Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

well-known member of his profession in Fair- field county. Indeed, his renown may be said to extend over the entire State, for, in addition to his enviable record as a successful teacher, he has gained a reputation as a persistent and ener- getic advocate of advanced methods and modern ideas relating to educational work. Mr. Funnell is of English descent, his father, Eliel W. Funnell, having been born in England. The latter was one of thirteen children of Henry Funnell, also a native of England, who came to America, when Eliel was six years old, settling in Huntington, L. I. He, Eliel, learned the shipbuilder's trade at Setauket, L. I., and fol- lowed it for many years. For some time he worked at this business in Chicago, 111., but he returned east in i860, and was employed in the Brooklyn Navy Yard throughout the Civil war, after which he was in the employ of Pratt & Devoe, the oil men, erecting buildings for them. He passed away in 1869 at Long Island City. Mr. Funnell was united in marriage with Amelia D. Lewis, daughter of John Brush Lewis, of Huntington, L. I., and they became the parents of three children, viz.: Lewis E., Nellie S. (of Huntington) and Walter S. (Long Island editor of the Brooklyn Daily Times). Lewis E. Funnell was born March 16, 1862, at Huntington, where he received most of his primary education, attending the common schools until he was about fifteen years of age. He then entered the service of the general coast- ing trade, in which he continued for five years, and in 1882 he came to Stamford, Conn., where COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 251 he has since had his home. In September, 1883, he began teaching, to which profession he has since devoted himself. The first two years of liis experience were passed in the Bangall school, from which he was transferred to the Spring- dale school, where he taught one year and part of another. At the close of the fall term in 1886, he was appointed to a position in the Wil- lisville school, retaining same until June, 18S9, when he was made principal of the Elm street school in Stamford. Mr. Funnell has nine as- sistants in this school, where nine grades are taught, and he has seen its attendance increase from eighty-five pupils to an average of about four hundred. However, he has proved himself equal to his growing responsibilities, and has kept himself abreast of the times in every way, winning the esteem of pupils and fellow teachers by his ability, tact and patience. Mr. Funneil's continued success and popularity leave no room for doubt as to his especial fitness for his life voca- tion, and his earnestness during his early years in preparing himself has been well rewarded by the high rank to which he has already attained. On April 30, 1890, Mr. Funnell was married, in Stamford, to Miss Alice Mitchell Haslam, daughter of Thomas Haslam. They have had two children — Harry, who died at the age of live years, and Margaret. OLIVER D. TAYLOR, a highly respected ^_ resident of New Fairfield, can look back over an eventful life spent in railroading and other oc- cupations requiring activity of mind and body, while he also passed eighteen exciting years in financial operations in Wall street. As he is now free from business cares, he has wisely chosen to make his home among the picturesque hills and valleys of Fairfield county, an ideal location in which to enjoy the rewards of past years of effort. Mr. Taylor was born in the town of Patter- son, Putnam Co., N. Y., May i^, 1828, and de- scended from good old Connecticut stock. An old Danbury record tells of Thomas Taylor, who died in that town in 1736, at the age of ninety- two, probably the second son of John Taylor, who came from England with Winthrop. He, Thomas, had ten children, who lived to old age: Thomas died at ninety; Joseph, ninety; John, seventy; Daniel, ninety-four; Timothy, fifty-six; Nathaniel, one hundred; Theophilus, eighty; Deborah, eighty; Rebecca, ninety-nine; Eunice, ninety. John Taylor's fourth son, David, was the father of Zalmon Taylor, our subject's grand- father. Zalmon Taylor was a native of Ridge- bury, this county, where he engaged in farming, and for a number of years he carried the mail between New York City and Hartford, Conn., the journeys being made on his black mare, " Bess." He served as a soldier during the Revolutionary war, having enlisted May 16, 1775, in the Fifth Connecticut Regiment, and he spent some time in the suttler department; he received one wound while in the ranks. He was known as the "Little Captain," and in his later years was granted a pension by the government. His wife, Hannah Benedict, of Danbury, whom he married^ before the war broke out, was living in Ridge- bury, at the time of the burning of the former city, and some British soldiers who came to her home to demand cider were given a pail of soft soap by mistake instead. Those were troublous times, and being alarmed for their safety, the family left their home and did not return until peace was restored. Many domestic articles which they buried out of sight were afterward recovered, more or less damaged, however, and some are now in use in our subject's family. Ezra Taylor, son of Zalmon, and our subject's father, was born February 26, 1785, in the town of Danbury, and his youth was passed in this county. As the schools were not of the best his education was mainly self-acquired, a fact which reflects great credit upon him, as he always held a high position in the community because of his intelligence. In his boyhood he learned the shoemaker's trade, and for some years he con- ducted an establishment in New York City in partnership with a Mr. Cole. While there he and his partner purchased some lots near what is now Broadway, near Canal street, but as the lo- cality was chiefly low land, and seemed unlikely to yield any returns, they sold out for a com- paratively trifling sum ($250 per lot). Later Mr. Taylor settled in the town of Patterson, Put- nam Co., N. Y. , where he engaged in farming. In politics he was a Whig, and he took an in- fluential part in local affairs, being at one time a candidate for the Legislature of Connecticut. Although he was defeated, it was by one vote only, showing an enviable popularity. Socially he was prominent, his musical gifts making him. a welcome addition to any circle. He was especially proficient as a performer on the violin, and was the first to introduce the cotillion into- his locality. His death occurred August 27, 1867. His first wife, a Miss Stebbins, was the daughter of a wealthy importer of New York City, and his second wife, Miss Betsey Oyster Banks, was a native of the town of Sherman, this county, born August 17, 1801. By the first union he had four children: Zalmon, William 252 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. S., Daniel B. (a prominent lawyer of New York City), and Ann Maria (wife of a Mr. Camp, a broker of New Haven, Conn). There were ten children by the second marriage: Esther, born August 15, 1826, died July 23, 1843; Oliver D. is our subject; Francis A., born May 24, 1830; Drusilla, born October 18, 1832; Nathan B., born June 14, 1834; Margaret E., born Septem- ber 15, 1835; Ferdinand, born July 21, 1837; Eunice, born August 30, 1839; Catherine, born September 7, 1841; and Laura B., born June 8, 1843- The subject of our sketch was educated in the schools of his native town, and in the acad- emy at Danbury. Much of his time in boyhood was spent in farm work, but as he desired to enter business life he took the first opportunity and became a clerk in a large general store in Danbury. After two or three years in that in- cumbency, he went to New Haven to fill the position of clerk in a grocery for Asa Bradley & Sons (all the Faculty of Yale College were pa- trons of their store), and with them he remained for some time. He then found employment on a railroad as a fireman, and his first visit to New York City was made while firing on a locomotive on the first road built to that place from the East. The engineer of that train carried the President's message to the city of New Haven, Conn. Later, while working on the Canal road, Mr. Taylor was placed in charge of an engine, and for a time he ran a construction train on that line. He remained in the service of that road for about two years. One night during the time he slept in a room with the man who had that day murdered the Smith family at East Rock, New Haven, Conn. Mr. Taylor, with characteristic thoroughness, became an expert as an engineer, and at the opening of the Sara- toga and Washington line he was employed by that company, and had the honor of running the train. At the formal opening of the line he was in charge of the engine which took many officials from Boston to Buffalo on a tour of inspection, he being then the youngest engine'er in the serv- ice, On leaving that road he spent two years on the Georgia Central railroad, and then after a short stay with the Michigan Southern railroad he was employed for a time in the shops of the Rock Island line. Altogether Mr. Taylor was in the railroad business some seven years, and his e.xperiences furnish the foundation for many interesting rem- iniscences. He was the engineer on the train which carried the first load of coal (consisting of about one hundred tons) to Collinsville, Conn., the great axe-manufacturing town. While em-