Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

work, being one of the oldest members of Union Lodge, No. 40, F. & A. M., at Danbury. He was also active at one time in the I. O. O. F., but the lodge to which he belonged surrendered its charter, and he did not again join the Order. HERMAN SELLECK (deceased) had lived on his farm in the town of New Canaan, Fairfield county, for half a century, and his father and grandfather also carried on agricult- ural pursuits in that town, where the family have been well-known for the last century. Jacob Selleck, grandfather of Herman, was born ir the town of Stamford, of Welsh ancestry, and early removed to New Canaan, being a resi- dent of Canoe Hill when the town was organ- ized. He was a prominent member of the Episcopal Church at Norwalk, in which he served as \estryman. For his first wife he married a Miss Fitch, of Norwalk, and after her death he wedded her cousin, also named Fitch. Samuel Selleck, son of Jacob, was born in Carter Street, in the town of New Canaan, where he was reared, acquiring his education in the common schools of the neighborhood. Under his father's guidance he was early instructed in the science of agriculture, to which he devoted his time, fanning on the paternal homestead until 1836, when he sold it to Stephen Hoyt, the nurseryman. Removing to Orleans county, N. Y., he spent his remaining days there, pass- ing away in 184O when a comparatively young man. He married Ann DeForest, who survived him many years, dying in New Canaan in 1872. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Caroline, Charlotte, Herman, George, Charles, Julia, Mary, Benjamin, William and Eliza, all of whom are now deceased. Herman Selleck was born in 1823, in Carter Street, town of New Canaan, on the family homestead occupied by his father and grand- father. His early boyhood was passed there, and for about five years he lived in Orleans county, N. Y., whither his parents had removed in 1S36. He lived on his late farm from the year 1841, with the exception of one year spent in Morris, 111., and his entire life was devoted to farming, in which he met with encouraging and well-merited success, acquiring, by years of in- dustrious toil, a fine farm and a comfortable home. He did not give much attention to out- side affairs, but he served acceptably for one term as assessor of his town. Socially, he was affiliated with the Grange, and in religious faith he was a member of the M. E. Church. He passed from earth about 1897. ■r\ '■yii' ■:■..■■■ Li 11/ , lU .II'. J .;■■,■, .li'i-j' ! '' ^i;-;; ■ »; ,b?ii,vi ■yritiiiMi,:: ■ i ■ .■I.' ■jii|r..-t(;l ..ri, .| .',f!.Uv ;;;;J rjt , . '•■ i i: 124 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Mr. Selleck was married at Darien, Conn., to Miss Adeline M. Hoyt, daughter of Rufus Hoyt. There have been no children. Rufus Hoyt was born in Darien, a son of Thaddeus Hoyt, and passed his entire life in the town of his birth, engaging during his active years in farming. He married Sarah E. Reed, and of the ten children born to them we have the following recorti: Louisa Rebecca (Mrs. Charles Rogers) is living in Danbury; Frances Elizabeth lives in Darien; Thaddeus married a Miss Hutchins, and lives in Darien; Adeline M. is the widow of Herman Sel- leck; Sarah Jane makes her home in Darien; John Woolsey, Oscar Rufus and Edward Morti- mer are deceased; Mary Virginia lives in Darien; and Charles Reed is a resident of Norwalk. HON. JULIUS B. CURTIS, of the Fairfield County Bar, is a well-known resident of Stamford. He has for many years been one of the leading members of the Bar, a fact which alone gives abundant proof of his abihty and high character. The family of our subject is of English origin, and they have a coat of arms, the right to use which was confirmed in the time of Charles I. The first ancestor of whom we find a definite ac- count was Capt. William Curtis, who came to America from England at a very early date with a brother John, and settled at Stratford, Fair- field Co., Conn. He became prominent among the pioneers of that locality, and was sent to rep- resent them in the Colonial Assembly twelve times. His military title was gained by his ap- pointment as captain of forces raised for service in King Philip's war, and to serve against the Dutch at New Netherlands, with power to ap- point his inferior officers, Capt. Josiah Curtis, the ne.xt in the line of descent, was born in Stratford, and engaged in farming there. He served in the militia in his day, and was also active in political movements, being elected in 1 716 as a member of the As- sembly. Benjamin Curtis, the great-great-grandfather of our subject, was a native of Stratford, but made his home in Newtown, where he followed agricultural pursuits during his later years. He too was a member of the General Assembly. Benjamin Curtis (2), our subject's gre^jt- grandfather, was born in Newtown, and resided there throughout his life. He served as select- man of the town. He married (first) Fetlima Nichols, and (later) wedded Mary DeVine. Philo Curtis (a son by the first wife, Fedima), grandfather of Hon. J. B. Curtis, was a lifelong resident of Newtown, where he died in 1818. He was an influential citizen, an Episcopalian in re- ligion, a Federalist in politics, and for many years he held the office of selectman of his town. His wife, Huldah (Hubbell), was a native of Weston, Fairfield county. They had eight chil- dren: Nichols, our subject's father; Carlos, who went west to reside; Huldah, who married M. C. Hatch, of Oxford, Conn.; Fedima, wife of Thomas Beers; Polly, wife of John Glover; Bet- sey, who married Amariah Beers; Philo, a resi- dent of Newtown, and Julia, who never married. Nichols Curtis was born September 27, 1784, in Newtown, and was educated there in the dis- trict schools and at a private school taught by Capt. Luther Harris. Throughout his life he followed farming as an occupation, occasionally teaching, and until 1822 he resided at the old homestead in Newtown. Like all of his family he was a public-spirited citizen, and although he did not aspire to political honors he took much interest in a quiet way in local affairs, being es- pecially active in the cause of education and in religious work as a member of the Episcopal Church. He died April 20, 1852, and his wife, Sarah Ann Bennett, who was born June 4, 1786, the daughter of Amos Bennett, of Newtown, sur- vived him a little over six years, breathing her last on October 30, 1858. Our subject is the younger of two children: The elder, Charlotte Nichols, married Monroe D. Downs, of South- bury, Conn., and died in 1881. Hon. Julius Bolivar Curtis was born Decem- ber 10, 1825, in the town of Newtown, where his youth was spent. His education was begun in the public schools of the locality, and he also attended the Newtown Academy and a private school of academic character for short periods. These opportunities were not sufficient for his wishes, however, and he is largely indebted to private reading and study for his wide range of information. His professional studies were be- gun in the summer of 1846 with Hon. Edward Hinman, of Southbury, and afterward continued under Isaac M. Sturges, Esq., then of Newtown, and Hon. Amos S. Treat. Later he entered the law school at Ballston Springs, Saratoga Co., N. Y., where he spent the summer of 1850. In the same year he was admitted to practice at the De- cember session of the Fairfield county court, and in the following summer he opened an office at Greenwich, this county, where his worth was speedily recognized, aud rewarded by a fine practice. In the fall of 1864 he removed to Stamford, and has since continued in practice there. In 1867 he was elected judge of the pro- bate court for the district of Stamford, and he i.i. :i„»;ii*lir: ^.-iiJ.u'i ^-— ///^^^i^-^ /V C^oyiJiS^ COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 125 held this position for three years, by successive re-elections. He was also judge of the borough court of Stamford (now the city court) from April I, 1887, to April I, 1893. Judge Curtis has al- ways been noted for his keen insight into the the facts of a case, and his positive and inde- pendent character is demonstrated by his fearless championship of principle, and his unwillingness to follow the lead of others blindly. Mr. Curtis' first Presidential vote was cast for Van Buren in 1848, as he was an ardent be- liever in Free-soil principles, and although his early affiliations had been with the Whig party he joined heartily in the movement that resulted in the formation of the Republican organization. In 1858 he was elected senator to represent the Twelfth Senatorial District in the General Assem- bly, and in i860 he was re-elected to that po- sition. During the latter year he also served as an cx-officio member of the corporation of Yale College. His sound judgment, his wide knowl- edge, and his pubhc spirit made his political ca- reer a notable one, and in every post he dis- played a rare perception of duty. On October 30, 1854, Mr. Curtis married Miss Mary Acker, daughter of Peter and Mary Acker, of Greenwich, this county. Two children were born of this union: Sarah, on March 9, 1866, and Louis J., on March 11, 1869. The mother of these died February 20, 18S4, and on May II, 1886, the Judge married Mrs. Alice (Kneeland) Grain, daughter of Mr. Henry and Mrs. Margaret Kneeland, of New York City, and widow of Mr. Francis H. Grain. Judge Cur- tis has two children by his first wife, viz. : Sarah L. Curtis, and Louis J. Curtis, a practicing law- yer, and clerk of the city court of Stamford. HIRAM WARREN. M. D. (deceased). De- scended from Revolutionary stock, and a soldier himself, was the late Dr. Hiram Warren, at the time of his death one of the older mem- bers of the medical profession in Fairfield county. He was born in the town of Patterson, Putnam Co., N. Y., August 7, 1828, a son of Rev. John Warren, formerly pastor of the Baptist Church at Carmel, New York.