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 4 > Part 71
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Jesse Potter, who was a farmer and died in New Haven, married Sophia Augustus, of French par- entage, and a member of the Augustus family of Hamden. Mrs. Potter, who died in New Haven, was the mother of the following children: Eliza, Catherine, Cornelia. Caroline, Harriet, Frederick, Augustus, Cornelius and Frank J.
Frank J. Potter was reared in New Haven, where he attended the New Hallville school. There- after, he engaged in various enterprises until 1877, during which year he entered the employ of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and has worked his way up to his present responsible posi- tion as foreman of the shooting department.
In September of 1885 Mr. Potter married Emma J. Lindsey, a native of Windsor, Hartford county, and daughter of Vernon and Jane ( Griswold ) Lind- sey the latter born in Canada. Through a previous marriage with Ella Hill, Mr. Potter had one child, Eva Della, who married Walter E. Chatterton, of New Haven. Fraternally Mr. Potter is associated with the N. E. O. P., and the Winchester Lodge of Good Fellows. He was reared in the Congre- gational faith, and is a man whose good qualities command the respect and confidence of those among whom his industrious and useful life is passed.
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
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John, died in infancy. The other children, not in- cluding the gentleman who is the subject of this brief sketch, were Nicholas. William, Michael, Mary, Lawrence, Thomas, Richard, Martin and Augustine. Nicholas is a stone mason in Shelton ; William is a horse and cattle breeder in Oregon; Michael enlisted in the Union army, and died in Maryland during the Civil war; Mary is the wife of a Mr. Cleary, an engineer, and lives in Minne- sota; Lawrence, Thomas, Martin and Augustine became farmers in Minnesota, Lawrence dying there in 1806; and Richard died when a lad of fourteen years.
Until John Larkin reached the age of seven, his father, Edward, resided in the city of Norwich, but then removed to a farm near by, where the boy lived until he was fifteen years old. Then he took the responsibilities of life upon his own shoulders, and began, single handed, the struggle with the world in which he was destined to achieve success. His first employment was in the woolen and cotton mills of Franklin (now Sprague), Conn., where he remained for sixteen years. In 1874 he went from Sprague to Derby, where he opened a meat market. The venture prospered, and he soon added to his business the sale of groceries and liquors, his place of business being at the corner of Anson and Seth streets. He continued in these combined lines of trade until 1891, when he opened his present summer hotel at Burns' Point.
Mr. Larkin is a man of high character and es- tablished business repute. Starting in life with but little education, and beginning near the bottom of the ladder as a mill operative, he has conquered one obstacle after another through ceaseless en- ergy and stubborn, unwearied perseverance. For him there has been no such word as fail. His fel- low citizens have attested their confidence in his intelligence and probity by electing him burgess of the borough of Birmingham, and assessor of the city of Derby. In politics he is a Democrat, and in religious faith a Catholic. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus.
His wife, whose maiden name was Jane Mur- ray, was born in County Cork, Ireland, a daughter of Jeremiah Murray, of County Cork, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Larkin have three children living : John W., Edmund J., and Jennie E. The oldest son is at attorney at law, and holds the office of city clerk of Derby. Edmund J. is a successful dentist in the same city. Jennie is the wife of Ira F. Hoyet, of Derby, manager of the opera house there.
JAMES P. LANDERS, superintendent of the Thomas Coady Brick Co., and one of the police commissioners of the city of New Haven, is a na- tive of Ireland, and was born in County Cork, Sept. 29, 1851. Michael Landers. his father, was born The education of Father Kost received its pre- liminary impulse in the mind of a boy of six, at which expanding age he was placed for three years in the same locality and came from there to New Haven in 1859, and died here in 1864. His an- cestors were farmers, all of whom remained in the : at the parish school, under the supervision of the
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old country. The mother of James P. was also born in County Cork, and survived until 1881. She was the devoted mother of five children : Mary, who married Patrick Consandine and lives in New Haven; James P .; Margaret, who is Sister Superior in a convent in Stamford, Conn .; Alice; and Hannah L.
James P. Landers was about eight years of age when he came with his parents to New Haven, and he attended the primary schools and St. Patrick's parochial school, on Hamilton street. His first means of livelihood was the oyster business, and from a comparatively small beginning he built up a large trade, and successfully followed his chosen occupation for twenty-three years. April 10, 1891, he entered the employ of the Thomas Coady Brick Company, as superintendent, and since that time has rendered faithful and efficient service. In 1899 he was made a police commissioner, and performs the duties of the position with characteristic energy and ability.
Sept. 10, 1881, Mr. Landers married Catherine J. Fay, a native of East Haven, and daughter of Patrick Fay, a native of Ireland. Mr. Landers has always been a Democrat and has filled many of the local offices, including that of alderman of the Twelfth ward during 1880 and 1881. Socially he is connected with the Foresters of America, the Ancient Order of United Work- men, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the Total Abstinence Society of America. Mr. Landers is a consistent member of the Roman Catholic Church, and in his civic, business and private life is a citizen of whom any city might be proud.
REV. IGNATIUS KOST, who is the beloved and revered pastor of St. Mary's German Catholic Church, was born in the village of Hoefen, near Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany, June 16, 1866, and since his location in Meriden, has impressed him- self upon the public as a bold and outspoken advo- cate of the faith he loves, and a devoted and loyal pastor of the people to whom he is a comfort and guide ..
Ignatius Kost, the father of Rev. Ignatius, though an ardent member of the Catholic Church, had no thought of the present vocation of his son. The elder man spent his youth and middle life in industriously tilling the soil, as had his forefathers, and his thrift and enterprise earned the life of re- : tirement which he is now enjoying in Bamberg. His wife, Kunigunda, who also is still living, is the mother of five children, two of whom died in in- fancy. Of the surviving children, John is living on the old homestead with his parents; Mary is married and lives in Passau, Bavaria; and Rev. Ignatius, of Meriden.
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government. This practical training was followed by a year at the Bamberg high school, after which a streak of good fortune came his way through his selection, because of meritorious scholarship, with four other boys, for higher education without cost to his parents. Thus young Kost soon found him- self a student at the Academy of Munnersbadt, Germany, in the full enjoyment of the advantages of that excellent seat of learning, and with ready aptitude his keen intelligence grasped the various branches of a classical course, as well as an ex- haustive knowledge of French. This school, taught by the Augustinian Fathers, became his Alma Mater in 1886, and for the following year his activ- ities were widely diverse, and centered in the inev- itable military duty to his country. In connection with this vigorous training he studied also philoso- phy, and so with a pronounced appreciation of its utility, continued to add to his education.
Father Kost's first inspiration to the priesthood came while he was still in college through Father De Bruycker, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, at Willi- mantic, who visited Germany, and made known the need of a German priest to minister to the spiritual needs of the German Catholics in his parish. Fa- ther Kost volunteered to study theology and pre- pare himself for the priesthood, in order that he might come to America and minister to the spir- itual needs of his countrymen. At first his parents were greatly opposed to his plans, but at last con- sented to what seemed a divine guidance. Having gained the desired permission, Father Kost went to Louvain, Belgium, where he graduated in philos- ophy and French at St. Michael's Seminary, and at the American Seminary studied English and the- ology under Monseigneur DeNeve, finishing the course when twenty-two years of age. Too young to receive Holy Orders, consent had to be obtained from his Bishop and from the authorities at Rome, and when these were forthcoming he was ordained to the priesthood June 24, 1889, by the Bishop of Covington, Ky., who was visiting Belgium at that time.
Singularly appropriate seemed the fact that the young priest celebrated his first mass, July 7, 1889. in his native town, and for a short time thereafter ministered to a parish whose pulpit was tempor- arily vacant. In September of the same year he left the fatherland to engage in the work in Amer- ica to which he had been dedicated, and upon ar- riving in the United States reported to Bishop Mc- Mahon, then in charge of the Diocese, at Hartford. For a time the young priest was sent to Willi- mantic to assist Father DeBruycker, and upon the death of Father Eugene J. Vygen, had charge of his parish until December, when he was sent to assist Father Van Oppen, of the French Catholic Church, in charge of St. Laurent, at Meriden. The congregation of this church also included many German Catholics. Having become thoroughly familiar with the needs of his people, Father Kost
organized, in 1891, the German Church of St. Mary's parish, a building planned by David Bloomfield being erected, which served the combined uses of church and school, the latter including thirty chil- dren. With the increase of school attendance other arrangements were necessary, and a school-house was built and placed in charge of two Sisters of Notre Dame from Baltimore. Under the supervi- sion of Sister Helena 225 children were taught in 1900, and the original plans of church and school have been lost in subsequent improvements. A tower to the church was put up in 1894, the bell being a donation of Mr. Frank Yokel. The grounds, buildings, and general additions have cost over $40,000, and there now remains an indebted- ness of but $9,000, with every indication of a speedy cancellation. In 1895 Father Kost gave up his residence to the Sisters and bought a home for himself on the opposite side of the street. .
Many discouragements have come the way of Father Kost in his effort to build up his parish, but his natural patience and perseverance, tact and in- tense kindliness have prevailed, and won not only devoted members to the church, but gratifying per- sonal regard. His influence is noticeable in many channels of activity, and his counsel and general worth is by no means confined in its appreciation to the members of his own church. Among the soci- eties founded in connection with his work, and which supply vitality and continued interest for hundreds, may be mentioned that of St. Boniface, with 165 members, the Young Men's Club, St. Elizabeth Society, Children of Mary, and several others. During the nine years of his pastorate he has had four missions in the church, and his zeal and indefatigable energy have stimulated to a higher moral and intellectual plane of life.
ADAM FABER, a well-known farmer and worthy citizen of Waterville, town of Waterbury, New Haven county, is a native of Hessen-Cassel, Germany, a son of Adam and Anna Elizabeth (Nieumann) Faber, and a brother of George Fa- ber of Bucks Hill, Waterbury, and of the late Lud- wig Faber, a railroad engineer, who served in the Engineering Corps during the Civil war. He re- ceived a limited education in his native tongue, and when a young man learned the shoemaker's trade. After completing his apprenticeship he left home and went to London, England, where he found em- ployment at his trade, and worked at the same for four years.
Being of an adventurous disposition Mr. Faber resolved to see more of the world, and shipped as a sailor before the mast on a bark bound from Lon- don to Africa, and was shipwrecked on this voyage. On his return to London, he shipped as able sca- . man for the West Indies, and while returning was shipwrecked off the American coast, was picked up by an American vessel, and taken to New Or- leans. All of his possessions were sunk with the
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ship in the Atlantic. With other members of the crew, he was finally sent back to England, and from there went to Queenstown, Ireland, where he shipped on an American vessel. He sailed out of American ports for some time, and continued to follow the sea for nine years. At the end of that period Mr. Faber came to Waterbury, Conn., where his brother George was living, and found employ- ment at farm work with Gilbert Prichard on Buck's Hill, at $5 per month. Subsequently he was sim- ilarly employed by Stephen S. Camp, and then, in 1865, took contracts for chopping wood. From Waterbury he moved to Middlebury, Conn., where he engaged in teaming and working in a brickyard for a time, and then rented the Clinton farm which he operated for one year. Returning to Waterville, he rented the Brown farm, and from there worked for Joseph Welton for two years. He next worked with his brother George for Brown Brothers, in their casting department, for eleven years, and later spent four years in the casting de- partment of the Scovill factory. At the end of that time he again turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, having purchased the Daniel Cook farm on Faber avenue, Waterville, in 1872, upon which he has made many improvements. He has since engaged in agricultural pursuits, and has met with marked success in that undertaking. He is noted for his industry, enterprise and upright dealings.
At Bucks Hill, Waterbury, in 1866, Mr. Faber was united in marriage with Mrs. Christina ( Wichardt ) Cook, also a native of Hessen-Cassel, Germany, and widow of Henry Cook, by whom she had three children: (1) Henry C., a machinist at Platt's shop, married Kate W. Frey, daughter of Philip Frey, and they have four children, Clarence, Georgiana, Harold E. and Gertrude; he is a mem- ber of the Episcopal Church, the Independent Or- der of Foresters, and the Improved Order of Red Men, .while politically he is a Republican. (2) William H., a caster in the Scovill factory. married Mrs. Kate Kirk, widow of Robert Kirk, and the mother of three children, Julia, Lucy and Louis; he is a thirty-second-degree Mason, and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Improved Order of Red Men. (3) Anna C. is a dressmaker, residing at home; she is a member of the Eastern Star Chapter of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. and Mrs. Faber have had five children, as fol- lows: (1) George Adam is a physician of Water- bury, whose sketch appears elsewhere. (2) Carrie is the wife of Frank Fenton, and has had three children, Wilfred (now deceased), Ward and Guy H. (3) Elizabeth, also a member of the Eastern Star Chapter, is the wife of William Harper and has one child, Edwin. (4) Edward N. married Bertha Feld, and has three children, Louis, Ed- ward and -; he is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias. (5) Louis F., now deceased, was a caster in the Scovill fac- tory ; he married Sarah Brown and was a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The family hold membership in the Episcopal Church, and Mr. Faber is connected with the German Or- der of Red Men. In politics he was first a Demo- crat, and later a Republican.
ISRAEL ANDREWS. The Andrews family, to which this gentleman and Alfred H. Andrews, of Meriden, belong, is one of the old historic fam- ilies of New Haven county, and its first representa- tive in the Colony of New Haven was William An- drews, a native of Hampsworth, Eng., where he had learned the carpenter trade. In 1635 he came to New England, with a colony from Hampton, near London, making the voyage in the ship "James" of London, and under the command of William Coop- er. They landed in Boston, and there William An- drews was made a freeman in 1635. With the Rev. John Davenport, Mr. Andrews removed to. New Haven, where he built the first meeting house in 1644. In this section his life was spent, and here he died at East Haven, March 4, 1676. He was twice married, and his second wife, whom he married Dec. 7, 1665, was Anna Gibbons, daughter of Will- iam Gibbons, Colonial Secretary in 1657. She died in 1701. To his first marriage were born: William, born in England, died Jan. 3, 1663; Sam- uel, also born in England, in 1632, died in 1704; Nathan, born in Boston in 1638. To this marriage were also two or three daughters, but their names are not now a matter of record.
Samuel Andrews, of the above family, came to the New World with his parents, and located at New Haven, where he married Elizabeth, the daughter of William Peck, of New Haven. In 1670 he removed to the new settlement of Walling- ford, where he died Oct. 6, 1704, at the age of seventy-three. There his wife also died. Mr. An- drews was the owner of much property at his death. To him and his wife were born: William and Sam- uel, who both died young; Samuel ; William, who married Hannah Parker; John; Nathaniel, who married Susannah Tyler ; twins, who died when they were a day old; Elizabeth, who married Benjamin Hall; Mary; Joseph, who married Abigail Paine; Margery ; and Dinah.
Samuel Andrews, son of Samuel, was born in Wallingford, April 30, 1663, where he engaged in farming, and spent his life. On Aug. 27, 1686, he was married to Ann Hall, by whom he became the father of the following children: Thomas; John, who died young : John, who married Hannah Mer- riman ; Elizabeth; Samuel; Elisha; William, who married Mary Foster; and Ann, who married Jo- seph Royce.
Thomas Andrews, a member of the above fam- ily, was born in Wallingford, March 11, 1687, where he spent his life engaged in farming, and where he diel and was buried in 1750. Mr. An- drews was twice married, his first wife being Felix, and his second, Elizabeth. To these marriages
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were born : Elizabeth, who married R. Strong, of Waterbury; Benjamin; Enos; Sarah; Lois, who married Severius Carrington ; Martha; Thankful, who married Jason Hitchcock.
Enos Andrews, the son of Thomas, was born April 13, 1719, in the town of Wallingford, and there he was engaged in general farming and stock raising. His wife, Content, bore him the follow- ing children: Thomas, Bede, Asahel, Huldah, Thankful and Enos.
Thomas Andrews, the eldest son of Enos, was born Aug. 8, 1744, on the old homestead, which is now in Cheshire, where he followed farming all his life. He married Sarah Brooks, and they had a family of six children: Thomas: Joab: Albert ; Phoebe, who had two husbands, Mark Tuttle and Jared Ives; Amarilla, who married J. C. Lee; and Hiram.
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Hiram Andrews, the sixth child of Thomas, and the father of Israel Adams, was born Oct. 16, 1796, on the farm which has been in the pos- session of the family for many generations, and was reared and educated in his native town. After his marriage he made his home on the old home- stead. In 1824 he was married to Miss Martha M. Hotchkiss, a native of Cheshire, where her parents, Israel and Martha (Royce) Hotchkiss, spent their lives. Hiram Andrews died on the old homestead in 1869, and his widow at the home of her son, Israel, in 1890. To this union were born : Celia, widow of Miles Hotchkiss, of Plants- ville, Conn .: Martha, widow of Steven Parker, of Meriden; Thomas, who died in Meriden, leaving one daughter, Martha, now a resident of that city ; Caroline M., widow of Horace Yale, of Meriden ; Israel, whose name introduces this article; and Al- fred, who has a son, Leighton.
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Israel Andrews was born Oct. 15, 1836, in Cheshire, a son of Hiram and Martha M. Andrews. noted above, and he was reared on the homestead. The boyhood of this honored old resident of Cheshire was spent after the fashion of the times, he working on the farm in summer and attending school in the winter. His entire life has been spent in agricultural pursuits, with the exception of fit- teen years, when he was employed as traveling salesman for a silverware firm. A farm of twenty- eight acres was bought by him, where he gives attention to the milk business in connection with his farming operations.
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Mr. Andrews married Helen C. Powell. who was born in France, but her parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Powell, were natives of England. The mother died in France, but the father. Joseph Powell, and his four daughters came to this coun- try, and had their first home in Waterbury, Conn. In 1854 they removed to Meriden, where he died when over eighty years of age. Mrs. Andrews passed away at her home in Cheshire. May 24. 1900. Three of her children are living: Edgar Thomas, in the employ of the Winchester Repeat-
ing Armis Co., at New Haven ; Genevieve, the wife of Archer Bradley, station agent at Plantsville; Hiram A., who is married, resides with his father, and has one child, Edgar. Mr. Andrews is a Re- publican, and is one of the leading men of his community, and the family to which he belongs has been prominent in this section since its first intro- duction here early in the seventeenth century.
MILO L. JUDD, one of the representative cit- izens of Ansonia, has been successfully engaged in business there for many years, during which time the population of the city has about doubled. He is descended from pioneer stock in both paternal and maternal lines, and was born Aug. 15, 1844, in Canaan, Litchfield Co., Conn., son of Lyman and Caroline (Gillette) Judd.
Reuben Judd, our subject's grandfather, was a native of Canaan, and spent his life there. engaged as a shoemaker and farmer, dying at the age of seventy. His wife, whose maiden name was Allen, was a native of Hamden, and attained the advanced age of ninety-six years. Both were Methodists in religion. Their family consisted of five chil- dren.
Lyman Judd was born and reared on the home- stead in Canaan, receiving a district-school edu- cation. In early manhood he engaged in farming, and after leaving the homestead was in various places-farming one year in Norfolk, one in Tor- rington and one in Goshen. He then purchased a farm in Sharon, where he remained six years. The next eight years he spent in Morris, and then re- moved to Ansonia, where he passed his declining years, dying at the age of seventy-four. In pol- itics he was first a Whig and later a Republican. While he belonged to no church he maintained the strictest principles in his daily life. He married Caroline Gillette, and they had seven children, of whom four are living, viz: Mary E., wife of H. Martin Jackson, of Ansonia; Milo L., our subject ; Samuel, a resident of Stamford; and Nancy I., who married Charles Wesley Cook, of Morris, Conn. Of the others, Moses died aged twenty- seven ; Charlotte A. died at the age of fifty ; and Caroline, who married Adam White, a farmer of Sharon, died aged forty. The mother died at the age of fifty.
Mrs. Caroline (Gillette) Judd was born in Canaan, daughter of Joseph and Nancy ( Harris) Gillette, and a descendant of Benjamin Gillette, who settled in Milford, Conn., early in the seventeenth century. He endured all the hardships of pioneer life in the days when it was necessary to keep a watch night and day, the settlers being obliged to guard against the Indians. His home, located near what is now known as the "Gulf" mills, is owned and occupied by a descendant. Joseph Gil- lette, our subject's grandfather, was born in Guil- ford, and there spent his early years. He afterward removed to Canaan, where he became a well-known
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citizen, engaging in business for many years as a carpenter and joiner ; he also made coffins. He and his wife were members of the M. E. Church. Both reached the age of seventy-five years. Their family consisted of eight children, of whom two are living: Gibson, a resident of Salisbury; and Elisha B., who resides on the old Harris liome- stead in Canaan. Mrs. Nancy ( Harris) Judd was a daughter of Capt. Harris, a large land owner in Canaan, who gave the land upon which Joseph Gil- lette built his house.
Our subject grew to manhood in his native town, acquiring his education in the common schools. Until he reached the age of twenty-nine he remained at home, assisting his father on the farm. In 1874 he removed to Ansonia and engaged in the meat business with his brother Samuel, now a resident of Stamford. For two years they con- ducted a market on Main street, in the store now occupied by the New York Grocery Co., opposite our subject's present stand. The next three years were spent at a store a few doors below, but since 1879 Mr. Judd has been located at No. 107 Main street, where he enjoys a large retail trade. He carries only first-class meats. The partnership with his brother was dissolved in 1882. Milo L. Judd is now the oldest business man on Main street (in length of location) except one. For a number of years he ran two wagons. He and his brother built the present store and what is known as the Buckingham market, and a number of dwelling houses in the town. Politically . Mr. Judd is a Democrat, although he votes independently on oc- casion. Socially he is identified with the New England Order of Protection. His family attend the Methodist Church, of which his wife is a mem- ber.
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