Deacon Thomas Judd came from England in 1633 or 1634 and settled at Cambridge, Massachusetts. He removed to Hartford in 1636 and his name is seen on the founders’ monument there. About 1644 he removed to Farmington and was one of eighty-four original proprietors. For sixteen sessions he was deputy to the general court and he passed away at Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1688.

     John Judd, of the second generation, was born in Hartford in 1640 and was representative to the general court many times. He also served as a lieutenant in the French and Indian wars and died in Farmington in 1715.

     Deacon Anthony Judd, of the third generation, was born in Farmington in 1686 and was one of the “seven pillars” of the Kensington church. He, too, was many times representative to the general court.

     John Judd, son of Deacon Anthony Judd, was born in 1718 and became one of the first settlers of New Britain, Connecticut. He served as a lieutenant in the local militia and held various civil offices. He also represented the Kensington church in the Ecclesiastical Society at Farmington in 1752 and he passed away in 1781.

     John Judd, son of John Judd (I), was born in New Britain in 1746 and died there in 1796.

     His son, John Judd (III), was born in 1772, became a blacksmith by trade and later was actively identified with manufacturing interests in New Britain, where he died in 1822.

     Deacon Morton Judd, son of John (III), was born in 1808 and learned the trade of a brass founder, after which he engaged in that line of business on his own account, admitting his brother to a partnership in 1833 under the firm style of M. & O. S. Judd. Their business grew rapidly and in 1853, Albert D., the eldest son of Morton Judd, became a partner and the firm name was changed to M. Judd & Company. In 1863 Albert D. Judd purchased the business but soon afterward sold out to his uncle, Oliver S., and with his brothers, Hubert L. and Edward M. Judd, came to New Haven and engaged in the manufacture of upholstery hardware. Two years later Morton Judd removed to New Haven and formed a partnership with Albert D. for the manufacture of builders’ hardware, and out of this enterprise developed the Judd Manufacturing Company, which was organized in 1870 and of which Edward M. Judd became the president. In 1877 the business was removed to Wallingford, where they erected a large plant and began the manufacture of stationers’ and druggists’ hardware. The principal stockholders were Morton Judd and his three sons, Albert D., Hubert L. and Edward M., Hubert L. acting as the company’s selling agent in New York. About 1870 a branch factory was established in Brooklyn, New York, for the manufacture of upholsterers’ hardware, which in 1884 was incorporated under the name of H. L. Judd & Company. In 1886 H. L. Judd & Company of Brooklyn bought the business and plant of the Judd Manufacturing Company of Wallingford and in 1897 discontinued the Brooklyn plant.

     Many years before his death Morton Judd retired from active connection with the business, his name and association giving character to the enterprise rather than demanding his personal attention. Among the many other enterprises with which Mr. Judd was identified was the Dime Savings Bank, of which he was one of the original incorporators, while for many years he was the vice president. In politics Morton Judd was a republican. He did not seek to figure prominently in political connections, yet under the insistence of his fellow townsmen he consented to serve in public positions and held some of the highest town offices. He served for two terms in the general assembly of the state and left the impress of his individuality upon legislation enacted during that period. Throughout his life he was a most helpful member of the Congregational church and was commonly known as Deacon Morton Judd.

     On the 26th of January, 1828, he was united in marriage to Miss Lucina Dunham, a daughter of Samuel Dunham, of Southington, Connecticut. She died March 21, 1853, and in 1855 Mr. Judd wedded Julia A. Blinn, a daughter of Horace Blinn, of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Her death occurred November 19, 1887. By the first marriage there were born four children: Hubert L., Albert D. and Edward M., all now deceased; and Martha L., who became the wife of Harry Martin and lives in Wallingford. By the second marriage there was one daughter, Mary Burnham, who also passed away. The death of the husband and father, Morton Judd, occurred November 4, 1901, when he was on the eve of his ninety-third birth anniversary. He retained to the last in a remarkable degree a good physique, with the possession of all his faculties.