Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 2, Part 1

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1172

USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 2 > Part 1

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Sen

COMMEMORATIVE

BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

HARTFORD COUNTY, DF45613

CONNECTICUT,

CONTAINING

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS, AND OF MANY OF THE EARLY SETTLED FAMILIES.

Pt. 2.

ILLUSTRATED.

CHICAGO: J. H. BEERS & CO. 1901.

rex 8944 101 4.90

HON. JAMES HENRY ANDREWS, a promi- nent representative of the agricultural interests of Farmington, is engaged in farming on the old home- stead, which has been in the possession of the family for over two centuries. The first to locate here was John Andrews, who, in 1672, was one of the eighty- four proprietors of the town of Farmington. He was a plain, unassuming farmer, of good common sense, and was highly respected in his community. He united with the Congregational Church of Farm- ington, May 9, 1658. To him and his wife Mary were born nine children : Mary, John, Hannah, Abraham, Daniel, Joseph, Rachel, Stephen and Ben- jamin.

(II) Benjamin Andrews, the second in direct descent to our subject, was married May 26, 1682, to Mary Smith, and on Jan. 3. 1686, they united with the church. She died in January, 1707, and on June 14, 1710, he married Miss Dorcas Wetmore, who died Dec. 4, 1716. For his third wife he mar- ried Sarah -. His children were: Benjamin, John, Mary, Stephen, Daniel, Samuel, Johannah and James.

(III) James Andrews, born Aug. 1, 1700, was married Dec. 9, 1730, to Elizabeth Gillet, of Suf- field, Conn., and died July 18, 1761. He had two children: Elijah, born Dec. 6, 1731; and Benja- min, born June 5, 1734.

(IV) Elijah Andrews, a goldsmith, was born Dec. 6, 1731, and was married Ang. 4. 1761, to Sarah Thompson, a daughter of Timothy Thomp- son. She was born in Avon June 14, 1741, and died

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AH! Andrews

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Jan. 14, 1814; he died Sept. 28, 1803. In their family were five children : James, Lucy, Samuel, Sarah and Beulah.

(V) James Andrews, the grandfather of our subject, was born Nov. 22, 1762, and followed farm- ing throughout life, near or on the old homestead where the family was first founded in Farmington. He was one of the brave men who fought so val- iantly for the independence of the Colonies during the Revolutionary war. On March 13, 1791, he married Eunice Gillette, of Northington, who was born Jan. 19, 1768, and died July 12, 1831 ; he died May 31, 1845. To them were born nine children : Eveline, Fanny, Romeo, Amon, George, Lydia, Eve- lina, Sally and James L.

(VI) Amon Andrews, the father of our subject, was born on his father's farm March 18, 1798, and became a prosperous farmer, owning and operating some of the land belonging to the founder of the family in Farmington. He was married May 2, 1827, to Roxana Goodhue, of Avon, who was born Sept. 30, 1803, a daughter of David and Abigail (Winchell) Goodhue. She united with the Con- gregational Church of Farmington in March, 1829, and her husband joined the same in June, 1843. He died at his home Aug. 22, 1869, honored and re- spected by all who knew him; she departed this life in April, 1872. They had six children, of whom James Henry, our subject, is the eldest ; Lydia, born in 1831, died when only six weeks old; Jane Eliza- beth was born Feb. 10, 1833; Caroline Fidelia was born Oct. 18, 1834; Ellen Sophia, born May 13, 1837, was married Sept. 8, 1862, to George D. Wil- son ; and Franklin A., born Jan. 5, 1839, was mar- ried Dec. 1, 1862, to Jennie Bulkley.

(VII) James H. Andrews, the subject of this sketch, was born Nov. 7, 1828, and was educated in the Waterville District school, Farmington. He was married Oct. 8, 1861, to Miss Helen Maria Bulkley, who was born April 11, 1839, a daughter of Charles and Helen (Woodruff) Bulkley, of Avon, Hartford county. Three children were born of this union : Marian Bulkley, Sept. 11, 1862; Frederick Henry, Sept. 4, 1865 ; and George Franklin, Nov. 26, 1867. On Nov. 29, 1894, Frederick H. married Car- rie Moore, of Illinois, and they have three children, George Henry, Raymond Bulkley and Harold Frederic. Miss Marian B. Andrews completed her education at the Hartford Public High School, and for several terms has been teacher in Hartford county.

Mr. Andrews resides on the old homestead of his father, and in connection with farming has fol- lowed mechanical pursuits. He has been engaged in the manufacture of wagon hubs and spokes in Avon, and at present is interested in the cider and vinegar business with his two sons. He takes a deep and commendable interest in public affairs, as every true American citizen should, and capably repre- sented Farmington in the State Legislature in 1859. As a progressive and public-spirited citizen he gives his support to every enterprise which he believes will

prove of public benefit. He is a sincere and con- sistent Christian, and has been an active member of the Farmington Congregational Church since 1858. His wife united with the church at East Avon the same year, and in 1863 transferred her membership to the Farmington church. Our subject was greatly interested in the publication of the "Andrews Me- morial."

REV. THOMAS H. SHANLY, for more than two years parish priest of St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Poquonock, won, during his residence in that town, the esteem of all classes of people, ir- respective of sect or creed. In addition to the duties of this parish he had charge of the Catholic Mission at Windsor, St. Gabriel's, and his untiring efforts for the promotion of the spiritual welfare of the members of both his little flocks had most grati- fying results. As an orator Father Shanly pos- sesses more than ordinary force and eloquence, and his well stored mind, genial disposition and fine executive ability show rare qualifications for his sacred calling. The following brief history of his career will be of interest, not only to his present parishioners, but to future generations of devout adherents of the faith.

Father Shanly was born Dec. 23, 1860, at Marys- ville, Yuba county, California, a son of John and Elizabeth (Seery) Shanly, natives of Ireland. When our subject was about six years old his par- ents removed to Waterbury, Conn., where they still reside, and his education was begun in the public schools of that village. Later he attended St. Charles College, at Ellicott City, Md., having made an early decision to enter the priesthood, and on leaving that institution he took a course in the Theological Seminary connected with St. Bona- ventura's College, at Allegany, N. Y. In 1866 he was ordained by the learned Bishop S. V. Ryan, of Buffalo, and his first assignment to duty was as assistant to Father Creden, at Moosup, Conn. Be- ginning his labors there on Nov. 1, 1886, he re- mained until May 12, 1889, when he was appointed assistant at St. Francis Church, in New Haven, where he spent nine years. In February, 1898, he received an appointment to his late charge, and on March 23, 1900, he was appointed to the church at Westport, which he is now serving.

REV. JOSEPH TOY (deceased) was a native of England, yet a biographical history of Simsbury would be incomplete without a sketch of his life work. No man had at heart a closer interest in the welfare of the town than he, when he was a resident thereof. He was extremely conscientious, a grand and noble man ; was successful in business, and amassed a fortune, but could always find time to abandon the pursuit. of wealth to fill some pulpit or to address a meeting. His church work was far more pleasant to him than business, and he left to his posterity a good name, more valuable by far than his worldly possessions.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Joseph Toy was born in the town of Camborne, Cornwall, England, in April, 1808, the youngest of ten children that blessed the marriage of Robert and Ann ( Hosking) Toy, and was the only member of the family to come to the United States. He was quite young when he lost his parents. His oppor- tunities for attending school were rather limited, but his intellect was keen, and as he had a great relish for study the means for gratifying this laud- able ambition was furnished him by a gentleman who had taken an interest in him, and who gave him the free use of his library. Of this privilege he eagerly availed himself, and was so studious that he qualified himself for teaching school, a vocation he followed some years, and was then ordained as a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, being endowed with great oratorical powers; he preached many months in England.

Mr. Toy was first married to Jane Osler, who was born in Falmouth, England, Aug. 1, 1802, and was a daughter of Benjamin Osler. To this mar- riage were born five children, whose names will be given farther on. While still a young man, Mr. Toy was employed by Bickford, Smith & Davy, fuse manufacturers, at Tucking Mill, in Cornwall, who had a branch in the United States. In 1839 Mr. Toy brought his wife and three English-born chil- dren to this country, in order to fill an important position in the fuse factory at East Weatogue, in the town of Simsbury, which factory was conducted by Bacon, Bickford & Co. Fire destroyed this plant, and the firm, removing to Simsbury, resumed business under the name of Toy, Bickford & Co., Mr. Toy having been admitted into partnership at East Weatogue, on the withdrawal of Mr. Bacon ; they held to the last-mentioned style until the death of Mr. Toy, in April, 1887. The children born to the first marriage of Mr. Toy were named: Mary, who was born in England, and was married to Rev. J. W. Dodge, of Newburyport, Mass .; Joseph, born in England July 23, 1830, who recruited Company H, 12th Conn. V. I., mostly in the vicinity of Sims- bury, was commissioned captain, and died June 21, 1862, at Carrollton, La., his remains being brought home and interred at Simsbury, where he had been in business with his father; Susan, now the wife of R. H. Ensign, of Simsbury ; Anna J., the first of the children born in the United States, married to L. S. Ellsworth, of Simsbury; and Julia, the wife of Rev. C. II. Buck, of the Methodist Church, of Bris- tol, Conn. Mrs. Jane Toy passed away July 27, 1848, a devout Methodist, and was buried at Simsbury.

Mr. Toy for his second wife married Mrs. Sarah G. Merritt, whose maiden name was Humphrey, and who was born Oct. 25, 1817, and died Sept. 24, 1881, the mother of the following children : William W., who died when an infant; George B. D., born March 18, 1852, died March 25, 1881 ; and Sarah Jane, the wife of Charles A. Ensign, of Tariff- ville, whose sketch appears elsewhere. The third wife of Mr. Toy was Miss Mary Seymour, daugh- ter of Chester and Sabra (Ensign) Seymour, of

whom more may be found elsewhere, and to this union one child, Josephine, was born Jan. 19, 1884. Mrs. Mary Toy is still a resident of Simsbury. She is a member of Abigail Phelps Chapter, D. A. R., and of the Colonial Dames.

In politics Mr. Toy took but little interest until the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, when his sympathies were strongly with the Republican party, as he was a bitter foe to slavery, but he was never active in that party's partisan work, contenting himself with voting, and working for good men for office. Although he was never regularly con- nected with the Conference, he frequently was called upon to fill vacancies in the Methodist pulpit, was one of the founders of the church of that denomina- tion at Simsbury, and was a liberal contributor to- ward its support and active in its work. He was a well-preserved gentleman, and up to within a few years of his death attended to his business affairs personally. He delighted in addressing bodies of young men, and always had attentive listeners, and he was, all in all, a bright example of the self-made man, who deserved the admiration and emulation of his younger companions.

CHESTER SEYMOUR (deceased) was in his lifetime one of the well-known and highly respected citizens of Simsbury, where during the earlier por- tion of his life, before he was stricken by disease and became an invalid, he carried on an extensive carriage making business. He was born in Hart- ford, Dec. 24, 1824, of the best New England an- cestry, being a direct descendant of one of the first settlers of the colony, Richard Seymour, to whom also Origin Seymour, Horatio Seymour, of New York, and Gov. Thomas H. Seymour, of Connecti- cut, trace their lineage. His grandfather, Asa Sey- mour, married a daughter of William Dennison, of New London, who traced his ancestry to John Brewster.

Chester Seymour, the father of our subject, was a brother of the late Mrs. D. F. Robinson, of Hart- ford. The mother of our subject was Florilla Mather, a lineal descendant of Rev. Richard Mather, the father of Increase Mather, and the grandfather of Rev. Cotton Mather.

Chester Seymour, our subject, was gifted with a keen, active mind and unusual energy of char- acter. He was also generous, tender hearted and unselfish. He took a deep interest in public affairs, and was twice elected to the Legislature,in 1858 from Simsbury, and in 1868 from East Granby. From 1850 to 1860 he carried on carriage building at Simsbury, and later removed to a farm in East Granby, which he had purchased. He married Miss Sabra Ensign, a native of Simsbury, who was born Aug. 18, 1826, daughter of Moses and Martha (Whiting) Ensign, and the children born to this union were as follows: Frank C., of the Seymour Manufacturing Co., Chicago; Mary, widow of Jo- seph Toy, living at Simsbury; Moses, a farmer of East Granby; William A., of Boston, an employe

783

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of the railway mail service ; and Lucius H., a farmer of East Granby.

Our subject died March 4, 1895, after twenty- two years of illness and physical helplessness. He had been stricken March 12, 1873, with a severe attack of cerebro-spinal meningitis, from which he was a sufferer, in the helpless condition in which it left him, until death. His widow, an estimable lady, who yet survives, resides in Simsbury. Mr. Seymour was well known and a man of much more than ordinary intellect. At his death he left a name highly honored and his family is a credit even to a citizen of his excellent character. He was fear- less, open and sincere in word and deed. He hated with the intensity of his nature all cant and insin- cerity, and the dreary platitudes of religious com- monplace. His soul was in perpetual revolt against much that passes for religion, but for religion it- self, pure and undefiled, there was a large place in his mind and heart. He had many friends, and was a most congenial companion. He was es- pecially a great friend of little children, who were attracted to him, and whose innocence of mind and heart in turn attracted him.

REV. FREDERICK W. HARRIMAN, M. A. Few citizens of Windsor have worked as assidu- ously and effectively for the promotion of the best interests of the community as has the honored rec- tor of Grace Episcopal Church, whose history is briefly outlined below. While giving to the work of his parish zealous attention, which has pro- duced most gratifying results, he has entered with hearty sympathy into various movements that aim at the general welfare of the people, and in more than one instance his suggestion has sown the seed and his influence fostered the growth of projects which cannot fail to be of permanent value.

Mr. Harriman comes of good Colonial stock, and is a descendant of Jasiel Harriman, a well- known citizen of Sandwich, N. H., who was born in 1727, and died in 1802.

James Harriman, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in 1769, and died in 1848. He married Sarah Eaton, and their son, Rev. Jesse Harriman ( 1793-1873), was a Methodist minister, and for many years a member of the Maine Con- ference. His wife, Sophia (Hilton), was a daugh- ter of Moral Hilton (1755-1840), of Wiscasset, Maine, a soldier in the Revolutionary army.

Rev. Frederick Durbin Harriman, the father of our subject, was born in 1823, and died in 1897. He was a man of fine mental ability and rare spirit- uality, and for many years was a prominent clergy- man in the Episcopal Church. From 1851 to 1853 he was a rector of the church at Crawfordsville, Ind., but his later years were spent in Connecticutt as corresponding secretary of the Society for the In crease of the Ministry, his headquarters being at Hartford. As a descendant of a Revolutionary hero he became identified with the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and through-

out his life he gave his influence to the support of all movements which seemed worthy. He married Miss Mary Jones Bostwick, daughter of the Rev. Will- iam Warner Bostwick (1797-1845), an Episcopal clergyman of western New York and a descendant of the Bostwicks of Cheshire, England, who settled in Stratford, Conn., in 1668, the line of descent be- ing traced through Nathaniel ( 1699-1756), Arthur 1729-1802), and William (1765-1825). Mr. Bost- wick married Mary Lewis, daughter of Ozias Lewis (2), of Litchfield, Conn., a descendant of George Lewis (or Lewes), one of the first settlers of Barnstable, Mass., where he died in 1662-3. Mrs. Bostwick was also a descendant of Theophilus Eaton, first governor of the New Haven Colony, his daughter, Hannah, having married William Jones, the deputy governor, by whom she had a son, Isaac, the father of Timothy, the father of Isaac, the father of Mary Jones, who became the wife of Ozias Lewis (2).

Rev. Frederick William Harriman was born Nov. 22, 1852, in Crawfordsville, Ind., during his father's pastorate there, but has passed nearly all his life in Connecticut, having been educated in the Rectory school, Hamden ; the high school, Hart- ford ; Trinity College, and Berkeley Divinity School. He taught the classics for one year in the Episco- pal Academy at Cheshire. On May 31, 1876, he was ordained deacon in the Protestant Episcopal Church, by Bishop Williams, and on June 7, 1877, he was ordained to the priesthood by the same bishop. For a few months he assisted his father, who was then corresponding secretary of the So- ciety for the Increase of the Ministry. From April 1, 1877, to Feb. 1, 1879, he was assistant minister in St. Andrew's Church, Meriden ; from Feb. 1, 1879, to April 1, 1880, rector of St. James', Winsted ; from April 1, 1880, to March 1, 1886, rector of Trinity Church, Portland; and has been rector of Grace Church, Windsor, ever since. In addition to this last rectorship he supervised the missionary work in two counties, as archdeacon of Hartford, from April 18, 1893, to Nov. 14, 1896; was secre- tary and treasurer of the Church Scholarship So- ciety, from June 13, 1893, to June 12, 1894 ; was as- sistant secretary of the Diocese of Connecticut from June 10, 1890, to June 11, 1895 ; and has been sec- retary of the Diocese since the date last mentioned. Since locating in Windsor he has done much effect- ive work in the cause of education, having served as a school visitor from September, 1887, to October, 1888; and again from Oct. 7, 1889, to Oct. 3, 1898, being chairman of the board for nine years. He was secretary of the building committee when the Third district erected the "Roger Ludlow School," 1893-94, and proposed the name, which was adopted on its completion. He has been a member of the l'ub- lic Library committee ever since its beginning in 1888, was elected a Junior Fellow of Trinity College four times, for the years from 1889 to 1901 ; and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Psi Upsilon Fraternity, and the Colt Trust Association.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Mr. Harriman takes a deep interest in the history and welfare of "Ancient Windsor," and in his ad- dress at the unveiling of a stone to commemorate the Plymouth party who built the first house in Windsor in 1633, he proposed the erection of a substantial building for the Public Library, to be also a memorial to the settlers and soldiers of the town.

On Oct. 19, 1882, Mr. Harriman married Cora Elizabeth, daughter of Charles A. Jarvis, of Port- land, Connecticut, and granddaughter of Dr. George O. Jarvis, and of Sylvester Gildersleeve. She is a descendant of John Jarvis, elder brother of the second bishop of Connecticut, and, through him, of William Jarvis, one of the first settlers of Hunting- ton, Long Island. Through her grandmother, Mrs. George O. Jarvis, whose maiden name was Phila- mela Marshall, she traces her descent from Capt. Samuel Marshall, of windsor, who was killed in the "Swamp Fight," in 1675, during King Philip's war ; while other lines of her ancestry connect her with early Windsor settlers, including the Grant, Porter and Gibbs families.

HON. FREDERICK WELLES, for many years a leading resident of Glastonbury, is a worthy rep- resentative of a family which has been prominent in the history of the country from an early day. He is a direct descendant of Gov. Thomas Welles, who died in 1660, and is of the fifth generation in descent from Samuel Welles, a noted man in his day. Gid- eon Welles, a member of President Lincoln's cabi- net, was a second cousin of our subject. The family has been identified with Glastonbury for more than two hundred years.

Joseph Welles, our subject's grandfather, was born November 9, 1756, a son of Captain Sam- uel and Lucy (Kilbourn) Welles. He died September 7, 1808, leaving a fair competence, gained by an extensive trade with the West Indies. "His brother Samuel was in partnership with him in this business, and for many years they were engaged in sending hay and horses to the islands, bringing back rum and molasses. Joseph Welles also conducted the "Welles" hotel at Glas- tonbury, to meet the demands of the stage travel of those days. He was an out-spoken man, somewhat stern in manner, but was much respected in the com- munity. He married Susannah House, born Oct. 9, 1756, daughter of Benoni and Susannah ( Hollis- ter) House. She survived him and married Gad Talcott, of Hebron, Conn., where her death oc- curred April 6, 1826. Joseph and Susannah Welles had the following children: Susannah, born April 3. 1780: Joseph and Leonard (twins), born April 15, 1781 : Leonard (2), our subject's father ; Joseph, born March 31, 1784, who settled in Ohio; Lucy, born Feb. 6, 1786; Clarissa, born March 3, 1787 ; and Lucy, born Nov. 21, 1790.

Leonard Welles was born in Glastonbury April 28, 1782, and as his health was poor in early life he spent much of his time at his father's hotel. He

also taught school for a time, but after his marriage to Miss Sally Sellew, which occurred Oct. 13, 1804, he engaged in farming. He located at the corner of Main street and Naubuc avenue, where Miss Alice Goodrich now resides, and by his industry and close attention to business made a good. income, though he was never considered a rich man. To politics he gave but little heed, but he affiliated with the Whig and Republican parties on national issues. He lived to the good old age of ninety years, keep- ing his health and faculties almost to the last, and when seventy years old he drove a wagon with two yoke of cattle and a horse for forty days in suc- cession, between Glastonbury and Hartford, taking fifty hundred-weight of tobacco and bringing back a load of lumber. He was fond of his home and

family, and to each of his boys he gave $500 as they came of age, their remarkable financial success being a source of great pride to him in later years. In

religious faith he was a Congregationalist, and as a citizen he was held in high esteem. He died at his homestead Jan. 19, 1873. His wife, who died Nov. 5, 1859, was born Nov. 15, 1784, daughter of John and Sally ( Smith) Sellew. Her twin sister, Nancy, married Norman Hubbard, of Glastonbury. Our subject was the youngest of a family of six chil- dren, and is now the only surviving member. Of the others: (I) Oswin, born Jan. 19, 1809, was a pioneer tobacco packer of Glastonbury, and the most successful man of his day in his town. As a young man he learned the cabinet-maker's trade and en- gaged in the manufacture of tubs, pails, chairs and, later, cigar boxes, but seeing the possibilities in the tobacco business he began dealing in that commodity, both in leaf and in cigars. A shrewd business man financially, he was also generous, and his affection for his family was shown in his treatment of his brothers, whom he took into partnership, all of them becoming wealthy men. He was a remarkable man in many ways, and it was characteristic of him to never hurry, yet always be on tme. He married (first) Miss Sarah A. Goodrich, of Portland, Conn., (second) Miss Helen Penfield, (third) Miss Kate Coffin. He died Aug. 9, 1879, in Hartford, where he had lived some years previous, enjoying the fruits of a highly successful life. He had seven sons, but only one, Cassius, lived to maturity ; he died at thirty-nine years of age. (2) Nancy, born Sept. 6, 1811, married Joseph Edwards Goodrich, of Port- land, and died Dec. 20, 1891, in Glastonbury. (3) John S., born Feb. 13, 1814, was a tanner at East Haddam, Conn., until 1856, when he removed to Glastonbury and became associated with his broth- ers in the tobacco business, accumulating a large property. He married Maria H. Chapman, of East Haddam, Conn., and his death occurred Dec. 29, 1888. (4) Leonard T., born Feb. 23, 1818, died Sept. 11, 1879. He married Lucy Carter. (5) Henry, born Oct. 24, 1821, died Jan. 17, 1853, in Glastonbury. 'He married Delia Bartholomew, of Wallingford, Connecticut.

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Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 2, Part 1

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1172

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1172