Hon. John Brewster

Hon. John Brewster, son of John, Sr., and Mary (Morgan) Brewster, now living in retirement in Ledyard, Conn., upon the Brewster homestead, was born May 13, 1816, in the adjoining town of Preston, and is a direct descendant of the distinguished Pilgrim leader, William Brewster, "the excellent Elder of Plymouth," whose eldest son, Jonathan, was the first town clerk of New London. He is the only surviving son of the family and grew to manhood on the farm, was educated in the common schools, and in Colchester Bacon Academy. He enlisted as sergeant in a rifle company from Groton and Stoning- ton, when in his eighteenth year, and afterwards was chosen captain, by which title he is now well known. 'Previous to his marriage he taught school several winters. Mr. Brewster was married April 2, 1840, to Mary Esther Williams, daughter of Denison Billings Williams and Hannah Avery, of Stonington. Mrs. Brewster, now in her eighty-third year, was the eldest of nine children, seven of whom have passed away. The remaining sister is the wife of Richard A. Roberts, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brewster:

Mary Hannah, born Jan. 19, 1841, died Sept. 2, 1842. John Denison, born Jan. 29, 1843! was married to M. Adaliza Geer, Oct. 18, 1871 ; died April 30, 1894, leaving his wife and two children, Clara Louise and Arthur Morgan.

Fanny Halsey, born Sept. 14, 1845, was married June 30, 1868, to Thomas A. Geer, of Cleveland, O., formerly of Ledyard. They have one daughter, Mary Brewster, now married to Edwin L, Thurston, a prominent lawyer of Cleveland, O., and have one son, Thomas Brewster, the only great-grandchild of Mr. and Mrs. Biewster.

Phebe Esther, born July 21, 1848, was married Oct. 22, 1873, to Benjamin F. Lewis, Jr., of Mystic.

Frank Williams, born April 24, 1854, was married Oct. 24, 1878, to Mary L. Brown, of Preston. They have two children, Hannah Elizabeth and Phebe Halsey. The son Frank and his family remain on the homestead.

Shortly after his marriage, Mr. Brewster brought his wife to the home, where he has lived more than eighty years, and with his wife over sixty years. The farm, situated in the town of Ledyard, and just south of the village of Poquetanuck, four miles from Norwich, contains about 140 acres. The house is over 200 years old, but has always been kept in good repair. In it were born the twelve children of Capt. Morgan. It is related that one of the little girls, on her way to school, meeting a stranger, was asked by him what family she belonged to, and she promptly replied, that she "belonged to the tribe of Israel."

In addition to tilling his farm, Capt. Brewster bought wool in company with the late L. W. Carroll, of Norwich, and also for the Yantic Woolen Co. In the capacity of appraiser, trustee and administrator, he has often assisted in settling estates, some or them requiring the handling of large amounts of property, and involving knotty and troublesome problems. He was always conspicuous for broad intelligence, and sound judgment, honest, kind-hearted and generous to a fault. He, with his family, have always attended St. James' Episcopal Church of Poquetanuck, of which he has been a liberal supporter.

He represented the town of Ledyard, in the House of Representatives, 1847, 1851 and 1878, and the Tenth district in the Senate, 1860, 1885 and 1886. A contemporary paper thus speaks of him: "The Tenth district, in the person of senator, who has been one of the most prominent senators at the capitol, has had much excellent effect upon legislation. The senator has cared for fisheries and temperance, being at the head of the .committees on those topics, but his usefulness has been in no sense confined to this pent-up field. As a member of the committee on executive nominations he has served the Senate well. On all the leading matters before the Senate, he has had the courage of his convictions, and has asked questions, and made some statements very hard for antagonists to answer."

For several years he held the office of selectman (first and second), probate judge of the town of Ledyard, and president of the Bill Library Association. He was president of the Merchants Bank, of Norwich, twelve years, and is now the first vice- president of the Norwich Savings Society. He was also director, president and treasurer (until his health failed) of the New London County Agricultural Society, and for several years a member of the State Board of Agriculture. In politics Mr. Brew- ster was a Republican.

Let a life-long neighbor add her tribute to her worthy friends :

"Captain Brewster and his estimable wife, have ever been noted, in their own neighborhood, for their charity to the needy, and sympathy in sorrow. No poor neighbor ever went to them in trouble who did not come away with a more hopeful heart and a heavier purse. Their generous deeds were not the impulse of the moment, but the fruit of their religious principles. In the evening of their lives, these words of Scott can be truly applied to them:

'When the hour of death comes, it is not what we have done for ourselves, but what we have done for others, that we think of most pleasantly.'

HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LEDYARD 1650-1900, by Rev. John Avery, published by Noyes & Davis: Press, Norwich, Connecticut, 1901, p. 187-90