USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Leading business men of Fairfield County : and a historical review of the principal cities > Part 29
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Mr. Berg opened this hotel, which is four stories in height and 40x80 feet in dimensions, four years ago, and early established a reputation for unremitting efforts to please and satisfy his. guests. He does a large business and fully de- serves his success, as it is but the legitimate re- sult of his liberal management and fair treatment.
L. B. Gaylor & Co., Dealer in Foreign and Domestic Dry Goods, Notions, Fancy Goods, Etc., Washington Place .- Among the foremost. dry goods houses in Stamford is that of L. B. Gaylor & Co., located on Washington place.
Mr. Gaylor established this business four years. ago, and has met with marked success, being a gentleman of unusual business ability, besides paying strict attention to the wants .of the public, he bids fair to rival his contemporaries in the future. His store is finely situated, is light and airy, and occupies two floors 20x80 feet each in dimensions. Filled with the most tempting dis- plays, it is the delight of the fair sex to wander around among the piles of foreign and domestic- goods, counters of notions, fancy goods, etc.
Six attentive assistants are employed, who are. ever ready to wait upon customers in an intelli- gent and courteous manner. Mr. Gaylor is a gentleman of exceptionally fine taste, and as he personally selects his stock, only the latest fash- ions and the choicest goods are to be found in his establishment.
Mr. Gaylor is a native of Stamford, and has. hosts of friends and acquaintances throughout this section. Business has been very satisfactory so far, and the future is very promising.
We advise all who have not already done so to give Mr. Gaylor a call, and we feel assured they will be satisfied with both his selections as well as prices.
S. Adams, Clothier, 89 Main Street -Travel- ers in this country from foreign lands, however. much else they may see to admire, always find time to notice and to express their surprise at the well-dressed condition of the people here as a whole. There is no such attention paid to the wants of the people by clothiers abroad, as there: is here, where the competition among those en- gaged in the business is so keen that $2.00 is. more often made on suit of clothes than $5.00
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and where most of the dealers believe it is better to sell a large quantity at a small profit than a small amount at a large profit. The Clothing business is so arranged now that dwellers in the metropolis have no advantage whatever over those living in the surrounding smaller cities in the matter of purchasing clothing. It is a well known saying, and one of no small amount of credence that "the clothes make the man." But they must be good clothes, however, which is quite another thing, and the trouble is now-a-days to find an establishment where gar- ments suitable for the outer covering of a gentle- man are made of good, honest material, which are of fashionable style, perfect fit, and last, but by no means least, at a reasonable outlay. Among ladies the belief exists that in the largest stores with large show-windows, and situated on a main thoroughfare, the " best" goods are to be had. They do not but believe that goods are made for them only, although a smaller establishment buys their articles from the same sources, and by employing less help and the rent of course is considerably less, these smaller stores not exactly located on the fashionable main street, can sell the goods at least one-third less. This belief is nevertheless commenc- ing to vanish, and the fair sex is now as full of business thoughts as the stronger sex.
Seven years ago, in 1880, Mr. S. Adams came to this city and located at 89 Main street. The competition was then already very great, and everyone shook their heads, saying: "He won't last long." Still he exists, and very few business men of this city have retained their customers and obtained daily new ones, as has Mr. Adams, and by perseverance he has succeeded in building up a business which is founded on such a substantial basis, that by inquiring for sub- stantial clothing it has become a by-word to say : "Go to Adams'." Only sound goods are kept on hand, and not, as in many finely fitted up Cloth- ing emporiums, shoddy garments.
The store is not fitted up "gold edged," but it contains as full and as complete an assortment of Clothing, Underwear, Furnishing Goods, etc., as can be found in any store even in the metro- polis.
The policy upon which Mr. Adams conducts his business is characterized by liberality and the | his work.
careful fostering of the interests of his patrons, so that transactions once entered into with him may be not only pleasant for the time being, but of a permanent nature. Owing to his increasing trade, he has of late been compelled to double his help in the store. Buyer or no buyer, everyone is re- quested to inspect his assortment before making a bargain anywhere, and the general opinion has always been that S. Adams, the Clothier, carries an Al complete assortment and is invariably the cheapest in Stamford, which means a great deal. Mr. Adams was born in Prussia in 1844, came to this country in 1863, and before his starting busi- ness in this city he resided mostly in New York city.
He is to day through perseverance, honest deal- ings and strict personal attendance to his business, one of the city's well known and highly respected citizens, and is what may be termed a self made man.
E. Vanderwerken, Watchmaker and Jeweler. -A house which probably carries at least as full an assortment of the goods in which it deals as any similar establishment in town is that conduct- ed by Mr. E. Vanderwerken, watchmaker and jeweler.
This gentleman began business about three years ago and has already succeeded in building up a large and rapidly increasing patronage. The stock on hand comprises Watches, Clocks, Jew- elry, Silverware and similar articles, and is not only large in proportions but is most excellently selected to suit the wants of the public.
The store is 24x90 feet in dimensions and em- ployment is given to three assistants. The re- pairing department is a very important feature of the business, and the most complicated and deli- cate watches or chronometers may be unhesitat- ingly confided to Mr. Vanderwerken with the as- surance that they cannot be entrusted to more skillful or experienced hands. Repairs of what- ever nature in Watches, Clocks, Jewelry, etc., will receive early and painstaking attention, and will be executed at very low prices.
Mr. Vanderwerken is a native of New York State, of old Knickerbocker stock, which is al- most of itself sufficient guarantee of the trust- worthy and reliable character of his goods and
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF DANBURY.
In the primitive days, when the whites first began to settle in Connecticut, the territory now occupied by the city of Danbury was called by the Indians "Pah- quioque." No permanent colony seems to have been established in the place before 1685, though a few clearings and improvements had been made upon the virgin country before that date, mostly by settlers of Norwalk. In the spring of 1685 eight families settled here and formed the nucleus of a growing colony. The names of the heads of these families were: Thomas Taylor, Francis Bushnell, Thomas Barnum, John Hoyt, James Benedict, Samuel Benedict, James Beebe and Judah Gregory. A regular purchase of the land from the Indian proprietors was first made and a few acres of rough land cleared around the rude log cabins in the cen- ter of the tiny settlement, at that time on the outskirts of the New England colo- nies. The whole amount of territory purchased from the Indians is recorded to have been eight miles from north to south and six from east to west.
While the settlement was yet only a few years old it received a valuable addition in the arrival of Dr. Samuel Wood, a talented physician, born and educated in Eng- land, who had come out across the colony to the very border of civilization to prac- tice his beneficent profession where it might do most good, but where all hopes of ambitious advancement were vain. To such men as Dr. Wood New England owes no small share of her early development.
Other settlers came slowly, among whom were Josiah Starr from Long Island, Joseph Mygatt from Hartford, and the families of Picket, Knapp and Wildman. The name " Danbury " was taken from that of a town in Essex, England, of which some of the settlers were doubtless natives.
The first church in the village was probably organized about 1696, when the Rev. Seth Shove, the first minister of Danbury, was probably ordained. He was "a very pious and worthy man, who was very successful in his exertions for the promotion of peace, virtue and true religion." The first " meeting-house " was erected about the time of Mr. Shove's ordination. Its dimensions were 40 feet in length by 30 feet in breadth, and the remarkable fact is stated that "after the frame was raised, every person that belonged to the town was present, and sat on the sills at once." A very approximate idea of the number of inhabitants in Danbury may be obtained from this odd statement.
A town patent was received by Danbury from the General Court in 1702, and from the advantages which drew settlers to it, it soon became one of the most influ- ential towns in this part of the State. A second meeting-house was erected in 1719, which was 50 feet by 35 feet, to which 15 feet were added on the front in 1745;
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again we can notice the growth of the population, indeed, in the early Puritan days the church was a most accurate census-keeper.
The Rev. Seth Shove died in 1735, after thirty-nine years of faithful service, and was succeeded by Mr. Ebenezer White, who was the pastor for the next twenty-nine years; sixty-eight years of a church's life with only two ministers ! This period of almost perfect religious harmony was succeeded by another so marked by fierce con- troversies that it was believed that "in no town in the State, has there been more religious contention than in this."
After Mr. White had served the church with great satisfaction for more than twenty-five years, he began to preach some new ideas, which caused much uneasiness among his people. Finally, in 1764 the discussions resulted in the dismissal of Mr. White from his charge. He however rejected the authority of "ecclesiastical coun- cils," and, the majority of his congregation adhering to him, he formed a separate church, known as the "New Danbury Society."
In 1768, Danbury was visited by a terrible conflagration, which laid waste almost the entire town. Like Rome, it arose from the ashes more beautiful than ever. The Revolutionary war had a very important relation to and effect upon Danbury. At its beginning the total valuation of the town was estimated at £28,501.
In the early part of the war, the Commissioners of the American Army chose Danbury as a place of deposit for military stores. Pseudo-Governor Tryon, learn- ing that a large amount of supplies had been collected here, on the 26th of April, 1777, made a sudden assault upon the town. The men had been landed at Compo Point, Fairfield, the day before, and arrived at Danbury about three on the after- noon of the 26th of April. Their first work was to destroy the stores. Then they began those brutal and cowardly acts of cruelty and excess which were characteris- tic of all their invasions. Neither the persons nor the property of the citizens were spared, save of a few tories who, however, thought it best not to remain after the departure of the troops.
The enemy were fearful of being surrounded by the Continental forces, which were gathering rapidly under the leadership of Colonel Cook, the commander of Danbury at the time of the invasion, so they rallied together early on the morning of the 27th, and firing a few more private houses as a parting blessing, started on their return march, which was little better than a retreat.
In the pursuit of the British back to the coast from Danbury, Major-General Wooster and Brigadier General Silliman led the Americans. On the second day's fighting General Wooster was mortally wounded and brought back to Danbury, where he died in a few days. He was buried in the Danbury cemetery, opposite the Court House. Few Generals in the New England States were more highly honored or more deeply mourned than General Wooster. In 1854, a large and beautiful monument was erected to his memory in Danbury, and his name has been cherished with those of Hale and Putnam.
As the British marched away they drove off the sheep and cattle of the inhabit- ants, and after their departure it seemed as if the town had been swept bare. One record states that "nineteen dwelling houses, the meeting-house of the 'New Dan- bury Society,' and twenty-two stores and barns with all their contents were con- sumed. The quantity of Continental stores which were consumed cannot now be accurately ascertained; accounts vary considerably. From the best information
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which can be obtained, there were about 3,000 barrels of pork, more than 1,000 bar- rels of flour, several hundred barrels of beef, 1,600 tents, 2,000 bushels of grain, besides many other valuable articles, such as rum, wine, rice, army carriages, etc."
The losses of private property were estimated to have been about £15,862. The town was so utterly impoverished that a stirring appeal was made to the Legislature. in order that some of the impoverished people might not die of starvation. A sum. of £500 was voted by the Legislature to relieve the immediate distresses of the suf- ferers, and the whole amount of the loss was finally paid a number of years after the. war from the proceeds of the "Western Lands." The town records were almost entirely destroyed during the invasion, so that the early history of the town has been rendered much less full and accurate than otherwise would have been the case.
An amusing incident is related which gives a humorous toneh to a period other- wise entirely wrapped in gloom. A short distance outside of Danbury on the turnpike road dwelt Mr. Luther Holcomb, a rather eccentric gentleman. Hearing that the. British were advancing, Mr. Holcomb mounted his horse and started out to meet them. He arrived at the summit of a low hill, just as the British were descending the one opposite. Mr. Holcomb then faced around, and as if addressing a large body of troops, shouted, in a voice of thunder: "Halt the whole Universe ! Break off by Kingdoms !" The British were considerably in doubt how large a force they had now to encounter. Their cannon was brought to the front of the line to bear upon their formidable enemy, and flanking parties were sent out to make discoveries. Meanwhile Mr. Holcomb was galloping back to Danbury, having saved considerable- time for the people of the town and enabled many to make their escape.
Although such a disaster might well have crushed a larger town, Danbury with characteristic perseverance was soon as prosperous as she had been before. She never suffered a second invasion, the people having declined to enjoy the doubtful pleasure of having their town made a deposit of Continental stores, and the objective point of a hostile attack. Many of the townsmen, however, were engaged with General Washington in his campaigns, and the town was honorably represented in all the great battles of the war.
During the latter part of the Revolution a hospital for the American army was kept here. It occupied two large buildings on the property of Samuel Wildman, Esq., and during the course of the war more than two hundred soldiers were buried there. Thus, Danbury became the last resting place of many of the brave men who gave up their lives in the struggle for our independence. The fact that Danbury recovered very rapidly from the effects of the war and soon came to be a prominent town, is well demonstrated by her having been made a half-shire town in 1784, the county-court alternating in its sittings between this place and Fairfield.
For a short time a religious sect called the Landemamans, obtained some promi- nence, having been founded in 1765 by Robert Landemaman, a native of Perth, England, who died and was buried here in April, 1771. His peculiar doctrine was " the bare belief of the bare truth " of the Bible. They were a very quiet and up- right people, their services and life being somewhat after the manner of the Moravians.
Danbury having no seaport could not profit by the brief "boom " in American shipping between the two wars with England, but she likewise did not suffer the reverses which many of the New England seacoast towns met from 1808 to 1820.
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TOWN HALL AND SOLDIERS' MONUMENT.
The manufacturing interests of the town have grown, though not with great rapid- ity, yet with great steadiness. As early as 1780 Zadoc Bennett was making hats here, being one of the earliest manufacturers in this line in the country. With the assistance of three men he was accustomed to make about three hats per day. In 1790 the first hat factory in the town was established by Burr & White, who employed about thirty hands and turned out about fifteen dozen a week. By 1800 the trade had assumed extensive proportions, twenty thousand hats, mostly fur, being manufactured annually, more than in any other place in the country. In 1836, there were twenty-four factories in operation in Danbury, with a working force of two hundred and thirty-nine persons, an annual output of one hundred and thirty-four thousand hats, and a total valuation of about $400,000.
A paper mill had been established in 1792, which produced 1,500 reams annually, and a number of other important manufactories were started about the beginning of the century. In 1836 there were two hundred dwelling houses in the town, besides numerous other buildings, six meeting-houses (one each of the Congregational, Epis- copal, Baptist, Methodist, Universalist and Landemaman denominations), nine mer- cantile stores, a printing office, and an academy. The population of Danbury in 1840 was 4,504; in 1850 it had increased to 5,964, and was the fifth town in size in Connecticut.
The completion of the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad in 1852 was an import-
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ant event in the history of Danbury and aided materially in its progress. The open- ing of the New York & Housatonic Railroad in 1863, and of the New York & New England in 1883, have advanced the town yet more rapidly and made it an im- portant center in the western part of the State.
Danbury's war record is one of which she has been and well may be proud. From the first call to arms until the fall of the Confederacy her citizens put forth devoted and untiring efforts in the service of the country. The town was represented by Co. E, First Conn. Regiment, Captain E. E. Wildman; Co. A, Fifth Regiment, Cap- tain H. B. Stone; Co. D, Seventh Regiment, Captain B. F. Skinner; parts of Co.'s H and I, Eighth Regiment, and Co. A, Ninth Regiment; Co. A, Eleventh Regiment, Captain G. A. Southmayd; parts of Co. E, Twelfth Regiment, Co. C, Seventeenth, Captain James E. Moore; Co. B, Twenty-Third, Captain James H. Jenkins, besides other volunteers in almost every regiment sent out by the State.
Major-General Darius N. Couch, the celebrated corps commander of the Army of the Potomac, was a native of Danbury. The Hon. Roger Averill, of Danbury, was the Lieut .- Governor of the State from 1862 to 1865, and admirably seconded the grand efforts of the War Governor, Wm. A. Buckingham, which made Connecticut renowned among the loyal States. Among other commissioned officers from Dan- bury were Lieut .- Col. Nelson L. White of the Fourth, and Lieut .- Col. Wm. C. Moeg- ling of the Eleventh. In all the important battles of the war: at Bulls' Run, the Peninsular Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Charlestown, New Orleans, Vicksburg, Sherman's March to the Sea, and the final campaign under Grant and Sheridan, the brave soldiers from Danbury fought with unflinching courage and patriotism, welding together the dissevered country with their own blood.
Among the noble dead were Sergeant John R. Marsh, Lieut .- Cols. Henry B. Stone and Wm. C. Moegling, Captains James E. Moore and Selleck R. White, Lieut. Frederick Starr, and Private A. W. Wheeler, all noble and brave men, honored and mourned, both at home and in the field. In all, Danbury sent to the field more than a thousand men. The town was not less generous in supplying the sinews of war. Out of a grand list of $4,140,207, Danbury contributed $154,566, a proportion which was not surpassed by any town of equal valuation in the State. The U. S. Sanitary Commission, and the Christian Sanitary Commission, as well as State and local organ- izations for helping the soldiers were well supported, and the ladies of the town were untiring in their services.
Danbury has been steadily advancing since the war. The manufacturing inter- ests have grown rapidly and many of the large houses are representatives of New England enterprise. The manufacture of hats has continued to be the leading line, and at present is one of the largest in the country. Other branches of trade have been successfully established and the advantages of the town are yearly attracting new houses. Two National and two Savings banks conduct the banking business of Danbury. There are three progressive journals: the Republican, the Democrat and the News, the latter being the only daily in the city.
The subject of education has received a great deal of attention from the citizens of Danbury, and its public school system is maintained at a high standard. There is a free library, which is much appreciated by the large number of inhabitants of a literary turn of mind. A beautiful town hall building has been erected recently
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which is generally considered to be most elegant in design and finish of any in this part of the State. Danbury has attested her love for the sokliers and their memory by the recent dedication of a soldiers' monument. The management of the water and gas supply is most admirable. The magnificent arch of elins which lines the main street is the pride of the citizens and the admiration of the stranger.
Few towns in New England have a more lovely situation than Danbury, either as regards scenery or health. "Terre Haute " is the name of a beautiful hill near the borough, which furnishes an entrancing out-look across the country. Deer Hill is one of the favorite resorts for those in search of beautiful scenery, and is widely noted for its model private residences. Two lovely lakes, " Neversink " and " Keno- sha," are frequently visited by pleasure-seekers, the latter being famous throughout the western part of the State. It is also the source of the Still River, which supplies the borough with excellent water power. With such advantages of situation joined to the enterprise of its citizens, it is not to be wondered at that Danbury has made such rapid progress in recent years. At the present time the population is estimated to be in the neighborhood of fifteen thousand, and every prospect favors yet more decided progress in the future.
LEADING BUSINESS MEN OF DANBURY.
National Pahquioque Bank, United Bank Building, Main Street .- The best endorsement of a banking institution is a long and honorable record, and measured from this standpoint, the National Pahquioque Bank of Danbury stands foremost among the monetary concerns of the State.
It was incorporated as a State bank in 1854, and was reorganized under the national banking laws in 1865 with a paid up capital stock of $250,000. The surplus exceeding $50,000 attests the prudence and financial ability of the officers past and present, and the methods and policy of the institution challenge universal commenda- tion.
The banks which was located until the first part of June at 131 Main street, has now removed to its present commodious quarters in the United Bank Building on Main street, probably the most superb structure to be seen in Danbury.
The entrance, when facing the building, is on the right hand, or as it is called, on the north side. The fittings on the inside are to be com- pared most favorably with those of the largest banks in the principal cities throughout the United States. The counters are of fine hard oak, and accommodation is made for an increase of business, which was the prime motive for the bank's removal to present quarters. The vaults are perfectly burglar-proof, entirely new steel lined, and the combination locks are from the well known Hall Safe & Lock Co., of Cincinnati, A special vault exists for securities and another one for books, etc.
The bank is officered as follows: President, A. N. Wildman; Cashier, Martin H. Griffing; Tel- ler, Wm. D. Scott; Directors, A. N. Wildman, Chas. F. Starr, Samuel C. Holley, Horace Beers, Benezet A. Hough. Robert McLean, Nathaniel B. Selleck, Chas. D. H. Kellogg, and Martin H. Griffing
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