USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 6
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STUPki
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
enty-five years. He owned and ran for some years a mill on the west side of the Mianus river at Coscob, Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Mead were the parents of three children: Cora A., married Adam Guy, of Brooklyn, New York; Olive May, mar- ried Newell L. Mead ; Lydia Smith, mar- ried William J. Ferris, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Mead and his wife attend the Congrega- tional church of Greenwich.
NASH, Paul,
Civil Engineer.
The story of America is a story of workers. The big men of our nation, from the beginning, have been men who were not afraid to go out and take hold of the real work of the world. They have not despised the grime and exhaustion of toil, and have given to labor a dignity which it never before had received. Be- cause this is true, America has become a nation of achievement and the men who belong to the great army of workers hold a higher position than those who belong to the aristocracies of old. Paul Nash, the prominent civil engineer of Stamford, is one of those men whose pride is his work.
The name of Nash is of Saxon origin. In the early times the prefix atte was much used with the first surnames, as Atte-Wood ; and for euphony an "n" was often added. Such was the case with the name "Atte-n-Ash." In the natural evo- lution of the name, the prefix was gradu- ally dropped, and the name became Nash. In all probability the first bearer of the name lived near an ash tree or an ash wood.
(I) The earliest known ancestor of the family, Edward Nash, was born in Lan- caster, England, in August, 1592, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
(II) Edward (2) Nash, son of Edward (1) Nash, was born in Lancaster, Eng- land, in 1623, and emigrated to America in 1649 or 1650. He resided in Stratford, Connecticut, for two years, where his daughter Anna was born January 18, 1651. In 1652 he removed to Norwalk, Connecticut, and there followed his occu- pation of tanner near where Christ Epis- copal Church now stands in East Nor- walk. There was a stream of water there which was used by Edward Nash in his business of tanner. It is believed that he was the first hearthstone occupant of the town of Norwalk, and the early records give no cause to doubt it. In 1690 he had a large estate rated at £216, and unvary- ing tradition says he lived to the age of seventy-six years.
(III) John Nash, son of Edward (2) Nash, was the first white male child born in Norwalk, in 1652, and he died between 1712 and 1713. He was presented with a piece of land on which now stands Christ Episcopal Church in East Nor- walk. John Nash married, May 1, 1684, Mary, daughter of Thomas Barlow, of Fairfield, whose widow Edward Nash had previously married for his second wife. Mrs. Mary Nash died September 2, 171I.
(IV) John (2) Nash, son of John (I) and Mary Nash, was born December 25, 1688. He married, May 19, 1709, Abigail Blakeley, daughter of Ebenezer Blakeley, of New Haven, Connecticut, and they were the parents of ten children.
(V) Micajah Nash, son of John (2) and Abigail (Blakeley) Nash, was born in 1720. He married, October 9, 1744, Mary Scribner, daughter of John and De- borah (Lee) Scribner.
(VI) Daniel Nash, son of Micajah and Mary (Scribner) Nash, was born Decem- ber 2, 1747. He married Freelove Wright, daughter of Dennis and Susannah (Smith) Wright, April 24, 1768. He later
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removed to Patchogue, Long Island, where he had a saw mill and sawed lum- ber for the soldiers in the Revolution.
(VII) Daniel (2) Nash, son of Daniel (1) and Freelove (Wright) Nash, was born May 12, 1770, in Patchogue, Long Island. He married Rebecca Camp, daughter of Jonathan and Hannah (Bou- ton) Camp, of Norwalk, October 9, 1808. Daniel Nash had a saw and grist mill on the King's Highway. He died August 2, 1865.
(VIII) Andrew Camp Nash, son of Daniel (2) and Rebecca (Camp) Nash, was born June 4, 1811, and died July II, 1897. He was a farmer. On January 18, 1835, he married Eliza A. Adams, daugh- ter of Jabez and Anna Adams.
(IX) Edward Adams Nash, son of Andrew Camp and Eliza A. (Adams) Nash, was born December 25, 1841. He married Mary Edwards Morey, of Kent, Connecticut, June 6, 1866, and their chil- dren were: Edward Irving, born October 10, 1867; Anne Winifred, born March 13, 1869, who married W. J. Wood ; and Paul, of whom further.
(X) Paul Nash, son of Edward Adams and Mary Edwards (Morey) Nash, was born December 3, 1870, in Westport, Con- necticut. As a boy he showed interest in any kind of construction work. He re- ceived his early education in the public schools of Westport, then the South Nor- walk High School, from which he was graduated in 1886, and Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University in 1887, from which institution he was graduated in 1890 with the degree of Bachelor of Phil- osophy. He immediately struck out into active work along his chosen line, work- ing for two years in association with W. B. Rider, civil engineer of Norwalk. Then he entered the employ of the Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company, with whom he remained for six years. This
experience placed the young man where he felt the confidence in himself which is only to be won through actual handling of practical problems in any line of work. The opportunity offered, and in 1899 he became the city engineer of Stamford. This is a position of more than usual re- sponsibility, because it includes not only the usual engineering work of the city, but the work usually done by a contractor of public works, since the policy of the city of Stamford is to handle practically all its own work along this line. This, of course, involves the direction of large in- terests and the employment of consider- able labor. Mr. Nash has on an average about one hundred men working under him. He has been very successful in the management of the interests placed in his hands, being keen-witted and at the same time judicious, showing acute discern- ment and sound farsighted common sense in the conservation and development of the natural physical advantages and re- sources of the city, so far as they have come into his hands. In his twenty years of service as an administrative officer of the municipality, during which time its population has more than doubled, many substantial improvements and develop- ments have been made in the various lines of public work, assuring for the city of Stamford a place with the really pro- gressive cities of the country. Mr. Nash is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, also the Connecticut Society and the Yale Engineering Soci- ety ; also a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; the Suburban Club of Stamford; the Stamford Yacht Club.
Mr. Nash married, April 6, 1893, Anna May Punzelt, daughter of James P. Pun- zelt, of South Norwalk. They. are the parents of two children: Pauline, born February 21, 1903; Edward Maynard,
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Lloyd Cash
Edward C. Mach
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
born September 13, 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Nash are members of St. John's Episco- pal Church, of Stamford, of which Mr. Nash is vestryman. The family are much sought socially, and are among the thor- oughly representative people of the city.
NASH, Edward Colt, Business Man.
(VIII) Edward Hawks Nash, son of Daniel (2) and Rebecca (Camp) Nash (q. v.), was born August 6, 1809. He was a miller and farmer and had a planing and grist mill. He was a director of the West- port Bank. He was ambitious, thrifty, and gave much time to religious work. With his brother, Andrew Camp Nash, he gave the land and a large amount of money which made possible the building of new Christ Church and gave it an en- dowment. On October 9, 1836, he mar- ried (first) Abigail Gorham, and she died January 16, 1861. He married (second) September 17, 1861, Margaret Newkirk Williams, daughter of Reuben and Ame- lia Williams, and she died in 1871. Mrs. Margaret Nash was a descendant of Wil- liam Williams, who served in the Revolu- tion under Captain Godfrey and Colonel Dimon.
(IX) Lloyd Nash, son of Edward Hawks and Margaret Newkirk (Wil- liams) Nash, was born in Westport, Con- necticut, February 18, 1865. He was educated in the district schools, and sub- sequently followed a course at a business college. From an early age he proved himself a very good mechanic, and al- though but fifteen years old he was in charge of the grist and cider mills on his father's farm. He succeeded the latter in the management of these in later years. Mr. Nash added to the estates, and for many years was among the most progres- sive business men of Westport. He was
active in many outside matters, in indus- trial affairs, and also in public affairs. Mr. Nash was vice-president of the West- port & Saugautuck Street Railway Com- pany and also connected with the street railroad lines in Petersburg, Virginia, of which he was vice-president; he was also second vice-president of the Franklin Society of Home Building and Home Sav- ings in New York.
In politics, Mr. Nash was a staunch Republican ; on several occasions he was honored with public office, and in every instance he proved himself worthy of the choice of his constituents. In 1900 he was representative, during which time he served on the committee on banks; in 1902 he was elected State senator, and was a member of the committee on Senate appointments and contingent expenses. During the session he served as chairman of the committee on banks and the com- mittee on woman suffrage. Mr. Nash and his family attended the Episcopal church, Westport, and for many years he served as a vestryman of that church.
Mr. Nash married, April 6, 1885, Char- lotte Helen Colt, a native of Exeter, Ot- sego county, New York. On her maternal side, Mrs. Nash was descended from John Pratt, who was settled in New England in 1632. Mr. and Mrs. Nash were the parents of four children, two of whom survived. They are: Edward Colt, of further mention; Louise Helen, born September II, 1888, married W. Clark Crossman, and resides in Westport, Con- necticut. Mr. Nash died July 24, 1908.
(X) Edward Colt Nash, son of Lloyd and Charlotte Helen (Colt) Nash, was born February 14, 1887. He was educa- ted in the public schools. When he was about twelve years of age he was placed in the Norwalk University and there spent six years. Two years were then spent at the Chase School for Boys in Bridge-
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port, Connecticut, and two in the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York. On July 20, 1908, he graduated and took charge of his father's estate. He had just then taken up the ice business, which was pro- duced on a pond on his own farm, which contains about seventy-five acres. He developed this business to double its original amount, and conducts a large wholesale as well as retail business, run- ning seven auto trucks, covering a large territory and employing about a dozen men. Mr. Nash also carries on the cider business, making a large quantity of vine- gar. Since 1911 he has also engaged in the trucking business, having motors en- gaged in long distance hauling.
In spite of the demands made on his time by his business, Mr. Nash has taken an active interest in military matters and other public affairs. During the World War he was a member of the State Guard, and was captain of the Westport Com- pany, disbanded in January, 1919. He then joined the reserves, and in March, 1920, was assigned to Company I, 4th In- fantry, Connecticut State Guard, of Nor- walk, as captain ; was appointed major, February 1, 1921.
Mr. Nash married Anna Barbara Ebel, daughter of William G. Ebel, of Albany, New York, and they are the parents of four children : Harriet C., Anna Barbara, Louise Helen, Lloyd William. Mr. Nash and his family attend Christ Episcopal Church, of which he is a vestryman.
WILKINS, Albert James, Deceased.
The terminations, kin, kind, ling, let, and so forth, have the same signification as the Latin, genus, meaning race, off- spring, or children. It is from the Ger- man, kind (a child), the diminutive ter- mination, kin, is derived, and thus we
have the names, Watkin, meaning the son of Wat or Walter, and Wilkin, the son of Will or William. In very early times the Anglo-Saxons affixed this termination to the father's name, and always we find the "s" appended by the Welsh. The name of Wilkins is Welsh.
Albert James Wilkins was born in Utica, New York, January 19, 1848, son of Luke and Elizabeth (Downs) Wilkins, natives of Wales. Mr. Wilkins died in Bridgeport, Connecticut, March 8, 1904. He married, October 5, 1870, Eliza Anna Nash, a scion of one of the oldest families in Fairfield county (see Nash VIII). Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins were the parents of a daughter, Mary Amelia, born in May, 1872, died July 2, 1894.
RAYMOND, Thomas I., Prominent Business Man.
Active in business and general affairs of his community at an age when most men seek the rest and ease of retirement, Thomas I. Raymond was called from his busy life on May 8, 1920, in his seventy- third year. The widespread sorrow that was felt and the many expressions of re- gard and sympathy that poured from all quarters were the tribute of his fellows to a life lived purposefully and well, to the earnest endeavors of a man to perform his duties as they appeared to him, and to one who followed high ideals in every relation of life.
The name of Raymond is of very an- cient French origin. It is derived from two French words, rai, signifying a beam of light, and monde, meaning world. The Latin word raimundus is its exact equiva- lent. The history of the French family of Raymond is intensely interesting, includ- ing, as it does, a long line of Counts of Toulouse. Several of them participated in the Crusades, and in other ways they
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played important roles in making the his- tory of their times. It is said that in the civilization and refinement of its people the County of Toulouse and its indepen- dent lordships early in the twelfth century far surpassed all other parts of Gaul. Its citizens enjoyed religious liberty and free- dom of speech ; Jew, Christian, and infidel lived side by side in mutual tolerance; and commerce, literature, the arts, and sciences flourished under a form of gov- ernment at least suggesting the repub- lican. The Raymonds supported the Albigenses, and suffered greatly during the persecutions of that sect.
According to Lower, a leading author- ity on the origin of surnames, Raymond Berenger, who went down under the sword of the first Simon de Montfort, " presumably in the Albigensian War, bore one of the earliest double names. The names of Stephen and Pierre Raymond are found on the rolls of the first Knights Hospitaler of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem early in the twelfth century. The persecutions of the Albigenses scat- tered many of the Raymond families to the surrounding countries, and some of them went to England about the time of the Conquest. Apparently they first set- tled at a place called Raymond, in the Hundred of Wye, in Kent. The Essex families of the name claim descent from the settlers in Kent.
(I) Richard Raymond, the immigrant ancestor of the family here under consid- eration, probably came from County Sus- sex, England. This assumption is based on the fact that he lived in the territory included in the Captain John Mason Colony and that the members of that colony came from Sussex county. Rich- ard Raymond was made a freeman in Salem, Massachusetts, May 14, 1634. On January 2, 1636, he was granted half an acre of land at Winter Harbor (now Win-
ter Island in Salem Harbor) "for fishing trade and to build upon." The same year he received a grant of sixty acres at what is now Manchester, Massachusetts. In 1660 he sold a one-fourth interest in "the good Ketch called the Hopewell of Sa- lem." On October 20, 1662, he bought a house and lot in Norwalk, Connecticut, and it is probable that he became a resi- dent of Norwalk soon after his purchase. Two years later he moved to Saybrook. He called himself a mariner and engaged in coastwise trade with the Dutch and English settlers on Manhattan Island. It is also said that he made voyages to the Barbadoes. He and his wife, Judith, were members of the First Church at Salem before 1636, and all his children but John were baptized there. In 1676 he gave by will all of his lands in Norwalk "unto those children which my son, John Raymond, allready have or may have, by Mary Raymond, his present wife."
(II) John Raymond, son of Richard and Judith Raymond, drew lot No. 21 in a division of lots in the winter wheat field made in Norwalk in 1668. He also re- ceived a share of the common lands di- vided in 1687. He married, December 10, 1664, Mary Betts, born in Guilford, in 1646, daughter of Thomas Betts, of Nor- walk, who had only recently arrived in the plantation. Thomas Betts was born in England, in 1615-16. He was enrolled, seventeenth in number, on the Guilford, Connecticut, settlers-register. Accom- panied by his wife, Mary, he came to Nor- walk about 1660. His wife may possibly have been married before her Betts union, as in the will of Thomas Betts, Sr., exe- cuted May 10, 1688, he refers to "her children."
(III) John (2) Raymond, son of John (1) and Mary (Betts) Raymond, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, September 9, 1665, and died April 12, 1737. He was an
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important man in the town, captain of the train band, and a large owner of real es- tate. On December 16, 1713, he was, with Captain Joseph Platt and Ensign James Stewart, appointed a committee to make a settlement of a highway or road to Ridgefield, "if they and the com- mittee of Ridgefield can agree ; and doth fully impower said committee to make restitution to such persons that said high- way may take land from within the limits of Norwalk township."
On March 7, 1690, he married Elizabeth St. John, daughter of Samuel St. John, granddaughter of Matthias St. John, Sr. Her mother was Elizabeth (Hoyt) St. John, daughter of Walter Hoyt. Mat- thias St. John was born in England, and came to Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1631-32. The record of the marriage of John Raymond, Jr., reads: "He took to wife and was married unto Elizabeth Sension, the daughter of Samuel Sension, on the 7th day of March, 1690."
(IV) Jabez Raymond, son of John (2) and Elizabeth (St. John) Raymond, was born April 1, 1705. He married Rebecca Platt, born April 9, 1713, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Platt. He died at a good age, his will, drawn August 26, 1783, being court-proven August 3, 1789. His wife evidently survived him but a few months, as her estate was inventoried March 26, 1790. Their heirs were Jo- siah, their son, and the children of their deceased daughter, Ann, wife of Samuel Platt, son of John Platt, 3rd. They ap- pear to have lost an unmarried daughter, Hannah, in 1770.
(V) Josiah Raymond, son of Jabez and Rebecca (Platt) Raymond, married, No- bember 5, 1765, Molly Merwine, in Nor- walk. She was from Greenfield Hill and belonged originally, it seems, to the New Haven family of that name. She was but eighteen years of age at marriage, but
brought with her to her Norwalk home after her marriage several of the Green- field slaves, who worked in and out of doors and were a domestic power.
(VI) Thomas Raymond, son of Josiah and Molly (Merwine) Raymond, married, March 1, 1797, Eunice Meeker, of Green- field, and they lived in Ridgefield in the early part of the nineteenth century.
(VII) William Meeker Raymond, son of Thomas and Eunice (Meeker) Ray- mond, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1809, died in 1887. He was educated in the public schools, grew to manhood on the home farm, and all his life was a husbandman. When the time came for him to establish a home of his own, he bought land adjoining the homestead, and there built a house which sheltered him all his days. A man of quiet, unassum- ing manners, he took the interest of a good citizen in public affairs and shirked no duty that devolved upon him as a citi- zen or neighbor. The attractions of public office held no lure for him and he never accepted political office. He mar- ried Sarah E. Throop, daughter of Isaac Throop, of Easton, Connecticut, and they were the parents of the following chil- dren, who grew to maturity: 1. William T., born November 19, 1839, died in May, 1918, a lifelong resident of Norwalk. He was educated in the public schools, and when twenty years of age started to make his own way in the world. His first em- ployment was in a hotel in Westport, where he acquired sufficient knowledge of the business to open a hotel of his own. He continued in that business until 1871, when he was admitted to a partnership with his brother, Thomas I., who was already establshed in business. The firm, Raymond Brothers, continued until the death of the elder brother, who bore his share of the burdens of the business until his death. Like his father, he had
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no taste for political life, but he was ever ready to give of his time, means and en- ergy in furthering any movement that promised to advance the interests of the community. He married Josephine A. Lockwood, daughter of George Lock- wood, of Wilton. Mrs. Raymond's death occurred about two years before her hus- band's. 2. Thomas I., mentioned below. 3. Henry W., deceased. 4. Sarah Eliza, married H. R. Gorham. 5. Ruth Zelda, married Robert W. Keeler, of Wilton, Connecticut, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. William Meeker Raymond were consistent mem- bers of the Baptist church.
(VIII) Thomas I. Raymond, son of William Meeker and Sarah E. (Throop) Raymond, was born August 17, 1846. He received his formal education in the pub- lic schools of Norwalk, Meeker's private school in Westport, and Wheeler Insti- tute in Easton, Connecticut. At the age of sixteen he left the home farm and en- tered the lumber office of C. F. Tolles, in South Norwalk. After about eighteen months he left Mr. Tolles to become a teller in the First National Bank of South Norwalk, a position he filled for only six months, when an opportunity then pre- sented to become a teller in the Fourth National Bank of New York City. This offer he accepted and he continued in the employ of that bank until 1868, when he returned to South Norwalk, having mar- ried the previous year Elizabeth A. Tolles, the daughter of his former employer. He next established himself in the coal trade on his own account, purchasing the busi- ness of David H. Webb. This was the beginning of a long and most successful business career, during which time Mr. Raymond was actively identified with more enterprises, perhaps, than any other man in his city. Soon after embarking in the coal business, he began shipping farm
products by water to various points along the coast as far South as Jacksonville, Florida. While that business was profit- able from the beginning, it was aban- doned in about a year in order that Mr. Raymond might give more attention to his coal business and to the other lines of merchandise which he was handling in connection therewith, flour, feed, grain, and a wide range of building materials. His business was carried on with splendid success until 1919, when he sold out to the Norwalk Coal and Supply Company. During the years covering his business operations, Mr. Raymond was expanding, until at his death it was one of large pro- portions. A special line which he fol- lowed for several years with good results was the purchase of houses and buildings in an undesirable condition, and restoring them often in an entirely remodeled con- dition to most desirable residences.
Mr. Raymond was connected with many successful business enterprises, and during his career served as president of the Mianus Manufacturing Company, treasurer of the Norwalk Manufacturing Company, manager of the Norwalk Realty and Improvement Company, treas- urer of the Norwalk Steamboat Com- pany, trustee and chairman of the execu- tive committee of the Norwalk Trust Company, director and member of the executive committee of the Norwalk Lock Company, and treasurer of the Connecti- cut Tidewater Coal Dealers' Association. Besides these personal interests, which would seem to consume the time and en- ergy of any ordinary man, Mr. Raymond showed more than a passive concern in matters affecting the public good. With Dr. J. G. Gregory he founded the Nor- walk Hospital and was a member of the executive committee of the board of di- rectors. He was one of the founders of the South Norwalk Library and was a
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member of its board of trustees for many years. He was secretary of the South Norwalk Relief Association, secretary of the South Norwalk Improvement Society, president of the Norwalk Historical and Memorial Library Association, inspector to the Empire Trust Company of New York, trustee of the Epworth Home for Working Girls in New York City, and served as president of the Merchants' & Manufacturers' Association, of Norwalk. His public service was to his city as a member of the Common Council of the old city of South Norwalk during a period of five years, and as a member of the School Board for about twelve years, sev- eral of which he was chairman of the board. He was called into the State serv- ice, and for five years was auditor of the State of Connecticut. He was a member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, which he served as trustee since 1875, acting as chairman of the board for five years, and was a superintendent of the Sunday school of the church for twenty years. He is affiliated with Butler Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; his clubs, the Norwalk, South Norwalk, the Knob Outing, Pine Ledge, and the Nor- walk Country.
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