Webster Genealogy Welcome

Benjamin Parker Webster m. Calam

Benjamin Webster, Margaret Calam Webster, Edgar, Mary Florence and Harry
probably about 1871-1872 since Harry was born in January 1871 and is a baby here. (Almost looks like a christening dress on Harry.)

Benjamin 1843-1865 Benjamin Webster B at Bradford 1/23/1845 died at Bridgeport 12/11/1908 (age 63) (?emig 1867) lived at 275 Maple Street, Bridgeport, CT

Quite prominent in Bridgeport -- scholar, interested in politics, Extensive Business and RE holdings

July 22 1866 St Phillips Church Adjacent Wellington St Leeds

Marriage of

Benjamin Parker Webster , age 22, Engineman , of Chatham St , Father- Benjamin Webster , Railway Porter
To
Margaret Calam age 20 , of Chatham St , Father - William Calam , Butcher

Witnesses Joseph Mellor , Mary Calam
Transcribed from copy of certificate - Paul Whiteley

July 22 1866 St Phillips Church Adjacent Wellington St Leeds

obituary

dinner story

Margaret "Maggie" Calam

Edward Parker Webster

King Edward and lawsuit

lawsuit clipping

Mary Florence Webster

paintings

I asked a friend who is a collector if these would be "Hudson River School" I'm curious if these were from actual scenes in nature, copied topics or imagined subjects. She probably painted them in the late 1880s or 1890s.

Her response "Thanks for the pictures! They are charming, and I enjoyed looking at them. I am impressed with them. Did you say your great aunt painted these? I am not sure if they are of a specific real place, but they are in conformity with the genre. They depict charming whimsical secenes evoking a romantic and idealistic sensibility. They also convey innocence. If I understand correctly, specificity is not as important as the sensibility that the artist was trying to get across. There are some, however, that do depict a very specific place, but usually with those, they contain very recognizable architectural depictions." Clarissa

pond
native
island

needlework

tea room

Harry Calam Webster

Ross Benjamin Webster

picture of house

My mother "Molly" was not always the best correspondent. Thank goodness she sometimes wrote drafts of letters or left the letters unsent. Her are some passages from her letters...

Letter to Wilma just before Mom and Dad went on a trip to England. "Wm.'s wife was Eliza Parker. She was almost 6 ft tall and apparently a very strong dominant person."

"There was also my father's brother Eddington (younger brother) but my Dad did so much over the years to try to find him that he finally concluded he was dead."

"..our grandmother, Ellen Francis (Gallagher) Webster. Both she and out grandfather were widowed when they married. Each had a daughter. Hattie Gallagher was our dad's half-sister and m dad always regarded her with a great deal of love. I've been told (can't remember by whom and I've never been able to verify it) that int he 3 families - Ellen's, Williams and Theirs" - there were 13 children, but quite a few of "theirs" died very young both in SF and in England."

Believe the house they lived in when first in Fairfield was the back house from The Daily Post Publisher and Propirietor GW Hills on Unquowa Road

Margaret Longhorn Calam B Eastrington, Yorkshire.Burial 3/14/1923 Lakeview Cemetary, Bpt, CT

pictures

Sadly, all was not happy for some period of time.

As I was growing up my mother said that Edgar, Benjamin's Eldest son believed that he should inherit the major part of his father's estate as he would have inEngland. I suspect it was a little more complicated that that. I understand there wer one or more lawsuits over a number of years. Of course during that time the Maple Street house was not as well cared for -- it seems they still had borders some of the time, but later, being in a declining neighborhood, the house suffered vandalism which decreased the value further. I'm not sure whether it was always a nickname or something Mary Florence started at the time, but my mother recalled him being known as "King Edward". I believe this left some of the family on strained terms and may have estranged parts of the family for some time. Even more, all of it was public! Right there in the newspaper!

Here is one of the later newspaper clippings.

Mrs. Benjamin Webster (Maggie) died. 3/11/1923

IS this Bertha Mrs Edgar P. Webster?

Webster lawsuit Margaret Webster estate
Correspondence 4/7/1924

Mentions Maple Street and contents various mortgages and “such personal property as may have been given away at that time. Suggested that Ross be given his one fourth share since his property will revert to the estate once he and his wife are deceased.

Other bills 3/26/1923

Post road known as spring street May 1928 UI area also known asMill River Switch, Post Road 1923

A note on other correspondence re the estate tallys
$4000 Maple St at ( It appears Maple Street was originally deeded to Bertha Webster”
$3900 Harry and Earl ( mortgage)
$1400 Lily mortgage to Lillian Willard
$2000 Edgar Loan of $2000 to grandson Edgar F.
$2500 loan to Benjamin Webster
$2000 Ross “”Four heirs join in a conveyance if reference to Ross’ property”

Plus household furniture, personal property family plat at Lakeview Cemetary placed in the name of Margaret Webster

Believe the case was “Henry Lee, Adm vs. Bertha W. Webster. May have been a separate suit?

Mary Florence had very long hair at some points as she was growing up -- influenced by the During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the seven sisters of the Sutherland family of Lockport, NY were a singing group who became very famous for the length of their hair. In the 1880s while traveling with the Barnum and Bailey Circus their father realized that people were more interested in the length of their hair than in their singing. The Seven Sutherland Sisters world-famous for their incredible hair, which reportedly had a collective length of 37 feet. I believe she had friends who also grew their hair long but I'm not sure if they were just friends, cousins or what.