USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 11 > Part 52
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SELLECK, John Henry, Agriculturist, Public Official.
A prosperous farmer, who is at the same time a justice of the peace is always a figure of prominence in his community, and all his friends and neighbors of Dar- ien can testify that this is emphatically the case with Mr. Selleck. In township affairs Mr. Selleck has always been active, having in former years filled other local offices of trust and responsibility.
The race of the Sellecks is a very an- cient one, as appears from records of 1086, in which it is mentioned. The name is Cornish-British, which is a dialect of the Celtic, Belgic, or Cambrian, formerly spoken throughout Cornwall. It means
Branches of the family of Selleck are found in different portions of the United States. David Selleck was one of the early settlers of Massachusetts, and it ap- pears from old records that Jonathan and John Sellicke were residents in the seven- teenth and eighteenth centuries of Rye, Westchester county, New York.
Benjamin Selleck, father of John Henry Selleck, was born in Poundridge, New York, and was a son of Major (not a mil- itary title) and Nancy (Jump) Selleck. Major Selleck was a native of Pound- ridge, which is situated in Westchester county, and was by trade a basket-maker. Basket-making was in fact one of the principal industries of the community, and it was this trade which Benjamin Selleck learned and which he followed all his life. About 1854 he removed to Darien, Connecticut, and engaged in the manu- facture of baskets on his own account. During the Civil War Mr. Selleck served in the Union army as a member of Com- pany H, Seventeenth Regiment, Connec- ticut Volunteer Infantry, being out three years and all that time remaining with his regiment. Mr. Selleck married Amel- ia Curtis, and their children were: Betsey J., married Holly H. Draper, of Darien ; Lois, became the wife of George Bates, of Darien; Kate, married Louis St. George; Ida, mrried Benjamin F. Offen, of New Canaan ; and John Henry, men- tioned below. Mr. Selleck died in 1905.
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He was a member of the Methodist Epis- CURTIS, Louis Julius, copal church. All his daughters, with the exception of the youngest, are now deceased.
John Henry Selleck, son of Benjamin and Amelia (Curtis) Selleck, was born June 17, 1859, in Darien, Connecticut. He was educated in the public schools of his birthplace. On reaching manhood he chose to devote himself to agricultural pursuits and has since followed them with marked success, making farming his life work. For many years he was associated with his father in the management of the homestead. About 1901 Mr. Selleck be- came superintendent for S. T. Mather and for fifteen years took charge of the es- tate, resigning about three years ago. In the sphere of politics, Mr. Selleck has al- ways remained loyal to the principles of the Republican party, but has never cared to participate actively in the work of the . organization. Several times he has been called by his fellow-citizens to serve them in public positions. For some years he held the office of assessor, and in 1918 he was chosen first selectman. He is now serving his second term as justice of the peace. He affiliates with Butler Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of South Norwalk, and with the Improved Order of Red Men, of Norwalk. He is a member of the Congregational church.
Mr. Selleck married, June 13, 1888, Della V. Carrier, daughter of James A. Carrier, of Norwalk, and they are the par- ents of one son, Joseph Carrier Selleck.
The ancestors of John Henry Selleck, in the successive generations, have always stood for the best interests of their com- munities, and his record bears testimony that he has worthily followed their exam- ple, always manifesting, both as agricul- turist and citizen, that disinterested pub- lic spirit invariably expected of a loyal American.
Lawyer, Legislator.
Since the foundation of the nation by the pioneer from other lands, the most striking phase of her history has been developed in the capacity of her sons to adopt themselves from time to time to the exigencies of the moment. The high- souled ancestors came seeking relief from political oppression and freedom to wor- ship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. With expressions of spiritual fervor on their lips, they busied their hands with the most menial tasks. They met poverty with fortitude, they resisted attacks of Indians and wild ani- mals, they even turned in armed protest upon their mother country. The men of our day have shown the world that the spirit still lives, even in the world of busi- ness, and in the continual readjustment of public matters which the march of prog- ress involves. Louis Julius Curtis, promi- nent lawyer of Stamford, Connecticut, is an example of this spirit.
In the very early days there were many and varied methods of adopting surnames, among them being occupation, location of home and description. The first named are generally classed as "Occupational Names," the second as "Place Names," and the third, "Personal Qualities." It is to this latter classification that the sur- name of Curtis belongs. It is derived from a Norman-French word-curteis or curtois-meaning courteous, civil. In early records it is found spelled Curtice. The family were early settled in Kent, England.
(I) William Curtiss embarked in the ship "Lion," June 22, 1632, from England, landing December 16, 1632, at Scituate, Massachusetts. He brought with him four children : Thomas, Mary, John and Philip.
They settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts,
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whence they removed to Stratford, Connecticut. From the records of Strat- ford, it appears that the father of these must have died before the removal of the family thither, and previous to that a son, William, was born. The first of the name that appears on those records are John, William, and their mother, Elizabeth Cur- tiss. The coat-of-arms of the Curtis family is as follows: Azure, a fess dancettee be- tween three crowns or. This is according to Cothren, the historian, and the motto of the family is : Saepere aude.
(II) William Curtis, the second son of the Widow Elizabeth Curtiss, was born June 21, 1618, in England, and came to Stratford, Connecticut, with his mother and brother John. His name appears among the property owners there in 1650. As well as being an original proprietor of Stratford, he was active in town affairs and held the rank of sergeant. William Curtis was representative to the General Court, commissioner and assistant. He was one of the original grantees of Wood- bury, although he never lived there. The first wife of William Curtis was Mary William Curtis died December 21, 1702.
(III) Josiah Curtis, ninth child and youngest son of William and Mary Curtis, was born August 30, 1662, in Stratford, where he died in 1745. He was captain of the Train Band, and had a saw mill. He also served as deputy to the General Court. He married (second) Mary Beach, daughter of Benjamin Beach, of Stratford, and granddaughter of John Beach, immigrant ancestor, born in Eng- land and settled in Stratford.
town in the General Court. He married (first) Elizabeth Birdsey, daughter of Abel and Comfort (Welles) Birdsey, of Stratford, August 27, 1727-28, and she died February 24, 1773.
(V) Benjamin (2) Curtis, son of Ben- jamin (1) and Elizabeth (Birdsey) Curtis, was born February 14, 1736, in Newtown, where he died February 20, 1817. He served as a private in Captain David Smith's company, April 21, 1776. He married (first) Phedina Nichols, daugh- ter of Nathaniel Nichols, of Newtown, November 23, 1758, and she died Febru- ary 15, 1773. Mrs. Curtis was descended from Sergeant Francis Nichols, ancestor of the family, who was born in England. Francis Nichols was in Stratford in 1639, an original proprietor, and first settler there. His son, Isaac Nichols, born in England, died in Stratford, in 1695. He married Margaret -- -, and their son, Isaac Nichols, was born March 12, 1654, and died in 1690. In November, 1686, he owned a house and land in Stratford. He married Mary - --- , and their son, Rich- ard Nichols, was born November 26, 1678, and died September 20, 1756. Richard Nichols was one of the most prominent men of his day. He married, June 3, 1702, Comfort Sherman, daughter of Theophi- lus Sherman, who died February II, 1726-27. Nathaniel Nichols, their son, was born April 8, 1708. He settled at Newtown, and was the father of Phedina Nichols, who became the wife of Benja- min Curtis, as above stated.
(VI) Philo Curtis, son of Benjamin (2) and Phedina (Nichols) Curtis, was born June 27, 1760, and died March 7, 1818, in Newtown. He was selectman of New- town for six years, 1802-1807 and 1809. and she died January 25, 1853, at the age of ninety-six years.
(IV) Benjamin Curtis, son of Josiah and Mary (Beach) Curtis, was born De- cember 15, 1704, in Stratford, and died . He married Huldah Hubbard, of Weston, July 28, 1782-83, in Newtown, where he settled about 1728. He was a leader in community affairs, and represented his
(VII) Nichols Curtis, eldest son of
Cono-8-24
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Philo and Huldah (Hubbard) Curtis, was born September 27, 1784, and died April 20, 1852. He married Sarah Ann Bennett, daughter of Amos Bennett, of Newtown, November 3, 1803, and she died October 29, 1858. Nichols Curtis was educated in the public schools and the Cheshire Acad- emy. He was a farmer by occupation and raised sheep on a large scale. A quiet, modest, retiring man, he was very domes- tic in his tastes. His education was con- siderably better than most men of his vicinity, and he was often called upon to draw up legal papers and his advice was sought on many matters.
(VIII) Julius Bolevar Curtis, only son of Nichols and Sarah Ann (Bennett) Cur- tis, was born December 10, 1825, in New- town, Connecticut. He attended the public schools of Newtown, the Newtown Academy, and a private academy. He studied alone to a large extent, and under the preceptorship of the Hon. Edward Hinman, of Southbury, he took up the study of law. That was in the year 1846, and Mr. Curtis walked fourteen miles every day to recite his law lessons. Sub- sequently he studied with Isaac M. Sturges and the Hon. Amos S. Treat. His legal studies were completed at a law school in Ballston Springs, Saratoga county, New York, and in 1850 he was admitted to the Fairfield county bar. Mr. Curtis engaged in practice in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was recognized as one of the foremost men of his profession in the State. His knowledge of substantiative law was broad and deep, and he was a strong pleader. In ability and accom- plishment he was comparable with the best lawyers at any period in the history of the bar of this State. He had an un- usually attractive personality, combined with great keenness of intellect that was allied with the judicial temperament, and won enviable reputation as a strong trial
lawyer. In 1864 Mr. Curtis removed to Stamford, Connecticut. In his youth he had been a strong Abolitionist and later a Free Soiler. He had an extensive cor- respondence with Horace Greeley, and also wrote many strong papers on im- portant issues of the day. He voted for Van Buren, and later was a member of the Republican party. In 1858 and 1860 he was a member of the State Senate; from 1861 to 1864 he served as a member of the military committee of the town of Greenwich, at whose meetings he was a very regular attendant. From 1867 to 1870 Mr. Curtis served as judge of probate in Stamford; from 1885 to 1889 he was vice-president of the American Bar Asso- ciation, and also served as chairman of the Fairfield County Bar Association. For several years he was a director of the Stamford Street Railway Company.
Mr. Curtis entered actively into patri- otic work at home, and was a warm per- sonal friend of Connecticut's great Civil War Governor, W. A. Buckingham, and was frequently in conference with him. Mr. Curtis was an earnest, industrious and thoughtful man. He gave the best that was in him to the task in hand, whether a case at law or a matter of public policy and interest. He was strong in his attachments. To hear him talk of his friends or of the Republican party, or of the bar association, was to feel con- vinced that love and loyalty were strong traits of his character. He loved books and literature, for he had a genuine ap- preciation of all true culture. He was especially devoted to his profession, and in its practice financial considerations were entirely secondary. He was not a lover of money and was not influenced in his views or activities by mercenary mo- tives. Such a personality cannot fail to win and hold friends, and Mr. Curtis was loved and trusted by all who knew him.
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Frederick & Ruland M.D.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Mr. Curtis married (first) October 30, 1854, Mary Acker, daughter of Peter and Mary Acker, of Greenwich; she died in 1884. There were two children : I. Sarah, born March 9, 1866, in Stamford; she married, in 1891, T. J. Mackay, of New York City. 2. Louis Julius, of fur- ther mention. Mr. Curtis married (sec- ond) Alice (Kneeland) Grain, widow of Francis H. Grain, and she died about a month after Mr. Curtis, which occurred at Stamford, June 10, 1907.
(IX) Louis Julius Curtis, son of Julius B. and Mary (Acker) Curtis, was born March II, 1869, in Stamford. He was fitted for college by the well known edu- cator, Hiram U. King, who conducted a noted private school in Stamford for many years, and was graduated from the Shef- field Scientific School of Yale College, in 1889, with the degree of Ph. B. He read law under the preceptorship of his father, and took a special course in the New York Law School. In 1892 Mr. Curtis was admitted to the bar in Connecticut ; the following year he was appointed clerk of the City Court of Stamford, which office he held for ten years. From 1897 to 1904 Mr. Curtis was corporation coun- sel of Stamford, and also served as bor- ough counsel of New Canaan. In the general practice of his profession, Mr. Curtis has won a high place in legal cir- cles of his part of the State. His cases are prepared with careful attention to detail. Loyalty and sincerity, which win and hold confidence, are strong factors in his success. Like his father, he has al- .ways taken an active interest in public affairs, believing that a man's ability to serve is the measure of his responsibility to society.
In 1901 Mr. Curtis was a member of the Legislature and served on the judiciary committee and committee on contested elections. He has been member of the
Town Board of Finance of Stamford for four years, 1919-1922. He has always taken an active interest in all that con- cerns the welfare and progressive de- velopment of Stamford. He was presi- dent of the Stamford Bar Association, 1919-1921. He organized the Fidelity Title and Trust Company, of which he has been a director since organization, and is now (1921) president. Mr. Curtis is president of the Stamford Realty Com- pany and president of the Curtis-French Realty Company. Fraternally, his affili- ations consist of membership in Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Rittenhouse Chapter, No. II, Royal Arch Masons; Washington Coun- cil, No. 6, Royal and Select Masters; Puritan Lodge, No. 14, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Curtis has served the Suburban Club of Stamford as president, and is now a member of its board of governors. During the World War, Mr. Curtis sustained the family's prestige for patriotism by serving on the Legal Advisory Board of the Draft. He was a member of a team in all Liberty Loan drives, Red Cross drives, United War Work drive and Young Men's Chris- tian Association drive.
Mr. Curtis married Annie E. C. John- ston, daughter of Robert H. Johnston, of Darien.
RULAND, Frederick D., M. D., Head of Westport Sanitarium.
Dr. Ruland is a member of a family that has long been known on Long Island, where settlement was made in the neigh- borhood of Huntington about 1750. The name was originally Rulin in the records of the district, and it appears numerously in the records of Brookhaven and Hunt- ington. The authentic trace of this line begins with Daniel Ruland, a native of
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Brookhaven, who married Charity Haw- kins. He was a contractor and builder, and some of the houses erected by him are still standing in Speonk. Charity Hawkins was a daughter of Joseph Haw- kins, of Setauket, Long Island, son of Alexander Hawkins, son of Eleazar Haw- kins, of Stony Brook, Long Island, son of Zachariah Hawkins, who came to Long Island about 1655, son of Robert Haw- kins, of Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1635.
Daniel Warren Ruland, son of Daniel Ruland, was born in Speonk, Suffolk county, Long Island, September 4, 1821, and died in February, 1905. He learned the carpenter's trade, and as a young man entered independent building operations, becoming the principal contractor of the village, and erecting most of the struc- tures there built during his contracting career. Later in life he engaged in farm- ing, following this calling until old age compelled him to become less active. He was a Republican in political faith, was postmaster for years, and also held nu- merous other town offices. He married Amelia Tuthill, born in Speonk, Long Island, daughter of Elisha and Harriet (Rogers) Tuthill. The Tuthill family was founded by Henry Tuthill, who came to America from Norfolk, England, in 1635, and who was first of Hingham, Massachusetts, then of Southold, Long Island. The line from him and his wife, Bridget, is through their son, John Tut- hill, and his wife, Deliverance (King) Tuthill; and their son, John (2) Tuthill, born February 14, 1658. He was called "Chalker John," a man of note, of great shrewdness and energy, affable and of sterling honesty ; was a favorite with peo- ple, and held many offices, among them justice of the peace, and one of the com- missioners that laid out "King's High- way." He was a member of the New York Colonial Legislature, 1693-94, and
sheriff in 1695. Through him and his wife, Mehitable (Wells) Tuthill, the line continues to Joshua and Hannah (Reeve) Tuthill; their son, John Tuthill, and his wife, Sarah (Wells) Tuthill (this John a soldier in the Revolutionary army, Suf- folk county militia, under Colonel Josiah Smith ) ; their son, Joshua Tuthill, and his wife, Polly (Benjamin) Tuthill (Polly Benjamin was a daughter of James Ben- jamin, of Southold. This James Benja- min served in the battle of Long Island, and also at White Plains in the Revolu- tionary War, and, according to Mather, was a refugee to Connecticut. There was a James Benjamin, of Connecticut, who served in the Revolutionary forces in 1775-76-78-80-81, but there is no proof that this is the same James, and it seems unlikely, despite the identity of names); and their son Elisha Tuthill, married Harriet Rogers, daughter of Jesse and Amelia (Jagger) Rogers, and had a daughter Amelia, wife of Daniel Warren Ruland.
Dr. Frederick D. Ruland, son of Daniel Warren and Amelia (Tuthill) Ruland, was born in Speonk, Suffolk county, Long Island, July 19, 1865. After attending public schools, a private school, and Franklinville Academy, he entered the medical department of Columbia Univer- sity, and was graduated M. D. in the spring of 1889. For the following one and a half years he was an interne in a Long Island sanitarium, in 1891 coming to Westport and organizing the Westport Sanitarium. Dr. Ruland has been presi- dent and chief of the medical staff for more than twenty-five years, and under his direction the sanitarium has come into high rank among institutions spe- cializing in the treatment of nervous and mental diseases. The personnel of the institution, professional and practical, numbers about fifty to sixty. One hun-
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dred and ten acres of land, sixty owned and fifty rented, are under cultivation, and a herd of twenty-five cows supplies dairy products. The sanitarium is widely known, and its reputation for careful, sci- entific treatment of its patients by emi- nent specialists, has brought it patrons from all parts of the country. Dr. Ruland is a member of the medical organizations of the County, State and Nation, the Medical Society of Greater New York, and the American Medico-Psychological Association.
In addition to his practice in his special branch of his profession, Dr. Ruland has taken a public-spirited interest in town affairs. He is a Republican in politics, and serves on the finance board of West- port. He is a director of the Westport Library, and a director of the Westport Bank and Trust Company. In fraternal relations he affiliates with the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and the Knights of Pythias, holding membership, in the first named order, in Temple Lodge, No. 65, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he was master, 1899- 1901; Washington Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Norwalk; Clinton Command- ery, No. 3, Knights Templar, of Norwalk; Lafayette Consistory, of Bridgeport; and Mecca Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of New York City, of which he has long been a member. Dr. Ruland is held in high re- gard in the community that has so long been his home, and has done much to promote its welfare.
Dr. Ruland married, January 27, 1909, Leo Mabel Shattuck Van Deusen, daugh- ter of Wellington and Sylvia Adelaide (Shattuck) Van Deusen, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Society of Founders and Patriots. They are the parents of three children : Sylvia, Charity Shattuck, and Daniel Frederick Van Dusen.
Leo Mabel Shattuck (Van Deusen) Ruland was born in Durhamville, Oneida county, New York, June 23, 1876, daugh- ter of Wellington and Sylvia Adelaide (Shattuck) Van Deusen. Wellington Van Deusen, a druggist in occupation, was born in Oneida, New York, June 5, 1845, and died at Bernhards Bay, New York, October 28, 1885. Sylvia Adelaide (Shattuck) Van Deusen was born in Dur- hamville, New York, June 29, 1845, and died in Oneida, New York, December 10, 1907. They were the parents of: Eva Maude, born April 7, 1867, died March I, 1882; Leo Mabel Shattuck, married, Jan- uary 27, 1909, in Oneida, Madison county, New York, Dr. Frederick D. Ruland.
Mrs. Ruland was educated in the pub- lic schools. She is a member of numerous societies, including the Order of the East- ern Star and the Order of the Amaranth, and her patriotic ancestry gives her mem- bership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is also a member of St. John's Episcopal Church, Oneida, New York.
(The Shattuck Line).
(I) Mrs. Ruland's Shattuck ancestry traces to William Shattuck, who was born in England in 1621-22, died in Watertown, Massachusetts, August 14, 1672. His name appears in an old list of the propri- etors of Watertown made about 1642, and he became the owner of a large estate. He and his wife, Susanna, were the par- ents of ten children, the third, John, of whom further.
(II) John Shattuck, son of William Shattuck, was born in Watertown, Massa- chusetts, February II, 1647, and, accord- ing to the records of that town, "was drowned as he was passing over Charles- town Ferry, the 14th Sept. 1675." He had lands granted to him in Groton in 1664, but it does not appear that he was an in- habitant of that town for any great length of time, if at all. He was a carpenter, and
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resided principally in the Middle District, the present village of Watertown, where he was employed by the town, in 1669 and subsequently, to keep the town mill. He was a sergeant in Captain Richard Beers' company in King Philip's War, and was one of sixteen of thirty-six who escaped death when their company was attacked from ambush by Indians as they marched to the relief of the town of Squawkeague (now Northfield). Sergeant John Shat- tuck was immediately dispatched as mes- senger to the governor to announce the disastrous result of the expedition, and his accidental death occurred ten days later. He married, June 20, 1664, Ruth Whitney, daughter of John Whitney, and they had four children, among them Wil- liam, of whom further.
(III) William (2) Shattuck, son of John Shattuck, was born in Watertown, Mas- sachusetts, September 11, 1670, and died in Groton in 1744. He lived in Groton with his mother and step-father from 1678 until about the time of his marriage in 1688, when he returned to Watertown. In 1691 he was impressed into the public military service of the Colony, and in 1702 he bought lands in and moved to Groton. He married (first), in Watertown, March 19, 1688, Hannah Underwood; (second), in Groton, March 24, 1719, Deliverance Pease, and the line of descent is through his son, John.
(IV) John (2) Shattuck, son of Wil- liam (2) Shattuck, was born in Watertown in 1696. He was a mason and farmer, and first settled in Shrewsbury, but exchanged places in 1723 with John Bige- low, of Marlborough, and removed to the latter town and occupied the "Farms," where he died about 1759. He admin- istered on his father's estate in Groton, and was a highly intelligent man. He married (first), December 24, 1716, Si- lence Allen, of Marlborough; (second),
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