Ancestors of Richard R. Wilson and Catherine G. Stevens:Information about David Sterne Stevens
David Sterne Stevens (b. 1823, d. March 23, 1896)
Notes for David Sterne Stevens:
From MS of Evarts Chapman Stevens (1885-1956), dated December 7, 1945:
"My paternal grandfather, David Sterne Stevens, was one of the pioneer Connecticut manufacturers of silverplated tableware, starting his own business shortly after 1847 when the art was perfected, and continuing in business until his retirement in 1879.
"David Sterne Stevens was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, in 1825.He was the son of Milton Stevens, and grandson of Elisha Stevens, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who settled after the war in Naugatuck and for many years operated what was in those days quite a substantial establishment in tanning and the manufacture of leather goods.
"David Stevens grew up in Naugatuck and in Prospect, a village six miles to the east.Prospect was the home of his mother's family.At an early age he was employed in a small factory manufacturing knives, forks, and spoons, and located in Rag Hollow in the town of Prospect.At some time in the early forties of the last century [1840's], he removed to Bristol, Connecticut, and was employed there for some time by Holmes & Tuttle, manufacturers of knives, forks, and spoons. . . . There is reason to believe that my grandfather may have been employed at some time during the early forties in the Cowles plant at Spoonville, Connecticut, because his wife, Eliza Benjamin, came from Granby, Connecticut, and lived in the vicinity of Spoonville.
"About 1847 or 1848, he moved to the Quinnie [Quinnipiac] Section of Wallingford and for a few years thereafter was associated with Robert Wallace, who was operating a flatware plant and gristmill in that place.The retention of the mill privilege with certain riparian rights was dependent upon the continuous operation of the grist mill.A few years later, Mr. Wallace moved his business into the village of Wallingford, and my grandfather purchased the mill property and went into business for himself.During the years he operated the mill at Quinnie, a large portion of his production -- that is, forty gross per day -- was sold to Hall, Elton & Co. in Wallingford, which concern at that time claimed to be, and probably was, the largest manufacturer of flatware in the country.
"Quinnie at that time was quite a thriving little settlement and a rather important point on the New Haven and Hartford Turnpike.A toll gate was located there, and the toll house is still standing.The factory at the peak of its operation employed probably about forty or fifty people, most of whom were Irish immigrants.The families of many of these early workers are still prominent in Wallingford, and some of their members have worked with members of our family for three and four generations.
"In those days the Quinnipiac River was still a beautiful, clear stream, and Quinnie being at the head of tidewater, there was a big run of shad every spring.This was a great occasion in the village, and the plant shut down for several days while the men went fishing.Fish peddlers during that period came from all directions, some of them driving from as far north as lower Vermont and New Hampshire, and for days there was great excitement while the shad were being netted, transferred as rapidly as possible to the peddlers' wagons, and driven furiously to the various points of distribution to the consumer.
"My father, Elizur Seneca Stevens, was born in 1851, and at a comparatively early age started to work in his father's factory, where he became thoroughly familiar with all phases of the manufacture of silverplated knives, forks, and spoons.In 1869, for some obscure reason which I haven't been able to fathom, my grandfather sold his property at Quinnie and moved his family to the village of Northford, six miles to the east, where he continued to operate a small plant on a mill privilege which he acquired in that town.He operated in Northford for about ten years and then retired from business, and in 1885 bought a large piece of property on the Rappahanock River in Virginia where he lived until his death in 1895."
More About David Sterne Stevens:
Fact 6: silverware manufacturer.
More About David Sterne Stevens and Eliza Benjamin:
Marriage: November 18454952
Children of David Sterne Stevens and Eliza Benjamin are:
- +Elizur Seneca Stevens, b. March 3, 1851, North Haven, Connecticut4952, d. May 5, 1926, New Haven, Connecticut4952.