Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Gc 974.601 F15 i pt.l 1963879 M. L. REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01146 1248 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD -OF-- FAIRFIELD COUNTY. CONNECTICUT, « CONTAINING BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT AND REPRE- SENTATIVE CITIZENS, AND OF MANY OF THE EARLY SETTLED FAMILIES. II^I^LJSTFiJ^TrEO. CHICAGO: J. H. BEERS & CO. 1899. \\ '*'•* n T HE importance of placing in book form biographical history of representative citi- zens— both for its immediate worth and for its value to coming generations — is ad- mitted by all thinking people; and within the past decade there has been a grow- ing interest in this commendable means of perpetuating biography and family genealogy. That the public is entitled to the privileges afforded by a work of this nature needs no assertion at our hands; for one of our greatest Americans has said that the history of any country resolves itself into the biographies of its stout, earnest and representative citi- M zens. This medium, then, serves more than a single purpose; while it perpetuates biogra- 1^ phy and family genealogy, it records history, much of which would be preserved in no Si other way. a In presenting the Commemorative Biographical Record to its patrons, the pub- lishers have to acknowledge, with gratitude, the encouragement and support their enter- prise has received, and the willing assistance rendered in enabling them to surmount the many unforeseen obstacles to be met with in the production of a work of this character. In nearly every instance the material composing the sketches was gathered from those im- mediately interested, and then submitted in type-written form for correction and revision The volume, which is one of generous amplitude, is placed in the hands of the public with the belief that it will be found a valuable addition to the library, as well as an invaluable contribution to the historical literature of the State of Connecticut. THE PUBI^ISHEl^S. BIOGRAPHICAL HINEAS TAYLOR BAR- NUM, whose eventful life was closed at his home in Bridgeport, Conn., on April 7, 1 89 1, was a lineal des- cendant in the sixth genera- tion from Thomas Barnum, who was one of the first eight settlers of the town of Danbury, Conn., they purchasing the land from the Indians in 1684, and making their residence there in the spring of 1685. Ephraim Barnum (2), grandson of Thomas (2), born in 1733, married, in 1753, Keziah Covell, by whom he had ten children. He married (sec- ond) in 1776, Mrs. Rachel Starr Beebe, daughter of Jonathan and I^achel (Taylor) Starr, and wid- ow of Jonathan Beebe, of Danbury. They had five children, among them being Philo, born in 1778, married Polly Fairchild. of Newtown, Conn., who died in 1808, leaving five chil- dren. He then married Irene Taylor, daughter of Phineas and MoUie (Sherwood) Taylor, of Bethel, and among the five children of this mar- riage was Phineas Taylor, born July 5, 18 lO, at Bethel, in Fairfield county. The grandfather of our subject was a captain in the Revolutionary war. His father was a tailor, farmer and sometimes hotel keeper, and Phineas drove cows to pasture, weeded garden, ploughed fields, made hay, and, when possible, went to school. Later on he became clerk in a country store established by his father. The lat- ter dying in 1825, leaving the family in compari- tively indigent circumstances, young Phineas then started into the world, securing employment for a time with a mercantile firm at Grassy Plains, his remuneration being six dollars per month. In 1826 he went to the city of Brooklyn as clerk in the store of Oliver Taylor, and for a time in the following year he was in business in New York. In 1829 he had a fruit and confectionery store in his grandfather's carriage house in Bethel, and also had on hand "a lottery business," and was auctioneer in the book trade. In 1 831, in company with his uncle Alanson Taylor, he opened a country store in Bethel. Several months later the nephew bought out the uncle's interest, and also the same year, on October ig, he issued the first copy of the Herald uf Frcedoni. Unfortunately he lacked the experience which in- duces caution, and was soon plunged into litiga- tion, being finally sentenced to pay on one suit a fine of $100, and be imprisoned in the jail for sixty days. He had a good room, lived well, and had continued visits from friends, edited his paper as usual, and received large accessions to the subscription lists. At the expiration of his im- prisonment he received an ovation, and after a sumptuous dinner, with toasts, speeches, and ode and oration, in a coach drawn by six horses, ac- companied by a band of music, forty horsemen, sixty carriages of citizens and the marshal of ora- tion of the day, amid roar of cannon and cheers of a multitude, Mr. Barnum rode to his home in Bethel, where the band played "Home Sweet Home," and the procession then returned to Dan- bury. His editor's career was one of continual contest, but he persevered in the publication of the ticratd of b'rccdoiu until the spring of 1835. He then removed to New York, and after being engaged as a drummer for several firms opened a private boarding house, at the same time pur- chasing an interest in a grocery store. In 1835, Mr. Barnum began the business which has made his name a household word in all civilized nations. His start as a showman began by the purchase and exhibition of Joyce Heth, a colored woman, said to have been the nurse of Gen. George Washington, and j6i years of age. His next venture was the exhibi- tion of " Signor Antonio " and a "Mr. Roberts." In 1836 he connected- himself with Aaron Tur- ner's traveling circus, going south, in the follow- ing year he organized a new company and went west, reaching the Missouri river where he pur- chased a steamer and sailed down the river for New Orleans. There he traded the steamer for sugar and molasses, and returned north, arriving at New York June 4, 1838. In 1841 he bought COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the American Museum in that city, and com- menced a series of improvements by way of at- tractive exhibitions. He introduced the lecture room, a reform of the stage or theatre. He was constantly searching for and obtaining something new, amusing and wonderful, and all the exhibi- tions he made were instructive to the people, moral and elevating. His methods of bringing his institution constantly before the minds of the people, and the success thereby secured, first impressed the American mind with the advan- tages of advertising. In 1842 he secured Gen. Tom Thumb for exhibition; in 1844 he took him in company with his parents across the ocean. They went to London, and soon to the presence of the Queen at Buckingham Palace. From London the party went to Paris, where the Gen- eral received great attention. He was invited to the presence of the King and Queen and the royal family. For the first day's exhibition to the general public in Paris Mr. Barnum received 5,500 francs. P'rom Paris the party traveled through France and Belgium and back to Eng- land, where the profitable exhibition continued until the return to New York in 1847. The General's father on arriving from England with a handsome fortune, placed a portion of it at interest for the General, more for himself, and with thirty thousand dollars of it built a substan- tial dwelling on the corner of North avenue and Main street, Bridgeport. After returning to America Mr. Barnum made a tour with his little General through the United States and Cuba. It was during this tour in 1847-48 that he had his beautiful dwelling built at Bridgeport, which he called " Iranistan," the word signifymg "Oriental Villa "and on Novem- ber 14, 1848, nearly one thousand guests were present at an old-fashioned " house warming. " It stood a little back from the northeast corner of the present Fairfield and Iranistan avenues, and some years after it accidently took fire and was consumed. This beautiful and very remark- able structure, built in oriental style, was the first great boom for the celebrity of Bridgeport. The picture of it went over the country in the illustrated newspapers, as "a thing of beauty," a marvel of wonder, and an honor to all Amer- ica. The Jennie Lind enterprise was the next great undertaking of Mr. Barnum. It was conceived by him in October, 1849, the engagement made with the great singer January 9, 1850, by which $187,500 was to be deposited by Mr. Barnum in advance of all proceedings, and which was done. Miss Lind arrived in New York September i, 1850, and the first concert occurred September 1 1 following, the proceeds of which amounted to $17,864.05. Ninety-three concerts were given under Mr. Barnum's contract, terminating in May, 185 I, the receipts for which amounted to $ i i 2, - 161.34. It was the greatest project of the kind ever introduced into America, unto that day, and probably to the present, unless it be " Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth," and was successfully, and even grandly, carried through. During this time the American Museum was running success- fully with Tom Thumb in attendance, besides many other entertainments added every year. About this time he fitted out his "Great Asiatic Caravan, Museum and Menagerie," at an expense of upward of one hundred thousand dollars, and exhibited it for four years.