Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Prosper Nichols, the father of our subject, was born January 6, 1795, and was reared upon the old farm, but on entering into business life he became interested in the buj-ing and selling of cattle. Later he engaged in butchering at Bridgeport in partnership with Gideon Thomp- son, and afterward continued the business alone for a time, but finally formed another partner- ship with Capt. William M. Terry. He was known throughout this section as a careful, hon- est man, whose business ability was above the average, and for years he was prominent in local affairs as a worker in the Whig party. He was senior warden of Trinity Episcopal Church, Nichols, from its formation until after his second marriage, when^he resigned, as his Sabbaths were then spent in Newtown. His first wife, Lucy Curtis, daughter of Daniel M. Curtis, of Nichols, died January I, 1859, and he was afterward married in Newtown to Mrs. Benjamin Glover. He had five children, all by the first marriage: Charles Carlos, who died in 1845; Samantha, who married David Nichols, and died in 1849, leavihg one son, Charles Carlos, now deceased; Eliza, who married Rev. John L. Peck; Lucius Curtis, and Caroline, deceased, who married Edwin Peck, and had a son, George, now a member of the firm of Peck & Lines, of Bridge- port. Lucius Curtis Nichols was reared to farm work at the old homestead, his education being obtained in the schools of his native place. At the age of sixteen he became an apprentice in the saddle-tree factory of Fairchild, Peet & Co., afterward F. P. Ambler & Sons, where he was employed continuously until the establishment was closed, and since that time he has not been engaged in business. While he has never been 42 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. especially active in politics, he is a stanch Repub- lican, and at all times he has taken a keen inter- ert in the welfare of his community. On No- vember 7, 1852, he married Miss Josephine Eliz- abeth Curtis, daughter of Sheldon Curtis, of Nichols. She died in August, 1861, leaving one daughter, Idwella Imogene, now the wife of Gideon Tomlinson. They have four children: Josephine Elizabeth, Charles Henry, Jessie May and Lucius Nichols Tomlinson. Of these Jose- phine recently married \Vm. H. Lyon, of Ansonia. DANIEL M. NICHOLS, a highly respected ' resident of Nichols, seems to have inherited the military ardor of his ancestry, and during the Civil war he made an honorable record as a sol- dier, serving from August 25, 1862, to August 31, 1863, as a private in Company D, Twenty-third Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. Mr. Nichols was born April 16, 1835, at the old homestead at Nichols village, the son of Abi- jah M. Nichols, a well-known citizen. On com- pleting his course of study in the schools of his native town, our subject was employed by F. P. Ambler & Sons, in their saddle-tree and harness- tree factory, remaining until the business was abandoned. C,HARLES BRINSMADE NICHOLS. This _> respected resident of Trumbull township is the owner of a large estate near Nichols village, and, like his ancestors for several generations past, he devotes much of his time and attention to agricultural pursuits. Mr. Nichols was born April 16, 1838, at his present homestead, which has been in the pos- session of the family since pioneer times. His great-grandfather, Andrew Nichols, was a native and lifelong resident of that locality. John Nichols, our subject's grandfather, was also born at Nichols, and he died there March i, 1862, at ih^ age of eighty-four years and eight months. By his first marriage, to Mary Curtis, John Njchols had three children: Abiah, Roswell and Sidney, and by his second wife, Ruth Beach, he had four children: John B. (a resident of Nichols), Mary, Maria and Ruth Ann. Sidney Nichols, the father of Charles B., was born at the old homestead, December 12, 1807, and died April g, 1S67. He was a well-known citizen and took much interest in political ques- tions of his time, first as a Whig and later as a Republican. His wife, Caroline Elizabeth (Brins- made), who died November 6, 18S1, was a daughter of Abraham Brinsmade, of Daniels Farms, and of their two children, Charles B. and Elsia A., the latter died when nineteen years old. Charles B. Nichols began his education in the schools of his native village, and at thirteen en- tered a private school at Trumbull Center. Later he attended Hines Institute, at Warren, Conn., and on completing his course there he engaged in general farming at the homestead. In pol- itics he is a Republican, and he has at times held local offices, including that of selectman. He is interested in all that concerns the development of the community, and for years he has been a leading member of the Congregational Church at Trumbull. On January 12, 1870, he was mar- ried in Huntington to Miss Hannah E. Nichols, daughter of Nathan B. Nichols, and two children have blessed the union: Elsie E. , who diedSep- tembers, 1897, and Edith Caroline. The mother of these died P'ebruary 24, 1899, aged fifty-one years, five months and two days. Mr. Nichols is treasurer of the Village Improvement Associa- tion. For several years he served as school treasurer. USTIN SHERMAN NICHOLS, a military veteran, is a leading resident of the town of Trumbull, and enjoys in a high degree the con- fidence and respect of his fellow citizens. He was born March 10, 1844, at his present home- stead in Nichols village, a fine estate which has now been in the family for three generations. Silas Nichols, our subject's grandfather, was the first of the name to own this farm, and he fol- lowed agriculture there for a number of years. He died at the advanced age of eighty-one. He and his wife Sarah had four children: David Plumb, Andrew B. , Cynthia, and Harriet. David Plumb Nichols, father of Austin S., was born and reared in the town of Trumbull, and soon after his marriage to Harriet Sher- man of Monroe, this county, settled at the pres- ent homestead, where he built the residence now occupied by his son. He was originally a Whig in politics, and on its organization transferred his allegiance to the Republican party, of which he remained a faithful adherent until his death, at the age of sixty-three. His wife survives him and resides at the homestead. They had two sons: Austin Sherman, and Hobart L. , who died at the age of thirty-four. Austin S. Nichols was educated in the public schools of Trumbull and in Easton Academy. In early manhood he took up arms in defense of the Union, enlistmg on August 30, 1861, in Company D, Twenty-third Conn. V. I. During his term of service he was taken prisoner at Brashear City, i\'^<.J:.\'^ \,:j' :tTJ-' . l.-'l'iV^ic: "U-J ..(Mi '/ i' ^ 73 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. but after a couple of weeks he was exchanged, and on August 30, 1862, he was mustered out at New Haven. In November, 1862, he went to New York City to enter the employ of a dealer in oil, and later he was engaged in a commission business there for sixteen years. On the death of his father he returned to the homestead, where he has since given his attention to agriculture and dairying. He still retains his interests in military affairs and belongs to the society of Ex- prisoners of the Civil War and to the G. A. R. , Elias Howe Post, at Bridgeport. Mr. Nichols was married in New York City to Miss Harriet Huxford, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , and three chil- dren have been born to the union: Lester S., who was accidently killed at Bridgeport, by a rail- way train; Merton, who died at the age of nine years; and Lulu, who died when one year old. ISAAC WARDWELL, a venerable citizen of Stamford, Conn., now eighty-three years of age, is one of Fairfield county's prominent and successful business men, his commercial career covering a sixty-years' connection with the Rip- powam Foundry, of Stamford, now the Stamford Foundry Company, and formerly J. D. Warren & Company. Mr. Wardwell is of the sixth generation of the family who have lived at Stamford. His great-grandfather came from Rhode Island and built a house on the present site of the Congrega- tional church. His son, William Wardwell, who is next in line of descent, was born in Rhode Island, and came with hisfather's family to Stam- ford, where his son Isaac, father of our subject, was born December 28, 1766. There were two other sons in the family, James and William, the latter of whom was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, in which he was wounded. It is quite pro- bable that James also served in that struggle. There were five daughters: Abigail, Sarah, Hannah, Mary and Betsey. Isaac Wardwell (i) when but a lad of four- teen enlisted in a boy's company, and did sentry duty during the Revolution. He learned the carpenter's trade, and after completing his ap- prenticeship wetjt to South America, where he remained ten years. He returned to Stamford, purchased what was then known as the Westcott farm, and here passed the remainder of his life, dying February 22, 1841. On March 24. 1799, he married Hannah Knapp, and to this union were born fourteen children: Polly, born Jan- uary 14, 1800, married Pliney Daniels, and died April 24, 1894, at New Canaan; William, born July 15, 1801, was married on November 19,