Sturges Morehouse Judd
1809 — 1904
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Sturges Morehouse Judd was born on February 6, 1809 at Old Danbury, Connecticut, (later called Bethel) and was a direct descendant in the 7th generation of Deacon Thomas Judd from Farmington CT and Northampton MA, one of the original proprietors of the Mattatuck plantation. Of the original proprietors, 4 were from the Judd family, more than from any other family name.
"Father Judd" as he was widely known in his later years, lived until the age of 95, having made his home in Waterbury for 53 years. In 1830, at the age of 21, he married Alphia Sturdevant of Brookfield and they had 5 children, 3 of whom lived to adulthood (all 3 were daughters). After a brief period of living in Norwalk (1849-1851), the family removed to the town settled by Judd's ancestors more than a century and one-half earlier.
In 1860, at the age of 50, Judd's occupation was listed as "Works in Factory", connecting him by trade with many thousands of area residents. Judd developed a deep appreciation for the recorded history of the region and this city in particular. In 1870, he was hired as an Assistant Marshall by the Federal Government in order to conduct the 9th Census of the United States for the towns of Waterbury and Wolcott. Looking through the ledger images, researchers today can appreciate the penmanship and attention to detail that Judd gave to this project. Six years later, Judd would use this experience to record, at his own personal expense, a detailed census for the city of Waterbury in commemoration of the United States Centennial. Within the pages of this ledger are recorded the names and other vital information for all residents of the city. This 1876 Centennial Census is, without question, one of the most valuable historical artifacts to survive to the present day.
From 1862 until 1891, Judd was caretaker of the Grand Street Cemetery (also called the Old Burying Ground). Knowing the importance of this ancestral burying ground, Judd conducted a detailed survey of the site to record the names and locations of those interred within. With the removal of many remains to Riverside Cemetery which opened in 1853, as well as the later destruction of the Grand Street site to make way for a public library, the records created by Judd are all that remain of the burial sites of our founding ancestors.
Judd was a longtime member of the Second Congregational Church and was also a highly regarded member in various Masonic organizations. In his obituary, which dominates nearly an entire page of the Waterbury American, Tuesday evening, 13 September 1904, it notes that Judd enjoyed being the oldest Mason in Connecticut and, at the time of his passing, possibly the oldest mason in the United States. The article notes that Judd was a Republican, always one of the first to vote, and also among the first each year to pay his taxes.
The contributions of Sturges Morehouse Judd to the history and genealogy of Waterbury are priceless. Throughout the history of the Mattatuck Plantation, later the town and city of Waterbury, there are few individuals known to have dedicated more of their time, energy, and expertise to the preservation of area history and genealogy for future generations. Several members of the Waterbury Hall of Fame, who knew Judd during his lifetime, have at one time or another noted his contributions to the recorded history of the area. Those giving public praise to Judd's contributions included Rev. Dr. Joseph Anderson, Dr. Henry Bronson, and William J. Pape - the three men well known and recognized for their own contributions to the preservation of city history.
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