History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Company C. E. Quillen, cnl. Feb. 22, 1804; died Dec. 11, 1864. Charles Baker, cnl. Feb. 22, ISGl; died Oct. 0, 1604. £. Barker, enl. Jan. 27, 1.S04 ; must onl Nov. 7, 1865. E. Biaa, cul. Feb. 12, 1864; niiBsiiig. E. Garrison, eul. Jan. :I0, 1804; died June 18, 18C4. William lliinnibal, enl. Jan. 28, 1804; died Slarch 15,1864. Frank Johnson, cul. Feb. V>, 1804; died Starch 2, 1804. Willinni Lee, enl. Feb. 10, 1864; must, out Nov. 7, 1865. B. Palmer, enl. Feb. .'>, 1804; must, out Nov. 7, 1805. M. Thomiison, enl. Jim. 27, 1804 ; must, out Nov. 7, 1805. Aaius Williams, eul. Juu. 27, 1864 ; must, out Kov. 7, 180.'j. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. COL. THOMAS A. MEAD. ■Tolm Mead was one of two brothers who emigrated from JCnglaiid about tlie year 1642. The family was then an ancient and honorable one, though it is not within the author's means to trace tlieir genealogy previous to their emigration to this country. One of their ancestors liad been the friend and the physician of the talented tliuugh not very amiable Queen Elizabeth. One of two brothers emigrated to Virginia, where the family still exists. The other, John Mead, with his two sons, came to New England about the year 1(542. The name is spelled Meade a.s well as Mead. Many claim that they emigrated from Greenwich, Kent Co., England, but we have not fallen in with any direct proof of the fact, and this town was known by its ])resent inime long before the settlement of the Mead family. John Mead and liis two sons, John and Joseph, having tarried awhile in Ma.'ssavhusetts, first .settled at Hempstead, L. I., where they remained until October, KJOO, when the two sons came to Greenwieh and bought land of IJiehard Crab and others, wliirh Wiis deeded to .folin Mead, he being the elder. Either John, the father, never came to Greenwich, or if so, he took no active part in life, now having become quite an old man. His son Jo- seph left no children in this town. He ni.iy have died young, or left no is.sue, or may have emigrated to a did'crcnt jiart <if the country. Jolin Mead, the second, — tlied lGi)6, — .-narried Mi.s3 /I I .^J^V^/^:<'^^-^ .^y^Ct^C^C^ GUEENWICn. !07 Potter, of Stainf'ord, and lol't, as api^'ars by liis will, eight sons and, tradition «ly:^, three daUi;hti-rs, viz. : John, Joseph, Jonathan, Ehenezer, Nathaniel, David, Samuel, Abigail, Mary, and Snsan or (Su-iannah. Ebeuezer, the fourth son of second John, was born in 1(K.)3, and married Sarah Kiiapp, of Stamford, and left Ebenezer, Caleb, Sarah, who married Jonathan Hobby, Hannah, who married ,l(dHi Hobby, .Jabez, David, Abigail, who married Isaac Holmes, Susan- nah, who married Jloses Husted, Jemima, who mar- ried Moses Kna;)p. The second El)etiezer was born (.)ct. 25, 1602, and died May :i, 1775. He marrii'd Hannah Brown, of llye, N. Y., on the 12th of Decem- ber, 1717. His children were Ebenezer, Silas, Abra- ham, Jonas, Solomon, Deliverance, Amos, Edmund, Hannah, Jaliez, Jari'il, and Abraham, second. Amo.s Jlead, seventh son of the second Ebenezer, was a jihysieian by profession, and was a surgeon of the Third Connecticut Itegiment in the French and Indian war, and his grandson, Col. Thomas A. Mead, has now (ISSO) in his possession a powder-horn, a rich s(Hivenir (d' those terrible days. He was a promi- nent man during the Revolutionary war, and re])re- sented his town a great many times in the Cohjuial Legislature, and after the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, was a member of the State Leg- islature. He was a member of that noble body of men who adopte<l the Constitution of the United States. He married Ruth Bush. Their children were Rich- ard, born Septcnd_)er, 1753, and Thomas, wdio died soon alter he had comideted his college course in 1773. Dr. Amos Mead was a memljcr of the Congre- gational Church of Creenwich. He died February, 1807. Richanl Mead was a farmer by occupation, and during the Revolutionary war rendered valuable aid to the American army. ^Ve <iuote the following from thchistory of Greenwich : " Andrew !Mead, Humi)lirey Denton, and Richard Mead. These nu'U — uun-e, ]>er- luips, than any others — deserve the highest jjraise tor their brave ami daring acts. It was not so much their i)rovince to counsel and advise as to net. ' O/d wen fur (viiiixcl and i/oiiii;/ men for action.' Such men as Dr. Amos Mead, John ]\[ackay, and Aliraham Mead were of great service to the inhabitants as counselors. They were i)ast the meridian of lil'c, and one of them. Dr. Amos Mead, had gained much experience by active service in the French war. But was any daring deed to be accomjilished, wdierc hardy, brave, and reliable men were n((cessary, the three for- mer were always selected. After all control of the town was lost to the Americans by the destructive expedition of Governor Tryon, it was not sale lor a patriot to remain publicly in the limits for an hour. Yet these three hung about the place ready to assist the defenseless population against the brutalities of the Tories. Each possessed of liis arms, a faithful dog, and a Heet horse, they spent their time about the village, liiddcu in the by- and secret-place-. The win- ter of 17S(I was one of the sevcri'st ou reconl. The Sound was frozen across, ami a great amount of snow accumulated. Yet these mcu scarcely l;iu'W a night, during the early part of that winter, in wliich they did not sleep with their horses and dogs in the snow. During that winter sonu' dozen (U' tweuty head of cattle, the most of which Ijclouged to Mr. .Fared !Mead, were taken olf iu haste by tlu' Tories and driven towards New York. After murh earnest solicitation on the part id' the owner, the trio con- sented to make the most daring attempt of crossing the enemy's lines to retake them. There had been recently a storm of rain, which had frozen as it fell and rendered the roads extrenudy slippery, and made a bard, sharp crust upon the snow. 'I'lie pursuers therefore went upon the Sound with their lojises, ami kept the ice as far as JIamaroneck, and (hen, taking the road, could track the cattle by the lilood which I'.ad ti'ickled from the wounds of the bayiuiets which had forced them along. At Jlount Vmion thev re- to(dv the cattle, and were returning wlieu they found they were pursued by a body of the enemy under a lieutenant. Their liorses wia'c tired by their swift ride, and they soon knew that their only safely was in separation, and in that case even one must be inevi- tably taken. Accordingly, they left the cattle and plunged separately in dilferent directions. Tlie enemy selected Ri(diard Mead, pursued ami took him |U'is- I oner. This was about the middle of .lanuary, 1 7S(). i He was taken to New" York and thrown into the famous Sugar-House, where he remaim-d tor a period of six weeks until exchanged. These three men were held iu high estimation by the peo])lc. Their known jiatriotism and courage, wdiich cnuld ever be relied on, caused the other citizens, long after the llcvolu- tionary war, to remember their ticts with the greatest gratitude." Other facts might be recited and incidents given. Richard Mead was twice marrie<l : lirst to Sarah Mead, and had one daughter, Sophia, who married Peter De Mill ; sccoml to Rachel ^leail, widow of Whitman Mead, atid had three children, viz., Thoauis A.. Elizabeth R., and Sarah A. Eliza- beth I!, tmirricd George Webb, of New "^'ork, and is now deail. Sarah A. married .Joseph Brush, of Creen- wieh, and died leaving a family of ten children. Richard Mead was a man res|)ccted by all those who knew him. He died Ai)ril lil, 1S2+. His only S(ui, (!ol. Thouuis A. Mead, was born in the same house wdiere he now (1880) resides in (ireenwich, Fairfield Co., Conn., Jlay 2'.*, 1701). He lias always licen a far- mer, ami now owns the same farm his father owned, which has been in the fanuly since 1785, and lives in the house built by his father in 1707. lie married Hannan Seaman, daughter of D.ivid Seaman, (d' New York, Feb. 23, 1833. They have had eight children, seven of wdiom are still living, viz.: Louisa S., Mrs. Thomas Jiitch ; Thomas R., who was a captain of Company G, Tenth Regiment, Coiinecticnt A'cdun- ' teers, was in several engageau'tits, sickiiieil and died 398 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. at AViisliinjjton, N. C, Oct. 22, 1862; Seaman; Abi- frail K., Mrs. Benjamin AVright ; Elizabeth H., Mrs. Henry Webb; Delia, Mrs. William E. Mead; Zo- pliar ; and Liicinda P. In ])()litie,-', ('ol. Mead lia-s always been a Whig and Republican, and as such has been one of the leading men of Greenwich. He wius an asse,ssor ten years, selectman a number of year.^, member of the State Legislature two terms, 1852 and 1872, and during his last term served on the committee of railroads, and county commissioner two terms. He has often been appointed an api)raiser for dillercut railroads, a jury- man a great many times on important c.ises, and has settled a great many estates to the satisfaction of those interested. He and wife are members of the Congre- gational Church at Greenwich. For many years he was i". colonel of a regiment of State militia. Li all the variou? positions that he has been called upon to till lie has performed his duty faithfully, — alike a credit to himself and a satis- faction to his c(mstitueuts. He reviews the past with some degree of satisfac- tion, and looks forward to the future with no appre- hension. ALVAN MEAD. The subject of this sketch is a lineal descendant of the sixth generation from one John Mead, who, with his two sons, .John and Jo.^eph, emigrated from Eng- land and settled in JLissachusetts, in 1642, thence to Hempstead, L. I., where they remained until October, 1660, when all of them settled in the town of Green- wich, Conn. (See biography of Col. Thomas A. Mead for further notice of the ancestors.) Some of the family think that the above .Joseph had children, and that he settled in the north-central part of Fair- field County, as the Meads there claim to be descended from Jose])h.