Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 27

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : Beers
Number of Pages: 1502

USA > Connecticut > Middlesex County > Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 27

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William W. Fowler married Gertrude Van Ness Smith, daughter of Simeon Parsons Smith, and granddaughter of Rev. David and Catherine (Goodrich ) Smith. Simeon P. Smith was engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York City. To Mr. and Mrs. Fowler were born five children: Ellis Worthington (who died in infancy), William Chauncy, Grace Roosevelt, Gertrude Webster (who died at the age of six years), and Eliza Lylean.

ALBERT BACON, one of the best citizens of the town of Middletown, Middlesex county, resides in Westfield, about four miles from the city. The Bacons, who are numerous in the town, belong to two distinct branches: the Westfield Bacons, of which Albert Bacon is a worthy representative, and the Middletown Bacons.

Michael Bacon, the ancestor of Albert, came

from Ireland, and in 1640 located at Dedham Mass., where he became a prominent propert. owner and reared a family, all the member of which were well spoken of in the records They were Michael, Daniel, John and Sarah

Nathaniel Bacon, supposed to have beer a child of one of the above named sons, came to Middletown, and settled on Newfield Street where he took up land running from Little river back to "Lamentation Mount"-a strip five miles long and half a mile broad. : A portion of this tract is now owned by Albert Bacon. Among the children of Nathaniel Ba- con was Benjamin Bacon, born in 1708. He married Rhoda, daughter of Gov. Miller, of Middlefield, and among their children were Phineas and Ebenezer, the former of whom became the great-grandfather of Albert Bacon. Ebenezer was noteworthy as one of the found- ers of the South Congregational Church in Middletown, where he married Miss Millicent Cornwall.

Phineas Bacon, born in 1744, died in 1816. He was a tanner and shoemaker and a farmer, owning the place now occupied by Mrs. Charles. Bacon, in Westfield. His later life was spent on a farm which is now occupied by 'Charles E. Bacon. During the war of the Revolution he was drafted, but furnished a substitute. He kept a tavern, and was a prominent figure in the old days. His remains lie in the Miner cemetery. He married Sarah, daughter of Ithamar Atkins, and they had the following children : Benjamin; Rhoda, who married William Ward, and later became Mrs. Cook; Sarah, who married Comfort Johnson; Mary, who married Seth Wilcox; Jemima, who mar- ried Comfort Hall; Phineas, who died before becoming of age; and Abigail, who married Sylvester Wilcox.

Benjamin Bacon, grandfather of Albert, was born in 1767, on the farm now occupied. by Joel E. Bacon, and died in 1840. When a young man he went to live with his uncle, Ebenezer Bacon, who was a large property owner. He married Abiah Cornwell, and had the following family : Ebenezer, who mar- ried Lavinia Wilcox; Benjamin, who married. Lucy Warner, and, after her death, Mary Sturtevant; Phineas, who married Sarah Paddock; Daniel M., who married Harriet Hall; Sarah, who married Samuel G. Wilcox; and Mary, who married Orrin Gilbert (they

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were the parents of Thomas Gilbert, whose sketch appears elsewhere).

EBENEZER BACON, the father of Albert, was born October 2, 1789, in Westfield, on the farm now known as the "Sears Farm," and while a young man went to live with his grand- father. After his grandfather's death the management of the home place came into his hands, and he devoted his life to his most im- mediate duties of cultivating and improving the family inheritance. Politically Ebenezer Bacon was a Whig all his active life; he served once as selectman, much against his wishes. He was a member of and a contributor to the Westfield Congregational Church. His judg- ment was regarded as exceptionally good and valuable, and his reputation in the community was very high. Ebenezer Bacon was one of hose upright, honest old men who considered hat his word should be kept at all times. Honor with him was a highly prized and much admired quality. He had a very keen sense of humor, and his power of retort was quick und strong; he always had a reply ready for ny kind of a question or comment. Gruff in ome ways, a gruff reply or refusal was often oon followed by words of kindness or a gen- rous act. He had a kind heart, and his sym- pathies were often aroused when his manner grave no indication of his feelings. He said nly what he knew to be true, and when he aid anything he meant it. He was a strong dmirer of principle in everyone, and he him- elf was a man of strong principles. During le war of 1812, in company with Julius Yale nd Jedediah Wilcox, Mr. Bacon was engaged 1 hauling freight and produce from New laven to Boston. The British held the water, id no goods could move by sea. Mr. Bacon ied December 20, 1881, and retained his iculties to the last. Notwithstanding his ad- unced age of ninety-two, his remarkable emory enabled him to recall the events of his yhood with case, and his company was much ughit, for he was always entertaining. He as a man who would have been a credit to ty family, and honored the name of Bacon. rs. Ebenezer Bacon was a daughter of Joseph id Miriam ( Bacon) Wilcox. She came to 'r death at the hands of a robber, Septem- r 24, 1843, in the house now occupied by arles E. Bacon. The dastardly deed was n nitted to cover the robbery, and the crim-

inal found guilty was the last to be hanged from Middlesex county.

The children of Ebenezer and Lavinia (Wilcox) Bacon were: Albert; Charles, who married Harriet N. Bacon (Charles E. Bacon, their son, is the subject of a sketch elsewhere) ; and Sarah, widow of Isaac Coe, now living in Nebraska.

Albert Bacon was born March 15, 1818, in Westfield, on the farm now owned by Charles E. Bacon. He received both a district and an academic training, attending the dis- trict schools of Westfield, and the academies at Berlin and Cromwell. He remained at home until about the age of twenty-one, and when a young man taught school for ten winters in the towns of Rocky Hill, Cromwell and East Berlin, as well as in his native town, meeting with gratifying success in the profession. In the summer of 1839 he went to live with his grandfather, Benjamin Bacon, during whose lifetime he spent his summers at that place. About 1842 he bought the farm where he now lives, from Walter Bacon, and has lived there ever since his removal to the place, in 1844. As one of the most substantial and reliable farmers of Middletown his standing is un- questioned.

Mr. Bacon was married, June 11, 1844, to Lydia H. Wilcox, born July 8, 1824, in West Cromwell, a daughter of Alsa and Emily (Treat) Wilcox. She died July 22, 1893. the. mother of the following named children : Eben Wilcox, Emma Hart, and Mary Lydia. all of whom survive but the last named, who died when five years old.

Mr. Bacon is a Republican, as was his fa- ther before him. Since 1873 he has been deacon of the Westfield. Congregational Church, and is one of its reliable supporters and most generous contributors. He is a man of fine character, and holds an enviable posi- tion in the esteem of his fellow citizens, none the less because his native modesty and aver- sion to notoriety are among his most notable traits.

HENRY LEE STEWART was born May 17, 1821, and was a son of John Stewart. long a successful merchant, ship builder and vessel owner. A younger sister, Delia, was born in 1823, and died in July, 1891.

Daniel Stewart, his great-grandfather, was

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born in the town of Colchester, April 4, 1745. With his wife Elizabeth, and a brother Michael and the latter's wife, Margaret, he removed to Chatham (now Portland), where he died, in April, 1826. His son James, the grandfather of Henry L., was born in 1771, and early en- tered the merchant marine, in which he rose to be captain. He died at sea, in 1822. His wife was Grace Pelton, and to them were born six children, none of whom are living: San- ford was a farmer in Chatham'; John was the father of Henry L., and a brief summary of the salient facts in his life may be found in a succeeding paragraph ; George, the third son, died in childhood; James followed the profes- sion of his father, and became captain of a sailing vessel; Charlotte married Jonathan Childs; and Eliza became Mrs. John Demr ming.

John Stewart was born in Chatham on February 10, 1795. He was a merchant and ship builder of Middle Haddam, and in both lines of trade was eminently successful. He continued to carry on a shipyard until 1840, when the scarcity of suitable timber compelled him to abandon the enterprise. He built thirty- four vessels, and at times employed as many as 175 men. "At the time of his demise he yet owned many ships, chiefly engaged in the European and coast-wise trade. He died in Middle Haddam, September 16, 1860. Politic- ally` he was always an ardent Democrat, and he enjoyed to a remarkable degree the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens of both town and county, who not only chose him to fill all the minor offices within their gift, but also elected him State Senator and Judge of the County Court. He was a communicant in the Episcopal Church, as had been his par- ents and grandparents. His wife was Dru- silla, a daughter of Jesse and Drusilla (Dart) Hurd, of Chatham, who was born November 12, 1796, and died June 16, 1891, in her ninety- fifth year. Her vigorous vitality came to her as an inheritance from a long line of ancestors distinguished for physical strength no less than for longevity.

THE HURD FAMILY was of Scotch origin. There is some question as to whether the patronymic was originally spelled "Hurd" or "Heard." As nearly as can be ascertained, the first of the name to come to America (in 1685) was one John Hurd, a Highlander, who was accompanied by his wife, Rebecca. Tra-

dition has it that he was a man of well-nigh colossal stature and phenomenal strength. He settled in Middle Haddam. Jacob Hurd, Sr., his son, was born in Eastham, Mass., April 12, 1695. He, too, is said to have been a man of fine physical proportions, and to have lived to see his ninety-third birthday. His wife, who was small in stature, attained the extraordinary age of one hundred and three years. They were the parents of three chil-

dren : Elizabeth, born in 1743; Rebecca, in

1744; and Jacob, Jr., on February 28, 1745. Elizabeth married Robinson Williams, of Westchester, and it was at their home that the father spent his declining years. Rebecca became the wife of James Brainard.

. Jacob Hurd, Jr., is said to have com- manded the second coasting vessel to sail from the Connecticut valley. He married . Thankful Hurlbut, and was the father of nine children, a record of whom is as follows: Rachel mar- ried George Cary; Elizabeth married Thomas Stocking; Joseph married Mary Barnes; Rebecca married Joseph Cary, and after his death wedded Jonathan Bowers ; Mary married Elijah Johnson; Jacob married Abigail Cary; Benjamin married Mary Cary; Jesse married Drusilla Dart (Mr. Stewart's maternal grand- parents ) ; and Sarah married Joseph Dart. Jacob Hurd, Jr., was made a prisoner by a British vessel during the Revolution, and was confined on the Jersey prison ship, where two of his brothers were also held.

Henry L. Stewart was born in Middle Had- dam, in the town of Chatham, on May 17 1821. His training in the primary branches o: knowledge was received at the commor schools of the village, and later he was a pupi in a private school at Middletown. He wa: compelled by ill health to leave school at the age of eighteen years. From early boyhood h had imbibed a knowledge of the fundamenta rules of business, and this stood him in good stead when, soon afterward, he entered his fa ther's store, at the same time beginning worl in the ship yards. He rapidly developed surprising aptitude, not only for the acquisi tion of general principles, but for the master. of details, and at the age of twenty-two wa admitted into partnership. A's has been al 1 eady said the business was successful. Dur ing the Civil war the firm of Stewart & So realized enormous profits through vessels whic succeeded in escaping the hazards of the block

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ade. In fact, not until after the rebellion was at an end did the firm sustain a disaster; when one of the swiftest of their fleet-a clipper ship commanded by an English captain-was run ashore on a reef in the harbor of Mobile, through the treachery of a pilot, and proved a total loss.

Mr. Stewart has been thrice married. His first wife was Sarah Sage, of Portland, and their children were: Delia, who died in child- hood; and John H., a machinist, of Middle- town, who married Mary S. Johnson, and has one son, Ernest H., now a clerk in the First National Bank of Hartford. Mr. Stewart's second marriage was to Sarah Smith, a daugh- ter of Erastus Smith, of Chatham. No chil- dren were born to this union, and after her death Mr. Stewart wedded Emeline B., a laughter of Edward A. and Sarah ( Norton) Penfield. [For further information of the Penfield Family see elsewhere.] She bore him wo daughters; Emeline P., who is unmarried ind lives at home; and Mary M'., at present at- ending school at Norwalk.

On retiring from, the shipping business, Mr. Stewart became interested in the raising vf blooded stock, of which he is a connoisseur, laving at times as many as thirty head of high grade cattle on his farm. He has also de- 'oted some attention to farming, but of late ears has sought that rest and retirement which is long and busy life has fairly earned. For welve years he served on the State Board of Agriculture, as one of the State cattle com- missioners, declining a reappointment in 1876. Ie and Mr. T. S. Gold, the present secretary, re the only surviving members of the original oard. Mr. Stewart is a member of the Epis- opal Church, and is a sound Democrat, al- lough in politics he is not a strong partisan, acing the personal character of candidates Dove party fealty.

HENRY CLAY BURNHAM. Among iose who contributed largely to the fame of adlyme, Conn., was Henry Clay Burnham, ember of the Upper House from the Elev- ith District. He was born in East Haddam, fiddlesex county, August 6, 1844, son of Is- el D. and Mary ( Chester ) Burnham.

The first ancestor in America was Jacob irnham, who was born in England in 1691. d who came to this country early in the yhteenth century, settling in Millington So-

ciety, town of East Haddam. He was ac- companied by his son Nathan.

Nathan Burnham, son of Jacob, and great- grandfather of our subject, married in East Haddam, and became the father of four chil- dren.

Nathan C. Burnham, son of Nathan, was born in Millington in 1789, and there followed farming. He married Abigail Dewey, who was born in East Haddam, a daughter of Israel and Desire Dewey, of whom the former was a deacon of the Hadlyme Congregational Church, 1803-06, and died at the age of fifty-two years. Nathan C. Burnham died in New Orleans, and his wife passed away at the age of sixty-six years.

Israel D. Burnham was born in East Had- dam September 28, 1814, and he died in Essex January II, 1890. He grew up in East Had- dam, and when a young man was a successful school teacher, but later followed farming, and also operated a sawmill. In politics he was a Whig, later a Know-nothing, and finally a Re- publican. In the town of his birth he married Mary Chester, a daughter of Elderkin and Lucy (Morgan) Chester. She was born March 7, 1824, and died February 12, 1882. He and his wife were active members of the Hadlyme Congregational Church, with which the father had been associated since 1835. To them came the following children: Elizabeth, born Feb- ruary 22, 1842, married James Beck, of Up- ton, Mass .; Henry Clay, was born August 6, 1844; Charles N., born in 1846, was drowned in November, 1856; Mary E., born February 14, 1848, married first a Mr. Winne, and sec- ond Frank L. Place; Edwin C., born Decem- ber 14, 1852, resides in New Haven ; Rose El- len, born January 12, 1855, married A. C. Phelps, of Upton, Mass. ; Charles Nelson, born April 13, 1857, is a merchant of Middlefield. mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume ; Mary Adeline, born October 19, 1859. married William N. Robbins, of New Haven ; Aurilla Louisa, born January 28, 1862. mar- ried Samuel Arnold, of Chester, Conn. : Israel D., Jr., born in 1864. died in infancy; Lucy Ann, born August 18, 1866, married E. Bab- son, of New Haven; and Laura Isabella, born February 9. 1868, is the widow of Jesse Rog- ers, of New Haven.

Henry Clay Burnham received a thorough education in the district schools and was ma- terially aided by his father, who at that time

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was a teacher. At the age of seventeen he be- gan working on the old farm, and so continued until he was twenty-six. At that time he entered the employ of an uncle, C. A. Chester, in an axe handle factory, located on Roaring brook, near the crossing of the Hadlyme road. His next business venture was in Hadlyme, where he successfully carried on an insurance business for five years. During these years Mir. Burnham had profited by his various busi- ness experiences, and decided that the life of a merchant was the one for which he was best fitted. In 1880 he erected his elegant store

building, with house attached, and soon had the finest mercantile establishment in the city and enjoyed a patronage from the very best peo- ple. In addition to his other operations, Mr. Burnham furnished native lumber for rail- road ties, and handled coal quite extensively. He was also proprietor of the old homestead, in East Haddam, which has been in the family for 120 years.

On June 20, 1866, Mr. Burnham was mar- ried to Fanny E. Phelps, who was born No- vember 20, 1847, a daughter of Champion and Sarah ( Comstock) Phelps, and a granddaugh- ter of Niles Phelps, who resided all his life in East Haddam, where he owned and operated a sawmill in connection with his farm. Niles Phelps married Esther Peck, and became the father of the following children: Ogden N., who married Charlotte Hungerford, and re- sided in East Haddam the greater part of his life; Alvin, who married Azuba Hungerford, and died in Killingworth, leaving a son, John H. ; Chauncey Beckwith, who was born June 26, 1802, and who died November 26, 1895 (he married Thurza Holmes, who was born September 27, 1806, and who died January 31, 1898) ; Livia, who married Joseph Martin; and Champion Phelps, father of Mrs. Burn- ham, who married Sarah Comstock, daughter of Belah and Fanny ( Brooks) Comstock, and had children : Fanny E., Mrs. Burnham; Al- ice, now the widow of Charles C. Newberry, of Hartford ; and Ellen, who married Sherburn Strong, of New Haven, and died in 1899. To Mr. and Mrs. Burnham were born three chil- dren : Frances H., born January 2, 1878, mar- ried Albert H. Phelps, of Clinton, Conn. ; Har- ry Champion, born June 9, 1882, assisted his father; Earle Chester, born March 6, 1888, died July 24, 1890.

Mr. Burnham was always a stanch Repub-

lican, and served his party well in various capacities, having been chairman of the town committee, member of the grand jury, justice of the peace and notary public, and in 1885. represented the town in the State Legislature, serving on the important Finance committee. In 1889 Mr. Burnham represented the Eleventh District in the State Senate, and his promi- nence was so fully recognized that he was ap- pointed chairman of the two important com- mittees on State Prisons and Federal Rela- tions. His death occurred March 14, 1902, and was greatly deplored.

Mrs. Burnham is a consistent member of the Hadlyme Congregational Church, of which her husband was a liberal supporter. Socially Mr. Burnham was a member of the Masonic fraternity, identified with Columbia Lodge No. 26, of East Haddam; Burning Bush Chapter, No. 29, of Essex; Cushing Council, No. 4; Palestine Commandery, No. 6, of New Lon- don; and Sphinx Temple, of Hartford, Con- necticut.

Mr. Burnham was an excellent example of what most young men in this country may become, by honesty, diligence, faithfulness and pluck; holding to every position won by most severe and continuous effort, until he was sur- rounded by men of influence in the business world, and sought and respected as a wise and trusted counselor in affairs of great political moment.

PEASE. 'By birth and marriage Mrs. Amelia P. (Pease) Ingraham, of Enfield Hartford Co., Conn., belongs to two old and prominent families in this part of the State.

. The American history of the Pease family begins with Robert Pease, supposedly the son of Robert Pease, of Great Baddow, Coun- ty of Essex, England, who came to America in the ship "Francis," from the port of Ips- wich, landing in Boston in 1634, to settle at Salem, where he died ten years later. The Christian name of his wife was Marie. From this emigrant ancestor Mrs. Ingraham is a de- scendant in the eighth generation, her line running through John, Robert (2), Samuel, Aaron, Stone, and Horace Pease.

John Pease, son of the emigrant, was born probably in England, about 1630, and came to this continent when a small lad, the first record of him-which concerned the settlement of his father's estate, in 1644-appearing in the

Edward Ingraham

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

annals of the court at Salem. He was first married to Mary, daughter of Robert Goddell, of Salem, who died in 1669. Mr. Pease lived in Springfield, and then in Enfield, Conn., and the Enfield family of that name count him as their ancestor. He died in 1689.

Robert Pease (2), son of John Pease, was born in 1656, in Salem, Mass., where he was married in 1678. Three years later he re- noved to the Connecticut Valley. He died in 1744.

Samuel Pease, son of Robert (2), born in 1686 in Enfield, married Elizabeth Warner, and made his home in his native town, where ie died in 1770.

Aaron Pease, son of Samuel, born in 1726 n Enfield, was married in 1751 to Ann Geer, lis first wife. He also lived and died in En- Field.

Stone Pease, son of Aaron, was born in Enfield in 1759, and lived in Enfield. In 1780 te married Asenath, daughter of Israel Pease, nd became the father of three children, Stone, Asenath and Horace.

Horace Pease, son of Stone, born in En- eld in 1783, was married in 1815 to Mrs. Rebecca ( Parsons) Carrier, and lived in En- eld, where he was engaged in the manufacture f iron ploughs, of which he was the inventor. Ie died in 1828. His children were: So- hronia R., born in Enfield, September 14, 816, died October 31, 1896; she married 'oderick Allen October 13, 1835, and settled 1 Enfield. Amelia P., born in Enfield, Janu- ry 12, 1822, married Edward Ingraham Jan- ary 15, 1844, and located in Saybrook. Har- et P. was born in Enfield September 26, 1826. EDWARD INGRAHAM came from a family so well known in Connecticut. Its ancestral tta and interesting facts appear on another ige. He was born in Old Saybrook October 1813, and died May 8, 1881. The greater art of his active life was spent as a merchant Saybrook Point, and he was also largely terested in shipping. He was a resident of rooklyn for a number of years, though while ere the family never failed to return in the mmer to his native home. In his commercial terprises Mr. Ingraham was very success- 1. and accumulated a considerable property. that in his later years he felt at liberty to e at his ease, out of all connection with the tive and busy world of trade and labor. His mic, located on the north side of the Point. 10

is one of the landmarks of the country, dating from 1744, and though renovated from time to time bears evidence in its massive beams and general appearance of its dignity as a stately Colonial mansion of the olden time. Miss Amy Ingraham is of the fifth generation to make this place home. Edward Ingra- ham served as an officer of the State militia, and was known as Major Ingraham. Politi- cally he was a Whig, and became a Democrat in his later years.

To Mr. and Mrs. Ingraham came the fol- lowing named children: (I) Allan, born January 21, 1845, died in Standish, Mich., March 23, 1876. (2) Gertrude, born October 22, 1846, is the widow of James G. Duncan. (3) George Edward, born September 1, 1848, resides in Enfield. He was married there to Caroline Elizabeth Potter, daughter of an old family in Enfield, who bore him the following children-Amy, born December 25, 1873; George Allan, August 24, 1874: Lillian, Au- gust 25, 1875; Edward, December 18. 1879: Mary Potter, October 1, 1884. (4) Isabel. born October 4, 1850, married Thomas E. Webster, an attorney-at-law. and lives in Bay City, Mich. ; they have one daughter. Amelia Ingraham, born July 13. 1885. (5) Arthur Hancock, an attorney-at-law. born August 1I, 1857. married Mary Ann Mercer, of West- ville, Conn., and resides in Bay City, Mich .; they have one daughter, Irene, born in Jant- ary, 1883. (6) Charles Goodwin, born April 27, 1859, died at Saybrook June 6. 1900, leav- ing memories of an active and upright man- hood. (7) Amy, born May 29, 1862, died in June, 1865.

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Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 27

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago : Beers Number of Pages: 1502

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : Beers
Number of Pages: 1502