History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

tory of Benedict & Montgomery, on West Street. This shop w;is burned down in 1874, and in the same year they went to their present quarters in the Hull & Belden Co.'s factory, on Canal Street. Jlr. Tweedy had in the mean time retired from the firm, and John Starr was taken in in 1871. Mr. Starr died in 1870, and (). de Conieau took his place. He remained a member of the iirm one year, and, in 1877, Jlr. Kob- inson's oldest son, E. T. Robinson, was taken into the firm and sent to England, where they cstablisheil a branch otiice. The manufacture of hat-eases is also an important factor in the business. In 18(j(), Mr. George Starr was the only person engaged in the busi- ness in Danbury. Besides cases, he made blocks, tools, etc. In 187(i his brother, Daniel Starr, jiurchased the business and still continues it. The Danbury and Bethel Hat-Case Company began to manufacture cases only in 1876, and still continue. "Through the kindness of one of our oldest resi- dents we have been enabled to trace some of the old hatters. "1787. — William Babcock, who was employed by Burr & AVhite in this year, died in New Haven. " 1803.— Samuel H. Phillips lived opposite the Dan- bury Savings Bank, where Meyers' store now stands, and died there. George Benedict was a son of Elia- kim, and lived and died in Danbury. David Wood lived and died ojiposite the Capt. Ryder place, or on the site of the old Church of England, on the corner of Main and South streets. Ezra Wildman, who was a great-uncle of Samuel C. Wildman, moved to Clarks- field, Ohio, and died there. Ebenezer and John D. Nichols died in the South. The firm of Boughton & Starr we cannot trace. Mr. Boughton is believed to have been ISlias Boughton, who lived on the site of George C. White's residence. ] " 1805.— The firm of Clark & Benedict sbi.uld ha\e ' read Benedict & Clark. Saline P. Clark lived down town, near the old Carrington place. He was an unele of Starr Clark, who spends his summers in Dan- bury. Benedict was the son of Peter Benedict, who lived in Mountainville, on the place now o\vne<l by E. S. Benedict. Gersham Nichols was the father of 1 Starr Nichols and the great-grandfather of John : Nichols, of the ficjn of Nichols & Hine. "1807. — Noah Rockwell died in Danliury. II<iyt Gregory died here, and we believe has no descendants. "1812.— James Benedict, of Tweedy it Benedict, I retired from business to a farm on the Hudson River, and died there. " 1816. — David H. Boughton was a son of Elias ; Boughton, and died South. His remains were brought home and interred in the burying-ground up-town. David M. Benedict lived later in life in the house now owned by Lucius P. Hoyt, and died there. He was also buried in the up-town burying-ground. Ezra M. I Starr lived and died in the house now occujiied by Ira I Morse, on South Street. Mrs. Morse was his niece. IS] 8. — Capt. John Foote lived near the present residence of Harmon Knapj), Main Street. Abel Hoyt was father of Giles M. Hoyt, and died in Betliel. " 1820. — E].iliraim ( Iregory was a son of Elijah (_!reg- ory, a blacksmith, who lived where L. S. Benedict now lives. His shop stood on the site of St. James' Church. "Mr. John Fry is still living, a hale and liearty old man, in the house where his first shop stood, on New Street. " Alvin Hurd, who was a j>artner of Mr. Fry in 1818, died in August, ]8Gi). " Benedict & Montgomery consisted of Charles Ben- edict and William Montgomery. The firm closed Iiusi- ness in 18(11. Mr. Benedict is still living in Danbury, on Deer Hill Avenue. William Jlonfgomery moved to Baltimore some years ago, and is still in business there. ".Toel Taylor lived for many years in Great Plain. He was father of Mr. James S. Taylor. He died in 1870. "Nathaniel H. Wildman was in the southern trade in Charleston. He closed up liis business in 18l!l. He lived and died in the old house yet standing in rear of Wildman's Block, on Main Street. He was the father of Alexander Wildman. His death oc- curred in 1877. "Charles Fry and Truman Trowbriilge are still living and working at the trade. "The firm of R. & E. T. Hoyt doing business in 1816, was Russell and Eli T. Hoyt. The former died in 1S(!8. The latter still lives in the homestead on Main Street, a num ripe in years, still preserving good health, and one looked up to by all men as an example of what an industrious, useful, honest life can do. " John R. Hoyt, who was one of the sons of Russell Hoyt, succeeded the old firm. He was a brother ot Lucius P. and T. Granville Hoyt. He died in 1848. This old firm of Hoyt Brothers eventually consoli- dated with the Tweedy family. The firm of Hoyt, Tweedy & Co. was the consolidation of the two. " A. E. Tweedy dic<l in February, 18(!4. His cousin, Samuel Tweedy, died in 1868. It is told of Mr. A. E. Tweedy that his funeral was the largest ever held in Danbury. Niram Wildman, who was a partner of John Fry, was grandfather of A. N. and John Wild- man. He lived where the latter lives now. "Frederick Nichols is lirother-in-law of Giles M. Hoyt. He now lives in New York. " The White Brothers, mentioned in 1814, were .Tud- son and Russell White. Russell died fn 1888, and Judson a few years later. Russell White Wits the father of Jlr. William R. White. "Edward S. Brockett, who was in business in 1S;^2 with William Montgomery, died in Norwalk in 1872. He was for many years the trying-justice of Danbury, and his reputation extended into the whole country. " Isaac H. Seeley is mentioned in 1824. Mr. Seeley died in January, 1880, a man full of honor and ripe in years. White it Keeler were Col. E. Moss White, 2U HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. who was tlie father of the late Col. N. L. White. He (lied in 186.3. His i)artncr was Timothy 15. Keeler. Mr. Keeler died somewhere between 18,3.") and 1840. Josepli Taylor was a mannfaeturer in Wildcat, Bethel, now icnown as Elniwood. He was succeeded in basi- ness by his sons, Reuben and Stephen. Reuben Tay- lor still carries on hatting in a small shop in Elmwood, where he makes the now popular napped hat, which is a revival of the old style when his father was in business. Joseph Taylor died in 1874. The Taylor & Dibble mentioned were Elias Taylor and Scott Dib- ble. Their shoj) wiis where John Jolinsoii's barn now stands. They died many years ago, leaving no direct descendants in Bethel. "Mr. M. H. Grilling was a prominent hatter in 1846. j His factory was in what is now known as Mountain- ville, on a site just south of where Mrs. Betsey Crofut now lives. He continued in business for ten years, and then sold out to Henry T. Robinson. Mr. Rob- inson did not succeed, and soon abandoned the enter- ^ prise. Mr. Griffing learned hia trade in 1843 with Elijah Patch, on Great Plain. Mr. Patch's shop stood near the present residence of Mrs. Fanny Wood. " George A. Andrews was auotlier hatter, who car- ried on business in Great Plain a few years ago. He lives now in Bethel. " Wolfpits, in Bethel, was also for many years — 1824 | to 1850 — thesceneof a flourishing hat-trade. Among the manufacturers then we find Eli Morgan, Abel Hoyt, Leazer Taylor & Son, (^iiarles and Roderick Dart, and Hugh Starr. In Elmwood we find David Sherman and Beers Crofut. " A summary of the amount of work done in 1859 by all the factories is as follows: Nuiiiltcr of liiinds cmplovoJ 1,204 Il;il,.. iiiiuli' (iloions) 123,870 I'uj-rull ?ai»,0OU " Now the statement is as follows : Niinilcr of ttamls employed l.wto Untw nnulo (dozens) 4'Hi,iKMl I'lij-roH $l,0Oll,U.JU" OTIIEU MANUFACTURES. Some time before 1800, Ephraim Washburn and brother built a mill for making paper on or near the site of the old Sturdevant factory. This mill after- wards passed into the hands of two brothers named Ward, and tliey sold it to Daniel and Setli Comstock. The latter was father of the late Pliitander Comstock. They continued business there for some years, when the mill wits burned. The e.xaet date of this destmc- tion we cannot learn, but it was some sixty or more years ago. Among the employees of Comstock was "Uncle" Jerr,' Wilson, father-in-law of Capt. Ed- wards, who died two or three years ago. Mr. Wilson cnlisteil in 1812, and Selh Comstock, being a nuijor, was allowed a servant. He made Jlr. Wilson his servant and kept him in the shop, but he got a pen- sion and bounty, .\fter this shop was burned Deacon Oliver Stone purchased? the site and built a hat-shop, which he sold to Elijah Sturdevant. In 1852, Nelson Flint, Calvin S. Bulkley, and Anizi Wheeler started a mill for air-dried straw-board in Beaver Brook. The firm dissolved after a shr)rt time, and Mr. Flint continued alone. In 1867, George McArthur, with his tlirec brothers, Robert, John, and William, pureha.sed the mill and continued the manufacture of straw-board. The original building was a small one, thirty by thirty feet, and was built for a woolen-mill by Samuel Morris. He was not suc- cessful, and gave up woolen for hatting and then comb-making. In 1870, Me.Vrthur Brothers built an addition to the first building and, gradually giving up straw-board, made straw wrapping-paper. In 1872 a second addition was built, and in 1875 hard- ware and wrapping-pa[)er were made. L.i-st year more machinery was added, and manilla paper was manufactured. The first paper-mill, however, was one which stood on the stream back of the homestead of the late E. S. Hull. It was long before the present oldest inhabi- tant can .remember, but we learn from one gentleman who remembers his parents telling of the mill that it was run by a man named Washburn.