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 63
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Of genial and companionable nature, Mr. Stokes. has naturally allied himself with numerous fraternal and beneficial associations. He has been for several terms Chancellor Commander of Myrtle Lodge, No. 4. Knights of Pythias, and has also occupied the highest position in the State Grand Lodge of that order. He is a member and founder of J. S. Stokes Company, Uniformed Rank, Knights of Pythias. and was made a brigadier general of that branch of the order in 1901. During its existence Mr. Stokes was connected with the Order of Chosen Friends. He has occupied many positions of honor in the Masonic fraternity, being a past master of Center Lodge, No. 97, A. F. & A. M .; past high priest of Keystone Chapter, No. 27, R. A. M. ; past illustrious master of Hamilton Council, No. 22, R. & S. M .; and was eminent commander of St. Elmo Com- mandery, K. T. He has- represented Meriden Lodge, No. 35, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in the Grand Lodge, and has served as exalted ruler and district deputy. As past chief ranger of Court Excelsior, No. 6, Foresters of America, he was its delegate to the convention at Detroit which had under discussion, and settled for that order, the matter of a color line.
On April 6, 1865, Mr. Stokes was married in his native place to Miss Elizabeth Heseltine, who is now the only survivor of eight children born to Richard and Nora (Gill) Heseltine. Richard Hesel- tine was a clothing merchant at Bilston, Stafford- shire, England, for many years ; both he and his wife were adherents of the Established Church, and were worthy of the universal respect which they enjoyed. Mrs. Stokes is the admirable companion of her hus- band in dispensing the cheerful hospitality of their delightful home, and is a lady of many graces of character. With her husband she is numbered among the active and useful members of St. An- drew's Episcopal Church of Meriden. She re- mained in England a year after Mr. Stokes' removal to this country, and was accompanied hither by their only child, Angelo John Stokes, who was born Dec.
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26. 1866. He was educated in Meriden, and is now an engraver, appreciated as one of the most valu- able on the staff of the International Silver Co. He married Etta, a daughter of Charles C. Camp, of Middletown. He is a highly respected member of the Masonic fraternity, identified with Center Lodge. A. F. & A. M. ; Keystone Chapter. R. A. M. ; and Hamilton Council, R. & S. M. In politics a Republican, he is recognized as a young man of more than ordinary character and moral force, and reflects credit upon his parentage and training.
A man of high moral principles and gentlemanly instincts, Joseph S. Stokes is much esteemed in the community where he has passed a life of industry and effort to build up all that is ennobling in human character, and all who have had an opportunity to observe his career unite in the hope that he may be enabled to continue his labors for many years to come.
JARED WARNER (deceased) was born in Hamden, Conn., Jan., 1831, a son of Samuel War- ner, who was a native of the same town, though not born in the same house. Samuel Warner was a farmer and served in the war of 1812: he died on the old homestead. Abigail Gorham, his wife, was a native of Hamden, and was the mother of ten children: Susan ( deceased, Mary Ann. Cornelius ( deceased), Jared (deceased), Aeneas, Henry, El- ken, Cornelia ( deceased), Adelia (deceased) and Frances ( deceased).
Jared Warner was reared on the paternal acres. and in his early manhood worked in an auger fac- tory. About thirty-five years ago he came to West- ville and started a grocery, which he carried on al- most to the time of his death, which occurred April 22, 1901, when he was aged seventy years.
On Oct. 23, 1853. Jared Warner was married to Louisa Mix, who was born at Kingsbury. Washing- ton Co., N. Y., a daughter of Samuel Mix. a car- riage maker, who was born in Wallingford. Conn .. June 23. 1792, and died in Argyle, N. Y .. in 1869. Samuel Mix married Polly Moore, who was born May 7, 1791, and died March 18, 1868: to this union was born a family of five children: Sally, who married Abram Sebring, of Argyle. N. Y .: William, an engineer in Rose, New York: Lydia, who married David Frost, of Maine: Louisa. who married Mr. Warner; and Versil, who is a farmer and carriage maker. John Mix. the father of Sammel, was born in Wallingford. Conn .. and was a pioneer in the spoon-making business. William Moore, the father of Polly ( Moore) Mix, was born in Boston. Mass., Nov. 10, 1758, and served in the war of the Revolution : he settled in Kingsbury. N. Y., at that time far in the wilderness, where he died.
To Mr. and Mrs. Jared Warner were born : Carrie, who married Z. W. Cooper. of Westville : William, who is unmarried ; Edward, who is asso- ciated with the Royal Baking Company. and has his home in Boston; Charles S., who is with his
brother William, who succeeded to his father's gro- cery business in Westville; and Raymond V., who died at the age of two years and eight months. Mr. Warner was a Republican, and with his family at- tended the Episcopal Church.
EDWARD FOOT THOMPSON. The Thomp- son family in Connecticut was founded by three brothers, John, Anthony and William, who came from Lenliam, County Kent, England, where the old manor house still stands, and were signers of the Colony Constitution, in 1639. John Thomp- son, the son of John, married Priscilla Powell, both of whom were natives of East Haven, and their son John was born in East Haven, in 1667. and married Mercy Mansfield. daughter of Major Moses Mans- field. John Thompson, son of John and Mercy, was born in East Haven, in 1692, while his son Stephen Thompson was born in 1723. The present Thompson residence, and also the old stone church, which is a landmark, were partly built by Stephen Thompson. in 1774. but he fell and so injured his skull that trepanning was necessary.
James Thompson, son of Stephen and grand- father of Edward F., of this biography, was born in 1788, and died March 7, 1851, married Lydia Chidsey. They had a family of ten boys and one girl: Stephen, Mary, Leonard, Nathaniel. Henry, Elizur, James, Abraham, Abraham, Edward E., and Haynes. For many years Nathaniel was president of the Mechanics Bank.
Edward E. Thompson. the father of Edward F., was born in the old East Haven home, Oct. 10. 1817, and died May 22, 1888. His marriage was to Caro- line Smith, who was born in East Haven, a daugh- ter of Stephen Smith, who was a son of Nehemiah Smith, a son of Job; a son of John, who settled in South Haven. The four children of this marriage were: James Smith ; Edward Foot : William Ells- worth ; and John Root. William and John died in childhood. James graduated from Yale College in 1877. from the law school and became a judge in this city, dying in 1897.
Edward Foot Thompson was born in East Ha- ven, Conn., Jan. 10. 1858, and spent his boyhood days in East Haven, attending the local schools. the New Haven schools. Hopkins Grammar School, also Selleck's Military School, at Norwalk. After this thorough educational drill, Mr. Thompson spent some time on the farm, and has been engaged in various enterprises, making several trips to the Western coast.
On Oct. 22, 1884, Mr. Thompson was married to Charlotte Lancraft, who was born in East Haven. a daughter of William and Josephine ( Chidsey) Lancraft, natives of East Haven, where he was born April 17, 1833, and she in 1841. The parents of William Lancraft were William and Amanda ( Frost ) Lancraft, the latter of North Haven, whose ancestor was the first mayor of New York City, and descendant of John Eliot and Thomas Hooker. The
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next generation was George and Sarah ( Jocelin ) Lancraft, the former born in East Haven, the latter probably of Holland stock.
The Chidsey home was originally in Chidsey. England (at that time spelled Chedsey ), and Deacon John Chidsey, of Center Church, New Haven, came from there with his wife, Elizabeth. His name is ! attached to the Colony constitution in 1644, and he located at Stony River. Deacon Caleb Chidsey married Anna Thompson, and their son. Caleb, married Abigail Smith. Isaac Chidsey, son of Caleb and Abigail, married Sarah Bradley, and served in the Revolutionary war. Samuel Chidsey, son of Isaac and Sarah, married Betsey Holt, and was a captain in the local militia. Samuel, son of Capt. Samuel, married Esther Bradley, and they became the parents of Josephine.
A family of two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. Margery Ellsworth and Doris Eliott. In politics, Mr. Thompson is a Republican. and has been assessor of East Haven for many years. In November. 1890. he was elected Representative, and is now the very efficient county commissioner. and is clerk of the Railroad committee in the House. and for some time was a member of the board of education. Mrs. Thompson is a member of the Mary Clapp Wooster Chapter, Daughters of Amer- ican Revolution, and is president of the Woman's Club, of East Haven. Socially. Mr. Thompson is connected with the Union League Club, and both he and his wife are prominent in social circles. and leading members of the Congregational Church. The old homestead has been in the family name for over 200 years.
CHARLES WOODWARD GAYLORD, M. D., one of the foremost physicians of Branford, and the oldest practitioner of that place, was born in Wallingford, this county, Aug. 28, 1846, a son of David P. and Bertha ( Bartholomew) Gaylord. The father was born in 1814, and was a farmer by occupation. His family consisted of the following children: Charles W., William B., Ida W. and Frank ; the last named died in infancy. William B. Gaylord, who was a merchant in Meriden, died at the age of forty. He first married Mary Jerrold, who died leaving no children, and his second union was with Julia Hodgkinson, by whom he had one son, David W., who is now living in Hartford. Conn. Ida Gaylord became the wife of Frank Brown, of Meriden, and had one daughter, Bertha. David Gaylord was a Republican in political senti- ment, and for some time was the only man of that political faith on the west side of Wallingford. In religion he was a member of the Congregational Church. He died July 27, 1896.
The Doctor's paternal grandparents were John and Betsy (Tuttle) Gaylord, farming people of Wallingford; the former was born in 1790, and served in the war of 1812. He was a son of John Gaylord, born in 1752-3, a veteran of the Revolution,
and a farmer on the west side of Wallingford. This John Gaylord was a son of Nathan Gaylord, who was born in 1724, and died in Cheshire, July 2, 1802. He was a son of John Gaylord, born April 12, 1677, at Bucks Ilills, and who made his home at Durham, moving later in life to Wallingford, where he died in 1753. There his wife, Elizabeth, also died. Dec. 19, 1751. This John Gaylord was a son of Joseph Gaylord, who was born in 1649, while Joseph was a son of Walter Gaylord, who was born in England, a son of Deacon Williany Gaylord. Deacon Will- iam came to America in 1630 and located at Wind- sor, Conn., in 1636 with the earliest settlers, and be- came one of the leading citizens there. Throughout the various generations of this family its repre- sentatives were among the leading people of the community. The maternal grandparents of Dr. Gaylord were William and Hannah ( Bronson) Bartholomew, of Wolcott, Connecticut.
Charles W. Gaylord began his education in the district school and continued same at the Connecti- cut Literary Institute, at Suffield, Conn., from which he was graduated in 1866. He worked on the farmi until eighteen years of age. In the fall of 1866 he entered Yale College, graduating from the Acade- mic Department in 1870, and from the Medical School in 1872. The young Doctor spent some time in the Bellevue Hospital, and in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. In the fall of 1872 he was engaged for a brief time in the practice of medicine in Wallingford, and in December of that year, he came to Branford, where he entered upon a professional career that has con- tinned to the present time without a break or stain.
Dr. Gaylord was married Feb. 27, 1873. to Anna Rose, a daughter of Asa and Electa A. ( Bushnell ) Rose, of Essex, Conn., and by this union has be- come the father of six children : L. Vincent. Bertha R.,Annie E. ( who has just entered Vassar College), Charles W., Ruth Margaret and Donald David. Dr. Gaylord is a member of the Congregational Church, and his professional associations are with the New Haven County and the State Medical Societies, and the American Medical Association. Prominently identified with the school interests of Branford, he is a broad-minded and public-spirited man, es- pecially in educational lines. For over twenty years he has been a member of the board of education, and part of the time its chairman, also serving as act- ing school visitor. Dr. Gaylord is a trustee of the Blackstone Memorial Library of Branford, of which he was one of the incorporators, and he has always been connected with the institution. In politics he is a stanch Republican.
FENN. The Fenn family, of which Dr. Ava H. and Judge Willis I. Fenn, well-known citizens of Meriden, are worthy descendants, is one of the oldest in New Haven county.
Edward Fenn, tradition says, was the first of the name in the New Haven Colony, was a native of
C. W. Gaylord M. D
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England, and is supposed to have been one of three brothers who came to America with the early set- tlers. Benjamin, another of the brothers, settled in Milford, Fairfield county, and the third brother, Theophilus, settled in Litchfield. Edward located in the new settlement of Wallingford, Conn., where he became a large land owner, and there he died on Feb. 2, 1728, at the age of eighty-four. His first marriage, Nov. 15. 1688, was to Mary Thoro, who died on July 24, 1725, and his second marriage took place Jan. 26, 1726, to Abigail Williams. His chil- dren were: Mary, born Sept. 27, 1689; Elizabeth, born April 29, 1692, who on May 21, 1722, mar- ried John Moss: Sarah, born Nov. 24. 1694, who on Aug. 15, 1728, married Solomon Moss: Theo- philus, born Jan. 28, 1698, who married Martha Doolittle ; John, born March 23, 1702, who married Sarah Doolittle: Hannah, born Dec. 13. 1704, who married Thomas Doolittle : Thomas, born Sept. 13. 1707, who married Lydia Ackley ; and Naomi, born May 10, 1712, who on Nov. 21, 1732, married Sam- uel Frost.
Theophilus Fenn, son of Edward, was born Jan. 28, 1698, in Wallingford, where he accumulated property and spent his life. On May 24, 1722, he was married to Martha Doolittle, who was baptized in 1698, daughter of Samuel Doolittle, and grand- daughter of Abraham Doolittle, who was the first settler of that family in America. To this union came Elizabeth, born Oct. 25, 1723, who married Solomon Moss: Martha, born Sept. 23. 1725, who married Levi Moss, son of John and Elizabeth Moss, June 19, 1743 : Bethia, born Feb. 18, 1728, who mar- ried Joseph Austin : Benjamin, born Aug. 3, 1730, who died in 1819, at the age of eighty-nine; Ed- ward, mentioned below : Phebe, bor Feb. 12, 1735, who married Timothy Hart, March 6. 1757; Theo- philus, born Feb. 20, 1737, who died Nov. 8. 1737: Eunice, born March 16, 1741, who married David Way; Susannah, born Sept. 28, 1746: and Theo- philus, born in 1748, who married Ann Rood.
Edward Fenn, son of Theophilus, was born Sept. 2, 1732, and located in what is now known as the North Farms District, in Wallingford, where he lived on land taken up by his grandfather, and the grant of deed is now in the possession of Nathan Fenn, of Meriden. and bears the date of May 21, 1722, in the eighth year of the reign of King George of England. Edward Fenn was a cooper by trade. He spent all his life in the old place, dying at the age of eighty-nine. His wife was Demaris Austin, of Wallingford, who died April 1. 1793. and the children born to their marriage were: Edward, . who became a soldier in the Revolutionary war, died Jan. 6, 1834, in Wallingford. Austin married Hannah Ives, who died May 20, 1829: he died July 30. 1845. Abigail married Amasa Hart. Theo- philus, born Jan. 12, 1760. married Polly Dibble, and died July 30, 1860. at the age of ninety-one. Reuben married Thankful Darrow. and died April 5. 1837. Susan married Luman Horton, of Litch-
field county. Martha married a Mr. Austin, and died in 1820. Sarah, born Dec. 27, 1773, married Noah Culver. Nabby married Amasa Hart, re- moved to Vermont, and died Aug. 22, 1876, at the age of eighty-five. Joel married Hannah Curtis.
Joel Fenn, the grandfather of Dr. Ava H. and Judge Willis I. Fenn, was born April 1, 1781, in the old homestead in North Farms, and followed the business of coopering all his life, his death occur- ring April 1, 1825, at the comparatively early age of forty-four, his family being noted for longevity. His wife, Hannah Curtis, was born in Wallingford, a daughter of Joel and Hannah ( Kelsey) Curtis, and died Ang. 22, 1876, at the age of eighty-five. They became the parents of the following children : ( I) Martha, born Sept. 11, 1812, died Jan. 25, 1857 ; she married March 23, 1843, Morgan Williams, of Meriden, who died in 1900. (2) Abner, born May 17. 1813, died Sept. 29. 1864 ; on April 29, 1846, he married Marvette Tuttle. (3) Hubbard, born Oct. 27, 1814, died Sept. 9, 1884: he married Jennie E. Whiting, of Branford, Conn. (4) Joel was born Aug. 15, 1817. (5) Thankful, born April 21, 1822, died in April, 1852: she married Elijah Lee, of Selma, Ala. (6) Nathan, born March 15, 1824, a jeweler and watchmaker in Meriden, married Susan M. Nettleton, of Killingworth ; they had children- Martha Morgan, born March 13. 1855, who mar- ried S. S. Bodurtha, of Agawam, Mass. ; Abner N., born March 4, 1857, an engineer ; Hubbard Henry, born June 17, 1860, a jeweler in Meriden : and Joel Alden, born Jan. 22, 1870. a machinist.
Joel Fenn, the father of Dr. and Judge Fenn, with whom this sketch is directly concerned, was born Aug. 15, 1817, and died Nov. 19, 1892, in Meri- den, and his remains lie in the beautiful cemetery of Walnut Grove. An architect and builder by oc- cupation, he followed his trade in the State of New York, and in Wallingford and Plainville, Conn., but spent the remainder of his life in Meriden. There he also engaged in manufacturing for several years, part of the time in partnership with his brother Nathan, in the manufacture of matches. Joel Fenn was a man of integrity, a hard worker, a good citizen, and highly esteemed wherever known. In his earlier life he was an opponent of slavery, was a stanch supporter of Fremont, and upon its organization united with the Republican party, in the success of which he was actively interested, though not as an office seeker. He was of a do- mestic nature, and a most exemplary husband and father. In the Baptist Church he was well known as a man of high Christian character.
Joel Fenn was married to Mary H. Hamlin. „who was born in Plainville, Conn., a daughter of Ava and Nancy (Gillette) Hamlin, and she still sur- vives at the age of eighty years. 'Her connection with the Baptist Church has covered a long period. and she is known and beloved as a kind neighbor and a most devoted mother. The members of the family born to Joel and Mary H. Fenn are among the most
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highly esteemed residents of this city, and well rep- resent their old and honorable ancestry. They are : (I) Ava Hamlin is mentioned more fully below. (2) Carrie Elvira Jennette, born Dec. 9, 1848, was married on Feb. 9, 1876, to Charles L. Bodurtha, who died Nov. 5, 1879. They had one child, Mil- dred F., born July 20, 1879, who graduated from the high school in Meriden and also from the Con- necticut State Normal, New Britain, and is now a school teacher in the latter city. (3) Joel, born Sept. 24, 1851, married, Nov. 28, 1877, Katie J. Forbes, and resides in Meriden, where he is a carriage build- er. They have had three children : Ina May, born April 23, 1880, who died March 15, 1887; Burton W., born Oct. 8, 1883 ; and Hamlin S., born May 23, 1896. (4) Willis I. is mentioned more fully below. (5) Edward, born Dec. 15, 1860, died Dec. 19, 1862. Ava Hamlin Fenn, M. D., eldest child of Joel and Mary H. Fenn, was born in Elm street, Wal- lingford, April 15, 1847, and removed with his par- ents to Plainville, where he attended the District schools. He had previously attended the schools of Wallingford. He learned the trade of carpenter and joiner with his father, and after working with him a few years started for himself in Meriden as a builder. Later he became engaged in the manu- facturing business in Meriden, in the manufacturing of matches. Having had a strong desire from early boyhood, for the Medical Profession. he took up the reading of medicine under Dr. Nehemiah Nicker- son, of Meriden, and later entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Baltimore, where he grad- uated in 1886, with the degree of M. D. Return- ing to Meriden, he has for the past fifteen years practiced his chosen profession with skill and gen- tleness, and has won esteem and confidence by his genial and unostentatious manner. He is a modest man, and attends strictly to his profession, in which he has met with gratifying success. He is a mem- ber of the New Haven County Medical Society, and also of the City Medical Society, of which latter he was secretary and later president. He is a member of no lodge. Liberal in church views, he attends the Baptist Church. Politically the Doctor is a Republican, but not a politician though he has served as alderman in the city council from the Second ward, to which position he was elected in 1896; as chairman of the health and water boards in 1898; and the health and fire committees, proving himself a true, public-spirited citizen.
On Nov. 13, 1889, Dr. Fenn married Miss Letitia Burrell, of Rockland, Mass .. and they have one child. Edward Burrell, born July 27, 1893.
WILLIS I. FENN, deputy judge of the Meriden City Court, was born in Wallingford. and removed- to Plainville, where he attended school, finishing in the Meriden schools. Having a strong inclination for the legal profession he entered the law office of Judge Emerson A. Merriman, where he read law for two years. In 1880 he entered Yale Law School, and graduated therefrom, after a two-years'
course, in the class of 1881, after which he was ad- mitted to practice his chosen profession in the courts of Connecticut. He began legal practice in Meri- den where for the past twenty years he has, through his ability and strict attention to duty, won for him- self a front place among the leading lights of the Bar. In 1895, he was appointed by the State Leg- islature as deputy judge of the city court of Meri- den, for a session of two years; was re-appointed by the Legislature for another session ; and in 1901 was re-appointed for another two years. He fills the office with dignity, and metes out justice with an even hand. Of a very unassuming and genial disposition, he has through his kind and affable manner made hosts of friends. In political senti- ment Mr. Fenn is a stanch Republican and stands high in the ranks of the party. In 1882 he was elected to the city council from the Second ward. and served four years ; was alderman for the same ward one term ; register of voters for twelve years ; and discharged all the duties of all these incumben- cies with ability and credit. In 1900 he was the nominee of his party as candidate for representative of Meriden, and polled a large vote, losing the election by one vote only. In religion Mr. Fenn is a member of the First Baptist Church, and is a trus- tee of same. He is a trustee of the Y. M. C. A., and also of the I. O. O. F., uniting with the Meriden Center Lodge, of which he is past grand. The Judge is quiet and domestic in his habits. He is unmarried and makes his home with his mother, to whom he is much devoted. Temperate in his habits, loyal in his filial duties, active in the welfare of his community. and able in the discharge of the important judicial responsible duties which have been intrusted to him, he is indeed a model citizen, one whose conduct in every relation of life is worthy of emulation.
NEHEMIAH HARDY HOYT. president of the Hovt Beef and Produce Co .. of New Haven, is the son of Nehemiah Hardy and Lucy Baldwin (Dur- and) Hoyt, and a descendant in the eighth genera- tion from John Hoyt, who was one of the first set- tlers of Salisbury, Mass., where he is on record as early as 1639. John Hoyt was born in 1612, and had two wives, each of whom bore the name of Frances. He was a man of prominence in the colony, filled many local offices, and died on his farm in 1687.
From John Hovt the line of descent to Nehemiali Hardy. of New Haven, is through Thomas. Eph- raim, Epliraim (2), William, Abraham, and Nehe- miah Hardy Hoyt.
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