Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

Mr. Mathewson married Mary E.
Knapp, daughter of Burr Knapp, of Nor-
walk. Her mother was Rebecca (Fitch)
Knapp, daughter of Samuel Mason Fitch.
The Knapp ancestry of Mrs. Mathewson
will be found elsewhere in this work (see
Knapp, John H.). Mr. Mathewson was
an attendant of Trinity Episcopal Church,
of South Norwalk, in whose work Mrs.
Mathewson takes an active part.
Below is a copy of resolutions adopted
by the directors of the City National Bank
at their regular meeting held June 20,
1921 :
To THE Board of Directors :
Your committee, appointed to prepare a suitable
minute upon the death of Herbert A. Mathewson,
beg leave to report the following:
In the death of Herbert A. Mathewson this
Board has lost one of its ablest and most effi-
cient members. He was conscientious and outspoken,
and never hesitated to say and to do what
he deemed to be just. He was, however, open to
conviction, and was always considerate of the
opinion of his associates, and we always found
him willing to cooperate in the most helpful way.
His successful career as a man of business, and
his complete mastery of the underlying principles
of finance and banking, served to render his advice
invaluable in making loans and extending credits.
Therefore, we feel a personal loss in this death,
and we share with the whole community in the
loss of a good citizen.
We beg to extend to his widow and family our
heartfelt sympathy.
John H. Light,
Lewis R. Hurlbutt,
Committee.
ADAMS, Elbert Sherman,
Business Man, Iiegislator.
In every man there is some natural
tendency toward certain lines of work
and success depends largely upon giving
heed to this bent. And it is equally true
that the man who is not interested in public
affairs cannot hope to succeed. He
must be willing to do his part for the
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
422
community in which he lives, and it is
knowledge of these facts which has con-
tributed largely to the success of Elbert
S. Adams, one of the leading business
men of Norwalk, Connecticut.
The Adams family is one of the oldest
and most honored of the New England
Colonial families, and is traced to Robert
Adams, who was born in England, in
1602. Eventually his descendants removed
to Braintree, Massachusetts, where
Squire Adams, the grandfather of Elbert
S. Adams was born. He married Par-
melia Waterbury, born in Norwalk, a
scion of an old Fairfield county family.
They were the parents of Jonathan Taylor
Adams, born in Weston. As a boy
he learned the trade of shoemaker and
completed his apprenticeship in Norwalk
and Westport. For about thirty years
he was occupied at this work, and then
entered the butcher business in Norwalk.
He continued in this business for about
fifteen years, and then sold out to his sons.
During most of his lifetime Mr. Adams
lived in Norwalk and there he married
Caroline Disbrow, daughter of Sherwood
Disbrow, of Norwalk, and they were the
parents of nine children, namely: Royal
W., resides in Norwalk ; William T., deceased
; Elbert S., of further mention
Arthur R. ; Sylvia Estella, deceased
James Howard ; Edith, wife of Nathaniel
Jones, of Norwalk, both now deceased
Ernest; Lester. The father and mother
of these children attended the Congregational
church of Norwalk for many
years.
Elbert Sherman Adams was born March
4, 1854, in Norwalk, Connecticut. He
was educated in the public schools there.
Soon after completing his studies, he
went into the meat business with his fa-
ther, and later in partnership with his
brother, Royal W., succeeded his father
;