Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 88

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 88

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Mr. Schondorf was a Republican, and fra- ternally a Master Mason, belonging to St. John's Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He died June 26, 1891, leaving a large property. His invest- ments displayed excellent judgment, and time has proved that he was rarely wrong on all business matters. His widow is a most excel- lent lady.

CYPRIAN STRONG BRAINERD, JR., one of the successful men of Middlesex coun- ty, Conn., is a descendant of Daniel Brainerd, one of the proprietary settlers of the town of Haddam, in that county.

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CYPRIAN S. BRAINERD, JR.

BUILT IN 1792 BY JOSIAH AND ANSEL BRAINERD, NOW OCCUPIED AS THE SUMMER HOME OF

DWELLING HOUSE OF CYPRIAN S. BRAINERD.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

(I) Daniel Brainerd was brought from England when eight years old to Hartford, Conn., where he lived in the Wyllys family until he was of age. He became a proprietor and settler of Haddam about 1662, and was a prosperous, influential and respected man, a justice of the peace in the town, and a deacon in the church. He married, first, Hannah Spencer, of Lynn, Mass., and after her death at Hartford, November 29, 1698, Mrs. Han- nah Sexton. Her children, according to the Brainerd genealogy, all born to the first mar- riage, were: Daniel, born March 2, 1665, married in 1688, Susanna Ventres; Hannah, born November 20, 1667, married Thomas Gates; James, born June 2, 1669, married (first) Deborah and (second) Sarah -; Joshua, born July 20, 1671 ; William, born March 30, 1673, married De- cemiber 13, 1698, Sarah Bidwell; Caleb, born November 20, 1675, married May 1, 170I, Elizabeth Bidwell; Elijah, born i11 1677, mar- ried (first) September 28, 1699, Mary Bush- nell, and (second) September 6, 1738, Mar- garct -; and Hezekiah, born in 1680- 81, married October 1, 1707, Dorothy (Ho- bart) Mason. The father of this family be- came the greatest land holder in Haddam. He died April 1, 1715.

(II) William Brainerd, born March 30, 1673, married December 13, 1698, Sarah Bid- well, and their seven children were: Sarah, born March 21, 1700, married Gideon Arnold; William, born March 20, 1702, married Esther ; Hannah, born April 26, 1704, mar- ried William Smith; Samuel, born July 4, 1706, married Esther Brainerd; Chiliab, born October 10, 1708, married Abigail Fiske; Josiah, born May 4, 1711; and Nathan, born November 4, 1713, married (first) October 25, 1739, Ruth -; and (second) January 13, 1743, Sarah Gates. William Brainerd, the father, lived on Haddam Neck.

(III) Josiah Brainerd, born May 4, 1711, married (first) February 15, 1736, Sarah - and (second) September 12, 1738, Hannah Spencer, and lived on Quarry Hill on Had- dam Neck. He was a soldier in some of the Colonial wars, and also in the war of the Revolution, with the title of lieutenant. He was first a member of the Church in Haddam, and afterward a member of the church in Mid- dle Haddam, having aided in its formation in 1740. His children, all excepting the first, 31

were born to the second marriage, and were: Sarah, born December 2, 1736, married Jere- miah Brainerd; Josiah, Jr., born August 17, 1739; Chiliab, born October 21, 1741, married and settled in New Hampshire; Hannah, born April 14, 1743, never married; Ezra, born Au- gust 17, 1744, married (first) Jerusha Smith, (second) Bethia Wilder, and (third) Lucretia Post; Eliphaz, born July 5, 1746; Israel, born February 10, 1748, married Widow Deborah Hoyt; Prudence, born January 25, 1750, mar- ried Ebenezer Foot; and Susanna, born Oc- tober 10, 1751, married Aaron Selden. The father died July 8, 1792. His first wife died December 21, 1736, and his second wife died July 24, 1787.

(IV) Josiah Brainerd, Jr., born August 17, 1739, married May 21, 1759, Lois H/url- burt, and lived on Haddam! Neck, where he was associated with his brother Ezra in the quarry business. Their children were: Ruth, born January 26, 1760, died May 31, 1764; Amsel, born December 9, 1763; Lucinda, born July 18, 1765 ; Nabby, baptized July 31, 1768, died single; Diadema, born July 29, 1770, died when young; Josiah, born March 13, 1774; and Chauncey, born June 2, 1776.

(V) Ansel Brainerd, son of Josiah, Jr., was born December 9, 1763, and died March 13, 1840. He lived in the house where now his grandson, the subject of this sketch, spends his summers in Haddam. This residence was built in 1792 by Josiah, Jr., the old ancestral home on Salmon river having been destroyed by fire in 1791. Ansel Brainerd engaged in farming and quarrying on the Neck, where he spent his whole life. In 1791 he was married to Hannah Dart, daughter of Dr. Cyrus and Mary (Kilborn) Dart. of Chatham, Conn. They were the parents of children as follows : (1) Roswell, born April 28, 1792, died No- vember 21, 1837. He married Laura Sher- man, and became the father of Nancy Sophia, Almira Florilla, Charles Hurd, Henry Stan- nard. Roswell Colton and Laura Ann. ( 2) Ansel, born May 6, 1794, died February 19, 1885. He was twice married: his first wife, Olivia Shailer, bore him four children: Alva Shailer. Addison, Mary Lavinia and Ira Shailer : his second wife Sarah Day, became the mother of the following: Olivia, Harri- son, Sarah Louisa, Cornelia Colton. Anna Colton and Lucretia Day. (3) Laura, born February 19, 1797. died January 18. 1884.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

She married Alva Shailer, and to them were born : Brainerd, Laura Ann, Olivia, Hannah Florilla and Harriet Attwood. (4) Cyprian Strong is mentioned in full below. (5) Abi- gail, born July 24, 1800, married Willard Cook, and became the mother of the following children : Ansel Brainerd, Abby Florilla, Charles Willard and Ellen Sophia.

(VI) DEACON CYPRIAN STRONG BRAIN- ERD, son of Ansel and father of our subject, was born October 1, 1804, and died July 18, 1880. His parents gave him his name in lov- ing memory of the Rev. Cyprian Strong, D. D., who was a resident of Chatham, and a noted Congregationalist divine of his day. Mr. Brainerd grew to manhood in his native place, and after public-school instruction was . educated in the private school of Judge Ely Warner, where he also studied surveying. Judge Warner was a celebrated surveyor in his day, and at that time resided in Haddam, although he later moved to Chester, where he died. Young Brainerd taught school in Had- dam and other places for several winter terms, and at one time seriously contemplated enter- ing the medical profession, but finally engaged in quarrying, which business has been carried on by his family from the time of Lieut. Jo- siah Brainerd. Forming a co-partnership with his brother Ansel, he conducted a large business, employing a number of men, and continuing with much success from 1821 to 1850. In the early years of the business they received many contracts from the United States Government, furnishing stone for the fortifications about New York Harbor, and a part of the stone used in the construction of Fort Pulaski, Savannah, Ga., and Castle Cal- houn, S. C., and in the erection of the Groton monument, came from their quarries. Later the business changed somewhat and they sup- plied New York City with curbing and paving stone. The association of these two brothers was an ideal one; Cyprian Strong made the contracts with the government, municipalities and private parties, and attended to the busi- ness correspondence, while Ansel managed the quarries, and was an expert in the opening up of new quarries, and in estimating upon the quality and characteristics of the stone. In pol- itics Deacon Cyprian Strong Brainerd was or- iginally a Whig, but later became a Republican, and was a very prominent man, exercising much influence in town affairs. Although the

town was Democratic, he was often sent to the Legislature, to represent it as a special agent when some desirable legislation affecting the town was needed. From 1857 to 1862 he served as county commissioner for Middlesex county.

On October 20, 1825, at a meeting held in Brother Butler's hall, in Haddam, Conn., Mr. Brainerd was initiated into the mysteries of the Masonic fraternity ; passed and raised No- vember 24, 1825, in the same hall, and was chosen G. D. January 31, 1831. But few meet- ings were held after that until the reorganiza- tion, in 1859.

On October 3, 1827, Deacon Cyprian S. Brainerd was married to Florilla Hull, daugh- ter of Nathaniel and Sarah (Tibbals) Hull, the former of whom removed from, Killing- worth to Haddam, where he lived and died. The Hulls were early settlers in Killingworth, and prominent in town affairs; they were rep- resented in the French and Indian war, and also in the Revolutionary war, and land was granted to Joseph and John Hull for their services in the Indian war. Mrs. Sarah (Tib- bals) Hull was a native of Haddam, and her family was well known there. Deacon and Mrs. Brainerd gave much time to the study of music, especially of church music, and for many years both sang in the choir of the Had- dam Congregational Church, of which he was the leader from the time of the erection of the present church to within three or four years of his death. He had a fine bass voice, which he retained almost to the close of his life. He had always been active in church work, and for many years served as deacon. He had much to do with the establishing of the present Con- gregational Church at Haddam Neck, and was much interested in its growth and prosperity. To Deacon Brainerd and wife were born the following children: (1) Cyprian Strong, Jr., was born August 4, 1828. (2) Eugene Bur- tis, born July 13, 1832, died June 18, 1897, married Sophia L. Pettingill, and lived in Brooklyn, N. Y .; they had two daughters, Helen Eugenia, and Flora Louise. (3) Ad- rian Morrison, born December 27, 1834, died August 23, 1854.

(VII) Cyprian Strong Brainerd, Jr., son of Deacon Cyprian, was born in the house built by his great-grandfather, Josiah, in 1792, and lived there until he attained the age of eighteen years. His first schooling was received at

Cyprian @ Brainerde

Cyprian S. Brainerd In

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

home from his father, and later he was sent to the district school and then to the Brainerd Academy, his father being one of the trus- tees. He entered in September, 1839, when the academy first opened its doors to pupils, and there he continued until the age of fifteen. His first instructor was Joel Dudley, another being Rev. Porter H. Snow, both well remem- bered by many residents of Haddam. At the age of eighteen he went to New Haven and en- tered Yale College, from which he was gradu- ated in 1850, in the same class with Ellis H. Roberts, United States Treasurer, and at one time editor of the Utica (N. Y.) Herald; other members of the class were Robert Coit, a prominent lawyer of New London, Conn .; Martin Kellogg, late president of the Univer -. sity of California; Prof. Daniel Bonbright, of the Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. ; and Prof. Hubert A. Newton, senior profes- sor of mathematics at Yale, who became an ntimate friend. For five years after gradua- ion at Yale, Mr. Brainerd engaged in teach- ng, spending two years at Central Village, Conn., one year at a private school for young adies at Aberdeen, Miss., one year in a boy's Family school near Owego, N. Y. (conducted y Rev. Frederick Frelinghuysen Judd), and one year was tutor for three brothers at Dans- ille, N. Y., who were preparing to enter Yale College. Mr. Brainerd for a time pursued medical studies, but in the year 1855 he went o New York City and entered the law office of his cousin, Roswell C. Brainerd. In 1857 le became private secretary to Samuel Powell, Mayor of Brooklyn, N. Y., through one term of office and part of another. Then with an incle, Calvin E. Hull, he took an interest in proprietary medicine business, becoming a partner in 1860, but in the following year the usiness suspended on account of the break- ig out of the Civil war. Returning to the ww, he was admitted to the Bar in 1863, but in 865 he reopened the medicine business, and ontinued at that for a number of years under he firm name of C. E. Hull & Co. For the ist fifteen years he has been engaged in vari- us enterprises, and much occupied as an ex- cutor and manager of several estates, among em the estate of Frederick H. Harrison, his ither-in-law, who for many years was en- aged in trade with the West Indies : the estate f Brainerd Shaler, his cousin, connected with

the leather trade in the City of New York; the estate of his own father ; and many others.

Desiring to manifest his strong attachment to the First Congregational Church of Had- dam, the church of his ancestors for many generations, and to which he felt indebted for much of his own early religious training, Mr. Brainerd presented to the church at its bicen- tennial celebration, held on October 17, 1900, as a gift appropriate to the occasion, a fine new pipe organ, as a testimonial of his per- sonal regard for the church, and especially as a fitting memorial to his parents, in view of their long and faithful labors on behalf of the church, and more particularly in connection with its musical service. The organ was built to order by the well known organ builders, J. H. and C. S. Odell, of New York City, and is one of the finest of its size now in use in the county. It bears the following inscription : "This organ was presented to the First Con- gregational Church of Haddam at its Bi-Cen- tennial Celebration held October 17, 1900, in affectionate memory of Deacon Cyprian Strong Brainerd and Florilla Hull Brainerd, his wife, for many years devoted members of the church, and active in its work and worship. especially in its service of Praise to God in Sacred Song; by their son, Cyprian Strong Brianerd, Junior.'

On May 2, 1877. Mr. Brainerd was united in marriage with Harriet H. Harrison, daugh- ter of Frederick H. and Mary ( Mix) Harri- son. Frederick H. Harrison was born Oc- tober 26, 1815, in the city of New Haven, and became a merchant in the city of New York, and was largely interested in the West Indies trade. While deeply interested in politics, first as a Whig and later as a Republican, he was never an office holder, although at the time of his death he was president of the International Free Trade League, being an ardent believer in free trade. He was a strong anti-slavery man, and was highly respected by the business men of New York City.

! The HARRISON Family is one of the oldest and most prominent in New England. The line is traced back to Gen. Harrison, who was prominently connected with the regicides. Goffe and Whalley, in the trial and execution of Charles 1. King of England. The father of Frederick H. Harrison was Justis Harri- son, who was born April 14, 1784, and who

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

died November 14, 1850. His wife, Harriet Hotchkiss, born November 12, 1786, died March 25, 1869, was a daughter of Eli Hotch- kiss (who died May 13, 1813, aged fifty-five) and his wife Eunice (who died February 13, 1817, aged fifty-five). Ammi Harrison, a brother of Justus, had two children, Sarah and Henry B., of whom the latter became governor of Connecticut. The children born to Justus and Harriet (Hotchkiss) Harrison were: (1) Elizabeth Eunice, who married (first) Rev. Lewis Foster, and (second) Rev. Charles P. Grosvenor; (2) Frederick H., father of Mrs. Harriet Harrison Brainerd; (3) George Ed- win, who died young ; (4) Rev. George Justus, who for many years was pastor of the Congre- gational Church at Milton, Conn., and (5) Francis Edwin, of New Haven, Conn. Mrs. Mary (Mix) Harrison, mother of Mrs. Brain- erd, was a daughter of Eli Mix (a merchant of New Haven) and Grace (Peck) Mix, the latter a sister of Capt. Elisha Peck, of the United States Navy. Charles Mix, a son of Eli and a brother of Mrs. Harrison, was In- dian Commissioner, and later a deputy for many years in the Indian Bureau at Washing- ton, and he was said to have been one of the. best informed men in the country in regard to the Indians and their affairs.

Mr. and Mrs. Cyprian S. Brainerd are at- tendants upon the Church of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn, N. Y., and both are liberal support- ers of same. For years Mrs. Brainerd's fam- ily attended Henry Ward Beecher's Church. For some years past Mr. Brainerd has spent his summers in his old home at Haddam. He is one of the successful men who have gone out from the old town of Haddam, and who have made her name respected in other States.

LUCAS. Mrs. Mary H. Wilson, of Mid- dletown, widow of Robert C. Wilson, comes from the Lucas family, one of the very oldest of Middlesex county. Thomas Lucas, of Dur- ham, her grandfather, was a Revolutionary sol- dier, was taken prisoner, and was imprisoned by the English in the old sugar house, in New York. He was ill, and was left in a deranged state of mind, and was a pensioner the latter years of his life; he died of smallpox. He married Abigail Gilman, who was a noted wo- man of her day. She was the "good angel" of her neighborhood, visited the sick, and helped the needy, and sought to lessen suffer-

ing wherever she could find it, being widely known for her sympathizing spirit and kind acts. Thomas and Abigail Lucas had the fol- lowing children : Noah, Elijah, Amos, Thomas, George and Julia, twins, and Levi.

ELIJAH LUCAS, the father of Mrs. Wilson, was born in 1792, on Long Hill. He married Harriet Paddock, daughter of Robert and Martha (Loveland) Paddock. Her father, who was one of the wealthiest men of his time in Middletown, was commonly called "Cash" Paddock, from his habit of making cash pay- ments. He was an extensive landowner, his real estate comprising much of what is now regarded as the choicest residence property of the city. He owned large tracts of land in New York, having the title to the greater part of the land now forming the city of Utica, N. Y. He had frequent occasion to visit that country, and his daughter often went with him, making the journey by carriage. Mr. Paddock was a substantial member of the Bap- tist Church in Middletown, and contributed liberally to the erection of the new; structure, even advancing money so that the completion of the building should not be delayed. He lived on South Main street, where his wife was born. His family consisted of six daughters, five of whom lived to womanhood. (1)

Clarissa married a Mr. Birdsey, and died in Middletown. (2) Martha was first married to a Mr. Rogers, subsequently to Joseph Miller, and died in Middletown. She was known as "Aunt Patty" Miller. Her for- tune, inherited from her father, enabled her to dispense charity along lines that caused her to become well known. Her gifts of bells and clocks to various churches were numerous, and widely distributed. She gave "Rogers Home" to the Industrial School of Middletown. Her many acts of charity and benevolence, with her characteristic peculiarities, gave her a promi- nence unique and distinctive. (3) Lucy mar- ried Elihu Plumb. (4) Harriet became Mirs. Elijah Lucas. (5) Julia Ann married Hon. Alfred Hubbard.

Elijah Lucas was reared on Long Hill, and : attended the district school. He was a me- chanical genius for his time, and when a boy made baskets, after seeing Indians do the work. When a young man he went into the factory of the old Pameacha Manufacturing Company in Middletown, and rapidly learned the busi- ness, and was later made superintendent of

Elijuli Lucru,

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the factory. Being saving and shrewd, he accumulated considerable money, and he re- tired from business and lived in quiet a num- ber of years prior to his death, in 1865. He served in the war of 1812. His widow died in 1887, and both are buried in Farm Hill cemetery. Mrs. Lucas was a member of the Baptist Church. Elijah Lucas was a man of strong mind, and his judgment in commercial matters was listened to with respect. He was vice-president of the Middletown Savings Bank, and was also a director in the Middle- town National Bank, being a man of business capacity and an able financier. He left a, large estate, which with the private fortune of his widow was under her management, and represented a large property. In the handling and directing of this business Mrs. Lucas proved herself to be a lady of rare ability and acumen. So infinitely small were her losses, and so profitably placed were her investments,. that in financial circles in Middletown she oc- cupied for years a foremost position. From girlhood she gave evidence of unusual natural intellect. Her educational advantages, while limited as compared with those of the present day, were improved, and her proficiency as a scholar caused the teacher to frequently com- mend her example to the other pupils. At school she was often referred to as a "lover of learning." Her fondness for reading was a prominent characteristic, and one that occupied much of her time in her later years. The study of the Scriptures was to her highly interest- ing, and her very retentive memory enabled her to recite many Scriptural passages with ease. Her general information was large. She was in many respects a remarkable woman. Her death occurred in May, 1887, when she was eighty-four years and five months 'old. The only child of Elijah and Harriet (Pad- dock) Lucas who lived to maturity was Mary H., who was born in Middletown, and became the wife of Robert C. Wilson, November 9, 1871.

ROBERT C. WILSON was born in Scot- land, son of John and Agnes (Gibson) Wil- son, who came to Middletown when he was but a child. He died December 15, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson became the parents of the following named children : ( 1) Claude Lucas, born August 16, 1872, graduated from Wes- leyan University, class of 1895, later from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, in New

York. He served some time as house surgeon of St. Boniface Hospital, Newark, N. J., and is now a practicing physician of that city. (2) Robert Paddock, born April 16, 1875, gradu- ated from Wesleyan University, class of 1897, and entering Columbia University, took a course in architecture, graduating from that institution in the class of 1902. He was a noted foot-ball player and was for two years captain of the Wesleyan team. In 1899 he was captain of the Columbia University team, which was the most famous, up to that time, that had ever represented that institution on the gridiron, and was the first team, in the history of foot-ball, aside from those repre- senting Princeton, Harvard, and the Universi- ty of Pennsylvania, that had ever been able to defeat Yale. (3) James Elijah, born July 16, 1881, is a student at Wesleyan, class of 1904. The sons of Mrs. Wilson are promising young men, and for sound character, love of learning, and high moral principles, would be difficult to equal anywhere.

A singular fact in the history of this family may be mentioned. The grandmother, the mother, and Mrs. Wilson and each of Mrs. Wilson's three sons, were born on Friday. Mrs. Wilson is a most highly esteemed lady and is prominent in social circles in Middletown. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. As an owner and patron of an- tique furniture she is well known, and her very pleasant home on South Main street contains one of the largest collections in the city, in- cluding a number of extremely rare and valua- ble pieces.

HENRY ISAIAH NETTLETON is a prominent representative of the Nettleton fan- ily, one of the oldest and best known in Con- necticut. He is a substantial and influential farmer and fruitgrower, residing in the south- ern part of the town of Durham, Middlesex county, near the Guilford line, where he owns and cultivates a highly improved place of 200 acres. He was a pioneer fruit grower in the county on an extensive scale, and has always exhibited the qualities of a progressive and ca- pable agriculturist.

Samuel Nettleton, the founder of the fam- ily in America, was one of the men who bought Totoket (Branford) for a settlement. They came to occupy their purchase early in 1664. Samuel Nettleton died in Fairfield. His wife's

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

name was Maria. His descendants are numer- ous in Killingworth, Durham, Madison and Guilford, and Henry I. belongs to the Killing- worth branch of the family.

Eliphaz Nettleton, the grandfather of our subject, was born about 1780, in Killingworth, Conn. When a young man he came to Dur- ham, locating near where Henry I. now lives, and there followed farming during the rest of his life. His wife, Lydia, was born about 1768, and died October 28, 1860. Eliphaz Nettleton was one of the pillars of the Metho- dist Church in Durham, and was very active in church work. His eight children were as follows: (I) Joseph, a farmer in Durham, married Esther Bailey, of Haddam. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. (2) Maria mar- ried (first) Stephen Buckley, and later Jere- miah Bailey. She lived in Durham, where she died. (3) Polly married Selden Stevens, and died in Orange, Conn. (4) Harriet and (5) Henry E. were twins. Harriet married Osmar Fowler, and lived in Durham. Henry E. was the father of our subject. (6) James, who married a Miss Dunham, lived in Durham for a time, and later moved West. (7) Isaiah died when a young man. (8) Amanda, who married Edward Hawley, a farmer, lived in the southern part of Durham, near the Guil- ford town line.

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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 88

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