USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 26
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The descent of the Foster family has been traced back to the year 837 in Flan- ders, showing a descendancy line of twenty-three generations up to Reginald, who embarked for America in 1638. The ancestor of this branch of the family was John Foster, born in England, 1626. He came over with Roger Conant and landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. He be- came a freeman, May 24, 1682, and died in March, 1688. About 1649, he married Martha Tomkins, a daughter of Ralph and Katherine (Aborn) Tomkins, who was born about 1630. Their son, the Hon. John Foster, was born in 1649. He lived in Salem, where he was one of the most prominent citizens. He served as moder- ator, representative and justice of the peace. John Foster married, in 1672, Mary Stuard. She died about 1690, and he died in 1714. Their son, Major Foster, was born November 15, 1680, in Salem. On December 4, 1704, Major Foster mar- ried, in Roxbury, Margaret Ware, and their son, Ebenezer Foster, married De- sire Cushman, a descendant of Robert
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Cushman; and their daughter, Jemima, born July 6, 1741, married, at Verplanck's Point, Benjamin Taylor, as already stated.
The Cushman descent is as follows: Robert Cushman, the ancestor of all the Cushmans in the United States, was born in England between the years 1580 and 1585. He was a Puritan, and a member of the church of Rev. John Robinson, who emigrated to Holland during the years 1607 and 1608. After residing in Amster- danı about a year they removed to Ley- den, where during the succeeding years the congregation grew to about three hun- dred communicants. In 1617 Robert Cushman and Deacon John Carver were selected to go to London and open ne- gotiations with the Virginia Company for liberty to settle in North America, and "to see if the King would give them lib- erty of conscience there." The history of those negotiations is familiar to all. They found their mission a difficult one, but after great procrastination and long and tedious negotiation, a patent was finally obtained by which they were permitted to settle in America. As it finally turned out, this patent was never used, but the Pilgrims were determined to emigrate to America. Friends finally supplied the fi- nancial aid necessary. Deacon Carver and Robert Cushman were sent to Eng- land to receive the money and provide for the voyage. Again the delays were many and vexatious. The "Speedwell" was ob- tained in Holland, a ship of only sixty tons, smaller than the average fishing smack that goes to the Grand Banks. In the meantime, Robert Cushman had hired in London a larger vessel, the "May- flower," of about one hundred and eighty tons, and had sent her to Southampton to meet his comrades from Holland. When the two vessels sailed from Southampton, August 5, 1620, Robert Cushman and his
family were among the passengers, but when it was decided that the "Speedwell" should be abandoned, the Cushmans, greatly disappointed, were among the number returned to London because the "Mayflower" could not carry the entire party. In London, Robert Cushman acted as the agent of the Pilgrims who had emigrated, and as a leader of those who had been compelled to remain be- hind. The following year Robert Cush- man secured the "Fortune," a small ves- sel of fifty tons, and a party of thirty-six, including the Cushmans, set sail for America, arriving off Cape Cod, Novem- ber 9, 1621. Robert Cushman remained in the colony only about a month, it be- ing necessary for him to return to Eng- land to look after business affairs of the colony. He was allotted an acre of land in the first allotment which was made in 1623, but at that time was in England and was destined not to return to America. In 1623, in connection with Edward Winslow, Robert Cushman negotiated the charter for the settlement of what is now Gloucester, Massachusetts. Robert Cushman died in January or February, 1625. He "was one of the most distin- guished characters among the collection of worthies who quitted England on ac- count of their religious difficulties." "He was one of the first movers and main instruments of the Puritan dissent of England, their pilgrimage to Holland, and their final settlement in America," and history has given him a high place among the leaders of the Pilgrim Fathers.
Elder Thomas Cushman, born in Eng- land in February, 1608, accompanied his father to America. He was left in the care of Governor Bradford when his fa- ther returned to England. On January I, 1633, Thomas Cushman was admitted to the freedom of the society. He served as juryman in 1635, and in that year, or
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1636, he married Mary, the third child of Isaac Allerton, who came in the "May- flower." In 1637 he received a grant of land and later he removed to what is now Kingston, where he spent the remainder of his life. In 1645 he purchased Princess farm. In 1649 he was appointed ruling elder of the church in Plymouth, and con- tinued in the office until his death. He was the principal witness to Governor Bradford's will, and inventoried his estate. Thomas Cushman died December 10 or II, 1691. From the records of the First Church at Plymouth, the following quota- tion is made : * * * He was grave, sober, holy and temperate, very studious and solicitous for the peace and prosperity of the church and to prevent and heale all breaches." He left quite an estate for those days, indicating that he was pros- perous and thrifty. After the dismissal of Rev. Mr. Rayner, in 1654, and until the settlement of Rev. Mr. Cotton, in 1657, he conducted the religious services twice on every Sunday, and during that time was the only preacher the church had. He was a participant in the making of the first treaty with Massachusetts and Sam- oset. Mary (Allerton) Cushman, his wife, was about eleven years of age when she came over in the "Mayflower." She was the last survivor of the Pilgrim band, dying seven or eight years after her hus- band, at the advanced age of ninety years. They reared a family of seven children, all of whom married.
Thomas Cushman, the third in this line of descent, was born September 16, 1637. On November 17, 1664, he married Ruth, daughter of John Howland, whose name was thirteenth on the list of forty-one persons who signed the memorable com- pact in the cabin of the "Mayflower." At that time he was twenty-eight years of age. Thomas Cushman was during a long life a member of the Congregational
church in Plympton. He died August 23, 1726.
Samuel Cushman, son of Thomas Cush- man, was born July 16, 1687. He mar- ried Fear Corser, December 8, 1709. They were members of the church in Plympton. In 1727 they removed to Attleboro. Their eldest child was Desire Cushman, born September 18, 1710. On September 17, 1730, she married Ebenezer Foster, who was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, August 20, 1709. Their daughter was Jemima Foster, born July 6, 1741, who married Benjamin Taylor.
Justus Taylor, the youngest son of Ben- jamin and Jemima (Foster) Taylor, was the owner of a vessel trading between New York and West Indies. On a trip to the latter place he contracted yellow fever, was brought back to Peekskill, New York, but never recovered, and died and was buried there. His widow, who was formerly Rosetta Place, subsequently married Captain John Skiddy, and when she married Captain Skiddy she had one son, William.
Captain William (Taylor) Skiddy was a child, when his mother married for the second time, and when he went to school he took the name of his mother's second husband. In course of time he decided, having an independent spirit, to take care of himself, and accordingly ran away, going to England, where he had relatives. These relatives sent him to some of their intimate friends in Bordeaux, France, and there he remained for several years attending school, but finally returned to the United States and entered the United States navy. In the War of 1812, he was a midshipman on the United States steamship "Hornet," and took part in the battle with the British sloop, "Penguin," March 15, 1815. He was later in another engagement, was captured and sent to England as a prisoner, where he was kept
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for several months in the famous Dart- more Prison, and finally was released and returned to the United States, when he became a naval architect and builder. He was associated in that capacity with two or three of the important shipping con- cerns of New York, among them the house of Grinnell Minton & Company and Howland & Aspinwall. It was the custom in those days for the large houses engaged in foreign commerce to build and operate their own vessels, known as "clippers," and Captain Skiddy would build a vessel for them with the agree- ment that he was to command her on her maiden voyage, selling her cargo at one port and buying at that port to sell at another port. When this voyage was completed, he would design and build an- other vessel and in turn go out with her for the maiden voyage. Captain Skiddy was occupied in this way until 1840. He married, in England, his second wife, Mary A. Anderson, daughter of an Eng- lish judge, and then returned to America with his bride and settled in New York City, where he established himself in private practice as a naval architect, mak- ing contracts to design, build and equip vessels, and turn them over to their own- ers complete and ready for sea. When steamships began to supplant sailing ves- sels, he turned his attention to designing the more modern craft, of which he built a large number, among them being the old side-wheelers, "Argo" and "Fulton," of the French Line, running from New York to Havre; the "Jamestown" and "Yorktown," which plied between New York and Richmond, Virginia, and many others.
In 1858 he moved from New York City to Stamford, Connecticut, building a res- idence on the site now occupied by the present United States Post Office. He practically retired from active work, al-
though he occasionally acted as consult- ing architect and supervised in the con- struction of steamers. Captain Skiddy was much interested in all charitable and philanthropic movements. After moving to Stamford, he was greatly disturbed by the unsanitary condition in which he found many of the dependent poor, and as the result of his agitation the town of Stamford gave up the practice of "letting out" its paupers, and established a poor farm. Captain Skiddy was a fine exam- ple of a constructive, broadminded and charitable citizen, always trying to con- tribute to the progress and development of the day.
William Wheelright Skiddy, son of Captain William and Mary A. (Ander- son ) Skiddy, was born in New York City, April 26, 1845. His early life was passed in New York, and there he received an excellent education. He attended the Anthon Private School and prepared for college. at the Russel Military Academy of New Haven, graduating from the Shef- field Scientific School in 1865 with the degree of Ph. B. He then entered the office of his uncle, Francis Skiddy, in Wall street, New York City, and three years later became associated with E. A. Quintard (who married his eldest sister), in the coal mining interests in Pennsyl- vania, and was thus occupied for eight years. In the meantime, he had married Eleanor Mott Gay, a daughter of William Gay, of Stamford, Connecticut. The lat- ter was interested in the Stamford Man- ufacturing Company, and was its presi- dent. In June, 1875, Mr. Skiddy became connected with the Stamford Manufactur- ing Company. Being determined to mas- ter the business in all its branches, he commenced by helping to unload logwood and other raw materials received in ves- sels from the West Indies; he donned overalls and continued to work step by
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step until he had gone through all of the departments and had a thorough and practical knowledge of every detail in the manufacture of the company's products.
After devoting several years in secur- ing this knowledge, he was soon made a member of the board of directors. In 1887 he was elected president of the com- pany, and the business grew very rapidly in size and importance. At the time it was destroyed by fire, February 19, 1919, it was seven or eight times as large as when he became connected with it, or in other words, in 1875, about seven thou- sand tons of raw material were required for the extracts manufactured each year, and at the time of the fire they required one thousand tons per week. The prod- ucts went all over the world, and such was the company's reputation that its prices were universally accepted as the basis on which all other dye products were priced. At the "Exchange" in Ham- burg, Germany, when quotations were quoted on various natural dyes, the ques- tion immediately asked before any busi- ness could be transacted was "what is the price of Stamford?" The company manufactured all kinds of natural dyes for silk, cotton, wool and leather. The business was established in 1796 and was incorporated as the Stamford Manufac- turing Company in 1844, and was the acknowledged leader of its line in the world. At the time of the disaster, about five hundred men were employed. Dur- ing the years that had passed, many changes, both mechanical and chemical, had been made in methods and processes, the machinery more and more supplant- ing human labor. On the basis of 1876, it would have required at the time of the fire fifteen hundred hands to turn out the product that science and progress made possible for five hundred to do. To see a business thus carefully nurtured for
nearly half a century wiped out overnight is a staggering blow. Great as was the financial loss, there was another loss less tangible, but perhaps even harder to bear. To live with an idea for any enterprise is but the concrete expression of an idea, year after year to see it grow and develop into sturdy strength, winning world-wide rec- ognition, and then in a few hours to be . destroyed as if it had never been, the sense of loss can be apprehended only by one who has experienced it. He imme- diately started plans for rebuilding the plant, but the advice of friends that it was too great a task to be undertaken at his time of life finally convinced him that he was wrong and so he decided to give up active commercial life.
He was vice-president and director of the Stamford National Bank for many years, and when it was merged with the First National Bank under the name of the First Stamford National Bank, he was elected a vice-president and director of the new organization. For many years he has been a director of the Stamford Sav- ings Bank, a director of the Stamford Trust Company, and a director of the Morris Plan Bank. His fraternal affili- ations are as follows : Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Rittenhouse Chapter, No. 11, Royal Arch Masons ; the Suburban Club of Stamford ; Yale and University clubs of New York; Graduate Club of New Haven ; Society of the War of 1812; Church clubs of New York and Connecticut, etc. He has served as president of the Connecticut Church Club ; as chairman of the trustees of the Church Club of New York; and was one time president of the Church Conference of the United States. For many years he was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church of Stamford, Connecticut, serving as warden and dele-
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gate to the Diocesan Convention for forty years.
He resides in New York City during the winter months, being identified there with Grace Church, and being a delegate of the Diocese of New York. He was a delegate to the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church from 1886 to 1898, representing the Diocese of Con- necticut, and since 1898 has been treas- urer of the General Convention. For more than twenty-five years he has been interested as director and officer in the Boys' Club of New York City, which has over eight thousand members. This club has a large and complete house at the corner of Avenue A and Tenth street, and a large summer camp in Jamesport, Long Island, which he is actively interested in, as well as the summer home for children belonging to Grace Parish of New York and which is located near New Canaan, Connecticut.
In politics, Mr. Skiddy was a Democrat until 1896, and during that time was a delegate to the convention in Chicago which nominated Grover Cleveland for president. He was brigadier-general of commissary under Governor Thomas Waller. While he was a student at the Russell Military School, during the Civil War, he was among those detailed to drill some of the three months' volunteers. There was little knowledge of military training at that time. Several companies belonging to the First and Second regi- ments were trained at Halleck's Point in New Haven, and General Russell was asked to detail some of his boys to train these companies, and young Skiddy, who was then captain of the second company at the school, was among those selected. He spent a month at the camp thus em- ployed and was asked to go out as first lieutenant and was eager to do so, but on account of his youth it was impossible.
As a loyal Yale man he has always been interested in everything pertaining to Yale, and in June, 1890, at the alumni meeting in New Haven, he proposed the establishing of a Yale Alumni University Fund Association and offered a resolution to that purpose, which was adopted and unanimously approved the following day at the annual alumni lunch. The associ- ation has been most successful and has become an important asset to the Univer- sity, having contributed up to the present time over $3,800,000. While at Yale he was interested in rowing and has retained his interest in that sport. In the Class Biographical Records of Yale, it states that from 1900 to 1905, inclusive, Yale won ever varsity race at New London, during which time he was graduate ad- visor.
Mr. Skiddy married, in April, 1867, Eleanor Mott Gay, the daughter of Wil- liam Gay, of Stamford, Connecticut, and they had three children: William, de- ceased ; Lillie, wife of Willard Parker, Jr., class of 1890, Yale; and Adele, wife of R. W. Carle, class of 1897, Yale.
TREADWELL, John Prime, Man of Affairs.
From the time of the earliest Colonial settlements the name of Treadwell is found in the annals of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Members of this family, descendants from the two immigrants, Charles and Edward Treadwell, are to be found occupying positions of trust and responsibility in many of our cities. One of these notable descendants was Gover- nor John Treadwell, of Colonial days. The Rev. John Treadwell was a scholar of repute. So it is today; descendants bearing the name of Treadwell occupy honored places among their fellow-citi- zens. John Prime Treadwell, president of
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the National Bank of Norwalk, is another worthy scion of this family.
There were varied ways of designating families prior to the thirteenth century. The most common one was according to the location of homes, and the surname of Treadwell is thus derived. It is a com- pound of tread and well. The first half, tread, is the old English word for path or pathway; well was originally wiella, old English for spring. We therefore have the derivation of path by a well, near which resided a family who were thus designated. It was very natural for this family to assume this name when the use of surnames came into vogue.
The earliest mention of the name of Treadwell in America is found on the Dorchester records in March, 1637, when the name of Thomas Treadwell is re- corded. This Thomas Treadwell is be- lieved to have been a brother of Edward Treadwell.
(I) Edward Treadwell also appears in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1637. He re- moved soon after to Huntington, Long Island, where he died, in 1660. He had a son Samuel, of whom further.
(II) Samuel Treadwell married Ruth Wheeler, daughter of Ephraim Wheeler, and removed to Fairfield, Connecticut. He was undoubtedly the father of Thomas Treadwell.
(III) Thomas Treadwell was born about 1683, and was settled early in Fair- field, Connecticut, and was the father of Hezekiah Treadwell.
(IV) Hezekiah Treadwell was born in 1708, and died in 1761. He held the rank of lieutenant in the militia company. With his family he removed to Stratford, then to New Milford, Connecticut. In 1730 he married Mehetable Minor, born in 1709, died in 1763. They were the parents of a son, Hezekiah (2) Treadwell.
(V) Hezekiah (2) Treadwell was born
February 14, 1741, one of twins. He lived first in Stratford, and later in New Milford, Connecticut. He married (first) in 1763, Sally Banks, of Stratford, who died in 1776-77. He married (second) March 17, 1779, Abiah Stilson, born in Newtown, Connecticut, in 1751, died October 27, 1793, in New Milford, Connecticut. She was the mother of Samuel Treadwell.
(VI) Samuel Treadwell was born May 5, 1788, in New Milford, Connecticut. He followed the occupation of blacksmith, and was among the esteemed citizens of his native town. On December 23, 1810, he married Jane Prime, born November II, 1782, daughter of Asa Prime, who was among the first settlers of Milford. They were the parents of a son, John Prime Treadwell, of whom further. (See Prime V).
(VII) John Prime Treadwell, son of Samuel and Jane (Prime) Treadwell, was born in New Milford, Connecticut, Octo- ber 6, 1811. He was twelve years of age when he left home and came to Norwalk, making part of the journey on foot and helped by rides with drivers. From Nor- walk he went to New York City by water, where he went to work as a bell-boy in the old Franklin House. He soon showed that he was made of the right kind of stuff, and won the confidence of his em- ployers. He was promoted from one po- sition to another, mastering every detail of the hotel business as it was carried on in that day. His honesty, efficiency and sound judgment so appealed to the own- ers of the Franklin House that they built the hotel which for many years was known as the St. Nicholas, for the express purpose of giving Mr. Treadwell an op- portunity to engage in the hotel business on his own account. He first formed a partnership with a man named Hays, and under the firm name, Treadwell & Hays, they opened the St. Nicholas Hotel.
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After a while the late Captain Acker, of Brooklyn, succeeded Mr. Hays in the partnership, the firm name being Tread- well & Acker. Mr. Acker later sold his interest to a Mr. Whitcomb, and the firm name became Treadwell, Whitcomb & Company. During all these years the St. Nicholas held a high place in popular esteem. About 1860 Mr. Tread- well decided to retire from the hotel business. Going back to his native town, he purchased what was known as the Perry Smith property, a farm of some two hundred acres, and after remodelling the dwelling, removed his family to their new home and settled down to the life of a gentleman farmer. He was quiet and re- tiring in his disposition, and preferred the pleasures of the family circle to all other attractions.
Mr. Treadwell married, December 8, 1841, Mary E. Lockwood, daughter of Buckingham St. John Lockwood, a descendant of Robert Lockwood. Of their children three grew up : Mary Eliza- beth, now deceased; Julia Abigail, mar- ried Mortimer McRoberts, of Chicago, now deceased; and John Prime (2) Treadwell.
(VIII) John Prime (2) Treadwell, son of John Prime (1) and Mary E. (Lock- wood) Treadwell, was born August 17, 1854, in New York City. He grew to manhood in New Bedford, being edu- cated in the public schools. He then be- came a clerk in the Fairfield National Bank of Norwalk. After two or three years Mr. Treadwell returned to New Milford, his father having died, and he assumed the responsibilities of the home- stead with his sisters and mother, the latter at that time being an invalid. In addition to carrying on the farm and look- ing after other interests connected with the estate, Mr. Treadwell put roads through part of the farm, which was in
the northern part of the village, thus opening up a number of fine building lots. In 1883 Mr. Treadwell returned to Nor- walk and became teller in the institution of which he is now president. Beginning in the teller's cage, he was promoted suc- cessively to assistant cashier, vice-presi- dent, and president, succeeding the late Congressman Hill as chief executive of the bank upon the death of the latter about two years ago.
Mr. Treadwell was a director for many years of the old Danbury & Norwalk Railroad before it was absorbed by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- road; was a director of the Norwalk Gas Company, and the Norwalk Street Rail- way Company, both of which were ab- sorbed by larger organizations. Mr. Treadwell is now a director of the Fairfield County Savings Bank, the New Milford Water Company, and of the Norwalk Public Library ; also treasurer of the Nor- walk Historical and Memorial Library Association. Mr. Treadwell affiliates with St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he was treas- urer for many years ; Butler Chapter, No. 38, Royal Arch Masons; Clinton Com- mandery, No. 3, Knights Templar; Our Brother's Lodge, No. 10, Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the Norwalk Club, Norwalk Country Club and the Roxbury Club.
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