Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

On April 5, 1876, Mr. Sherwood was mar- ried to Melissa Hull, a daughter of William Hull, of the town of Westport. The marriage was blessed with four children, namely: Edward J. is now a student of Yale College; Minnie M. is at Normal College; and Henry M. and Sadie are still attending school. The mother of these children died November i, 1897. She was an amiable woman, greatly esteemed. T^HOMAS F. FAY was born in Danbury, Conn., March 4, 1848, the eldest son of John and Margaret Fay. His father had en- listed in Company A, Eleventh Connecticut Vol- enteer Infantry, and was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor. Mr. Fay learned the hatter's trade, and in 1879 entered the firm of Beckerle & Co. As a member of this firm, he is best known to Danburians. In December, 1875, Mr. Fay married Miss Sara McConnell, who died February 5, 1884. There were five children by this marriage, four of whom ■ ■:j -vAi \r (:,;:;.::-v..ii,;.y- .]....i.;3 b'lr. COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 851 — M. Josephine, Edward R., John N. and Anna S. — are now Hving. Thomas, the youngest, died in 1889 at the age of five years. Mr. Fay was a man of singular gentleness of disposition. He never entered public life, al- though frequently urged to do so. He was a member of the Hat Manufacturers Association, and his death was the first to occur among the members of that organization, which was then about ten years old. He died June 25, 1892, after a brief illness. T^AIT AND SONS PAPER COMPANY, of Bridgeport. Industry puts an entirely new face upon the productions of nature. By labor man has subjugated the world, reduced it to his dominion and clothed the earth with a new gar- ment. The first rude plow that man thrust into the soil; the first rude axe of stone with which he felled the forest trees; the first rude canoe scooped by him from some pine trunk to cross the river and reach the greener fields beyond, were each the outcome of a human faculty which brought within his reach some physical comfort he had never enjoyed before. Material things became subject to the influence of labor, not the least among which we are reminded that from the flax plant man draws its fibres and makes him linen and cambric; from the cotton pod he fabricates fustians, dimities, calicoes, etc. From the rags of these, or from weeds, the shavings of wood, or from straw he makes paper, card- board, strawboard, etc., in which latter connec- tion it is with pleasure we turn to the steam and air-dried strawboard manufacturing industry, in Bridgeport, known far and wide as the Tait & Sons Paper Company. Andrew Tait, the founder of this industry, was born January 27, 1799, near Edinburgh, Scotland, and was descended trom a long line of paper makers. He served his full time (seven years) as an apprentice at that employment, and in 1820 he came to this country, first locating in Morris county, N. J. Here he worked about one year at his trade, then moved to Hartford, after which we find him in various places till his marriage, in 1822. He then settled in Trumbull, Fairfield county, where, as superintendent for D. & P. N. Fairchdd, paper manufacturers, he built their mill and set it in operation. With this firm he remained but a short time, however, and on leaving their employ he commenced busi- ness in a small way at Trumbull Center, mar- bling paper for bookbinders' use; but in 1856 he erected in Trumbull what is known as Tait's Mills, and embarked in the box-board or straw- board manufacturing industry. Andrew Tait was married June 14, 1822, to Miss Bella Ronaldson, who crossed the ocean alone from Scotland, to wed her old sweetheart, the voyage occupying six weeks and four days. The issue of this union was as follows: Nancy, wife of Plumb Hoyt, of New York; William, a sketch of whom follows; Mary E., wife of J. M. Prindle, of Bridgeport; John, a physician in Meriden, Conn.; Bella, who died in 185 1; and Fannie. The father of these was called from earth January 27, 1891, the mother on May 22, 1875. They were members for many years of the Congregational Church at Trumbull; in poli- tics he was originally a Whig, later a Repub- lican, and for several terms he served as town clerk. On the occasion of the golden wedding of this honored pioneer couple a large concourse of relatives and friends assembled at the Tait man- sion in Trumbull, bringing with them congratula- tions and kind wishes as well as valuable and use- ful gifts. Mr. Tait's business career was marked by industry, frugality and the integrity of an up- right Christian man. William Tait, the eldest son of Andrew and Isabella Tait. was born May 29, 1824, in Scot- land, Hartford county, Conn., being a child when brought from there to Trumbull. In the latter place he received his education, learning the paper-making business with his father. In 1848 he went to California, but after a couple of years returned to Trumbull and en- tered into partnership with his father, who withdrew from the business in 1872, \\'illiam F. Tait (son of WilliamJ becoming a member of the firm. They continued to carry on the business in Trumbull until 1895, in which year they removed it to Bridgeport, or rather North Bridge- port, where they have since remained. The firm is now know as The Tait & Sons Paper Company, the firm consisting of William Tait, president; William F. Tait, treasurer; Andrew Tait, secretary; and the product of the mills is chiefly steam and air-dried straw board. At the present time (1899) they are making only box board. William Tait was married May 31, 1848, at Milford, Conn., to Miss Grace Camp, who was born September 4, 1831, at Milford, Conn., and five children have graced their union, to wit: Isabella R., wife of E. M. Goulden. of Stratford, Conn.; William F., sketch of whom follows; Andrew (1), who died at the age of two years; Andrew (2), who is spoken more fully of later on; and Elizabeth, wife of Frank Plumb, by whom she had three children — Ethel and Virgil (both now deceased) and \'erna. The parents 352 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. of this family were members of the Congrega- tional Church at Trumbull. Mr. Tait enlisted during the war of the I^ebellion in Company D (Captain Hall's company), 23d Conn. \'. I., in which he served as corporal. Subsequently he was orderly sergeant of Company C, 4tli Regi- ment Conn. N. G. He is now a member ui Elias Howe, Jr., Post, G. A. R., at Bridgeport. William Franklin Tait was born October 27, 1852, in Trumbull, where at the pub- lic schools he received his primary educa- tion, later attending a private academy at Stratford. On June 6, 1876, he was married in Huntington, to Miss Mary, daughter of layman Lattin, of Huntington, Litchfield county, and by this union there was one child, Mary Frances, born January 16, 1878, whose mother died on the third of the following month. On September 26, 1883, at St. Paul's Church, Bridgeport, Conn., William F. Tait wedded Miss llaura Frances Morris, of Bridgeport, daughter of William and Mary Louise Morris. Issue: Morris William, who was born July 31, 1893, and died July 14, 1894, 3"^^ Natalie Crosby, born February 13, 1898, yet living. Mr. and Mrs. Tait are mem- bers of Olivet Congregational Church at f^ridge- port, of which he is a deacon. Andrew Tait, junior member of the firm, was born September 2 1 , 1 866, in Trumbull. In early life he attended the public schools in Trumbull, later taking a course of study at the Park Avenue Institute in Bridgeport. On October 9, 1889, at Fairfield, Conn., he married Miss Laura Wilson, who was born April 15, 1868, and three children grace their union, whose names and dates uf birth are as follows: Eloise Wilson, February 24, 1892 ; Andrew Clifford, April 4, 1895; and Grace Elizabeth, August 25, 1897. Mr. and Mrs. Tait are members of Olivet Congregational Church at Bridgeport. E i-ANIEL SMITH MEAD. This venerable and '' respected resident of Greenwich, who is now nearing his ninth decade with physical strength and mental faculties well preserved, is a man who does credit to his hardy pioneer ancestry. "Smith Mead," as he is generally called, has ne\er sought notoriety, his quiet and unassuming disposition making public life uncongenial; but he holds a high place in the esteem of all classes in the community. His popularity is based upon his sterling qualities of character, and among the traits which have contributed thereto is his life- long habit of minding his own business. Mr. Mead was born April 9, 181 1, in the town of Greenwich, where his ancestors were early settlers. John Mead [other authorities say William], head of the family, came from Eng- land ill 1642 [other authorities say 1635]. and his son John, after remaining for a few years in Mass- achusetts and at Hempstead, L. I., located per- manently at Greenwich, in 1660. The line of descent is thus traced through John, son of the pioneer, Ebenezer (1), Ebenezer (2), Jared, our subject's grandfather, and Daniel S. Mead, Sr., the father of our subject. Ebenezer Mead (2) married Hannah Brown, and had twelve children — eleven sons and one daughter. Jared Mead, the grandfather of our subject, was born De- cember 15, 1738, the eleventh child and tenth son of Ebenezer (2), and his death occurred in May, 1832, when he was ninety-three years of age. Throughout his life he followed farming in Greenwich township, where he was popular with all classes, being familiarly known far and near as "Uncle Jared." He married Lydia Smith, and had the following children: Zetta, Daniel S., Lydia, Alma, Hannah (who married Deacon Jonas Mead), Jared and Alvan.