History of Fairfield, (Fairfield County) Connecticut United States of America

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Biographies:

Aaron Burr, educator, was born at Fairfield, Conn., Jan. 4, 1716; son of Daniel and Eliza Burr, and grandson of Jehu (2nd) and Mary (Ward) Burr. He was graduated from Yale in 1735, and awarded one of the Berkeley scholarships, which enabled him to pursue his theological studies. In 1737 he was admitted to the Presbyterian ministry, and installed as pastor of the church at Newark, N. J. There he opened a school for boys, which he managed successfully for some years, and in 1748 he was chosen president of the College of New Jersey, which had grown from the school started by William Tennent at Neshaminy, N. J., in 1726, which became known as the "Log College." The school was removed to Newark, N. J., so that he might attend to the duties of the presidency without resigning his parish. The first class was graduated in 1748, and was composed of six young men. In 1752 President Burr married Esther, daughter of Jonathan Edwards. The fruit of this union was a daughter, who married Tapping Reeve, chief justice of the supreme court of Connecticut, and a son, Aaron, who became vice-president of the United States. President Burr resigned his pastorate at Newark in 1756, and removed the college to Princeton, N. J. He published The Newark Grammar, which was used for a number of years at Princeton, and The Supreme Deity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a small volume (new edition, 1791), and several sermons. He died of overwork at Princeton, N. J., Sept. 24, 1757.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Lewis Burr Sturges, representative, was born at Fairfield, Conn., March 15, 1763; son of Jonathan and Deborah (Lewis) Sturges; grandson of Samuel and Ann (Burr) Sturges and of Lothrop and Sarah (Sturges) Lewis. He was graduated front Yale, A.B., 1782, A.M., 1785. He was a Federalist representative from Connecticut in the 9th-14th congresses, 1805-17. He subsequently removed to Norwalk, Ohio, where he died, March 30, 1844.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Thomas Frederick Davies, third bishop of Michigan and 152d in succession in the American episcopate, was born in Fairfield, Conn., Aug. 31, 1831; son of the Rev. Thomas Frederick and Julia (Sanford) Davies; grandson of Dr. Thomas Davies, and directly descended from John Davies who came from Herefordshire, England, in 1735, purchased land at Davies Hollow, in Litchfield county, Conn., and named and endowed St. Michael's parish in 1745, the first Episcopal parish in that section of Connecticut. John Davies's son built at his own expense St. John's church, Washington, Conn. His grandson, the Rev. Thomas Davies, M.A., a missionary of the Venerable society for the propagation of the gospel for Litchfield county, was born in Herefordshire, England, Dec. 21, 1736, was graduated at Yale in 1758, and was ordained by the archbishop of Canterbury, Aug. 23, 1761. The church at New Milford, and several others in the limit of his missionary field were built under his direction. He died in New Milford, Conn., May 12, 1766. Thomas Frederick Davies was graduated at Yale in 1853 and remained as a Berkeley scholar until 1855. He served as professor of Hebrew in Berkeley divinity school, 1856-62. He was made deacon in 1856 by Bishop Williams and by him was advanced to the priesthood in 1857. He was rector of St. John's church, Portsmouth, N.H., 1862-68, and of St. Peter's, Philadelphia, Pa., 1868-89, meanwhile serving on important diocesan committees, on the board of missions, and as a delegate to the general convention. He was consecrated bishop of Michigan at St. Peter's, Philadelphia, Oct 18, 1889, Bishops Williams, Whipple, Tuttle, Whittaker, Scarborough, Gillespie, Potter and Worthington officiating. He was elected a member of the American historical association. He received the degree of M.A. from, Yale in 1856, and from Trinity in 1860, the degree of D.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1871, and from Yale in 1891, and that of LL.D. from Hobart in 1889.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Sloss Hobart, senator, was born in Fairfield, Conn., May 6, 1738; son of the Rev. Noah and Ellen (Sloss) Hobart, and grandson of John and Esther (Burr) Sloss, of Fairfield, Conn. His father (1705-1773), was graduated from Harvard in 1724, and was pastor of the Congreational church at Farifield, Conn., 1733-73; his maternal grandfather, John Sloss was a native of Scotland; and his paternal great grandfather, the Rev. Peter Hobart, was born in Hingham, England, and came to America, where he helped to found Hingham, Mass., and was minister there, 1635-78. John Sloss Hobart was graduated from Yale in 1757, and practised law in Suffolk county, N.Y. He was a member of the New York "Stamp Act" congress that met Oct. 7, 1765; became a member of the Sons of Liberty in November, 1765; was a deputy from Suffolk county to the 1st, 2d, 3d and 4th provincial congresses of New York, 1775-76, and when the last of these congresses, meeting just after July 4, 1776, assumed the name of convention of representatives of the state he was a leader in their deliberations. He served on the committee which reported the resolutions approving the Declaration of Independence; on that which was appointed to prepare and report a constitution; on that which organized the council of safety (of which he was made a member), and on the committee of three, with Gouverneur Morris and John Jay, for devising the first great seal of the state. In May, 1777, although he had not been educated as a lawyer, he was elected one of the two associate judges of the newly organized supreme court of the state. In 1780 he served as a member of an important convention at Hartford for the discussion of the weaknesses of the confederation, and in 1788 he was a member from the city and county of New York of the convention for the adoption of the U.S. constitution, and was an earnest advocate of that action. In 1791 he inherited from his grandfather, John Sloss, a large property in Huntington, L.I., N.Y. On Jan. 11, 1708, he was elected by the legislature U.S. senator to succeed Gen. Philip Schuyler, resigned, and resigned his judge-ship in February to take his seat in the senate. He resigned from the senate May 5, 1798, to accept the appointment as judge of the U.S. district court for New York, which office he held until his death. He received the degree of LL.D. from Yale in 1793. He was married in 1764 to Mary Greenill. He died in New York city, Feb. 5, 1805.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor