Joseph and John Mead settled Greenwich in the 1670s.  By the 19th century the Mead family descendants were the largest landowners in town and dominated its economic and cultural life.  Many members of the Mead family have been associated with the major events of Greenwich.  Notable achievements include the first marriage recorded in Greenwich (John Mead, Jr. to Ruth Hardley, 1681); the first recorded birth (John, son of John Mead, Jr., 1682); the first appointment as Fairfield County delegate to the Continental Congress (Amos Mead, 1775); and a lead role in founding Greenwich Academy (Alvan Mead, William Mead, Jabez Mead, Thomas A. Mead and Darius Mead, 1827).  Today, the Meads’ prominence in our history is reflected in many place names throughout town that refer to the family.  

Artist unknown Portrait Susan Mead (1814-1884), ca. 1832 Oil on canvas Museum purchase with funds contributed by Mr. and Mrs. Hugh B. Vanderbilt, 1999.01.02

Artist unknown Portrait of Edward Mead (1809-1885), ca. 1832 Oil on canvas Museum purchase with funds contributed by Mr. and Mrs. Hugh B. Vanderbilt, 1999.01.01

Edward Mead was a direct descendent of John Mead. In 1832 he married Susan Merrit.  Edward was a farmer and generous supporter of the Second Congregational Church.  Susan served as treasurer of the Stillson Benevolent Society, an organization founded in 1829 by pupils of Elizabeth Stillson, a renowned teacher whose death at age 24 was widely lamented.  In 1857 their son Daniel authored the first published history of Greenwich.

Deacon Potter Mead was a prominent citizen of Horseneck, the original name for central Greenwich.  He was a commissioned captain in the Revolutionary War, town treasurer, real estate agent, deacon and treasurer of the Second Congregational Church, and one of the first Connecticut potters.  As a teenager he was apprenticed to Adam Staats, a Dutchman considered Connecticut’s first stoneware potter.  Staats kiln was located just south of the Davis gristmill.  According to legend, Deacon Potter Mead, from close observation of Staats, discovered the secret of salt glazing.  When Staats observed him throwing salt into the kiln, he is said to have exclaimed, “He’ got it! He’s got it!”  True or not, Mead is known for his functional stoneware that was sold to the farmers and merchants of the Greenwich area and probably beyond to New York and New Jersey as well.  The blue design is typical of his work.    

Deacon Potter Mead (1741-1822) Crock, ca. 1790 Salt-glazed stoneware Gift of the Estate of William E. Finch, Jr., 2001.01.01

Isaac H. Mead (1823-1889) Grain Shovel, ca. 1870 Wood Gift of Joyce Henklein, 1998.05

Bed Warmer, late 18th century
Brass and wood
From Keofferam Lodge
Elizabeth Peck Anderson Memorial Collection, 1946.02.09 

This grain shovel, carved from a single piece of wood, is inscribed on the back of the handle “Isaac H. Mead.”  Isaac Mead was born 4 July 1823, married Mary E. Mead, daughter of Zophar Mead of New York City on 1 March 1855, and died 13 December 1889.  

The Historical Society is rich in Ferris family artifacts and heirlooms. By the end of the 18th century, the descendants of Jeffrey Ferris (1610-1666), who settled Greenwich about 1640, were among the most numerous of the town’s founding families.  In 1795 Nathaniel Ferris built the farmhouse on Shore Road in Old Greenwich later known as the Keofferam Lodge.  Nathaniel was prosperous and owned the first carriage in town.  After his death his wife Mary was the wealthiest woman in Old Greenwich, having acquired large farms from each of her three husbands.

Practical as well as beautiful, bed warmers helped to ameliorate the chill of sheets and blankets during the cold winter months.  The long-handled pans were filled with coals from the fire, placed between the sheets and rubbed briskly back and forth.  It demanded a steady hand in order not to spill the coals and speed in order not to scorch the sheets.  Elizabeth Peck Anderson was a descendant of Nathaniel Ferris; this, as well as other objects used in the house, were given in her memory to the Historical Society following her death in 1945 at the age of 97. 

Foot warmers were portable heaters that helped to avoid the discomfort, or possible frostbite, of the bitter cold New England winters.  A small rectangular pan sits inside to hold the hot coals.  This foot warmer belonged to Enoch Reynolds.  He was a farmer who supplemented his income as a tailor.  This is part of an extensive collection related to the Derby, Ferris and Reynolds families given by Barbara Ferris Van Liew.  Enoch Reynolds was Mrs. Van Liew’s great-great grandfather.

Ann Maria Ferris was one of nine children born to George Ferris and Sally Peck.  She married Joseph O. Keeler but they had no children.  The sampler contains the traditional alphabet in different styles and a poem; the building is unidentified.  Ann Ferris included her name, age, date, where the sampler was stitched and the name of her instructor.

Foot Warmer, ca. 1840 Zinc and oak Belonged to Enock Reynolds (1794-1878) Gift of Barbara Ferris Van Liew, 1989.06.01

Ann Maria Ferris (1827-1917) Sampler, 1839 Wool on linen Elizabeth Peck Anderson Memorial Collection, 1958.17