USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 5
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(V) Peter Mead, son of Samuel and Hannah Mead, was born October 2, 1700. He married, July 29, 1744, Hannah Mead, daughter of Benjamin Mead.
(VI) Peter (2) Mead, son of Peter (I) and Hannah (Mead) Mead, was born January 14, 1755, and died December 20, 1832. He married, November 19, 1777, Hannah Close, daughter of Samuel and Deborah (Mead) Close, born March 14, 1756, died November 5, 1824.
(VII) Lucknor Mead, son of Peter (2) and Hannah (Close) Mead, was born May 17, 1793, and died January 6, 1846. He married, February 14, 1814, Sophia Fletcher, who was born October 4, 1794. and died April 24, 1852. He was a pros- perous, ambitious man, and brought up his children in the habits of thrift and in- dustry.
(VIII) Captain Benjamin C. Mead, son of Lucknor and Sophia (Fletcher) Mead, was born in Greenwich, Connec- ticut, 1817, and died in 1879. He was only fourteen years old when he began "following the water." The public pros- perity had reached a point where advan- tages of commercial communications be- tween various sections had become a mat- ter of established fact. This was in the days before the railways made transpor- tation rapid, safe, and low enough in cost to compete successfully with sailing craft. Benjamin C. Mead, with the spirit of his forebears strong in him, set out to make his own future in the coastwise trade. He began on a packet running be- tween Bridgeport and New York, loaded
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with produce from the Connecticut farms. Good-tempered, hard-working, possessed of excellent judgment and the ability to command, he rose rapidly, and was only twenty years old when he became cap- tain of a vessel. The business was very profitable, with no competition, and he invested his savings to such good ad- vantage that at one time he owned two schooners. He always remained in the coastwise trade, following the seafaring life up to within a short time before his death.
Captain Benjamin C. Mead married Mary E. Ritch, daughter of Ralph and Clemence (Mead) Ritch (see Ritch VI). They were the parents of eight children.
(The Ritch Line).
(I) Henry Ritch, the earliest ancestor of this family of whom there is record in this section of Connecticut, bought land of Caleb Webb in Stamford in 1681. In 1685 he sold this land and removed to Greenwich. Here he was granted three acres of land, May 19, 1686. He died in the latter part of the year 1710. He mar- ried (first) October 21, 1680, Martha Pen- oyer, daughter of Robert Penoyer. The Christian name of his second wife was Sarah.
(II) Thomas Ritch, son of Henry Ritch, was born about 1682, and prob- ably spent his entire life in the same neighborhood. His wife's Christian name was Ruth.
(III) John Ritch, son of Thomas and Ruth Ritch, was born May 4, 1718. He married, February 17, 1741, Jemima Holmes.
(IV) James Ritch, son of John and Jemima (Holmes) Ritch, was born June 8, 1763. He married (first) Mary Ann Lockwood, born April 15, 1763. Married (second) Mary Whelpley, born October 18, 1774.
(V) Ralph Ritch, son of James and Mary (Whelpley) Ritch, was born March 9, 1798, and died December 28, 1846. He was the seventh child. He married, De- cember 5, 1819, Clemence Mead, born De- cember 25, 1797, died March 27, 1867, daughter of Matthew and Nancy (Hob- by) Mead.
(VI) Mary E. Ritch, daughter of Ralph and Clemence (Mead) Ritch, married Cap- tain Benjamin C. Mead (see Mead VIII).
MEAD, Benjamin Heath,
Attorney-at-Law.
There was never a time in the history of our Nation when there was more im- perative need of sane, wholesome man- hood in public life. The country needs men who do not fear to be leaders, men who are able to apply in a practical way the deductions which business or profes- sional life has taught them to the health and upbuilding of the body politic. The communities which can command this loyal service are taking front rank in the march of progress. The city of Stamford, Connecticut, counts among these men the name of Benjamin Heath Mead, whose ancestors have borne their share in the founding and development of the city.
(IX) Benjamin Penfield Mead, son of Captain Benjamin C. and Mary E. (Ritch) Mead (q.v.), was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, September 23, 1848. He was only an infant when his parents, who had theretofore lived in Greenwich, re- turned to that town. He attended the pub- lic schools, and then completed his edu- cation in the Greenwich Academy. He spent his early years with his father on shipboard. But a seafaring life did not appeal to him from a business viewpoint, and about the time he became of age he went to New York and entered the em- ploy of Davis & Benson, wholesale flour
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
merchants. He found business life con- genial, but after several years with this firm became anxious to branch out for himself. Going to New Canaan, Connec- ticut, he formed a partnership with James W. Burtes, and they embarked in the gro- cery business. They were very success- ful, and this partnership was continued until a short time before Mr. Mead's death. Mr. Mead was an active member of the firm, a first class business man. He also became interested in local real estate. He had great faith in the future prosperity and progress of the town of New Canaan, and put heart and soul into its development, with the result that those who knew can recognize his hand in many of the most desirable features of the town. He helped to found the New Canaan Public Library, and the free read- ing room connected with it. He recog- nized the fact that the security of our Government and her future position among the nations of the world rests largely on the intelligence of her citizens. The library thus started in a humble way has grown to be one of the important in- stitutions of the town. The memory of his work in connection with it, and the great heart and broad sympathies of the man, will long keep alive the impulse he gave it at the start. He was one of the founders of the New Canaan Fire Com- pany, also founded the New Canaan Wa- ter Company with others.
Mr. Mead was a Republican in political affiliation, and it was but natural that his party should place a man of his calibre in positions of responsibility. He was repeatedly elected to public office. He held every office in the town government, from selectman to auditor. He served as first selectman for eight or ten consecu- tive years, and was representative to the Legislature for three terms-1885, 1887 and 1889. He also served in the State
Senate for two years, being elected by the Twelfth District. During his legislative career he served on the membership com- mittee, the school fund, was chairman of the fish and game committee, and served on the senatorial, charities, and cities and boroughs committees. He was state con- troller for two consecutive terms. When he was elected controller the second time, he was the only man on the Republican ticket to be elected. He also served for a time as state auditor. Although he was a candidate for public office upwards of thirty times, he was never once defeated.
Benjamin Penfield Mead married Flor- ence Heath, daughter of Benjamin Heath, of New Canaan, born in 1857. Of their children four grew to maturity; Benja- min Heath, of whom extended mention will follow; Harold H., born November 25, 1888; Stanley Penfield, born in 1890, who was graduated from Yale Univer- sity, Bachelor of Arts, and from Yale Law School, Bachelor of Laws, now a member of the firm of Bartram & Mead; Florence Louise, born December 26, 1893. The family have always been active in the work of the Congregational church, Mr. Mead having been until his death a trustee of the society, and his wife prom- inent in the work of the women's organ- izations connected with the church. The passing away of Mr. Mead was looked upon as a public loss, and his many friends united with his family in paying respect to his memory.
(X) Benjamin Heath Mead, the eldest child of Benjamin Penfield and Florence (Heath) Mead, was born in New Can- aan, Connecticut, March 27, 1887. As a boy, he was an active, whole-souled fel- low, going into study and sports alike with the vim and eagerness characteris- tic of his family. He was educated in King's private school, Stamford, and long before his graduation from that institu-
Conn-8-3
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tion had mapped out his future. He en- tered Yale University and was gradu- ated in 1906 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then entered Yale Law School and was graduated in 1908 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to the bar the same year, and practiced with his uncle, the Hon. James R. Mead, of Greenwich, a review of whose life appears in this work, remaining with him for about one year. Advantageous as this arrangement was, Mr. Mead fol- lowed the traditions of the family in strik- ing out for himself. In 1909 he formed a partnership with Floyd B. Bartram, a sketch of whose life also appears in this work. The firm name became Bartram & Mead, and while it is one of the younger law firms in this section these progres- sive young men have already won an en- viable position in their profession. While Mr. Mead was still in college he was cap- tain of the Yale Military Company, and during the recent World War he devoted every possible resource and a very large share of his time to the forwarding of every public movement in support of the American Expeditionary Force. He was captain of a team on each of the Liberty Loan drives, was secretary of the Salva- tion Army Drive, and the law office of Bartram & Mead took care of all the cler- ical work connected therewith. Mr. Mead also worked on all the Red Cross drives. Socially, he is much sought. He is a member of the Beta Theta Pi; of Wooster Lodge, No. 37, Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows ; of Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He is serving his second year as presi- dent of the Stamford Kiwanis Club, and is a member of the Suburban Club.
Mr. Mead married Ivy St. John Com- stock, daughter of Frank L. and Esther Elizabeth Comstock, and they are the parents of four children: Benjamin
Heath, Jr., Esther Elizabeth and Flor- ence Louise, twin daughters, and Faith Bickford. Mr. and Mrs. Mead are active members of the Congregational church, where Mr. Mead has served as trustee and assistant superintendent of the Sunday school. He is now president of the Young People's Society.
It takes no prophet to foresee for Mr. Mead a future which shall make a mark on the history of the city and the State. He is a Republican in political affilia- tion, and has served on the Town Com- mittee and on the Board of Finance of Now Canaan, and on the Town Highway Commission. He was nominated for Sen- ator from the district, but was defeated by the Progressive party, which split the normal Republican vote. He has taken the stump with good effect for the party in several political campaigns.
MEAD, Hon. James R.,
Lawyer, Jurist.
In public life to serve is the greatest honor. The man who has given most of the depths of his experience, of the breadth of his sympathies, or the strength of his spirit, this is the man to whom the world, often all unwittingly, yields the tribute of confidence. That this tribute carries with its burdens and responsibili- ties makes it no less an honor, but it is rarely bestowed where it is undeserved. With such a man as the Hon. James R. Mead, of Greenwich, Connecticut, it is not difficult to understand why the people place in him the confidence which a child feels in his father, or a man in a leader who has proven his capability under stress of adverse circumstances. Judge Mead has won and held the confidence of the people during all the years in which he has been a member of the Fairfield county bar.
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James Mead
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
(IX) Hon. James R. Mead, the eminent attorney and judge of Greenwich, Con- necticut, son of Captain Benjamin C. and Mary E. (Ritch) Mead (q. v.), was born in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, August 28, 1860. He received his elemen- tary education in the public schools of his native town, and later attended the Greenwich Academy. He was a devoted and thorough student, loving research for its own sake as well as for the purpose it served in forwarding his life ambition. He entered the law office of Colonel H. W. R. Hoyt, of Greenwich, and after studying under his able preceptorship was admitted to the bar, May 19, 1882. From the first he showed promise of the re- markable power which he developed in later life. He remained with Colonel Hoyt for three years longer, then opened an office of his own in Greenwich. He has carried on for the greater part a gen- eral law practice, but has handled some very interesting and celebrated cases.
The services of a man of this calibre could not be overlooked by that public which needs men. Judge Mead has al- ways been affiliated with the Republican party, and the party needed him. Not only did the party need him, the city and State needed him, for he was not a man to subserve the good of the public to the interests of the party. He was first elected town clerk, in 1886, and held the office continuously for seventeen years. He was assistant prosecuting attorney of the Borough Court for ten years. In June, 1889, he was elected deputy judge of the Borough Court, which office he held for two years; he served for two years as warden of the borough of Greenwich, and was for four years its borough attorney, and for six years a member of the Board of Burgesses of the borough of Green- wich; then was elected to the State Leg- islature and served in the session of 1903.
He served as house chairman of the in- surance committee; was member of the committee on congressional and sena- torial districts. In 1915 he was elected to the State Senate and reelected in 1917. He served as chairman at both sessions of the Senate committee on cities and boroughs. He was again reëlected in 1919, and was made Senate chairman of the committee on appropriations. He is chairman of the committee appointed by the last Legislature to frame a new ad- ministration code. He has been delegate to many party conventions, and has served his party on the stump in many important and closely contested cam- paigns. In the public institutions of the town of Greenwich, Judge Mead has al- ways held positions of dignity and re- sponsibility. He is a director of the Greenwich National Bank, and president of the Greenwich Water Company. He is president of the Putnam Cemetery As- sociation, and of the New Canaan Water Company.
Judge Mead married Elizabeth M. Stone, daughter of Thomas Stone, of Brooklyn, New York. They have long attended and supported the Congrega- tional church.
MEAD, Charles,
Member of Important Family.
The best asset in a community is its strong men, men of honor and integrity. These men leave a definite impression upon the public, the professional and in- dustrial life of a city. They prove the truth of the assertion that "The world today is what the men of the last gener- ation have made it." Closely interwoven with the history of Fairfield county is the history of the Mead family. Members of this family have been settled there since
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a very early date, and they have taken a vital interest in all of its affairs.
(III) Ebenezer Mead, son of John and Hannah (Potter) Mead (q. v.), was born in 1663, and died in 1728. He married, in 1691, Sarah Knapp, of Stamford, Con- necticut.
(IV) Ebenezer (2) Mead, son of Eben- ezer (1) and Sarah (Knapp) Mead, was born October 25, 1692, and died May 3, 1775. He married, December 12, 1717, Hannah Brown, of Rye, New York.
(V) Jonas Mead, son of Ebenezer (2) and Hannah (Brown) Mead, was born December 25, 1723, and died September 14, 1783. He married Sarah Howe, daughter of Captain Isaac Howe, born January 9, 1741, died December 8, 1779.
(VI) Deacon Jonas (2) Mead, son of Jonas (1) and Sarah (Howe) Mead, was born April 13, 17-, and died August 2, 1871. He married, January 2, 1809, Han- nah Hebbard, daughter of Nathaniel Heb- bard, who died March 12, 1814.
(VII) Deacon Charles Mead, son of Deacon Jonas (2) and Hannah (Hebbard) Mead, was born February 4, 1812, and died January 10, 1898. He was educated in Greenwich, Connecticut, and the work of farming occupied the greater part of his life. In his youth he was a member of the Train Band. He married, Decem- ber 31, 1831, Rachel Elizabeth Sackett (see Sackett VIII).
Mr. and Mrs. Mead were the parents of the following children : Sarah A., wife of Benjamin P. Brush; Whitman Sackett, whose sketch follows; Mary E., wife of Zophar Mead ; Hannah H., born Septem- ber 2, 1851 ; Charles Noah, whose sketch follows.
(The Sackett Line).
(I) Simon Sackett, the first of the fam- ily in New England, died in October, 1635. He came to New England in the ship "Lyon" in 1630, and was among the
first settlers of Newton, now Cambridge, Massachusetts.
(II) Simon (2) Sackett, son of Simon (1) Sackett, was born in 1630, and was but an infant when his parents brought him to America. He died in 1659. He married, in 1652, Sarah Bloomfield, daughter of William and Sarah Bloom- field.
(III) Captain Joseph Sackett, son of Simon (2) and Sarah (Bloomfield) Sack- ett, was born in Springfield, Massachu- setts, February 23, 1656, and died July 23, 1719. He lived in Newton, Long Island, and held many public offices. He was a member of the Presbyterian church. He married Elizabeth Betts, daughter of Cap- tain Richard Betts.
(IV) Rev. Richard Sackett, son of Captain Joseph and Elizabeth (Betts) Sackett, was born about 1686, and died May 8, 1737. In 1709 he was graduated from Yale College, where he had studied for the ministry. In 1711 he was the preacher in Maidenhead and Hopewell, New Jersey, and the following year was in Saybrook. In 1714 he was in Green- wich, Connecticut, preaching, and two years later in that part of Greenwich called Horse Neck. In 1717 a new church was formed there of which he was or- dained the pastor. He labored diligently among his flock and was greatly beloved. He died May 9, 1727.
(V) Hon. Nathaniel Sackett, son of Rev. Richard Sackett, was born June 8, 1720, and died before 1768. About 1739 he married Anne Bush, daughter of Justus Bush, Jr., who died about 1746. For some years Mr. Sackett lived in New York City, where he was in business. He was a member of Captain Van Horne's military company ; in 1753 he established his per- manent home in Greenwich, Connecticut. In 1756 he was representative, also in
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1760; and from 1757 to 1760 he served as justice of the peace.
(VI) Justus Sackett, son of Hon. Na- thaniel and Anne (Bush) Sackett, was born in 1740, and died January 15, 1827. He married Anna Lyon.
(VII) John Sackett, son of Justus and Anna (Lyon) Sackett, was married, Jan- uary 12, 1809, to Mary Mead, daughter of Whitman and Rachel Mead. He died in 1864.
(VIII) Rachel Elizabeth Sackett, the daughter of John and Mary (Mead) Sackett, was born December 19, 1811, died July 18, 1885. She became the wife of Deacon Charles Mead (see Mead VII).
MEAD, Whitman Sackett, Public-spirited Citizen.
Whitman S. Mead, son of Deacon Charles and Rachel Elizabeth (Sackett) Mead (q. v.), was born April 17, 1841, in Byram, on the Byram river, Connecti- cut, and was educated in the school at Coscob and the Greenwich Academy of Greenwich, Connecticut. At the age of eighteen years he went to work for a wholesale dry goods house in New York City, where he continued until the out- break of the Civil War. The members of this firm being Southerners, they natu- rally returned to the South and at the same time Mr. Mead returned to his na- tive home to care for his father's farm. Since 1686 this homestead has been in possession of the family. Business in- terests soon engaged his attention and practically all of his time were devoted to them, although throughout his entire life he managed the farm interests. Mr. Mead was a trustee of the Greenwich Trust and Loan Company, and a director of the Rippowam Woolen Manufactur- ing Company. He was very active in public matters ; his vote was cast for Ab-
raham Lincoln in 1860, and he was a staunch supporter of the principles of the Republican party. Mr. Mead was hon- ored with many positions of trust and re- sponsibility ; he was registrar and select- man, and was appointed in July, 1891, county commissioner. In January, 1897, he was appointed judge of probate. In many ways he gave assistance to those who needed it ; he gave of his time to the public welfare and of his finances to those charitable movements which brought hope and many times sunshine to the less for- tunate. He was held in the highest re- spect, and at his death in 1914 was sin- cerely mourned.
Mr. Mead married, February 9, 1871, Sara Sackett, born September II, 1845, daughter of J. Ralph and Mary E. (Mead) Sackett, and this marriage was blessed with four daughters. They were: Julia, Clara, Helen and Marion.
MEAD, Charles Noah,
Merchant.
Charles Noah Mead, son of Deacon Charles and Rachel Elizabeth (Sackett) Mead (q.v.), was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, February 25, 1854. The Academy of Greenwich afforded him his early education, and the intervals between were spent in assisting his father about the work of the homestead. Through this outdoor exercise the young man devel- oped a sound mind and healthy body, and was well equipped to enter the business world.
In partnership with Henry M. Brush, the oldest dry goods business in Green- wich was purchased in the early eighties. For many years they carried on the busi- ness .under the firm name of Mead & Brush. The interests of his. partner were subsequently purchased by Mr. Mead, who continued to conduct it alone for
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several years. With the natural growth of the town and the growth needed in business to compete with this, Mr. Mead incorporated the business, since which time he has acted as president. During his many years in business Mr. Mead has been distinguished for his high-minded integrity, and all those who come in con- tact with him admire his qualities. He has rendered faithful and conscientious service to his city and State. For many years he has served as deacon of the Con- gregational church of Greenwich, and is the sixth in direct descent of his family to hold this office. In the spring of 1919, Mr. Mead put a new bell in the church tower in memory of the ancestors who had preceded him in the office of deacon.
MEAD, Oliver Deliverance, Business Man.
The name of Mead is frequently found on the pages of history of Fairfield county, Connecticut. From the earliest settle- ments in that colony the members of this family have been prominent and are still to-day upholding the prestige and honor- able position which they have occupied for generations.
(V) Jared Mead, son of Ebenezer (2) and Hannah (Brown) Mead (q.v.), was born December 15, 1738, died May 8, 1832. He married, December 10, 1775, Lydia Smith, born December 8, 1754, died January 27, 1824, daughter of Daniel Smith.
(VI) Daniel Smith Mead, son of Jared and Lydia (Smith) Mead, was born No- vember 20, 1778, and died December 21, 1831. He married, January 16, 1806, Ra- chel Mead, born September 2, 1779, died January 10, 1859, daughter of Joshua Mead.
(VII) Daniel Smith (2) Mead, son of Daniel Smith (1) and Rachel (Mead)
Mead, was born in Greenwich, Connec- ticut, on the site now occupied by the undertaking rooms of Mr. Knapp, April 9, 1811, and died in 1906. His educa- tional opportunities were limited, but he was a keen student of human nature and was highly respected for his opinions. He was a farmer, and in politics was originally a Whig and later a Republican. Mr. Mead was an exceptionally quiet, home-loving man, and for many years a member of the Congregational church. He married, November 26, 1832, Huldah Mead, daughter of Ephraim Mead, born February 5, 1812, died October 27, 1882. Their children were: Ophelia, married William Long; Esther A., married Isaac Mead; Daniel Smith (3); Oliver D., of further mention.
(VIII) Oliver Deliverance Mead, son of Daniel Smith (2) and Huldah (Mead) Mead, was born in Greenwich, Connecti- cut, December 29, 1842. He was brought up on the home farm and remained there until 1882, when he removed to his pres- ent residence in Field Point Park, where he continued farming. Later he organ- ized the Field Point Land Company, of which he has since been president, and cut the farm up into house lots. In this way one hundred and fifteen acres have been developed into the most beautiful residence sections of the State. Mr. Mead was also president of the Green- wich Niational Bank for ten years. For thirteen years he served in the State Militia.
Mr. Mead married Cornelia Scofield, daughter of William and Cornelia (Mead) Scofield. Cornelia (Mead) Scofield was born September 12, 1820, and died June 9, 1873. William Scofield, her husband, was born September 29, 1816, and died February 16, 1906. He was of Stamford. He was a son of Rufus Scofield, who died in Greenwich, July 28, 1854, aged sev-
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