Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

James Lewis (2) m. Naomi Sherman Decem- ber, 1730. He died before August 8, 1764, but was living April 4, 1763. Naomi d. Jan. 27, 1797. Their children were: Rachel, b. March, 1732-3, m. Nathaniel Wheeler in 1755; George (a shoemaker antl a high Whig), b. March, 1734- 5, m., 1758, Mary, daughter of Elnathan Wheel- er; James, b. 1740, m. Sarah Lewis, daughter of Rev. Thomas Lewis and Joanna, daughter of David Booth, of White Plains, Trumbull; Eli (a cabinetmaker), b. Jan. 19, 1738, d. Dec. 24, 1818, m. Naomi Walker, daughter of James Walker and Jerusha (Nichols) Dec. 6, 1764; Eliz- abeth, b. Aug., 1746, m. 1770 Benjamin Brooks; 118 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Abigail, b. Sept., 1754, m. Mr. Peet; James Lewis (3) rn. about 1771-72, Sarah Lewis, daugh- ter of Rev. Thomas Lewis and Joanna (ISooth); James (3), died Aug. 13, 1779, and is buried in the Episcopal cemetery; his wife Sarah died Dec. 15, 1844, and is buried in Union cemetery. Eli Lewis (1) (above), son of James (2) and Naomi (Sherman) Lewis, had by his wife Naomi (Walker) the following children: Jerusha, b. Oct. 12, 1765, d. Nov. 10, 1796, m. John Booth, Jr. (their daughter, Lucy Booth, m. Ira Curtis, of Bridgeport Point, whose son, Lewis Curtis, resides in Bridgeport). Jeames Walker, b. Oct. 16, 1767, d. May 11, 1772. Hepzibah, b. May 22, 1772, m. Elam Wooster, of Huntington; she d. March 18, 1855. Eli Walker, b. Jan. 21, 1776, sketch of whom follows: Eli Walker Lewis (above) m. Rebecca Curtis Dec. 24, iSoi. She was b. Aug. 7, 1771, a daughter of Silas Curtis and Hannah (Birdseye). A brief record of their children is as folknvs : Jerusha, b. Nov. 22, 1802. m. Levi Curtis, Jr.; Mary EUzz, h. Dec. 3, 1803, m. Jesup Banks; Eli, b. Jan. 19, 1806, is spoken of more fully farther on ; and Harriet, b. May 20, 1809, d. Dec. 29, 1853. The mother of these died Jan. 30, 1823, the father on Nov. 20, 1858. He was a farmer and school teacher ; was selectman 1824 to 1831 ; representative 1842-1843 ; warden of Episcopal Church for more than forty years. The following copy of resolution speaks for itself : Stratford, April, 1«49. Mr. Eli Wal/ctr Li'iois : Sir : At a meeting of the Ward- ens and \'estry of Christ Church, Stratford, held at the house (jf Samuel C. Nicoll on .Monday evening April It), 1849, the following vote was passed unanimously: \'oted, That the thsnks of the Wardens and \'estry of this Church be given to Mr. Eli Walker Lewis for his devoted and faith- ful services, as Warden of said Church for more than forty years, and the assurance that in his retirement from said office he carries with him the best wishes of the Society for his temporal and eternal welfare. (Signed) On behalf of the Wardens and Vestry, Claudius B. Curtis, Clerk of the Episcopal Society, Stratford. Silas Curtis, of Oronoque, Stratford (bapt. June 14, 1743), m. Hannah Birdseye, February '7. '765 ; she was born Dec. 15, 1746, 'a daughter of Rev. Nathan and Dorothy (Hawley) Birdseye. Rev. Nathan Birdseye, b. Aug. 8 (Lords Day at noon, and one week after Oueen Anne's decease), 1714 (son of Joseph Birdseye and Sarah Thompson), m. April 17, 1739, Doro- thy, daughter of Rev. Thomas Hawley, first min- ister of Ridgefield, Conn. Dorothy Hawley was b. February 27, 1719-20 ; he d. Jan. 28, 1818, aged 103 yrs. 5 mo., 9 days. Rev. Thomas Hawley (Ridgefield), m. Abigail (Madam Hawley, as she was called), b. 1687, daughter of Deputy Governor Nathan Gold, of Fairfield, Conn., and Hannah Talcott, daughter of Lieut-Col. John Talcott, of Hartford, Conn. She died April 17, 1749, aged sixty-four years. Deputy Governor Nathan Gold, of Fairfield, Conn., son of Major Nathan Gold and Martha, widow of Edward Harvey, m. December 8, 1C63, Hannah, daughter of Lieut-Col. John Talcott, of Hartford, Conn., and Helena, daughter of John \\'akeman, first treasurer of the New Ha- ven Colony. Lieut. -Col. John Talcott, of Hartford, Conn., son of John and Dorothy (Mott) Talcott, m. Helena Wakeman, daughter of John Wakeman, of New Haven, and Elizabeth Hopkins. John Wakeman, b. 1601, m. in Worcester, England, in 1629, Elizabeth Hopkins. John Wakeman, first treasurer of New Haven Colony, was son of Francis Wakeman, of Here- ford, England, who m. Anne Goode, in 1589. Francis Wakeman d. September, 1626. Anne, his wife, died January, 1621. Major Nathan Gold, came from St. Edmons- bury, England, to Fairfield, Conn., and was an early settler there 1644-49; he m. Martha, widow of Edward Harvey; he died March 4, 1693-4. Rev. Nathan Birdseye, Oronoque, Stratford, was a son of Joseph Birdseye (who was b. Feb. 22, 1681-2, d. June 25, 1757); he in. Sarah, daughter of Ambrose Thompson and Sarah, daughter of John Welles (i) and Elizabeth Bourne. Joseph Birdseye was son of John Birds- eye, Jr., and Phebe, daughter of William Wil- coxson; he m. June 10, 1708, Sarah, daughter of Ambrose Thompson; she d. May 3, 1726; he d. June 25, 1757. John Birdseye, Jr., m. Dec. 11, 1669, Phebe, daughter of William Wilcoxson, b. about 1650; he d. 1697, aged fifty-five years; she died September 20, 1743, aged ninety-two years. Deacon John Birdseye (i) came to America in 1636, came to Wethersfield, Conn., where he m. Phillipa, daughter of Rev. Henry Smith. He came to Stratford about 1649 and d. April 4, 1690. Rev. Thomas Hawley, of Ridgefield, who m. Abigail Gold, was son of Lieut. Joseph Hawley, of Northampton, Mass. Rev. Thomas Hawley was first minister of Ridgefield, and town clerk; was son of Lieut. Joseph Hawley, of Northamp- ton, Mass., teacher, preacher and "trader," b. 1654, m. Lydia (b. Feb. 13, 1656), of Windsor, Conn., daughter of Capt. Samuel and Mary (Wilton) Marshall. Lieut. Joseph Hawley was son of Thomas, the settler at Roxbury, Mass., and Mrs. Dorothy (Harbottle) Lamb. Lieut. Joseph Hawley (b. 1654) was son of Thomas Hawley, the settler at Roxbury, Mass., who m. COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 119 (first) Emma, who d. Nov. 29, 165 1, and m. (second) Mrs. Dorothy Harbottle, widow of Thomas Lamb; she died 1699; he d. April 21, 1676. Eli Lewis, b. Jan. 19, 1738, son of James Lewis (2) and Naomi Sherman Lewis, m. Naomi (b. Feb. 13. 1744), daughter of James Walker and Jerusha Nichols, daughter of Richard Nich- ols, December 6, 1764. James Walker, b. July, 17 15, brother of the Hon. Robert Walker, and son of Deacon Robert Walker, m. Jan. 4, 1738-9, Jerusha, daughter of Richard and Comfort (Sherman) Nichols; she was b. March 27, 1717, and d. July 8, 1803; he d. June 9, 1796. James Walker was a justice of the peace many years. [Mr. Orcutt, the his- torian of Stratford, was positive that Comfort Sherman was a daughter of Theophilus Sherinan; he said a deed owned by Nichols family proved it. J Comfort Sherman was a daughter of Theoph- ilus Sherman, who was a son of Sanmel the set- tler and his wife Sarah (Mitchell), who was daughter of Matthew and Susan (Butterfield) Mitchell, the settler at Stratford. Deacon Robert Walker, b. May, 1668, son of Joseph, m. Aug. i, 1695, Ruth (b. Aug. 31, 1667, daughter of Deacon Timothy Wilco.xson and Jo- hannah, daughter of John liirdseye, Sr. ); he died in 1743, his wife in 1769, aged ninety-five years. Joseph Walker, b. in Boston, July, 1646 (son of Robert Walker, of Boston, Mass.), came to Stratford when a young man, and in 1667 m. Abigail, daughter of Rev. l^eter Prudden, fir.st minister of Milford, Conn.; he d. in November, 1687; she d. in 17 17. Robert Walker, said to be of Scottish descent, born in 1607, was a weaver from Manchester, Lancashire, England. He came to Boston, Mass., where he united as a member of tlie Church in 1632, and was one of the founders of the "Old South Church" in 1669. He died May 29, 1687; his widow, Sarah, died December 21, 1695. Rev. Peter Prudden, first minister of Milford, Conn., married Joanna Boyce, of Edgeton, Yorkshire, England. They were married just before they left England. He was a Church of England clergyman, and preached in Hereford- shire, England. They came in the ship " Mar- tin," or "Hester," which sailed before April 30, 1637, and arrived in Boston June 26, 1637. He brought with him, to Milford, people from Weth- ersfield, Conn., who were from the County of Esse.x, England. Rev. Peter Prudden and Gov. Edward Hopkins came together to New Haven, Conn., and later Rev. Peter Prudden settled in Milford, where he died in July, 1656. His widow. Mrs. Joanna Boyce Prudden, married (second) Capt. Thomas Willett, who was promi- nent in the Plymouth Colony, and after his death she married (third) Ivev. John Bishop, another of the pulpit lights of Massachusetts and Con- necticut. Rev. Peter Prudden left a large estate for those times, appraised at nearly one thousand pounds, while there was a landed interest in England valued at thirteen hundred pounds. Jerusha Nichols, daughter of Richard and Comfort (Sherman) Nichols, married James Walker January 4, 1738-9. Richard Nichols, born November 26, 1O78, son of Isaac Nichols (second) and his wife (supposed to have been) Mary (Beach) Nichols, married June 3, 1702, Comfort Sherman, daughter of Theophilus Sher- man. Isaac Nichols (second), born March 12, 1654, married (probably) Mary I^each (born September, 165C, married 1675); Mar}' Beach was (probably) daughter of John Beach, the settler. Isaac Nichols (i) b. in England, m. Margery Washborne, and died i . 1695. Isaac Nichols (i) was son of Sergeant Francis Nichols, one of the first settlers in Stratford in 1639. He m. his wife in England, and is supposed to have been an older brother of Sr. Richard Nicoll, first Governor of New York. Silas Curtis, who tn. Hannah, daughter of Rev. Nathan Birdseye, was son of Stiles Curtis (b. March 18, 170S) and his wife Rebecca Jud- son (b. 1710), daughter of Capt. Joseph Judson and Hannah (Hawley) (b. October 13, 1689, daughter of Capt. John Hawley and his wife De- borah Pierson, who were married April 23, 168G). Capt. Stiles Curtis (b. March 18, 1708) was son of Ephraim Curtis, who was b. December 31, 1684, m. June 26, 1707, Elizabeth Stiles (b, February 18, 1687, m. November 7, 1730).