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 72
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Gershom Birdsey, son of John. of Middletown, died Nov. 17, 1789. His marriage according to the family records was to Hannah Bartlett, on Nov. 12, 1772, although the Middletown records place it one vear earlier. Their children were: Eunice, born March 12. 1773: Samuel, born Feb. 12, 1775, and married Betsey Cravell: Gershom. born Dec. 29, 1776, married Lucy Coe, born March 7, 1779.
Gershom Birdsey (2), of Middletown and Meri- den, died in the latter place March 13, 1865. His wife, Lucy Coe, was a daughter of Capt. Eli Coe, and was born in 1779 and died in 1863. Their chil- dren were: Eli Coe, born Dec. 21, 1799, married Rebecca Cooke Wilcox, and died Oct. 9. 1844: Julia, born June 4, 1802, died unmarried : Alanson, born Nov. 26, 1806. married Clarissa Wilcox, and died June 17, 1881 ; Delia, born March 8, 1812, married Orsamus Crocker, and died Oct. 8, 1862; Edwin, born April 3, 1816, married Lavinia Maria Bailey, and Lucy J., born Feb. 6, 1824, married William J. Ives.
Eli Coe Birdsey, of Meriden, son of Gershom 1 (2), was one of the best known citizens of Meri- den, where he died in 1844, and was buried in East cemetery. For many years he was a leading mem- ber of the Baptist Church in which he was a deacon, ; and was a man who possessed the confidence of his i fellow citizens to such a degree that he was called upon frequently to act as a banker at a time when there were no such financial institutions in Meriden. Mr. Birdsey was long engaged in the mercantile business, and was well known for his honest and up- right methods. In politics he was a Jeffersonian Democrat, and he faithfully served the town both as . clerk and selectman. He was married on June 3. 1824, to Rebecca Cooke Wilcox, by the Rev. Samuel Miller, pastor of the Baptist Church in Meriden. The three children born to this marriage were: . Linus, born Apr. 13, 1825, married first Vincey Ann
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Miller, second Julia Davis, and resides in Meriden ; Alina, born Sept. 25, 1826, married John Ives, and died March 13, 1855; and Eli Coe, who was born Dec. 23, 1843.
Eli Coe Birdsey (2) was only eight months of age when he lost his father. His education was ob- tained in the common schools of his native town and later an academic course was taken in Pierce Acad- emy, in Middleboro, Mass. His residence is still in the old, colonial mansion that has been his home from his birth. His beginning in the mercantile line was with his brother, Linus, who at that time was conducting a general store, and the youth re- mained for a period of four years with him as clerk. Then he embarked in the hardware business, in as- sociation with Wallace A. Miles, on East Main street, in Meriden, on the corner of Center street, which has been a landmark for residents of this pleasant city for the past thirty-three years. When Mr. Miles later withdrew from the firm, Mr. Frank S. Foster became a partner, the firm style being Birdsey & Foster, and upon the death of Mr. Fos- ter, the firm name became Birdsey & Raven, Mr. John F. Raven becoming the new member of the firm.
Among the active citizens of Meriden, Mr. Bird- sey is known as a most energetic, clear-headed and progressive man of affairs. Devoted to mercantile pursuits he has steadily refused all political prefer- ment. During the existence of the Meriden Mer- · chants' Association he was its capable secretary, and upon the organization of the Meriden Board of Trade, he was elected secretary as well as a director, and is now one of the vice-presidents of the State Board of Trade of Connecticut.
Mr. Birdsey is an honored member of the Sons of the American Revolution, a member of the Con- necticut Historical Society of Hartford. and the Home club, of Meriden. It is in the Masonic order, however, that he has become most prominent, hav- ing been closely identified with it since 1864. He was made a Master Mason at the age of twenty-one years, in Meridian Lodge, No. 77, and for several years was its secretary. Subsequently Center Lodge No. 97, was organized near his home, and he became a charter member, and served his lodge as secretary, junior warden and senior warden, and for many years as trustee and treasurer. In 1865, he became a member of Keystone Chapter, No. 27, R. A. M., and held several official positions in this body, and in 1866 he was knighted in New Haven Command- ery, No. 2, and during 1869 assisted in the organiza- tion of the widely-known St. Elmo Commandery, No. 9, of Meriden, of which he was a charter meni- ber, and the first Generalissimo. There were only the requisite number (9) of Knights Templars in Meriden, to perfect this organization, therefore, in order to devote more time to his Commandery and many business interests, Mr. Birdsey was con- strained to decline the election of worshipful master in his lodge and further advancement in his chapter.
In 1872 Mr. Birdsey became Eminent Commander, and in 1878 Grand Warden of the Grand Command- ery of Connecticut, and was rapidly promoted until his election as Grand Commander in 1884. His administration of Templar affairs in Connecticut was greatly to his credit and most serviceable to the Order. His address before the Grand Commandery at its annual conclave in New Haven, on March 17, 1895, was characterized by excellent sense, intelli- gent discernment and a true Masonic spirit. It was eminently a business document, dealing in a straightforward way with the various matters dis- cussed.
Mr. Birdsey has been honored in the Order as Grand Recorder of the Grand Commandery of Con- necticut, since October, 1894. and also as secretary- treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Past Grand Commanders since its organization in 1888, and holds the same position in the New England Association of Past Grand Commanders, having been unanimously elected at the organization of that body. His influence in the financial affairs of the Grand Encampment of the United States is acknowledged by the honor of appointment as a member of the committee on Finance, which posi- tion he has held for several terms and he has been the chosen secretary of that committee.
There being no Scottish Rite bodies in his native town, Mr. Birdsey holds his membership in E. G. Storer Lodge of Perfection, the Elm City Council and the New Haven Chapter of Rose Croix, all of the city of New Haven, and in Lafayette Con- sistory of Bridgeport. He is also the Grand Repre- sentative of the Grand Commandery of the District of Columbia near the Grand Commandery of Con- necticut. The thirty-third and last degree was giv- en to him at Philadelphia, on Sept. 19, 1899, when he was received, welcomed and proclaimed a Sover- eign Grand Inspector - General of the Ancient Ac- cepted Scottish Rite and enrolled an honorary mem- ber of the Supreme Council of the Northern Juris- diction of the United States of America. This high honor was richly deserved as a fitting recog- nition of a long and active Masonic career, earnest- ly devoted to the interests of all Masonic bodies. One of Mr. Birdsey's most cherished possessions is a souvenir Masonic emblem which was left to him, at his death, by his attached friend, Frederic A. Spencer of Waterbury.
Mr. Birdsey was married, in 1864, to Miss Catherine Butler, who was born in Meriden, and was a daughter of Lyman and Mary Ann (Clark) Butler, and a granddaughter of the late John Butler, who was so well-known in this locality as "Uncle John." Mr. Birdsey is noted for his honesty of purpose and high-minded integrity. With pleasure he enjoys the companionship of his fellows, and he has a clear head, a well cultivated mind and a warm heart, and is devoted to his friends who are many, not only in the State of Connecticut, but through- out the country.
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BURNUM WEBSTER FRANCIS is one of the leading business men of Cheshire, New Haven county, where he is engaged in house painting, graining, whitewashing, paper hanging and glazing, and is a dealer in paper, mouldings, paints and oils, while at present he is also giving some attention to farming. A native of this county he was born in Meriden Feb. 22, 1840, a son of Frederick A. and Jeannette ( Hall) Francis.
Cyrus Francis, his paternal great-grandfather, was a major in the Revolutionary war and in a hand-to-hand conflict had to brain his opponent in order to preserve his own life. The grandfather, Appleton Francis, was a soldier of the Mexican war. He was born in Meriden but was reared in Kensington, Hartford Co., Conn., where he spent the remainder of his life as an agriculturist. He was the father of the following children: Herbert : Charlotte; Frederick A .. father of our subject ; and Catharine, wife of Almon Ives, of Cheshire.
Frederick A. Francis was born in Berlin. Hart- ford county, in 1801, and was reared and educated in Kensington. Throughout life he followed the occupation of farming. At one time he was a mem- ber of the State militia. In Wallingford. this county, he married Miss Jeannette Hall, a native of that town, who died in Meriden in 1844. and he died in 1845. In their family were four children : Harriet, who married William Powers, and died in Meriden ; Jeannette, wife of Amos Tuttle, of North Haven, Conn .; Frederick, the inventor and origina- tor of the system of burning coal in engines, who lived in New Britain but died in New Haven; and Burnum W.
During his boyhood and youth our subject at- tended school in Meriden and New Britain, Conn. Coming of a very patriotic and loyal family which has been well represented in the wars of this country, he espoused the cause of the Union during the Re- bellion and enlisted in 1862 at Bristol, Conn., in Co. K, 16th Conn. V. I., and was mustered into the United States service at that place Aug. 5. 1862. He participated in the battles of Antietam and Fred- ericksburg, the siege of Suffolk. and at Plymouth, N. C., was taken prisoner. being confined in Ander- sonville for eight long months. He was finally ex- changed at Charleston, S. C., and taken to the pa- role camp at Annapolis, Md. He remained in the service until the war ended and was honorably dis- charged at Hartford, Conn .. in 1865. Mr. Francis then made his home in Bristol, Conn., until com- ing to Cheshire, in 1884. since which time he has successfully engaged in his present business.
In Bristol, in 1865. Mr. Francis was married to Miss Helen Blakeslee, who died in Hartford county in 1882, and in Cheshire he was again married, in 1888, his second union being with Miss Harriet Humiston, a native of Cheshire, and a daughter of John and Rhoda ( Nichols) Humiston. Her father died in that town in 1856, her mother in 1896. Po- litically Mr. Francis is a Republican and he is now
most creditably serving his sixth year as justice of the peace in Cheshire. He was one of the charter members of the Grand Army Post at Bristol, and in days of peace, as in times of war, has shown him- self to be a worthy and loyal citizen, true to the best interests of his country.
CHARLES E. HART stands high among the substantial business men and valuable citizens of New Haven, where he is considered a representative dealer in his line. His unassuming and pleasant . personality has made him as popular personally as he is reliable commercially.
Mr. Hart was born April 2, 1843, in the town of Durham, Conn., and comes from one of the old and honorable families of New England, and one of the very oldest in Connecticut, he being a repre- sentative in the seventh generation from Deacon Stephen Hart, who was the progenitor of this fam- ily in America. His line is from Deacon Stephen through Thomas, Hawkins, Samuel, Samuel (2), and William Augustus.
(I) Deacon Stephen Hart, born about 1605, at Braintree, County of Essex, England, came thence to Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1632, and is supposed to have belonged to the company that settled Braintree, Mass. He located for a time at Newtown (now Cambridge). where he married and where his first wife died. For his second wife he married Margaret Smith, widow of Arthur Smith. Mr. Hart was one of the fifty-four settlers at Cambridge, Mass., later went to Hartford with the company of Rev. Thomas Hooker, in 1635, and was one of the original proprietors in 1639. At Cambridge he had been a member of Mr. Hooker's church and continued a member at Hartford. In 1672 he became one of the eighty-four proprietors of Farmington, Conn. In 1647 he was a deputy to the General Court of Connecticut, and continued to serve as such during most of the succeeding years up to 1660, from the town of Farmington. At the latter place he was one of the seven pillars of the church, and was chosen the first deacon. An ex- tensive farmer, he became a man of influence, and was one of the leaders in the town. His death oc- curred in 1683, his widow dying in 1693.
(II) Thomas Hart, son of Deacon Stephen, was born in 1644, and married Ruth Hawkins, who was born in 1649, in Windsor, Conn., a daughter of Anthony Hawkins, a man of distinction in Farming- ton, whose wife was the daughter of Gov. Welles, of Connecticut. Mr. Hart served as ensign, lieuten- ant and captain of the trainband. Mr. Hart and John Hooker were the two most prominent men of the town, and conspicuous in the Colony, being men of wealth, activity and usefulness. From 1600 to I7II he represented the town in the General Court. for twenty-nine sessions, and he was several times clerk and speaker. Capt. Hart died in 1726.
(III) Hawkins Hart, son of Capt. Thomas, was born in 1677, in Farmington, and was a farmer. He
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married, in 1701, Sarah Lathrop, who was born in 1683, daugliter of Nathaniel and Sarah Lathrop, of Wallingford. They lived for a time in Farmington, and then removed to Wallingford, where Mrs. Hart died in 1733. Mr. Hart then married Mary Street, daughter ot Rev. Joseph Elliott, and his second wife Mary ( Willys), of Guilford, the latter a daughter of Hon. Samuel Willys, of Hartford. Mr. Hart held the rank of lieutenant, and represented Wall- ingford in the General Court nine sessions, between 1714 and 1732. He died in 1735.
(IV) Samuel Hart, son of Lieut. Hawkins, born in 1735, in Wallingford, married, in 1759, at Dur- ham, Conn., Abridget Fowler, and settled on a farm in that town ; this farm was part of a tract of land which had been given to Rev. Joseph Eliot by the Colonial Legislature, for preaching the election ser- mon. Both he and his wife were taken into full church communion in 1771. Mr. Hart held the rank of lieutenant in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary war, and was wounded at the battle of Saratoga, after which he drew a pension. His death took place Jan. 12, 1805, and his widow passed away Nov. 26, 1827.
(V) Samuel Hart (2), son of Lieut. Samuel, was born July 12, 1770, and was baptized in Dur- ham, Conn. On March 3 , 1803, he married Patience Hubbard, who was born in August, 1772, a daugh- ter of Eber and Patience (Chittenden ) Hubbard. Mr. Hart was a farmer, living on his father's home- stead, and was an industrious man. He died Dec. 25, 1857, his widow surviving until March 15, 1864.
(VI) William Augustus Hart, son of Samuel (2), was born April 26, 1806, at Durham, Conn., and was well known to the residents of New Haven, Middletown and Durham, as he carried on a butch- ering business in these towns, and also kept a coun- try store on the old homestead. He married Sally Maria Jones, daughter of John Jones, of North Mad- ison, and the children of this union were as fol- lows: Elizabeth H., born May 17, 1831, married Charles E. Camp, of Middlefield, Conn .: Franklin H. was born April 29, 1834 (he is mentioned else- where) ; Mary E., born July 10, 1836, is deceased; William Lewis, born Dec. 28, 1838, is residing in Brighton, Ohio (he served as private in the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery in the Rebellion ) : El- len M., born March 11, 1841, married Isaac Hall, of Wallingford, and both are deceased; Charles E., our subject, was born April 2, 1843; F. J., born Feb. 26, 1845, now a resident of Joplin, Mo., was during the Civil war a lieutenant in the 109th U. S. Col- ored Regiment, previous to which he had served as a private in the First Connecticut Regiment, Heavy Artillery ; Catherine S., born Aug. 19, 1849, lives in Durham, Conn .; Alice L., born April 19, 1852, is an artist in Boston, Mass. The parents of this family died in Durham, Conn. They were lion- ored members of the South Congregational Church. and Mr. Hart was deacon in the same. Mr. Hart
was noted for his strict total abstinence from all kinds of intoxicants, and for his firm stand on the subject of intemperance.
Charles E. Hart was born on a farm that had been in the family since the time of Rev. Joseph Eliot. He spent his early school days in Durham, and at the age of seventeen came to New Haven to work as a clerk in the establishment of Horace H. Strong, which stood on the site of Mr. Hart's pres- ent place of business, on State street. On Aug. 2, 1862, Mr. Hart enlisted in Company I, 15th Conn. V. I. In 1864 he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, in the 109th United States Colored In- fantry, and just before the surrender of Gen. Lee he was promoted, in March, 1865, to the rank of captain. In March of the following year he was mustered out of the service at Louisville, Ky. Mr. Hart was in service for nine months in Texas, at the time Maximilian made his raid along the border.
On his return from the army Mr. Hart engaged in the market business with his brother, William Lewis, at Wellington, Ohio, for about four months. Coming back to New Haven, he became a member of the firm of Strong, Hart & Co., and later became a member of Frisbie & Hart, of New Haven, the members being John Frisbie and C. E. Hart. This partnership lasted until 1866, when Charles E. Hart engaged in business alone for a year. Then he be- came a member of C. E. Hart & Co., which organi- zation consisted of our subject, R. H. Nesbit and W. E. Judd, and continued until 1894, when the C. E. Hart Co., a corporation, was formed. C. E. Hart became president and treasurer. and W. A. Hart, his son, became secretary. Mr. Hart has been at his present location since 1886.
Mr. Hart is a member of Admiral Foote Post. G. A. R., and is an enthusiastic Grand Army man ; is a member of the New York Commandery of the Loyal Legion ; the Sons of the American Revolu- tion; the Sons of Temperance, with which he be- came connected in 1861 ; and Hiram Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He is a member of the official board of the Davenport Congregational Church. Genial and hearty in disposition, he is welcomed wherever he goes.
Mr. Hart was married in New Haven, Feb. 12, 1870, to Belle F. Burns, of New Haven, and two children have been born to this union, Edith M. and William A. William A. is an attorney in New York, having graduated from Yale in 1897, after which he studied law in Harvard and the New York Law School. Miss Edith M. lives at home. The family residence is at No. 19 Warren street, New Haven.
HERMAN HESS, whose name is familiar to the people of Meriden as that of a man who has served them for fifteen years as city and town clerk and registrar of vital statistics, comes of German parentage, and was born in Meriden April 4, 1861.
Frederick Hess, his father, was born in the Grand Duchy of Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany,
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where he spent his early life, coming to the United States, however, before he had reached his majority. He located in Meriden and was among the first of his nationality to settle in this section of the State. Finding employment as a burnisher in the works of the Meriden Britannia Co., he was there actively en- gaged all his life. Noted for his industry and in- tegrity, he had many friends, and was held in general respect. In political affairs he was a Democrat, but he never was an office-seeker. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, 6th Conn., V. I., Col. John L. Chatfield and Capt. Henry Bibel being his com- manding officers. The following March he was discharged from the service on account of disabili- ties. The death of this worthy gentleman occurred in May, 1898, and his remains were interred in the East cemetery. In religious connection he was a member of the Lutheran Church. Fraternally he prized his membership in Merriam Post, No. 8, G. A. R., Meriden.
Frederick Hess was married in the city of New York to Miss Johanna Yobke, a native of Germany. She died in 1872, and was buried in the East ceme- tery. A good wife and mother, she was a good Christian woman and a devout member of the Lutheran Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Hess were born three children : Herman, Frank and Frances, the last named now the wife of James Story, of New Haven.
Herman Hess was afforded somewhat meager advantages for education in his youth. He attended the district school until he was eleven years of age, when he became a cash boy in the mercantile estab- lishment of W. H. Babb, in Meriden, beginning at a salary of $2.50 a week. There he was employed five years, meantime devoting much time to study at home nights, bringing his education up to a more practical standard. In 1877 he obtained a situation with the New York, New Haven & Hart- ford Railway Co., with which he spent five years as a clerk, being one year in the ticket department and four years in the freight office at Meriden and New Haven. In 1882 he secured a position as bookkeeper with the Meriden Malleable Iron Co., and held same five years. Since September, 1900, he has been a director of the Meriden National Bank.
In 1883 Mr. Hess was elected city auditor to fill a vacancy. In October, 1886, he was elected town clerk and registrar of vital statistics, and in the same year was made city clerk. For fifteen years he has continued to fill these offices with credit to him- self and satisfaction to the public. His first elec- tion was as a Democrat, but since 1892 he has been the nominee of both parties. He is a genial and popular gentleman, thoroughly efficient, and in every way an honorable and upright man.
Mr. Hess is well versed in Masonic lore, be- longing to St. Elmo Commandery, No. 9, K. T., and to Pyramid Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. ; he is also a member of Meriden Center Lodge, No. 68, I. O.O. F .; the K. of P .; the R. A. ; the B. P. O. E. ;
and the American Order of Foresters. He and his family are members of the Universalist Church.
Mr. Hess was married May 28, 1883, to Eugenia De Crosby Pomeroy, who was born in Meriden, a laughter of Norman W. and Ruth Ann ( Norwood) Pomeroy, and a granddaughter of the late Noah Pomeroy. They have had two children, Raymond Pomeroy and Ruth Imogene, the latter deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hess are people of much refinement and evident culture, and the latter belongs to one of the oldest families in this part of Connecticut.
ALBERT BARNES MATHER, A. M., super- intendent of the public schools of Meriden, where for a third of a century he has been prominent in educational matters and a useful citizen, is one of the leading educators of the State.
Prof. Mather was born July 13, 1845, at Fair- field, N. Y., a son of Jairus and Eliza (Jones) Mather, and is a descendant in the eighth generation from Rev. Richard Mather, who came to New England in 1635, stopping for a time in Boston, and going thence to Dorchester, Mass. Rev. Mr. Mather was a native of England, born in 1596 in Lowton, Winwick Parish, of Toxeth Park, son of Thomas and grandson of John Mather, both of Lowton. Rev. Richard Mather married (first) in 1624 Cath- erine, daughter of Edmund Holt, of Bury, who died in 1655, and he married (second) in 1656 Sarah Story, widow of Rev. John Cotton. He died at Dorchester in 1669, and his wife, Sarah, in 1676.
From Rev. Richard Mather Prof. Mather's line- age is through Timothy, Atherton, William, Will- iam (2), Moses and Jairus Mather.
(II) Timothy Mather, son of Rev. Richard, the emigrant settler, born in 1628, in Liverpool, Eng- land, married (first) Catherine, daughter of Major Gen. Humphrey Atherton, and (second) March 20, 1678-79, Elizabeth, daughter of Amiel Weeks. As a farmer he settled in Dorchester, Mass., and died in 1684.
(III) Atherton Mather, son of Timothy, born in 1663, married (first) in 1694 Rebecca Stoughton, daughter of Thomas, and (second) in 1705 Mary Lamb, of Roxbury. When a young man Mr. Mather settled at Windsor, Conn. He removed in 1712 to Suffield, Mass., which in 1752 became a part of Connecticut, and was there a prominent and useful man and citizen. For four years he was a deputy from the town to the General Court at Boston. He died in 1734.
(IV) William Mather, son of Atherton, born in 1698 in Windsor, Conn., married in 1821 Silence Butolph, daughter of Daniel Butolph, of Simsbury, Conn., and lived in Suffield.
(V) William Mather (2), son of William, was born April 25, 1735, in Suffield, and later was of Marlboro, Vt., and Fairfield, N. Y. He married (first) April 10, 1760, Helen Allyn Talcott, daugh- ter of Peletiah Allyn ; she died in 1770, and he mar- ried (second) Martha Dickinson, who died May 29,
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