USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 37
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Arms-Sable shield. A cross potent with a border engrailed, or.
Crest-A demi-lion argent, holding a rudder gules, hawks and nails or.
Children of George and Catherine Al- len: I. Samuel, went to Braintree; left a will. 2. William, married, 1649, Pris- cilla Brown, daughter of Peter Brown, of the "Mayflower," and a signer of the Compact. He had no children. By his will, 12th month, 17, 1697, he devised his estate to his nephew, Daniel, son of his brother, George Allen, Jr., provided he maintained his widow Priscilla for her life. 3. George, Jr., of whom further. 4. Ralph, married, 1643, Esther, daughter of Wil- liam and Jane Swift, died 1698. 5. Mathew, married, June, 1657, Sarah Kirby; re-
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moved to Dartmouth. 6. Henry, re- moved to Milford, 1666, died at Stratford, 1690. 7. Francis, married, July 20, 1662, Mary Barlow, and left six daughters. 8. James, died July 25, 1714, at Tisbury. 9. Gideon, removed to Milford, Connecticut. IO. Thomas (probably). II. Judah, bur- ied at Sandwich, February, 1649. 12. Caleb, buried at Sandwich, June 27, 1647. The sons William, George, Mathew, Ralph and Francis, died at Sandwich, Massachusetts, and left wills proved and recorded.
(II) George Allen, Jr., son of George and Catherine Allen, was born in 1619. He is mentioned as liable to bear arms in Sandwich in 1643.
(III) Daniel Allen, son of George Al- len, Jr., was born in Sandwich, Massachu- setts, in 1663. He and his wife, Beth- sheba, were the parents of Gideon.
(IV) Gideon Allen, son of Daniel and Bethsheba Allen, was born in May, 1686, and died June. 25, 1750. The Sandwich records mention the removal of Gideon to Milford, and the Milford records give Gideon of Milford and later the same Gideon as living in Fairfield, and if it were not for the early age of Gideon when Joseph was born, the line would seem clearly established. Children of Gideon Allen: Joseph, of whom further; Eben- ezer, married, November 12, 1731, De- borah Bennett; John, married, January 17, 1750, Abigail Jessup ; David, married, October 11, 1739, Sarah Gold.
(V) Joseph Allen, son of Gideon Allen, was born June 25, 1702. He married Rachel Bennett, and they were the par- ents of: Joseph (2), born February 16, 1725; Hannah, born September 20, 1727; Rachel, born July 28, 1728; Elnathan, born June 23, 1729; Mary, born August 24, 1732; Thomas, born July 2, 1733; Mary (twin of Thomas) ; John, born June 16, 1736; Benjamin, of whom further.
(VI) Benjamin Allen, son of Joseph and Rachel (Bennett) Allen, was born October 4, 1743, and died March 27, 1827. At one time he owned land on the east side of the Saugatuck river, extending from the sound to Ball Mountain and in- land about one mile. He is buried in Greens Farms Cemetery, Westport, Con- necticut. A sister of Dr. Allen now (1921) resides on part of the original Al- len estate. Benjamin Allen married Rhoda Allen, daughter of John Allen.
(VII) Delancey Allen, son of Benja- min and Rhoda (Allen) Allen, was born February 24, 1783, in Westport, died there, November 17, 1833, and is buried in Greens Farms Cemetery. He married, February 10, 1805, Cloe Fillow, daughter of Isaac and Adah (Waterbury) Fillow. The Fillows descend from John Fillow, who came with the French Huguenots sometime in the seventeenth century.
(VIII) Isaac Allen, son of Delancey and Cloe (Fillow) Allen, was born Feb- ruary 15, 1812, in Westport, where he re- ceived his education in the public schools. He learned the carpenter's trade. and after working for a time as a journeyman, went into business for himself as a con- tractor and builder. This business he conducted successfully until advancing years forced him to retire. Mr. Allen married, June 21, 1838, Eunice Ann Mur- ray, daughter of Seymour and Ann Eliz- abeth Seckler (Elsworth) Murray, the former practically all his life a master me- chanic in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. That was in the days of wooden men-of-war. The Elsworths were of English descent, and the Murrays (MacMurrays) of Scotch descent. Mr. and Mrs. Allen were the parents of the following children: Ann Elizabeth Murray, deceased; Armenia, married Rev. R. S. Putney, of Westport ; Orlando I., of Westport, now deceased ; Emma Louise, who married Theodore
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Allen, of Westport; Isabella, who mar- ried Charles Augur, of New Haven; Lau- ren M., mentioned below; and Elmer E., of Westport. Isaac Allen and his wife were both very active members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
(IX) Lauren M. Allen, son of Isaac and Eunice Ann (Murray) Allen, was 'born June 12, 1857, in Westport, and re- ceived his preparatory education in the public schools of his native town. In 1880 he received from the College of Phy- sicians and Surgeons of New York the degree of Doctor of Medicine. After serving for a time as an interne in Bellevue Hospital, Mr. Allen opened an office in Brooklyn, New York, and for twelve years practiced in that city. In 1893 he moved to South Nor- walk, where, in the course of a few years, he established himself as one of the leading physicians of the community. He is a member of the staff of the Norwalk Hospital, and also conducts a flourishing private practice. The professional organ- izations in which he is enrolled include the Norwalk Medical Association, the County and State Medical societies, and the American Medical Association.
In the business world Dr. Allen is rep- resented by his association with the John R. Wrigley Paper Box Company, Inc., being president of the company. He affil- iates with Old Well Lodge, No. 108, Free and Accepted Masons; and Butler Chap- ter, Royal Arch Masons, both of South Norwalk; also with Clinton Command- ery, Knights Templar, of Norwalk; and Pyramid Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport.
Dr. Allen married (first) October 8, 1879, Kate M. Shaffer, daughter of James Edward and Mary Eliza (Bennett) Shaf- fer, of Brooklyn, and they became the par- ents of one daughter : Katherine Charleta,
now the wife of Carl D. Mexcur, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, and mother of three children: Anna, Carl, and George. Dr. Allen married (second) January 14, 1918, Helen Becker, daughter of Frank C. and Amelia Frances (Grupe) Becker, of South Norwalk. Dr. and Mrs. Allen are members of the Congregational church.
The career of Dr. Allen has been fruit- ful. He is numbered among the most esteemed citizens of his home community, and his professional record is rich in re- sults of genuine and enduring value.
BELDEN, Charles Denison,
Broker, Man of Fine Tastes.
Many thoughts of the past will be awakened by the appearance of this name, and impressions, so deep that time has been powerless to efface them, will glow with almost pristine freshness as the minds of old friends and former business associates revert to events and scenes of bygone years. Throughout the long period during which Mr. Belden was a figure of prominence in the brokerage cir- cles of Wall street, New York, he re- mained a citizen of Stamford, Connecti- cut, ever maintaining an unwavering and helpful interest in the advancement of all that could minister to the welfare and progress of his home community. The name of Belden is an extremely ancient one, and with the lapse of centuries has assumed a great variety of forms. Those which have been, at different periods, in use in the New England branch, are Bayldon, Belden, and Belding. This last form is very erroneous and has been wholly discarded by certain lines.
Bayldon Manor was in the Angle king- dom of Deira,-hence came the immortal youths seen by Saint Gregory at Rome, and at the sight of whom he exclaimed,
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non Angli, sed Angeli! Bayldon has been the seat of the family of that name since a period prior to the reign of King John, and ever since the Norman Conquest it has been a chapelry in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Bayldon Hall is not far away and is still in a good state of preser- vation. The fact that it stands on an emi- nence seems to render probable the idea that the family name may be derived from Bael, or Bel, meaning fire, a flame, or the sun, and Don, a hill, and that the hill on which Bayldon Manor stands may have been selected for one of those on which sacrificial fires were burned in honor of Bael. The fact that high places were chosen for these fires seems to render this idea more probable than the one which assumes that the name signifies merely a beacon hill. The family, since our earliest knowledge of it, has been distinguished in English history.
Richard Bayldon, founder of the New England branch of the race, was born in Yorkshire, England, and in 1635 settled at Wethersfield, Connecticut. He died in 1655, and many of his numerous descend- ants have won fame and honor in both civil and military life. The Bayldon escutcheon, like most others, has varia- tions, the form displayed by the descend- ants of Richard Bayldon being the fol- lowing :
Arms-A fesse between three fleur-de-lis sable. Motto-God my leader.
It is worthy of note that the motto ap- pears to be peculiar to the coat-of-arms of the New England branch.
David Belden, father of Charles Deni- son Belden, was born at East Haddam, Connecticut, and in his infancy was de- prived, by death, of his father. He was taken by his widowed mother to New York City, and as he grew to manhood entered business life. In partnership with
his brother-in-law, George Brainerd, he conducted a flourishing wholesale gro- cery concern, retiring a number of years before his death. As a young man Mr. Belden was a member of the Militia Regi- ment, which was the forerunner of the famous Seventh. He married Catherine Louisa Brush, whose family record is ap- pended to this biography.
Charles Denison Belden, son of David and Catherine Louisa (Brush) Belden, was born January 9, 1844, in New York City, and received his education in the pri- vate school of Clark & Fanning. Inherit- ing from his father an inclination for the active career of an executant, he early con- nected himself with the grocery business. It was not long, however, before he was drawn, by his taste and aptitude for fi- nance, into the arena of Wall street, where, as a stock broker, he found full scope for his talents. He was a man whose word carried weight and as the years went on, his fund of experience and the honorable success which he had achieved caused his advice to be fre- quently sought by young men entering upon the active work of life, and also by older men who found themselves in need of counsel in relation to some problem of unusual difficulty. A few years before his death he retired, being ably succeeded by his son.
As may be supposed, the strenuous life of a Wall street broker left Mr. Belden little leisure for orders or fraternities. His only association of that nature was with the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution. In his youth he was actively interested in athletics and as he grew older, hunting and fishing became his favorite recreations. Withal, he was a man of literary tastes, spending some of his happiest hours in his library.
Mr. Belden married Sarah R. Allen,
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whose ancestral record is appended to this biography, and they became the par- ents of three children : Edith, born April 26, 1872, wife of Charles W. Palmer, of New York City; Agnes, born February 10, 1873, married George D. Arthur, also of New York City, and has one child, George D. (3); and William Allen, born June 11, 1875, and now, for some years, the successor of his father in business.
About twenty years ago, it being the desire of Mrs. Belden to make her sum- mer home in Connecticut, she was author- ized by her husband to select a site and to make all the arrangements necessary for the erection of a residence. She fin- ally purchased a plot on Wallack's Point, in the town of Stamford, one of the most beautiful spots on the Connecticut shore, and there built a spacious and attractive mansion, which reflects a strong indi- viduality and a fine sense of proportion. One of the most important elements in her influence was her love for the natural beauties of the place and her care for their preservation. In order to save a fine tree she had a U-shaped niche built into the house, thus giving it room for growth. Mr. Belden was a man of exceptionally strong domestic attachments, appreciat- ing nothing so highly as an atmosphere of family affection and fireside happiness.
It was not, however, in his beautiful Connecticut home, that Mr. Belden "ceased from earth," but in Montreal, Canada, where, on February 12, 1912, he passed quietly away. From the old city of the North, rich in historic associations, the sad tidings came to his beloved Stam- ford, bringing to many hearts profound sorrow for the loss of one whose daily life among them had given an example of every private virtue even as his course in the turmoil of the world of business had been one of undeviating rectitude and stainless integrity.
A career like that of Charles Denison Belden is independent of comment. Its unadorned record has a simple and con- vincing eloquence far transcending the language of eulogy.
(The Brush Line).
This name, which is another form of Broom or Broome, is, perhaps, derived from the German brusch, meaning a broom. Some claim that it is an angli- cized form of Plantagenet (planta genista), but it is, more probably, a local designa- tion derived from one of the parishes so- called in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Stafford, Bedford, and Durham. Robert de Brus went with William the Con- queror to England, where the name of his son Robert was changed to Bruce. This, some say, was the origin of the Brush, Bruse, Bruce and Bush families.
Branches of the Brush family were early transplanted to Massachusetts and Long Island, and also to Westchester county, New York. Everywhere have the members proved themselves worthy citi- zens, valuable, in the different walks of life, to their respective communities.
(I) Caleb Brush was born in West- chester county, and was engaged in busi- ness on Grove street, New York City. He married Eleanor Van Tassel (see Van Tassel family), the original of the fas- cinating Katrina Van Tassel, the cele- brated heroine of the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," perhaps the best known of those charming tales from the pen of Wash- ington Irving, whose genius has clothed with an atmosphere of romance, the banks of the Hudson from New York to Albany.
(II) Joshua, son of Caleb and Eleanor (Van Tassel) Brush, was engaged in the lumber business. He married Lucretia Keesler, of New York City.
(III) Catherine Louisa, daughter of Joshua and Lucretia (Keesler) Brush, be-
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came the wife of David Belden, as stated above.
(The Van Tassel Family).
The original form of this name was Van Taxel, derived from the designation of the place in Holland, which was the native home of this heroic race. It is easily seen that the correct orthography has only one "1" and it is thus that the name is spelled by Irving, the historian and eulogist of this gallant family.
The Van Tassels came by marriage into possession of Wolfert's Roost, the house which was built by Wolfert Ecker, and which became, nearly two centuries later, the home of Washington Irving, by whom the estate was rechristened "Sunnyside."
At the time of the Revolutionary War Wolfert's Roost, or, as it was then called, the Van Tassel house, was owned by Jacob Van Tassel, a renowned patriot, who turned his house into a garrison and . became the leader of a band of sturdy warriors, recruited from the neighboring farms, who scoured the countryside by day and night, defending it from the Brit- ish and from the marauders who followed in the tracks of both armies.
Abraham Van Tassel was the father of the immortal Katrina, whose kinswoman, Eleanor Van Tassel, became the wife of Caleb Brush (see Brush family).
(The Allen Line).
This patronymic is derived from the personal name Alan, which was common in Norman times, and is thought by some to signify a hound, or wolf-dog. By others it is said to have been introduced into England in the Conqueror's time by Alan, Earl of Brittany, and to be equiva- lent to the Roman Ælianus, sun-bright.
(I) John Allen, who appears to have been the founder of the New York branch of the Allen family, is thought by some to
have been born in Holland. If this be true, the family was probably Scottish and, like the Van Nesses, transplanted a branch to Holland in consequence of the persecutions of Charles the First. John Allen came to New York City and mar- ried Sabina Meyers who, as her name in- dicates, was of German parentage. Mr. Allen died when he was, comparatively, a young man.
(II) Stephen, son of John and Sabina (Meyers) Allen, was born July 2, 1767, in New York City, and was a young child at the time of the death of his father. Mrs. Allen, however, was a noble woman and an ideal mother. She caused the boy to be educated in private schools of his native city, and throughout his childhood and youth was his wise counsellor as well as his loving parent. And richly was she compensated for her devotion, for her son developed into a noble man, filling with honor the highest municipal office in the gift of his fellow-citizens and leading them in all that made for reform and for true progress. Mr. Allen was apprenticed to the trade of sail-making and at fifteen was thrown on his own resources. In 1787 he formed a partnership with Thomas Wilson, a sail-maker and a mem- ber of the Society of Friends, and in De- cember, 1791, went into business for him- self. So well established was his reputa- tion for integrity and fairdealing that he was popularly known as "Honest Stephen Allen."
In 1812, Mr. Allen, who was then a wealthy merchant, joined a volunteer company and lent all the money he could spare from his business for the mainte- nance of war activities. On being con- sulteď by a United States naval agent in regard to furnishing a supply of duck, he sold his whole stock to the government upon its own terms. The cessation of
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hostilities caused the treasury notes with which the duck had been paid for to so increase in value that he realized a hand- some profit.
In April, 1817, Mr. Allen was elected to the Common Council and in March, 1821, he became mayor of New York. He took a prominent part in the completion of the New York aqueduct. In April, 1824, he was appointed commissioner to visit the prisons in Auburn and in New York City and to report upon conditions and recom- mend changes. The result was the sale of the old prison in New York, and the erection of the State prison at Sing Sing.
On November 1, 1825, Mr. Allen retired from business, and in May, 1826, he was sent to the New York State Assembly. In 1829 he was elected Senator and, as such, served as a member of the court for the correction of errors. This was the first instance in which written opinions were given in the court of errors by a lay- man.
In 1833 Mr. Allen was appointed one of the water commission for supplying New York with pure and wholesome water, and served as chairman of the committee. In 1840 he was relieved of the office of water commissioner by Governor Seward, for reasons purely political. Charles King said, in the "Memoir of the Croton Aqueduct :" "The chairman of the board, in particular, Stephen Allen, has left upon the work, from its commencement to the advanced stage in which he relinquished it to his successor, the stamp of his ener- getic character and strong, inquiring mind." All the public positions filled by Mr. Allen were unsolicited. In early life he was a Moravian in religious belief, but later became a member of the Presbyter- ian church. He was officially connected with many public institutions of New York City, including the Tammany So-
ciety, the Mechanic and Scientific Institu- tion, the New York Hospital and Lunatic Asylum and the New York Prison Disci- pline Society.
Mr. Allen married (first) in 1788, - Marschalk, and (second) in 1807, Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Coleridge) Roake. Mr. Roake came from one of the Channel Islands and his wife was a kinswoman of the author of "The Ancient Mariner." The marriage was, as seemed fitting, a romantic one, the lovers leaving England without the knowledge of their respective families and finding a home on the other side of the sea in the little village of Shrub Oak Plains, near Peekskill, New York. On July 28, 1852, Mr. Allen passed away, "full of years and of honors." It should always be remembered that he was the first man to propose bringing Croton water into the city of New York. So sane was he in his judgment and so impartial, that many people brought their differ- ences to him to arbitrate instead of tak- ing them into the courts. He was a wealthy man for the time in which he lived, and drew his own will. It is on record as a test will that could never be broken.
(III) William M., son of Stephen and Sarah (Roake) Allen, was born in New York City, and graduated in the Law School of Columbia University, but never practised, his ample means enabling him to give his time and attention to more congenial pursuits. He was a man of broad culture, having literary tastes, and greatly interested in scientific subjects. In the maintenance and improvement of the public school system of his native city he rendered, for many years, valuable as- sistance. A subject in which he took the liveliest interest was the wonderful pos- sibilities of the microscope. Mr. Allen
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married Catherine Maria Leggett, whose ancestral record is herewith appended.
(IV) Sarah R., daughter of William M. and Catherine Maria (Leggett) Allen, was born October 7, 1848, and became the wife of Charles Denison Belden, as stated above.
(The Leggett Line).
This name, which is sometimes spelled with only one "t," is derived from the Latin legatus, meaning a legate or ambas- sador.
(I) Gabriel Leggett was born in 1635, probably in County Essex, England, and about 1670-76 came to Westchester county, New York. His home was at West Farms, and he was a landowner and merchant. He married, about 1676, Eliz- abeth, daughter of John and Martha Rich- ardson, the former, one of the original patentees of the Manor of West Farms. Gabriel Leggett died at some time prior to July, 1700.
(II) John, eldest son of Gabriel and Elizabeth (Richardson) Leggett, married Cicily, daughter of Thomas Hunt, who was a son-in-law of Edward Jessup. The original grant of Hunt's Point was to Hunt and Jessup.
(II) Gabriel (2), youngest child of Ga- briel (1) and Elizabeth (Richardson) Leggett, was born in 1697 or '98, at West Farms, and in his latter years moved to West Patent of North Castle, Westches- ter county. He was a landowner and held the office of alderman. He married (first) Bridget - , and (second) in 1765, Mary Wiggins, who died before 1781. He married (third) in 1782, Sarah Brown, and his death occurred at West Farms, in April, 1786.
(III) Thomas, son of Gabriel (2) and Bridget (-) Leggett, was born June 3, 1721, at West Farms. Prior to the Rev- olutionary War he bought a farm at Still- water, Saratoga county, New York, where
most of his children were born. At the time of the battle of Saratoga, the dwell- ing and outbuildings, which were of logs, were within the Hessian redoubt, and at the approach of Burgoyne the family crossed the river to Easton, Washington county. Mr. Leggett married Mary Em- bree, who was born in 1723, and he and his family were the first of the name to be enrolled in the Society of Friends. They were founders of a Friends' Society at Stillwater.
(IV) Thomas (2), son of Thomas (I) and Mary (Embree) Leggett, was born January 17, 1755, and, with his brother Isaac, was taken prisoner by the British and carried to the camp at Schuylerville, but escaped and returned home. Thomas Leggett lived in Westchester until 1836, when he removed to New York City. He married (first) in 1781, Mary, born in 1762, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Haight, of Flushing, Long Island. He married (second) in 1808, Mary Under- hill, who died in 1849. Mr. Leggett died in New York, October 10, 1843.
(V) William Haight, son of Thomas (2) and Mary (Haight) Leggett. was born April 15, 1789, and was a merchant in New York City, a man of wealth for his day and generation. His home was at Rosebank, West Farms. He married, in 1814, at the Brick Presbyterian Church, New York City, Margaret Wright, and his death occurred December 22, 1863.
(VI) Catherine Maria, daughter of William Haight and Margaret (Wright) Leggett, became the wife of William M. Allen (see Allen line).
WILCOX, Robert Mead,
Financier.
As vice-president and cashier of the Greenwich National Bank, no other in- troduction is necessary, nor would be,
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even were Mr. Wilcox's official position a less conspicuous one, as in any case his standing as a citizen would render him a "man of mark" in the community.
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