Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

WEBSTER BURROUGHS BEARDSLEY (deceased) was for many years a lead- ing citizen of Bridgeport, his sterling qualities of character winning for him a large circle of friends. His death, which occurred September 27, 1896, caused sincere grief, and the afflicted family received the sympathy of the entire com- munity. The Beardsley family has been prominent in this county from pioneer times, and the subject of this sketch was a direct descendant, in the eighth generation, from William Beardsley, a mason by trade, who came from England in 1635 in the ship " Planter," with a party of which Rev. Adam Blakeman, of St. Albans, England, was the leader. At this time William Beardsley was thirty years old; his wife Mary was aged twenty-six; his daughter Mary, four; his son John, two years; and his other son, Joseph, six months. William Beardsley located at Hadley, Mass., and probably remained there until 1638, when he removed to Hartford. In the follow- ing spring he settled at Stratford, this county, being one of the first to locate there. He died there at the age of fifty-six, and his will, which was dated September 28, 1660, was proved July 6, 1661. Tradition in all branches of the family states that he was a native of Stratford, England, born on the far-famed river Avon, and that he gave the name of Stratford to the planta- tion in this county. One of his descendants, who settled in western New York, at the present town of Avon, bestowed that name upon the place in honor of the river by which his ancestors had dwelt. The children of the pioneer were Mary, COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 817 born 1 63 1, who married Thomas Wells; John, 1632; Joseph, 1634; Samuel, 11638; Sarah, 164O, who was married June 8, 1668, to Obadiah Dickinson; Hannah, 1642, who was married in 1662, to Nathaniel Dickinson; Daniel, 1644; and Thomas. II. Joseph Beardsley, the next in the line of descent which we are now tracing, was strongly inclined to a sea-faring life, but as his father left him half the estate on condition that he would remain at home and take care of his mother, he settled down at the homestead in Stratford. On July 31, 1684, he traded his property for the homestead of Andrew Gobb, at Brookhaven, L. I., but later. he returned to Stratford, where he died in 1712, aged seventy-seven years. He and his wife Abigail raised a family of eight chil- dren: Joseph, born June 10, 1666; John, Novem- ber 14, 1668; Hannah (Mrs. Thomas Marvey), April 30, 1671; Elizabeth, who married Edmund Pulford; Thomas, Ephraim, Jonathan and Josiah. III. Thomas Heardsley was married July 18, 1707, to Sarah Deming, and had the follow- ing children: Israel, born December 3, 1708; Sarah (Mrs. Ichabod Lewis), born March 24, 1709; Hannah (Mrs. Jacob Lane), born May 28, 171 5; Elizabeth, born October 26, 1716, who was married December 25, 1739, to George Mc- Ewen; Esther, who married Benjamin De For- est; Thomas and Henry (twinsj, who died in childhood; and Thankful, born July 8, 1729. IV. Israel Beardsley was married May 30, 1730, to Elizabeth Blagge, a daughter of Sam- uel Blagge. Previous to 1761 he removed to Newtown, where his death occurred in 1791. He had nine children: Samuel Blagge, born in January, 1731, died in June, 1746; Israel, born September 30, 1733; Elisha, born August 17. '7351 Urania (Mrs. Samuel Hawley), born April 9, 1738; Lemuel, born in June, 1740, who died in the French and Indian war; Abel, born in April, 1743, died in 1788 ; Jared, born in 1744; Katharine, born in February, 1753; and Price, born May 19, 1761. V. Elisha Beardsley died in Monroe township April 6, 1824, aged eighty-nine years. He was a prosperous farmer, owning a large tract of land, and was a prominent member of the Episcopal Church in his locality, holding the office of warden for many years. He married Mehitable Hnrd, daughter of Ebenezer and Abigail Hurd, and had seven children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Abbie Betsey (Mrs. Ne- hemiah Gray), August 5, 1770; Ebenezer, April 22, 1772; Elisha Hubbard, December 5, 1773; Ezra Abel, January 14, 1776; Elihu, September 7, 1777; Agur, August — , 1779, who married (first) Ann Shelton, and (second) Sylvia Curtis; and Roswell, 1782. VI. Elisha Hubbard Beardsley died March 14, 1840, aged sixty-si.\ years. He married (first) Patience Prudence Edwards, daughter of William Edwards, of Huntington. She died February 20, 1818, aged forty-one years, and he married (second) Betsey Walker, who survived him, passing away January 3, 1853. By the first marriage he had four children: Prudence, who died April 5, 1813, at the age of fifteen; Sarah, who married Eli Blackman; Elisha Ezra and Juliette. By his second marriage he had one son, James Walker Beardsley, donor of Beardsley Park to the city of Bridgeport. VII. Elisha Ezra Beardsley was born October 21, 1804, and became a farmer in the town of Monroe. He died in 1852, and his wife, whose maiden name was Laura Ann Burroughs, died in 1886. They had eleven children: Susan Elizabeth, Webster Burroughs, Adaline Hepsa, Caroline Ann, Ezra Elisha, Mary Jane, Hobart Edwards, George Lucius, Gertrude Amanda, Laura Annetta, and Agnes Maria. VIII. The late \\'ebster Burroughs Beardsley was born August 2 1 , 1834, in the town of Monroe, and was educated in the common schools of the locality. He was reared to farm work, and for four years after his marriage he was engaged" in agriculture in the town of Monroe. In 1875 he removed to Bridgeport ami became interested in the milk business. He was an excellent citizen, and for many years was an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church at Nichols. His wife, Mrs. Eliza Ann (McNeil) Beardsley, to whom he was married June 22, 1870, survives him. Of their three children, the eldest, James Ezra, born July 2, 1872, died June 27, 1875; William Wat- son is mentioned below; and Laura Eliza, born March 30, 1886, died August 6, 1893. Mrs. Beardsley is a daughter of James Watson Mc- Neil, and his wife, Eliza Ann Jackson. Her father came from Scotland in early manhood, and for a number of years was engaged in hat manufacturing at Stepney. Of seven children four are now living, Mrs. Beardsley being the youngest daughter. Catherine P. married Charles Joyce, of Monroe; Amanda married Albert Blis- sard, of Danbury; and Charles Watson resides in Danbury. IX. William Watson Beardsley was born July 18, 1874, and was educated in Bridgeport, graduating from the high school June 23, 189:. He spent four years as a clerk in the Bridgeport National Bank, but severed his connection with that institution on November 19, 1896, and since that time has turned his attention to farming. 318 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. He makes a specialty of dairying, and supplies a large amount of milk td^ the local market. His success in his chosen line of work indicates ex- ecutive ability as well as energy, and he ranks among the substantial citizens of his locality. He is not married, but is prominent in social life, and attends Trinity Church at Nichols, with which ■his honored father was so long identified. WILLIAM HOLMES, a leading citizen of Shelton, has for many years held a re- sponsible position with the Derby Silver Com- pany, and his long and faithful service is in itself an evidence of mental and moral worth. The Holmes family is of English stock, and •William Holmes (i), the grandfather of our sub- ject, was a lifelong resident of the old country. William Holmes (2), the father of our subject, was born in Leeds, England, where he married Miss Lucy Walker, also a native of that city. About 1845 he came with his family to America, locating first at Derby, this county, where he was employed as foreman by the Shelton Com- pany. In 1856 he removed to Madison, Wis., and operated a gristmill and sawmill for about three years, when his mills were destroyed by fire. In 1859 he returned to Derby and took his' old position again, and a few years later he located in Shelton (then known as Huntington) and engaged in business as a florist, continuing until his death in March, 1892. He took an in- terest in all that concerned his adopted country, and was a stanch Republican, while he and his wife remained devout members of the Episcopal Church. They had ten children: Joshua, Mary A. (deceased), Walter (deceased), Lucy, Will- iam, Lillie, Emma (deceased), Florence, Royal and Josephine. The mother is yet living. Our subject was born September 6, 1858, in Madison, Wis., but the greater portion of his life has been spent in the town of Huntington. His education was chiefly obtained in the schools of Shelton, and on leaving school he entered the employ of the Derby Silver Company, with which he has remained ever since, except for three and one-half years spent with the Meriden Plating Company, of Meriden, Conn. In 1880 he became foreman of the plating department of the Derby Silver Company, a position which he still holds. His fellow citizens have not been slow to recognize lys abilities, and he is one of the leading advisers of the Republican organiza- tion in his locality. He has been (and still is) chairman of the Republican town and borough committee for eleven years, and he has also held the office of assessor for the borough. Socially he is prominent as a member of Ousatonic Lodge No. 6, I. O. O. P., the N. E. Order of Pro- tection, the Order of United Workmen, and he is one of the charter members of Echo Hose Company, in which he has held every office, including that of chief engineer.