Joseph Bradford Sargent

     Joseph Bradford Sargent was born on 14 December 1822, in Leicester, MA. He married Elizabeth Collier Lewis, daughter of Curtis Lewis and Jane Gardner Collier, on Monday, 17 January 1848 in Griffin, Georgia. Joseph Bradford Sargent married Florence Winchester von Karajan circa 1878.¹ Between 1891 and 1895 Joseph was the mayor of New Haven, Connecticut.² In the census for 1900 he is listed as 'capitalist.³' Joseph Bradford Sargent and Florence Winchester von Karajan appeared on the 1900 Federal Census of New Haven, in New Haven County, CT, at 51 Elm St, enumerated 5 June 1900, Also listed are 4 servants.. Their children Laura and Ellen were listed as living with them.³ Joseph Bradford Sargent died on 15 July 1907 in New Haven, CT, at age 84. A notice was published in the New York Times, in New York City, NY, on 17 July 1907 SARGENT-At his home in New Haven, Conn., on Monday, July 15, 1907, Joseph Bradford Sargent, in the 85th year of his age. Private services will be held at his late residence on Wednesday, July 17, at 2:30 P.M. Kindly omit flowers. He was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, CT.⁴

Joseph began business life in Boston in 1839 and then went in 1843 to Georgia. In 1849 he moved to New York City and became a commission merchant. Then in 1850 he went into manufacturing. He took his brothers George and Edward as partners. The business was finally consolidated in New Haven and NYC. He retired in 1887 and became Mayor of New Haven from 1891-1895....from Sargent Genealogy in England and America by Aaron Sargent

JBS, wife and daughter moved from Griffin GA to NYC in 1849 living at first in a second storey apartment on Henry St, NW corner of Jefferson. Later they lived with the family of his sister Sophia who was married to William Boggs and had 3 daughters, at 191 E Broadway. Afterwards both families moved to Brooklyn NY and lived together at 168 Washington St.

JBS was in business in NYC at 24 Cliff St 3rd floor, a little tin sign tacked on the door. He sold old fashioned hand cards for himself and also acted as agent for Peck, Walter & Co in Franklin St. New Britain CT, manufacturer of builder's hardward. In 1854 the sign was changed to Sargent Brother & Co. (no Co. but it looked better). In 1854 they moved to 85 Beekman St., and were a selling agent for many concerns. In 1857 they bought out Peck & Walter. They sold many types of hardware paraphernalia. In 1864 they moved the business to New Haven. While selling George travelled in 1854 during Jan and Feb to Louisville, KY, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, Mobile, Montgomery, Atlanta and Washington, all by steamboat and stagecoach.

Joseph moved to New Haven, buying his house in 1878. The residence was at 51 Elm St (corner of Church St) in New Haven. The main entrance was on Church. Also on Church St was a garden, green house and stable shut off from view by a high stone wall. It was built in 1822 by Don David Cortiz de Forest. In 1907 it was torn down. The County Court house is at that spot.

In 1870 JBS wrote to Mr. George J. Brush the treasurer of Sheffield Scientific School of Yale and paid him $2000 in advance to educate 5 people for 3 years - 4 of his sons who were age 5, 7, 9, and 12. Edward Sargent was once arrested on suspicion of being a horse thief. JBS put responsibility upon his sons at an early age. Ned was about 14, a student at Hopkins Grammar School when his father entrusted him with riding a horse alone from Worcester (or some other distant point) to New Haven. At Hartford, where he stopped for the night, he was arrested by an officer of the law, who thought the boy's story sounded fishy, so held him till it could be checked. JBS was furious, but what he said and what he wrote have not been preserved. At any rate the boy was released and continued his journey... When Elizabeth Collier Lewis Sargent died in 1874 Laura took care of her youngest brother John. Her father married Florence who was only 6 years older than Laura, and one year old than Elizabeth, the eldest daughter.

JBS traveled around the world with his wife Florence bringing samples from Sargent & Co. He was an advocate of free trade and in the presidential election in 1884 he left the Republican Party and worked for the election of Grover Cleveland. He attended the 2-day convention in Chicago Nov 15 1885. His brother George was working for the election of Blaine, the Republican candidate.

He wrote many letters which still remain. In speaking of Joseph, his brother said "His (Joseph) idea was of a purely utilitarian character. He believed that a young man's chances were better in business than in a profession; if very able he might win position and distinction in the law, while in business he would secure an independence financially." JBS was in New Zealand in Jan 1888, Australia in Oct-Nov 1889. Then he expected to go to Java, Burmah-Rangoon and Mandalay 800 miles inland - stay in Mandalay and the nearby jungle a month or two, then to Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai (Apr 1890) then Japan. Home, then possibly to South Africa or South America.

JBS was nominated for Governor of CT 1896 on the Democratic ticket. 1896 was the first of 3 times William Jennings Bryan was Democratic nominee for President, nominated on "free silver" platform. The Republican nominee was Congressman William McKinley, a leader of the high tariff group in Congress and author of the McKinley tariff bill. JBS for a dozen years had written and spoken in many parts of the country in favor of "free trade". While he in no sense approved of Bryan's monetary views, he just could not bring himself to support a high-protectionist like McKinley. The handicap of being on the same ticket with Bryan was too great in a state that usually elected a Republican governor, as it did in 1896.^5,6