Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Booth (daughter of Abel Booth, son of Zacha- riah, son of Joseph, son of Richard Booth), to whom he was married January i, 1791, died December 16, 1846. They had eleven children, whose names, with dates of birth and death are here given: (i) Polly, April 13, 1792, died Jan- uary 15, 1817, married Joel Jones; (2) Cathe- rine, born August 7, 1794, died June 17, 1^55, married Marcus Curtis; (3) Dillissenea S. , June 10, 1796, died June 14, 1817; (4) Harriet, November 30, 1799, died February 28, 1856, married Samuel Barnum, of Danbury; (5) Re- becca, December 14, 1801, died November 27, 1835, married Lewis Beers; (6) Isaac, January 6, 1803, died June 2, 1862, married Sarah L. Beers, became a farmer, owning a large tract of land; (7) Charity, May 2, 1805, died August 19, 1805; (8) Charles D., born July 6, 1806, died April 2, 1888; (9) Sidney, June 23, 1808, mar- ried Christianna Demarest, and settled in New York, engaging in mercantile business; (10) Mary C, born September 25, 181 1, died August 20, 1852, was married October 15, 1835, to William Brooks, of Milford, Conn. ; (11) Lucius, February 22, 1814, died October 18, 1848, be- came a carpenter by trade, and was married March 18, 1839, to Fannie Ufford. VII. The late Charles D. Curtis attained the advanced age of eighty-two years, and during his active career as a contractor and builder he ac- quired a considerable property, his ability and skill placing him in the front rank in his chosen calling. While he was not especially active in politics, he took keen interest in public questions, and was a firm adherent of the Democratic party. He and his family were identified with the Epis- copal Church at Stratford, in which he held the ot^ce of vestryman for many years, and socially he was connected with St. John's Lodge No. 9, F. & A. M., at Stratford. On November 20, 1830, he married Miss Elizabeth C. Porter, daughter of Capt. Joseph Porter, a well-known citizen of that town. She died November 27, 1859; he then married Julia A. Seeley, a mem- ber of an old Stratford family, who died April 16, 1892, leaving no children. By his first mar- riage he had two daughters; Christianna, who died March 28, 1846, aged two years, and Miss Alma C. , a resident of Stratford. COLONEL PETER L. CUNNINGHAM was _ born August 15, 1814, in New York City, and came to Norwalk, then called Old Well (now South Norwalk), Fairfield Co., Conn., in the spring of 1S34. He has always been prominently identified with local public affairs, and he took an active part in the campaign of 1840. That year he was a leader in the organization of a new military company, the First Rifie Company (known throughout the State as the Mohican Rifle Corps), of the Ninth Regiment, Fourth Brig- ade, C. S. S. , and he was favorably known as its commander for several years. In 1858 he re- ceived the appointment of colonel on the staff of Gov. William A. Buckingham, and in September, 1861, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Eighth Connecticut \''olunteers, resigning the lat- ter office, however, altera service of four months, and receiving an honorable discharge. As a member of the Military Committee of the Legis- lature in special session in 1861, he proposed that the sum of three million dollars be appropriated for the defense of the Union, and the measure was adopted by both branches of the legislative body, little supposing that before the close of the war another three million dollars would be re- quired from the State of Connecticut. As a fac- tor in the city government Colonel Cunningham was senior councilman of the city of South Nor- walk for the terms of 1877-78-79, and was mayor in 1883-84. He has been a director in the Cen- tral National Bank from its organization, has been a director in the First National Bank for several years, and is also a director in the Nor- walk Gas Company. Fraternally, Colonel Cunningham is widely known as an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, to which he was admitted May 1 1, 1843, uniting with Our Brothers Lodge, No. 10. In January, 1846, he was elected Noble Grand. He is a charter member of Kalosa En- campinent, which he joined September 17, 1845. In 1853 and 1854 he was elected Grand Patri- arch of the State of Connecticut; in 1854 and 1855 Grand Representative to the Grand Lodge of the United States, held at Baltimore, Md. ; in 1869 and 1870 Grand Master of the State of Connecticut; and in 1870 and 1871 Grand Rep- resentative to the United States Grand Lodge held at Chicago and Baltimore. He was ad- mitted to membership in the Masonic Fraternity April 29, 1847, joining St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Norwalk, Conn., became a member of Clinton Commandery, Norwalk, on February 11, 1853, and is also a Royal Arch Mason and a Knight Templar. [Since the above was written. Col. P. L. Cunningham died suddenly April 22, 1899, at the Norwalk Hospital, where he had gone to view the building then in course of completion. He was seen to fall while going down a decline back of the hospital, and lived only a short time after being picked up. It is believed he was stricken with apoplexy.] ^^:t^QMTy^n^yr>/^ O'^'i^t^ COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 13 HANFORD LYON (deceased). Few men, indeed, held so large a place in the busi- ness interests of Bridgeport in his day as did the late Hanford Lyon, who passed away at his home on Golden Hill, December 21, 1879, at the advanced age of eighty-four years and six months. He was one of the city's oldest and most distinguished citizens. The name of Lyon has been associated with Fairfield county from Colonial times. One Rich- ard Lyon, says the "History of Fairfield County," by Elizabeth Schenck, published in 1889, was at Fairfield as early as 1649, that he was made a freeman in 1664, and that in his will, April 12, 1678, he mentions his wife Mar- garet knd the following children: Moses, Rich- ard, William, Samuel, Joseph, Hesta (wife of Nathaniel Perry), Betty, Hannah and Abigail. The same authority says the family settled at Pequonnock, Greenfield, Greens Farms, and Westport, and that Thomas Lyon (probably a brother of Richard (1)) bought property in Fairfield in 1654, which he sold in 1675, and re- moved from Fairfield to Greenwich. His will is dated December 6, 1689. He was a large landholder both in Fairfield and Greenwich. In his will he mentions his wife Mary, and children: John, Thomas, Samuel, Joseph, Mary, Abigail, Elizabeth, Debora and Sarah. Hurd, in his ' • History of Fairfield County, " published in 1 88 1 , says the first settlements of the town of Easton were made in about 1757 by inhabitants of Fairfield, giving among the early settlers — Stephen, Daniel, Abram, Thomas, Josiah and Nehemiah Lyon, who died in i860, in his loist year. Hanford Lyon was the son of Nehemiah Webb and Sarah (Treadwell) Lyon, and was born in the town of Easton, Fairfield county, in 1795. His parents lived and died in Easton. His father and family were noted for longevity, Nathaniel Webb Lyon having lived to be nearly one hundred and one years old. The family cel- ebrated his one hundredth birthday with a pic- nic, in which many of the descendants partici- pated. Nathaniel Webb Lyon was a soldier of the war of the Revolution. His sons were: David (lived to be ninety-six years of age) Sam- uel (lived to be ninety-three), Levi (lived to be ninety), Hanford (lived to be eighty-four). Walker (lived to be eighty-one), and Jarvis (lived to be fifty-six). The daughters were; Huldah, Sarah and Clara. The early years of Hanford Lyon were spent on the farm. His educational advantages were only such as the common district school afforded. At the proper age he was apprenticed to the late Elijah Sanford in Danbury to learn the saddler's trade. At the age of nineteen, having learned the trade to his satisfaction, he proposed to his employers to purchase the remaining time of his merit, which he did for the sum of $100. He immediately went to Bridgeport and commenced the manufacture of saddlery at the corner of Main and State streets, up stairs over the old Hamilton drug store. He was afterward in the employ of Smith & Wright for a time. From this time up to 1843, ^Jr. Lyon was thoroughly identified with the saddlery business, and in it he laid the foundation of his large estate. His history for this period is largely the history of one of the leading manufacturing industries of the country, and which for the time and much longer occupied the place in its relations to Bridgeport which another prominent industry afterward assumed. At that period the northern and middle States afforded a market for riding saddles and bridles, every well-to-do family re- quiring one or more each — ladies' and gentle- men's out-fits. Light carriages had not then been introduced, and the roads were not propi- tious. The country had just emerged from the war of 1812-15, and soon entered upon a per- iod of great prosperity. A very profitable trade with the South developed. The great Southern staple, cotton, was brought into existence. It was raised cheaply and extensively, and made money plenty there. Merchants and dealers could hardly put price enough on their goods and wares. This made a very inviting field, and it soon began to be occupied. The usual method was to fit out single expeditions, vessels were loaded with assorted cargoes, and made one or more trips during the cooler months of the year, the captain or supercargo acting as the merchant, and returning in ballast or loaded with cotton, ship stores and other products of the section. In such expeditions saddlery was found to be a very saleable and profitable commodity, and led to the establishment of small stocks at several points.