USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut > Part 76
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On May 9, 1858, Mr. Scofield was married to Miss Lydia E. Ferris, of Stamford, who was born May 7, 1833, and died November 13, 1867. On June 16, 1869, he married Miss Emma E. Rose, of Suffield, Conn. By the first union he had one son, Arthur F., born May 20, 1859, who now resides at Holyoke, Mass. There were two children by the second marriage: Julia Rose, born March 5, 1871; and James Bell, born April 12, 1875, who died March 30, 1876.
ON. AARON SANFORD. A varied ex- perience in public life has given this well- known citizen of Newtown a wide acquaintance- ship in political circles, and for years he has been regarded as one of the leading advisers of the Democratic party in this section. His election to the General Assembly in 1896, in his seventy- second year, and his able service during his term, indicate a vigor of mind and body which is unusual, and have added new laurels to those previously won in positions of trust and responsi- bility, including that of member of the Assembly of 1850. He is also prominent in financial circles, and, while he has devoted much of his time to the management of his farm near New- town village, he has often been called upon to administer estates, and is active in banking operations, having recently been elected presi- dent of the Newtown Savings Bank, while for many years he was a director of that institution.
Mr. Sanford is a descendant of an old Eng- lish family, of which an extended account is given farther on. The first one of the name to come to America was Thomas Sanford, a pioneer of Milford, Conn., and the line is traced through Ezekiel, Ezekiel, Jr., Lemuel, Hezekiah, Aaron, and Aaron, Jr., to our subject. Lemuel San-
ford, the great-great-grandfather of our subject, was a resident of Redding Centre, this county, where he was prominent in public affairs, serv- ing as one of the first committeemen of the little colony there, and he is also named among the first members of the Congregational Church of Redding.
Hezekiah Sanford, our subject's great-grand- father, was a prosperous farmer at Redding Centre, occupying the homestead now owned by Mr. Delavan.
Aaron Sanford, Sr., our subject's grandfather, resided in Redding Centre, in the house now oc- cupied by Mrs. Connors. He was the first male member of the Methodist Church in New Eng- land, and in 1790, when the first class was organ- ized in Redding, he became its leader. His hos- pitable home was a regular stopping place for the itinerant minister of that early day, and meet- ings were often held there. In his later years he became a local preacher, and his work proved most acceptable to the congregation. He lived to the age of ninety-two.
Aaron Sanford, Jr., the father of our subject, was born July 8, 1786, and died August 22, 1872. He made his home on Redding Ridge, in the eastern part of Redding township, and became one of the principal land-owners of that locality, having about five hundred acres. He was a lead- ing member of the Methodist Church, was promi- nent in the town and county politics, and was a member of the Legislature in 1818 and 1824. While he served at one time as town agent, he seemed averse to holding office, and when offered the position of high sheriff he declined to accept it. On December 19, 1813, he married Miss Fanny Hill, daughter of Andrew L. Hill, and she survived him a few years, her death occur- ring February 21, 1875. The following children were born of this union: Andrew H., Daniel, Mary, Clara, Henry, Aaron, Fanny, Jesse L., Mary, Elizabeth, John and Julia H. Of these, Daniel, Jesse L., John and Julia H. reside at and near the old homestead. Henry became inter- ested in the Adams Express Company, for many years was superintendent, and for several years held the office of president, at a salary of $30,000 annually.
Hon. Aaron Sanford, our subject, was born in January, 1825, and his boyhood was mainly spent in the town of Redding. After securing such pre- liminary training as the local schools afforded, he attended a school at White Plains, N. Y., for a time, and about 1844 he completed a course of study in the academy at Amenia, Dutchess Co., N. Y., under the instruction of Prof. Erastus E. Haven. On leaving school he remained at home
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until the spring of 1848, when he located at his present farm. With characteristic energy he for some time gave his attention to farm work, but his ability and public spirit soon brought him into prominence in local affairs. ` He was first elected constable, then, in 1857. he was made deputy sheriff under Sheriff Van Zandt, and so well did he perform the duties of the office that in 1877 he was elected sheriff for the term of three years. During that time he was called upon to conduct the first execution which had taken place in the county in sixty years. In the performance of his duties, especially as deputy sheriff, he had many encounters with desperate criminals, and his courage and skill as a detective won for him high praise from the better classes in the community. While serving in the Legis- lature he formed friends with many noted men, and he has been in more or less intimate relations with all the prominent political workers in the State for a half-century. Among the local offices which he has held from time to time may be mentioned the assessorship and membership in the board of relief. while he has also served three or four terms as selectman.
In 1848 Mr. Sanford was married to Miss Flora J. Beardsley, daughter of Israel A. and Esther Toucey Beardsley, and first cousin to Hon. Isaac Toucey, formerly governor of Con- necticut, United States Senator and a member of two Presidential cabinets. Two children were born to this union, namely: (1) Mary Elizabeth married Harley T. Procter, of the firm of Procter & Gamble, soap manufacturers of Cincinnati, Ohio; (2) William H., who graduated from Yale College in 1884, is connected with the business department of the Century Company, of New York City, and has already made a fine reputation for ability. The family is prominent socially, and is identified with the Episcopal Church in Newtown, of which Mr. Sanford is a leading member. He is also active as a worker in the Masonic Fraternity, being a member of Eureka Lodge, F. & A. M., at Bethel.
WHE SANFORD FAMILY is of English origin and the Connecticut branch is doubtless descended from an ancient Shropshire clan, whose founder, Thomas de Sandford, a Norman follower of William the Conqueror, is mentioned on the roll of Battle Abbey, October 14, 1066. His son, Sir Thomas de Sandford, held, in the time of King Henry I, the manors of Rothal and Sandford, and the latter is still in the possession of his descendants, being one of the few estates in England which are held in the name of the first
feoffee. The motto of the family is " Nec temere, Nec timide," and the armorial bearings, accord- ing to' the mysterious yet significant language of heraldry, are ** quarterly I and 4 per chevron sa. and erm., in chief two boars' heads couped close, or 2 and 3 quarterly per fesse indented azure and ermine." The crest is " a falcon with wings en- dorsed preying on a partridge ppr."
There are other families of the same name in England, some of whom use a different spell- ing. and one, which is of almost equal antiquity to that mentioned, traces its descent from John de Sanford, Lord of Great Homede, County Herts, whose name is found in the records as far back as 1199 and 1220. His son, Gilbert de Sanford, Lord of Great Homede, was chamber- lain to Queen Eleanor, the wife of King Henry III, and daughter of Raimond Berenger, the last count of Provence.
The first of the name to come to America was Thomas Sanford. who landed in Boston about 1631. He is mentioned in the records of various places, the name being sometimes spelled Sampford or Samford, and was in Dorchester, Mass., in 1634, and in Milford, Conn., in 1639, his name appearing among those of the men who organized the town. He died there in October, 1681, and his wife, Sarah, whose maiden name is unknown, died in the same year. They had a large family of children, the first two of whom were born in Massachusetts. Ezekiel, born about 1635, married Rebecca Wickla; Sarah, born in 1637, married Richard Shute; Mary, born Janu- ary 16, 1641, did not marry; Samuel, born April 30, 1643, married Hannah Brinson; Thomas, born in December, 1644, married Elizabeth Payne; Ephraim, born May 17. 1646, married Mary Powell; and Elizabeth, born August 27, 1648, married Obadiah Allyne. The lines of descent from Ezekiel, Samuel and Ephraim are traced below, and wherever reference is made to them they will be distinguished by Roman num- erals indicating the second generation.
II. Ezekiel Sanford was born about 1635, and was married April 25, 1665, to Rebecca Wickla. He settled in Fairfield, this county, where his name appears in a list of freemen in 1669, and his death occurred there in 1683. His children were Sarah, born March 5, 1666, who became the wife of Cornelius Hull; Ezekiel, Jr., through whom some of the lines of descent in which we are interested are traced; Mary, born April 3. 1670, who married Theophilus Hull; Rebecca, born December 13, 1672, wife of John Seeley; Thomas, born May 2, 1675; Martha, born June 29, 1677; and Elizabeth, born Sep- tember 6, 1679.
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III. Ezekiel Sanford, Jr., son of Ezekiel II, was born March 6, 1668, and died in March, 1729, his will being dated January 29, of that year. By occupation he was an engineer, and had charge of the erection of the stockade fort at Saybrook, at the mouth of the Connecticut river, for protection against the Indians. After- ward he removed to Fairfield and built the first mill in the county, at Mill river, for which he received a large grant of land from the English government. He and his wife Rebecca, whose maiden name is not now recalled, reared a large family of children, viz .: Joseph, born about 1697; Lemuel, born December 16, 1699; Zach- ariah, born November 24, 1701, who married Ann Hull; Ezekiel (3), born July 27, 1704; Samuel, born February 20, 1707; Ephraim, born February 12, 1708; Rebecca, born November 21, 1710; Abigail, born August 29, 1714; and Elnathan, born September 1, 1717. Of these, Joseph, Lemuel, Samuel and Ephraim are men- tioned below, their descendants being traced in appropriate order.
IV. Joseph Sanford, son of Ezekiel, Jr., was born about 1697, and was married February 11, 1725, to Catherine Fairchild, by whom he had nine children, whose names with dates of birth are as follows : Nehemiah, March 10, 1726; Elnathan, October 11, 1727; Phoebe, November 11, 1729; Ann, February 15, 1732; Timothy, February 8, 1734; Joseph, June 20, 1736; Na- than, August 15, 1738; James, December 14, 1740, and Stephen, July 16, 1743.
V. Nehemiah Sanford, the eldest son of Joseph, and grandson of Ezekiel, Jr., died in November, 1815, at the age of ninety years. He was married March 5, 1747. to Elizabeth More- house, who died July 31, 1810. Of their chil- dren, Gershom, born August 26, 1748, died at an early age; Liffe is mentioned below; Phoebe, born August 20, 1752, died in early womanhood, . unmarried; Ann, born October 2, 1755, died January 8, 1846; Catherine, born October 31, 1759, died November 17, 1843; and Nehemiah, Jr., born in October, 1762, died December 26, 1844.
VI. Liffe Sanford, son of Nehemiah, and great-grandson of Ezekiel, Jr., was born August 30, 1750, and died December 3, 1815. He was married in 1785 to Huldah Blackman, and had five children: (1) John B., born in January, 1788, was married in 1812 to Rebecca Clark, and died in 1856. They had one son, George, born in 1814, and two daughters, Harriet R. and Julia E., both of whom died at an early age. (2) Jerusha, born in January, 1790, died in 1825. (3) Joseph, born April 12, 1792, died in 1864.
He was married in 1830, to Maria Young, by whom he had three daughters: Jane E., born September 22, 1832; Martha Ann. born June 11, 1835, and Eebecca M., born February 18, 1844. (4) Laura, born in April, 1794, was mar- ried in 1821 to Bushnell Bostwick, and her death occurred in 1857; she had one daughter, Julia E. Bostwick, born July 20, 1823. (5) Glover, born in March, 1797, died in 1878. He married Betsey Lake, and had five children, born as fol- lows-Charles H., March 24. 1823; Homer B., June, 1824; Frederick S., February, 1826; Ed- win G., May, 1832; and Charlotte E., May, 1838. The sons of Glover Sanford all moved to Bridge- port from Bridgewater, Conn. Charles H. and Edwin G., now living (Edwin G. is now presi- dent of the City National Bank ; Charles H. is retired); Homer and Fred are both deceased.
IV. Lemuel Sanford, son of Ezekiel, Jr., and grandson of Ezekiel II, was born December 16, 1699, and settled in the town of Redding, this county, where he became prominent as a citizen, serving as one of the first committeemen of the colony. He is named as an original member of the Congregational Church of that town. On May 12, 1730, he married Rebecca Squires, of Fairfield, by whom he had ten children, viz .: Hezekiah, born March 1, 1731; Rebecca, born October 29, 1732; Sarah, September. 11, 1734; Anna, October 19, 1736, died December 4, 1743; Lydia, born May 19, 1738; Lemuel, April 18, 1740; Ezekiel, born June 30, 1742; Anna (2), born October 7, 1744; Eunice, born September 10, 1746, and Rhoda, born February 20, 1749. Each of the sons married and left descendants, and the various lines are traced below.
V. Hezekiah settled upon a farm in Redding Centre, and he and his wife Hannah had a family of five children, whose names and dates of bap- tism are as follows: 1. Aaron, May 29, 1757; 2. Hannah, August 26, 1759; 3. William, October 14, 1764; 4. Eunice, June 7, 1772; and 5. Huldab, May 18, 1777. I. Aaron Sanford, Sr., eldest son of Hezekiah, was the first male member of the Methodist Church in New England, and when a class was organized in Redding in 1790 he became its leader. Later he did acceptable work as a local preacher, and the itinerant min- isters of that day always found a home in his house, where meetings were often held. On November ż. 1780, he married Lydia Hawley, daughter of William Hawley, and had ten children: (1) Betsey, born October 5, 1781. married John R. Hill. (2) Hannah, born May 31, 1784, mar- ried Rev. Aaron Hunt, a Methodist minister, who was located for some time in Redding. (3) Aaron, Jr., born July 8, 1786, settled on Redding Ridge,
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and was married December 19, 1813, to Fanny Hill, daughter of Andrew L. Hill, the children of the union being: Andrew H., Daniel, Mary, Clara, Henry, Aaron (now a resident of New- town), Fanny, Jesse L., Mary, Elizabeth, John and Julia H. (4) Hawley, born July 16, 1789, was married (first) on November 2, 1814, to Bet- sey Stow, who died leaving two children, Russel and Betsey, and on November 20, 1823, he formed a second matrimonial union, this time with Sarah Ketchum, by whom he had seven children: Francis A., Aaron K. (a Methodist minister, and at one time the presiding elder of the Poughkeepsie District), Hawley, Lydia, David, Morris and Mary. (5) Jesse Lee, born July 27, 1791, died (6) Eunice, born August 10, 1793, died (7) Wal- ter, born February 18, 1796, was married (first) on December 6, 1821, to Harriet M. Booth (who died leaving one son, Charles), and (second) to Emily Gorham. (8) Charlotte, born January 8, 1800, married Thomas B. Fanton. (9) Lydia, born September 23, 1803, married Aaron San- ford Hyatt. (10) William A., born January 15, 1807, was married May 2, 1832, to Harriet Tuttle.
V. Of the other sons of Lemuel, son of Ezekiel, Jr., Lemuel, born April 18, 1740, settled in Redding Centre, near his father, and was one of the leading citizens of that locality in his day. In addition to holding many township offices he served for some time as representative in the General Assembly, and as associate judge of the county court. During the Revolution he was a member of the "committee of supplies," his duties keeping him at Danbury, while holding the position of judge of the county court. On Sep- tember 20, 1768, he was married to Mary Russell, of North Branford, Conn., and an interesting story is told of that event. He left Redding on horseback early on the morning of his wedding day, but owing to the state of the roads was so delayed that he did not reach Branford until midnight. The guests had dispersed and the family had retired, but he aroused them, collected the guests, secured a minister, and had the cere- mony performed. The next day he and his bride made the return trip to Redding on horseback. Seven children were born of this union: 1. Lemuel, Jr., July 18, 1769; 2. Rhoda, March 4, 1773; 3. Mary, May 18, 1776, wife of Dr. Thomas Peck; 4. Abigail, 1779 (deceased in in- fancy); 5. Jonathan R., February 11. 1782; 6. Abigail (2), April 18, 1784; and 7. Lucretia, May 4, 1786.
VI. Lemuel, Jr., (1) waseducated at a famous academy at Greenfield Hill, conducted by Presi-
dent Dwight, and later settled upon a farm in Redding Centre. where his ability gave him much influence in political and other affairs. He mar- ried Mary Heron, daughter of Squire Heron, and had two children: Julia, who married Rev. Thomas F. Davis, a Congregational minister, located at one time at Greens Farms; and Mary, who married Dr. Nehemiah Perry, of Ridgefield, this county, and had a son, also a physician at that place.
VI. Jonathan R. (5), the second son of Judge Sanford, was married October 17, 1808, to Maria, daughter of Dr. Thomas Davis, and his death oc- curred August 20, 1858. He held in a marked degree the esteem of his fellow citizens, ably ful- filling the duties of various official positions, both public and private. At different times he repre- sented his town in the Legislature, and for half a century he held the offices of town clerk and treasurer, besides serving for several years as judge of probate for the district of Redding. He had two daughters: (1) Amanda, and (2) Maria, the latter of whom died in infancy, and three sons: (3) Lemuel, (4) Jonathan R., Jr., and (5) Thomas, all living in 1881. (3) Lemuel mar- ried Abby M. Hill, daughter of Bradley Hill, and had six children: Mary Russell, Lillia, Abby, Martha, Alice Lulu and Jonathan B. (4) Jona- than R., Jr., married Clarissa, youngest daughter of Deacon Samuel Read, and his only child, Hannah Maria, died at the age of twenty-four. (5) Thomas, the youngest of the three sons of Jona- than R., married Charlotte A. Hewitt, of Corn- wall, Litchfield county, Conn., and had two children: Thomas F. and May A.
V. Ezekiel Sanford, called "Captain " San- ford, third son of Lemuel and Rebecca (Squires) Sanford, and grandson of Ezekiel, Jr., was born June 30, 1742, and made his home in Boston District, in the western part of the town of Reading. On November 21, 1773, he married Abigail Starr, and they had at least four chil- dren, viz .: Mollie, baptized December 18, 1774; Rebecca, April 24, 1777; Ezekiel, November 1, 1778; and Abigail, March 19, 1780. Some of the descendants of this couple are now living in Amenia, New York.
IV. Capt. Samuel Sanford, son of Ezekiel, Jr., and grandson of Ezekiel II, was born Febru- ary 20, 1707, and settled in Umpawaug, where he died November 6, 1768. On January 11, 1733, he married Sarah Meeker, by whom he had eleven children: (1) Daniel, born February 25, 1734, was married April 18, 1758, to Esther Hull, and had several children, among whom were Eli, baptized August 16, 1761, and Chloe, baptized July 5, 1767. (2) Seth, born August
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18, 1735, was married April 25, 1759, to Re- becca, daughter of Deacon Stephen Burr, who in his will, dated 1776, mentions her children, Elias, Ebenezer, Joel, Elijah, Samuel and Seth. (3) Mary, born February 16, 1738, married Tim- othy Sanford, son of Joseph. (4) David, born November 16, 1739, was baptized December 2 of the same year. (5) Abigail, born January 16, 1743, was married December 21, 1762, to John Hawley. (6) Samuel, Jr., born April 24, 1745, was married in 1767 to Sarah Olmsted, and the children mentioned in the town records are: Uriah, baptized February 14, 1768, and Thomas, baptized December 17, 1769. (7) Sarah, born May 6, 1747, was baptized on the 10th of the same month. (8) Esther, born April 9, 1749, was baptized April 16, 1749. (9) Ezra, born February 26, 1751, was baptized on March 25, of the same year. (10) Rachel, born February 2, 1753, was baptized on the 25th of that month. (11) Peter, born May 18, 1756, was married June 1, 1780, to Abigail Keeler.
IV. Ephraim Sanford, son of Ezekiel, Jr., and grandson of Ezekiel II, was born February 12, 1718, and settled at Sanford Town, a little settlement one mile south of Redding Centre, this county, where he owned a large amount of land as is shown by deeds now in the possession of his descendants, some dating back as far as 1733. According to family tradition he was the first man to open a store at Redding, his goods being brought from Boston. His will was dated January 30, 1761. On October 7, 1730, he mar- ried Elizabeth Mix, by whom he had a large fam- ily of children; Elizabeth was born July 1, 1731; Rachel, born July 23, 1733, married Stephen Mead; Abigail, born May 10, 1735, was married October 2, 1755, to Daniel Jackson; Hannah, born March 3, 1737, married David Lyon; John and Oliver are mentioned below; Lois, born Sep- tember 14, 1743, married Joseph Lyon; Tabitha, born February 28, 1746; Huldah, born April 25, 1748; and Ephraim, Jr., born May 25, 1750, are mentioned in the will; Augustus, born July 12, 1753, died in 1788; and Esther, born April 24, 1755, died at an early age.
John, born April 26, 1739, married, and set- tled in the Foundry District, in Redding. His children were-James, Stephen, Ephraim, John, Jr., Huldah, Lois, Betty, Elizabeth and Annie. The eldest son, James, who settled near his father, was a teamster during the Revolutionary war, and was present at the execution of Jones and Smith on Gallows Hill. He married Sarah, daughter of Rev. John Beach, a faithful mission- ary of the Church of England, and was the father of Squire James Sanford. John, Jr., the fourth
son of John, located in Redding, and was the fa- ther of John W. Sanford, a well-known citizen. Oliver, son of Ephraim (IV), was born Septem- ber 17. 1741, and was married in April, 1767, to Rachel, daughter of Deacon David Coley, of Weston. The following children were born of the union: Mary, baptized July 31, 1768; David, August 20, 1769; Ephraim, September 15, 1771; Abigail, May 29, 1774; Enoch A., April 28, 1776; Levi, December 14, 1777; Oliver C., Betsey and Loraine.
II. Samuel Sanford, second son of Thomas, the pioneer settler at Milford, has many descend- ants in Newtown. He was born April 30, 1643, and died in 1691. On April 16, 1674, he married Hannah Bronson, by whom he had the following children: Hannah, born February 2, 1675, mar- ried James Right; Thomas, born September 29, 1678, died March 3. 1679; Samuel, born March 12, 1680, married Easther Baldwin, daughter of Nathaniel Baldwin, and sister of Ester Baldwin, who married his cousin Samuel; Sarah, born July 10, 1682; Mary, born April 16, 1685, died Feb- ruary 2, 1703; Thomas, born May 4, 1687, mar- ried Rebecca Barry, of Farmington, and died in 1630.
III. Samuel Sanford, born March 12, 1680, married Easther Baldwin, who was born in 1683, and in 1711 went to Newtown. Their children were: Nathaniel, born December 3, 1702, and Samuel, born April 1, 1704, both of whom are mentioned below; Ebenezer, born February 22, 1705, died August 2, 1713; Esther, born Febru- ary 10, 1707; John, born October 17, 1709, died April 14, 1785; Daniel, born November 1, 1711; Stephen and Moses, born in 1713; Job, born Jan- uary 10, 1715; Hannah, born. January 6, 1717; and Rachel, born June 13, 1720, who married Eben Booth.
IV. Nathaniel, the eldest son of Samuel III, born December 3. 1702, was married Oc- tober 16, 1728, to Elizabeth Seeley, and diedl April 14, 1768. He settled in Umpawaug, and was one of the first members of the Congrega- tional Church in Redding. His children were Nathan, born September 8, 1729; Abel H., baptized March 25, 1733 ;. Ruth, baptized May 12, 1737; and Esther, baptized May 27, 1744.
IV. Samuel, the second son of Samuel III, born April 1, 1704, was married June 16, 1731, to Hannah Gilbert, and died March 7, 1758. He had the following children: Thomas, born March 3, 1732; Amos, born October 18, 1733, who is. mentioned below; Mary, born in 1735; James, born in 1736; Sarah (Mrs. Jonah Platt), born in 1738; Hannah, born in 1740, died March 4, 1758; Samuel, born in. 1743, who is mentioned.
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