"Should Have Good Roads" by Solomon S. Mead, July 4, 1903

The following is a letter-to-the-editor of the Greenwich Graphic dated July 4, 1903. It was written by Solomon Stoddard Mead. He lived on the family farm at the corner of Riversville and Cliffdale roads in North Greenwich. Mead died June 7, 1906, and he is buried in the North Greenwich Congregational Church Cemetery at the corner of Riversville Road and John Street.

His death notice in the New York Times was printed as follows: MEAD- At Quaker Ridge, Greenwich, Conn., June 7, 1906, Solomon S. Mead, aged 80 years. Funeral services at his late residence June 9, at 4 P.M. Carriages will be waiting at Greenwich Station for train arriving from the East at 1:40 P.M. and train leaving Grand Central Depot 2 o'clock P.M.

Should Have Good Roads: Greenwich Graphic: July 4, 1903

Mr. Solomon S. Mead Gives Some Suggestions-Thinks There is No Place Like Greenwich

Editor of the Graphic:

I am an advocate of good roads to Travel over for the few remaining days that I will be among you, and I know that good roads are everything to any country or town. There is nothing whatever that will boom a place like good roads.

But to have them you must have them worked and graded by a person who is competent to do the job. If you want your gold watch repaired when out of order you must employ a man who understands his business of the job will be worse after a poor workman has had it in charge than when you left it in his care, and so you must have a man to work a road who has some knowledge of what is needed.

If for the past one hundred years the roads had been properly worked they would now be in number one condition and there would be no cause to complain. But they are worked just as they have been for years; if there is a wall in the gutter, instead of blasting it a huge break is placed across the road to carry the water from one side to the other.

And the roads are made up so narrow that one horse has to travel on the ridge and the other in the gutter, and no matter how much space there is between the fences the roads are worked to a single track and only occasionally a place where one can pass a loaded team in front of him or where one can pass a loaded team coming toward you.

The roads are all too narrow and I can show roads that have been narrowed up in the past two years from three to four feet. To me this is all wrong and no road should be worked less than twenty-five feet across and in no instance a break should be permitted on any road. If it is necessary for the water to pass from one side of the road to the other let it be done with a pipe; iron is best, earthen would do.

I know it is very hard for persons who have schooled themselves to work a road in the old way to change, but the change must come and will come if the present road makers will insist on the old way, give the roads to someone who will.

My idea of working roads would be to first draw a line on each side as far as it could be done conveniently and make the place straight if the distance was long or short, and where a rock interferes with the gutter blast it out. Have the road as wide as twenty or twenty-five feet and not round it up too much, but enough so all the surface water would run off its sides, not follow the wheel track. And above all never go into a road-bank or a lot of dirt or gravel when there are hundreds of hillocks all along the roadway that should first be removed, by ploughing and carting where it may be needed. I see hundreds of these knolls all along the roads I travel about Greenwich.

I feel very proud of the town that gave me birth and I hope to see it still improved and everyone that belongs in Greenwich should take an interest in its welfare. I never felt one half so proud of my native town as I do today, because I have seen more of good, and bad, that has been presented to my view.

Now let every body go for good wide and well-graded roads and if one will not do it get someone that will. Let the old foggies go.

I am truly disappointed in the working of the highways this season. That the roads are very rough and uneven and so narrow up from four to six feet that it is very dangerous for driving when one meets say half a dozen automobiles one after another, and the autos are bound to keep the road and on a one track road it is very dangerous driving, and the roads are so uneven and they seem to me worse then I have known them for years by and gone.

I will say here that the auto drivers are generally a class of hogs. An exception is Richard Carpenter, of the Upper King Street Road. He always gives all he can to the driving horse class and stops his auto if he sees any horse afraid.

I must say that I do not think I have miscalled or mis-classed the auto drivers. I find they in general do not pay any attention to raising the hand when coming, but on the contrary will keep as near the middle of the road as possible and often they will turn their machine right in front of the horse. I hope someone will put the law in force and bring the autos to know their place, and if they frighten a horse and upset the carriage they will run on the faster to avoid being known I wish every driver of a horse would see the law is complied with.

SOLOMON S. MEAD

Hester Bush Mead: Resident's Contribution was Timeless (Greenwich Time 1993)

The following text was published in Greenwich Time's 'Looking Back' local history column authored by Jeffrey Bingham Mead. It was published on September 19, 1993.

For an audio-visual presentation go to this link on the Association's YouTube channel. Featured photos include Hester Bush Mead's gravestone in Union Cemetery, the watercolor work attributed to her, and a photo of the Jabez Mead House that once stood on the southwestern corner of East Putnam Avenue and Indian Field Road. The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich acquired this work in February 2006.

Resident's Contribution was Timeless

Looking Back: by Jeffrey Bingham Mead

Greenwich Time, September 19, 1993

In a quiet corner of Union Cemetery off Milbank Avenue sits a small, worn marble gravestone. It marks the final resting place of Hester Bush Mead, daughter of Candice Bush.

Hester's name does not appear in the roster of famous persons in Greenwich history; her life is obscured by the passage of time.

Hester Mead in reality is not a descendant of the original ancestors at all-she is the direct descendant of slaves who were emancipated when Connecticut, with her sister New England states, mandated the abolition of slavery in the late 18th century.

Candice Bush, her mother, was a servant in the David Bush household. Mr. Bush owned what we preserve today as the Bush-Holley House, headquarters of The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich. Candice's name appears in the David Bush estate in 1797, and Hester was born there the next year. We believe Hester married a freed back man who was emancipated from service to the Mead's in Greenwich.

My interest in Hester centers on a mysterious but beautiful watercolor of one of our ancestral houses. I'm told by a relative that this fine example of early American folk art on woven paper was created by a black woman employed by our forebears; it dates from 1840-1860.

The Jabez Mead House, circa 1840, stood at east Putnam Avenue and Indian Field Road. The farm encompassed all of Milbrook and the lands up to the base of Put's Hill. The house was demolished when East Putnam Avenue was widened many years ago.

Could Hester be the mystery artist? It's possible, but we may never know since the work is unsigned and no written documentation to confirm this has been uncovered.

Hester died March 2, 1864. Her will in the Greenwich Probate Court leaves her few belongings to her granddaughters, Martha and Julia, and ordered good tombstones to be put up for herself and her mother. The austere appearance of her marker may be deceiving if it is true that Hester was the mystery artist of the old homestead built long ago.

Jeffrey B. Mead is a free-lance writer and direct descendant of one of the town's founding families. He grew up in backcountry Greenwich and is a member of the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich.

Charles N. Mead Presents New Bell to Commemorate Deacon Ancestors (1919)

Six Generations of Meads, Deacons

Greenwich News and Graphic: February 14, 1919

Charles N. Mead Presents New Bell to Commemorate Deacon Ancestors

Announcement was made at the morning service of the Second Congregational Church last Sunday, that Charles N. Mead had presented a bell for the new spire, in memory of six successive generations of deacons in his family, serving this church for nearly 200 years.

It will be a victory and peace bell, bearing the inscription “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth Peace, Good Will Toward Men.” It will be cast at the Meneely Works in Troy, and probably will be installed by Easter Sunday.

The old bell, which was taken down and placed in one of the horse-sheds at the rear of the church, while the spire was being rebuilt, had become cracked from being overheated in a fire which broke out in the sheds some time ago, and instead of the former clear tones of the bell, which were most pleasing to the ear, it had sounded muffled of late.

For many years the spire of this church has been a guide for seafaring men on Long Island Sound. The church itself stands on the highest point of and along the Sound between New York and New London.

Obituary: Isaac L. Mead 1913

Source: Greenwich Graphic: March 14, 1913.

Isaac L. Mead died at his home on Lafayette Place on Saturday morning, in his 79^th year.

Mr. Mead had recently suffered from shock, and early last week submitted to a serious piece of surgery performed by Drs. Griswold, Brooks and Clarke, designed to afford relief, and as he rallied readily it seemed to have proved successful. But relapse followed later, and he passed away finally as above stated.

Mr. Mead was one of the first organizers of Lombard Post and had been its commander. He was a Connecticut veteran, serving in the Civil War in Company I, Seventeenth Regiment 3 years. He was attached to the invalid corps as a member of the Sixth Veteran Reserves, and served until 1865, when he mustered out at Cincinnati. He was a member of the Congregational Church and Acacia Masonic Lodge.

This is an old image of the Isaac Lewis Mead Building at the top of Greenwich Avenue. The building is still there. 

Mr. Mead was a public spirited man and took great interest in whatever concerned the town and the borough.

For a number of years he was a member of the Board of Burgesses and a very active member of that body, suggesting and putting through a number of important measures.

As a member of the Board of School Visitors for many years, or until his blindness interfered, he was an indefatigable worker, being intensely interested in the work of putting the schools on as high a plane as possible, and what’s more he spent much time and was at some trouble in doing his duty, for which he took no pay, although entitled to remuneration for every visit he made to the schools. He believed in good schools, good teachers and good school houses. His ideals were high, and so far as he could he tried to bring the schools up to a higher plane, and did much for their betterment.

Putnam Cemetery, said to be one of the most picturesque, best laid out and attractive places of its kind along the shore, came about through Mr. Mead’s suggestion, planning and general work. He started the company that brought the plot and was superintendent of the cemetery for a number of years. In everything he did he stood for the best.

He was of the old school of New Englanders, sturdy, honest and kind hearted, patriotic, loyal and true, and was of the kind of men that are alluded to as having so much to do with having made America what it is today.

He was a prominent member of the Connecticut Undertakers Association, the president and secretary coming down from Hartford to attend the funeral services.

Mr. Mead was married in 1855 to Esther A. Mead, daughter of Daniel Seton Mead, and is survived by his wife, sons Willis T. and S. Warren, and daughter Miss Lucy A., and a sister Mrs. George H. Mills. He had been married for 57 years.

He was engaged as an undertaker in Greenwich for a quarter century, or more but during his latter years became blind and had become more or less of a recluse because of this defect, occupying his mind largely in an improvised shop where his spare time was spent in making gifts for his friends which included wood making into cabinets and such things.

Mr. Mead was greatly esteemed by a large circle of relatives and friends, and his business and social dealings were of the highest type. He was of most generous and sympathetic nature, his benefactions being many although only known to himself and his beneficiaries. For years he was a central figure in the business life, upbuilding and enterprising in his efforts to promote the general interests of Greenwich. He erected the first brick business building in Greenwich village, at Greenwich and Putnam avenues, which never passed from his possession.

The funeral services were held at his Lafayette Place home and were attended by a large assemblage of relatives and mourning friends, Rev. Mr. Taylor of the Congregational Church officiating, interment being in Putnam Cemetery.

YouTube Channel in Development

The Historic Mead Family Burying Grounds Association, Inc., is developing a channel on YouTube. To view the channel go to this link.

Future content of the channel will include audio and visual images of ancestral grave sites with material based on historical research from various sources.

The Association encourages descendants to participate in the development of this channel. This include narratives about individual grave sites relying on obituaries, publish histories, land records, probate records, letters and correspondences.

Obituary: Col. Thomas A. Mead: Leading Citizen (1932)

Early Owner of ‘Dearfields’ Prominently Identified With Town

Source: Greenwich News: Thursday, March 17, 1932.

Colonel Thomas A. Mead, an early owner of “Dearfields” where today stands the new Franklin Simon & Co. store building, occupied a prominent place in the early history of Greenwich, serving the community with distinction in many capacities.

Born in 1799, the son of Richard Mead, a revolutionary figure long connected with Greenwich history, Colonel Mead spent almost his entire life in Greenwich, growing up to till the fertile acres of “Dearfields” as had his father before him. He died in 1892 after an active life which carried over a span of 91 years.

While Colonel Mead was primarily a farmer, shipping large quantities of milk to the New York markets and also producing grain and farm produce as well as raising large flocks of sheep, his interest in civic affairs was a keen one, his name appearing with frequency in accounts of early days as an advocate of progress and civic betterment.

Many interested in the early citizens of the town have often wondered as to the title of “Colonel” borne by Thomas A. Mead and some have even been of the belief that the title was an honorary one. However, such is not the case, he having served as lieutenant-colonel of the 9^th Regiment from 1831 to 1833. The regiment had served with distinction in the Revolutionary War.

Colonel Mead served upon the school and town committees and at one time represented this section in the General Assembly. He was a member of a committee, with Silas Davis and William Timpany, which on October 5, 1835 was appointed to arrange for the construction of the first town hall in Greenwich. This building was later erected on the present site of the Soldier’s Monument, near the Second Congregational Church. In May, 1841, he served on a committee which went before the General Assembly to attempt to have the court house and jail moved from Fairfield to Norwalk. In October, 1854 he was one of a committee which secured prices upon property as a site for a town poor farm. This farm was finally located upon Pecksland Road and remained there until 1905. In 1855 he acted as one of the incorporators of the Greenwich Mutual Fire Insurance Company and as early as 1827 his interest in education was revealed when he was named among the founders of the Greenwich Academy.

That Colonel Mead was a wealthy man in his day is revealed by the account of an ancient transaction in which he loaned the sum of $10,000 to a relative. That he was progressive is also indicated through his association with real estate transactions of his day. He was one of the stockholders of the Rocky Neck Company, one of the first efforts of land speculators in Greenwich. This concern purchased a tract of land near Indian Harbor Point and subdivided it into approximately 58 lots which were sold by a form of public auction on March 23, 1837.

Colonel Mead and his nephew, Amos M. Brush, were also recorded as the owners of the old Congregational Church, which they purchased upon the erection of the new church, moving the building in 1860 to the northeast corner of Putnam Avenue and Sherwood Place where it stood for many long years.

Obituary: Jabez Mead 1886

Obituary: Jabez Mead

The Greenwich Graphic: April 17, 1886, page 3, col. 3

Another Old Resident Gone

Another one of the old citizens passed away this week, - Mr. Jabez Mead.

His death was not unexpected, for he has been an invalid for two years, though able to be about, often driving to the village himself from his home on the Post Road. For a year and a half Mr. Mead has been unable to lie down, and his sleep and rest were obtained sitting in a chair. Of late it was seen that he was failing and that his end was near. He died Monday night; his age was 77 years.

Jabez Mead was born, Dec. 21^st 1808, on the farm, on the Post Road, where he has just died; his father lived there before him, and his grand-father, who was Gen. Mead, of Revolutionary fame, resided only a short distance away, on the farm now occupied by Mr. Tracy, the artist.

Mr. Mead married Marry Hobby, a daughter of Jabez Hobby, and four of their children are now living, -Mrs. Abram Reynolds, Mr. Lyman Mead, Mr. Herman H. Mead, and Mr. Arthur D. Mead; a large number of grand-children, and several great-grand-children.

During his life Mr. Mead held many prominent positions in this community, twice representing his town in the General Assembly; he was for many years town treasurer; he has also been selectman, school visitor and assessor.

He was a man universally liked and respected. Of genial disposition, he held a place in the hearts of the people and all mourn his death. He was a man of broad views, and exceedingly found of travel, and until ill health caused him to remain at home, was accustomed with his wife to take an extended trip almost every year, and being a careful observer, he had a wide knowledge of the country.

His funeral took place from the 2^nd Congregational Church, Thursday afternoon, Rev. Mr. Porter officiating. There was a large attendance. The pall bearers were Messrs. Alfred Bell, Isaac H. Mead, Jos. G. Mead, Eliphelet Husted, Alex. Mead and Stephen Peck. The remains were interred in the 2^nd Congregational church cemetery. Requiescat in pace.