Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Our subject's mother, Mrs. Nancy Jannette (Adams) Clark, was born March 6, 1808, in Nau- gatuck, near Waterbury, Conn., and died April 10, 1892, aged eighty-four years and one month. She was a descendant of Freegrace Adams, an early resident of Newtown, who was born in the seventeenth century, and was a landowner in Rye, Westchester Co., N. Y. On July 26, 171 1, he purchased from Thomas Sanford a tract of land in Newtown, and he probably located there about that time, as his name appears in the rec- ords not long afterward. He was married in Stratford, January 8, 1700, to Mary Gilpin, and in his will, made August 3, 1750, he constitutes his "trusty and loving cousin, Samuel Adams, of Stratford," his sole e.xecutor. His children were Samuel, Ephraim, Abraham, Mrs. Abigail Kim- berly, Mrs. Experience Hard, Mrs. Elizabeth 'Hull, Mrs. Sarah Stevens, Miss Mehitabel Adams and Abiah. Abraham Adams, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Nancy J. Clark, was married May 14, 1753, to Hannah Warner, of Waterbury, where they reside and where their children were born. She was born August 20, 1729, and died February 21, 1817. Eli Adams, Mrs. Clark's grandfather, was born January 28, 1756, and died July 29, 1830. He was married November 15, 1775, to Anna J3aldwin, who was born in 1755, the daughter of Matthew Baldwin, and died December 17, 1841, her remains being interred in the Gunntown Cemetery at Naugatuck, Connecticut. Truman Adams, Mrs. Clark's father, was born in Naugatuck, April 17, 1786, and became a farmer by occupation. He died November 5, 1863, and was buried at Stepney, this county. His wife, whose maiden name was Minerva Por- ter, was born in Naugatuck, October 24, 1788, and died August 28, 1885, aged ninety-si.x years and ten months. Her last days were spent at Hawleyville, and her remains now rest in the cemetery there. ARK MEAD, deceased. The subject of this brief memoir, who passed to the un- seen life December 25, 1896, was for many years a leading resident of the town of Green- wich. His life, which was extended beyond the allotted limit of man's years, was free from am- bitious efforts to attract public notice, yet in its quiet usefulness it made an impression upon the community which will remain as an inspiration for good among all who knew him. Mr. Mead was born August 14, 1817, at In- dian Field, in the town of Greenwich, son of Deacon Jonas Mead and his second wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Mead. The Mead family is one of the oldest and most prominent in this section, our subject having been of the seventh generation in direct descent from John Mead, the well-known pioneer [other authorities say William]. A more extended account of the family appears elsewhere. In 1820 our subject's parents removed from the old homestead at In- dian Field to another farm, at Byron Shore, in the extreme southwestern part of the township, and there Mr. Mead grew to manhood amid the wholesome surroundings of a typical country home. His education was obtained in the com- mon schools of the locality, and during his youth he became familiar with the details of farm man- agement through assisting his father in the work of the homestead. He and his only brother, Milo Mead, now a resident of the township, succeeded to the estate, which was greatly in- creased in value in late years owing to the rapid settlement of the locality. The village of New Lebanon, a portion of East Port Chester, is built upon land which was formerly a part of the homestead. In November, 1845, Mr. Mead married Miss Deborah Howe, with whom he spent more than half a century of happy wedded life. They began housekeeping upon the farm in the same house that is now occupied by his widow, but later he purchased a farm on King Street, in the town of Greenwich, where he spent his remaining years. While he was not an office seeker, he took much interest in all that concerned the welfare of his country, keeping well-informed upon the political issues of the day. In 1840 he gave his Presidential vote to John G. Birney, the candidate of the Liberty party, and his earnest opposition to slavery led him to sup- port the Republican party from its organization. He was active in religious work as a member of .lb '" :•-!. 180 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the Congregational Church at Greenwich, to which his family has contributed from pioneer times, and his remains now rest in the Congre- gational cemetery in that town. Mrs. Mead, who is held in high esteem in the community, was born September 5, 181 7, at Peck's Land, in the town of Greenwich, where her father, Jonas Howe, was a prominent agri- culturist. Her mother, whose maiden name was Anna Mead, was a descendant of John Mead, the pioneer. This worthy couple had four children: Deborah (now Mrs. Mead); and Allen, Isaac and Lewis, all three deceased. Soon after the death of our subject, Mrs. Mead fell and broke her hip, infhcting an injury which she has not yet re- covered from, but with this exception she enjoys excellent health, and her bright and clever in- tellect and well-preserved physique would make a new acquaintance think her thirty years younger than the date of her birth would indi- cate. At present she resides in the old home made dear by the memories of her early married life, althought the surroundings are now much changed, the village of East Port Chester having encroached upon the farm. She has no children, but her declining years are blessed with every material comfort, her husband having left a val- uable estate at his death. The Howe family dates from pioneer times, and is numerously rep- resented in the county, as will be seen from other biographies in this Volume. CliHARLES C. BETTS, a leading citizen of 'I Norwa)k, has been for many years a promi- nent figure in business circles, having been con- nected for nearly half a century with the Louns- bury & Bissell Company, of Winnipauk, of which he is now president. He is an extensive land-owner, also, and in fact enjoys the reputa- tion of being an excellent farmer, his estates showing the results of judicious supervision. The ancestry of Mr. Betts includes several of the oldest and most highly esteemed families of this section. During the skirmish with the Brit- ish forces at Norwalk, in 1779, Capt. Stephen Betts was in command of a company of militia and fifty soldiers of the regular army, and Thad- deus Betts, as justice of the peace, afterward took his testimony as to the events of that period, the record being preserved at Hartford. Thad- deus Betts is credited with having brought six cannon to the town two years previous, and these did effective service in repelling the invad- ers. The head of the family in America is Thomas Betts, who came from England in '639 with his wife, Mary, settling at Guilford, New Haven Co. , Conn. Among the eight children of this pioneer couple was a son, John, who was born in Guilford, in 1652, but became a resi- dent of Norwalk and rendered distinguished serv- ice as a representrftive from that town in the Colonial General Assembly at Hartford, in the sessions of October, 1731; October, 1736; May, 1739; May and October, 1741; May, 1742, and May, 1743. On May 10, 1739, the General As- sembly elected him one of the auditors to exam- ine the accounts of the treasurer of the Colony, and later he was appointed by the same body to the office of justice, which he held from May, 1746, to 1748. He married Damaris Lockwood, and had a son, Thaddeus, of whom an account is given as follows: Dr. Thaddeus Betts was born in Norwalk, and there practiced medicine for many years with great success. His first wife, Mary (Gold), died November 20, 1752, and his second, Eliza- beth (Maltby), passed away February 8, 1789. His third wife, Eleanor Fairchild, survived him, attaining the advanced age of ninety-four. He had three children: Sarah, William M. and Mary, all by his second marriage. Hon. William Maltby Betts, our subject's grandfather, made his home in Norwalk, and for many years served as postmaster, and judge of probate (he also was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war). He represented the town in the State Legislature in i8oi, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1809 and 1810. His wife, Lucretia (Gregory), was a native of Norwalk, and they had three children: William G., Thaddeus and Angeline. Hon. Thaddeus Betts, our subject's father, was born in Norwalk, February 4, 1789, and after graduating from Yale College, in 1807, studied law, and was admitted to the Barin 1810. He continued to reside in Norwalk, but his death occurred at Washington, D. C, April 7, 1840. Like all of his family, he took much interest in. religious work, and for years he was a leading member of the Congregational Church at Nor- walk. In politics he was a Whig, and his abili- ties as a statesman, were recognized in the higher councils of the party. At one time he was Lieu- tenant-Governor of Connecticut, and he also- served as United States Senator from this State. His standing among his associates is well shown by the remarks of Hon. Thomas B. Osborne, of Fairfield, in the State House: "Mr. Betts was distinguished for acuteness of intellect, vigor of understanding, and the soundness and probity of his life. He was early brought in contact with the most eminent men that ever adorned the Bar of New England. It is sufficient to say that he sustained and distinguished himself among such ,Jiis'.v:(_r/l (i: COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 181 men as Daggett, Sherman, Smith and Sherwood. " Mr. Betts married Miss Antoinette Cannon, of Norwalk, a daughter of John Cannon, Jr., and a member of one of the old families of the locality. The Cannons are of French descent, and have been identified with the Episcopal Church from the early days. Six children were born of this marriage: Sally, JohnM., Harriet, Eliza, Charles C. and Frederick T.. the last two being now the only survivors.