USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 63
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William Maury Weed, son of James Dunning and Sarah Fanny (Maury) Weed, born May 12, 1870, in Savannah, Georgia, received his preparatory edu- cation at King's School in Stamford. In 1892 he graduated from Harvard Univer- sity, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. For three years, thereafter, he pursued special studies abroad, spending one year at the Technische Hocher Schule of Han- over, and two years at the Koeniglische Bergakademie at Clausthel.
Upon his return to the United States, Mr. Weed entered the German banking house of Knauth, Nachod & Kuehne, of New York City, remaining there until the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. He was one of the first forty men to en- list in the navy, went to Santiago and served through the campaign under Ad- miral Sampson. After the war Mr. Weed spent about two years in travel, and then engaged in the steamship business. For four years he was in Havana as agent for the West India Steamship Company, going there on December 25, 1900. In 1906, Mr. Weed resigned his position, re- turned to his home in Noroton, Connecti-
cut, and engaged in the banking business in New York City. He also purchased, in 1911, a barren wilderness known as Brush Island, on the shore of Cove Pond. There is, perhaps, no more picturesque spot on the Connecticut shore and there is certainly none more beautiful, now that Mr. Weed has caused the brush to be cleared away and has developed the land into a fertile and, in all respects, a model farm. About fifty acres are under the plough and the estate is devoted to the raising of general crops and the breeding of beef cattle.
Politically, Mr. Weed is a Republican and a number of years ago was chosen by his party to serve on the Board of Finance of Darien, Connecticut. He retained the office ten or eleven years, with an inter- mission of two years. For the last four years he has been elected on the Demo- cratic ticket, a striking tribute to his non- partisan interest in community affairs.
While at Harvard, Mr. Weed became a member of the Institute of 1770, and also of the Hasty Pudding Club. He belongs to the Harvard Club, the University Club and the Georgia Society, all of New York. He is a life member of the Connecticut Harvard Club, and was one of the foun- ders of the Wee Burn Country Club, from which he resigned about two years ago. He is senior warden of St. Luke's Protec- tant Episcopal Church at Noroton.
Mr. Weed married, December 29, 1909, Julia Victoria Kaufmann, daughter of Bernard and Charlotte Wilhelmina (Von Hoffmann) Kaufmann, of New York City.
After an exceptionally varied and suc- cessful career as financier and business man, Mr. Weed has returned to the neigh- borhood of his ancestral home and to the quiet pursuits of rural life. In doing so he has taken with him the aggressive force and active public spirit always char-
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acteristic of his race and is causing them to be felt in the advancement of the in- terests vital to the welfare and progress of his home community.
(The Fontaine Line).
It seems clear that the name of the first authentic ancestor of the American branch of the Fontaine family was James, that being the English equivalent of the French Jacques, which is the name given in history. The fact that his son, grand- son, and great-grandson all bore the name of James seems to corroborate this theory. Jacques (or James) de la Fontaine, whose great-great-grandson, by the way, was also named James, was born in 1500, in the village of Chatelas, parish of St. Pierre, de Royan, Saintonge, and was a Huguenot pastor. In 1563 the religious persecution which was then raging in France found in him one of the martyrs of the Reformed faith.
(II) James (2), son of Jacques de la Fontaine.
(III) James (3), son of James (2) de la Fontaine.
(IV) James (4), son of James (3) de la Fontaine, was a minister of the Re- formed church.
(V) James (5), son of James (4) de la Fontaine, was also a Protestant min- ister.
(VI) Mary Ann, daughter of James (5) de la Fontaine, married Matthew Maury, of Virginia (see Maury line).
(The Maury Line).
Matthew Maury, the first ancestor of record, was of Huguenot descent and re- sided in Virginia. He married Mary Ann de la Fontaine (see Fontaine line).
(II) James, son of Matthew and Mary Ann (de la Fontaine) Maury, was rector of Fredericksville parish, Virginia.
(III) Matthew (2), the son of James Maury, was born in 1744.
(IV) James (2), son of Matthew (2) Maury, was appointed by President Washington consul at Liverpool, Eng- land, and until 1829, a period of forty years, filled that office continuously.
(V) William, son of James (2) Maury, was of Liverpool, England.
(VI) Sarah Fanny, daughter of Wil- liam Maury, became the wife of Joseph Dunning Weed, as stated above.
The Maury family is very prominent in the South and in England. One of its representatives, Matthew Fontaine Maury, was a distinguished hydrographer and a commander in the United States navy. Another Maury commanded the privateer "Georgia" during the Revolu- tion. Matthew Fontaine Maury charted the ocean, his charts being in use at the present day. In 1841 he was placed in charge of the Department of Charts and Instruments out of which grew the United States Naval Observatory and the Hydrographic Office.
WEED, James Albert,
Agriculturist.
Wide spaces give to the men of studi- ous tastes the untrammeled freedom impossible to be found in centers of popu- lation, where neighbor jostles neighbor and strangers congregate in more or less hilarious companies. In the peace and quiet and unmarred beauty of the country the occupation, the surroundings, and the home itself may be of a man's own choos- ing, and reflect his true character. It is here that a man may revel in the real- ities of life, which, after all, include those things least tangible, and leave outside -behind-the baubles for which too many give the best of life, only to learn their utter worthlessness. Richly endowed with those mental qualities which make a man himself, rather than the reflection
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of his fellows, James Albert Weed, of Stamford, Connecticut, enjoys to the full the privileges which the country life af- fords.
(II) Jonas (2) Weed, son of Jonas (1) Weed (q. v.), was administrator of his father's estate. While it appears that he remained in Stamford or thereabouts all his life, instead of following his father's example in penetrating new country, he lived an estimable life, doing his share in the public service, being townsman for eleven years. He died November 19, 1704. He married, November 16, 1670, Bethia Holly, daughter of John Holly; she died December 29, 1713.
(III) Jonas (3) Weed, son of Jonas (2) and Bethia (Holly) Weed, married January 20, 1703 or 1704, Sarah Water- bury, daughter of Jonathan Waterbury ; she was born August 15, 1677. The meagre records of the generations which intervene between the immigrants and the time when the national prosperity was assured tell an eloquent tale of the bitter hardships endured with fortitude, and deeds of courage which there was no time or strength left to record.
(IV) David Weed, son of Jonas (3) and Sarah (Waterbury) Weed, was born April 20, 1707. He married, November 8, 1733, Mary Weed. They were the par- ents of David, of whom further.
(V) David (2) Weed, son of David (1) and Mary (Weed) Weed, was born Octo- ber 28. 1741, and died in 1781. He mar- ried Mary Selleck.
(VI) James Weed, son of David (2) and Mary (Selleck) Weed, was born in 1767. He married, January 1, 1787, Lydia Slason, who was born May 18, 1766, daughter of Nathaniel and Lydia (Bates) Slason.
(VII) Hezekiah Weed, son of James and Lydia (Slason) Weed, was born March 2, 1797, in Darien, near Stamford,
Connecticut, and died August 6, 1869. He was possessed of a brilliant mind, and was considered one of the best mathema- ticians in Connecticut. In those days school text books were not plentiful, and those available fell far short of what would be considered even mediocre ex- cellence at the present time. During the early part of his career, Mr. Weed taught school, and being unable to find satisfac- tory text books in the higher mathematics prepared one himself for use in his school from which he taught trigonometry. The illustrations of the problems are speci- mens of fine draftsmanship, and the text exhibits fine ability as a penman, to say nothing of the masterly, and often orig- inal, exposition. This text book, in ex- cellent preservation, is now the prized possession of his grandson, James A. Weed, of Stamford. Hezekiah Weed was also an excellent Latin scholar, and was familiar with one or two other languages besides his native tongue. He was suc- cessful as a teacher, and contributed largely to the development of a high standard in the schools of the section; but teaching, then as now, was unre- munerative, and Mr. Weed was at length obliged to retire from this field of activity and enter the business world. Being a practical man, he became interested in purveying the daily necessities of life, and opened a market in Stamford, which busi- ness he conducted for a number of years. From his wife he inherited property on Tallmadge Hill, and he made this the foundation of a prosperous real estate business. He continued to carry on the market, and retained an active interest until within a few years of his death.
Mr. Weed was considered very dog- matic by many people. Throughout his life he never entirely lost the manner of the schoolmaster, and no man of mental depth and power can help thinking and
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speaking, at times, over the heads of the multitude. He was somewhat eccentric in dress and manner, yet this was nothing more nor less, undoubtedly, than the out- growth of originality of thought and in- dependence of action. He was deeply religious, but made many enemies in the church because he did not believe in the rental of pews, then an established cus- tom, by no means universally practiced now. He refused to rent a pew for him- self, and sat in a chair, but out of con- sideration for his wife, he rented a pew for her. He was an earnest believer in practical, every-day-in-the-week Chris- tianity, and his rugged honesty and sin- cerity commanded the confidence and re- spect of all who knew him, regardless of whether they agreed with his views or not.
Mr. Weed married (first) Mary Tall- madge, who was a descendant of one of the oldest families of Fairfield county. She was the mother of two sons: James, who never married, and Francis Bates, of whom further. He married (second), November 5, 1838, Mary Weed, daughter of Nathan Weed, and widow of Alvah Weed; she died December 7, 1866.
(VIII) Francis Bates Weed, son of Hezekiah and Mary (Tallmadge) Weed, was born in 1819, in Darien, Connecticut, and died in 1861. He received his formal education at the public schools, but the broader learning received from close as- sociation with his father supplemented the regular school course. While still a young man he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for a number of years, but later became interested in the butcher business. In this he continued until his death. For some years prior to his death he lived in Stamford.
Mr. Weed married Emmeline Weed, and they were the parents of three chil- dren : Emma L .; James Albert, of whom
further ; and Hezekiah. Emmeline (Weed) Weed, wife of Francis Bates Weed, was born in Darien, Connecticut, in I821. Her ancestry traces back, through a different line of descent, to the original Jonas Weed, the immigrant. She was a daughter of Paul and Ruth (Waring) Weed. Her grandfather, Jonas Weed, was born June 28, 1749, and married Rebecca Brown. His father, Silvanus Weed, was born in November, 1713, and his wife's name was Sarah. The father of Silvanus Weed was Jonas Weed, the same Jonas as the fourth gen- eration of the line of James Albert Weed, whose name appears as the subject of this review.
(IX) James Albert Weed, son of Francis Bates and Emmeline (Weed) Weed, was born in Stamford, Connecti- cut, December 24, 1852. He received his early education at the excellent public schools of the place, then a thriving town of progressive spirit. He completed his education with a course at Professor Glendenning's private academy. Being the son of a prosperous father, he could well have taken his leisure, but feeling that he wanted an interest of his own in the business world, he became a clerk in a retail store. Later he built the beau- tiful house known as "Gray Towers," where he resided from 1876 to 1895. He then bought his present farm of one hun- dred acres. Here, in the midst of the peace of simple, country life, Mr. Weed is free to indulge his quiet tastes, and sur- rounds himself with treasures of the world of art and literature. His chief interest is in his really wonderful col- lection of old books. This includes the nine volume set of the Mahabharata, the Brahman Bible; which is one of the four sets known to be in this country. Mr. Weed also owns an ancient copy of Owen Feltham's poems, brought out in 1696,
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and a copy of John Cleveland's poems, 1654. Perhaps the most curious of all the collection is a two volume cook book, of the thirteenth century. Among these, also, are a volume of Materia Medica of the sixteenth century, and a volume of old English laws of the same period.
Mr. Weed and his sister, who shares his home and his tastes, are both deeply in- terested in Spiritualism.
WEED, William Francis, Artist, Photographer.
(I) Carey Weed, great-grandfather of William F. Weed, was a descendant of Jonas Weed (q. v.). Carey Weed was born in 1782, and died November 9, 1842. He married (first) Clarissa St. John, and they were the parents of William H.,. of whom further.
(II) William H. Weed, son of Carey and Clarissa (St. John) Weed, was born April 13, 1813, and died November 10, 1863. His boyhood was spent in his native town, and early in life he learned the trade of shoemaker, but he did not follow this very long. Most of his time was given to farming, and he did some contract work in laying stone walls and so forth. Mr. Weed was a member of the Connecticut Militia, and was captain in the Horse Artillery. He married, in Poundridge, New York, January 27, 1837, Mary E. Hanford, daughter of Austin Hanford. The latter met his death in the War of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Weed were the parents of seven children, among whom was Francis Edward, of whom further.
(III) Francis Edward Weed, son of William H. and Mary E. (Hanford) Weed, was born in New Canaan, Connec- ticut, November 26, 1841. He attended the public schools, and at an age when most children are playing he was helping
in the support of the family by working by the month. When he reached the age of eighteen, he entered the New Canaan Post Office, where he remained until 1860. After the Civil War was over, Mr. Weed was employed for a time with the Hoyt Manufacturing Company; in 1868, upon the completion of the New Canaan railroad, he became station agent. This position he held until 1879, and during the time had not only taken care of the agent's duties but had also made the freight contracts of the railroad and at- tended to the general freight and ticket agent's duties.
In 1880, Mr. Weed embarked in the coal business as the agent of David Wa- terbury, of Stamford. His mother's un- cle, John St. John, was the founder of the St. John Woodworking Company, of Stamford, who had a mill and lumber yard, and at the same time he entered the coal business Mr. Weed began to sell lumber in New Canaan on commission. He started with almost no capital but his own sterling character, ambition and in- dustry. In May, 1882, he took as a part- ner George E. Lockwood, the firm name being Weed & Lockwood. Six years later George Kellogg became a member of the firm, Mr. Lockwood having with- drawn. Subsequently Mr. Kellogg with- drew, and Mr. Weed carried the business on alone until he admitted H. C. Turner as a partner, the name being Weed & Turner. After about five years Mr. Tur- ner sold his interests to George W. Dur- yea, and the name was changed to Weed & Duryea. In 1914 the business was in- corporated under the name of The Weed & Duryea Company, Mr. Weed being president of the company. A large busi- ness was built up, and among the articles carried were building supplies, fertilizers, and heavy hardware for contractors.
Mr. Weed took an active and interested
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part in all public affairs during his life- time. Several times he has been honored with public office and has creditably held the offices of selectman, constable, justice of the peace and State representative. He was the first business manager of the New Canaan "Messenger;" a director of the New Canaan Water Works ; president of the New Canaan Savings Bank ; president of the New Canaan Library, and its build- ing was erected during his administration. He was also chairman of the building commission having in charge the erection of the town hall; and was president of the New Canaan Historical Society.
Mr. Weed married, April 3, 1867, in South Norwalk, Martha J. Brush, born September 7, 1845, daughter of Henry Chapman and Clarissa (St. John) Brush. Henry Chapman Brush was born Febru- ary 16, 1820, and died April 26, 1897, in Ridgefield. He married Clarissa St. John, born January 18, 1820, died December 22, 1888. The grandfather of Henry C. Brush was Azra Brush, and he was a son of Eliphalet and Eunice Hall (Lee) Brush, and grandson of Thomas and Lucy (Ball) Brush. Mr. and Mrs. Weed were the parents of two children: William Francis, of further mention; and Bertha G., born April 25, 1875, died July 9, 1880.
(IV) William Francis Weed, son of Francis Edward and Martha J. (Brush) Weed, was born in New Canaan, Con- necticut, January 31, 1873. He was edu- cated in the public schools. Then he entered the New York Institute for Artists and Artisans, where he took a preparatory art course, training with a view to specializing as an illustrator. Subsequently Mr. Weed studied under the well known artist of Philadelphia, How- ard Pyle, and also spent some time in study in the Drexel Institute, and while there took up the study of photography as part of his course of training in illus-
trating. At this time an attack of pneu- monia so undermined his health that he was compelled to abandon his studies. He then entered the studio of a manufac- turer of stained glass windows as a figure draughtsman, and later opened a studio in New Canaan to do illustrating. During the interim, Mr. Weed had been making pictures as an amateur photographer, and soon after opening his New Canaan studio began to devote all his time to photography, specializing in home por- traiture, which had not then achieved its present popularity. After the death of his father, Mr. Weed also used his offices as a branch of the Weed & Duryea Com- pany, of which he is treasurer. He is also secretary of the New Canaan Historical Society, and is a past commander of Richard E. Holcomb Camp, Sons of Veterans.
Mr. Weed married Lilian Offen, daugh- ter of B. T. Offen, of New Canaan, and they were the parents of three children : Ida Lilian, died aged twelve; Francis Ed- ward, 2nd; and Wilmer Eveline. The family attend the Congregational church and aid in its support.
SANFORD, Jonathan Bartlett, Judge of Probate.
A long line of intelligent New Eng- land ancestry could not fail to prove a priceless heritage, yet it carries with it a heavy responsibility, for the present gen- eration must ever maintain a high stand- ard for the benefit of the generations to come.
(I) Judge Jonathan Bartlett Sanford is a direct descendant of the immigrant, Thomas Sanford. The latter was born in 1607-08, in County Essex. England, and died at Milford, Connecticut. September or October, 1681. He married, in 1636- 1637, at Dorchester, Massachusetts, Sarah
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-, and she died May 4, 1681, at Mil- ford.
(II) Ezekiel Sanford, son of Thomas and Sarah Sanford, was born in Dorches- ter, Massachusetts, where his father first settled, and died late in the year 1683. He married, April 25, 1665, Rebecca Whelp- ley, daughter of John and Rebecca Whelpley. Before 1660, Ezekiel Sanford was settled in Fairfield county, and was a freeman there in 1669. He was a tan- ner by occupation and a large landowner. (III) Ezekiel (2) Sanford, son of Eze- kiel and Rebecca (Whelpley) Sanford, was born March 6, 1668, and died March 2, 1728. He married, in March, 1696, Rebecca Gregory. He was an engineer and built the first stockade at Saybrook, Connecticut. With his wife he was ad- mitted to the church, September 30, 1705. (IV) Lemuel Sanford, son of Ezekiel (2) and Rebecca (Gregory ) Sanford, was born December 16, 1699, and died April 25, 1780. He married. May 12, 1730, Re- becca Squires, born June 17, 1705, died March 26, 1779, at Redding, Connecticut. Lemuel Sanford was a very prominent man of his day; he settled at Redding Centre.
(V) Lemuel (2) Sanford, son of Lem- uel and Rebecca (Squires) Sanford, was born April 18, 1740, at Fairfield, Con- necticut, and died at Danbury, Con- necticut, March 12, 1803. He married, September 20, 1768, Mary Russell, daugh- ter of Jonathan Russell, of North Bran- ford, Connecticut, and she died June 23, 1829, aged eighty-four years. They set- tled at Redding Centre, and Lemuel San- ford became a freeman in April, 1792. He was judge of county court at the time of his death, and during the Revolution was a member of the committee on sup- plies.
(VI) Jonathan Russell Sanford, son of Lemuel (2) and Mary (Russell) Sanford,
was born February II, 1782, and died August 21, 1858. He married, October 17, 1808, Maria Davies, daughter of Dr. Thomas Davies, born in Sherman, Con- necticut, in 1791, died May 25, 1869. He was appointed town clerk in 1808, also treasurer ; these offices he held for fifty years. He was also judge of probate and Representative to the Legislature.
(VII) Lemuel (3) Sanford, son of Jon- athan Russell and Maria (Davies) San- ford, was born September 18, 1816, and died June 9, 1890, at Redding Centre, Connecticut. He married, January 13, 1847, Abby Maria Hill, daughter of Brad- ley and Betsey Hill. He was like his father, a very public-spirited man, and held many offices, among them being town clerk and judge of probate for about forty years, and was also the Representa- tive of his section in the Upper House.
(VIII) Jonathan Bartlett Sanford, son of Judge Lemuel (3) and Abby M. (Hill) Sanford, was born in Redding, Connecti- cut, October 25, 1862; he was the only son and the youngest of seven children. He prepared for college at the famous Hop- kins Grammar School in New Haven, Connecticut. For a number of years lie engaged in the creamery business and had a general store in connection with the creamery. He was elected to the office of judge of probate in November. 1910, and after assuming this office gave up the merchant and farming business. He is a Democrat in politics, and most of the time has been placed in nomination by both parties.
Judge Sanford married, May 25, 1887, Edith Dayton, born May 24, 1868, at Mor- ristown, New Jersey, daughter of James W. Dayton, of Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania. Her mother was Clara Catlin Gregory, granddaughter of Benjamin Gregory of the old Fairfield county fam- ily. The latter married Abbie Sanford,
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daughter of Ezekiel Sanford. Judge and Mrs. Sanford are the parents of the fol- lowing children: I. Lemuel, born Feb- ruary 5, 1888; he was educated at Shef- field Scientific School, and married Paul- ine Smith, daughter of Theodore Smith. 2. Eleanor Arrowsmith, born April 6, 1890. 3. Edith, born January 1, 1892, died August 24, 1907. 4. Jonathan Bart- lett, Jr., of whom further. 5. Abby Hill, born November 1, 1896, and is now a trained nurse, having received her train- ing in the Hartford Hospital. 6. Dayton, born March 9, 1899, graduated at the San- ford School and is now (1921) with the Travelers' Insurance Company of Hart- ford. 7. Elizabeth Russell, born May 19, 1901, is a student in the class of 1923 at Connecticut College, New London, Con- necticut. 8. Arthur Redington, born May 19, 1903, is now preparing for Yale at Sanford School. 9. Theodore Van Zandt, born August 30, 1905. 10. Alice Davies, born December 21, 1907. II. Dudley Gregory, born December 14, 1909. 12. Clara Dayton, born March 7, 1912.
(IX) Jonathan Bartlett Sanford, Jr., second son of Judge Jonathan B. and Edith (Dayton) Sanford, was born No- vember 9, 1894. He was educated at the Sanford private school and Storr's Agri- cultural College. He plans to follow sci- entific farming for a career. He enlisted, August 14, 1917, at New York City, in the old 7th New York Regiment, which was made over into the 107th United States Infantry, and was made corporal, October 16, 1917. He was promoted to sergeant May 2, 1918, and served in the following battles: East Poperinghe line, July 9 to August 20, 1918; Dickebusch Sector in Belgium, August 21 to 30, 1918; Hinden- burg line (vincinity of Bacey), Company K, 7th Regiment; arrived in the United States, March 9, 1919. He was awarded
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