USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 54
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(VIII) Mary Elizabeth Foster, daugh- ter of John Benedict and Phoebe (Hobbs) Foster, was born June 23, 1829, in South East, New York, and became the wife of John Ely Keeler, as stated above.
(IX) Mary Gazella Foster, daughter of Anson and Mary (Atwater) Foster, was born April 13, 1856, in Stonington, Connecticut, and on November 15, 1882, became the wife of John Foster Keeler, as stated above.
BEERS, Louis S., Attorney.
In the parish of Westcliffe, County Kent, England, the Beers family appears to have originated at a place called Bere's or Byers Court. William de Bere of Bere's Court, was bailiff of Dover about 1275, and Nicholas de Bere held the manor of Bere's Court in the twentieth year of Henry III. Of this same family was Roger Bere, who died in the reign of Queen Mary, and whose son John, in 1542, purchased the Horsman place, in Dart- ford, said to have been a mansion of some note. In his will, 1572, this John Bere founded four almshouses in Dartford, and
devised his mansion to his son Henry. His grandson, Edward, died unmarried, in 1627.
Martin de Bere, the first of the family to whom an unbroken line is traced from the American pioneer, lived at Rochester, County Kent, in 1486; he married a daughter of Thomas Myssell, of Wrot- ham, and had a son, John Beers, who married Faith, daughter of John Royden. James Beers, their son, married Dorothy, daughter of John Kingswood, of Roches- ter, and their son, John Beers, married Mary, daughter of Robert Selby, of York- shire. They were the parents of James Beers, who was a mariner, and was lost at sea; he married Hester, and she died in 1635. Anthony Beers, his son, came to America with his uncle, Richard Beers, in 1635; he was first in Watertown, later in Roxbury, and served as a sergeant in the Indian Wars in 1649. In 1658 he re-
moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, and like his father, he was a mariner, and was also lost at sea, in 1676. His wife was Eliza- beth, and their children were: Ephraim, born in 1648; John, born in 1652; Samuel B., born in 1657; Barnabas, born 1658. Anthony Beers was undoubtedly the an- cestor of the Beers family whose history is given herein.
Ezekiel Beers, grandfather of Louis S. Beers, was born in 1793, and died De- cember 25, 1859. He lived for many years in New Canaan, and may have been a native of that town. In his youth he learned the trade of cabinet-maker and undertaker, which occupation he followed in Westport for some years. In those days a cabinet-maker did his own finish- ing, and that part of the work so affected the health of Mr. Beers that he was forced to give it up and take up the occupation of carpenter.
Mr. Beers married, September 10, 1818, Abigail St. John, born in 1800, daughter
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Louis al. Burs
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
of Abijah and Hannah (Hendricks) St. John. One of the oldest families in Fair- field county is the St. John family, or Sention, as it was early written. The founder, Matthias Sention, was one of the prominent men of his day. He was the ancestor of Mrs. Abigail (St. John) Beers, who traces in an unbroken line. The children of Ezekiel and Abigail (St. John) Beers, were: William S., born April 17, 1820, died May 19, 1857; George, born June 28, 1823, died June 15, 1829; Sarah Ann, born April 15, 1825, married Stephen James ; Adolphus Perry, of whom fur- ther ; Abigail Amelia, born June 17, 1829, married James James ; Jane Augusta, born June 24, 1831, married Isaac W. Daniels ; and Esther Mary, born October 16, 1841, married William Wardwell. Mr. and Mrs. Beers were among the founders of the Methodist church at Silver Mine, in New Canaan.
Adolphus Perry Beers, son of Ezekiel and Abigail (St. John) Beers, was born in Silver Mine, on the old Beers homestead, January 2, 1827, died in April, 1906. He learned the trade of carpenter with his father and followed it some years. After the death of his wife he removed to Nor- walk, where he spent the last ten years of his life. Mr. Beers was a natural me- chanic and had picked up the essentials of the machine trade. In Norwalk he worked for some time at the Union Man- ufacturing Company, where he was in charge of the machine shop. Mr. Beers married Sarah L. Gilbert, daughter of Josiah Gilbert, of Brighton, New York. Among their children was Louis S. Beers, of whom further.
Louis S. Beers, son of Adolphus Perry and Sarah L. (Gilbert) Beers, was born in Silver Mine, August 18, 1866, died May 8, 1920. He was educated in the public schools and the Norwalk High School. He then entered the employ of the First
National Bank of South Norwalk, where he was teller for many years. In his spare time Mr. Beers had been reading law and had become so interested in the sub- ject that when the bank went out of busi- ness he entered the offices of Judge George H. Vosburgh and General Russell Frost. After his admission to the bar, Mr. Beers practiced alone until his death. He was clerk of the City Court for several years, and was assistant secretary of the Norwalk Building and Loan Association. In his practice of law, Mr. Beers special- ized on real estate law and also carried on a real estate business, developing a num- ber of tracts. In politics, a Republican, Mr. Beers was several times called upon to hold public office, and held the office of assessor, and for seven years was a member of the Board of Education; for four or five years, and up to the time of his death, he served on the Board of Estimate and Taxation.
Mr. Beers married Mary Albertson, daughter of William and Jane Albertson, of New York City, and they were the parents of three children: I. Lois St. John, born July 1, 1893; married William Ferris, of Norwalk. 2. Albertson S., a sketch of whom follows. 3. Kenneth Sanford, born June 11, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Beers were members of the South Norwalk Congregational Church for many years. Mr. Beers served as treasurer of the church, and was also greatly inter- ested in the welfare work done by the churches.
BEERS, Albertson S.,
Dairyman.
Albertson S. Beers, son of Louis S. and Mary (Albertson) Beers (q. v.), was born in Norwalk, January 1, 1897. He was educated in the public schools of that place, graduating from the high school in
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1914. The following year and a half were spent at Cornell University studying me- chanical engineering. For a year he was with the Connecticut State Dairy Depart- ment testing cows, and this led him to enter the retail milk business on his own account. He purchased the business of T. B. Woodruff, and until May 1, 1920, continued alone. On that date he formed a partnership with Samuel J. Stewart, of Norwalk, under the name of The Nor- walk Dairy Company. On October I, 1921, they bought the business of Charles H. Hawxhurst, and at the same time Clarence Seymour was admitted to the firm and became vice-president. They do a large and profitable business ; Mr. Beers is very well fitted for his work through training and experience, and their suc- cess is assured.
Mr. Beers married Gladys Louise Olm- stead, daughter of Gilson and Caroline Olmstead, of North Wilton, Connecticut. Mrs. Beers is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while her husband at- tends the Congregational.
STEWART, Samuel J., Business Man.
By perseverance and application, Sam- uel J. Stewart has so utilized his life as to render it of value not only to himself but to others. Prominent as a citizen and as a man of highest integrity, he is in every sense of the phrase a self-made man. Mr. Stewart's surname is one of the oldest in English records. Originally it was de- rived from the occupation of steward, and was the name assumed by the Fitz Wal- ters and the Fitz Allans from their office of steward of the Royal household, and destined to become famous through their deeds. In the Hundred Rolls (1274) the name of Hugh le Steward is found. Other
spellings of the name are: Styward, Stu- art and Stuard.
The Stewart family, of which Samuel J. Stewart is a scion, was early settled in New York State. Thomas B. Stewart, his father, was born in Brooklyn, where he grew to manhood. He was born in 1842, and died in 1911. As a young man he went to Orange county, and there was engaged in dairy farming throughout his active life. He married Mary F. Baird, daughter of John Baird, of Warwick, Or- ange county, New York. They were the parents of the following children : Samuel J., of further mention ; Julia, wife of Frank Laroe, and a resident of North Beverly, Massachusetts; and Mary, wife of J. B. Laroe, residing in Sugar Loaf, Orange county. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart were mem- bers of the Episcopal church at Warwick.
Samuel J. Stewart, son of Thomas B. and Mary F. (Baird) Stewart, was born February 2, 1871, in Bellvale, Orange county, New York, and was reared on the home farm in Warwick. He attended the district schools, and while still in his teens went to Brooklyn, where he entered the employ of the Tuttle & Bailey Manufac- turing Company, manufacturers of venti- lators. It did not take very long for Mr. Stewart to discover that he could not stand the confinement of indoor work, so after a little more than a year he entered the employ of the Meadowbrook Dairy Company, of Brooklyn, where he re- mained about two years. When he was nineteen he bought a milk route and went into business for himself, and after about five years formed a partnership with Ira C. Hunter, under the firm name of Stew- art & Hunter. That continued about two years and then Mr. Stewart disposed of his interests, removing at the same time to Sugar Loaf, Orange county, where he bought a farm and became a milk pro-
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ducer, shipping milk to the company from which he had just withdrawn. After two years he sold this farm and bought the milk business in which he had been a part- ner. His next location was in Rosendale, New York, where he engaged in similar business. After disposing of this farm, Mr. Stewart entered the insurance field as assistant superintendent of the Kings- ton agency of the Metropolitan Life In- surance Company. From Kingston he was transferred to Rosendale, thence to Saugerties, and then back again to Kings- ton. From the latter town he went to Peekskill, and from there to Ossining. Mr. Stewart's success in the insurance business was assured, but a tempting proposition from the White Plains Milk and Creamery Company in 1908, forced him to resign, and he became manager of the latter company. After a year he formed a partnership with H. C. Buck- hout and they purchased the business, which they conducted under the firm name of Buckhout & Stewart. Subse- quently, they formed the Purity Milk and Cream Company and admitted a third partner.
A little later Mr. Stewart sold his in- terests and went with the Goucher Elec- tric Purifying Company, manufacturers of an electrical device for pasteurizing milk, a much superior method to the one then and now generally in use. This ven- ture, however, proved unsuccessful be- cause it called for an immense amount of money which was not available. Mr. Stewart became associated with the Crys- tal Lake Ice Company, and for seven years was engaged in business on his own account. Some seasons money was made and other seasons the accumulated profits were lost so that the net results were not so great. During the last two years of that period Mr. Stewart had engaged in the dairy business and this had grown so
that he decided to give it his undivided attention. Few milk dealers have the technical knowledge of the product they handle that Mr. Stewart possesses. When he was selling the pasteurizing device, he traveled all over New England, selling and installing outfits, and then establish- ing a demand for the milk handled by the new process. In the course of his work, he called upon thousands of physicians, and the questions they asked made it necessary for him to be familiar with every technical detail of the chemical structure of milk, how it is effected by various treatments, both with reference to its physical and chemical properties, and as to the effect of its food value. Mr. Stewart was heavily in debt when he started in the milk business for the last time, so much so that he was advised to take advantage of the bankruptcy laws to relieve himself of the burden. That he refused to do, but went manfully to work and has paid off every cent of indebted- ness, working early and late, and he has established a most enviable reputation for sterling honesty. In the spring of 1920 he formed a partnership with Albertson S. Beers, under the firm name of the Nor- walk Dairy Company, and October I, 1921, they bought the milk business of Charles H. Hawxhurst, which was added to their business. They installed a new and modern plant for pasteurizing and handling milk, and have four routes which are served by two autos and two wagons, and in addition they do quite a large wholesale business.
During all these years Mr. Stewart has dealt in real estate as opportunity and limited capital offered. As the tide turned in his favor, he was able to en- large his operations until by the spring of 1920 he was one of the leading real estate operators in Norwalk. In 1920 he purchased a farm in the Cranbury dis-
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
trict of Norwalk, of about twenty-one acres, and this he is operating as a small dairy farm, producing specially inspected Jersey milk.
Mr. Stewart married Annie B. Lane, daughter of Timothy Lane, of Brooklyn, New York, and they are the parents of eight children: 1. Anna, married Leo Leonard, who is associated with Mr. Stewart in his business, and they have three children : Leo, Marion, and Helen. 2. Marion, wife of Rowland Legg. Julia, wife of Garland Harward. 4.
3. Helen. 5. Samuel J., Jr. 6. Durland, as- sociated with his father. 7. Thomas, who is also connected with the business. 8. Grace.
GREEN, Francis E., Business Man.
For several generations the Green fam- ily has held an esteemed place in the his- tory of Poundridge, State of New York, but a town adjoining New Canaan, Con- necticut. Many of the early families in Poundridge removed there from Fairfield county so that they are among the Co- lonial families of Connecticut.
Thaddeus Keeler Green, grandfather of Francis E. Green, was a resident of Poundridge most of his lifetime. He was the father of Lewis Green, born in Pound- ridge, and lived to be fifty-six years of age. He was accustomed to farm life, and in due time succeeded to the owner- ship of the home farm. Agricultural pur- suits occupied most of his time, and for eighteen years he served in the interests of the town as assessor. Mr. Green mar- ried Clarissa Scofield, daughter of Squire Scofield, of Poundridge, and a descendant from one of the oldest families. Of their children, the following grew up: Leroy, now deceased; Philo, resides in Spring-
dale; Sarah, married William Granger, and resides in New Canaan ; Francis E., of further mention; Minerva, married Edward Zarr, and resides in Worthington, Massachusetts. Mr. Green attended the Methodist Episcopal church, and his wife was a member of the Congregational church.
Francis E. Green was born in Pound- ridge, February 14, 1864. He attended the public schools and also the Eastman's Business College, a famous school of that time. He grew up on the home farm, and after completing his studies at Eastman's came to New Canaan. There he entered the employ of Raymond & Sutton, dry goods merchants, where he remained for six years. About 1895 Mr. Green was attracted to the real estate and insurance business as an occupation, and he resigned from the mercantile work to enter this field. He has been signally successful in his undertaking, and owes much of his success to his sterling traits of character and pleasing personality. Mr. Green has taken an active interest in public matters, as has been customary with the members of his family for many years; he is a Democrat in politics, and is now president of the School Board ; he has been a mem- ber of the School Board for almost twenty years. Mr. Green is a corporator of the New Canaan Savings Bank, and is now a director of that institution. He is also a member of the Volunteer Fire Depart- ment, president of the New Canaan Li- brary Association, and president of the New Canaan Cemetery Association.
Mr. Green married Carrie Hodges, daughter of Charles W. Hodges, of New Canaan, and they have two children : Bea- trice, married Edward Lawrence, of New Canaan; Blanche, a student at Drew Seminary, New York. The family attend and support the Congregational church
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Francis E. Green.
Dr 21 Bradley
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
BRADLEY, Daniel Burr, Financier, Legislator.
It is no uncommon thing to find at the head of affairs in many of the New Eng- land towns and cities men whose ancestry can be traced to the first settlers of those towns. It seems particularly fitting that this should be so. One whose family is old in the history of Fairfield county, and whose career has been one to further honor the name is Daniel Burr Bradley, leading citizen and banker of Westport, Connecticut.
The name of Bradley is of Norman origin, and is a place name derived from Bradley, in Lincolnshire, England. In its old English form it was Brad-Leah and literally signified broad lea or meadow. The earliest Bradley known seems to be Sir Francis Bradley, who probably flour- ished in Yorkshire, and who must have been born about IIIO. The American immigrant ancestor of the family herein described was Francis Bradley. John Bradley, brother of the latter, was of the parish of St. Andrew's, Middlesex, and died in March, 1697-98. He was buried, according to all directions in his will, in the parish church of St. Pancras, on March 30th. His will, dated February 20, 1696, was proved March 31, 1697-98, in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, and is recorded in the records of that court, 47 Pyne. The original will is pre- served in the files.
The family of the immigrant in Eng- land has been traced to William Bradley, of Sheriff Hutton, County York, and the pedigree is given in Camden's "Visitation of the County of Warwick," in 1619, which is published in Volume XII of the "Publications of the Harleian Society." The arms of the family are there given as : Gules, a chevron argent between three
boars' heads couped or. These arms were not contained in early editions of Burke's General Armory, but in the edition of 1868 he copied it and gave Camden as his au- thority.
This William Bradley had a son, Wil- liam Bradley, of the city of Coventry, County Warwick, England, who married Agnes Margate. Francis Bradley, eldest son of William and Agnes Bradley, mar- ried Francisca Watkins, and their son, Francis Bradley, son and heir, aged twenty-four in 1619, was the founder of the American line. Joseph P. Bradley, author of "Family Notes Respecting the Bradley Family of Fairfield," and one of the chief historians of the family, an- nounced his faith in this descent in the above work.
(I) Francis Bradley, the immigrant, is first mentioned in the New Haven records in 1650; he was a member of the house- hold of Governor Theophilus Eaton, and it is possible that he came over with the latter in 1637, or with his cousin, William, in 1644. Francis Bradley settled in Bran- ford in 1657, and in Fairfield in 1660. He was made a freeman in October, 1664. He married Ruth Barlow, daughter of John Barlow.
(II) Daniel Bradley, fifth child and third son of Francis and Ruth (Barlow) Bradley, was born in 1673, and died in 1714. He married Abigail Jackson, daughter of Joseph Jackson.
(III) Captain Daniel (2) Bradley, son of Daniel (1) and Abigail (Jackson) Bradley, was born in 1704, and died April 23, 1765. Captain Bradley was an es- teemed citizen and a brave soldier; he served at Cape Breton in 1745. In 1724, Captain Bradley married (first) Esther Burr, born January 31, 1702-03, a de- scendant of Jehue Burr, and a sister of Rev. Aaron Burr, the first president of
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Princeton College (see Burr IV). In 1759 Captain Bradley and his family removed to Ridgefield.
(IV) Daniel (3) Bradley, son of Cap- tain Daniel (2) and Esther (Burr) Brad- ley, was baptized May 25, 1729, and died in Greenfield, Connecticut, January 8, 1780. In 1757 his father deeded him a homestead, and later he came in posses- sion of the homestead at the front of Long Lots at Hull's Farmns, in the town of Fairfield, and in 1773 he lost his property. Daniel Bradley married, August 8, 1751, Mary Banks, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Sherwood) Banks, born July 19, 1731, died July 28, 1815.
(V) Major Daniel (4) Bradley, son of Daniel (3) and Mary (Banks) Bradley, was born February 13, 1757, and died De- cember 8, 1837. Major Bradley served two months in 1716 in New York, and was in the retreat from New York when the British took possession of it. He was in the battle of Harlem in 1776, in Colonel Lewis' regiment, and received his ensign's commission, January 1, 1777. He was annexed to Captain Hart's company, Colonel Philip Burr Bradley's regiment, of the Connecticut line under the conti- nental establishment without any vaca- tion until November 3, 1783, when he was honorably discharged at West Point, New York. Major Bradley was in the battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut, when the British burned the public stores at Dan- bury ; also in the battle at or near King's Bridge, and in the battles of Monmouth and Germantown. He served on the staff of General Lafayette, who presented him with a sword. Afterwards Major Brad- ley served in the Indian War in the Northwest, and was in General St. Clair's army, but was left as one of a garrison in a small fort before that army was de- feated on November 4, 1791. He was commissioned captain to take rank from
that date, and was in the battle of Mau- mee when the Indians were defeated by General Wayne, August 20, 1794. On March 3, 1797, he was commissioned major of the 4th Regiment of Infantry, and his commission is in the hands of his descendant, Edward B. Bradley, of West- port (q. v.). In 1795 Major Bradley re- turned to Fairfield, stopping en route for a time in Philadelphia. Major Bradley married Elizabeth Stratton, born Decem- ber 1, 1760, died November 5, 1837, daugh- ter of John and Grace (Osborn) Stratton.
(VI) Daniel Banks Bradley, son of Major Daniel (4) and Elizabeth (Strat- ton) Bradley, was born November 30, 1795, in Westport, and was engaged in farming there all of his lifetime. He had a strong natural instinct for trading, and at one time or another he owned, it is said, numerous farms in Fairfield. He was an extensive dealer in cattle and made many trips into New York State to pur- chase them.
(VII) Daniel Burr Bradley, son of Daniel Banks Bradley, was born Novem- ber 28, 1823, and died May 11, 1911. His farming was on an extensive scale, keep- ing at times as many as thirty or forty cows. He was thus actively occupied until within a few years before his death. During the War of the Rebellion, Mr. Bradley enlisted, but was refused on ac- count of his teeth, which were not strong enough to bite the cartridges. Frater- nally he was a member of Temple Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Washington Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; and Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar. Mr. Bradley married, February 6, 1848, Sarah M. Henshaw, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Lockwood) Henshaw. Eliza- beth Lockwood was a daughter of John Lockwood, who was a brother of Luke V. Lockwood, a biography of whom, to- gether with his genealogy, appears else-
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
where in this work. Mr. Bradley and his wife were both graduates of Green Farms ยท Academy, studying under the same teacher, the well known Ebenezer B. Adams. Mr. and Mrs. Bradley were the parents of the following children : William Henshaw, born December 5, 1848 (q. v.); Daniel Burr, of whom further; Emily Amelia, born August 2, 1853, married, April 28, 1874, Robert H. Coley, and has three children : Leila M., born September 3, 1877, married Henry Kelley; Burr M., born May 3, 1884; Robert H., Jr., born February 28, 1886, married Lezia Talen ; Frances Adella, born June 2, 1858, mar- ried William Nathaniel Cole, of New York City.
(VIII) Daniel Burr (2) Bradley, son of Daniel Burr (1) and Sarah M. (Henshaw) Bradley, was born April 11, 1850, in West- port, where he attended the public schools, and the Green Farms Academy, under the preceptorship of Ebenezer B. Adams, same teacher and school as his father and mother attended, from which he graduated. He then attended a busi- ness college, after which he taught school for seven years. During this time Mr. Bradley read both law and medicine for pleasure. Finally, being compelled to give up teaching on account of his health, he went to Mount Kisco, New York, where he formed a partnership with L. B. Gor- ham, and under the firm name of Gorham & Bradley, they bought a furniture busi- ness which they soon enlarged by the addition of musical instruments and sew- ing machines. After two successful years they sold the business, and Mr. Bradley returned to Westport, where for several years he was engaged in farming.
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