Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

looks of the General and the impression he and his son — George Washington — made upon his boyish mind. Mr. Mead, too, recalled the faces of many of the soldiers of the war of the Revolu- tion, whose acquaintance he enjoyed in boyhood. He was always a close observer of passing events, and was possessed of much general information which made him an interesting conversationalist and a pleasing companion. He was quite a traveler, having been across the continent some five times, and in 1887 he published in pamphlet form a very readable and interesting work en- titled " Two Trips to California." On February 26, 1879, the occasion of the one hundredth an- niversary of the ride of Gen. Israel Putnam to Greenwich, Mr. Mead was given the honor of re- plying to the toast "Greenwich in the Revolu- tion. " From 1824 to 1845 Mr. Mead resided on what is known as the Titus Mead place (now in the borough of Greenwich), thence coming to the place where he ended his days. In 1858 he be- gan building the house thereon, and in Decem- ber, i860, moved into it. The grounds are high, the dwelling standing on an eminence near the Second Congregational Church, which is said to be the most elevated place on the Sound between New York and Boston. P'roin the observatory on the house one has a grand view of all the surrounding country, even across the Sound on Long Island. This place Mr. Mead purchased from the Seymour family, and he made it one of the most attractive in the borough. Until the organization of the Republican party Mr. Mead was a Whig in his political views. From 1856 he was a stanch Republican, taking great interest in its measures and working for its success. He held various town offices, and was often a delegate to County and State conventions. He was a trustee of the Green- wich Savings Bank, and his name is linked with many enterprises which have related to the best interests of his town. As a financier and busi- ness man he was able and successful, and he be- came one of the wealthy men of Greenwich. For his success in life he always gave great credit to the teaching of his mother, to whom he thus beautifully referred in an article written for his daughter: " Even though there had been many persons in the town by the name of Hannah, I could not have given you any other but that of my de- parted mother. And here I cannot refrain from speaking of her life. Her Christian character, for beauty and symmetry or for modesty, meek- ness, gratitude, and benevolence, is rarely equaled by any person. Her conviction of un- 152 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. worthiness as a sinner was deep, but her faith in Christ was firm, and the key of her whole life. Cheerful and happy, without worry or apprehen- sion, trusting with unswaying confidence in an ever over-ruling Providence, living the life of a true child of God, she was uniformly the most fearless person that I have ever known; even in death, with an unclouded intellect, she was no less fearless than in life. Her life shone with all the traits of the true Christian, which was exem- plified still more beautifully in her death. She was fully ripe for the heavenly world. She feared only evil beings, as I have frequently heard her remark. The scenes of lawlessness and robbery, which she witnessed during the Revolutionary war, in this town, gave her a greater detesta- tion of the character and deeds of wicked beings. She was then about twelve years of age. I make this tribute to my mother, knowing that what I have said is but just and true, from long, inti- mate, personal acquaintance in everyday life. I have a profound sense of the worth of such a character." On April 22, 1856, our subject was married to ^^ary Elizabeth, daughter of David and Eliza- beth Dayton, and to them came children as fol- lows: Hannah More (Mrs. Judson I. Wood, of Ilion, N. Y.J, who has three children; Abram Newton, a farmer and prominent citizen of Riv- erside Co., Cal. ; Emily Judson, wife of Rev. Benj. Mead Wright, a minister of the Congre- gational Church of Orange, Conn.; Mary Eliza- beth (Mrs. Augustus I. Mead); Solomon Christy, an attorney of New York; Sarah Lewis, residing at home; Everett Dayton, a resident of New York; and Charles Henry, who died in infancy. Solomon Mead, the father of these, died at his residence in Greenwich, Conn., June 14, 1898. HON. CHARLES CURTIS WELLS. Among the oldest and most influential families of Connecticut is that founded by Thomas Wells, who was an early settler at Wethersfield and Hartford, and in 1655 was governor of the colony, being the fourth man to serve in that capacity. He had previously served as lieutenant-governor, and he subsequently served two more terms in that incumbency. Thomas Wells was born at Huthwell, Northamptonshire, England, and was descended from Norman ancestry, the head of the family having landed in England as one of the force of William the Conqueror It is also stated upon authority that the family became related at an early period to that of William Shakespeare, the poet. But little is known of Thomas Wells, and the name of his wife and the number of their children are not now obtainable; but his descendants are numerous, and in every generation the name has been associated with a high order of citizenship. The subject of these lines, a well-known resident of Stratford town- ship, Fairfield Co., Conn., is of the ninth genera- tion in direct descent from this noted pioneer, and the genealogical record is given below; II. John Wells, son of Thomas, was born [date of birth not now known] in Hartford, and died in 1661, leaving a son, John. His wife, Elizabeth Bourne, afterward married John Wil- coxson, who died in 1690, and she had by him four children. John and Elizabeth Bourne \\'ells had seven children: John, Thomas and Robert (twins). Temperance, Samuel, Sarah and Mary. III. John Wells, the next in the line of de- scent in which we are now interested, was born in Stratford in 1648, and died there. [Date of death not now known.] He married Mary, daughter of John Hollister, and had eight child- ren: Harry, Thomas, Sarah, John, Comfort, Joseph, Elizabeth and Robert. VI. John Wells, son of John III, married Mary Judson, daughter of Isaac Judson; they had eleven children: David, Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Phcebe, Isaac (l), Isaac (2), John, William, Hannah and Charity. V. David Wells, son of John IV, was born at Stratford in October, 1699, and died in April, 1742. He married Mary Thompson, daughter of Deacon John Thompson, and they had six children: Nathan, Ruth, Mary, Phoebe, David and Stephen. VI. Nathan Wells, great-grandfather of our subject, was born in Stratford, April 27, 172S, and died May 20, 1776. In 1750 he married Eunice Pixley, who died in 1816, and they had three children: Isaac, Mary and Samuel. VII. Isaac Wells, grandfather of our sub- ject, was born December 16, 1751, in Stratford, and became a successful farmer in that town. He married Eunice Burritt, and had five child- ren: Nathan, a farmer in Stratford, who died in 1843; t)avid, a farmer, who died in Huntington in 1834; Polly, who died in 1872, unmarried; Eli, a farmer in Stratford, who died in i860, leaving no children; and Isaac, father of Hon. Charles C. Wells. VIII. Isaac Wells was born in Stratford August 12, 1801, and followed farming there for many years, his death occurring July 28, 1874. His wife, Sarah Curtis, a daughter of Levi Cur- tis, of Stratford, was born in 1804 and died October 18, 1834. They had two children: Charles Curtis, and Sally, who died in infancy. IX. Charles C. Wells was born July 20, /t^:^uu-^^*-r^- /^^-^^ COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 153 1830, at the old home in Putney District, of the town of Stratford, and after attending the local schools for a time he pursued his studies in the academy in Stratford, and at a private school in Birminf^ham, now the city of Derby. He was reared to farm work, but as he felt an inclination to try some other occupation he learned the tin- ner's trade, which he followed some years. When twenty-three years old, his health failing, he returned to the homestead, and for the next seven years he taught school, also engaging in agricultural pursuits. His farm comprises about one hundred acres of excellent land, which he devotes to general crops, and his judicious man- agement has won for him a good reputation as an agriculturist. On October 24, 1853, Mr. Wells married Miss Caroline M. Wheeler, who died February 14, 1863, and on June 8, 1870, he formed a sec- ond union, this time with Miss Julia S. Hill, who died June 15, 1876. On October 24, 1877, he married Miss Myra Curtis Blakeman, of Strat- ford (daughter of Gould and Harriet Blakeman), who is a representative of one of the most prom- inent and highly respectable old families of the county; she is a woman of refinement, kindly disposition and generous hospitality. Mr. Wells had one son by his first marriage, Charles H. , who is now a farmer in the town of Stratford. Mr. Wells and his wife are leading members of the Congregational Church, in which he has served as deacon and treasurer since 1867. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and his inter- est in local affairs has been shown in many ways. He has served ably in several official positions, having been a member of the board of education for fifteen years, and in 1879 he was chosen to the State Legislature. This session was espe- cially remarkable for the number of prominent men then serving as representatives, such as Henry C. Robison, of Hartford, P. T. Barnum, and others. DAVID TERRY WINTON, the manager and , editor of the Bridgeport Afoyning Union, is ■descended on both sides from sturdy New Eng- land stock, from ancestors long identified with the growth and development of Fairfield county. James H. Winton, great-grandfather of our subject, was a resident of the town of Bridge- port. James Winton, the grandfather, owned and operated a large tannery in the vicinity of "Horse Tavern," in the same town. He was born April 12, 1778, and died March 26, 1857. On November 18, 1805, he was married to Par- themia, daughter of Ebenezer and Ann Seelcy.