from Geneaological and Family History of the State of Connecticut , Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911 Vol. 1, p. 376-377. The edges of the copy were cut off so some of the information is a guess until I can find the volume.

"Benjamin Webster descendant of an old English family lived at Bradford, England and followed the trade of butcher. Among the children was Benjamin, mentioned below. (II) Benjamin (2) , son of Benjamin Webster was born at Bradford, England in 1820, died at Leeds, England. September 1896. He was educated in the schools of his native town, and engaged in the railroad business. He became a station master at Leeds. He married Eliza Parker, who was born at Bradford, died at the age of seventy-two in Leeds, England. Children; Benjamin mentioned below; William lives in California; Clara married and lives in England; Samuel came to Bridgeport, Connecticut and died there, was a die sinker; Ha?? lives in England; Isaac; Edwin lives in England; George died in Philadelphia.

(III) Benjamin (3) son of Benjamin Webster, was born at Bradford, England, died December 11, 1908 at Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was educated at the schools of his native town. He began to work at Leeds, England in 1868 (my note - about age 25, but this seems off). He came to New York City (perhaps around 1857?) where he was in the employ of The Shelton Company (this may actually have been in CT), manufacturers of carpet tacks. Thence he came to Bridgeport, for sixteen years was with the Glover Sanford Company (CT), hat manufacturers. He was then chief engineer of the Bridgeport Brass Company for twelve years and retired from active business about 1885. (handwritten note added "age 50 Born 1835?") He took an active interest and had a potent influence in the affairs of the city, though he never aspired to public office. He was a Republican and a stout supporter of the candidates and principles of his party. He became a large taxpayer as he invested in real estate and l??(leased??) a number of houses in the city. He built engines, heaters and lubricators, patented a number of them. He was a member of no secret order and had few interests outside his business and his home to which he was devotedly attached. He was a member of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church and assisted in raising the fund for the building. He was studious and read history chie?? being able to read and readily translate Greek history. Few men of his age had acquired more general knowledge from reading and study and few indeed had covered so thoroughly the range of history. His death was mourned by a host of friends and was a distinct loss.

He married, July 19,1865 at Leeds,England, in St. Luke's Church (by Rev. Brackenburgh), Margaret Calam, born Eastrington, Yorkshire, Daughter, William and Sarah (Longhorn) Calam. Her (father) ????er was born in 1812, died at Howden, England, July 14, 1840. Children of William Calam; George; Robert resides in England; ????r, died young; William, deceased, was a (blacksmith) ?????smith at Bridgeport; Margaret, mentioned above; Mary resides in London, England married Peter Stephenson; Elizabeth, (deceased) ????ased. Isaac Calam, father of William Calam, was a chemist. Children of Isaac Calem: Isaac, Thomas, Peter, Hannah, Mary, Elizabeth and William. Children of Benjamin and Margaret (Calem) Webster: 1. Edward Parker, born October 23, 1867, at Leeds; Assistant Superintendent at Smith & Egge Company; married Bertha Miller: children; Edward Parker, Edgar Ferdinand and Lillian Margaret. 2. Mary Florence Webster, born November 1869; married Benjamin Webster of California, a draughtsman; child Benjamin Chester 3. Harry Calam, born January 22, 1871, Bridgeport; foreman in Smith & Egge Company; married Mary Lehman; children Ethel Elizabeth and Margaret Anna. 4. Ross, born November 28,1878; an engineer in the Smith & Egge Company; married Carrie Ballard."

Identification of terms/entities:

"Glover Stanford commenced making hats in Bridgewater, in 1823, by making a few hats a week for retail in the community, many of them being made to order of heavy wool, and some napped hats, afterwards he made wool hats exclusively. He continued the hat business, changing from one building to another. In 1870, the firm removed their business to Bridgeport, in order to secure larger and more advantageous facilities. At the time they began to arrange to remove they were employing about 125 hands in their shops, and were producing about $300,000 worth of goods a year. Glover Sanford died May 30, 1878, at the age of eighty-one years. As of 1882, Charles H. Sanford, Homer S. Stanford and Edwin G. Sanford continued the hat business in Bridgeport, which was then exclusively manufacturing wool hats."

HISTORY OF THE TOWNS OF NEW MILFORD AND BRIDGEWATER, CONNECTICUT, 1703-1882

"The formation of the Smith and Egge Company came about in 1873 when William Smith, a former postmaster at Bridgeport, Connecticut and Frederick Egge got together to try to win a United States Post Office Department contract to supply a new lock for post boxes.

In the perfect partnership, Smith invented the lock and Egge the key. The design was a winner and the company was born. It was set up in Bridgeport Connecticut, close to the mighty Wheeler and Wilson factory which dominated the town.

The company developed as a as a specialist manufacturer of locks for sewing machine cabinets but soon expanded into making other sewing machine hardware .

Other lines included chains for sash windows and it was to promote this side of the business that Smith arrived in England in 1891. He sep up the Automatic Chain Company in Birmingham and soon had contracts in Mexico, Haiti, Chile and San Diomingo.

No sewing machines were produced in England and the last recorded Tue, Nov 16, 1993 for the company in Birmingham is 1900 although a history of Bridgeport written in 1937 suggests that the company was still operating in England.

It is possible that it was also responsible for producing some of the special tooling used in Wheeler and Wilson factory.

During the last decade of the 19th Century the company began producing a miniature sewing machine for the giant John Wannamaker store. This carried the Wannamaker name but later Smith and Egge used its own name and sold in bulk to other retailers simply adding what ever name was required to the base casting.

All Wannamaker and Smith and Egge machines were sold as "adult" models and all advertisements and other literature stresses this.

In fact we could write off any suggestion of the machine ever being sold as a toy were it not for those few examples bearing the Schwarz label.

For Schwarz was New York's leading toy retailer in the early years of this century. It's reasonable to conjecture that after sales of the "adult" version ran down, surplus stocks were sold off to Schwarz to retail; as toys.

Another possibility is that the same thing happened on the introduction of the later, improved modeled to the general adult market."

from http://www.ismacs.net/toy/articles/smithegge.html

International Sewing Machine Collector's Society

"a brief historical profile of The Bridgeport Brass Company

The Bridgeport Brass Company was incorporated in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on November 2, 1865 by Brooklyn manufacturers Daniel W. Kissam, John Davol, and Samuel R. Wilmot.

The company was originally formed to make clock movements. Over the years the company continued to grow and produced a wide variety of brass items including fasteners, lamps, lamp burners and trimmings, electric lamp sockets, and countless other products. In 1875 the company sold it's clock making machinery to the Ansonia Brass and Copper Company and focused their efforts on the manufacture of lamps.

"Their business has grown from year to year, so that it is safe to say that it is one of the largest manufacturing concerns in the world that produces articles in brass and copper." The manufacturing plant was located on the corner of Willard Street and Crescent Avenue and occupied a space of two hundred thousand square feet. The plant was state of the art, "complete in every part as money and ingenuity can make it." At this time, they employed over eight hundred workers. In addition to the offices and factory in Bridgeport, they maintained a large sales room at No. 19 Murray Street, New York City, and agencies in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. "In no country on the globe, where oil for illumination is used, is this vast concern unknown."4 ca. 1896.

In addition to lamps and general lamp trimmings, the company also produced a line of bicycle lamps, among them the very popular SEARCH LIGHT. Bicycle lamps were a key item when cycling became the rage in the 1890's. They also made German-silver, wire goods and manufactured rolled copper and brass. In 1884 the first long distance phone line that ran from New York to Boston was strung by the Southern New England Telephone Company for the American Bell Telephone Company using Bridgeport Brass copper wire."

http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_companies_bbc.htm

bcw

Born in San Francisco across from the US Mint. Birth records destroyed in eathquake. Mother and other married in SF moved to England as a boy finished HS level about age 16 in Leeds?

Went to Germany (around 1894) for a short time in training in engineering then went back to England for degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering University of Leeds.

when he returned to the US he lived (on the lower end of E. Main Street) lived with his Aunt Annie (widowed) east Bridgeport manufacturing area and spend a lot of time with his Aunt and Uncle. (Nana's mother and father) Visited his older brother William in SF, CA stayed for a few months ( worked as a mechanical ??sink to BC) Did development work on his own and did some work in Shelton (Holmes relatives in Shelton) Worked for a small factory in Long Hill almost into Monroe.

Married Mary Florence Webster (SF?) Benjamin Chester Webster, Jr. was born Oct 8, 1906. The family moved to the San Francisco- Berkely area in the spring of 1909. Margaret Gwendolyn Webster was born in Berkeley. Family returned to Bridgeport area May 29, 1912. they lived at 333 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, CT and then bought and moved to 2495 (Boston ) Post Road, Southport, CT ( a part of Fairfield). The Road was also known as Spring Street and Mill River Switch.

Worked for Bryant Electric Company then worked for Harvey Hubbell (his worked with the eledest Harvey Hubbell in designing the pull chain socket and the Hubbell twist lock among many others)

He was working at Columbia Graphophone in Bridgeport when they closed (??after the war?) when they closed he recovered lots of brick and the oak paneling which was used in the large side porch at 2495 Post Road, Southport.

Worked for Westinghouse

Worked for GE

Years later went back to Westinghouse

picture on Champs Farm which was on the banks of Ash Creek between Bridgeport and Fairfield.

grampy had one or 2 half sisters from the east one was highly placed in the girl scout organization

(Aunt Lucy address book) Uncle Ben address 118 Spring Street, Sing Sing, NY

1901 Mr. Benj Webster, 1117 Kousuth St, Est Bridgeport

Bennie Webster, 157 East Pittsburgh, Penn

Benie WEbster

1122 North Avenue

Wilkinsburgh, Pennsylvania

Willie Webster

378 Jackson Boulevard, Chicago

wm webster 330 Third Avenue

Richmond, San Francisco, ca

Lucy Brother William W. Walker to Australia Learmouth

Lucy Walker nov 11 1826< parents Benjamin Walker b. 1793 d. sept 20th 1870

William H. Holmes sept 28, 1828 married feby 6, 1851 10 children< parents David Holmes Elizabeth Holmes?

children Joshua Holmes 1851

Mary Ann June 17, 1853 died 12/25/1872

Walter Jan 10th 1855 died ap 7th 1872

Lucy June 1 1857

William sept 6, 1858 mar 11, 1893

Lillie

Jan 28, 1860

Emma died Jan 12 1872

Jan 29, 1861

Florence N. Oct 3 1862

Royal Feby 12, 1864

Josephine June 25, 1865

Margaret Gwendolyn Webster "Molly"

Parents Benjamin Chester and Mary Florence

Born in Berkeley

returned to CT when she was around 4
Lived in house across from bird Sanctuary believe the main house was home of Mr. Hill Newspaper publisher?

Then purchased home at 2495 Post Road, Southport. Home was in a area that had many people raising chickens and later her mother "Nana" to me, kept chickens. BC "Grampy" to me, had many fruit trees berries, grapes and large vegetable gardens (althought it was not a huge property). (I wonder where he developed such a keen interest in growing things -- perhaps the Holmes connection -- one was a florist/gardener at one point)

Molly "Mom" to me, was sent to a Montesorri nursery school when she was 3 and was advanced enough that she started kindergarten at 4 rather than the ususal 5 yrs. She was sent to a very exclusive private school in Bridgeport called Miss Fannie's until High School. On her own, she decided that she wanted to go to public HS and enrolled herself at Fairfield High School. After HS with the changes in fortune brought by the depression, she was unable to go to college, but went to the Butler Business School in Bridgeport and later taught some classes. She spent some time with Hooper at the very beginnings of Radio Ratings. Later she worked for Remington Arms (part of Dupont) through most of the war. (She was there when there was that necessitated the evacuation of the plant) After the war broke out she spent some time at the Ordnance plant in Denver. On her way she saw the troops transported up by Hartford. Ther was trouble at the Frankfort Ordnance plant with a financial scandal -- this may have been why they wanted some of the staff out in Denver) While in Denver she stayed at Mrs. Douglas' boarding house a huge house that had been an elegant home at one time. Towards the end of the was she moved on to Sikorsky as the first woman technical writer there. She wrote the text for repair manuals and her hands were in some of the photographs that accompanied the text. She stayed at Sikorsky through the war. Just after the war she went to work for GE as a consumer representative answering customer inquiries. She married in 1948 and soon after left GE.