Tiffany Glass

How many of you know that the Tiffany whose name is synonymous with the famous Tiffany Stained Glass was a descendant of the Tiffany family who came to Killingly in the early 1800′s?  Comfort Tiffany came to Killingly and in 1810 became one of the original investors in the Danielson Manufacturing Company.  Comfort operated the company’s store which was located where the present mill stands at the corner of Maple street in Danielson.  About 1827 Comfort Tiffany erected a cotton factory on the Brooklyn side of the Quinebaug River and the family moved to that area.   Although only a teen, his son, Charles Lewis Tiffany, ran the company store for his father after attending the Plainfield Academy.  In the fall of 1837 Charles Lewis Tiffany and his future brother-in-law John P. Young opened Tiffany & Young at 259 Broadway, New York City.
Louis Comfort Tiffany son of Charles Lewis & Harriet (Young) Tiffany was born in New York 18 Feb. 1848 and when he married his second wife, Louise Wakeman Knox in 1886, he incorporated the Tiffany Glass Company.  The world of glass, including stained glass, would never be the same.
Two churches in Northeastern Connecticut are known to have Tiffany stained glass windows –Trinity Church on Route 6 in Brooklyn and Christ Church on Route 169 in Pomfret.   There are others but I don’t know where they are in southeastern Connecticut.  (Taken from an article by Margaret M. Weaver, Killingly Municipal Historian).
The following is from our “Pictures on Memories Walls” book.
After Charles L. Tiffany went to New York he occasionally visited his ancestral home on business or pleasure, and was fond of taking little journeys up the river in a row boat.
Here is a sketch of one of these pleasure jaunts too good to remain buried in the folds of a letter from John L. Spaulding and runs thus:
“During my term of service for Mr. Lathrop, Mr. Charles L. Tiffany came from New York to his old home for a short vacation. On the morning of the day on which he was to return to New York by the ‘steamboat train’ which left Danielsonville at 8.30 in the evening, he came into the store and requested Lathrop to allow me to accompany him in a skiff up the Quinebaug river, where he wished to fish for a part of the day. Mr. Lathrop consented and we started off. After rowing for quite a distance Mr. Tiffany suddenly turned the direction of the boat, not as I thought, toward the river bank, but directly into thick alder bushes, when he stopped rowing and removed his boots and stockings and rolling up the legs of his pants he dragged the boat through the opening made, revealing quite an expanse of clear, still water, on the margin of which he dropped the light anchor.
He had been entertaining on the way up stream, talking with me more than men in those days usually condescended to converse with boys.
Now as he re-entered the boat he became quiet, almost stern, as he instructed me not to make any noise by talking or otherwise. After replacing his stockings and boots he proceeded to arrange his fishing gear for business.
Standing in the boat he cast his line as far as possible, and in a moment I observed a movement in the water, which nearly caused me to shout to him. He gave me a look that meant business, and for about sixty seconds he allowed his fishing line to remain motionless, then commenced pulling it gently toward the boat. I could see by the commotion in the water that something was fast to the outer end of the line. I also noticed how he trembled with excitement as he stood there hauling in the line. Presently with a rapid movement he threw into the boat the handsomest pickerel I had ever seen, at the same time covering the fish with his coat to prevent its leaping overboard.
He soon pulled the boat ashore, and handing me his knife he directed me to cut plenty of green grass which he moistened and placed in a basket and upon which he laid the prize. I remember with what evident satisfaction and pride he displayed his catch on our arrival back to the store, as he undoubtedly did to his New York friends. My present recollection is that its length was about 18 inches and its weight about four and a half pounds. J. L. S.
I hope you like the little stories about people from here who made a difference in others lives.