Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

speaking, at times, over the heads of the
multitude. He was somewhat eccentric
in dress and manner, yet this was nothing
more nor less, undoubtedly, than the outgrowth
of originality of thought and independence
of action. He was deeply
religious, but made many enemies in the
church because he did not believe in the
rental of pews, then an established cus-
tom, by no means universally practiced
now. He refused to rent a pew for him-
self, and sat in a chair, but out of consideration
for his wife, he rented a pew
for her. He was an earnest believer in
practical, every-day-in-the-week Chris-
tianity, and his rugged honesty and sin-
cerity commanded the confidence and re-
spect of all who knew him, regardless of
whether they agreed with his views or
not.
Mr. Weed married (first) Mary Tallmadge,
who was a descendant of one of
the oldest families of Fairfield county.
She was the mother of two sons : James,
who never married, and Francis Bates, of
whom further. He married (second),
November 5, 1838, Mary Weed, daughter
of Nathan Weed, and widow of Alvah
Weed ; she died December 7, 1866.
(VIII) Francis Bates Weed, son of
Hezekiah and Mary (Tallmadge) Weed,
was born in 1819, in Darien, Connecticut,
and died in 1861. He received his formal
education at the public schools, but the
broader learning received from close association
with his father supplemented
the regular school course. While still a
young man he learned the carpenter's
trade, which he followed for a number of
years, but later became interested in the
butcher business. In this he continued
until his death. For some years prior to
his death he lived in Stamford.
Mr. Weed married Emmeline Weed,
and they were the parents of three children
: Emma L. ; James Albert, of whom
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
455
further; and Hezekiah. Emmeline
(Weed) Weed, wife of Francis Bates
Weed, was born in Darien, Connecticut,
in 1821. Her ancestry traces back,
through a different line of descent, to the
original Jonas Weed, the immigrant.
She was a daughter of Paul and Ruth
(Waring) Weed. Her grandfather,
Jonas Weed, was born June 28, 1749, and
married Rebecca Brown. His father,
Silvanus Weed, was born in November,
1713, and his wife's name was Sarah.
The father of Silvanus Weed was Jonas
Weed, the same Jonas as the fourth generation
of the line of James Albert Weed,
whose name appears as the subject of this
review.
(IX) James Albert Weed, son of
Francis Bates and Emmeline (Weed)
Weed, was born in Stamford, Connecti-
cut. December 24, 1852. He received his
early education at the excellent public
schools of the place, then a thriving town
of progressive spirit. He completed his
education with a course at Professor
Glendenning's private academy. Being
the son of a prosperous father, he could
well have taken his leisure, but feeling
that he wanted an interest of his own in
the business world, he became a clerk in
a retail store. Later he built the beautiful
house known as "Gray Towers,"
where he resided from 1876 to 1895. He
then bought his present farm of one hun-
dred acres. Here, in the midst of the
peace of simple, country life, Mr. Weed is
free to indulge his quiet tastes, and surrounds
himself with treasures of the
world of art and literature. His chief
interest is in his really wonderful col-
lection of old books. This includes the
nine volume set of the Mahabharata, the
Brahman Bible ; which is one of the four
sets known to be in this country. Mr.
Weed also owns an ancient copy of Owen
Feltham's poems, brought out in 1696,