Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 81

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

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HART SHEPARD, mentioned above, who through the first half of the present century was a substantial citizen and farmer of Newtown, was a son of George and Phebe (Hull) Shepard, farm- ing people in the Head of the Meadow District. He was born on his father's farm November 5, 1801, and was of the seventh generation from Ed- ward Shepard, of Cambridge, Mass., the line of his descent being through John, John, John, Timothy and George Shepard [See Shepard genealogy.] In his earlier years he learned the comb-maker's trade, and for a time worked at same, but he was throughout life chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits. Before the Civil war he was a Demo- crat, but afterward became a Republican. He was a repected citizen, and for a number of years, along in the early " fifties, " he served as select-

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man. His death occurred August 29, 1864. His wife, formerly Charlotte Platt, daughter of Ephraim Platt, was born August 2, 1803, and died December 12, 1855. To this marriage were born children as follows: Mary A. is the widow of Jacob Weeks, and resides in Norwalk; Augus- tus F. died in New Orleans, La .; Orphia C. is the widow of the late H. H. Baird, of Bethel, Conn .; Z. Towner died September 25, 1875; and John W. is a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota.

F DWIN S. HOLLY, a successful merchant of Stamford, is one of the leading citizens of that locality, and for many years has taken an influential part in municipal and township affairs as a member of the Republican organization. He is descended from good pioneer stock, and has well sustained the prestige of his name, dis- playing in full measure the qualities of enter- prise and thrift which won success for his fore- fathers.

Edwin S. Holly (1), the father of our sub- ject, was born January 4, 1800, in Stamford, Fairfield Co., Conn., and after receiving a dis- trict-school education there, engaged in mercan- tile pursuits, which he followed throughout life, being one of the chief business men of the town. In politics he was a Whig, and he was active in religious work as a member of St. John's Episco- pal Church, in which he held the office of treas- urer for many years and for some time served as vestryman. He was married, in the town of Stamford, to Miss Mary E. Howe, by whom he had the following named children: Sarah Lavina, deceased; Mary E .; Edwin S., our subject, who is mentioned more fully below; and Henry H. and John I., residents of New York City.

Our subject was born, February 14, 1838, at the old home in Stamford, and secured his edu- cation in the public schools of the town and a private school conducted by John W. Hendrie. On leaving school he was employed for a year as clerk in E. F. Boyer's dry-goods store, and then going to New York City, clerked for a year and a half in a large dry-goods store in Eighth ave- nue. Returning to Stamford, he resumed his position with Mr. Boyer, remaining with him for another year; but after the death of his father he went to Hartford, Ohio, and engaged in mer- cantile business on his own account. Two years there sufficed to teach him that there is "no place like home," either for business or pleasure. Accordingly he came back to Stamford and en- gaged as a dry-goods merchant with H. A. Hub- bard, under the firm name of Hubbard & Holly, their store being located in Atlantic street. Later

they built a store in Park Row, the same now occupied by our subject, but in 1873 they dis- solved partnership and went out of business, Mr. Holly going to New Jersey, where he took charge of his brother's stock farm for two years. After- ward he went west, spending a short time in California and Arizona, and since his return to Stamford he has been engaged in the dry-goods business at the old stand, where, through his able and judicious management, he has built up a fine trade.

From early manhood Mr. Holly has been in- terested in the Republican party, and his popu- larity among all classes of citizens has made him an available candidate on the party ticket. Since 1869 he has been a member of the board of bur- gesses, being re-elected at the expiration of each term, and for five years-1887-88-89-90-92- he was elected to the office of warden. In 1885 he served as selectman of his town, and after being again chosen to that position in 1891 he was retained continuously in that office until 1899. his work in every position of trust being faithfully performed, with one regard for the in- terests of the public. Mr. Holly is prominent socially, being identified with St. John's Episco- pal Church as vestryman, and belongs to various fraternal organizations, including Union Lodge, F. & A. M .; Rittenhouse Chapter No. 11, R. A. M .; and Washington Council No. 6. He has never married.

L' EWIS BEARDSLEY, Stratford. William Beardsley, the pioneer of the family of that name in the United States, who have given to the country many noted statesmen, jurists and ecclesi- astics, came from England in 1635, in the ship " Planter," settling in Stratford, Conn., in 1639. The Hon. Morris Beardsley and Mrs. Charles F. Wood (née Beardsley) are lineal descendants of William Beardsley, of Stratford-on-Avon, Eng- land, later of Stratford, Conn. Henry Beardsley died August 13, 1806; his wife, Christina, died February 27, 1823. Of this pioneer strain comes also the subject of this sketch.

Lewis Beardsley, whose name introduces this sketch, was born June 8, 1831, at the Beardsley some in the borough of Stratford, a son of Wil- hon Beardsley, who died May 18, 1865, and a grandson of William Beardsley, who died August 28, 1841. Philo, a brother of William, died February 20, 1846.

The last named was born in the town of Stratford, and was a lifelong farmer there. By his marriage with a Miss Beach he had a family of six children, named respectively: Wilson, Lu-

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cretia, Harry, Charles, Stephen and Sarah. Of these, Wilson was the father of our subject; Lu- cretia married a Mr. Crawford, a native of the town of Stratford; Harry was first a shoemaker, later a farmer in Stratford town; Charles was also a shoemaker in that town, and died there; Stephen was a carpenter; and Sarah wedded Ben- jamin Califf, of Bridgeport.

Wilson Beardsley was born April 15, 1796, in the same house as was his son, our subject, and died May 18, 1865, after a busy life devoted to agricultural pursuits. By his wife, Louisa (Smith , daughter of Amos Smith, of the town of Milford, New Haven county, he had two children: Charles Frederick and Lewis, the former of whom died October 13, 1843, when yet a young man. Their mother passed from earth March 11, 1882, a de- vout Episcopalian, as was also her husband. In his political predilections he was first a Whig, afterward a Republican.

Lewis Beardsley, the subject proper of this review, received all his education at the public schools of the neighborhood of his birthplace, and was reared to farming pursuits, which he has followed all his life.' In 1855 he married Miss Martha A. Perry, who was born in Stratford, a daughter of William M. Perry, of that place, and eight children blessed their union, a brief record of whom is as follows: Mary L., born August 3, 1856, married November 5, 1890, to Daniel C. Wood, of Stratford; she died September 11, 1897. Evert L., born December 25, 1858, was married May 25, 1882, to Miss Hattie C. Hoyt, of Stratford; their daughter, Bessie H. Beards- ley, was born November 19. 1887; this wife died November 5, 1895, and on October 12, 1898, he married Miss Sarah L. Cordon, of Bridgeport, Conn. Frederick P., born May 29, 1861, mar- ried Estelle Todd, of Stratford, May 30, 1883. Arthur L., their son, was born May 15, 1889. Susan A., born December 25, 1863, married Samuel E. Smith, of Bridgeport, Conn., June, 1887; her two children are Addie L., born August 25, 1891, and Arthur, born August 26, 1895; she died January 24, 1898. Sidney S., born Decem- ber 27, 1866, married Miss Ona Curtis, of Strat- ford, October 31, 1894; Sidney Russell, their son, was born July 11, 1897. Charles N., born July 22, 1869, married, September 4, 1895, Miss Minnie Kutscher, of Bridgeport, Conn. Elbert M., born November 10, 1871, mar- ried September 4, 1895, to Miss Carrie L. Plum, of Stratford; their children were Lewis H., born September 20, 1896, died March 8, 1897, and Ethel May, born October 14, 1898. Frank W., born April 27, 1874, was married August 18, 1898, to Miss Lily Cordon, of Bridge-

port; their daughter, Lydia Wilson, was born No- vember 7, 1898. Of the above-named family, Evert L., Charles N. and Frank W. are all three in the employ of Eaton, Cole & Bornam, Bridgeport; Frederick P. is a hardware mer- chant in Stratford, and Elbert M. is clerking with him; Sidney S. is a contractor and carpen- ter in Stratford.

Mr. Beardsley is the owner of about twelve acres of land that has been in the possession of the family some two hundred years, and in qual- ity and fertility is second to none in the county. In politics he is a Republican, as are all of his sons. In municipal affairs he has served as- selectman, also as road commissioner several times, and he is pleased to be able to say, truth- fully, that he has always taken an active part in matters of public concern and tending to the gen- eral good of the community at large.

A LPHEUS G. BAKER. The ancestors of this well-known business man of Hawley- ville were among the early settlers of Litchfield county, and the old homestead in the ancient town of Woodbury ( now Washington ) has been occupied by four generations of the family. The records of the first settlers of the name are now complete, and Cothren's "History of Ancient Woodbury " is referred to for particulars.

Ira Baker, the grandfather of our subject, was born at the old homestead, and in early man- hood engaged in agricultural pursuits. He took an influential part in local affairs, and was re- garded as one of the leading men of the town. In 1861 he was accidentally killed by the dis- charge of a gun.

The late Samuel A. Baker, our subject's father, inherited the homestead, and he lived on it until about five years before his death, which occurred in 1880. He was a man of fine natural abilities, and as his prudence and good judgment were proved by success in his own enterprises he was often called upon to act for others in the capacity of guardian, trustee and administrator of estates. He was a leader in the Democratic organization, and was for a great many years first selectman of his town. In religious faith he was an Episcopalian, and for many years served as vestryman and warden in St. John's Church at Washington. He married Miss Elizabeth M. Hickok (a daughter of Austin and Betsy Hickok, of Naugatuck, Conn.), who died in September, 1898, at the age of eighty years; her death was the direct result of a fall. Mrs. Elizabeth M. Baker was a woman endowed with an exception- ally beautiful character, and she died beloved by

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every man, woman and child who had ever had the good fortune to come in contact with her.

Our subject, the only son of the above union, was born at the old homestead May 20, 1847. His education, except for a few terms at outside boarding school, was acquired in the public and private schools of his native town, Washington having achieved almost a National reputation for the excellency of its private schools. Later, however, he spent one summer in the law office of Judge Origen S. Seymour, at Litchfield, Conn., where he studied business law and forms. His business career began as a clerk and later as a partner in the establishment of E. J. Hurlburt, who then carried on a general country store. When, in 1870, the Shepaug railroad was built through Washington Mr. Baker was early on the ground, and he secured a desirable half-acre of land near where the depot was finally located and erected the first building in what is now the thriving village of Washington Depot. He formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Mr. S. L. Brinsmade, and these two young men started a general mercantile business. As their patronage increased each year they added new buildings, in which were carried on tailoring, millinery, harnessmaking, shoemaking, tinning and plumb- ing, a furniture business, a market and post office, in addition to the original line of general mer- chandise as first started. Their business grew and expanded, and a thriving village sprang up around them, but the close attention necessitated by the many details of their large business soon began to undermine the health of both partners, and under medical advice the business was sold out in 1880.

Mr. Baker immediately went into the open- range cattle business in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico, a stock company be- ing formed of which he was president. He moved at once to Colorado and took up his abode in a log cabin at the ranch in the mount- ains, some thirty miles from the nearest settle- tlement, taking in as partner and co-worker on the range with him Mr. V. S. Weaver, who was formerly a clerk in his business at Washington. A wild mountainous range some sixty miles in length by fifteen in width between the Los Pinos and Piedra rivers was taken up and stocked with some 4,000 head of cattle. They were right in among the Navajoes, the Apaches and Southern Ute Indians, and at this time numerous bands of white and Mexican horse and cattle thieves infested the borders of the reservation. A band of cowboys were employed and Mr. Baker was in the saddle with them continu- ally, sharing every hardship and danger. He

experienced an exceedingly rough and haz- ardous time during the first initiatory years but this rough experience, it proved, was just the thing needed to bring his health up again to the "top notch." He used to go down to lower Texas and Mexico and gather herds of cattle for restocking the Colorado ranch, driving through from 1, 500 to 2,000 head of cattle in a bunch, and spending four months on the trail, exposed by night and day to trouble from Mexicans, Indians and horse thieves, and also to the tremendous storms peculiar to that section during the rainy season (this being the only sea- son when herds can be driven across the staked plains). There were quicksand streams to cross and big rivers to swim with the herd, and many hardships to overcome and endure that would be apt to make the average New England heart quail, and the interesting experiences Mr. Baker can relate about the "old Texas cow trail " would fill a book. His family and also his part- ners spent a number of summers at the ranch in the mountains, which ranch was in those days the paradise of the sportsmen who enjoyed hunt- ing large game.

Mr. Baker's adventures were of so varied and interesting a nature that before long articles from his pen began to appear in the "Youth's Com- panion " and other Eastern periodicals, and his ability as a descriptive writer was soon recog- nized. He wrote for the New York Tribune on special topics and became western correspond- ent of the New York Evening Post, and penned for that publication many interesting articles de- scriptive of frontier life and customs, among which was a series on the Cliff dwellers and Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, and during the so called "Cutting embroglio" between the United States and Mexico, when war came so near over the unwarranted seizure and imprison- ment without trial of Cutting, an American citi- zen, Mr. Baker was sent down into Mexico with instructions to obtain an interview with Cutting in his dungeon if possible. A regiment of Mex- ican soldiers were on guard about the old prison, yet Mr. Baker succeeded in eluding their vigi- lance and cleverly gained admission to the prison and had a personal interview with Cutting in his dungeon, a lengthy and interesting account of which appeared in the Evening Post, and Mr. Baker was afterward the recipient of a personal letter of commendation from the editor-in-chief.

When the hard times in the open range cattle business came on Mr. Baker closed out his inter- ests in Colorado and New Mexico, and in the fall of 1891 we find him again a pioneer, this time at Hawleyville, Conn., where he erected and opened

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up his present large furniture emporium. Pre- dictions of his inability to sustain so large an establishment at such an obscure point were rife in all communities, yet three years later he was compelled by increasing business to double his building plant, and the steady growth and far- reaching aspects of the business from this time on has been almost phenomenal; it now goes without saying that the "Hawleyville furniture warerooms " are among the best-known institu- tions of the State. The seeming ease with which Mr. Baker brought business from afar to his " Emporiumin the howling wilderness " has been, and no doubt justly, attributed almost wholly to his original and unique style of advertising, which during the first years, when he was paying more attention to advertising, was the talk of the State, and some of his famous " ads " were copied into trade papers in every State in the Union.

Mr. Baker being the son of a prominent Democrat and reared in a Democratic atmosphere naturally voted that ticket, but in 1896 he squarely bolted the Chicago platform. He has never taken an active part in politics, and has persistently avoided "political honors." He is a member of Rising Sun Lodge No. 27, F. & A. M., at Washington, and a warden of St. John's Episcopal Church, in the same town.

In 1869 Mr. Baker married Miss Silence L. Brinsmade, a daughter of Thomas F. Brinsmade, of Washington, and two daughters and a son were born to this union: Elizabeth B. is a graduate of Prospect Hill Seminary at Hartford, Conn., and Julia L., a graduate of Howard Semi- nary, near Boston; the son, George F., is now a partner in the business with his father at Haw- leyville.

W HITMAN S. MEAD, who is now serving as commissioner of Fairfield county and judge of probate in and for the township of Green- wich, is one of the most prominent citizens. As a representative of an old and highly esteemed family he would naturally enjoy an enviable standing in the community, but in addition to the prestige of an honored name he has won, through his own abilities and sterling qualities of charac- ter, the personal respect of all classes irrespective of party ties and sectarian bounds. For nearly two centuries and a half the Mead family has been identified with the town of Greenwich, and, while members of an earlier generation did gal- lant service in the cause of liberty in the Revo- lutionary war, later times have shown no dimin- ution of public spirit as devoted to the varied progressive movements of our advancing civiliza-

tion. In educational and religious work the fam- ily has been especially active, and from the first the Congregational Church at Greenwich has been largely sustained by them. Judge Mead is of the eighth generation of the name to reside in the township, and a brief review of his ancestry will appropriately introduce the story of his own life.

(I.) John Mead, the head of the family, came from England about the year 1642 with a brother Joseph, who located in Virginia. John Mead located first in Massachusetts, but afterward went to Hempstead, Long Island, and in 1660 he came to this section, making his home in Greenwich. He had two sons, John and Joseph, but the lat- ter left no descendants.

(II.) John Mead, son of (I.) John, was the first of the name to acquire land in Greenwich, the records showing that he purchased a tract from Richard Crab, et al. He married Miss Pot- ter, of Stamford, and died in 1696, leaving eleven children, viz .: John, Joseph, Jonathan, Ebenezer, Benjamin, Nathaniel, David, Samuel, Abigail, Mary and Susanna.

(III.) Ebenezer Mead, the next in the line of descent, was born in 1663 and died in 1728. He married Sarah Knapp, of Stamford, and had the following children: Ebenezer; Caleb; Sarah (Mrs. Jonathan Hobby); Hannah (Mrs. John Hobby); Jabez; David; Abigail (Mrs. Isaac Holmes); Susanna (Mrs. Moses Husted); and Je- mima (Mrs. Moses Knapp).

(IV.) Ebenezer Mead, son of (III.) Ebenezer, was born October 25, -1692, and died May 3, 1775. He was married December 12, 1717, to Hannah Brown, of Rye, N. Y., and had twelve children, as follows: Ebenezer, born October 8, 1718, married Mary Mead, and his death oc- curred February 25, 1758; Silas, born May 22, 1720, married Mary Mead, and died in October, 1816; Abram (1), born June 15, 1721, became a minister, but died in 1742 at the age of twenty- one; Jonas, born December 25, 1725, is men- tioned more fully below; Solomon, twin of Jonas, entered the Presbyterian ministry and settled in South Salem, N. Y .; Deliverance, born May 4, 1728, died May 3, 1785; Amos, born February 22, 1730, became a physician, and his death oc- curred February 24, 1807; Edmund, born in 1732, sailed for the West Indies in October, 1755, and was never again heard from; Hannah, born in 1735, died June 25, 1757; Jabez, born March 1, 1737, died September 14, 1766; Jared, born December 15, 1738, died May 2, 1832; and Abram (2), born December 14, 1742, who was always known as " Deacon Potter Mead," served in the Revolutionary army as an officer with the

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rank of captain, and was present at the battle of White Plains. He died December 24, 1827. Hannah Brown, the mother of this family, was a descendant of Sir Anthony Brown, of England, who was created a Knight of the Bath at the coronation of King Richard II. The ancestral home of the Browns was at Beckworth, in the County of Kent, England. In 1632 Thomas Brown, the great-grandfather of Hannah Brown, came to America from Rye, County of Sussex. England, and located at Concord, Mass. Of his two sons, Hachaliah and Thomas, the latter left no children. About 1664 they removed from Massachusetts to Rye township, Westchester Co., N. Y., where they spent their remaining years. Peter Brown, a son of Hachaliah, made his home at Rye, and his death occurred there about 1731. He married Martha Disbrow, a daughter of Peter Disbrow, and had the follow- ing children: Ebenezer, Peter, Nehemiah, Caleb, Elizabeth, Sarah, Rebecca and Hannah.

(V.) Jonas Mead, our subject's great-grand- father, who died September 14, 1785, was a prominent citizen of Greenwich in his day, and for years was a deacon in the Congregational Church. By his first wife, Sarah (Ferris), he had two sons, Solomon and Edmund, and by his second marriage, with Sarah Howe, he had three sons, of whom Jonas, our subject's grand- father, was the youngest. Noah, who was a farmer at Indian Field, this county, married Elizabeth Peck, but had no children, and he made Charles Mead, our subject's father, his heir. Mark was educated for the ministry, and became a clergyman of the Congregational Church.

(VI.) Jonas Mead, son of (V.) Jonas, was born April 13, 1784, and for many years followed farming in the town of Greenwich. He owned a large tract of land there, and the village of East Port Chester was founded upon a portion of his farm. As a citizen he was held in high esteem, being noted for his firm adherence to any course or policy which he thought right. He was one of the first advocates of the temperance cause in his locality, and took an active part in other movements, especially the Free-Soil agitation, in which he opposed the extension of slavery, and the anti-Masonic demonstration, in which he took strong ground against the society. For many years he was known far and near as Dea- con Jonas, having been a deacon in the Congre- gational Church at Greenwich from 1828 until his death, which occurred August 2, 1871, at East Port Chester. His remains now rest in the Congregational cemetery at Greenwich. By his first wife, Hannah Hibbard, he had two children

who lived to adult age, viz .: Hannah, who mar- ried Benjamin Mead, and Charles, our subject's father. His second wife, Hannah Mead, who was born May 25, 1788, and died January 27, 1874, was a daughter of Jared and Lydia (Smith) Mead, her father being the tenth son of (IV.) Ebenezer, and his wife, Hannah Brown. By the second marriage Jonas Mead had three chil- dren: Sarah, who died at the age of nine years, and Milo and Mark, both of whom are mentioned elsewhere.

(VII.) Charles Mead, the father of our sub- ject, was born February 4, 1812, at Indian Field, this county, and when about eight years old ac- companied his parents to their new home upon the farm, at the present site of East Port Chester. In December, 1843, he returned to the farm where he was born, and there he made his per- manent home, being engaged in agriculture throughout his active life. He was a man of ex- cellent judgment, and had a . good education for. his time, his district school course being supplemented with the study of higher branches in the academy at Greenwich. While he never was a politician, he took an earnest in- terest in public questions. In early life he was a Whig, later becoming an ardent supporter of the Republican party, the selection of fit standard bearers being to him an important matter as in- volving the success of the principles represented. He was a man of regular habits, and his chief in- terest was in the work of the Congregational Church, of which he was for years a leading member. In 1862 he was chosen to the office of deacon, and he served continuously until his death on January 9, 1898. While residing at East Port Chester he was married to Miss Rachel Sackett, the ceremony occurring Decem- ber 31, 1838. She died July 18, 1885, and the remains of both were interred in the cemetery at Greenwich. They had five children, as follows: Sarah, now the widow of B. P. Brush, resides at Greenwich; Whitman S., our subject, is men- tioned more fully below; Mary E., widow of Zophar Mead, has one daughter, Bertha M., and spends her winters in New York City and her summers in Greenwich; Miss Hannah H. resides in Greenwich; and Charles N. is a merchant at Greenwich. Our subject's mother was born in Greenwich December 20, 1811, the daughter of John Sackett and granddaughter of Justus Sack- ett, a Revolutionary soldier. John Sackett mar- ried (first) Mary Mead, only daughter and third child of Whitman Mead, and sister of Whitman Mead, Jr., and Zophar Mead, all of Greenwich. She died at the age of thirty-five, and he after- ward married Cornelia Olmstead. He had the:

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Part 81

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