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 3 > Part 35
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(III) Pelatiah Leete ( 1681-1768), the great- great-grandfather of Deacon Calvin M. Leete, was the great-great-great-grandfather of his wife, Lucy M. She is of the eighth generation from William Leete, the founder of the family in Connecticut. From Pelatialı (III) the line of descent to Mrs. Leete is as follows :
. (IV) Pelatialı Leete, born March 7. 1713, mar- ried, March 26, 1740, Lydia Crittenden, who was born in Guilford March 14, 1719, daughter of Deacon Samuel and Mindwell ( Meigs) Crittenden.
Calvin M. Liste
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She died Aug. 13, 1772, and he survived until May 28, 1783. He was a deacon of the Fourth Congre- gational Church. The children of Pelatiah and Lydia Leete were: Pelatiah, born March 4, 1741, died April April 20, 1741 ; Pelatiah, sketch of whom follows; Lydia and Noah (twins) were born Oct. 24, 1749 (Lydia married Jolin Leete) ; Eber, born March 25, 1752, died Oct. 22, 1769: Simeon, born April 14, 1753, married Zerviah Norton; Amos, born April 25, 1758, married Hannah Ward; Nathan, born in 1762, died Nov. 1, 1769.
(V) Pelatiah Leete, son of Deacon Pelatiah. was born Aug. 22, 1744. He married, June 17. 1766, Bethiah Norton, daughter of Thomas and Bethiah Norton, of Guilford. She died June 30, 1793, aged fifty-six years. For his second wife Pelatiah Leete married, Nov. 10, 1794, Mary Fris- bie, of North Branford, who died Jan. 14, 1852. He died March 2, 1806, at Leete's Island. His children were: Joel, sketch of whom follows; Noah, born Feb. 22, 1770, married Hulda Ward; Pelatialı, born July 3, 1773, married Betsy Ramy; Mary, born Feb. 15, 1798, married Jude Ludington.
(VI) Joel Leete, born April 15, 1768, married, May 27, 1790, Molly Crittenden, who was born Aug. 25, 1765, daughter of Noah and Naomi (Atwell) ('rittenden. They lived at Leete's Island, where he died Jan. 28, 1842, his wife surviving to Nov. 24. 1843. Their four children were: Alvan, born Aug. 24, 1701, married Rebecca Butler ; Polly Maria. born March 7, 1794, died Jan. 3. 1795: Morris At- well, sketch of whom follows; Frederick William. born July 6, 1803, married Sarah Jane Fowler.
(VII) Morris Atwell Leete, son of Joel, was born at Leete's Island Nov. 10. 1795. He married. Oct. 25, 1820, Clarinda Graves, who was born Aug. 27, 1795, daughter of Milton and Lucy ( Buel) Graves. They had children as follows: Joel Mor- ris, born Dec. 25, 1821, died Oct. 7. 1858; George Augustus, born May 4, 1824, died Nov. 27, 1825; Lucy Maria, born June 2, 1827. became the wife of Calvin M. Leete, our subject : George Cornelius. born Sept. 17, 1829, married Harriet Stebbins : Henry Walter, born Nov. 9, 1832, died Feb. 26, 1853; Harvey Ward, born Nov. 9, 1832. married Miss Christiana Faulkner ; Josephi Alvan, born Aug. 19, 1836, married Orphana Hill ..
JOHN W. OSBORNE (deceased) was for many years prominently identified with the indus- trial and business interests of Derby and Ansonia. New Haven county, and was one of the most highly esteemed citizens of his community. He was a na- tive of New Haven, and a son of Stephen Osborne, who was engaged in business in that city for some years.
Our subject, who was one of a large family of children, came to Derby with his parents during childhood, and was there reared and educated. When a young man in 1842, he formed a copartner- ship with his brother-in-law, George W. Cheese-
man, and embarked in general merchandising, which business they carried on until 1858, when they turned their attention to the manufacture of hoop- skirts. The following year they moved their plant to Ansonia and were engaged in business there for many years, meeting with marked success in their undertakings and becoming quite well-to-do.
In 1864 Mr. Osborne married Mrs. Eliza Hill Baker, of. Redding, Conn. Our subject died March 6, 1895, at the age of eighty-four years. Politically he was a Republican, and he gave his support to every enterprise which he believed would prove of publie benefit, or would advance the moral or ma- terial welfare of his town and county. He was one of the founders of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Derby, and took a very active and prominent part in all church work, contributing liberally to its sup- port. He commanded the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact, either in business or in social life, and in his death the community lost one of its best citizens.
DEACON SAMUEL WILLIAM DUDLEY. late of North Guilford, was a lineal descendant cf (III) Capt. William Dudley (born Oct. 18, 1684, died Feb. 28, 1761). youngest son of ( II) Joseph, who was the second son of ( I) William. one of the original settlers of Guilford, as set forth in the Dud- ley genealogy.
(III) Capt. William Dudley was a prominent man in North Guilford in his day. Early records. show that in 1725 he was a justice of the peace, captain of militia, and a deacon in the church in that place. The latter office he held until his death, in 1761. He married Ruth Strong, daughter of Thomas Strong, of Lyme. She died Sept. 18. 1743. and he married (second) Rebecca Fisk, of New Milford, daughter of Joseph Elliott. His children, all by the first wife, were: (1) Submit, born Oct. I, 1713, died April 16, 1733. (2) William, born Dec. 28, 1715, died Oct. 23, 1717. (3) William (2) was born Dec. 28, 1717. (4) Asahel, born June 17, 1719, died in 1809: he removed to Middletown ; he married Jan. 25, 1742, Betsey Hatch. (5) Lucy, born March 29, 1721, married Michael Baldwin, son of Timothy Baldwin. (6) Lois, born Feb. 1.1, 1723, died Oct. 7. 1743. (7) Medad, born Feb. 23, 1726, is mentioned below. (8) Jared, born Nov. 17. 1727, died June 14, 18II : he married Dec. 25, 1754, Mary Chittenden, daughter of Daniel C. (9) Sarah, born July 14, 1730, died Oct. 7, 1743. ( 10} Mabel (twin of Sarah) married April 30, 1754, Ebenezer Russell. (11) Ruth, born June 9, 1733, died June 20, 1745.
(IV) Medad Dudley (son of (III) Capt. Will- iam), born Feb. 23, 1726, died Feb. 10, 1804. On June 10, 1756, he married Mary Fowler, daughter of Daniel Fowler. She died July 14, 1810, aged eighty-one. They had nine children: (1) Am- brose, sketch of whom follows. (2) Lucy, born | Jan. 18, 1759, died Dec. 23, 1834; she married
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March 3, 1790, Oliver Fowler, son of Ebenezer and Desire (Bristol) Fowler. (3) William, born Feb. 19, 1761, lived at Litchfield, Conn .; he married May 18, 1785, Abigail Baldwin. (4) Rebecca, born Dec. 8, 1762, died Feb. 10, 1846, unmarried. (5) Medad, born Dec. 16, 1764, died Jan. 13, 1854; in 1797 he married Phebe Conklin, of East Hampton, L: I. (6) Charles, born Dec. 6, 1766, lived at Litch- field; he married Ruth Hart and (second) Rhoda Baldwin. (7) Submit, born Nov. 26, 1768, mar- ried Jan. 2, 1797, Jonathan Bishop. (8) Paul, born Oct. 19, 1771, dicd Oct. 10, 1847 ; he married Anne Moulthrop, of East Haven, Conn. (9) Molly, born Feb. 20, 1774, died Aug. 11, 1810, unmarried. (V) Ambrose Dudley, the eldest son of (IV) Medad and Mary ( Fowler ) Dudley, was born April I, 1757, was a farmer of North Guilford, and died Jan. 10, 1826. He married April 29, 1783, Eliza- beth Russell, born Nov. 23, 1758, died July 15, 1834, daughter of Samuel Russell. Ambrose Dudley served in the Revolutionary war, being in 1776 a private in Capt. Hand's Company, Col. Talcott's Regiment. He had three children: (I) Russell, born Jan. 19, 1784, died at sea Dec. 1, 1806, unmar- ried. (2) Abigail, born Oct. 21, 1788, died Nov. 19, 1872; on Oct. 27, 1816, she married Daniel Fowler; and she subsequently married (second) Benjamin Rossiter. (3) Samnel William, sketch of whom follows.
(VI) Deacon Samuel William Dudley, son of (V) Ambrose and Elizabeth (Russell) Dudley, of North Guilford, was born July 16, 1800, and died Dec. 11, 1881. He was a farmer, and lived all his days on the homestead. He was a prominent and influential member of the Congregational Church of North Guilford, which he served in various ca- pacities. He was chosen a deacon in the same in May, 1856, and held that office until his death, or over twenty-five years. He was a justice of the peace as early as 1832; a representative to the Gen- eral Assembly in 1844, 1853, 1857, 1863 and 1865; and state senator in 1869. Physically, he was a man of large proportions and commanding per- sonal appearance. His manner was courteous and cordial, his integrity unswerving. A faithful friend and a wise counselor, he was universally respected and loved. He received a liberal education at the district schools, also North Guilford Academy, and for several years taught school in the town of Guilford. He was a large land owner in both North Guilford and North Branford, and in addi- tion to general farming, stock raising, etc., he shipped away considerable quantities of timber.
On Jan. 2, 1833, Deacon Samuel W. Dudley married Lucy Ann Chittenden, daughter of David and Lucy ( Fowler) Chittenden, and they had six children : ( 1) Charles Samuel, born May 24, 1834, is an insurance agent at New Haven, Conn. He married, in 1871, Mary Austin, of Westville, Conn., a teacher. He was a soldier in the Civil war, serv- ing as a private in the 14th Conn. V. I. (2) Henry
Chittenden, born May 9, 1836, died while in the army, Jan. 17, 1863; he was sergeant in the 14th Regiment, Conn. V. I .; he married Oct. 16, 1861, Anna E. Parmelee, daughter of Deacon Eli Parm- elee, of Guilford. She subsequently married ( sec- ond) Lieut. Edward Griswold. (3) Elizabeth Russell, born June 25, 1838, married Jan. 3, 1876, Deacon John W. Norton, of Guilford. (4) James Ambrose, born Aug. 21, 1840, married Oct. 13, 1870, Emelyn M. Griswold, of Guilford. He is de- ceased. (5) George Chittenden, a sketch of whom follows. (6) William Russell, born March 1, 1849, was a professor at Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., afterwards professor at Leland Stanford Uni- versity, San Francisco, California.
(VII) GEORGE CHITTENDEN DUDLEY, son of (VI) Deacon Samuel W., was born Sept. 1, 1842, on the homestead, and has always lived there, having operated same since the death of his father. His education he obtained in part at the district schools of the neighborhood of his home, in part at North Guilford Academy, and he is otherwise a well-read and well-informed man. In politics he is a Republican, but has never aspired to political preferment, though he has served as tax collector and in some minor town offices. In religious faith he is a member of and deacon in the Congrega- tional Church, and is a member of the choir. Social- ly he is affiliated with the Good Templars and with the Grange. Mr. Dudley's industry, integrity and sound common sense have secured for him, in an unusual degree, the uniform respect of the com- munity in which he lives.
JAMES H. BARTLETT, a well-known and highly-esteemed citizen of Oxford, New Haven county, who is now successfully engaged in general farming and tobacco growing, was born on a farm near Millbrook, Dutchess county, N. Y., Oct. 7, 1829, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Swift) Bartlett, and grandson of Littlefield Bartlett, all natives of Dutchess county. Our subject is the eldest in a fam- ily of nine children, the others being as follows: Deborah, wife of Lucius Osbourne, a farmer of Dutchess county; Susan, wife of Dewitt Benson, of Clinton, Iowa; Sarah E., wife of Edwin Chapin, of Minneapolis, Minn .; Phebe J., wife of Davis White, of Dutchess county, N. Y .; George L., a carpenter of Ansonia, Conn .; Maria J .. wife of Clarence Vail, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y .; Charles T., a farmer of Jackson county, Iowa ; and Annie, wife of Edwin Dunham, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In the county of his nativity James H. Bartlett grew to manhood, and in its public schools he ac- quired his literary education. On leaving the par- ental roof, at the age of twenty years, he went to New York City, where he clerked in the wholesale grocery house of Meads & Co. for a year and a half, and was then with Skeel, Van Valkenberg & Co., as receiving and delivering clerk, for eight years. At the end of that period, in company with
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Truman E. Herd, of Southbury, Conn., he went to Freeport, Ill., where he was engaged in general merchandising from 1855 to 1863. During the lat- ter year he secured a position as clerk in the quar- termaster's department at Corinth, Miss., and held same for a little over a year, at the end of which time he returned to Freeport, Ill: He soon after- ward purchased a farm in Adams county, that state, and operated the same for one year, during which time his wife died. With his three little children he then returned to New York, taking them to their maternal grandmother, in Chester, Orange Co., N. Y. He next went to the oil regions of Pennsyl- vania, and in Pit Hole City he purchased an inter- est in what was known as the Ball farm, and also served as superintendent of the Fisher oil wells for six months. Subsequently he. engaged in the manufacture of paper at Southford, Conn., until 1867, when he purchased the place in Oxford, New Haven Co., Conn., where he now resides. It is one of the finest farms of its size in the Quaker Valley, and in its cultivation he has met with well- deserved success.
Mr. Bartlett has been three times married, his first wife being Phoebe Beach, of Orange county, N. Y., by whom he had three children: Ella E., who was for many years a teacher in the schools of Oxford and Seymour. Conn .. and for the last four years in the Emma Willard Seminary, at Trov, N. Y., but is at present traveling in Europe ; Eva J., wife of Horace H. Oatman, of New Haven, Conn. : and Joseph L., who died in infancy. The mother of these children died in 1865, and in 1866 he mar- ried her sister, Kate C. Beach, by whom he had two children, twins: Kate, wife of Arthur J. Ben- son, of Dover Plains, N. Y .; and Joseph, a machin- ist of Clinton, Iowa. Our subject's present wife was in her maidenhood Miss Josephine Flagg. There is one child by this union, Annie, who is at home.
Socially Mr. Bartlett is a member of King Solo- mon Lodge, No. 7, F. & A. M., of Woodbury, while politically he is not identified with any particular party, but votes independent of party lines. He was a member of the State Legislature in 1879 and again in 1882, and served as selectman for fifteen consecutive years, with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.
EDWARD GRISWOLD has in the thirty-five years of his mercantile career in Guilford become one of the best-known figures in the commercial and public life of that town and vicinity, where he is widely and favorably known im many con- nections.
Mr. Griswold was born June 30, 1839, in Guil- ford, son of Joel and Polly Griswold, and received his early education in the district schools in the neighborhood of his home, later attending the Guil- ford Institute. From early boyhood he was trained to farm work, assisting his father on the home
place, where he remained until the breaking out of the Civil war. On Oct. 26, 1861, he enlisted in the Union service, becoming a member of the Ist Light Battery, C. V., which formed a part of the Ioth Army Corps, and serving a full three years, being mustered out Oct. 26, 1864. He took an active part in all the battles, etc., in which his command was engaged. After his return from the army Mr. Griswold rented the homestead, and also embarked in merchandising in partnership with his brother Charles, as general merchants and produce dealers, our subject taking charge of the produce business and his brother of the other branch. They continued thus three years, when our subject bought his brother's interest, and he has since engaged in general merchandising on his own account. Though he has always commanded a wide patronage Mr. Griswold has met with re- verses, and at one time lost his all, but he has continued in the face of discouragements, and does a thriving business at present. His store, however, has not occupied all his time and attention. For a few years he was interested in the canning business, being one of the first in that line in Guilford. In the organization of the Savings Bank he was prominent as one of the prime movers and pro- moters, and he served several years as trustee, being one of the first to hold that office. He was the organizer of the Guilford Light Battery, in whose welfare he has always taken the deepest in- terest, and served as commander of same for six years. It was through his efforts that this battery was accepted as the battery called for from Con- necticut by the United States Government in the Spanish-American war, in 1898.
Mr. Griswold is a lifelong Republican and an ardent supporter of the principles of that party, though he is independent in giving his support to candidates, especially in local affairs. He is a loyal friend of Gen. Hawley, the Connecticut senator, and was a stanch Mckinley man. Though not an of- fice-seeker he has never shirked public service, and his ability and trustworthiness have been recognized by his fellow townsmen, whom he has not disap- pointed in his discharge of the duties of the various offices to which he has been chosen. In 1882 he was elected to the State Legislature, on his own party ticket, and was re-elected to that incumbency the following year as the candidate of both Re- publican and Democratic parties. During his first term he served on the committee on Fishery, the second term as chairman of committee on Military Affairs, and he proved his efficiency in many ways gratifying to his constituents. However, no more flattering approval of his services could be desired than his return to the House as noted. On Nov. 5, 1901, Mr. Griswold was elected by the citizens. of his town as delegate to the Constitutional Con- vention, held Jan. 1, 1902, at Hartford, for the purpose of revising the State Constitution. He is the recognized leader of the country contingent, and
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it is claimed by his fellow townsmen that he is more widely and favorably known throughout the state than any other citizen of Guilford.
Mr. Griswold has ever been active in the G. A. R., and has served as delegate to the National En- campment. He was a charter member of Parmelee Post, of Guilford, in which he filled many offices, and now belongs to Foote Post, No. 17, New Haven. At present he is serving on the staff of the Department Commander of Connecticut as chief mustering officer, and in his visits to the different posts is heartily welcomed bv the comrades. Being an interesting and ready speaker, he seldom escapes being called upon for remarks or addresses.
On May 12, 1868, Mr. Griswold was married, in Guilford, to Mrs. Anne E. ( Parmelee) Dudley, who was born March 22, 1834, daughter of Eli Parmelee, and first married Henry D. Dudley; he was killed while serving in the Civil war. Three children blessed this union, born as follows: Eliza- beth Hart, July 23, 1869; Edward Parmelee, July 6, 1870; and Nelson Hotchkiss, Jan. 12, 1872. The mother passed away Nov. 1, 1899, and was laid to rest in the cemetery at Guilford. She was a de- vout Christian, a woman of charitable impulses and kindly deeds, and was sincerely mourned by her many friends in the town. Mr. Griswold holds membership with the Congregational Church, of which his wife was also a member. Though always an active man, his tastes are domestic, and he takes his greatest pleasure in his home and family. In his long and honorable life he has gained many warm friends, and though his independence of spirit and action have sometimes roused aggression it has always been in the support of what he believed to be right, and he is universally respected for his sincerity and integrity.
CLARK W. STOWE, one of the venerable resi- dents of the town of Milford, senior member of the firm of C. W. Stowe & Son, well-known seed grow- ers and farmers, was born in that town March 17, 1838, son of William and Elizabeth (Baldwin) Stowe. Our subject bears an honored name, the Stowe family having been prominently identified with the town from an early day, and Jedediah Stowe, his grandfather, was probably born there. This worthy citizen was a farmer by occupation, and for some time he also conducted a store in Mil- ford. He and his wife had the following children : Isaac, a seafaring man, who died in Milford ; David, a shoemaker and farmer ; Jeremiah, a farmer ; Will- iam, our subject's father; Sally, who married El- nathan Baldwin, a farmer; Sybil, who married Clark Platt, a farmer; and Nancy, who married William Platt, a farmer.
William Stowe, who was also a farmer, was born in Milford in 1794. and died in 1844. His wife, Elizabeth ( Baldwin), was a daughter of Heze- kiah Baldwin, a prominent farmer of Milford. She was born Ang. 16, 1809, and died Dec. 30, 1885. j
They had two children: Clark W., our subject ; and Mary Elizabeth, who was born in 1842, and died at the age of three years.
Clark W. Stowe was reared upon the old home- stead in Milford, and obtained a common-school education in his district. When a young man he commenced in farming, and at present he has the able assistance of his son, the farm of 100 acres affording scope for various branches of their work. .Mr. Stowe lived on the old homestead until 1865, when he moved to what is now known as Walnut Beach, he being one of the first to settle there. Politically he and his son are Republicans, and the family is active in religious and philanthropic work, Mr. Stowe having given the lot for the chapel at Walnut Beach.
Mr. Stowe married Miss Mary Catherine Hand, who was born Jan. 22, 1841. in Litchfield county, Conn., daughter of Guy S. Hand, a farmer of that section. She died Nov. 3. 1898, leaving two chil- dren: (1) Miles W., born July 12, 1857, married Miss Mercy Blakeman, born in 1862, in Fairfield county, Conn., daughter of Ezra and Urania ( Hub- bell) Blakeman. They have had two sons-Clark W., born Nov. 25, 1895, and Cornelius Ard, born Jan. 15, 1897. (2) Edith E., born Feb. 24, 1865, married Edward W. Beers, of Stratford.
Our subject has won success far beyond the ordinary, by methods that have retained for him the profound respect of all. He is a plain going man, and has so lived as to leave to his posterity a name that may be referred to with pride.
JOHN GILBERT CUTLER, who has been in the harnessmaking business in Waterbury for the long period of thirty-seven years, is a native of Ben- nington, Vt., and of English extraction.
David Cutler, grandfather of our subject, was born in Killingly, Windham Co., Conn., married there, and followed farming. He and his wife both died in Killingly, the latter at the age of about one hundred and six years. They were the parents of two children: David H. and Asa S .; the latter was a farmer in Killingly, and died in Put- num, Connecticut.
David H. Cutler, father of our subject, was born in Killingly, was educated there, and in early man- hood went to Bennington, where he followed the trade of shoemaker. He married Harriet A. Gil- bert, who was born in Mansfield, Conn., a daugh- ter of John Gilbert, a farmer and country mer- chant. Two children were born to David H. Cutler and his wife: Harriet A. and John Gilbert. The father died in 1879, in the Shaker settlement, Mass. He was a lifelong Whig in politics. The mother passed away March 4, 1882, in Waterbury.
John G. Cutler, whose name introduces these lines, at the age of six years was taken from his native place, Bennington, Vt., to Tolland county, Conn., and there remained on a farm for some time, receiving his education in the district schools.
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At the time of the breaking out of the Civil war he was learning the harnessmaker's trade, and after coming to Waterbury. in 1862, he followed same as a journeyman until March 22. 1865. at which time he commenced in that business in Exchange place, Waterbury, on his own account, and has con- tinued it ever since. He is now located in Platt's block, at No. 39 East Main street. There is only one man in business now in the city who was in business at the time our subject commenced. Mr. Cutler deals in harness. leather, saddlery hardware. horse clothing, trunks, and everything to be found in a shop of that nature.
In 1863 our subject was married in Waterbury to Mary Karrmann, who was born in Middletown, Conn., Nov. 10. 1843, a daughter of Sebastian Karrmann, a German by birth. They have no chil- dren. Mr. and Mrs. Cutler attend the services of the M. E. Church; in polities he is a Republican ; socially he is a Knight Templar Mason and a men- ber of the Royal Arcanum.
MRS. ESTELLA J. (HARTLEY) MILLS. The Mills and Hartley families are well known in this section, the former having been identified with Ansonia, and the latter with New Haven, since their first settlement, and the names of both are as- sociated with a high order of citizenship.
The late Thomas Mills, who was for many years a leading resident of Ansonia, was born at Hud- dersfield, England, Aug. 24. 1801. a son of James Mills, and came to this country about 1828, locating at Little Falls, N. J. From there he removed to Newark, N. J., where he followed the blacksmith's trade for several years, and in 1843 he removed to Derby, Conn., being there employed at his trade, by Phelps, Dodge & Co., in their new plant. In their employ he remained forty-five years, removing with them to Birmingham. Conn., afterward to Ansonia, and he was regarded as an excellent workman in his line. On going to Birmingham he moved into the second house built there, and in Ansonia he was also one of the first settlers. During his residence there he witnessed the development of Derby, Shel- ton and Ansonia, the location having been meta- morphosed from a farming community to a thriving business and manufacturing center. with a popula- tion of more than 20,000 people. He took an active part in town affairs, being an ardent Republican in polities, and he was prominent in fraternal society work as a member of the I. O. O. F. He united with the Order before coming to this country, and continued active in its work throughout his life. holding every office in the local branch. In re- 'igious faith he was a Methodist, and he served on the committee for locating and building the new church at Ansonia. His death occurred in An- sonia Feb. 3. 1883. Mr. Mills was first married, in England, Dee. 4. 1825. to Miss Grace Eastwood. who was born April 2. 1805. and who died at An- sonia in 1857, By this marriage he had ten chil-
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