Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

When our subject came of age he was ap- prenticed to the firm of Harral & Calhoun to learn the saddler's trade, but after serving some time in this business he abandoned it to fill a po- COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 243 sition as assistant storekeeper on the "North Star" and "Ariel," Vanderbilt hne of steamers, which at that time phed between New York and Havre, France, touching at Southampton, Eng- land. With this line he remained for almost three years, during which time he crossed the ocean many times. In i860 he accepted a posi- tion as messenger with the Adams E.xpress Com- pany, and ran between Bridgeport and Great Barrington. He was thus engaged when the war of the Rebellion broke out, prior to which he had been deeply interested in the State Militia, hav- ing served in different capacities some five years. He commanded the famous Washington Light Guards of Bridgeport, and was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 8th Regiment. " When the President's first call came for vol- unteers to defend the Union, Col. FitzGibbon responded promptly, and assisted in organizing Company H for the 1st Conn. V. I., of which, on April 20, 1861, he was commissioned captain. The regiment served in Tyler's brigade. Depart- ment of Northwestern Virginia, from May, 1861, and in the ist Brigade, ist Division, Army of Northwestern Virginia. It participated in the engagements at Vienna, June 17, and Bull Run, July 21, and was mustered out July 31, 1861. On his return home Col. FitzGibbon assisted in organizing the 6th Conn. V. I., and September 3, 1 861, he was mustered in as lieutenant-colonel of the 9th Conn. V. I., of which regiment he was in command from June 20-24, 1863, till October 26, 1864', when he was mustered out, his term of service having expired. The regiment sailed from Boston to Ship Island, Miss., December 26, 1 861; took part in the expedition to Biloxi, April 3-4, 1862; was in evidence at the skirmish at Pass Christian and the capture of the 3rd Miss- issippi Infantry's colors, also at the capture of Forts Morgan and St. Philip on the Mississippi river. The 9th Regiment was also present at the taking of New Orleans, May i, 1862, and at the . operations near Vicksburg June 26, 1863. Other engagements, etc., in which it participated were the battles of Baton Rouge, duty at defences of New Orleans, expedition to St. Charles Court House and from New Orleans to Ponchatoula and Manchat Pass; also the skirmish at Chaca- houla, an expedition from New Orleans to Madi- sonville Station under the command of the lieu- tenant-colonel. The regiment was ordered to New Haven on a veteran furlough for thirty days. At the expiration of the furlough it was ordered to report to General Grant at City Point; from thence it was ordered to report to Gen. W. S. Hancock at Deep Bottom on July 28, 1864. The regiment was at the Shenandoah in the campaign of August 9 to November 28; also at the battle of Opequan Creek on September 19, and Fisher's Hill. When the war ended Col. FitzGibbon turned his attention to the paths of peace, and for some time was engaged in the manufacture of fans in New York City, later removing to Bridgeport, where he accepted a position with the Wheeler cS: Wilson Sewing Machine Company, where he had charge of the assembling of the parts until 1877. In tha,J year he was appointed health officer, which incumbency he filled until January, 1896, when he resigned. While his resignation was pending he was offered the position of inspector by the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company, which he accepted. On April 15, 1862, Colonel FitzGibbon was married to Miss Nellie A. Barnum, who was born in Bridgeport, November 23, 1844. She died in July, 1889, leaving no children. Socially, Col. FitzGibbon was a member of St. John's Chap- ter, R. A. M., during the war, and is a charter member of Corinthian Lodge, F. & A. M., at Bridgeport; he also is a member of the Loyal Legion of the United States, with the Army and Navy Club of Connecticut, and with Elias Howe, Jr., Post No. 3, G. A. R. During Mayor De- Forest's administration he served as fire com- missioner. LFRED E. AUSTIN, of Norwalk, is a member of the legal fraternity in this sec- tion, being especially noted for his mastery of the difficult and complicated department of juris- prudence, known as real-estate law. Mr. Austin comes of a good old Colonial family, whose members have won distinction for the name in various lines of effort, and is of the eighth generation in direct descent from John Austin, of Sandwich, County of Kent, England, who came to America at a very early date, and died at Greenwich, this county, September 5, 1657. The line of descent is traced through his son, John, Jr., born in 1635; David, born Febru- ary 23, 1670; David (2), born November 2, 1703; David (3), our subject's great-grandfather, who was born in 1732 at New Haven; John, our subject's grandfather, who is mentioned more fully below; and David R., the father of our sub- ject. Among the children of David Austin (3), our subject's great-grandfather, was a son. Stephen, who, with one or two others, went to Texas in the early times and located at the site of the present city of Austin, which was named in his honor. John Austin, the grandfather of our subject, was born in New Haven June 28, ,-:SV/ /-., ,1,'t!;.' fstr''! Mrtolo") J, .1 ..-'.^n-ioA ' ^-lI'TcUA .;^ O::!'!'-! 244 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 1774, and died in Texas in 1833, after a success- ful career as a merchant. He married Miss Susan Rogers, of Greenfield Hill, this count), who was a member of a well-known family which furnished several good soldiers to the Revolution- ary army during the struggle for independence. Thirteen children were born of this union; Mary, Julia, John, Andrew, Susan, David R., William T. , Lydia, Martha, Samuel H., Rebecca, Willis R. and Alfred J. Rev. David R. Austin, the father of our sub- ject, was born in Bridgeport, this county, Febru- ary 28, 1807, and grew to manhood there. P^or some time he was engaged in educational work, and then, desiring to enter the ministry, he pursued a course of study in Union College, at Schenectady, N. Y. On leaving that institution he took charge of the academy at Monson, Mass., where he remained several years. He then en- tered upon his pastoral labors, and spent two years at Ludlow, Mass; also fourteen at Stur- bridge, Mass., and in 1851 was settled at South Norwalk as the minister of the Congregational Church. He died there in October, 1879, deeply lamented by a large number of people in differ- ent places, whose lives had been made better by his helpful ministrations. While residing at Mon- son, Mass., he met and married Miss Lucinda Ely, daughter of Rev. Alfred Ely, who was pastor of the Congregational Church, at that place, some si.xty-six years, his death occurring there in 186C. His father, Alfred Ely, a resident of West Spring- field, Mass'., married Drusilla Brewster, a lineal descendant of Elder William Brewster, who came to this country, in 1620, in the "Mayflower." The line of descent is traced from this honored pilgrim through his son Jonathan, his grandson William, and his great-grandson Benjamin to William Brewster, the grandfather of Lucinda Ely, our subject's mother, who died in March, 1864. Mr. Austin's birth occurred June i, 1848, at Sturbridge, Mass., and when he was about three years old his parents removed to Norwalk, where much of his youth was spent. After acquiring an elementary education he went to Monson, Mass., to prepare for college, and later took a complete course at Yale, graduating in 1869. The next seven years were passed in travel, and in 1876 he began his professional studies in the office of Judge Woodward, of Norwalk. In 1878 he was admitted to the Bar, and for twelve years served ably as trial justice and justice of the peace, more than two thousand three hun- dred cases passing before him in that time. He now has an extensive office practice, and is often engaged in the settlement of estates, being skill- ful in that branch of the law as well as in his chosen specialty of real-estate practice. On April 29, 1885, Mr. Austin married Miss Caroline R. Converse, daughter of Col. Charles A. Converse, of Norwich, Conn., and they have one child, Mary Elizabeth. Mr. Austin is a mem- ber of various fraternal bodies, including the F. & A. M. and the Norwalk Club. Politically, he is a firm supporter of the Republican party, and his influence is recognized in the councils of the local organization. HON. CYRUS RAYMOND, a prominent business man of Danbury, is a veteran of the Civil war, in which he gained an enviable rec- ord for courage and devotion to his country, en- during not only the hardships of active service but the horrors of prison life. Mr. Raymond was born January 29, 1843, in the town of New Canaan, this county, and comes of good old Colonial stock. The family origin- ated in France, but the first American ancestor came from England, where so many persecuted members of the French nation sought refuge in the early times. The name of Richard Raymond appears in the records of Salem, Mass., for the year 1634. John Raymond, a son of Richard, was born in Norwalk, Conn., and his son Thom- as was also born at that place. Conifort Ray- mond, a son of Thomas, was born in either Nor- walk or New Canaan, and his son. Comfort, our subject's great-grandfather, was certainly a na- tive of New Canaan. Russell G. Raymond, the grandfather of our subject, was born in New Canaan in 1782, and passed his life there in agricultural pursuits. He married Asenath Hoyt, and had five children: Arza B., a farmer at Lewisboro, N. Y., died in 1834; Joseph H., a farmer in Norwalk, died in 1882; Russell G., Jr., our subject's father, is mentioned more fully below; Cyrus E., a hatter in Danbury, died in 1895; Polly A., who married Samuel Scribner, died in New Canaan in 1880.