trade, which they fol- lowed as their life vocation.

David Betts, first child of Abner and Huldah (Northrop) Betts, married Anna Maria de For- est, daughter of John and Abigail (Walker) de Forest, of Woodbury. Conn., and they had nine children: Charles, Cornelia, George. David, Mary Ann, Marcus. Henry, Sarah and John. David Betts died January 6, 1877; his wife, Anna Maria de Forest, passed away October 27, 1870.

Nathaniel, second son of Abner and Huldah Betts, and the grandfather of our subject, mar- ried Marinda Masters, who died January 2. 1854, aged sixty-three, and their children were: (1) Caroline, born March 28, 1810, died October 11, 1828. She was at school in Schenectady, N. Y., and died at the home of her great-uncle, Jared Betts, who for his second wife married a widow, the mother of General Wool. (2) Ralph Nathaniel (subject's father), of whom further mention will presently be made.

(3) Alfred Betts, second son of Nathaniel and Marinda (Masters) Betts, married (first) Frances Amanda Miner October 14, 1840. She died Oc- tober 28. 1850, aged twenty-six. Their children were: Frances Sabrina, Gilbert, Walter W. and Edwin M. Alfred Betts married (second) Julia Lake, who died October 17, 1887, aged fifty- two; their children were: Perry, Jennie, Hattie

' Family Seal- Wortham Hall. Suffolk County. " Betts." Coat of Arms-Sable on a bend argent. three cinque-foils, quies: all within a border engrailed on the scrawl. Crest-Cut of a Ducal coronet. gold on a buck's head gules attired gold

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and Wilson. Alfred Betts died March 26, 1880, aged sixty-five.

(4) Charles Betts, son of Nathaniel and Ma- rinda (Masters) Betts, born February 17, 1826, and died September 2, 1894, married Rebecca Barnard; no children.

Betsey Betts, daughter of Abner and Huldah (Northrop) Betts, born January 12, 1789. died April 17, 1818, aged twenty-nine. She married Deacon Nathaniel Miner, of Woodbury, Conn., and had one child. Julia Miner, who married Amos Eno Allen February 8, 1832. She died October 3, 1844, aged thirty-two. Their chil- dren were: Emily W., Mary J. and Chauncey F. John Betts, son of Abner and Huldah (North- rop) Betts, born December 12, 1794, died De- cember 31, 1829, aged thirty-five. He married Mary Ann Peck, of Sandy Hook. Conn., who died aged ninety-one. They had one child, Charlotte Betts, who married (first) a Mr. Evarts and had two children; wedded (second) a Mr. Savoy. [Number of children not recorded. ]

Nathaniel Betts, our subject's grandfather [see above]. was about twelve years old when he went to Woodbury, where he made his perma- nent home. He became one of the substantial citizens of the town, owning a tannery and a farm. which he conducted successfully, and in later years he was also interested in the manufacture of shoes. In religious faith he was an Episco- palian.

Dr. Ralph N. Betts, Sr., our subject's father, was born in Woodbury township, Litchfield county, August 24, 1812, and in his youth stud- ied dentistry with his brother, Charles, who was then practicing in Amenia, N. Y., as both a physician and a dentist, although later he de- voted his time to dentistry. After acquiring a knowledge of the business, our subject's father located at Woodbury, Conn., where he estab- lished a lucrative practice, extending up the Housatonic as far north as New Canaan, up the Naugatuck railroad as far as Winsted, and up the Harlem railroad as far as Boston Four Corners. becoming known as one of the leading dentists of this section. He was a man of talent, fond of reading, and as a citizen was always public- spirited and progressive. Politically, he was a stanch Democrat. His death occurred February 5, 1896; his widow. Anna (Plowman), to whom he was married in 1840, is still living. . She was born at Christchurch, Hants (Hampshire). Eng- land, in 1820, a daughter of Samuel and Martha Plowman, and came to America when fourteen years old. They had three children: (1) Ralph N., Jr., our subject. (2) James Slade (1). born in Brooklyn, N. Y., September 14, 1844, and died

there December 1, 1845. (3) James Slade (2), born February 25. 1847, in Woodbury, Conn., and died in Middletown, Conn., February 18, 1889; he was a bright young man, a druggist by occupation, and after spending seven years in the business, the last two years as a clerk in Lewis W. Booth's drug store at Bridgeport, Conn., he was seized with a severe attack of typhoid fever, brought on by overwork, suffering two relapses, which so seriously affected him that he was finally placed in Middletown Asylum.

Dr. R. N. Betts, Jr., our subject, was born September 25, 1841, at Woodbury, Conn., where his education was obtained in the public schools and the academy. When about sixteen years old he left school, and the next two years he spent as a clerk in the store of Mr. Newton, at Oakville, Conn. He then went to Water- bury, Conn., to take a similar position in a gen- tlemen's furnishing store; but after four years he decided to enter the profession of dentistry, for which he prepared by a course of study with his uncle. then a dentist at Mt. Kisco, N. Y. At the end of his term of apprenticeship he located at Woodbury, where his business occupied his time for one week in a month, and soon after, in 1866, he established branch offices in Sandy Hook and Brookfield, this county, devoting one week in a month to each. His spare time was given to occasional visits to Torrington and Waterbury, and in this way he spent about three years. His business at Sandy Hook becoming a substantially profitable one, he settled there and continued in practice successfully until 1893. when he became identified with mercantile life. During his thirty years of practice he gained an enviable reputation, his business extending over a wide range of territory surrounding Sandy Hook.

The Doctor is a firm believer in the principles of the Democratic party, but he has never been active in politics. He takes an interest in all progressive movements in his locality, and is prominent in religious work as a member of St. John's Episcopal Church, of which he has been treasurer since its organization as an independ- ent Society.

On December 24, 1873, the Doctor was mar- ried to Miss Mary Jane Elizabeth Hough, by whom he has had seven children, whose names with dates of birth are as follows: Ralph G., June 13, 1875; Charles E., September 28, 1876; James Milton, April 9, 1878; William Ernest, February 4, 1881; Gustavus A., November 9, 1882; Anna May, May 5. 1886, and William A., February 17, 1888. All are yet living except William Ernest, who died August 21, 1886.

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Mrs. Betts was born in Sandy Hook in 1851, a daughter of Gustavus A. Hough, a highly- respected resident of that place. He is a native of East Schuyler, N. Y., whence he came to Sandy Hook in 1846 to take a position in the rubber factory, with which he has now been con- nected for more than forty-four years. In 1853 he went to California, where he spent six years in mining, but since his return he has held the post of superintendent of the second rubber works, being at present the oldest employe in the company, and he was the first calender man to come to the town. He married Miss Jane Daniels, then of Sandy Hook, but formerly of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., whose father, Benajah Daniels, was a native of Wareham, England. Mrs. Betts was the elder of two daughters, the younger of whom, Martha T., born in 1861, died in 1863.

R OYAL HOLMES, a well-known florist and ! landscape gardener of Shelton, is one of the most enterprising business men of that locali- ty. He has a large and constantly-growing trade among the best people, and the demand for his flowers outside of his immediate neighborhood has led him to open a branch store at No. 11 Elizabeth street, Derby.

Mr. Holmes is of English descent in both paternal and maternal lines. William Holmes (1), his grandfather. who was a carpet manufact- urer, passed his entire life in the old country. William Holmes (2), the father of our subject, was born in England, and for some years of his early manhood followed the trade of machinist there. He married Miss Lucy Walker, a native of Yorkshire. England, and on coming to America with his family he located first in Derby, where he continued to work at his trade. In 1868 he engaged in business as a florist at Huntington (now Shelton), and for about twenty-five years he carried on that enterprise with marked suc- cess. He was a believer in the principles of the Republican party, and in religious faith he was an Episcopalian. Of his ten children, the eldest, Joshua, is a machinist in Shelton; Mary Ann, who died December 18, 1875. married William Webster, a native of England and a machinist by trade; Walter died at the age of sixteen; Lucy married William Reed, a tackmaker, then resid- ing in Derby, but who is now in the employ of the Elgin Watch Company, Elgin, Ill .: William is foreman of the plating department of the Derby Silver Company; Lillie married Frederick Valentine, a tailor at Sing Sing, N. Y; Emma died at an early age; Florence married Leonard

Davis, an architect at Great Hill, Conn., but now residing in Omaha, Neb .; Royal, our subject, is mentioned more fully below; Josephine mar- ried Frank North, then a machinist at Ansonia, who is now employed by the Elgin Watch Com- pany.

Roval Holmes was born February 12, 1864, at Shelton, and his education was secured in the schools of that village. At the age of sixteen he began to learn the machinist's trade with the Farrell Machine Company, at Ansonia. After two years with that firm he was employed for about a year by the Bassett Machine Company, of Derby, and on leaving them he began to assist his father, acquiring a thorough knowledge of the florist business. Since the death of the father he has had full charge of the business, which is conducted under his own name. His artistic taste and sound judgment are frequently called into service by the wealthy residents of his locality for the beautifying of their grounds, etc., and he has won an enviable reputation by his skillful work. While he is not an active politi- cian, he nevertheless is interested in the various questions of the day, and is a stanch Republican.

On January 21, 1885, Mr. Holmes married Miss Emma Coney, of Woodbridge, Conn., and four children have been born to them: William F .: Ethel May: Clarence, now deceased; and Pauline. Mrs. Holmes is of English extraction, and her father. William Coney, a veteran of the Mexican war, is a prominent citizen of Wood- bridge.

R OBERT H. BEERS. "History," says a well-known writer, "is best studied in biography," indeed history is biography, the story of collective humanity as influenced by in- dividuals, and this volume holds, in its records of separate achievement in various lines, informa- tion which will be of inestimable value to the future historian of this section. In the peaceful contests of business life the subject of this sketch, a leading merchant of Newtown, has won an honorable name for himself, and an account of his life will be of lasting interest.

Mr. Beers belongs to an old and highly- esteemed family. and was born in Palestine Dis- trict, Newtown, August 31, 1866, a son of George and a grandson of Lemuel Beers, both of whom were natives of the same town and district. After acquiring a practical education in the common schools near his early home Mr. Beers took a complete commercial course in Hill's Business College, at Bridgeport, graduating when he was about eighteen years old. He then spent six or

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seven years as a clerk in the store of E. F. Haw- ley, and later engaged in general mercantile business on his own account at the "corner store " formerly occupied by Baldwin & Beers. Henry Sanford, and, later, Edgar F. Hawley- a building at the corner of Main and West streets, Newtown. His partner in this enter- prise is H. G. Curtis, a brother-in-law, and they have successfully conducted the business since June 1, 1892. They have now a most profitable trade, the largest, perhaps, of any store in the locality. and everything points to a bright future for them.

On June 7. 1894, Mr. Beers married Miss Sarah Edmond Sanford, daughter of Henry San- ford, one of the most prominent merchants of Newtown, and one son has blessed the union, Henry Sanford Beers. The family is identified with Trinity Episcopal Church at 'Newtown, of which Mr. Beers is a leading member. While he is a public-spirited citizen he does not take an active part in movements of a political nature, though he is a stanch Republican, like all of his family, and his influence is none the less potent for being exercised in an unofficial way.

A MOS HICKS MEAD, a prominent young business man of Greenwich, belongs to a family that has long been noted for the qualities that constitute good citizenship, and he worthily represents the name. Steady and reliable, he is a man who commands the confidence of others. and he is best liked where he is best known.

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 70

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