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 2 > Part 27
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Joseph D. Payne was a child when his parents moved from Cheshire to Prospect, where he attended the public schools, and he was later a student in Everest Academy. At the age of nineteen he came to Westville, now a part of New Haven, entering the store of Joseph Hale, as clerk, and from 1850 until his death, which occurred April 16, 1894, he remained an active business man and a useful citi- zen. In about 1852 he became associated in business as a merchant with Edwin W. Cooper. the style of the firm being Cooper & Payne, and the partnership lasted about ten years, after which Mr. Payne con- ducted the business alone until 1870, when he with- drew from mercantile life and engaged in the manu- facture of nuts in Westville, in which line he con- tinued until some three years prior to his death, when, owing to failing health, he retired from ac- tive business.
Mr. Payne was a man of excellent judgment. a careful financier, industrious and energetic, and prospered in his undertakings, becoming a very suc- cessful business man. He was possessed of a high sense of honor and great strength of character, was just and strict in all his business dealings, inflexi- ble in his purposes and firm in his friendships. He was ever interested and active in all measures and movements which he deemed beneficial to the com- munity. He had managed his own affairs so well that he was several times called by his fellow towns- men to positions of trust and responsibility, serving for a quarter of a century as a member of the school board of his district, of which he was treasurer. His political sympathies were with the Democratic
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J.D Payne
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party. Mr. Payne was a Mason of high standing, and for many years was treasurer of the local lodge. With his wife he attended the Westville Congre- gational Church.
On May 17, 1852, Mr. Payne was united in mar- riage with Miss Amelia F. Cooper, who was born in Westville, a daughter of Jeremiah and Fanny (Warner) Cooper, and one child was born to them. Adelaide, who is unmarried, and with her mother occupies the beautiful Payne home at No. 106 Fountain street, Westville.
Mrs. Payne comes from old Connecticut stock in both paternal and maternal lines. Amos Warner, her maternal grandfather, was a farmer at Hamden, Conn., where the family has long been located, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Payne's parents were both born in Hamden. The mother moved first to New Haven, thence to West- ville, where she was married, and where Mr. Cooper followed his trade, that of cooper, until he was drowned, which occurred when his daughter Amelia F. was but one year old. Mrs. Payne is the youngest of a family of four, Edwin W., Caroline, Zenas and Amelia F. The Coopers are of English extraction.
THE FOSTER FAMILY was, throughout the past century, one of the leading families of New Haven, as it was also one of the old and historic families of New England. It has given several men to the legal profession who have graced the Bar of Connecticut, and who have elevated the social life of the city in which their honorable and useful ca- reers have passed. Especial reference is made to Hon. Eleazer Foster, and to his son, Hon. Eleazer Kingsbury Foster, who in turn were conspicuous in New Haven for many years. John P. C. Foster, son of the latter, is now one of the leading physicians and most prominent citizens of the community.
Samuel Foster, the emigrant ancestor of the fam- ily, was born in England in 1619, and came to New England in its very early settlement. He was married, at Dedham, Mass., in 1647, to Esther Kemp, and moved to Wenham three years later. In 1655 he removed to Chelmsford, Mass., where he became an honorable and representative citizen of the town. A deacon in the Church, he was also a deputy to the General Court. From him Dr. Fos- ter, of New Haven, is a descendant in the eighth generation, the line of descent being through Samuel (2), Edward, Edward (2), Edward (3), Eleazer and Eleazer K.
Samuel Foster, son of the emigrant, was born in Chelmsford in 1650, and when twenty-eight years of age was married to Sarah Keyes. He died in 1730. Edward Foster, his son, was born in 1689, in Chelmsford, was married to Remembrance Fletcher. Edward Foster (2), son of Edward, was born in Chelmsford in 1714, and with his wife, Ra- chel, resided in Sturbridge, Mass., where he died in 1775. Edward Foster (3), was born in Stur- bridge in 1749, and married to Rachel Newell; he
saw active service in the war of the Revolution, and after its termination bought and settled on a farm in the town of Union, Conn., where he spent the rest of his life, dying in 1818.
Hon. Eleazer Foster, son of Edward Foster (3), was born in 1779, in the town of Union, Conn., and was married in New Haven, in 1806, to Mary Pierrepont, who was born in 1780, a lineal descend- ant of Rev. James Pierrepont, a settler of New Haven in 1684, and one of the founders of Yale Col- lege. . She is also a descendant of Mary Hooker, a daughter of Rev. Samuel Hooker, of Farmington.
Mr. Foster was graduated from Yale College in 1802, and became a lawyer. Soon after his admis- sion to the Bar he gave such decided proof of his industry, capacity, integrity and discretion, that he was quickly called to responsible and delicate po- sitions. In 1817 he was representative from New Haven in the State Legislature, where he led a brilliant career. He stood so high in the public con- fidence that he was frequently called on to admin- ister estates, to be assignee for debtors and agent for creditors. His practice was largely along the line of probate business, and such was his ability and integrity that he uniformly received the approbation of all interested. For the duties of a magistrate he was guided by that integrity and impartiality which fully evinced his love of justice and his sacred regard for the true interests of the public. A man of high character, he was kind and attentive to the poor, courteous to all, and in every sense a desirable neighbor. He was an exemplary member of the Church of Christ. His death occurred in New Haven May 1, 1819; and his widow, who lived many years thereafter, died in 1852.
Hon. Eleazer Kingsbury Foster, the son of the foregoing, and father of Dr. Foster, was born May 20, 1813, and was graduated from Yale in 1834. At New Haven, and in Auburn, N. Y., he made his preparation for the law, and was admitted to the Bar in his native city, where he practiced law all his life. Shortly after his entrance upon his profes- sion he was appointed grand juror of the town. From 1845 to 1849 he was probate judge of the New Haven district. In 1854 he was appointed State's Attorney for New Haven, and in 1867 was nominated registrar in bankruptcy by Chief Justice Chase, holding both positions as long as he lived. In 1860 he was a member of the Republican conven- tion that nominated Abraham Lincoln. For six years he was a member of the city council of New Haven, and was a member of the State Legislature in 1844, 1845, 1855 and 1865, when he served as Speaker of the House. In 1861 he declined a non- ination for Governor of Connecticut in favor of Gov. Buckingham.
At the Bar, in public and private life, Judge Foster was a man of mark. The eminence which he attained at the Bar was not due to study and applica- tion alone. A noble presence, a grand voice, the | graces of oratory, often becoming eloquence, wit
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and humor, a thorough knowledge of human nature, and a quick sympathy, with all ranks of men-these were the gifts that always secured to him a place in the front rank of his profession. As a specialist in criminal law he frequently dealt with important causes and encountered the ablest of liis professional brethren. To these demands he was always equal, and was regarded as a most formidable antagonist before the jury, where he was especially successful. As a cross-examiner he was remarkably skillful, and many an unhappy culprit has seen the secrets of his breast laid bare by him, even while believing that every avenue of approach had been securely guarded. As State's Attorney he sought for jus- tice, never demanding the "pound of flesh," and mitigating where circumstances would allow the penalties of crime which took on in many cases the character of ignorance and stupidity. Courteous and considerate in his demeanor toward his antag- onist, he often made friends of those upon whom he brought the penalties of violated law. He was the last survivor, save Hon. Alfred Blackman. of that brilliant circle of lawyers whose fame in the past is already becoming a tradition to the lawyers of this generation.
In politics, Judge Foster was a Whig in his earl- ier life, and became a Republican on the organization of that party. On the "hustings" he was very popu- lar, and often appeared to defend what he deemed right and true. He was a man of deep religious con- victions, and firmly held to the fundamental doc- trines of the Episcopal Church, of which he was a devoted member. His Christian faith and hope were a great comfort to him in his last illness. For more than thirty years Judge Foster was a resident of New Haven, and his death was felt by many of its people as a personal loss.
Judge Foster was married Jan. 2, 1838, to Miss Mary Codrington, who was born in Jamaica, Brit- ish West Indies, Feb. 9, 1818, on one of her father's plantations, but was educated in England. To this union were born four children: William E., the editor of the Buffalo (N. Y.) Commercial; Eleazer K., a lawyer in Florida; Dr. John P. C., a resident of New Haven; and Mary, who died in 1864, at the age of twenty-one years. Judge Foster died June 13, 1877, his wife having passed away Sept. 25, 1872.
William E. Foster, noted above as editor of the Buffalo Commercial, was married in 1861 to Sarah E. Betts, a daughter of Judge Betts, of the city of New York. He enlisted in the United States navy in 1861, on the first call for troops, and served throughout the war. He was appointed assistant quartermaster general, and Aug. 4, 1861, was made a paymaster in the navy, serving in that capacity, and as a signal officer, during his term of service. For thirty years he has been chief editor of the Com- mercial, and is a man of unusual literary attain- ments. Eleazer K., the other brother of Dr. Foster, died Dec. 8, 1899. For years he had been a district
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attorney in Florida, and had been judge of the cir- cuit court, and also State Superintendent of Pub- lic Instruction. He was one of the founders of the Agricultural College of Florida, and one of the new buildings recently put up for that institution bears the name of " Foster Hall" Mr. Foster also served as one of the trustees of the University of the South, located at Sewanee, Tenn. Mary Benedict, who became his wife, was born at Philadelphia, Pa., and was a daughter of Dr. Nathan and Emma ( Har- ris) Benedict. They had three children, Eleazer K., Emma Harris, and Mary Benedict ; all reside in Gainesville, Florida.
DR. JOHN PIERREPONT CODRINGTON FOSTER was born March 2, 1847, in New Haven, and prepared for college in the school of George Russel. In 1869 he was graduated from Yale, and from the Medical School connected with that College in 1875. The fall of the following year he began his practice at New Haven, and from the first his career has been singularly successful. Many of the characteristics of his father and grandfather reappear in him, and his ability, close application to his work, and general manly qualifications have won him a wide practice. Among the students of Yale he is especially popular. In connection with Prof. Chittenden of the Yale Biological Laboratory, he conducted a series of ex- periments with Koch's Tuberculin, which were after- wards summarized and given to the world. Dr. Fos- ter was the first American to administer (Dec. 3, 1890) the famous tuberculin of Prof. Koch. He has been surgeon of the United States Marine Hos- pital Service since 1880, and in 1877 was appointed instructor in anatomy in Yale Art School. He is a member of the American Medical Association, and of the Society of the American Anatomists. At Yale he belonged to the famous "Skull and Cross- bones Society," as did his father before him. In 1884 he was instrumental in the organization of the Young Men's Republican Club of New Haven, of which he was the first vice-president. At the present time he takes no active part in politics.
On July 1, 1875, Dr. Foster was married to Josephine Bicknell, a daughter of Joseph I. and Theresa (Pierrepont) Bicknell, and they have had the following children: Margaret Codrington, who, on Feb. 8, 1899, married Rev. George H. Thomas, rector of All Saints Church in Minneapolis; John Pierrepont Codrington, Jr., who died Aug. 30, 1882 ; Josephine Bicknell ; Allen Evarts ; and William Ed- ward.
NATHAN THOMPSON MORSE, a well- known photographer of Derby, is an artist of wide experience, and stands at the head of his profes- sion in that town. He was born in New Haven Nov. 7, 1836, and belongs to a family of English origin, which was founded in America by seven brothers who settled in this county. Many of its represent- atives have embraced the learned professions, be- coming eminent as doctors, lawyers and preachers.
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Our subject's paternal great-grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. His grandfather, Samuel Morse, was born in Danbury, Conn., but in carly life went to Savannah, Ga., where he success- fully engaged in the practice of law. He died there, of yellow fever, and, being a member of the old Chatham Artillery, then, as now, a noted military organization of the South, he was buried with mili- tary honors. There were other prominent members vi the family in the South, including Judge Morse, of Mobile, Ala. The grandfather edited the first Jeffersonian newspaper ever published in America, called the Son of Liberty.
Orville Curtis Morse, father of our subject, was born in Danbury, and went to Savannah, Ga., with his parents when a child, but after the death of his father he returned North with his mother and the other members of the family, and spent some time in the towns of Huntington and Monroe, Fair- field Co., Conn. Throughout his active life he was a teacher, following that profession for the last twenty years of his career. He mar- ried Miss Charity Thompson, of Huntington, daughter of Abraham and Sarah ( Blackman) Thompson. The first of the Thompson fam- ily to come to this country was a passenger on the "Mayflower." To Mr. and Mrs. Morse were born four children: Samuel, a painter by trade, who died in Stratford; Charles T., a retired mer- chant of Chicago, Ill .; Sarah J .; and N. Thompson, our subject. In his political views the father was first a Whig and later a Republican.
During his infancy our subject removed with his parents to Derby, where he grew to manhood. During the dark days of the Rebellion he enlisted in Company B, 4th Conn. V. I., which was the first three-years regiment enlisted in the country, and which afterward became the Ist Connecticut Heavy Artillery. After receiving his discharge Mr. Morse returned North and went to Chicago, where he clerked in his brother's store for some time. Learn- ing photography, he engaged in that business in Chicago for seven years, and then went South, where he carried on the same occupation in Jacksonville, Fla., and Savannah, Ga. Later he engaged in photography in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York State, and finally, in 1887, returned to Derby, Conn., where he opened a studio and has since been busily engaged in his art. He thoroughly under- stands his profession and his work possesses high artistic merit.
Mr. Morse married Miss Annie S. Massey, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., and a daughter of Thomas Massey. She is a prominent member of the Derby chapter of the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution, which she was instrumental in or- ganizing, and has the finest record in that chapter. Mr. Morse is also of Revolutionary stock, his ma- ternal grandfather, Abraham Thompson, having aided the Colonies in achieving their Independence as a soldier of the Continental army. Our subject
and his wife are both members of the Episcopal Church, and he also belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and King Hiram Lodge, F. & A. M., of Derby, having first united with the Masonic fra- ternity in Chicago. Politically he is a stanch ·Re- publican.
EDMUND CARRINGTON WARNER, one of the best known fruit growers of the State of Con- necticut, has transformed an ordinary piece of prop- erty into one of the best farms in North Haven. Be- ing descended from an old family of Connecticut, prominent in the history of the State and nation, our subject is very proud of his ancestry. Isaac Warner, his grandfather, was a native of Hamden, Conn., where he carried on farming extensively and where he died. He had the following family: Louisa, Ira and Rufus.
Rufus Warner was born Sept. 15, 1808, in Ham- den, received a common school education, and pur- sued the vocation of a farmer all his life, dying in Hamden when seventy-two years old. His wife was Harriet Dorman, a native of Hamden, and daugh- ter of Edmund Dorman. To this couple were born : Sarah, Rachel, Eliza, Isaac, Edmund C., Amos, Charles, Elizabeth, Eber and William.
Edmund Carrington Warner was born Nov. 16, 1840, in Hamden, near Hamden Plains. He re- ceived but a limited education, and remained on the home farm until 1866, being engaged in farming and in hauling wood from Hamden to New Haven. Succeeding in this work, Mr. Warner was enabled, in 1866, to come to North Haven and purchase the Col. Blakeslee farm, a tract of seventy-five acres. Not possessing the full amount of purchase money required, Mr. Warner mortgaged a portion of the land and then cut and hauled timber from his property, and, in connection with dairying and fruit growing, soon paid off the debt, be- ing ably assisted by his wife. When he lo- cated upon the farm he decided to embark in the culture of fruits on a small scale, and be- ing very successful he gradually branched out in this line, in 1878 purchasing the Chauncey Blakes- lee farm of fifty-six acres, which adjoined his own. Most of this property Mr. Warner has brought into a high state of cultivation, growing fruit and berries ; he has about sixty acres in fruit, thirty acres of which are in peach trees. So excellent is the quality of his products that he took first premium with his exhibit at Wallingford, in 1898, and again in 1899, his competitors being some of the best fruit growers in the State. He has recently added fifty acres of land to this farm, one part of which is now planted to fruit trees.
In 1866 Mr. Warner was married to Miss Ves- tina. Wooding, of Hamden, daughter of Vinus and Jane (Tuttle) Wooding, farming people of that town. To this marriage have been born: \Vilson, who is at home. Herbert, who is a graduate of Storrs Agricultural College, and is now residing in
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North Haven ; he married Mattie Colburn, and re- sided five years in Battle Creek, Mich., where he was superintendent of an agricultural institution. Alice married Emanuel Smith, a farmer of North Haven. Elton, a typewriter and stenographer, is in business in Mexico. Jane, a teacher, was em- ployed three years in Battle Creek, Mich., and is now at home.
Mr. Warner is a stanch Republican in political sentiment, was elected selectman in 1888, serving four years, and was assessor in 1897 and 1898. So- cially he is a charter member of North Haven Grange; a charter member of Pomona Grange; a member of the State Pomological Society, and in all . well known and active. Mr. Warner and his family are attendants of the Congregational Church of North Haven, and are generous supporters of same. By earnest, faithful effort Mr. Warner has steadily worked his way to the front, made a place for himself among the honored citizens of the town, and he has reared a family which does credit to his name.
ORRIN MUNSON is not only one of the en- terprising and progressive agriculturists of Ham- den, New Haven Co., Conn., but is also one of its respected and honored citizens. He was born in that town on the farm where Charles H. Munson now lives, July 10, 1832, and there grew to manhood, re- maining upon that place until twenty-six years of age. The following six years were passed upon the farm just opposite his present home, and at the end of that time he moved across the street into the house which he had previously erected, and which has since been his home. Here he owns fifty acres of land, which he has converted into one of the finest fruit farms of the town. When he pur- chased the place it was a wild and rocky tract of land, and all of the improvements found thereon have been made by him and stand as monuments to his thrift and industry. He has set out orchards which now rank among the best in the State, and in 1899 he raised between fifteen hundred and two thousand bushels of apples, besides peaches and other fruit. He also carries on general farming and is quite extensively engaged in the wood busi- ness, buying tracts of land, the timber from which he converts into cord wood.
In 1858, Mr Munson was united in marriage with Miss Mary M. Warner, a daughter of Abner and Mary Warner, and to them were born three children : Clifford H., a farmer and market gar- dener of Hamden, has two children-Hazel A., and Yensie M .; Robert A., a farmer, who is now with his father in business, has one child-Olive J .; and Nora A., wife of Wilbur Benham, a market gar- dener of Hamden.
Mr. Munson gives his political support to the men and measures of the Democratic party, but takes no active part in politics aside from voting, and has never sought or desired office, although
the highest official positions of the town have been offered him. Religiously he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His business inter- ests have been so managed as to win him the confi- dence of the public and the prosperity which should always attend honorable effort, and he is held in high regard by all who know him on account of his sterling worth.
REUBEN H. TUCKER, member of the As- sembly from Ansonia, is one of the most valued citizens of that town, and his influence is felt as a potent factor in political, business and social life.
Mr. Tucker was born in Ansonia Ang. 9, 1847, the first boy born after the town was named, and is one of the few men who have watched the full de- velopment of the place. His family is of good Con- necticut stock. His father, Lyman Tucker, was born in Oxford in March, 1799, and, after spending his early years in farm work, learned the trade of ax and auger maker, which he followed there until he reached the age of forty. He then removed to Ansonia, where he continued this work in the em- ploy of David Bassett, but his last years were spent in retirement upon a farm, his death occurring in 1861, when he was aged sixty-two. His wife, Mary E. ( Hotchkiss), a native of Derby, died in 1869, aged sixty-four. While residing in Derby they were identified with the Presbyterian Church, and later they assisted in organizing the Ansonia Congregational Church, and were among its lead- ing members. They had two children, but our sub- ject is the only one living.
As a boy Mr. Tucker worked at farm work on the homestead within the city limits, and he still owns several houses on the site. After receiving a common school education, he was engaged in brick making for a time, and for two years was a clerk in the Ansonia Savings Bank. He had already be- come prominent in local affairs, and his election to the office of clerk of the town of Derby, which then included Ansonia, was but the beginning of an ac- tive and successful career as an official. He held the position named six years, and after the separa- tion of the two towns served four years as town clerk of Ansonia, until 1893, having been re-elected nine consecutive times. He was elected and served five terms as warden of the borough of Ansonia, before it became a city. Mr. Tucker has served as justice of the peace twenty years, during which time many cases were submitted to his judgment; was tax collector of the borough of Ansonia for five years, and for the town and city from 1898 to 1902 : and also served some years as school collector and assessor. For ten years he was a member of the town Republican committee. Our subject was elected to the Legislature in 1894, 1896, 1898 and 1900, to serve until January, 1903. His committee work in that body includes service as member of the finance committee, in 1895; chairman of the committee on fisheries and game, in 1897 ; clerk of
Pruebaw H. Tucker
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the finance committee in 1899; and in 1901, chair- man of that committee. His interest in local im- provement is shown in many ways, and for eight- cen years he has been a director in the Pine Grove Cemetery Association, of which, since 1883, he has been secretary, treasurer and manager.
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