Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

The Nichols family has been identified with Newtown from pioneer times. [See Nichols genealogy elsewhere.] Nathaniel Nichols, the great-great-grandfather of Philo, born April 8, 1708, settled in Newtown, where in 1730 he was married to Ann Booth. Their eldest son, Peter Nichols, the great-grandfather of Philo, born in Newtown, March i, 1732, married, April 29, 1753, Rebecca, daughter of Lemuel Camp. Capt. Peter Nichols, as he was called, died January 15, 1799, and his wife died October 12, 1793. Na- thaniel Nichols (2), born July 11, 1769, married Grace Sherman, daughter of Jotham and Grace (Peck) Sherman. Later he removed to Sanborn, Vt., where his first wife died, and he finally lo- cated at Natchez, Miss., where his remaining years were spent. By his first marriage he had two children; Henry, our subject's father, and Grace, who married a Tousey. By his second wife, whom he married in Natchez, he had three children: Charles G., a merchant, Henry S., and Philo. Henry Nichols was born January 4, 1794, in COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 809 "Newtown, and throughout his active life was engaged in farming in South Center District, of that town. While he never attained to great wealth, he had a fair competence, and as a citi- zen and neighbor he was held in high regard. His patriotism was shown by gallant service in tlie war of 1812. He was a member of the Episco- pal Church, in which he had been baptized in in- fancy, and his sympathies were at all times on the side of social and educational advancement. He died September 8, 1878, sincerely mourned by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. His wife, Sarah (Blackman), to whom he was married in June, 1825, was a daughter of Eli and Mary Ann Curtis Blackman, of Huntington, Fairheld county. She survived him some years, dying on May 2, 1886, in her eighty-seventh year. They had three children, of whom Philo was the young- est, (i) David M., born July i, 1826, died I>~eb- ruary 25, 1893. He was for many years a suc- cessful boiler maker in Brooklyn, N. Y. , attain- ing a fine reputation in that line of work. His first wife, Caroline (Crane), of New York, died leaving one son, John Henry, who is now resid- ing in Brooklyn, and by his second wife, Mrs. Phcebe Tompkins, /n'e Crane, he had one son, David Arthur, also a resident of Brooklyn. (2) Mary, born May 28, 1828, married Samuel Cur- tis, a button and comb manufacturer of Berkshire District, Newtown. She died March 22, 1871. Philo Nichols was born April 27, 1832, at the old home in South Centre District, Newtown town- ship, and after attending the common schools of the vicinity for a time pursued more advanced studies in the academy at Newtown and a board- ing school in the same village conducted by Harry Peck. On February 28, 1854, he mar- ried Miss Sarah E. Glover, and established his home on a farm in Zoar District, Newtown township, where he followed agriculture until 1865. About 1870 he engaged in the lumber business, which he has ever since followed with gratifying results. In politics he is a stanch Republican, but he is not an office-seeker. He is interested in all that pertains to the welfare of the community, and while not a Church mem- ber he contributes to the support of the Episco- pal Church, and to other worthy causes. He and his family are prominent socially, and he is an active worker in the Masonic Fraternity, be- longing to Hiram Lodge No. 18, F. & A. M., and the Chapter, of Newtown. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols have had three children, as follows: Frank B., born January 18, 1855, died March 17, 1857; Grace, born June 15, 1863, died Au- gust 15,1864; and Kuth, born August 17, 1S65, was married October i, 1895, to Hobart H. Curtis, of the firm of Warner, Taylor & Curtis, of Sandy Hook, and has one child — Marion Nich- ols Curtis. Mrs. Nichols is a daughter of Villeroy Glover, and a descendant of Henry Glover, an early set- tler at New Haven, who came from England in 1636; the family has long been prominent in this section and a genealogical sketch is given else- where in this volume. On the maternal side Mrs. Glover is descended from James Hard and his wife Elizabeth, who had several children, among them James, James (2) (born in 1695, died in 1775), and Abner. Abner Hard married Hannah Beers in 1740, and died in 1785. Nirom Hard, one of their sons, was the great-grand- father of Mrs. Nichols. He was born in 1740, and in 1764 married Sarah, daughter of Benja- min and Elizabeth Curtis; he died in 1834. They had six children: Sally, who married Alfred Divine Curtis; Mercy, wife of Mr. Weed; Han- nah, who never married; Lazarus, who made his home in Bristol, Conn. ; Benjamin, the grand- father of Mrs. Nichols; and Cyrenius, who did not marry. Benjamin Hard was born February 8, 1779, and became a leading resident of Toddy Hill District, Newtown. As a citizen he was held in high esteem, and he was especially active in re- ligious work, taking the entire supervision of the construction of St. James Episcopal Church at Zoar. He alsodid much public business, and was largely employed in the settlement of estates. On December 17, 1801, he married Mabel Tomlin- son, daughter of Webb Tomlinson. His death occurred May i, 1836, and his wife survived him many years, passing away June 29, 1865. Of their three children the eldest, Charles, born May 21, 1804, married Eliza Greaton, of New York, and died February 17, 1873; Susan (the mother of Mrs. Nichols) was born October 13, 1806, married Villeroy Glover, and died January 18, 1847, and Sarah, born May 8, 1820, married Charles Johnson, and died March 22, 1892, leav- ing no children. BilRDSEY C. AND LEMUEL P. GLOVER. J' well-known residents of Hanover District, town of Newtown, are the present owners of the old family homestead, a fine estate, which their industry and good management maintain in a high state of cultivation. These two brothers are members of one of the oldest and most highly- esteemed families of the county, and are lineal descendants of Henry Glover, an early settler at New Haven, who came to this country from Eng- land in 1636. The name appears in the records' 310 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. of this county two generations later, and for many years the immediate ancestors of these gentlemen have been identified with the town of Newtown. Their father, Benjamin N. Glover, who was born in 1812, died in i860; their mother, whose maiden name was Harriet A. Lake, is still liv- ing at the old homestead. There were three children: Birdsey C, born April 30, 1846; Wal- ter Henry, born October 16, 1848; and Lemuel P., born December 3, 1852. Ever since the death of the father the two brothers, whose names open this sketch, have fiad charge of the old farm, although, when that sad event occurred, they were but fifteen and eight years of age, respectivel}'. In this under- taking they have shown marked ability, and have \yon deserved success, ranking among the sub- stantial men of the locality. Much attention has been given by them to fattening cattle, and they have made frequent visits to the West for the purpose of purchasing stock, this line of work having previously been carried on successfully by their father. In politics they are both stanch Republicans, but they do not take an active part in the work of the organization, and when nomi- nations for ofhce have been offered them, they have invariably declined. They are in full sym- pathy with ail movements for the benefit of their community, and are leading members of Trinity Episcopal Church of Newtown, contributing gen- erously to its work. Birdsey C. Glover was married April 2, 1873, to Miss Sarah E. Northrop, daughter of Walter Northrop, Jr., a prominent resident of Newtown, and three children have been born to them: Emma, who died May 20, 1893, at the age of nineteen years; Bessie E. , born November i, 1876; and Florence A., born August 31, 1882, are at home. Lemuel P. Glover, brother of Birdsey, is unmarried. MON. ERWIN S. FAIRCHILD, of Nichols, is one of the leading citizens of Trumbull township, and few have done as much as he to promote the best interests of that locality. As a founder and active member of the Village Im- provement Association of Nichols he helped to give new impetus to^ the development of that thriving community, while as a worker in the Trumbull Grange he has aided in the dissemina- tion of scientific knowledge among his fellow ag- riculturists. He is an influential worker in the local Democratic organization, and has held every public office in his town, from selectman down, his service as a member of the school board being especially fruitful in good results. As a member of the State Legislature in 1893 he did efficient work, not only for his constituents, but for the people of the State at large, and the fol- lowing brief history of him will be of general interest. Mr. Fairchild was born at Nichols, November 21, 1853, and after a preliminary course of study in the district schools of that neighborhood he attended Strong's Military Institute at Bridge- port. On leaving school he became a bookkeeper for Dean, La Mont & Co. at their woolen-mill in Bridgeport, and later he spent si.K years in their establishment at Stockbridge, Mass. He then re- turned to Bridgeport, and for two years conducted the Berkshire coal yard, of which he was the pro- prietor, and later he purchased a farm at Nichols, where he made his permanent home. Since lo- cating there he has become interested in various enterprises, and at present he is engaged in lum- bering, in manufacturing vinegar, and in a flour and feed business, in all of which he is successful. He was married in Stockbridge, Mass., December 22, 1874, to Miss Alice A. Wentworth, daughter of Ebenezer Wentworth, a well-known citizen of that town. They have one son, Charles W. , now a student at Storr's Agricultural College at Storrs, Conn. Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild are prom- inent in social life, and are active in religious work as members of the Congregational Church at Trumbull.