Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

^fr. Northrop, our subject, was born in New- town, June 20, 1828, and received as good educational opportunities as the locality afforded in that day, his course in the district schools of Newtown being supplemented with an attendance at a private school in Taunton conducted by Harry Peck. He remained with his father at the present homestead until he reached the age of twenty-four, when he removed to the farm just below. For twenty-four years he resided at the latter place, in 1877 returning to the old homestead, where he has since remained. His judicious management of his estate has won for him a high standing in business circles, and his advice upon financial matters is highly valued. At present he is a director in the Newtown Savings Bank. Politically he is conservative, voting independently for the best men and measures. Although he has often been urged to take office, he has invariably declined. On March 17, 1852, he married Miss Juliette Fairchild, by whom he has had two children: (1) Caroline Emily, born August 23, 1862, was married Octo- ber 13, 1 88 1, to Frederick C. Sanford, of Wes- ton, Conn., born January i, 1857, son of Will- iam O. and Lydia A. Sanford, and they have had two daughters — Juliette F., born January 26, 1885, and Eva L. , born November 24, 1887. (2) Annie Cornelia, born October 16, 1866, was married June 12, 1889, to Arthur J. Wilson, born December 6, 1867, son of James W. and Adeline Wilson, and they have had one daughter — ^Annie Caroline, born January 10, 1896. The family is identified with the Congregational Church, and has always been prominent in the social life of the neighborhood. Mrs. Northrop was born August 5, 1832, a daughter of Peter W. and Caroline (IBriscoe) Fairchild. The Fairchild and Briscoe families are well known in this section, and she is also related to other leading families including the Sherman and Glover lines. Capt. Henry Glover, who was prominent in the early history of the county, married (first) Sarah Bassett, and (second, on November 14, 1762) Ann Sanford, by whom he had the following chil- dren: Sarah, born November 6, 1763 (the great- grandmother of Mrs. Northrop); Anna, born October 27, 1765; Rhoda, born February 25, 1769; Simeon, born May 14, 1772; Prudence, born November 3, 1774; Henry, born April 7, 1779; and Lucy, born in July, 1782. Ann San- ford, wife of Henry Glover, died February 3, 1814, aged seventy-two years. Sarah Glover married Lewis Sherman, and their daughter Anna became the wife of Isaac Briscoe, of Newtown, and the mother of Caroline Briscoe, mentioned above. BiRISCOE. The Newtown Briscoes, who de- j scended from Lieutenant Nathaniel Briscoe, of Milford and Newtown, trace their ancestry back to Edward Briscoe or Biscoe, and his wife Ann, of England. He was buried at Little Messen- den, England, June i, 1553. The line of Lieutenant Briscoe's descent is from Edward through John, who married July 18, 1567, Johan Randall, daughter of Edward Ran- dall; Nathaniel; Nathaniel (2); Nathaniel (3), and James. Edward Briscoe, a son of John, was baptized in Little Messenden, England, July 31, 1569, and died in 1605. Married Alice, a daughter of Henry Taylor. Nathaniel Briscoe, son of Edward, was bap- tized November 16, 1595, and was married October 21, 161 5, to Elizabeth Honor, daughter of Henry Honor. He came to America with his family in 1639, but returned to England in 1651. [Savage mentions him as being at Watertown, a rich tanner, and a selectman in 1648 and 1650.] His wife died in Watertown, Mass., and was buried November 20, 1642. Nathaniel Briscoe (2), son of Nathaniel, was baptized in Little Messenden, England, May 18, 1629. [Savage mentions him as being at Cam- bridge in 1639, and says that he probably moved to Milford, Conn., before 1646, as he was an early settler there. His descendants seem to have re- moved from Milford before 1721 with the e.xcep- tion of Samuel, and they probably went to New- town, as the names of James and Nathaniel Bris- coe are found in the list of pioneers of 1712.] Nathaniel Briscoe (3), of Milford, Conn., was baptized in January, 1647, married November 29, 1672, Mary Camp, daughter of Edward Camp, 298 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. and died in 1690. [Savage names his children as James, born August 14, 1673; Mary, born November 15, 1675; Samuel, born March 4, 1678; Sarah, born January 22, 1681; Abigail, born November i, 1684; John, baptized Febru- ary, 1687; and Dinah, baptized December, 1689, died young; and says Nathaniel died the next year.] James Briscoe, son of Nathaniel Briscoe (3), born August 14, 1673, married June i, 1699, Elizabeth Adams. Lieut. Nathaniel Briscoe, son of James, born June 16, 1708, in Milford, Conn., was married late in life (about 1770) to Eunice Hurd Johnson, of Monroe, Conn. He died in July, 1790, and she passed away December 22, 1838, aged ninety-si.x years. Lieutenant Briscoe removed from Milford to Newtown, Conn., and there passed the rest of his life in farming, keep- ing a number of slaves. He owned a large amount of real estate, and the homestead which he occupied is now a part of Newtown cemetery. He was quite active in public affairs, as the records show that he was selectman of the town for ten years between 1 743 and 1778. In 1768 he and Capt. Amos Botsford gave the bell to the Congregational Church, at Newtown, which is still in use. Lieut. Nathaniel had three children: (i) Eunice Briscoe, baptized May 12, 1774, married Thompson Booth, of Bridgewater, Conn. Their children were; Maria Emma married James Hepburn, of Milford, and died soon after her marriage; Louisa died in New Milford in 1877, unmarried, aged seventy- five; Lynian went to Berkshire, Mass.; Charles went to Illinois; Susan and Laura were unmarried. (2) Isaac Briscoe, born in 1781, died June 26, 1812, married in February, 1801, Anna Sherman, daughter of Lewis and Sarah (Glover) Sherman, and had children: Amy, born June 6, 1802, married Au- gust 30, 1 819, William Tomlinson; Lewis S. is mentioned farther on; Harriet, born November 16, 1806, married June 5, 1827, Horace Dibble, of Brookfield, Conn., and resided in New Haven, Conn.; Polly, born April 9, 1808, married in 1824, David J. Glover, of Newtown; Sally, born April 2, 1810, married June i, 1828, Alonzo C. Frost, of Bridgewater, Conn.; and Caroline, born November 16, 181 1, married December 27, 1829, Peter Warren Fairchild (they were parents of Mrs. Hosea Northrop), who died February 29, 1884. She died November 11, 1884. (3) Nathaniel Briscoe, born September 22, 1784, died January 5, 1869. He had a remark- able memory, and was known as "Preacher Briscoe " from the fact that as a child he would mount a chair on returning from Church and repeat the sermon verbatim. For many years he taught school with marked success. About 1862 he made his home in Palestine with a son who had purchased Mrs. Jerusha Skidmore's homestead. He was married (first) on October 2, 1808, to Hannah Leach, and their children were: Susan, born March 20, 18 10, married October 23, 1828, Alfred Wixon; and Mary, born in March, 1812, married Joseph G. Ferris, of Newtown. On September 17, 1820, he married Sally D. Raymond, who died August 2, 1869, aged seventy-six years and six months. The children by the second wife were: Priscilla Eliza- beth, born June 28, 1823, died December 6, 1842; Bradley D., born March 17, 1825, died March 11, 1871; Miranda, born 1827, married Deransel Hall, and died April 18, 1886. Lewis S. Briscoe, son of Isaac Briscoe, was a resident of Taunton District, where he farmed and dealt extensively in cattle. He was one of the active business men of his town at that time. He was born August 23, 1803, and died January 27, 1880. In 1855 he served as selectman. He married November 6, 1824, Jane E. Pettis, who died August 30, 1895, aged ninety years, and their children were: Isaac, born August 29, 1825, married on February 5, 1849, Cornelia Fair- child, of Newtown; Cornelia E., born Dec. 14, 1827, married Dec. 25, 1850, Edward Crofut, who died August 19, 1859, aged thirty-three, and she died June 24, 1895; Theodore, born June, 1831, died January 25, 1832; Gustavus, born December, 1835, married November 27, 1855, to Susan Tay- lor, daughter of Hoyt Taylor, and died Septem- ber 25, 1863; Louisa S., born March 31, 1837, married February 27, 1855, Leroy Taylor, and died June i, 1861; Charles L. , born February 6, 1845, married June 12, 1864, Jenette Taylor, daughter of Hoyt Taylor. Charles Briscoe, son of Isaac Briscoe, born February 7, 1805, married, in 1826, Mary Davi- son, of Milford, Conn. He died in Newtown, Conn., November 28, 1843, and she died in En- field, Conn., March 7, 1889. She was a mem- ber of the Congregational Church. After her daughter Mary's death she made her home with her son. Judge Charles H. Briscoe. Charles Briscoe was a tanner, and owned a tannery in Newtown village; also owned the home next to that of the late Marcus C. Hawley in the Street. He had four children: (i) Harriet Briscoe mar- ried July 28, 1851, Henry Mygatt, and moved to California. (2) Mary E. Briscoe died July 31, 1 88 1, aged fifty-three years. (3) Hon. Charles Henry Briscoe was born December 20, 183 1, in Newtown. He read law with Amos S. Treat, and was admitted to the Bar in Fairfield county COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 299' in 1854. In September of the same year he lo- cated in Enfield, Conn., in practice, and has ever since resided there, but in 1868 he removed his office to Hartford. In 1857, 1864 and 1878116 represented Enfield in the General Assembly, being speaker of the House in 1878. He was a member of the State Senate in 1861, and served as chairman of the committee on Military Affairs. He was the first judge of the court of common pleas for Hartford county, serving from 1869 to 1875. In 1855 Judge Briscoe was married to Anna J. Traver, of Newark, N. J. She died in March, 1875, and June 18, 1878, he married Alice E. Bradley, daughter of George W. Brad- ley, of Newtown, Conn. His children by the first marriage were: Willis A., Annie T. and Alice M-. (4) Willis Briscoe died in Panama.