Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

who married Lucy Durgy, and has one daughter, Elsie; Watson, who married Carrie Hungerford, and has four children— Edith, Nellie, Reed, and an infant; and Allan, who married Carrie Belle Briggs, and left one child, Allie Belle. Mills Hungerford was born May 14, 1847, and was educated in the common schools of the town of Sherman and of Suffield, Conn. On leaving school he became a clerk in a store at Sherman, and while there he married his first wife, Miss Alice E. Hendricks, daughter of Lehman Hen- dricks, of Gaylordsvilie, Conn. Later he en- gaged in farming, and for twenty years he has raised tobacco. As he learned the carpenter's trade with his father during boyhood, he has done some work in that line, his own residence and farm buildings giving evidence of his skill. He has always been a Republican, and among the offices which he has held are those of as- sessor, member of the board of relief, and chair- pian of the school board. Sickness and death have frequently visited his home. His first wife died in 1876, and he afterward mar- ried Lottie P. Cable, daughter of Abijah Cable, and after her death, in 1890, he formed a third union, this time with Mary E. Stuart, daughter of Miles Stuart, a farmer of the same town. By his first marriage he had one son, Louis J., born October 18, 1873, who died in November, 1896; he married Nettie Van Ness, .of Washington, by whom he had one child, Lewis Russell. By the second marriage there were two children, Emma and Rose (Emma died in infancy); and by the the third marriage there is one son, Allen, born January 20, 1895. Mrs. Olive (Canfield) Mallory, the second wife of our subject, was born July 27, 1845, in the town of Union, near Binghampton, N. Y. , and attended school there and at the academy in Kmgsville, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, receiving an .excellent education. She is a prominent worker in the W. C. T. U., and previous to her marriage .she helped to organize a union at her home in Darien, N. Y. David Canfield, her father, was born March 4, 18 10, in the town of New Fair- field, this county, and died April 27, 1899. He was educated in the common schools of that lo- cality. He was the youngest in a family of five children. The father died while Uavid was still a mere boy, and as there was but little provision made for them, the children had to shift for themselves. As soon as David was old enough to be of use he began working on farms, and this occupation he followed until he reached the age of thirty-two, when he purchased a farm in Sherman, which he sold, and then bought an- iOther. Selling that, he removed to the town of Union, Broome Co., N. Y., where he remained two years. He then sold the place and bought another near Chenango, in the same county; in 1849 he went to California to search for gold, the trip being made by way of the Isthmus. His venture proving successful, he returned in 185 1, and again engaged in farming. After a short time he removed to Shefiield, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, and having sold his place near Chen- ango he bought a beautiful farm there and re- mained eleven years. Later he settled at Da- rien Center, N. Y., where he left a fine farm of one hundred acres. He took great pride in his high-grade cattle, raised on the place, and at times he speculated profitably in live stock. As a self-made man he was entitled to much credit for his position in the business world. He was a birthright Quaker, and in politics a strong Re- publican, although he never aspired to office. Although eighty-eight years old at the time of his death, he managed his farm up till then. His first wife, Clarissa Durgy, was born Jan- uary 25, 1815, a daughter of Joel and Olive (Wanzer) Durgy, and was reared on her father's farm, in the town of Sherman. She was the eldest in a family of nine children, the others being Diamond, who married Lucy A. Hurd; Lucy, wife of Stephen Whitehead; Susan, wife of George Barnum; Lewis, who married Helen Bacon; John, who married Mary Davis; Jay, who did not marry; James, who married Mary Smith; Caroline, who died in childhood; and Charlotte, who married Buckley Pepper. Mrs. Clarissa Canfield died in Ohio in 1861, and her remains were interred there. On October 25, 1869, Mr. Canfield married Sallie T. Sherwood, who was born December 28, 1833, a daughter of Ira and Gratia Sherwood, of Byron, Genesee Co., N. Y. , where her father was a miller. Her ancestors were early settlers in this county, being identified with New Fairfield and Sherman town- ships. David Canfield has had four children, all by the first marriage: (i) Burroughs Perry, born September 13, 1840, in the town of Pawl- ing, Dutchess Co., N. Y., was educated at Bing- hampton, N. Y. , and at the academy in Kings- ville, Ohio, his opportunities being better than ordinary. He has been principal of graded schools in Iowa, and taught many terms m the town where he now lives. At the age of twenty he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Fifth Ohio V. I., but after spending three months in the service he v/as taken ill, honor- ably discharged and sent home. On September 20, 1869, he married Julia Chapin, who was born February i, 1837, the daughter of Solomon and Chloe Chapin, influential residents of Darien, COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 191 N. Y. Two children have brightened their home: Ida M., born May 27, 1871, in Earl- ville, Iowa, and Clara O. , born September 23, 1873, in Dyersville, Iowa. Both of them have been carefully educated and are now teachers. (2) Susan Louisa, born in 1842 in Pawling, died at the age of eleven years. (3) Olive A. is the wife of our subject. (4) Charlotte L. L. , born May i, 1847, in the town of Chenango, Broonie Co., N. Y. , received good educational opportunities, and on June 23, 1875, was married to Augustus Kendall, a produce dealer of Alden, Erie Co., N. Y. They have two children: Clarence A., born June 11, 1878, who is now engaged in business with his father; and Arthur C, born October 31, 1880. JULIUS A. BEERS. It has often been noted that our rural communities are as a rule composed of a class of men who manifest in a high degree the sterling qualities of character that go to the making of good citizens, and it is fortunate that in this volume there are to be pre- served the records of so many of this admirable type. Brief as are these biographical accounts, they will show to posterity the distinguishing characteristics of the representative men of to- day, and to link' the future to the past in just perspective. The subject of this sketch, who has been for many years an agriculturist of Newtown township, is a member of one of the leading families of that locality. His grandfather, Ebenezer Beers, a native of Norwalk, this county, settled in New- town in early manhood, and engaged in business as a blacksmith and manufacturer of axes and scythes, which he shipped to Norwalk for sale. He had an extensive trade in these articles, and his business enabled him to keep many apprentices constantly employed. He married (first) Widow Hard, and (second) Widow Nettleton, and had five children as follows: Ebenezer, Jr.; Philo, who married Sally Hawley, and located in Ing- ham county, Michigan; Ezekiel, who is mentioned below; Esther, who married John Glover; and ' Currance, who married (first) Abraham Peck, and (second) Lewis Plumb. Ezekiel Beers, our subject's father, was born June 21, 1796, in Newtown, upon a farm now owned by Mr. Pratt. He continued to reside at this place throughout his life, and became known as a successful agriculturist. His farm comprised about two hundred and fifty acres of land, which his industry kept in fine cultivation, and at the same ticne he took a prominent part in local affairs. Daring his early life he was a Whig, and in lateryears a Republican. In religious faith he was an Episcopalian, and for years he was a leading member of Trinity Church at Newtown. On Eeb- ruary 23, 1820, he married Miss Polly A. M. Candee, of Oxford, Conn., who died October 5, 1S24, and on February 23, 1826, he wedded Miss Nancy Johnson, of Southbury, Conn., who died August 25, 1830. Later he married Mrs. Sally (Morris) Beers, daughter of Daniel Morris. She died July 23, 1876, and Mr. Beers on February 26, 1877. He had eight children in all. By the first marriage he had two daughters: Lucy, born July 31, 182 I, was married July 23, 1848, to Ed- ward L. Fairchild; and Annette, born July 6, 1823, was married (first) on February 2, 1846, to David Botsford, and (second) in 1865 to William Botsford. She had two sons; Charles B., born January 24, 1851, died June 14, 1893; and David B., born December 17, i860, died May 3, 1871. By his second marriage Ezekiel Beers had two sons: Amos, born November 29, 1826, was married April 24, 1848, to Jeannette Pierpont, of Waterbury, Conn., who died June 19, 1854, and on November 6, 1855, he married Susan Frances Peck, of Farmington, Conn. ; and Theodore, born October 12, 1829, died May i, 1832. By his third marriage Ezekiel Beers had four chil- dren, our subject being the only survivor: Sylves- ter, born January i, 1833, died September i, 1887; Nancy, born October 21, 1834, married Edwin Clarke, and died September 13, 1869, leaving two children — Julia L. , born August 6, 1855, and Eli'B., born September 2, 1861, who was married April 18, 1885, to Miss Lizzie Bowers; Julius Augustus and Julia Augusta, (twins), born March 20, 1837, the latter of whom married Rev. William C. Sexton, a Congrega- tional minister, and died July 23, 1891.