History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

The grandfather of Alvan Mead, Ebenezer Mead (2d), was born Oct. 25, 1692, and died May 3, 1775. He was a representative man of his town, and a great numy tin\e^ rei)resente(l his town in the Colonial Legislature. He was a farmer by occupation. He married Hannah ]Jrown,of Rye, N. Y., Dec. 12, 1717, and had twelve children, — viz. : Ebenezer, Silas, Abra- ham (1st ), .lonas, Solimion, Deliverance, Amos, Ed- mund, Hannah, .labez, .Tared, and Abraham (2d). .Tared Mead was the tenth son in a family of twelve children, and was horn in the town of (Jrcenwich, Conn., in the .same house where he always lived through a long and honorable life, and died June 8, 18;i2. He was a farmer by occupation, and owned his father's farm. He married Lydia, daugliter of Daniel Smith, and had seven children, namely : Zette, Lydia, Alma, Daniel, Hanmih, Jareil, and .Vlvan, all of whom are now (1880) dead excej^t .Vlvan. He held various town offices. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mead were members of the Congregational Church at Greenwich, Conn. Mrs. Jlead died May 27, 1827. Alvan Mead was born in Greenwich, Conn., Nov. 30, 1794. His advantages for an education were limited to the common schools of his day, working on the farm summers and attending school winters until he was seventeen years of age, when he took charge of his father's farm, as he was the only son left at home. He was a farmer on the same place where his father and grandfather lived until 1851, since which he has resided in the borough of Greenwich, Conn. He married Eliza, daughter of Nathaniel Peck, Dec. 18, 1821. Their children were Ralph I'., wlio went to Cali- fornia in 1849, married, and had two sons, — namely, Charles C. and Ralph R., — who together with their mother reside in l^ortland, Oregon. Raljih P. died Get. 7, 1S(;2; Warren H. resides at Wichita, Kansa.s, married, and has three children, — namely, .Vlvan E., ICdgar S., and Mary P. ; Melanch- thon W. died May 30, 1878, leaving a widow and two children, I''raiik A. and Frederick B., who reside in Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Cornelia ( i., who married Stephen G. White, and now resides with her father; their children arc Warren P., Lucy M., Elam C. (de- ceased). In politics, Mr. Mead has always been a staunch Whig and Re])ublican. He has been a magistrate of Greenwich for many years, besides holding several other town offices. His wife was a member of the Congregational Church. She died Sept. 22, 18()4. Mr. Mead is one of the oldest if not the oldest man in the town. He has the entire confidence of his fellow- townsmen, and h.as lived a long and useful life. He is a regular attendant of the Congregational Church ; though not a member, he contributea to its support. LYMAN MEAD. layman Mead is the son of Zenas Mead and Mary I^ashley, and was born in Greenwich, Conn., March 26, 1824. Ills father was a s(m of Deliverance Mead, who was the sixth son of the second I'>benezer Mead (see biography of Col. Thonuis A. Mcadi, and was born in 1782 (another record .says 1779), and died ■ June, 1858. He married Mar>- I^a.shley, and had the ' following children. — viz., .Vbigail, who married Jonas Mead; Lucrctia, died young; Deborah (deceased), Henry (deceased), Julia, married Isaac Peck; Eliza (dccea.scd), married Lockwond P. Clark, and Lyman. Zenns Mead was a farmer; in politics a Whig, and as such was a representative man. He was town treas- urer for many years, and member of the Assembly two terms. He and wife were members of the Second Ciingregational Churcl\ at Greenwich, Conn. She died in November, 18(10. Lyman Mead was reared on the farm, receiving the advaii' I"'- "f a common-school education. He is r^m ^m- Z-2''^^^Z-7_ I 9l^^^/'yC^^ /y//^^Z^^ /7 O C^^'-^'^^ 7^/j'7 ^ cVL^^ GREENWICH. 399 one of tlie subsfantial fanners ami Imsiiifss men of tho town, and whatever he has undertaken he has been sueeessful in. He has been twiee niarrie<l, first to Sarah I''., daughter of Peter Acker, IMaroh 1, 1S:^0, liy whom he liad three children, — viz., Sarah M., Julia A. (deceased), and Emma F. Mrs. Mead was a mem- ber of the Second Congregational Church. She died July 20, 1.S.57, having been born March 1, ISIiO. Mr. Mead married for his second wife Harriet K., daugh- ter of Jabez Mead, Dec. 21, 18'iX. She was born Dec. 19, 18?,7. Their children are Ida F., Hattie J., Isa- dora M. (deceased), Frederick G. C, Xcllie K., Martha H. (deceased), Annabelle L., Laura D., Holland E., and Lucretia C, all of whom were born cm the farm where 51 r. Mead now resides. Mr. Jlead has been a staunch Whig and Uepubli- can. He has represented his town three times (IS,')."), 1870, and 1880) in the State Legislature. He has been a delegate to county and State conventions. He is a director in the (ireeuwich Savings Hank, l)esides having been a director in other imiiortant business enterjiriscs. He is and has been the tn'asurer of his school district for many years. Mr. and Sirs. Lynum Mead are members ol' the Congregational Church at Greenwich, Conn., and he is one of it.s best supporters. SOLO.MOX .MEAli. Solomon Mead is a lineal descendant on both pa- ternal and maternal side from John Mead, an ICng- lishman, who came to America and settled in Massa- chusetts in 1(542, and at Hempstead, L. I., .soon after, where he remained until Octol)er, IGliO, wdien he came, in all probability, to (ireenwich, Conn., in company with his two sons, John and Joseph. (For a full history of Solomon jMead's ancestors, see biography of Col. Thos. A. Mead.) Solomon Mead is an only sou of .Tosliua Mead by his second wife, Hannah Jlead, who was a daughter of Deliverance Mead, and was born in the town of tireenwich, Fairfield Co., Conn., Jan. 15, 1808. His ])atcriud grandfather was Xatlianiel Mead, who mar- ried rrudcnee Wood and had several <diildren, one of whom was named .Foshua. Very little or nothing is known of the ancestors of Xatlianiel Mead, nujre than that they were goo I, industrious citizens and generally nu'udicrs of the Congregational Church, as was Nathaniel, who died at an advanced age. Joshua Mead was born in Greenwich, Conn., May 10, 1751, married Hantuih Mead Nov. 15, ]8()4, and died May HO, 1812. His wife died March 14, 1844. They lia.d one child, — Solomon. .Tosliua Mead was a good farmer, a true i)atriot and citizen, and a mc'iuber of the Congregational Church. He rendered valuable aid to the American army dur- ing the Kevolutionary war, though he was not a sol- dier. He was a strong Federalist and Whig. Solomon Mead was reared on his father's farm, re- ceiving the advantages of an education such as the common .schools of his day afforded, supplemented with a few terms at the Greenwich Acailemy. When he was sixteen years of age — in 1824 — he settled on the place now owned liy Mr. Titus Mca<l, in the borough of Greenwich, where he remained until about 1845, when he settled on the jdace wln-rc he now (ISSO) resides, but which lu- had |)urchasc(l sev- eral years before. He began building his jire-ent house in 1858, and in December, ISiiO, moved into it. He i)nreliased his present place of the Seymour family, which he has made one of the most attractive in the borough, as it stands on an eminence near the Second Congregational church, which is said to be th(> most elevated place on the Scmnd between New York and Boston. From the oliservatory on his house one has a grand view of all the surrounding country, even across the Sound on to Long Island. A view of his residence may be seen in another jiart of tliis w<]rk. Sir. Mead has devoted his attention entirely to agri- culture, and has been very successful. On the 22d of April, 1850, he married Mary E., daughter of David and Elizabeth Dayton. Their children are as follows, — viz. : Hannah IMore, Abram N., Mary E., Emily J., Solomon Christy, Sarah L., Everett D., and Chas. H. (deceased). Mr. and Mrs. Mead are members of the Second Congregational Church of Grecnwicli, Conn., and he is one of its main supporters. He was a Whig until 185(), since wliich time In- has been a staunch Kepublican. He has held various town offices, and is a trustee of the (Ireeuwich Sav- ings Bank. He has often been a delegate to cminty and State conventions, and takes an interest in all matters relating to the best interest of his town. COL. CONKI.IX IirSTED is a sou of Benjamin Husted and Sarah Dayt(ni, and grandson of Benjamin Hust<'d and Sarah Newman, and was born in Greenwich, Conn., Dec. 7, 17'.(0. His father was a native of Greenwich, Conn. ; was a farmer by occupation ; married Sarah Dayton, liy whom he had the following children, — viz., David D., Hannah, Benjamin, Martha, William, Conklin, Mary, Boswcll, and Rachel. He w.as a Revolutionary soldier; was a (Quaker in religion. He died August, 18,'!4, at a great age. His wife was a member of the Congregational Church, and died September, 1838, at an advanced age. (For history of Benjamin Husted "the first," see biography of .Tames Husted.) Conklin Husted worked on his father's farm sum- mers and attended the district schools winters until he was nineteen years of age, when he commenced teaching school at fifteen dollars a month, and fol- lowed it more or less winters until he was married, April 28, 1834, to Mary Ann, daughter of Abram and Mary Close. She was born Aug. 7, 17'.t!l, and die<l 400 HISTOKY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. November, 1876. Their children .ire .Tuna E., who married William H. Bri^Ks, a farmer in (Jrecnwich, Conn., and Eveline C, who married .\llen Brundage, a farmer of North Castle, N. Y. They have one son, — Chauncey Conklin.