History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

The ]iaternal ancestors of John L. We.ssels were ■ f (Terman origin, and the maternal ones French Hu- liUcnots. Mr. Wesscls was born in White Plains, Westi'hester Co., N. Y. He was .son of James and Letitia Wessels. His grandfather, Hercules We.s.sels, was an ohl-time resident of White Plains, .settling on the homestead (which was in the possession of his descendants until a few years ago) before the Revolu- tion. He was a sterling jiatriot, and .served as .ser- i:eaut of Gen. Washington's body-guard during the entire period of the IJevolutiouary war, and was wounded at the battle of Yorktown. James Wessels was a farmer, and John spent his early life at the old liome, accjuiring the physical vigor so essential to success in life, and also a common school education. When he was sixteen years old he entered his hroth'er's store at Port Chester, in ca- ]pacity of clerk. After one year's time he was called to take charge of a store in East Bridgeport, and re- mained there two years, when, seeing a good opportu- nity to engage himself in business, Mr. Wessels formed a partnership with Elias Hall, and purchased the stock of goods (groceries and hardware), and con- tinued the trade for two years, when William H. Wessels, his brother, purchased Mr. Hall's interest. The brothers continued together in this business until 1S77, when they sold the stock and fixtures, and o])ened a wliolesale fruit and produce store on the corner of Wall and Water .Streets, Bridgeport, where they are still in trade. Mr. Wessels married, Sept. 2:!, ISO'2, Sarah A., daughter of James and Nancy Merritt, of Port Ches- ter, N. Y. Brought U]) by a father wlio wa.s an old-line Whig and afterwards a Republican, Mr. Wes.sels has ever affiliated with the Republican party. The first Re- publican jiarade in East Bridgeimrt consisted of eighteen men and one boy. Mr. Wessels was that boy. Believing in the necessity of the prevalence of Rejiublican principles, Mr. Wessels has been active and ardent in their support, a valued leader and coun- 11 selor, a member of town, county, and State commit- tees, was |daced in candidacy for the l^egislatnre in 1871S, but defeated with the entire Republican ticket; was elected mayor of Bridge]iort in IS"!', — the only candidate on the Republican ticket that was not de- feated. He was unanimously renominated by accla- mation ON expiration of his term of office as mayor, but declinecl to acce|it on account of the jiressure of business, wdiich was rendered much heavier by the ill health of his brother. Jlr. Wessels has also been alderman for the Fifth Ward of Bridgejiort for four years, and in the dis- charge of the dutie-i of that office was chairman of several important committees. He was vice-iiresident of the IJcpublican State convention wdiich met at New Haven in the spring of is.so to elect delegates to the Republican National Convention at Chicago. Mr. Wessels is a member of St. John's Lodge of Free Masons in Bridge]iort, and for over twenty years has been a member of the Methodist Ei)iseopal Church, holding many offices in its gilt, and is at present |iresideut of the board of trustees. He is largely engaged in Sunday-school work, and has held various positions in that connection. ;\Ir. AN'cssels was a charter mend)er of Battery B, Light Artillery, C'onnecticnt National Guards, organ- ized in LH.>S, and was commissioned gun-sergeant, but soon promoted to third lieutenant, again to second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain. As captain, was senior artillery officer of the State. As an individual, Jfr. Wessels is social and idcasing, is very popular, and is justly considered one of Bridge- port's successful, progressive, public-spirited, and honorable citizens. While active and |irogressive he is also prudent, and never carried away by any vision- ary scheme or project, however brilliant it may ap- pear, and is thus a careful guardian of public trusts or |irivatc interests and a sound counselor. ALI-SON AMOS I'l^TTEXGILL. Alison Amos Pettengill, son i>f Piev. Ann Pet- tengill, was Ixirn in the town of Champlain, Clin- ton Co., N. Y., Nov. 1:3, 1808. His father was a ( '011- gregational minister, and removed to Morris, in Litch- field County, in this State, wdien .Vlison A. was quite young, and here, at the Jforris Academy, his educa- tion was commenced ; and having prepared himself for a collegiate omrse, entered Middlebury College, \t. He subsequently entered Yale t'oUege, where he graduated in the cla.ss of 182!». After graduation, during a period of nine years, he taught private select schools of a high grade in the towns of Stratford, Danbury, Fairfield, and Bridgeport. While conduct- ing the school in this city in 18;('.t, he ])urchased tlie materials of the newspaper known as the lirklijepnrl Press and changed the name to the Republican Stan- ilaril, and continued as its editor and proprietor until 154 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. the spring of 1868, when H. B. Wildmiin and J. S. Han- over were admitted to an interest, and the paper was eondueted under tlie firm-name of Pettengill & Co. Mr. I'etteiigill subsequently ])nrcliase(l tlieir interest, and eondueted tlie pajjer as sole editor and i>roprietor until 1863, when he disposed of it to John D. Can- dee, Esq. Politieally, Mr. Pettengill is a Republican, and was previously a Whig, and, although not an active poli- tician, has held various olIice< within the gift of his fellow-citizens. He was a senator in 1S45, and has also been a reiiresentative. He held the oflice of United States marshal four years, and was the census marslial for this State and appointed the census su- pervisors for 1850. He has also been a member of the Common Council of this city, and alderman sev- eral years. In the early days of the telegraph he was much interested in the matter, and acted as di- rector of the company. Mr. Pettengill is an earnest churchman, and a mem- ber of the vestry of St. John's Parish. He has been twice married. His fir.st wife was Elizabeth Philipps, of Danbury, who died in 1802. His present wife is Catharine A., daughter of the late Isaac Burroughs. Her grandfather, Stephen Bur- roughs, opened the second store in this city. He was during a long period a successful merchant. Since Mr. Pettengill disposed of his interest in the Standard newspaper, he luis lived a retired private life, and is honored and respected by all. PIIILO IIUTID SKIPMORE. Philo Hurd Skidmore was born in Bethlehem, Litchfield Co., Conn., Oct. 1, 1817, living with his parents to the age of sixteen, enjoying the privileges of the district school during the winter months, and laboring with his father on the farm through the sum- mer, securing thereby a healthy development of body and mind. He then went to New Haven as clerk in the wholesale grocery-store of Henry Oaks, where he served five years, securing the confidence and esteem of his employer. On completing his clerkshii> he wits admitted a partner in the wholesale grocery-firm of Kidston & Hall, — Mr. Kidston retiring. He con- tinued in this connection five years, doing a success- ful trade. During all these years he was an active member of the Young Mechanics' and Young Men's Institute, and one of the origiinil founders of the latter. In 1843 he returned to his native town and kept a country store, doing a varied and extensive business up to the year 1853, and by rigid economy and strict attention to liusiness increased his little savings of early days to a moderate com|ictence. Confidence in his ability and integrity gave him during these years the positions of town and parish treasurer, town clerk, , collector, etc. i On the organization of the Woodbury Bank he was made a director to represent the Bethlehem stock- holders. Its failure from the unwarranted trans- actions of the president and cashier was the first dis- a.ster of his life. Smarting under the chagrin of the failure of anything with which he was connected, in September, 1853, he came to Bridgeport, leaving his store in charge of his brother, and joined James E. Dunham in the dry-goods trade. He remained in this connection but a short time, retiring to accept the position of secretary and treasurer of tlie Pacific Iron- Works, vacant by the resignation of Hon. H. K. Harral. Wholly ignorant of mechanics, machinery, and manufacturing, it was a new existence to him, but with characteristic determination he grappled with the necessities of the situation, and after a struggle of eight years found the works with nothing to boast but safety from the almost universal wreck of the numerous joint-stock corporations organized at that period. The rising cloud of rebellion loomed a dark shadow over the future. The demand for armed vessels to enforce the blockade led to a contract with government to build and erect the machinery for the gunboat " Kanawha" for forty-five thousand dcdlars, in 1861. This resulted in a loss of twenty thousand dollars, which crippled the company and brought them to the verge of bankruptcy. At this time he was surety on a large amount of the company indebt- edness and bonds to the government. In 1862 he became owner of the entire works by jjurchase of the stock and assumed the debts. Wrestling with the difficulties that surrounded him for a while, the revi- val of business in 1863 found him fully prepared to reap the benefit of the tidal wave of success which swept over New England manufacfures, and he gath- ered a rich harvest of |)rofits for the next five years, the works attaining a rei)Utation and extent second to but few in the country. In 1865 he removed to New- town, where he has since resided, and purchased the fine residence and farm of D. V. T. Baldwin, retiring somewhat from the immediate oversight of his manu- factory. He was representative from that town in the Legislature of 1869.