USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Connecticut, 1639-1928 > Part 4
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WILLIAM REUBEN WEBSTER
Since entering the business world William R. Webster has been identified with industrial affairs, steadily advancing as he has demonstrated his ability and worth, and is one of the execu- tive officers who are responsible for the success and prestige of the Bridgeport Brass Company. A native of Oyster Bay, Long Island, he was born April 30, 1868, son of William R. and Helen (Stephenson) Webster. The father was a sagacious, farsighted business man and a well known capitalist.
William R. Webster, Jr., supplemented his public school edu- cation by attendance at the Betts Academy in Stamford and the Norwich Free Academy, completing his studies in Cornell Uni- versity, from which he was graduated in 1890 with the degree of
WILLIAM R. WEBSTER
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Mechanical Engineer. His initial experience along business lines was gained in the New York offices of Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Company, with which firm he spent two years, and was next in the employ of the Aluminum Brass & Bronze Company of Bridgeport. He remained with that firm for a year and in 1893 became superintendent of the Bridgeport Copper Company. In 1897 he was made foreman of the rolling mill of the Bridgeport Brass Company. His ability and trustworthiness were rewarded by rapid promotion and for some time he had supervision of the raw material department. Next he was general superintendent of the plant and later was elected second vice president. In 1914 he became vice president of the corporation and is now the second executive officer of a firm that has a force of more than three thousand workmen. The plant covers several blocks and is pro- vided with every appliance for facilitating the work. The com- pany not only manufactures seamless tubing, sheet brass, rods and wires, but also all kinds of metal specialties, and its output is shipped to every part of the world. Mr. Webster has progressed with the business, with which he has been identified for more than. thirty years, working earnestly and effectively to advance the interests of the corporation, and is also a director of the Bridge- port Trust Company and a trustee of the Bridgeport-People's Sav- ings Bank.
In 1892 Mr. Webster was married to Miss Susan W. Hinck- ley, of Norwich, Connecticut, and they have two children, Eleanor, who was born September 16, 1901, and William R. (III), born January 24, 1905. The parents are affiliated with St. John's Episcopal church and Mr. Webster gives his political support to the republican party. Along social lines he is con- nected with the University Club, of which he is an ex-president, the Brooklawn Country Club, the Contemporary Club and the Engineers Club of New York. He has served as vice president and as president of the American Institute of Metals, is an associate member of the American Society of Naval Engineers, and also belongs to the American Society of Mechanical Engi- neers, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society for Testing Materials, the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and the Institute of Metals of Great Britain. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Mr.
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Webster has long been regarded as an authority upon questions relative to the use and properties of metals and his contribution to scientific literature comprises valuable papers covering this sub- ject. Although a man of large affairs which make heavy demands upon his time and energy, he has never been remiss in discharging the duties and obligations of citizenship and was for eleven years a member of the Bridgeport school board. His business associates have learned to rely upon his judgment and integrity and his life record commands uniform respect and confidence.
HON. SCHUYLER MERRITT
Hon. Schuyler Merritt, representative of the fourth Connecti- cut district in congress for several terms, has been an active factor in Stamford's industrial circles for more than a half century through his identification with the Yale & Towne Manu- facturing Company, which he now serves as chairman of the board. He is also chairman of the board of directors of the First- Stamford National Bank and has long enjoyed enviable and wide- spread recognition as one of the outstanding and most influential citizens of Connecticut.
Schuyler Merritt was born in New York city, December 16, 1853, his parents being Matthew Franklin and Maria (Shaw) Merritt. His family had its origin in Somersetshire, Eng- land. As "King Arthur's country" it is the home of earliest romance-romance which inspired Tennyson to write the "Idylls of the King." It is in this county that we find the first known ancestor of the Merritts, Eadnoth, an Anglo thane, whose son, Harding de Meriet, was the earliest to bear the family name. Members of this race, which was seated in Somersetshire prior to the Norman Conquest, are now numerous in almost every county of England. The name, variously spelled, and one of the most familiar and honorable, appears in a slightly altered form as Merriott, the designation of a parish in Somersetshire derived from that of one of the ancestral seats of the family.
Branches of the race were early transplanted to New England and to other portions of the American colonies, and for well-nigh three centuries the Merritts have done their part in the develop-
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ment and upbuilding of our country. They are numbered among the armigerous families of America.
(I) Thomas Merritt, the earliest American ancestor of record, was born in May, 1634, and in 1662 purchased from Thomas Standish a home lot in Wethersfield, Connecticut. In 1673 he settled in Rye, New York, and in 1683 his name appears on the list of Rye's proprietors. On July 12, 1684, he was made constable. He purchased real estate, including a parcel of land called Pine Island, adjoining Merritt's meadows. On April 12, 1694, he was commissioner to renew the Indian purchase at White Plains, and on February 28, 1694, he was appointed vestry- man of Rye, and served in 1695 and 1697. On July 22, 1697, he served on a committee to select a minister, and on September 25, 1697, was on a committee to build a meeting-house. From 1667 to 1698 he was a collector of the minister's salary. He was one of those to whom was granted, January 22, 1696, the patent of Rye. On January 19, 1697, Thomas Merritt and Deliverance Brown appeared before the general court of Connecticut to obtain a charter for Rye. In 1698 Thomas Merritt was called senior. In October, 1699, he was deputy to the general court, and from 1697 to 1699 served as townsman or trustee. On December 11, 1699, he became a proprietor of Peningo Neck, and in 1705 he was supervisor. On November 1, 1707, he served on a committee to settle the line between Greenwich and Rye. On June 2, 1713- 14-15-16, he was a member of the grand jury. He lived nearly opposite the site of the present Park Institute. Thomas Merritt married (first), December 3, 1656, Jane Sherwood, born in 1636, daughter of Thomas and Alice (Seabrook) Sherwood, and they became the parents of sons and daughters. The mother of the family died January 4, 1685. Thomas Merritt married (second), August 13, 1688, Abigail Francis, born February 14, 1660, daughter of Robert and Joan Francis, of Wethersfield, Connecti- cut. A son and a daughter were the offspring of this marriage. Thomas Merritt married (third), in 1696, Mary (Ferris) Lock- wood, daughter of Jeffrey Ferris, and widow of Jonathan Lock- wood. This first American ancestor of the Merritts lived to an advanced age, passing away on November 10, 1725.
(II) Joseph Merritt, son of Thomas and Jane (Sherwood) Merritt, was born June 6, 1662, and in 1683 was a proprietor of
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HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
Rye. He had assigned to him two acres on Hog-Pen Ridge, in 1707, which he fenced in, and in 1708 he was a proprietor of Wills Purchase. In 1717-18-22, he served on the grand jury. On February 27, 1722, he was an ensign in the Westchester County Military Company, and on May 11, 1727, he signed a petition of Presbyterians. Joseph Merritt married Jane (last name unknown). The death of Joseph Merritt occurred May 12, 1754. His will, which was made March 27, 1752, and proved June 6, 1754, is signed with his mark.
(III) Nehemiah Merritt, son of Joseph and Jane Merritt, was born May 7, 1715, and in December, 1758, at the Oblong Meeting at Quaker Hill, Dutchess county, New York, showed a certificate of removal from the Mamaroneck Meeting. In 1760 he was on a committee to review the sufferings of the Friends at Oblong. On July 25, 1761, he and nine others signed a petition in behalf of themselves and fifteen others for twenty-five thous- and acres on the east side of the Hudson river between Fort Edward and Lake George. On July 10, 1762, a meeting of the proprietors of Queensbury was held at the shop of Nehemiah and Daniel Merritt in Beekman Precinct, Dutchess county, New York, and on November 8, 1762, at a second meeting held at the same place, partition deeds were given to the thirty proprietors, includ- ing Nehemiah and his sons, Daniel and Ichabod. Nehemiah Mer- ritt had not been included in the Queensbury patent. On Feb- ruary 23, 1763, he was one of the trustees to rent all undivided lands, and for a number of years was very active in real estate transactions. Nehemiah Merritt married (first), Dinah Hop- kins, daughter of Ichabod and Sarah (Coles) Hopkins; married (second), before 1761, Mary Dingy, daughter of Robert Dingy. Nehemiah Merritt died in 1794, and was buried in Quaker Hill cemetery.
(IV) Daniel Merritt, son of Nehemiah and Dinah (Hopkins) Merritt, was born July 23, 1738, and in 1763 became one of the proprietors of Queensbury, owning twenty-five acres there. He married (first), December 23, 1761, Hannah Wing, daughter of Abraham and Anstis (Wood) Wing. He married (second), October 1, 1765, Sarah Mudge, daughter of Michael and Sarah (Hopkins) Mudge. Daniel Merritt died May 25, 1805, and was buried in Quaker Hill cemetery.
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(V) Nehemiah M. Merritt, son of Daniel and Sarah (Mudge) Merritt, was born April 26, 1772, in Quaker Hill, and in 1810 was a dry goods merchant on Pearl street, New York. He lived at one time in Flushing, Long Island, and was a man of prominence in the community, being an acknowledged minister of the Society of Friends. Mr. Merritt married (first), Febru- ary 28, 1793, Phoebe Thorne, born April 13, 1773, daughter of William and Jemima (Titus) Thorne, who died January 30, 1823. He married (second), May 11, 1827, Sarah Sutton, daughter of Moses and Rebecca (Underhill) Sutton. Mr. Merritt inherited the longevity characteristic of his ancestors, passing away on March 10, 1863, having nearly completed his ninety-first year.
(VI) Matthew Franklin Merritt, son of Nehemiah M. and Phoebe (Thorne) Merritt, was born March 2, 1815, in Flushing, New York, and received his education in public schools of Dutchess county. When about sixteen years of age he went to New York city and began his active employment there. He was associated, practically all his life, with the iron and steel bus- iness, and was as late as 1859 associated with his brother-in-law, George W. Quintard, in the great Morgan Iron Works of New York city. While still a young man, Mr. Merritt manifested an unusual enthusiasm and interest in political affairs, not as a seeker for office, but rather as an expression of that earnest and intelligent patriotism which distinguished him through life. He was an enthusiastic "old-line Whig" in ante-war days, but was dispos d to conservative views during the period immediately preced. ng the Civil war when many earnest patriots, north and south, were still hoping that some happy compromise might still be potent to scatter the clouds of civil strife which were gathering on the horizon. From such motives as these he was for a time attracted to the support of the presidential ticket of Bell and Everett, but as the issue became clearer and it was evident to all that the vital question was union or disunion, no private citizen more heartily supported the hands of the government, or gave proportionately more liberal and persistent aid to all measures taken for its defense.
In his business connection with the great iron and marine engine works Mr. Merritt was in a position to perform services of uncommon value, and his long and intimate personal acquaint-
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ance with the Hon. Gideon Welles, secretary of the navy, aided in bringing him into prominence in connection with naval construc- tion. Largely through this channel he made the personal acquaintance of President Lincoln himself and likewise of many of the leading generals, especially of the higher officers of the navy, such as Farragut, Foote, Dupont, Worden and others. He chanced to have seen all that could be seen from Fortress Monroe of the memorable battle between the Merrimac and the Moni- tor, and was the first civilian to board the Monitor after the battle when she docked at Fortress Monroe. A few days after he met at dinner the gallant Worden and formed an acquaintance which was severed only by death. One of the later monitors, the Cohoes, was built chiefly under Mr. Merritt's personal super- vision. In order to undertake this work he organized the Ameri- can Iron Works which continued to build ships and marine engines, Mr. Merritt remaining in the shipbuilding business alone until 1869, when he retired.
As already mentioned, he never aspired to political office, but in 1859 was elected state senator from his district. He was often called upon to preside at public meetings, a position for which his tact, intelligence and habitual courtesy particularly qualified him. These qualities were characteristic of him even in the heat of political contests, and as a result he provoked no malice and made no enemies even among his bitter opponents.
About 1855 Mr. Merritt became a resident of Stamford, and during the war his main activity as a citizen was in promoting the political ascendancy of the party upon which in his view the strength and success of the union cause depended. He was influ- ential in organizing the First National Bank, and took an active part in the organization of Woodlawn cemetery, serving for many years as its vice president. When the republican party was organized in Connecticut, Mr. Merritt became one of its original members. He affiliated with Union Lodge, No. 5, A. F. & A. M. While he always maintained his birthright membership in the Society of Friends, he was, toward the end of his life, baptized in St. John's Protestant Episcopal church of Stamford.
Mr. Merritt married, in 1840, in New York city, Maria Shaw, daughter of William and Clarissa (Hoyt) Shaw, and their chil- dren were: Amelia, born September 16, 1841, who married Wil-
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liam F. Skelding and died April 12, 1915; Julia, who was born September 12, 1842, and died December 15, 1908; Adeline, who was born May 27, 1848, and died March 27, 1869; and Schuyler, of this review. The mother, born in Stamford in 1821, here died in 1902.
The death of Mr. Merritt, which occurred May 10, 1896, removed from the roster of Stamford citizenship a name which had long distinguished it and which had been prominently identi- fied with the social and political life of the town for nearly half a century. It removed from the midst of a circle of near friends and relatives one who was looked up to and loved by all, from the youngest to the eldest. Even to much wider circles of the com- munity his departure brought a sense of personal loss, more especially to the older citizens who were contemporaries of Mr. Merritt in the more active and conspicuous years of his life, and who knew, from personal recollection, what a large and honored place he filled here during one of the most memorable periods of our national history.
Schuyler Merritt began his education in the public schools of Stamford, Connecticut, continued his studies in private schools and in 1869 matriculated in Yale University, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1873. For a year thereafter he did postgraduate work in English literature and history and then entered Columbia Law School, which in 1876 conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Laws. The same year he was admitted to the bar in New York city, and after spending a year in a law office there entered the service of the Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company of Stamford as an office assistant. This was in 1877, and in 1878 he was elected secre- tary of the company and became a member of its board of direct- ors. For several years he was general manager of the commercial end of the business, and from 1898 to 1902 filled the office of treasurer. For some years he was senior vice president of the company, with which he is still connected as chairman of the board. With his thorough legal equipment he has always had charge of those affairs of the organization which called for the services of a member of the bar, and has also protected its patent interests, giving special attention during recent years to the bank lock department. In 1905 Mr. Merritt was elected president of
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the Stamford National Bank, and when that bank and the First National Bank were consolidated in July, 1919, under the name of the First-Stamford National Bank, he was chosen president of the new organization. At this time he is chairman of the board of directors of the First-Stamford National Bank and vice presi- dent of the Stamford Gas & Electric Company. He is also presi- dent of the Family Welfare Society and of the Stamford Chil- dren's Home.
To the support of the principles of the republican party Mr. Merritt has always given his political allegiance, and for very many years he has been active in public affairs, advancing step by step to that position of leadership which he has so long held. In 1884 he became a member of the school committee of Stamford, and for fifteen or sixteen years continued to serve, most of the time as chairman of the board. He took a very active part in developing the high school to its present complete and well equipped condition and in elevating it to its very high standing of today. For his part in helping to raise the standard of the graded schools the community is much indebted to him. In 1910 he was appointed as a member of the state board of education and served until he was elected to congress in 1917. He was a member of the constitutional convention which met in Hartford in 1904, and he also served for a number of years on the board of appropriation and apportionment of Stamford. At a special elec- tion held in 1917 he was chosen to represent the fourth congres- sional district in the United States house of representatives, was reelected in 1918 and 1920 and has been chosen for each succes- sive term to the present time. He has served as a member of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce and has been sent as a delegate to several presidential conventions. A con- temporary biographer said of him: "As a man of keen percep- tion, sound judgment, wise counsel and unquestioned integrity, Mr. Merritt has made a notably successful record in the business world. The justice and fairmindedness which have always char- acterized his relations with his employes have constituted no small factor in the prosperity of his commercial enterprises. He has taken an active interest in the Associated Charities. The patriotism characteristic of his race has marked Mr. Merritt's entire career and was called forth in all its strength by the World
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war. He was identified with a number of its activities, the most conspicuous of his services being his chairmanship of Stamford's Liberty Loan committee. The versatility of his talents has enabled Mr. Merritt to achieve success in the law, in commerce and in the arena of politics."
The religious faith of Mr. Merritt is indicated by his member- ship in St. John's Protestant Episcopal church, of which he is senior warden. He is a member of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce and also belongs to the University and Yale clubs of New York, the Suburban, Stamford Yacht and Woodway Coun- try Clubs of Stamford and the Chevy Chase Club of Washington. Golf is his favorite form of diversion.
On the 21st of October, 1879, Mr. Merritt was united in mar- riage to Frances Hoyt, of Stamford, daughter of Joseph B. and Katharine (Krom) Hoyt, both of whom are deceased. Mrs. Mer- ritt was graduated from Vassar College of Poughkeepsie, New York, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1870. She is a mem- ber of St. John's Episcopal church and also belongs to the Woman's Club and the Schubert Club. Mr. and Mrs. Merritt have two daughters: Louise Hoyt, who was born in August, 1880; and Katharine Krom, born in January, 1886. Both are graduates of Vassar College, Katharine having also graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School with the degree of M. D. She is now a practicing physician in New York.
JOHN J. STONE
Throughout his commercial career John J. Stone has been a diligent, conscientious worker and his is a record of continuous progress that has brought him to the front in business circles of Danbury, which numbers him among its successful laundrymen. A native of this city, he was born in 1887 and is a son of John J. and Mary (McGinnis) Stone. He received a parochial school education and earned his first money by working for Frank H. Lee, of Danbury, who is today the largest manufacturer of hats in the world. Mr. Stone soon mastered the trade and afterward was employed as a hat maker by George Mclachlan, in whose service he remained for a number of years. In 1924 he accepted
4-VOL. 3
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a position in the Danbury office of the Metropolitan Life Insur- ance Company, which he left a year later, joining James A. Coyle in the laundry business. Their first location was at No. 32 Chest- nut street, where they remained for about two years, when larger quarters were required, and they purchased the property on State street. Here they erected a substantial red brick building and now have one of the best plants in the city. It is known as the Acme Laundry, which is operated with marked efficiency and reflects the enterprising spirit and high standards of its pro- prietors, who have already secured a large share of the local patronage.
In 1912 Mr. Stone was married in Danbury to Miss Elizabeth Collins, and they have the following children : John J., Jr., a high school student; and Margaret, William, George and Philip, who are attending grammar school. Mr. Stone is a communicant of the Catholic church and his fraternal connections are with the Knights of Columbus and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He champions every movement for Danbury's growth and betterment and possesses many commendable traits of char- acter, as his fellow citizens attest.
HON. CHARLES DAVENPORT LOCKWOOD
Judge Charles Davenport Lockwood, regarded as one of Con- necticut's outstanding attorneys, has for the past two decades been a member of the Stamford law firm of Cummings & Lock- wood. His position in business and financial circles of Stamford, his native city, is indicated in the fact that he occupies the presi- dency of the Citizens Savings Bank and is chairman of the board of The Lockwood & Palmer Company, Inc., while in public life he has rendered appreciated service to his fellowmen as a member of the legislature in 1913 and as judge of probate for the district of Stamford during three successive terms.
Charles D. Lockwood was born November 11, 1877, his par- ents being Henry and Helen Maria (Davenport) Lockwood, who are mentioned at length on another page of this work. The an- cestral history of the family is given in connection with the biog-
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raphy of Henry Lockwood. Charles D. Lockwood began his education in Stamford's public schools and following preparation at the Stamford high school took the select course in the Shef- field Scientific School from which he was graduated with the degree of Ph. B. in 1900. Three years later, in 1903, he was graduated from Yale Law School with the degree of LL. B. While at Yale he was captain of the university basketball team and represented the college in inter-collegiate debates against Harvard and Princeton. He was a member of Sigma Xi, became secretary of the Sheffield Debating Club, of which he was presi- dent in his senior year, and also had the honor of being class day historian. He has served on the triennial, sexennial, decennial and the quindecennial reunion committees. He was admitted to the bar in the state of Connecticut in 1903 and in New York in 1904, and was assistant district attorney of New York county under William Travers Jerome from 1903 to 1906 in New York city. In November, 1906, he was elected judge of the probate court in Stamford, in 1908 was reelected to the same office, and in 1910 was endorsed by both parties. On the expiration of his term in 1912 he refused to be a candidate for reelection. On September 1, 1909, Judge Lockwood and Hon. Homer S. Cum- mings organized the firm of Cummings & Lockwood, which has continued in existence to the present time, engaged in general practice, and is one of the most prominent law firms in Connec- ticut. Splendidly appointed offices are maintained in the First- Stamford National Bank building. Judge Lockwood has argued cases before the United States supreme court and has long en- joyed an enviable reputation as an attorney of marked ability and broad legal learning. Many outside interests have de- manded his attention, and he has been called to serve on a great many directorates of leading business and financial institutions, while numerous civic and philanthropic enterprises have also elicited his interest. Thus he is now president and a director of the Citizens Savings Bank of Stamford, is chairman of the board of The Lockwood & Palmer Company, Incorporated, of Stamford, a director of the First-Stamford National Bank and the Stamford Morris Plan Bank, president of the Shippan Point Land Company, trustee of the Stamford Children's Home, vice- president and director of the Stamford Water Company, and president of the Stamford Boys Club.
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