USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Connecticut : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 103
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146 | Part 147 | Part 148 | Part 149 | Part 150 | Part 151 | Part 152 | Part 153 | Part 154 | Part 155 | Part 156 | Part 157 | Part 158 | Part 159 | Part 160 | Part 161 | Part 162 | Part 163 | Part 164 | Part 165 | Part 166 | Part 167 | Part 168 | Part 169 | Part 170 | Part 171 | Part 172 | Part 173 | Part 174 | Part 175 | Part 176 | Part 177 | Part 178 | Part 179 | Part 180 | Part 181 | Part 182 | Part 183 | Part 184 | Part 185 | Part 186 | Part 187 | Part 188 | Part 189 | Part 190 | Part 191 | Part 192 | Part 193 | Part 194 | Part 195 | Part 196 | Part 197 | Part 198 | Part 199 | Part 200 | Part 201 | Part 202 | Part 203 | Part 204 | Part 205 | Part 206 | Part 207 | Part 208 | Part 209 | Part 210 | Part 211 | Part 212 | Part 213
For beauty of scenery, health, and educational fa- cilities the location ranks among the first. The beau- tiful views up either river, Housatonic or Naugatuck, which form a junction here, are the subject of remark by all who visit the place. Birmingham has churches of all denominations, excellent schools, bank with three hundred thousand dollars capital, savings bank with over one million dollars deposit, telegraph- and express-offices, also gas- and water-works. Its prox- imity to New Haven, only ten miles distant by rail, adds to its desirability as a place of residence.
The company own a large amount of real estate in the immediate vicinity of their works, providing am- ple room for mills and for the accommodation of oper- atives; also lots more remote, admirably adapted for first-class residences.
The present officers of the company are as follows: President, E. N. Shelton; Vice-President, D. W. Plumb; Secretary, D. S. Brinsmade.
The Derby Silver Company, manufacturers of silver- plated ware, was organized in January, 1873, with a capital of sixty thousand dollars, which has since been increased to one hundred and forty thousand dollars .. The company is now doing a large and successful business. The present officers are: President, E. De F. Shelton ; Secretary, W. J. Miller; Treasurer, Wil- liam E. Downs; Directors, George W. Cheesman, D. W. Plumb, William E. Downs, E. N. Shelton, E. De F. Shelton, W. J. Miller, P. McEnerney.
Birmingham Corset Company .- The firm of J. W. Birdseye commenced business about fourteen years ago in White Hills, Huntington, for the manufacture of hoop-skirts, and seven years ago, in April, moved to the village of Shelton, continuing in same business.
They also, two years later, commenced the manufac- ture of corsets in a moderate way.
The business has rapidly increased, and at the pres- ent time one hundred dozen corsets per day are man- ufactured, and over two hundred persons are employed. Capital, about sixty thousand dollars ; valne of present annual product, about one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars.
The Shelton Company, Manufacturers of Tucks, Bolts, etc .- This business was established by E. N. Shelton in 1836. In 1854 he was succeeded by the present company, and the manufacture of small bolts was commenced. Upon the completion of the Ousatonic dam, in 1871, the works were removed to Shelton. About three tons of small bolts, etc., are made per day.
The officers of the company are: President, E. De F. Shelton; Secretary and Treasurer, George Blakeman.
Wilkinson Brothers & Co.'s Paper-Mills .- The first mills erected by this firm in Shelton were of wood, commenced in October, 1871, and were in operation in November of the following year. Nov. 4, 1878, the mills were totally destroyed by fire, but their re- building was immediately commenced, and in four monthis and eightcen days the manufacture of paper was begun.
The mills, which are of brick, were enlarged very much, and many radical changes made both in the construction of buildings and also in machinery. The present buildings cover about an acre of ground. Additions have been made, and at the present time the establishment is furnished with two one-thousand- pound and two six-hundred-pound washer-engines, and six six-hundred-pound and one eight-hundred- pound Gould beating-engines. The machine-room is sixty by one hundred and thirty feet, and has one sixty-eight-inch cylinder and one eighty-four-inch Fourdrinier machine, built by Rice, Barton & Fales' Machine- and Iron-Works, of Worcester, Mass. The finishing-room is fifty by one hundred, and has two stacks of super-calenders. The cutting-room is forty by fifty, and the dust is removed by a Sturtevant ex- haust blower.
There are three large rotary boilers, with capacity for ten tons of paper per day. About sixty hands are employed.
Feb. 1, 1879, the firm was changed by taking into partnership Charles A. Whedon and George S. Ar- nold, making five in the firm at present time.
The buildings are protected from fire by a complete system of automatic sprinklers (Parmelce's patent) and the town water-works, with six double hydrauts in the yard and directly in front of the mill. In addition to the town supply of water, they have a large Holyoke Machine Company's double rotary fire-pump, capable of supplying eleven hundred gallons of water per minute. Steam for drying. boil- ing, and heating is supplied from four steam boilers.
416
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.
This firm are now (May, 1880) building wood-pulp works, to be run in connection with the present mills.
The store-house, forty by one hundred and fifty, two stories, for manufactured and raw stock, is situ- ated across the canal, about one hundred and twenty- five feet distant from the mills.
The Wilkinson Bros. & Co.'s mills rank among the leading establishments of the kind in the eoun- try, and are such as give eharacter and stability to a town. Manilla, colored, envelope, and hardware papers are manufactured, known by the trade as the "Derby Mills."
Radcliff Brothers, manufacturers of hosiery goods, erected their factory in 1874. They employ about one hundred and ten persons, and the value of an- nual product is one hundred and forty thousand dollars.
The Derby Cotton-Mills, Robt. Adams proprietor, were established in 1880. They employ three liun- dred and twenty-five hands, have seventeen thousand spindles, and turn out four thousand five hundred pieces of goods per day. Value of annual product, three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The mills manufacture linings, mosquito-netting, buckram, and crinoline.
Among other enterprises may be mentioned the Beardsley Building Company, Zachariah Spence, machinist, and Church Brothers, manufacturers of brackets and wooden-ware.
Shelton Water Company .- The village of Shelton is supplied with water by the Shelton Water Company. The officers of the company are: President, D. W. Plumb ; General Agent, C. H. Nettleton.
Sharon Bassett's Bolt-Factory was established in 1872, and at present employs about sixty persons. Value of annual product, one hundred thousand dollars.
G. C. Maltby & Son, manufacturers of spoons, forks, and Maltby's decorated cocoa-nuts, is a flourishing establishment, and employs about eighty persons. The factory building was erected by the late Edwin Wooster, who was drowned in the Housatonie in April, 1876.
Wilcox & Howe, manufacturers of carriage-hard- ware, employ about forty persons, and the value of annual product is about one hundred thousand dollars.
The Star Pin Company was established in 1867 at Wells Hollow, with Geo. H. Peck, president, and Joseph Tomlinson, secretary and treasurer. Their present brick factory in Shelton was ereeted in 1875. They employ fifty hands, and the value of the annual produet is about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
D. W. Plumb is the present president of the eom- pany, and G. H. Peck secretary and treasurer. In addition to pins, hooks, and eyes, hairpins are also manufactured.
MILITARY RECORD. From records in the adjutant-general's office.
FOURTEENTH REGIMENT.
Company A. Joel N. Bradley, enl. Aug. 7, 1862 ; wounded ; must. out May 31, 1864.
SEVENTEENTII REGIMENT. Company D.
S. J. Burdell, enl. Aug. 13, 1862; died Nov. 29, 1862.
F. W. Curtis, enl. Aug. 9, 1862; trans. to Invalid Corps.
F. R. Clark, enl. Aug. 11, 1862; must. out July 19, 1865.
D. S. Garett, enl. Aug. 11, 1862 ; pro. to second lieutenant; must. out July 19, 1865.
Ira C. Northrop, enl. Aug. 15, 1862 ; must. out July 19, 1865. S. Rounds, enl. Aug. 11, 1862; wounded and trans. to Vet. Corps. G. S. Webster, enl Aug. 6, 1862 ; must. out June 2, 1865. E. L. Webster, enl. Aug. 6, 1862; disch. Jan. 27, 1863.
C. S. Wells, eul. Aug. 9, 1862 ; wounded and disch. Nov. 28, 1864. John Qunleon, enl. March 31, 1864 ; must. out Dec. 25, 1865.
FIFTEENTH REGIMENT. Company K. George Smith, enl. March 30, 1864; must. out Dec. 21, 1865.
Company F.
J. La Salle, enl. Sept. 6, 1864; must. out July 20, 1865.
FIRST CAVALRY. Company D.
Amos II. Wheeler, enl. Nov. 25, 1861 ; disch. Nov. 25, 1864. A. L. Burr, enl. Nov. 19, 1861 ; disch. Sept. 13, 1865. II. N. Burr, enl. Aug. 12, 1862; must. out June 9, 1865,
Company G.
John Gutlırie, enl. Sept. 7, 1864.
THIRD INDEPENDENT, BATTERY.
Georgo Inman, cnl. Sept. 5, 1864 ; must. out June 23, 1865. D. S. Rockwell, enl. Sept. 5, 1864; must. out June 23, 1865. J. Scholby, enl. Sept. 3, 1864; must. out June 23, 1865.
FIRST ARTILLERY. Company E.
F. Tomlinson, enl. Dec. 5, 1863; must. out Sept. 25, 1865.
Company F.
Adam Biegal, enl. Dec. 3, 1864 ; must, out Sept. 25, 1865. SIXTH REGIMENT. Company G.
Frederick Miller, enl. Dec. 3, 1864; killed Feb. 22, 1865.
ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
Company C.
J. Graber, enl. March 22, 1864 ; must. out Dec. 21, 1865. James Jackson, enl. March 24, 1864; wounded and must. out Dec. 21, 1865. William Smithy, enl. March 23, 1864; captured.
Company I.
James Hassett, enl. Dec. 28, 1864; must. out Aug. 25, 1865. Henry Moore, enl. March 31, 1864.
TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT. Company D.
George Inman, enl. Aug. 27, 1862 ; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. L. H. Whitney, enl. Aug. 30, 1862; disch. Feb. 1, 1863. Charles Beard, enl. Aug. 31, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. B. Bronson, enl. Aug. 25, 1862 ; dischi. Aug. 31, 1863. F. M. Clemons, enl. Aug. 30, 1862 ; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. S. A. Benedict, enl. Aug. 23, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. William Brooks, enl. Aug. 25, 1862.
L. N. Bronson, enl. Aug. 25, 1862; died June 30, 1863.
C. L. Burrite, enl. Aug. 30, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. O. N. Blackman, enl. Aug. 30, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. T. C. Cornell, eul. Aug. 25, 1862 ; killed June 23, 1863.
H. L. Dorman, enl. Aug. 25, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863.
M. a. Shelton . M. D .
417
HUNTINGTON.
J. Ewen, enl. Aug. 30, 1862; dischi. Aug. 31, 1863. James Hubbell, eul. Aug. 25, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. S. O. Hubbell, enl. Aug. 30, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. E. A. Ilopkius, enl. Aug. 30, 1862 ; dischi. Aug. 31, 1863. D. Iluckius, eul. Ang 30, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. Charles Judsou, enl. Aug. 29, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. O. L. Rowley, enl. Aug. 30, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. J. Scholly, en1. Aug. 30, 1862; disch. Ang. 31, 1863. S. Tyther, enl. Ang. 30, 1862 ; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. G. S. Thompson, enl. Sept. 2, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. D. Ufford, enl. Aug. 30, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. D. S. Wheeler, cul. Aug. 30, 1862; dischi. Aug. 31, 1863. Albert Yale, enl. Aug. 27, 1862; disch. Aug. 31, 1863.
Company G.
J. P. Hubbell, enl. Nov. 12, 1862; trans. to Iuv. Corps.
NINTH REGIMENT.
Company F.
James Howard, enl. March 31, 1864 ; must. out Aug. 3, 1865.
FIFTH REGIMENT.
William Armstrong, enl. March 16, 1864. William King, enl. March 16, 1864.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
THE SHELTON FAMILY OF CONNECTICUT.
As far as is known, the Sheltons scattered through the Northern States are descendants of Daniel Shel- ton, and those in the Southern States, where the name has often been changed to Chilton, are descendants of Richard Shelton, his brother.
The old home of the Shelton family in England was at Shelton, in County Norfolk, but the branch from which the American Sheltons are deseended were more recently in Derbyshire. Daniel and Rich- ard Shelton came to this country before 1690, Richard going to Virginia and Daniel to Stratford, Conn., where he settled. He was one of the non-resident proprietors of Waterbury, Conn., and owned lands in Stratford, Stamford, Farmington, Oxford, Woodbury, and Derby. He lived in that part of Stratford called Long Hill. He married April 4, 1692, Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Welles and granddaughter of Hon. Thomas Welles, one of the early Governors of Connecticut; he died in January, 1728, at about sixty years of age. He had two daughters and seven sons. One son died aged twenty-one, the others mar- ried and lived within what were then the limits of the town of Stratford.
The eldest son, Joseph Shelton, born June 24, 1696, married Mary, daughter of Joseph Hollister, of Glas- tonbury. Joseph Shelton lived at Long Hill ; he died there Aug. 10, 1782, aged eighty-six. He had four daughters and two sons,-Joseph, who died aged four- teen, and William Shelton, born July 26, 1739, who married, Oct. 1, 1764, Susannalı, daughter of Thomas Strong, of Brookhaven, L. I., a descendant of Elder John Strong, of the Dorchester colony, Elder Brews- ter, of the " Mayflower," and Roger Ludlow, Deputy-
Governor of Massachusetts. William Shelton lived at Long Hill; he died Jan. 27, 1812, aged seventy- three. He had two daughters and six sons. Philo. and Thomas died without issuc. William, Jr., grad- uated at Yale in 1788, was a physician, and lived in Huntington. Two of his sons were physicians,-Dr. William Shelton, of Stratford, and Dr. James Shel- ton, of Huntington.
Selah, son of William Shelton, had eight daughters and two sons. George lived in Ohio and Missouri, and Alfred in Huntington, where his descendants now live.
George, son of William Shelton, had two sons,- Charles, who was for eight years medical missionary in India, and George Wellington, who lives in Bir- mingliam, Conn.
Joseplı, eldest son of William Shelton, born Aug. 27, 1765, married, Nov. 24, 1791, Charity, daughter of Stephen Lewis, of Stratford, Conn. Joseph Shelton lived at Long Hill ; he died Sept. 1. 1848, aged eighty- two; he had three daughters and five sons.
The youngest son, Edward Nelson Shelton, was born Sept. 4, 1812; he received his education at the public school in Huntington and the academy in Derby, at Partridge's thien celebrated academy in Middletown, the last year of its existence, and from scientific lectures at Yale during one winter. He is a man of prudence and generosity, of keen business foresight and great publie spirit, having been always a leader in whatever was for the welfare of the town or the church of which he is a member, a man of honor and striet integrity, a wise counselor, and a true friend.
Mr. Shelton's business career has been one of marked success. He has been identified with manu- facturing, mining, banking, and various other enter- prises. He commenced manufacturing taeks, nails, etc., in 1836, at Birmingham, and has continued the same successfully to the present time, besides assum- ing responsibilities as chief executive officer of many other corporations. He has held the office of presi- dent of the Birmingham National Bank-formerly the Manufacturers' Bank-since its organization in 1848, and that of president of the Ousatonic Water Company since it was organized in 1866. Nothing that Mr. Shelton has been connected with has so well shown to the publie his energy, perseverance. and business ability as this. The project of building a dam across the Ousatonic River had long been con- sidered, and to Mr. Shelton's efforts the fulfillment of it is principally due. The labor in connection with it was very varied and arduous; four distinct efforts were required : first, the securing the land, then the charter from the Legislature, then the necessary enp- ital, and then the supervision of the work in all its details until the result was obtained in the develop- ment of one of the finest water-powers in the country, and the establishment of the thriving and growing village which, in his honor, is called Shelton.
418
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.
G. A. SHELTON, M.D.
Gould Abijah Shelton, the subject of this sketch, is the fourth son of Judson Curtiss and Hannah Lewis Shelton, and was born in Huntington, Aug. 19, 1841. He received his early education at the common schools of his town, but at eighteen years of age, desirous of pursuing a more extended course of study, he entered Staples Academy at Easton, Conn., where he remained three years under the popular instructor H. W. Sig- lar, thus making thorough preparation for a collegiate course at Yale, in which institution he matriculated in 1862. During his junior year, he left his class to engage in the work of teaching. Late in 1864 he ac- cepted the position of instructor in the languages and mathematics in Mountain View Seminary, at Fish- kill-on-the-Hudson; the year following he was elected principal of the public school at Port Washington, Long Island, N. Y. Filling his engagements here with credit to himself and satisfaction to his patrons, he decided to follow the bent of a long-felt inclina- tion, and at once entered the medical school at Yale College, from which institution, after three years of arduous application,-in the class of 1869,-he received the degree of M.D., immediately afterwards locating in the new village of Shelton, in his native town, and offering his professional services to the public.
It is not a little remarkable that Huntington should have enjoyed a succession of as capable men, of the same profession and family name, extending over so long a period. William Shelton, Jr., M.D., received his degree from Yale in 1788; he was a native of Huntington, and until his death, Aug. 29, 1819, en- joyed a highly successful practice. He was succeeded by his son, Dr. James Hovey Shelton, who, through- out life, was held in the highest esteem, both as a man and as a physician. His labors closed with his death, which occurred on May 10, 1868. The professional mantle fell upon the nephew of this latter representa- tive, and to-day Dr. G. A. Shelton not only enjoys the advantages of the prestige of a century, but for his own worth and ability, through his own energy and success, he has attained an enviable place in his pro- fession and the society in which he moves. For nine years he has been an active member of the board of school visitors, always taking a lively interest in every- thing that elevates the educational standing of the schools of his town. For three years he has been register of vital statistics, and is a member of the Fair- field County, Connecticut State, and American Med- ical Associations.
Dr. Shelton was united in marriage, June 16, 1874, to Emily Plumb Capel, niece of Hon. D. W. Plumb, of Shelton. Miss Capel was born in Bridgeport, Conn., Aug. 12, 1847.
GENEALOGY.
G. A. Shelton is the son of Judson C., who was the son of Samuel Frederick, who was the son of Danicl, who was the son of Samuel, who was the son of Dan- iel, the first settler of the name in Connecticut.
DAVID SHELTON.
Daniel Shelton, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, with his brother Richard, emigrated to this country from Yorkshire, England, in the year 1690. Daniel settled in the town of Stratford, Fair- field Co., Conn., Richard going to Virginia. Daniel married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Wells, of Wethersfield, Conn., who bore him nine children,- Elizabeth, Sarah, Joseph, Danicl, Thaddeus, Samuel, James, John, and Josiah.
Samuel, the fourth son, married Abigail, daughter of Philo and Mahitaba Nichol, by whom he had four- teen children,-Mary, Daniel, Samuel, Elizabeth, Da- vid, Abigail, Joseph, Andrew, Sarah, Ann, Josiah, Philo, Isaac Wells, and Agur.
Agur, the fourteenth child, was born Aug. 11, 1758, marrying Abigail Newton, daughter of Rev. Christo- pher Newton, who bore him six children,-Polly Amelia, Charles, Avis, Abigail, Christopher Newton, and David.
David Shelton was born Sept. 17, 1799, and was united in marriage to Jane Perry, June 4, 1830, dying June 2, 1872.
Jane Perry was born March 18, 1811, and was the daughter of A. Hawley Perry, who came to Hunting- ton at the age of twenty-one years and lived there until his death, Nov. 21, 1826. Mr. Perry was the son of Yelverton Perry and Patience Tomlinson, of Oxford. He married Polly Leavenworth, March 6, 1809. Polly Leavenworth was the daughter of Ed- mund Leavenworth, the youngest son of Capt. Ed- mund Leavenworth, who was the son of Dr. Thomas Leavenworth, the first settler of that name in Fair- field County.
David and Jane Shelton had but one child, Mary Jane, born Feb. 8, 1833, and who was united in mar- riage to Edwin Wooster, May 23, 1860. Being the only child, great pains were taken in her education and training, which were amply repaid in the develop- ment of a character of rare sweetness and vivacity. In disposition combining amiability and liveliness, she was the idol of her parents and the acknowledged favorite of a large circle of friends. Her early death, which occurred June 4, 1864, no doubt did much to shorten her father's life and was the first real sorrow of her mother's life, preparing her, as it werc, for an- other heavier sorrow in the death of her husband.
Mr. Wooster continued to reside with Mr. and Mrs. Shelton, to whom he was greatly attached, after the death of his wife, until his own unfortunate death, April 20, 1876. On the night of April 20, 1876, he was piloting the " Dunderburg" down the river above the dam. The night was dark, and, deceived by the light or shadows, in some way he missed the canal lock and the boat went over the dam. His two com- panions were saved, but Mr. Wooster was drowned. He was a man of more than ordinary business ability, and by his energy and sagacity did much towards the successful completion of the dam.
DAVID SHELTON.
-
4
-
All Downs
419
HUNTINGTON.
Mr. Shelton was from a line of farmers, and as a business man was careful rather than pushing. In- heriting comfortable property from his father and ae- quiring a moderate property by his wife, he was inde- pendent of trade and traffic, and preferred to quietly preserve and enjoy that which he had rather than to strive to accumulate. His accounts were always straight and accurate, and he never went into debt. In politics he was a Democrat, as was his father be- fore him. Quiet and unostentatious in his mode of life, domestic in his tastes, his amiable and modest bearing endeared him to a large circle of friends, whom it was his delight to entertain.
Affectionate in disposition, his marital relations were most fortunate. In his wife he found a true woman, a genuine friend,-a warm second in the exercise of that genuine though modest hospitality that made his house a favored resort. Few couples perhaps enjoyed so smooth and pleasant a life as they. Mrs. Shelton still lives at the old Shelton homestead, preserving her intellect and activity to a remarkable degree.
Charles Shelton, brother of David, a graduate of Yale College, is now a practicing physician in the town of Cheshire, Conn., which town he has repre- sented in the Senate and lower House of the General Assembly. Christopher N. and David were graduates of the Episcopal Academy at Cheshire. Christopher was town representative for a number of years, and prominent in educational works.
JAMES B. BRINSMADE.
James B. Brinsmade graduated at Yale .in 1813; went to Easton, Pa., as principal of an academy. About 1820 came to New York and went into mer- cantile business. He died in 1857. The last twenty- five years of his life were devoted almost exclusively to the cause of education for the poor in the city, acting in the capacity of a trustee of the Public School Society, and of vice-president of the American Sunday-School Union. He had four children, all of whom died early in life without issue execpt his son, J. B.
He was born in New York City in 1824 (May 1st), graduated at Yale in 1845, was admitted to the bar in 1847, practiced law in Albany till 1853, then moved to New York and at once entered into a large prac- tice. His health failed in 1868, as the result of over- work and close application to business. He had already acquired some interests in the iron business which required attention, and, abandoning his pro- fession, he became an iron-master, which he con- tinues to the present time with success. He has six children,-three boys and three girls,-Henry, 23, Mary, 21; William B., 16; Eleanor, 13; Alice, 11; Charles L., 9. His home in winter is in Brooklyn, and in summer at Lake Mahopac.
His grandmother was Mary Beebee. Her father was
Rev. James Beebee, the first minister settled in Strat- ford (now Trumbull). He preached in a "meet- ing-house" which stood where the Trumbull church now stands. He was a chaplain to the army which invaded Canada in the old French war, and he had a son James, who was a captain in the Revolution, and was wounded at Monmouth. Ex-Judge Lucien Birdseye, late of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, is grandson of the latter.
Rev. James Beebee had another son, Rev. Henry Beebee (both graduated at Yale). Gen. Henry B. Carrington, U.S.A., is his grandson. Gen. Carring- ton was the commander of the expedition which culminated in the Fort Fetterman massacre. He was retired for wounds received in service, and was de- tailed to take the chair of military science in Wabash College. He is the author of " Absaraka," "Crisis Thoughts," "Battles of the American Revolution," and other works. He also graduated at Yale in 1845.
Mr. J. B. Brinsmade has in his possession the com- mission as captain of militia issued by Governor Trumbull to his grandfather, Abraham Brinsmade, and tradition says that he fought at Ridgefield under Gen. Benedict Arnold.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.