Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

In 1846 Mr. Rhoades married Miss Mary L. Godwin, a native of Bath, England, who came to America when six years of age. She passed to the unseen world in 1898, after fifty-one and one-half years of wedded life. Of their seven children, the eldest, John W., is manager and director for the American News Company; , Selena M. married John Peterkin, of New York, now deceased; Daniel G. is at home; Sarah E. is the widow of J. P. Routh, formerly a druggist in Boston; Franklin O. is a bookkeeper for the American News Company; Mary died at the age of-six years; David L. resides in Stratford, and is at present serving as assessor of that town. MEHEMIAH BROWN is now living retired , at his home in King Street, in the town of Greenwich, Fairfield Co., Conn., in the full enjoyment of health and the prosperity which came to him during the years he spent in active work. He is a descendant of one of the old established families of this part of the country, and traces his lineage to good old English and French Huguenot stock. The progenitor of this Brown family in America was Samuel Brown, who came to this country from Rye, England, in 1660, and settled in what is now known as Rye township, West- chester Co., N. Y., named after his Old-World home. Here he had received a large grant of land from the English sovereign, which has ever since remained in the family, and the site on which he erected his dwelling, in I-Cing Street, is still occupied by his descendants. His son Sam- uel (2), born April 15, 1689, married Hannah Sherwood, who was born July 16, 1696. Their children were born as follows: Hannah, March '20, 1721; Samuel, July 16, 1722; Elizabeth, November 27, 1724; Nehemiah, June 7, 1726; Eunice, November 7, 1728: Rachel, September 4, 1731; Roger, December 25, 1733; Mary, June 10. I737i and Andrew, February 10, 1739. Nehemiah and Roger owned the land in the vicinity of Round Hill, Greenwich township, having inherited seven hundred acres from their father, and their descendants, especially Ne- hemiah's, still live in that neighborhood. Samuel Brown (3), being the eldest son in the family above enumerated, inheritecf the bulk of his father's property, and thus became the owner of one thousand acres in New York along the Croton river. On February 16, 1757, he mar- ried Amy Merritt, who was born April 24, 1730, and their children were: Samuel (4), born Novem- ber 21, 1757, was a trader and died in Savannah, Ga. (he was married); John, born October 15, 1759. was a farmer of Rye township, where he died at the age of seventy-three years; Mary, born August 2i, 1761, married to Moses Crooker, of Long Island; Hannah, born September 25, 1763, married to Daniel Haiixhorst, a Quaker minister, who died in New York of yellow fever while visiting the sick; Nehemiah, born January 20, 1766; and Merritt, born January 27, 1768, married Hannah Pine and died in Rye township, where he carried on farming (he left no children). The father and mother of this family died August 5, 181 1, and December i2, 1808, respectively. Their remains were the first to be interred in the private cemetery of the Brown family, on the homestead farm. Nehemiah Brown was reared a farmer boy on the old home place in Rye township, where he passed his entire life as a tiller of the soil. In 1792 he was married to Miss Anne Anderson, who was born February 15, 1771, in King Street, Greenwich township, and was the daugh- ter of William Anderson. Their family com- prised ten children, of whom we have the follow- ing record: Lawrence, born August 5, 1794, died at the homestead in Rye township, Novem- ber 28, 1851. Phoebe M., born July 19, 1797, died July 24, 1863, unmarried. Moses C, born July 29, 1799, will be more fully spoken of. Charity, born November 20, 1801, died on the old place May 25, 1885; she never married. Samuel S., born January 9, 1804, was a merch- ant and lived in New York City for some years, returning, however, to the homestead, where he died February 16, 1853; he married Louis Ann Wood, and they had six children, four of whom are still living — Elizabeth L. , Ed W. , Francis S. and Charles A. Hannah, born January 3, 1806, lived on the old homestead, and died March 13, 1899, aged ninety-three years; she was unmarried. Merritt, born April 5, 1808, lived in New York for some time, being engaged in mercantile business, and died July 26, 1861; he married Jane Hatfield; they left no children. Daniel H., born June 14, 18 10, lived in New York for a number of years, and died February 18, 1877, on the homestead; he never married. Amy, born February 21, 181 3, has always lived on the homestead; she is single. Nehemiah, born April 7, 1816, died August 24, 1893, on the home place; he never married. The father of this family passed away December 4, 1847, the mother surviving until November 28, 1851. They were laid to rest in the Brown family cem- ,'.] li!) : ' r.i. ,li ». ')i.:.jT f; 0 1 v->i i :■.;: ; :il!riii ,' ')i- 130 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. etery in Rye township, near Port Chester. He held a lieutenant's commission under Governor Clinton, dated 1801, and filled several township offices of honor and trust. His political sym- pathies were with the Whig party. Moses C. Brown was born on the homestead, and grew to manhood there. When a young man he taught school for a time, and later he went to New York City, where he resided several years, engaged in carting during the days when that business was profitable. Previous to this, during hib early married life, he lived in Mt. Pleasant, and near Harrison Depot, N. Y., but eventually returned to the place of his birth, and relinquished active work at a time when he was J able to best enjoy his leisure. He was especial- ly fond of fishing, and indulged considerably in that sport. In 1826 he married Mary Renoud, who was born February 15, 1805, in Westchest- er county, daughter of Stephen and Martha (Purdy) Renoud, and lived at Mt. Pleasant, N. Y. , at the time of his marriage. Her ancestors, the Renouds, were driven from France at the time of the religious persecutions in that coun- try, and coming to America settled in New York State, founding the town of New Rochelle, of which they were the first settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Moses C. Brown became the parents of five chil- dren: Allen M., who is a retired butcher of Portchester, N. Y. ; Anna A., who married Charles Cypher, and died at White Plains, N. Y. ; Nehemiah; Emeline S., unmarried, who makes her home in White Plains; and Mary (Mrs. Edward Brown), of Rye township. Mr. Brown -died March 13, 1889, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years, and was well preserved ment- ally and physically, the result of careful living :and regular habits. He was small of stature. Jn political sentiment he was a Whig and Re- ipuhlican, but he was not an active party worker .and the only office he ever held was that of school .commissioner. He and his wife, who died Jan- ■uary 28, 1845, were buried in the Brown family .cemetery. Nehemiah Brown was born May 6, 1834, in 'Rye township, Westchester Co., N. Y. , and in his early boyhood attended the neighboring dis- trict school, Later he was a pupil in a private school taught by Jesse Lounsbury. When eigh- teen years of age he commenced to learn the carpenter's trade with his uncle Leonard Miller (who married his mother's only sister, Eliza J. Renoud), and served an apprenticeship of three years with him, receiving $25 pe? annum and working more hours in a day than is now re- quired of the average tradesman. After learning Ihe trade he continued in Mr. Miller's employ for another year, and then for a short time worked at Irvington, N. Y., returning thence to his first employer, with whom he remained until, in 1876, he embarked in business on his own account. He was engaged continuously in contracting un- til 1890, since which time he has not done any great amount of work, only undertaking odd con- tracts; in 1897 he erected a $5,000 barn for John H. Shults. During his active business life he made his home in White Plains, where he worked steadily at his trade for forty years, and in all that time never asked but one man for work, never asked to estimate on any work, and did not, unless called on to do so, and was never out of work. Being a thorough mechanic, he took a pride in having any job he attempted done in a neat and workmanlike way, and the result was suffcient recommendation for him among those who engaged his services. His reputation for promptness and integrity in business matters has remained unsullied, and he is highly re- spected wherever known, in either a social or business way. There are many evidence^ of his skill in this locality, where his work as a success- ful contractor and builder is equaled by few. Mr. Brown commenced life with nothing but a good name and a thorough knowledge of a good trade as a foundation for his fortunes, and that he is now able to take his leasure and enjoy a comfortable competence is due solely to his own industry and efficient toil. In spite of the years of hard work which he has passed through, he is, at the age of sixty-three, a well-preserved man, has never been sick and does not know from ex- perience what a headache is.