Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8, Part 12

Author:
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 802

USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 12

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SKELDING, Schuyler Merritt, Active Business Man.

The five years during which Mr. Skeld- ing has carried on business in his native town of Stamford have sufficed to place him high on the list of representatives of her real estate interests. He is promi- nent in the social and club circles of his community, and was among those who volunteered for service during the World War.

The name of Skelding appears to be a variation of the Danish name Scolding, Scalding, derived from the Danish royal family, the "Skioldunger," signifying de- scendants of Skiold. Skiold, in the differ- ent forms of the various Scandinavian languages, signifies "a shield."

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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

The Skeldings are an old family of Stamford, records showing that they have been established there over two hundred years. They have always been good cit- izens, aiding to the utmost in the devel- opment of the interests most vital to the progress and prosperity of the town.

(I) Thomas Skelding, the first ances- tor of record, was of Stamford, and on June 11, 1701, married Mary Austin.

(II) Thomas (2) Skelding, son of Tho- mas (1) and Mary (Austin) Skelding, was born June 11, 1703. On September 5, 1726, he married Mary Brown, born October 2, 1705, daughter of Joseph and Mary Brown. Joseph Brown, a son of Francis Brown, married Mary Francis Brown, born in England, about 1607, came to this country in 1638 with the New Haven Company, led by The- ophilus Eaton and John Davenport, lo- cating in the Province of Connecticut. Subsequently he removed to Stamford, being a settler there about 1656.

(III) James Skelding, son of Thomas (2) and Mary (Brown) Skelding, was born April 15, 1738. He married, June 9, 1763, in Salem, New York, Mary Hait. The original form of the name of Hait was the German von Haight. In Eng- land it was changed to Hait, Hoyte and various other forms, which were pre- served when a branch was transplanted to the American colonies.

(IV) James (2) Skelding. son of James (1) and Mary (Hait) Skelding, was born June 6, 1775. He married, December 29, 1800, Hannah Knapp, a native of Green- wich, who died November 20, 1822, aged thirty-nine years and seven months.

(V) Henry Knapp Skelding, son of James (2) and Hannah (Knapp) Skelding, was born November 30, 1801, in Green- wich. For many years he was a merchant in New York City. He affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. On retiring from

business he again became a resident of Stamford, becoming one of the organizers and the first president of the Stamford Gas Light Company. He also served three years as warden of the borough. Mr. Skelding married, April 3, 1823, Delia Maria Lockwood, daughter of Captain Augustus Lockwood, and his death oc- curred August 31, 1871.

(VI) William Frederick Skelding, son of Henry Knapp and Delia Maria (Lock- wood) Skelding, was born in 1833, in Stamford. He there married, December 12, 1863, Amelia Merritt, daughter of Matthew Franklin Merritt, of that city. The Merritt genealogy is incorporated in the biography of the Hon. Schuyler Mer- ritt, which follows in the work. After his marriage Mr. Skelding engaged in the coal business in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl- vania.

(VII) Franklin Merritt Skelding, son of William Frederick and Amelia (Mer- ritt) Skelding, was born in 1865. He was educated in the widely known private school presided over by Professor King. In 1885 he graduated at Columbia Uni- versity, and afterward engaged for a short time in newspaper work. He married Louise Darling Lockwood, daughter of Henry F. Lockwood. Mr. Skelding died in early manhood, passing away Decem- ber 1, 1895. The following tribute, which appeared in a local paper, is peculiarly felicitous: "There was that about his bright, genial, cheerful disposition which won good-will and friendship answering to his own, and he was endowed with pos- itive talents worthy of admiration and respect."

(VIII) Schuyler Merritt Skelding, son of Franklin Merritt and Louise Darling (Lockwood) Skelding, was born August 27, 1889, in Stamford. He received his early education in Miss Haff's school, passing thence to King's school, where

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

his father had been prepared for the uni- versity. In 1907 he graduated from King's school, and in 1911 received from Brown University the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Immediately thereafter Mr. Skelding en- tered the service of the Bankers' Trust Company of New York City, remaining two years, and then spent another two years in association with the Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company, being employed in their New York office. All this time, however, Mr. Skelding retained his residence in Stamford, and in 1915 he identified himself with a real estate firm. In 1917 he engaged on his own account in the real estate and insurance business, and has already acquired a profitable cli- entele and built up for himself a sterling reputation. He is secretary and director of the H. S. Morehouse Hotel Company, which operates the Davenport, and he is also general manager and director of the Apartments Company. He is treasurer of the Mercantile Realty Company. Dur- ing the World War, Mr. Skelding's busi- ness career suffered an interruption by reason of his patriotic response to the call of the Federal government. He enlisted as a private in the 437th Engineer De- tachment which was stationed at Wash- ington Barracks. Later the value of his service was recognized by the award of a commission as second lieutenant.

Mr. Skelding's fraternal associations are with Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted Masons; Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Clinton Command- ery, Knights Templar, and Pyramid Tem- ple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Delta Phi fraternity, and his clubs are the Suburban, Stamford Yacht, Wood- way Country, of Stamford, the Algonquin, of Bridgeport, and the New York Ath- letic and Brown University clubs, of New York.

Throughout the changes incident to his career as a business man, Mr. Skelding has loyally chosen to remain a resident of the city with the history of which his ancestors were identified for two cen- turies. His record gives assurance that he will be true to his traditions of high- minded public service and so bring addi- tional honor to a name long and deserv- edly held in veneration.

MERRITT, Hon. Schuyler,

Manufacturer, National Legislator.

Schuyler Merritt represents the Fourth Congressional District of Connecticut. His family had its origin in England and in Somersetshire, the county which al- most more than any other is invested with the indescribable and pervasive charm of immemorial tradition. As "King Ar- thur's country" it is the home of earliest romance, romance which has inspired the noblest work of one of England's great- est laureates. It is in this Old World haunt of song and story that we find the first known ancestor of the Merritts, Ead- noth, an Anglo thane, whose son, Hard- ing de Meriet, was the earliest to bear the family name. Members of this race, which was seated in Somersetshire prior to the Norman Conquest, are now numerous in almost every county of England. The name, variously spelled, and one of the most familiar and honorable, appears in a slightly altered form as Merriott, the des- ignation of a parish in Somersetshire de- rived from that of one of the ancestral seats of the family.

Branches of the race were early trans- planted to New England and to other por- tions of the American colonies, and for well-nigh three centuries the Merritts have done their part in the development and upbuilding of the interests which have helped to make our land what she

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

is to-day. They are numbered among the armigerous families of America.

(I) Thomas Merritt, the earliest Amer- ican ancestor of record, was born in May, 1634, and in 1662 purchased from Thomas Standish a home lot in Wethersfield, Connecticut. In 1673 he settled in Rye, New York, and in 1683 his name appears on the list of Rye's proprietors. On July 12, 1684, he was made constable. He purchased real estate, including a parcel of land called Pine Island, adjoining Mer- ritt's meadows. On April 12, 1694, he was commissioner to renew the Indian purchase at White Plains, and on Febru- ary 28, 1694, he was appointed vestryman of Rye, and served in 1695 and 1697. On July 22, 1697, he served on a committee to select a minister, and on September 25, 1697, was on a committee to build a meet- ing house. From 1667 to 1698 he was a collector of the minister's salary. He was one of those to whom was granted, Jan- uary 22, 1696, the patent of Rye. On January 19, 1697, Thomas Merritt and Deliverance Brown appeared before the General Court of Connecticut to obtain a charter for Rye. In 1698 Thomas Mer- ritt was called Senior. In October, 1699, he was deputy to the General Court, and from 1697 to 1699 served as townsman or trustee. On December 11, 1699, he be- came a proprietor of Peningo Neck, and in 1705 he was supervisor. On November I, 1707, he served on a committee to set- tle the line between Greenwich and Rye. On June 2, 1713-14-15-16, he was a mem- ber of the Grand Jury. He lived nearly opposite the site of the present Park In- stitute. Thomas Merritt married (first), December 3, 1656, Jane Sherwood, born in 1636, daughter of Thomas and Alice (Seabrook) Sherwood, and they became the parents of sons and daughters. The mother of the family died January 4, 1685. Thomas Merritt married (second), August

13, 1688, Abigail Francis, born February 14, 1660, daughter of Robert and Joan Francis, of Wethersfield, Connecticut. A son and a daughter were the offspring of this marriage. Thomas Merritt married (third), in 1696, Mary (Ferris) Lock- wood, daughter of Jeffrey Ferris, and wi- dow of Jonathan Lockwood. This first American ancestor of the Merritts lived to an advanced age, passing away on No- vember 10, 1725.

(II) Joseph Merritt, son of Thomas and Jane (Sherwood) Merritt, was born June 6, 1662, and in 1683 was a propri- etor of Rye. He had assigned to him two acres on Hog-Pen Ridge, in 1707, which he fenced in, and in 1708 he was a pro- prietor of Wills Purchase. In 1717-18-22, he served on the Grand Jury. On Feb- ruary 27, 1722, he was an ensign in the Westchester County Military Company, and on May II, 1727, he signed a peti- tion of Presbyterians. Joseph Merritt married Jane -. The death of Jo- seph Merritt occurred May 12, 1754. His will, which was made March 27, 1752, and proved June 6, 1754, is signed with his mark.

(III) Nehemiah Merritt, son of Joseph and Jane Merritt, was born May 7, 1715. and in December, 1758, at the Oblong Meeting at Quaker Hill, Dutchess county, New York, showed a certificate of re- moval from the Mamaroneck Meeting. In 1760 he was on a committee to review the sufferings of the Friends at Oblong. On July 25, 1761, he and nine others signed a petition in behalf of themselves and fifteen others for twenty-five thou- sand acres on the east side of the Hudson river between Fort Edward and Lake George. On July 10, 1762, a meeting of the proprietors of Queensbury was held at the shop of Nehemiah and Daniel Mer- ritt in Beekman Precinct, Dutchess county, New York, and on November 8,

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

1762, at a second meeting held at the same place, partition deeds were given to the thirty proprietors, including Nehemiah and his sons, Daniel and Ichabod. Nehe- miah Merritt had not been included in the Queensbury patent. On February 23, 1763, he was one of the trustees to rent all undivided lands, and for a number of years was very active in real estate trans- actions. Nehemiah Merritt married (first), Dinah Hopkins, daughter of Ichabod and Sarah (Coles) Hopkins; married (sec- ond), before 1761, Mary Dingy, daughter of Robert Dingy. Nehemiah Merritt died in 1794, and was buried in Quaker Hill Cemetery.

(IV) Daniel Merritt, son of Nehemiah and Dinah (Hopkins) Merritt, was born July 23, 1738, and in 1763 became one of the proprietors of Queensbury, owning twenty-five acres there. He married (first), December 23, 1761, Hannah Wing, daughter of Abraham and Anstis (Wood) Wing. He married (second), October I, 1765, Sarah Mudge, daughter of Michael and Sarah (Hopkins) Mudge. Daniel Merritt died May 25, 1805, and was bur- ied in Quaker Hill Cemetery.

(V) Nehemiah M. Merritt, son of Dan- iel and Sarah (Mudge) Merritt, was born April 26, 1772, in Quaker Hill, and in 1810 was a dry goods merchant on Pearl street, New York. He lived at one time in Flushing, Long Island, and was a man of prominence in the community, being an acknowledged minister of the Society of Friends. Mr. Merritt married (first), February 28, 1793, Phoebe Thorne, born April 13, 1773, daughter of William and Jemima (Titus) Thorne, who died Janu- ary 30, 1823. He married (second), May II, 1827, Sarah Sutton, daughter of Moses and Rebecca (Underhill) Sutton. Mr. Merritt inherited the longevity character- istic of his ancestors, passing away on

March 10, 1863, having nearly completed his ninety-first year.

(VI) Matthew Franklin Merritt, son of Nehemiah M. and Phoebe (Thorne) Merritt, was born March 2, 1815, in Flush- ing, New York State, and received his education in public schools of Dutchess county. When about sixteen years of age he went to New York City and began his active employment there. He was associated, practically all his life, with the iron and steel business, and was as late as 1859 associated with his brother-in- law, George W. Quintard, in the great Morgan Iron Works of New York City. While still a young man, Mr. Merritt manifested an unusual enthusiasm and in- terest in political affairs, not as a seeker for office, but rather as an expression of that earnest and intelligent patriotism which distinguished him through life. He was an enthusiastic "old-line Whig" in ante-war days, but was disposed to con- servative views during the period imme- diately preceding the Civil War when many earnest patriots, North and South, were still hoping that some happy com- promise might still be potent to scatter the clouds of civil strife which were gath- ering on the horizon. From such motives as these he was for a time attracted to the support of the presidential ticket of Bell and Everett, but as the issue became clearer and it was evident to all that the vital question was union or disunion, no private citizen more heartily supported the hands of the government, or gave pro- portionately more liberal and persistent aid to all measures taken for its defense.

In his business connection with the great iron and marine engine works Mr. Merritt was in a position to perform serv- ices of uncommon value, and his long and intimate personal acquaintance with the Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

Navy, aided in bringing him into promi- nence in connection with naval construc- tion. Largely through this channel he made the personal acquaintance of Pres- ident Lincoln himself and likewise of many of the leading generals, especially of the higher officers of the navy, such as Farragut, Foote, Dupont, Worden and others. He chanced to have seen all that could be seen from Fortress Monroe of the memorable battle between the "Mer- rimack" and the "Monitor," and a few days after had the privilege of meeting at dinner the gallant Worden and forming an acquaintance which was severed only by death. One of the later monitors, the "Cohoes," was built chiefly under Mr. Merritt's personal supervision. In order to undertake this work he organized the American Iron Works which continued to build ships and marine engines, Mr. Mer- ritt remaining in the shipbuilding business alone until 1869, when he retired.

As already mentioned, he never aspired to political office, but in 1859 was elected State Senator from his district. He was often called upon to preside at public meetings, a position for which his tact, intelligence and habitual courtesy partic- ularly qualified him. These qualities were characteristic of him even in the heat of political contests, and as a result he provoked no malice and made no en- emies even among his bitter opponents.

About 1855 Mr. Merritt became a resi- dent of Stamford, and during the war his main activity as a citizen was in promot- ing the political ascendancy of the party upon which in his view the strength and success of the Union cause depended. He was influential in organizing the First National Bank, and took an active part in the organization of Woodlawn Cem- etery, serving for many years as its vice- president. When the Republican party

was organized in Connecticut, Mr. Mer- ritt became one of its original members. He affiliated with Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. For many years he maintained, nominally at least, his birthright membership in the Society of Friends. Subsequently he be- came both in form and spirit a member of St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church of Stamford, prominent and valued in that communion during all the latter years of his life.

Mr. Merritt married, in 1840, in New York City, Maria Shaw, daughter of Wil- liam and Clarissa (Hoyt) Shaw, and their children were: 1. Amelia, born Septem- ber 16, 1841 ; married William F. Skeld- ing (a biography of whom precedes this) ; she died April 12, 1915. 2. Julia, born September 12, 1842, died December 15, 1908. 3. Adeline, born May 27, 1848, died March 27, 1869. 4. Schuyler, mentioned below.

The death of Mr. Merritt, which oc- curred May 10, 1896, removed from the roster of Stamford citizenship a name which had long distinguished it and which had been prominently identified with the social and political life of the town for nearly half a century. It removed from the midst of a circle of near friends and relatives one who was looked up to and loved by all, from the youngest to the eld- est. Even to much wider circles of the community his departure brought a sense of personal loss, more especially to the older citizens who were contemporaries of Mr. Merritt in the more active and conspicuous years of his life, and who knew, from personal recollection, what a large and honored place he filled here dur- ing one of the most memorable periods of our national history.

(VII) Schuyler Merritt, son of Mat- thew Franklin and Maria (Shaw) Merritt,

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was born December 16, 1853, in New York City. He received his education in the pub- lic schools of Stamford, Connecticut. In 1873 he graduated at Yale University with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, doing post- graduate work for a year thereafter. He then entered Columbia Law School, re- ceiving in 1876 the degree of Bachelor of Laws. The same year he was admitted to the bar in New York City, and after spending a year in a law office there en- tered the service of the Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company as an office as- sistant. This was in 1877, and in 1878 he was elected secretary of the company and became a member of its board of directors. For several years he was gen- eral manager of the commercial end of the business, and from 1898 to 1902 filled the office of treasurer. For some years Mr. Merritt has been senior vice-presi- dent of the company. With his thorough legal equipment he has always had charge of those affairs of the organization which called for the services of a member of the bar, and has also protected its patent in- terests, giving special attention during recent years to the bank lock department. In 1905 Mr. Merritt was elected president of the Stamford National Bank, and when that bank and the First National Bank were consolidated in July, 1919, under the name of the First-Stamford National Bank, he was chosen president of the new organization. He is also a director of the Stamford Trust Company and the Virginia Iron, Coal and Coke Company.

To the support of the principles of the Republican party Mr. Merritt has always given his political allegiance, and for very many years he has been active in public affairs, advancing step by step to that position of leadership which he has so long held. In 1884 he became a member of the School Committee of Stamford, and

for fifteen or sixteen years continued to serve, most of the time as chairman of the board. He took a very active part in de- veloping the high school to its present complete and well equipped condition and in elevating it to its very high standing of to-day. For his part in helping to raise the standard of the graded schools the community is much indebted to him. In 1910 he was appointed as a member of the State Board of Education and served un- til he was elected to Congress in 1917. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention which met in Hartford in 1904, and he also served for a number of years on the Board of Appropriation and Apportionment of Stamford. At a spec- ial election held in 1917 he was chosen to represent the Fourth Congressional Dis- trict in the United States House of Rep- resentatives, and was reëlected in 1918 and 1920. He is a member of the Com- mittee on Interstate and Foreign Com- merce.

As a man of keen perception, sound judgment, wise counsel and unquestioned integrity, Mr. Merritt has made a notably successful record in the business world. The justice and fair-mindedness which have always characterized his relations with his employes have constituted no small factor in the prosperity of his com- mercial enterprises. He has taken an ac- tive interest in the Associated Charities. The patriotism characteristic of his race has marked Mr. Merritt's entire career and was called forth in all its strength by the late war. He was identified with a number of its activities, the most con- spicuous of his services being his chair- manship of Stamford's Liberty Loan Committee. The versatility of his tal- ents has enabled Mr. Merritt to achieve success in the law, in commerce and in the arena of politics.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY

WHEELER, Elonzo Seth, Manufacturer.

There are not many families who have sustained so high a character through so great a term of years as the Wheelers of Fairfield county, Connecticut. For over a century they have been resident in Nau- gatuck and Saugatuck, coming to the latter place in 1860. Since 1837, in which year Elonzo Seth Wheeler started in busi- ness, this family has been prominent in manufacturing circles. The family is among the oldest settled in Connecticut, and the surname is one of the most an- cient in England. The first appearance of the name is in the eighth century; there was a Saxon chief who bore the name, and it is later found in the Domesday Book, at the time of William the Con- queror. The Hundred Rolls (1273) give record of the name of Hugh le Welere, and in the Close Rolls (1348) we find Richard Whelere. The derivation of the name is from the two Anglo-Saxon words, wel, or wiel, meaning prosperous, and hari, or here, meaning a warrior, so that the name signifies lucky warrior. The first known member of the family herein de- scribed in direct line is Agur Wheeler.

(I) Agur Wheeler was born Decem- ber 20, 1754, and died at South Britain, Connecticut. He enlisted, August 15, 1776, in Colonel Benjamin Hinman's company, from which he was discharged on account of illness. On June 28, 1776, he married Anna Tuttle, of South Britain, and she was born May 24, 1759, and died December II, 1802.

scendant of Titus Hinman, one of the first settlers of Woodbury, Connecticut. Sam- uel Wheeler followed farming throughout his lifetime. He was the father of Elonzo Seth Wheeler, of further mention.

(III) Elonzo Seth Wheeler, son of Sam- uel and Oria (Hinman) Wheeler, was born March 29, 1816, in South Britain, Connecticut, and died in May, 1898, at Saugatuck, same State. He was educated in the public schools, and was only a young man when, in 1837, he started in the manufacturing business on his own account. He was one of the first manu- facturers of buttons in Connecticut. His start in business was a small venture, but he soon met with success, as, possessed of a very ingenious mind, he patented machinery that enabled him to decrease the cost of manufacture and increase the volume of output. Later, when glass buttons began to be used, Mr. Wheeler took up that line, and at a still later date he was one of the pioneer manufacturers of cloth covered buttons in the State. In association with his brother, J. E. Wheeler, he incorporated the business under the name of the Saugatuck Manu- facturing Company, of which Mr. Wheeler was president for a short time. He main- tained an office in New York City and had traveling men on the road. Mr. Wheeler was an upright and conscientious citizen,. and interested in public matters, though by no means a politician. He was of a quiet and retiring nature and devoted his time to his business and his family.

Mr. Wheeler married Caroline Smith, born April 29, 1816, in Naugatuck, died in March, 1911, daughter of Anson and Sarah (Bouton) Smith. Mrs. Wheeler was a descendant of George Smith, and a granddaughter of Anthony Smith, who fought in the Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were the parents of five chil-

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Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8, Part 12

Author: Publication date: 1923 Publisher: American Historical Society Number of Pages: 802

Author:
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 802