History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

miible worth, ami uhvays wit'ldod a good intlueiK'e in t!ie c<minuinity wliorc lie rosidod. He represented Bridgeport many times in tlie Legislature, and in the year 1.S41 liotli father and son David were representa- tives of their respeetive distriets in the State Senate. David's mother, whose mai(h'n name was T'rania Welles, was of Stratford. Slie was a desrendant of Hon. Thomas Welles, who was ( iov<'rnor cif the State in IG'w and lOoS. Slie died in her eiglity-seeond year. David was the eldest of eiglit elnldren, wliom we name in the order of their birth, — viz.: iJavid W., Louisa T. (deceased), Mary X. (deeeased), Hepsy I!. (deceased), Sally E., Elias N. (ileeeased), Emily JL, and Horace S. David enjoyed the advantages of the enmninn and select schools of his day, and at twenty-four yeai"s we find him selling goods on his own account in a small country store in North Bridgeiiort. He chiscd busi- ness here in 1S30 to engage in the manufacture of woolen goods at the new village of Birmingham, where he continued till 1S4S, when, to eidargc the business, he removed to Ansonia, and there remained in the same line of industry till IXGo, when he dis- posed of his interests to the Sladc ^ranufacturiug Company. Three years later he I'reeted in Shelton his present residence, upon a site that commands a view of the grandest business enterprise with which he was ever identified. To the brain, nerve, and money of E. N. Shelton, D. W. Plundi, and others, thousands who once knew nnthing nt' the beautiful Ousatonie are indebted for the (i)ppurtunity they to- day enjoy for obtaining an easy sujiport — yes, in many instances, considi'rable fortune. From the lieginning of the enterprise, Mr. Plumb has been ]ironiinent in the atl'airs of the Ousatonie Water Coin[iany. In addition to his varieil business cares and trusts, Mr. Phnnb has been active in his investigation and elucidation of questions atleeting the nation's history, the State's prosperity, ami his county and town's gen- ral interests. He rejiresented the town of l)erby in the State Legislature in the years '.'!X, 'r>2, '()0, '(i2, and '(j4, the only person who has been so freipiently chosen to represent the town sinci' the adoiitiou of the constitution. He was a senator from the Fifth Dis- ' trict in 1841. I In ISGO he procured the ]iassage of the act autlior- izing the removal of the Bank of Niu'th America from Seymour to Ansonia, and in lS(i2 obtained the charter of the Savings Bank of Ansonia. The Bank of North America on its removal to Ansonia had its title changed to that of -'The Ansonia Hank," of which he was president for quite a time, and until his resignation. He is now vice-president of Birming- ham National Bank. In 18(14 he oljtained the charter for the borough of An.sonia and the incorporation of the Ousatonie Water Comiiany. The latter was j strongly opposed by parties wiio were interested in shad-flsheries. I It will thus be seen that the life of Mr. Plumb has been nne of active luisiness enterprises, beginning in early boyhood and attaining practical results rarely realized as the fruits of one's own unaided exerlinns. In addition to business cimcerns and dllicial duties, he has '>eiTi thoroughly identified with the growing interests of the vill.agcs of Ansonia, liirnnngliam, and Shelton. He h.as grown up with them, they liave grown U]) with him. By lionesty and constancy of purpose, siannl judgment, and strict integrity in all dealings, he was enabled to early gain the confidence of the community and to successfully terminate mat- ters that he undertook. He never stooped to any meanness in all his varied transactions: there has been no double-dealing. He hates shams of all kinils; iiretensions and sui>erfieial seennngs lie ab- hors. He constitutes a notable specimen of the .\ineriean growth which starts from snmll lieginnings, enciuinters adver.sity, yet conquers, and develops into wealth, wide jiersonal infinenee, and finamdal control. In politics a staunch Reiaddican ; in religion not an avowed professor, yet churches and ministers of all denominations could testify to his liberality. Mr. Plumb has been married twice, but has no (diildren, — first to Miss Clarissa Allen, of Derby, who diccl in ISli.") without issue ; and in l.S7."i he married ^liss Louise Wakelee, of Huntington. WILLIAM AVIT.KINSON, of Wilkinson Bros. & Co., was born in Nottingham, Ihigland, in 18;!4. When six years of age his father moved to Canada East and bought a farm. William remained with his father for ten years, in the mean time receiving from the district schoolsagood English education. At si.xteen years of age William went into the pine- woods of the Adirondack Mountains and engaged in the hunbering business for one year. Next we find him a i)upil at Dunham Flat Academy, where he re- mained eighteen months. IqKin qintting school, with the capital accumulate<l in the mountains, he began the sale of merchandise, traveling through the coun- try with a horse and wagon while disiiosing of his wares, tjuitting his business at twenty-one years of age, he emigrated to the territory of Minnesota, where he Ibllowed the trade of a mason for four years. At twenty-two he married Mi.ss Elizabetli E. Fay, by whom he had one daughter, Emma, now deceased. .\s an evideiu'c of Mr. Wilkinson's po|iularity at his new home, it is worthy of rem.ark that within four years after locating he was elected to the responsible ofiice of high sheritt' of the county, which ])ositiou he filled for three consecutive terms. At twenty-six he went to Pike's Peak,— the year of the discovery of gold in that locality. Along with thousands of others frcnn the Stat<'s, he found in his search for gold a liitter exiierience ami disai)point- nient. He was fortunate in losiuL' oidv one-lialf of his HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. capital, which at tliat time amounted to fifteen hun- dred dollars. Returning to Minnesota lie resumed his business as a mason, which he continued until the death of his wife, an event that occurred when he was thirty years of age. Pretty soon we lirid him in New York City with a cash capital of three dollars. At the sugges- tion of an older brother, lie invested two dcdlars and seventy-five cents in one ream of tissue paper, which he disposed of at three dollai-s and twenty-live cents. His next sale was one bundle of twenty-four by thirty-six ])aper, which was sold to Barnum Bros., clothiers, of Cliathani Square. He assisted his brother at chores, who was employed at Wui. H. Parson's store, and made that place his headquarters, doing business in the manner above named for about twelve months. At the expiration of this time he and his brother Joseph began business on their own account at No. 42 Duaiie Street, their joint capital being two thousand two hundred and eighty-five dollars. They prospered for eighteen months, when AVilliam ]pur- chased his brother's interest for eight thousand dol- lars. He admitted as a partner his brother Thomjis P., who added four hundred dollars to the capital. Two years later AVilliain II. Leach was admitted into the firm. In 1870, owing to the increase of business, larger and better quarters were taken at No. 72 DuaneStrect. Prosperity again followed, and in 1871 they decided to build a mill of their own, to be oper- ated in connection with the store, and it was agreed that William Wilkinson should locate, build, and run the mill. His attention was early called to the ad- vantages of the power of the Ousatonic Water Com- pany, and, after examining the location, he decided on erecting the mill at Shcltou, in the town of Hunting- ton. A fine establishment was built and and run suc- cessfully until the fourthday of November, 1878, when, at 4.30 P.M., it was totally destroyed by fire. The insur- ance was adjusted on the 28th of November, and in the afternoon of the same day work was begun on the new mill, and, through the force and energy of Jlr. Wilkinson, it was completed and the manufacture of paper begun in just four months and eighteen days from the date that rebuilding was commenced. The total length of the mill is four hundred and thirty- five feet, and it covers about two acres of ground. Owing to the increase of business, on the 1st of Feb- ruary, 18711, two new partners were admitted, — Charles A. Whedoii, of New York, and CJeorge S. Arnold, of Birmingham, Conn., — and another store, No. 74 Duanc Street, New York City, w;is occupied. The company deals in all kinds of paper and twines in New York, and manufacture .V No. 1 Manillas, all the ditlerent colored papers, English harilware and Bristol boards. The " Derby Mills " are among the largest in the man- ufacture of paper in the United States. They employ about seventy hands aad have a daily capacity of twenty thousand pounds of paper. In addition to their own mill, Wilkinson Bros. & Co. control five others, selling them their stock and taking their product. The company are at the time of this writing engaged in erecting a largo wood-pulp mill over two hundred feet long, to be run in connection with the present estab- lishment. The firm's annual business is in excess of one million five hundred thousand dollars, — an out- growth of a cash capital of three dollars, — all of which has been accomplished in sixteen years. Mr. Wilkinson is a man of extraordinary energy, keen judgment, and great foresight. He knows no such word as failure ; undertakings which would stagger the majority of men are inaugurated by him and ijushed through to successful consummation. Sliar]) and curt at times when busy, at others he is one of the most courteous and agreeable of gentlemen. In charity, he is one of the readiest and most liberal; he lends substantial encouragement to all enterprises that are for the public good. He has built two elegant residences in Shelton, one of which is occupied by himself and family, the other by the relict of a former employee, who lost his life while doing hazardous work for the comi)any. Mr. Wilkin.son is a living example from which all may learn to conquer fortune and meet with general success.