USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 2
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be depended upon for the most arduous labor, as well as for those commissions of honor and publicity which are ordinarily counted worth seeking for their advan- tages. Not only was he gifted with the "silver tongue" which conveyed in its full strength an emotional appeal, but he was possessed of a wonderfully keen and ju- dicial brain, and was master of the art of carrying an argument by the force of clear, cold logic to an unassailable con- clusion.
In 1880 he was once more chosen to represent the State of Connecticut at the Republican National Convention, meeting then in Chicago, and again exerted all his power of influence as well as franchise for the nomination of Mr. Blaine. In 1884 he was honored by election to the secretaryship of the Republican National Committee, where his splendid executive ability proved of inestimable value in its deliberations. He served on the commit- tee over a long period, resigning only when advancing age made it imperative that he should curtail in some degree his public activities. In the course of his long and honored career as a political leader, he became a familiar figure in many large cities, and was counted a friend by the best and most prominent men in State and National public life. And wherever he was known his name was held as a synonym for truth and righteousness in public affairs. Possessed of the personal charm which makes a man a natural leader, he never failed to use every power of mind and heart toward the furtherance of every movement which tended toward the public good. Far from being a vain man, he was utterly self- forgetful, and always absorbed in what- ever work occupied his interest. He was tenacious of the least important point that strengthened an argument, but re-
linquished any perogative without hesita- tion if only his personal convenience was involved.
To the general public Mr. Fessenden's political career meant far more than his splendid record as an attorney at law But to the people of Fairfield county, where his professional career was inti- mately known, he was first the lawyer and then the statesman. He was honored among his colleagues and admired by the people for his power and fearlessness in upholding right and justice. To any one who heard his eloquence in the court room, his success as an advocate was no matter of wonderment. He carried juries with him, leaving in their minds no doubt of the justice of the cause he espoused. When such a man stands unequivocally for personal honor and public progress, then his fellow-citizens do well to honor him and perpetuate his memory after he has gone to broader fields of usefulness, and is known no more among men. In 1880 he was appointed State's Attorney for Fairfield county by the judges of the Supreme and Superior courts for the term of two years, after which, by successive reappointments, he held the office until his death.
Mr. Fessenden was always active in civic affairs, and took the most practical interest in the development of the thrifty borough of which he was a resident. Be- sides holding important offices in the Fairfield Bar Association, he was a direc- tor of the Stamford National Bank and the Stamford Trust Company. He de- voted little time to social relaxation, but in the societies of which he was a member he was a leading spirit. Particu- larly was this true of the military orders. He was one of the founders of the Army and Navy Club, of which he was a mem- ber until his death ; also a member of the
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Jerry's Mare Play
1
afet Marko
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
military order of the Loyal Legion. But he kept most closely in touch with the veterans of the Civil War, particularly during the later years of his life when their ranks were thinning so rapidly. He was honored and beloved by them all as a brother and a friend, and never failed to respond to personal need or social demand when the appeal came from among his comrades.
Mr. Fessenden married, June 26, 1873, Helen M. Davenport, daughter of Theo- dore Davenport, of Stamford, Connecti- cut. Their children are : Helen G. Archi- bald, Gladstone Fessenden, and Content Fessenden.
MARKS, Amasa Abraham, Inventor, Manufacturer.
The name we have just written belongs among those of the world's benefactors. As a leader in the revival of the pros- thetic industry, Mr. Marks has an inter- national reputation, but his name and memory are and always will be cherished with a peculiar pride and tenderness by the people of Greenwich, his home town, to the promotion of whose best interests he was ever loyally devoted.
The name of Marks as spelled by the old Connecticut family of which Mr. Marks was a representative, signifies Mark's son. When spelled Marx it is a contraction of Marcus, a common Latin praenomen meaning a hammer.
(I) Mordecai Marks, born in 1706, in London, England, came in 1726 to the province of Connecticut. He settled in Stratford and later in Derby, where he carried on a large mercantile business. He married, in 1729, in Derby, Elizabeth Hawkins. The following inscription on his tombstone in Derby bears eloquent testimony to his worth as a man and his value as a citizen :
In memory of Mordecai Marks who was born in the city of London, where he spent about twenty of the first years of his life. He lived twenty-five years in the town of Derby, a useful member of society, an affectionate husband, a tender parent and a constant communicant of the church, and on the eight day of January, 1771, he departed this mortal life in hopes of life immortal.
(II) Zachariah Marks, son of Morde- cai and Elizabeth (Hawkins) Marks, was born June 28, 1734. He removed to Milford, Connecticut, where he passed the remainder of his life. He married Mary Bryan, of that place, born in 1736. She was the great-granddaughter of Governor Robert Treat. The death of Zachariah Marks occurred August 25, 1802.
(III) Abraham Marks, son of Zacha- riah and Mary (Bryan) Marks, was born November 23, 1765, in Milford, Connec- ticut, and inherited the homestead, on which he passed his entire life. He was also the owner of about two hundred acres in the town of Bethany. Mr. Marks was a mechanic as well as a farmer, and a mill on the river in the rear of his house was utilized by him in stormy weather as a workshop. He married Content Mer- win, born in September, 1768, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Buckingham) Mer- win.
(IV) Levi Merwin Marks, son of Abra- ham and Content (Merwin) Marks, was born February 8, 1792, in Guilford, Con- necticut. He purchased a farm in Wa- terbury on which he lived for twenty years, but at the end of that time sold it and removed to Bethany. There he built a house on the Tuttle farm and made it his home during his remaining years. He was a pioneer in the teaming indus- try, which he carried on until 1836 be- tween Waterbury and New Haven. He married, April 18, 1813, Esther Tolles Tuttle, whose ancestral record is ap- pended to this biography, and who died in New York, January 12, 1858.
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(V) Amasa Abraham Marks, son of Levi Merwin and Esther Tolles (Tuttle) Marks, was born April 3, 1825, in Wa- terbury, Connecticut. He left school at sixteen, and at an early age became an expert in the teaming industry. He was employed in farming until the age of twenty, and then engaged on his own account in the woodworking business. He left the farm and went to New Haven, where he secured a large order for making hubs for carriage and wagon makers, etc. He rented a mill and hired an expert woodturner, whom he watched until he had learned the business. He was a very persistent young man, and his initiative and determination soon won for him suc- cess.
In 1851 Mr. Marks went to New York City, where he engaged in business on his own account, and in 1853 formed a part- nership with his elder brother, David B., and engaged in the manufacture of arti- ficial limbs. David Beecher Marks had devised a plan for an improved artificial leg, on which the United States Govern- ment issued letters patent, bearing date of March 7, 1854. The rubber foot was later invented by Amasa Abraham Marks. The brothers worked with enthusiasm, and the inventions were put into practical use, achieving ultimate success. For a few months the labors of the firm met with little recognition, and the elder brother, becoming discouraged, withdrew, resuming his former profession of dentis- try. The younger one, however, with characteristic tenacity, adhered to his purpose, enlarging the scope of his en- deavors, and through all adversity and rivalry cherished the hope that his labor and genius would in time improve the condition of the maimed and de- formed. His heart and his energies were devoted to one purpose, and in a few brief years he had amassed more experience,
conceived more ideas, originated more systems, and accomplished more for the relief of the maimed than had been achieved by the combined efforts of all who had preceded him.
The field which Mr. Marks had selected offered ample opportunities for the genius which he possessed. At that time arti- ficial limb making was but the relic of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Prosthesis had not yet become a modern art, and in making it such this indomitable and benevolent New Englander was des- tined to play a prominent part. A leg manufactured by him in 1856 received the highest award at the American Insti- tute Exhibition in 1859. It was a marvel in its day, and in 1860, when the Japanese embassy visited New York, Kawasaki, of the embassy, having expressed a desire to visit an American manufacturer of artificial limbs, was conducted to the es- tablishment of Mr. Marks. In referring to this incident a New York daily paper said :
The proprietor showed the doctor through his manufactory and explained the mechanism of his apparatus, with which the Oriental visitor ap- peared very much gratified, stating that nothing of the kind was known in his country. During the interview Mr. Marks took occasion to present the Japanese doctor with "one of his most beautiful legs," at the same time expressing the wish that his visitor might never have occasion for it per- sonally other than as one among the pleasant memories of the United States. The leg was ac- cepted with great pleasure and many thanks.
The improvement which Mr. Marks effected by attaching his rubber foot immovably to the invention known as the Count de Beaufort leg was the be- ginning of the construction of artificial legs with rubber feet. It was the begin- ning of a new era in prosthesis and has brought untold relief and comfort to limb-wearers, more completely removing
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the disabilities of the cripple than any other discovery the world has seen.
The products of Mr. Marks' genius be- came known and were used in every quarter of the globe, and medals, first di- plomas and premiums poured in upon him. The American Institute, in its palmiest days, acknowledged him as the highest authority in his profession, and medals were conferred upon him by the Franklin Institute. Santa Ana, the Mex- ican general, visited New York expressly for the purpose of having an artifiical leg prepared for him by Mr. Marks, and in 1864 the inventor received from the United States Government a contract for furnishing artificial limbs to the disabled soldiers and sailors of the Civil War.
In politics Mr. Marks was first a Whig and later a Republican. He is entitled to the honor of being numbered among those who during the trying period pre- ceding the Civil War came to the front in the cause of abolition. In this move- ment he was intimately associated with Horace Greeley and Henry Ward Beecher. He was frequently a delegate to conventions, and for some years held the office of justice of the peace in Green- wich, also serving for twelve years as school visitor in Greenwich township, and during the greater part of that time occupying the position of chairman of the board. He was determined to improve the condition of the children of the town, and spent liberally of his private means to that end. He was a warm personal friend of the later Henry F. Havemeyer, and with the aid of Mr. Havemeyer was largely instrumental in the placing of the modern school building in the town, and also in the erection of a stone edifice for the First Congregational Church of Greenwich.
Mr. Marks earnestly desired to have a railroad station established at what is
now Sound Beach in the town of Green- wich. The railroad company was strongly averse to doing this, but finally, to appease Mr. Marks, they placed an old passenger car on a side-track for use as a station, at which a few trains were stopped each day for the convenience of commuters. After a time that was de- stroyed by fire, and Mr. Marks, at his own expense, had the old school-house moved down to the track, which served as the original depot. Mr. Marks wanted a name for the place that was not dupli- cated elsewhere in the country ; the name of Sound Beach was properly descriptive and met this requirement, and he not only persuaded the railroad company to adopt it, but got the postoffice department to list the postoffice under that name.
From 1853 to 1871 Mr. Marks was a resident of New York City, and in 1872 he purchased property in old Greenwich. He did not like to hear the words "old" and "new" applied to places, and it was as a result of his efforts that its present name of Sound Beach was given to that part of the town known as old Greenwich. The impetus which he imparted to its development was of the greatest benefit to its most essential interests. His fra- ternal and social connections included affiliation with Manitou Lodge, No. 106, Free and Accepted Masons, of New York, and the Riverside Yacht Club. He was a member of the Sound Beach Congrega- tional Church Society, and served as chairman of the building and finance com- mittee when the present beautiful stone house of worship was erected.
Mr. Marks married, August 22, 1850, Lucy Ann Platt, born October 24, 1824, daughter of Charles and Polly (Tuttle) Platt, and a descendant in the seventh generation of Richard Platt, who was born in England in 1603. Mr. and Mrs. Marks were the parents of the following
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children: 1. Charles A., now rector emeritus of the Protestant Episcopal church in Wilton, Connecticut, a sketch of whom follows. 2. George E., a sketch of whom follows. 3. Lucy E., died in 1863. 4. Frederick, died in 1866. 5. Mary, died young. 6. William L., a sketch of whom follows. 7. Anna Adelia, who became a very prominent dog breeder, having kennels at Willowmere; she also owned "King Allah," a noted stud horse, and raised trotters.
On July 19, 1905, Mr. Marks closed a career of beneficence almost without a parallel in the history of humanitarian- ism. Mourned by those who knew him personally, he was also lamented by mul- titudes, some of whom had never looked upon his face, for the help, comfort and opportunities for usefulness by means of which he had made their lives a blessing to themselves and others. Preeminently was Mr. Marks "one who loved his fel- low-men," and his genius, inspired by benevolence, placed him among those philanthropists whom not their country- men alone, but the world at large, will never cease to remember with gratitude.
(The Tuttle Line).
It seems clear that the name of this ancient family spelled Tuttle, Tuthill and Tothill, as well as in various other ways, is in all its forms derived from those em- inences, natural and artificial, once so common in Great Britain, called tothills. These, two thousand years ago, were sacred to a pagan worship, and thence to its deified founder, Thoth, Thot, or Tot, of that ancient and vanished civilization which flourished on the banks of the Nile before the beginning of historic time. The meaning of Tothill, Tuthill or Tuttle is Hill of God, and it is, as it has been said to be, "a grand old name."
(I) William Tuttle, in April, 1635,
sailed from England on the ship, "Planter," and probably arrived in Bos- ton about the first of July. In 1639 he removed to Quinnipiac, a settlement founded by Davenport and Eaton, in as- sociation with others, on the Connecticut shore of Long Island Sound, and now forming part of the city of New Haven. The name of William Tuttle's wife was Elizabeth and their children were twelve in number. The death of William Tuttle occurred in June, 1673, and that of his widow, December 30, 1684.
(II) Jonathan Tuttle, son of William and Elizabeth Tuttle, was baptized July 8, 1637, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and about 1670 he began a settlement near the Quinnipiac river in what is now the southern part of North Haven, and built a bridge over the river which was long known as "Tuttle's bridge." He was al- lowed by the court to collect toll from those passing over this bridge and also to sell them food or drink, with the ex- ception of strong drink. He married Re- becca Bell, daughter of Lieutenant Fran- cis Bell, of Stamford, who died in 1676. Jonathan Tuttle died in 1705.
(III) Nathaniel Tuttle, son of Jona- than and Rebecca (Bell) Tuttle, was born February 25, 1676. He married Esther Blakeslee. The death of Nathaniel Tuttle occurred in 1728.
(IV) Nathaniel (2) Tuttle, son of Na- thaniel (1) and Esther (Blakeslee) Tut- tle, was born May 29, 1714. He married (first) January 16, 1737, Mary Todd, daughter of Josiah and Abigail (Fred- ricks ) Todd, who died in December, 1742. He married (second) Abigail Ingham.
(V) Uri Tuttle, son of Nathaniel (2) and Mary (Todd) Tuttle, was born Sep- tember 8, 1738, in Hamden. Connecticut. He married. December 5, 1764, the Rev. Stephen Hawley, officiating, Thankful Ives. Uri Tuttle lived in Bethany, and
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Charles a. Marks
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
died June 18, 1822. His widow passed away August 1, 1834.
(VI) Amasa Tuttle, son of Uri and Thankful (Ives) Tuttle, was born May 4, 1767. He married (first) Esther Tolles, of Woodbridge, Connecticut (see Eaton and accompanying lines). Mrs. Tuttle died December 23, 1792, and Mr. Tuttle married (second) Mary Beecher, daugh- ter of David and Hannah (Perkins) Beecher. Amasa Tuttle died December 30, 1826, and the death of his widow oc- curred March 16, 1828.
(VII) Esther Tolles Tuttle, daughter of Amasa and Esther (Tolles) Tuttle, was born December 23, 1792, and became the wife of Levi Merwin Marks, as stated above.
(The Eaton, Jones, Bellamy, Tolles Lines).
(I) Theophilus Eaton was born about 1592, in Stony Stratford, Oxfordshire, England, and came with the Rev. John Davenport to the province of Connecti- cut, becoming one of the founders of New Haven. For nineteen successive years, until his death, on January 7, 1658, he was annually elected governor. He was twice married, his second wife, Ann (Lloyd) Eaton, being the widow of David Yale, and the daughter of the Bishop of Chester. After the death of her husband Mrs. Eaton returned to England, taking with her her little grandson, Elihu Yale, who became the benefactor of the Colle- giate School in his native town which is now known to the world as Yale Uni- versity.
(II) Hannah Eaton, daughter of The- ophilus Eaton, married William Jones.
(III) Isaaç Jones, son of William and Hannah (Eaton) Jones, married Deborah Clark.
(IV) Samuel Jones, son of Isaac and Deborah (Clark) Jones, married Sarah Hickson.
(V) Mary Jones, daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Hickson) Jones, married Sam- uel Bellamy.
(VI) Sybil Bellamy, daughter of Sam- uel and Mary (Jones) Bellamy, married Lazarus Tolles.
(VII) Esther Tolles, daughter of Laz- arus and Sybil (Bellamy) Tolles, became the wife of Amasa Tuttle (see Tuttle line ).
MARKS, Rev. Charles A.,
Clergyman, Active in Civic Affairs.
The name we have just written will be greeted with instant and cordial recogni- tion by a large majority of our readers. Mr. Marks, who is now a resident of South Norwalk, is known not only as the former rector of St. Matthew's Church, Wilton, Connecticut, but also as a pa- triotic citizen and as a leader in the ad- vancement of all that makes for true progress and conformity to higher stand- ards of thinking and living.
Rev. Charles A. Marks was born July 19, 1851, in New Haven, Connecticut, and is a son of the late Amasa A. and Lucy Ann (Platt) Marks (q. v.). The pre- paratory education of Charles A. Marks was received in Trinity School, New York City, and in the Classical Institute, Schenectady, whence he passed to Union College, Schenectady. In 1876 he began the study of theology at the Philadelphia Divinity School, from which he graduated in 1879, having, with the determination and persistence always associated with the Marks name, worked his way through, on account of the strong opposition of his father to his entering the priesthood.
One of the early and profitable experi- ences of Mr. Marks was in the sale of Bibles for a well known Philadelphia Bible publisher. So phenomenal was his record as a Bible salesman that the pub-
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lisher endeavored, by the offer of a gen- eral sales agency, to dissuade him from following his chosen vocation. Neither opposition nor allurement, however, availed to swerve him from the path he believed he was called to tread, and in the year of his graduation from the theo- logical school he was ordained, becoming rector's assistant of St. Andrew's Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the end of a year he was ordained priest and ac- cepted a call to St. Peter's Church, Hazel- ton, Pennsylvania.
This was a rough mining town, but Mr. Marks met the people on their own ground, going into the mines with them and winning their hearts and their coop- eration. He remained with them two years, which was a longer pastorate than had been held by any of his predecessors, and in 1882 accepted a call to the rector- ship of the Holy Apostles' Church, St. Clair, Pennsylvania. In this new field of labor Mr. Marks served about seven- teen and a half years. In that time he organized five missions, three of which became parishes, built their own churches and are today in a flourishing condition.
In 1896 Mr. Marks, Sr., was attacked by what was thought to be his final ill- ness, and his son, Charles A. Marks, eventually resigned his pastorate in order that he might be free to return home and care for his father. Careful nursing pro- longed the father's life until 1905, and for some years preceding the son gave him his undivided attention. As the father partially recovered his health, Mr. Marks went into the office of the business in New York City, becoming corresponding clerk. During this period of his life, Mr. Marks resided in Sound Beach, Connec- ticut, taking an active interest in town affairs. He was a charter member of the hose company, and for four or five years belonged to the school board, serv-
ing all that time as its chairman. The old farmers of the town were much op- posed to a movement headed by Mr. Marks for a new school house, voting down the proposition every time it came up for consideration. In this emergency Mr. Marks and his father canvassed the women of the town and succeeded in per- suading them of the advantages of the project. Then they secured the franchise for the women in school matters, and with the women's vote they carried the day. In view of the present status of women with regard to the franchise this episode, apart from the matter which was the cause of its occurrence, possesses peculiar and exceptional interest. On August 26, 1907, the citizens of Sound Beach pre- sented Mr. Marks with a beautiful gold watch and chain, suitably inscribed, as a token of their esteem and of their ap- preciation of his disinterested public service.
In 1907 Mr. Marks went to Wilton, Connecticut, as rector of St. Matthew's Church. The parish was organized in 1802, and in the twelve years during which Mr. Marks was rector he presented to the bishop for confirmation one-third of all the candidates presented during the one hundred and seventeen years of the church's history, performed one-half of all the marriages, one-fifth of all the bap- tisms, and one-fourth of all the burials.
In 1914, when the world was astounded by the outbreak of what was destined to prove the greatest war in history, Mr. Marks applied to the government at Washington for a Red Cross charter for the town of Wilton. At first the request was refused, but later a charter was granted, there being at that time only two others in Fairfield county. When the United States entered the war Mr. Marks, with that initiative and alertness to hu- man need of which he had before given
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evidence in a matter of infinitely less magnitude and importance, saw that the charter was surrendered and the chapter became a circle in accordance with the special plan of organization then adopted. During the war he was chairman of vari- ous committees and of the Wilton con- tingent, also serving as chairman of the Wilton four-minute men.
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