USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Commemorative biographical record of New Haven county, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settled families, V. I, Pt 1 > Part 29
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
cessful that its members were already in possession of a competency, and the surviving member, Mr. Morton, closed out their business soon after the death of Mr. Hubbell in 1871.
HORACE J. MORTON, of the above named firm, was born in 1815, in Hatfield, Mass., son of Joseph and Martha ( Day) Morton, of that town, and he is a lineal descendant of Richard Morton, who was early at Hartford, Conn., where he was made a freeman in 1669. He removed to Hatfield, Mass., in 1670, where his death occurred in 1710, and the death of his wife, Ruth, in 1714.
Hatfield and Hadley, Mass., were settled at the same time -- 1659 to 1661-and the two towns be- came the property of a colony from Wethersfield and Hartford, Conn., men of wealth and high so- cial position.
On his mother's side Mr. Morton is in the eighth generation from Robert Day, who with his wife, Mary, sailed from Ipswich, England, in the bark "Elizabeth" for Boston in 1634. Mr. Day was born about 1604. He located in Newtown, now Cam- bridge, Mass., where his wife likely died soon thereafter. Mr. Day married (second) Editha Stebbins. He was one of the original proprietors of Hartford in 1639, and died there in 1648. His widow, who was twice married thereafter, died in 1688. 'From this Robert Day Mr. Morton's line of descent is through John, Thomas, Nathaniel. Joel and Martha (Day) Morton.
(II) John Day, son of Robert the emigrant set- tler, married Sarah Maynard, of Hartford, and died in about 1730.
(III) Thomas Day, son of John, married Sept. 21, 1696, Hannah Wilson, and lived in Hartford. He died in 1724 or 1725.
(IV) Nathaniel Day, son of Thomas, baptized July 3, 1715, married Jan. 20, 1737, Thankful Cles- son, and lived in Northampton, Mass. She died in 1754.
(V) Joel Day, son of Nathaniel, born Aug. 16, 1749, married March 10, 1783, Martha Murray, of Hatfield. Mass., and lived in that town.
(VI) Martha Day, daughter of Joel, born Sept. 6, 1786, married Feb. 10, 1810, Joseph Morton.
Horace J. Morton passed his boyhood on his father's farm, alternating between working on the farm in the summer season and attendance at the neighborhood school during the winters. In 1830 he came to New Haven and began employment in the shop of his uncle, Lelotes Day, a carriage builder. After reaching his majority he passed one season in Charleston, S. C., and on his return to New Haven at the close of the season began the manufacture of carriages for himself. He applied himself closely to his business, was a young man of honor and integrity, kept all of his financial en- gagements, and soon became successfully estab- lished in business and in the confidence of the peo- ple. As stated in the foregoing Mr. Morton as- sociated with him in the business in 1839 or 1840
123
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
his brother-in-law, Charles P. Hubbell, a partner- ship that existed until the death of Mr. Hubbell in 1871, and at that time the firm was the oldest in its line in New Haven. Like his partner, Mr. Morton has not been a man who sought notoriety, or cared for display, and he has had little taste for public honors, yet he occasionally has been pre- vailed upon to serve his fellow townsmen in a pub- lic capacity, notably in the common council and fire department. He has often been solicited to ac- cept important trusts, but has as often declined. For many years he has been one of the trustees of the City Savings Bank and a director in the Mer- chants Bank. Since Mr. Hubbell's death Mr. Mor- ton has not been actively engaged in business. His time has since been given to the settlement of the old firm's business, and in caring for some private trusts left to his keeping. He has been through a long lifetime an esteemed member of society.
In 1840 Mr. Morton was married to Elizabeth Barnett, and to them two children were born, of whom the son is now deceased; and Gertrude E. is the wife of Mr. H. A. Warner, of New Haven. Mr. Morton is a member of the First M. E. Church . at New Haven.
JOHN C. BRADLEY, whose death occurred at his home, No. 86 Grand avenue, New Haven, Dec. 24, 1897, was for many years one of the most prominent citizens of Fair Haven.
Mr. Bradley was born Oct. 11, 1836, in New Haven, son of Harvey Bradley. When a young man he became a clerk in the Merchants' Bank, gradually rising through the various grades until he became cashier of the bank, a position he satis- factorily filled for over a quarter of a century. In 1889 he retired from the bank, and took up real- estate interests, and from that time as long as he lived he had an office in the Exchange building. Mr. Bradley's political affiliations were with the Democratic party, and for several terms he repre- sented the Eleventh ward in the board of alder- men. His judgment was regarded as sound, and commanded respect in the commercial circles of the city, and his genial disposition won him many friends. Socially he was a member of Woolsey Lodge, Knights of Honor, and religiously he was associated with the Grand Avenue Congregational Church, where he took much interest in its song worship.
On Oct. 19, 1858, Mr. Bradley was married to Mary Josephine, a daughter of Henry and Azubah (Mix) Tryon. To this marriage came the follow- ing: John Colton, of New Haven; Wallace H., of Brooklyn; Edward M., a banker; Lucius, of New Haven ; Elihu A .; and M. Josephine.
JOIIN COLTON BRADLEY, whose name appears in the above list of children, was born Dec. 2. 1859, spent his early days in the Grand Avenue School, and later in the Woolsey School. For six years he worked with his grandfather Mix in the soap business, when Bradley & Ball bought out Mr. Mix,
and ran the business for six years. Mr. Bradley followed the fortunes of the house, and was with Mr. Malooney, and then with Mr. Hemingway. For the last seven years he has been holding the position of cashier with the Edward Malley Com- pany.
Mr. Bradley was married, in 1883, at his pres- ent residence, No. 264 Exchange street, to Alice Isabella, a daughter of Andrew J. Hull, of New Haven, by whom he has one child, Margaret Hull. Mr. Bradley belongs to the Royal Arcanum, and has served the local lodge as secretary for several years. He served as councilman from the Eleventh ward for a year. In his politics he is a Repub- lican.
EDWARD MIX BRADLEY, member of the banking house of H. C. Warren & Co., of New Haven, was born at the home on Ferry street, Aug. 25. 1864, and spent his early school days in New Haven, where he attended the Hillhouse high school. In 1884 he connected himself with McAllister & War- ren, a firm that later became H. C. Warren & Co., and in 1896 he became a member of the firm. His entire life from boyhood has been devoted to this line of business. Mr. Bradley was married in New Haven, April 23, 1896, to Miss Florence Strong, a daughter of John S. Fowler, an assistant clerk of the Superior Court. To this union have come two children: Edward Holbrook, born May 3, 1897 ; and Margaret, born Nov. 25, 1901. Mr. Bradley belongs to the Quinnipiac and the New Haven Country Clubs.
Wallace H. Bradley was born March 10, 1861, and spent his boyhood days in New Haven. He became bookkeeper for the Whitney Arms Com- pany, a position he held for many years, Dut of late he has been engaged in the life insurance business, and resides in Brooklyn, N. Y. In that city he married Bertha E. Lyon, by whom he has the fol- lowing family: Leon Wallace, born July 9, 1891 ; Whitney Lyon, born Nov. 20, 1892; Sheldon, born June 17, 1896; and Bertha Josephine, born July 15, 1899.
Henry Mix. the father of Mrs. John C. Brad- ley, was born in New Haven, son of Eli Mix, of the same place. In Saybrook, Conn., Henry Mix married Azubah Tryon, and at that place was con- nected with a stage line, of which he was presi- dent, that operated from New York to Hartford. He was later engaged in a grocery, and still later was connected with what has since become the New Haven Baking Company.
HON. GEORGE PRITCHARD (deceased). Through nearly two centuries the Pritchards have lived in Waterbury, where the late George Pritch- ard was born May 25, 1816, and through a long period of years was actively identified with the city's affairs, and especially with its industries.
Roger Prichard (as the name was originally spelled), the ancestor of this branch of the fam- ily, was of Wethersfield, in 1640, and came from
124
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Springfield, Mass., to Milford, Conn., previous to Dec. 18, 1653, at which date he was married to Elizabeth Slough, of Milford. He died in New Haven in 1670-71.
The late George Pritchard, of Waterbury, was a descendant in the sixth generation from this Roger Prichard, the line of his descent being through Benjamin Prichard, James Prichard, Isaac Prichard and Isaac Pritchard (2).
(II) Benjamin Prichard, son of Roger Prich- ard, born in 1657, married in 1683 Rebecca Jones. He removed to Waterbury about 1733.
(III) James Prichard, son of Benjamin Prich- ard, baptized in 1698, in Milford, Conn., married in 1721, Elizabeth Johnson, of Stratford, Conn., and died in 1749.
(IV) Isaac Prichard, son of James Prichard, born in 1729, married at Milford, in 1758, Lois, daughter of Isaac Bronson. He died in 1798, and she in 1824.
(V) Isaac Pritchard (2), son of Isaac Prich- ard, and the father of George Pritchard, was born in 1772 or 1773, and married in 1795 Lucina, daughter of Major Noah Baldwin.
The late George Pritchard, of Waterbury, was married in that town. For many years he was connected with the Warren & Newton Co., man- ufacturers of webbing and suspenders, a business which was successfully carried on under joint man- agement of Messrs. Warren, Newton, Woodruff and Pritchard. This company was consolidated with the Hotchkiss & Merriman Manufacturing Co., forming in 1857 the American Suspender Co., and of the new company Mr. Pritchard was one of the leading managers, having charge of its New York department. He retired from active busi- ness in 1873, and passed a period in travel in Europe. He represented Waterbury in the Gen- eral Assembly in 1871 and 1872. He was a promi- nent and active member of St. John's Church.
In 1838 Mr. Pritchard was married to Frances J., daughter of Daniel Scott. She died Feb. 10, 1885. He died July 31, 1877. Their children were: Margaret S., who married, April 9, 1860, Theodore J. Driggs; and Cora Le Roy, who mar- ried Oct. 2, 1872, Charles William Burrell, of Waterbury.
WILLIAM WARD. The earliest ancestor of Mr. Ward in America was Andrew Ward, an Eng- lish gentleman, who was the fifth son of Rich- ard Ward, of Gorleston, County of Suffolk, Eng- land, and who, tradition says, emigrated to the Col- onies in the ship "Arabella." It is known that he landed in Boston, where he took the oath of a free- man in 1634. Two years later he removed to Wethersfield, Conn., thence to Stamford, Conn., and from that place to Hempstead, L. I. Returning to Connecticut, he settled at Fairfield, where he died before Oct. 20, 1659, as that is the date upon which his will was admitted to probate. He mar- ried Hester (or Esther) Sherman, who was a mem-
ber of the family from which sprang Roger Sher- man, one of the signers of the Declaration of In- dependence. The nine children born to them were: Edmund, Anna ( Nichols), William ( married De- borah Lockwood), Mary ( Burr), John, Sarah ( Burr), Abigail, Andrew and Samuel. Mary mar- ried John Burr, of Fairfield, and was the mother of two sons, Daniel and Peter. The elder, who graduated from Yale College in 1738, was the father of Rev. Aaron Burr, and grandfather of Aaron, Jr., whose ambitious projects and meteorically brilliant career furnished an interesting page in our national history. The younger son, Peter, was an alumnus of Harvard.
The following extracts from the wills of An- drew and Hester Ward will be found interesting. The will of Andrew Ward, dated June 3, 1659, ad- mitted to probate in Fairfield Probate Court, Oct. 20, 1659, recorded in the records of said court, Vol. 1648-56, Pages 58-59, gives to his wife "Ester" forty pounds in money, and one-third of all his lands. To his son John fifty pounds, to be paid him at twenty-one years of age. To his daughter, Sarah, to be paid her one year after hier marriage. forty pounds. To his daughter Abigail, to be paid her at eighteen years of age, forty pounds. To his "sones" Andrew and Samuel, all the rest of his property on their attaining twenty-one years. In the seventh item of his will, after having disposed of the bulk of his property as above, he says : "7- And for the rest of my children, they have received their full portion all ready except my son Edmond, who if he come to this place my will is that out of my two youngest sons Andrew and Samuel's por- tions there may be paid twenty pounds," etc.
Will of Hester Ward (widow of Andrew Ward), probated Feb. 28, 1665, Fairfield Probate Record, Vol. 1656-75, Page II, gives to her daugh- ter Mary Burr forty shillings. To her son William Ward five pounds. To sons Andrew and Samuel eight pounds apiece. To her daughter Abigail seven pounds. To the children of her daughter Anna Nichols nine pounds. To her grandchild, Hester Ward, nine pounds. To her son John's child nine pounds. To Sarah Burr and Nathaniel Burr, children of her daughter Sarah, nine pounds. To her daughter Anna "her best red petticoat. To her daughter Sarah her mohair coat. To her daughters Ann and Mary, Sarah and Abigail, her wareing linnen."
Andrew Ward, the eighth child and fourth son of Andrew, was the ancestor of the gentleman whose nanie opens this sketch. He was born in Fairfield in 1645, and died about 1690. He estab- lished himself in Killingworth, New Haven county, married Tryal, a daughter of John Meigs, of Guil- ford, and was the father of ten children : Andrew, born in 1669, became a captain in the militia, and died in 1756. Jolin, born March 16, 1671, died without issue. Abigail, born Sept. 15, 1672, mar- ried Samuel Norton, of Guilford. Conn., Jan. 25, 1693, and died in 1733. Sarah, born Nov. 15, 1674,
Engry F G Herman VY
William Ward
ยท
125
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
became the wife of Stephen Bradley. Peter, born Oct. 14, 1676, married Mary, a daughter of Jacob Joy, of Killingworth, and died Dec. 18, 1763. Sam- uel, born Sept. 24, 1680, died in 1681. Esther, born May 2, 1684, died the same year. Of Mary, the ninth child, nothing can be told. Anna, the youngest, was married to Samuel Rossiter.
William Ward, the lineal ancestor of William Ward, of the present generation, was the sixth of this large family. He was born Oct. 18, 1678, and died Dec. 18, 1768. He married Lettis, a daughter of John Beach, of Wallingford, and to them came eleven children, the seventh of whom, John, was Mr. Ward's great-great-grandfather. The others, with the years of their respective births, were as follows: Mecock, 1702; William, 1705; Amy, 1707; Mary, 1708; Ambrose, 1709; Lettis, 1711; Pryal, 1716; Arah, 1718; Zenas, 1720; and Titus, 1723. A record of the marriage of each has been preserved, with the exception of Titus, of whom nothing is known. Mecock married Hannah Tyler, and after her death, which occurred Nov. 2, 1759, he was married to Widow Mary Hulls ; he died May 6, 1783. William married Abigail Crampton (whose father, John, was a resident of East Guil- ford), and died Dec. 19, 1761. Amy was united to Samuel Fowler, and Mary to Phineas Atwater, of Cheshire, Conn. Ambrose married Rachel Dor- man. Lettis was the wife of Daniel Curtis. Pryal married Daniel Pickett, of Stratford. Arah was joined to Phobe Towner. Zenas was twice mar- ried, first to Mary Bates, and after her death to Patience Square.
John Ward, born in 1714, was a druggist in Wallingford, where he died Dec. 2, 1754. On May II, 1736, he married Elizabeth Abernethy, and to them were born five sons and two daughters: Phe- lus, born April 24, 1737, married Lydia Meigs, and died April 24, 1804; his first wife having passed away June 14, 1775, he married Sarah Shelly, who died in 1823. Abel, born July 1, 1740, died in childhood. Titus was the great-grandfather of William Ward. Martha, born July 16, 1744, mar- ried William Carter, June 8, 1762. Eunice, born July 17, 1746, on Dec. 5, 1773, became Mrs. David Cook. John (1), born May 24, 1748, died in in- fancy. John. (2) was born Nov. 19, 1751, but nothing else is known concerning him.
Titus Ward was born March 10, 1742, and on June 7, 1763, married Amy Smith. He had an ad- venturous spirit, and from his boyhood a sea-faring life appeared to him the most delightful on earth. In time he owned and commanded a vessel sailing between the port of New York and the West In- dies. The family tradition is that during the war for independence his vessel sailed from the port of New Haven, and was captured by the British. and he was put aboard a British prison ship, where he starved to death. His home, when on shore, was in Wallingford. Ten children were born to him, whose names and dates of birth are as follows :
Sylvia, Aug. 8, 1764; Abel, May 24, 1766; Titus, March 30, 1768; Betsey, March 22, 1770; Nancy, June 10, 1772; Jolin, May 12, 1774; Sarah, May 25, 1776; William, Jan. 5, 1780; Statice, Feb. 16, 1782; Pauline, about 1783. Sylvia married Isaac Plumb, of Milford, and removed to Ogdensburg, N. Y., where she died Jan. 18, 1841. Titus mar- ried Sarah Smith, and died in the West Indies in 1805. Betsey became the wife of Samuel Beach, and died in Orange, New Haven county. Nancy was married to Joseph Nichols, proprietor of the "Eagle Hotel" in New Haven ; she died in that city Sept. 16, 1855, and he in New York June 16, 1819. John and William died in boyhood. Sarah, who became Mrs. Elijah Prindle, of Milford, died Aug. 17, 1827. Statice was Mrs. Burough Wright, of New Haven. Pauline was twice married, first to James H. Blinn, and afterward to Isaac Frost; she died in 1842 or 1843.
Abel Ward, the second child and eldest son of Titus, and the grandfather of William Ward, was a blacksmith by trade. He died in the town of Woodbridge, now Bethany, Oct. 9, 1792. He was twice married, first to Rachel Hotchkiss, who died in 1787, and afterward to Anna Wheeler. To the first union came one son, Richard, born Sept. 21. 1787; and to the second marriage one daughter. Rachel, born Jan. 23, 1792, who married Jervis Sommers, a farmer of Southbury.
Richard Ward, the father of William, passed his boyhood and youth in his native town, Woodbridge. learning the trade of a millwright. Desirous of visiting new scenes and hoping to improve his con- dition he traveled to the South and the West, mak- ing part of the journey on foot. Finding no busi- ness which suited him he returned to his native State to make his home in Naugatuck. There he perceived an opening for the erection of a linseed oil mill, and having secured financial support he entered into a co-partnership for the establishment of a plant. In 1810 he became part owner in one mill and not many years afterward he built a new mill and occupied it with others for a number of years. While this business enterprise was in prog- ress he met and married Roxanna Hoadley, their wedding being solemnized Dec. 15, 1811, by Rev. Mir. Dodd. Mrs. Richard Ward was born in Naugatuck July 15, 1787, daughter of Culpepper Hoadley, who was a drummer boy in the war of the Revolution and a descendant of the old English family of that name, a member of which was among the early settlers of Saybrook. Richard Ward died March 2, 1851, and his wife Feb. 6, 1865. They had five children, of whom William was the young- est ; Lewis was born Sept. 27, 1812; Lauren, Dec. 27, 1814; Maria, Feb. 11, 1819: and Mary, Feb. 17, 1823. Lewis was a man of many vocations, being first a shoemaker, next a contractor and later a maker of spokes. He was married April 19, 1835. to Mary Ann Curtis, of Huntington, Conn., and died Aug. 3, 1878. Lauren passed the greater part
126
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
of his life in Naugatuck, where for many years he was famous as a clockmaker. Later he constructed machinery of especial pattern to fill private orders, and after remaining for several years with the Wat- erbury Hook & Eye Co. (first in Waterbury and later in Torrington) formed a co-partnership with his brother, William, in the manufacture of curtain rings and other small wares of brass. Their busi- ness associations lasted thirty-two years. In 1840 he married Emily Hotchkiss, who died Jan. 19, 1887, and he passed away Jan. 4, 1898. Maria, the eldest daughter of Richard, is the widow of Ralph Smith, a carriage maker, of Litchfield county, whom she married Nov. 23, 1842. Mary married Feb. 17, 1841, Ganoe Potter, a tailor, who yet lives in Plain- ville ; she died Aug. 2, 1842.
.
.
William Ward was born March 7, 1825, in Naugatuck. When a boy he attended the local schools and at a suitable age began work in the satinette mill of William DeForest & Co. From there he went to Litchfield county, where for eigh- teen months he was in the employ of a wagon- maker, learning the trade, which he thereafter fol- lowed for several years at Naugatuck and New Haven, remaining in the last named city from the autumn of 1849 to 1864. During this time he man- aged, through industry, assiduity and economy, to accumulate sufficient capital to enable him. to em- bark in business on his own account, and went on a prospecting tour to Colorado, where he remained twenty-two months. In 1866 he once more re- turned to Naugatuck, where he and his brother formed a partnership, as already mentioned. The business proved profitable, but he has not confined his attention wholly to the affairs of L. & W. Ward. He is a trustee of the Naugatuck Savings Bank, of which for several years he has been president and holds the same position in the Naugatuck Water Co., bringing to the discharge of his official duties ripe business experience, keen sagacity and tried fidelity. He is a man of enlightened public spirit, always ready to aid, by counsel and purse, every well-conceived project for the public good. He has been prominently identified with the restoration of the ancient cemetery, which was rapidly going to decay, and was one of the incorporators of the Grove Cemetery Association. In early life he was a Whig, but since 1856 he has acted with the Re- publican party, although never actively interested in politics outside of his native town. In matters of local history Mr. Ward is an acknowledged author- ity. In his archives he holds scores of ancient deeds, and the genealogy of the old families of New Haven county is to him an open book. Lawyers constantly consult him as an antiquarian. Despite his seventy-seven years he is light of step and alert of body, with unclouded memory and an active brain.
On May 2; 1852, Mr. Ward was married to Miss Elizabeth A. Hine, of Milford. Three daughters have come to them: Emmie E., born May 6, 1853,
in New Haven, Conn., is the wife of Walter P. Hatch, of Stamford, Conn .; Alice M., born Feb. 4, 1856, in New Haven, married Charles A. Briggs, and is at present a resident of Brooklyn, Windham Co., Conn .; and Josephine B., born in New Haven Oct. 22, 1864, is now Mrs. Clarence Isbell, of Stam- ford, Connecticut.
CHARLES E. LONGDEN. The prosperity of any community depends upon its business activ- ity, and the enterprise manifested in commercial circles is the foundation upon which is built the material welfare of town, State and Nation. The most important factors at the present day are there- fore the men who are in control of successful busi- ness interests, and such a one is Charles E. Long- den, of Hamden, who was the founder, and for a number of years ending in April, 1901, the su- perintendent and secretary, of the Seamless Rubber Co., of New Haven. The history of Mr. Longden's life is closely identified with a line of manufacturing for which Connecticut is noted, the rubber busi- ness, and in the manufacture of seamless rubber goods he was the pioneer in America. The busi- ness, in common with so many that have assumed large proportions, had a very modest beginning, and a hard struggle at first for a mere existence.
Mr. Longden comes of a family, several mem- bers of whom seem to have been endowed with much more than the ordinary mechanical ingenuity and skill. The Longdens are of English origin, coming from Lincolnshire, and while not as long established in Connecticut as many of those herein mentioned, its members have certainly become prominent in the lines with which they have been identified. Charles E. Longden was born in Bos- ton, Lincolnshire, England, March 21, 1840, one of the younger children of the large family of Will- iam H. and Mary A. Longden. James Longden, father of William H., fought under Nelson. Of the fourteen children of William H. and Mary A. Longden, twelve lived to adult ages. There were four sons, three of whom are yet living, viz .: Will- iam H., a machinist of Bridgeport, Conn., who has two children, Teresa and William H., Jr .; Charles E., our subject; and Elmer A., of Bridgeport. William H. Longden, father of our subject, was a skilled mechanic. He came to the United States alone, his wife and family joining him not long afterward. His first location was at Nauga- tuck, Conn., where he worked for Lyman Brad- ley for a few years, and later he was with Ben- jamin H. Moss, a knife manufacturer, of Water- ville, Conn. Mr. Longden was the first knife blade forger in America, and made the first blades for the manufacturers here when they were experimenting with same, carrying on this work at what was then called Salem Bridge, Conn. He was an ex- pert in his line, and his skill and ideas brought much money into the hands of his employers. He died at Waterville, in 1878, aged eighty-two years,
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.