USA > Connecticut > New London County > A modern history of New London County, Connecticut, Volume II > Part 41
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the New London Savings Bank, president of the New London Steam- boat Company, and also of the New London Gas & Electric Company. He was secretary and treasurer of the Smith Memorial Home, and a trustee of the J. N. Harris estate.
The following complimentary notice of Mr. Coit, written by his fellow-townsman, Hon. Augustus Brandegee, appeared some years ago in the New London "Telegraph":
"He was just entering upon a successful career at the bar, when some evil genius persuaded him to take the position of treasurer of the New London North- ern Railroad, from which he was ultimately pro- moted to be its president. He had every quality to have made a great lawyer and ultimately a great judge. He was cultured in ancient and modern literature. He was familiar with the useful, as well as graceful sciences and arts. He had a diction and power of speech when once aroused that carried not only persuasion but conviction with it. He knew how to express his thoughts with the pen as well as the tongue in pure English, undefiled. He had studied law as a science from its deep English foun- dations, and his mind was broad enough and strong enough to apply it with its limitations and adapta- tions to the whole business of life. And then he had a character as pure as the sunlight, which had come to him through a long line of noble ancestors, with whom honesty, fidelity, integrity and honor were hereditary transmissions, and to whom a stain was a wound. So equipped, I hoped to see him pass from the front rank of the bar to the front rank of the bench, as one of the great names in our judicial history. But just as his sun began to mount to its
meridian he left the bar for the more congenial activities of a business life as president of the New London Northern Railroad. To him more than any and all others, it is due, that the stock of that local corporation, in which so many of the people of this vicinity are interested, stands higher in the market, with but two or three exceptions, than any other railroad in the United States."
On August 1, 1854, Mr. Coit was married to Lucre- tia Brainard, daughter of William F. and Sarah (Prentis) Brainard, of New London, and to them came children as follows: 1. Mary Gardiner, born January 21, 1857, died in childhood. 2. William Brainard, born July 23, 1862.
The Hon. Robert Coit passed away on Sunday night, June 19, 1904. As late as the Wednesday before, he had been down town, and the news of his death, so unexpected, caused universal and sincere regret among all classes of society. His strong personal- ity, his high attainments, his sterling integrity, and his great good heart were appreciated by his fellow- citizens, who revered him as a man and citizen- one who reflected credit on the town and the busi- ness interests with which he was identified. The flags on the city hall and the liberty pole were at half mast in his honor.
Mr. Coit believed strongly in birth, feeling it a duty he owed to his ancestors to maintain unsullied the family escutcheon. He was an active worker in the Society of Colonial Wars in Connecticut, and he was chairman of the commission to place a bronze statue of John Winthrop in New London. In his death the whole State mourns with the bereaved widow and son, for the noble man who entered into rest.
Of him the New Haven "Register" said:
"The death of Robert Coit of New London re- moves from the life of that city one of its foremost citizens. He had reached a ripe old age, and at the moment of his death was enthusiastic in a state service designed to honor the first governor of Con- necticut, and the city of New London, in which he lived. Personally, he was a most charming man, fond of his friends and delighting in their company. Keen as a man of affairs, his probity of character and his rare sense of humor made him a representa- tive son of old Connecticut."
The Norwich "Bulletin"of date June 20, 1904, paid this tribute to his memory:
"Endowed with keen intelligence, marked execu- tive ability and conservative judgment in financial affairs, he always held the confidence of the public, faithfully discharging the duties of a number of important offices. He was an esteemed member of the Republican party."
HON. JEREMIAH HALSEY-The Connecticut bar has given to New London county some of the most brilliant legal minds the world has ever known, and among these none held a more honored place, won not alone by his clear reasoning, sound conclu-
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sions, and thorough mastery of the technicalities, but by his native nobility and dignity of character, than the late Jeremiah Halsey, who entered into rest on Sunday, February 9, 1896, at Washington, District of Columbia.
Mr. Halsey was born in Preston, Connecticut, February 8, 1822, a son of Jeremiah S. and Sally (Brewster) Halsey, and a grandson of Col. Jeremiah Halsey, of Preston, who was an active officer in the Continental army. Mrs. Sally (Brewster) Hal- sey was a descendant in the sixth generation in direct line from Elder William Brewster, of the "Mayflower" company.
Jeremiah Halsey received his literary training in the public and private schools of Preston, and for a time was a student at Norwich Academy. It had been his intention to enter Yale, but ill health made that an impossibility, and he was obliged to go South in search of a milder climate. He located at Hawkinsville, Georgia, and became a student in the law office of Polhill & Whitfield. On April 23, 1845, he was admitted to the bar in Georgia, and, on De- cember IIth following, to that of Windham county, Connecticut. His health had not improved suffi- ciently for him to engage in continued work, so that until September, 1849, he passed his time in travel and study. He then opened a law office in Norwich with the late Samuel C. Morgan, and from that time until his death was actively engaged in the practice of the profession he so loved. When, as a young lawyer, he faced the bar of New London county, he found many there who had acquired far more than a local fame, but Mr. Halsey in a very short time displayed the ability and erudition that made him their equal, and that firmly fixed his place in the front rank of the foremost lawyers of the State. In April, 1863, he was admitted to the bar of the United States Circuit Court, and on February 20, 1870, to the Supreme Court of the United States. In the courts of the State and nation his practice was most varied, but in all departments of law he seemed equally at home.
Mr. Halsey preferred his profession and the hon- ors of legal battles, bravely and honorably fought and won, to distinction in the political arena. Or- iginally he was a Whig, but later became a Republi- can. While he held many offices, the office always sought him. In 1852 and 1853 he represented Nor- wich in the State Legislature, and again in 1859 and 1860. In 1873 he was appointed by Gov. Ingersoll one of the commissioners to supervise the construc- tion of the new statehouse at Hartford, and he so served until the completion of the building in 1880. This statehouse, to the honor of the commis- sioners be it said, was built within the appropriation. In 1853 Mr. Halsey was made city attorney, and for fifteen years efficiently discharged the duties of that office, and for several years he was corporation counsel. Men of all parties reposed confidence in him, because of his uncompromising honesty and his abso- solute impartiality. Among the lawyers of the State
he early became first. His cases were always well. studied, and his logical reason and perfect command of language literally gave to his opponent no. loophole. Judges and lawyers admired him as a brilliant member of their profession, and they re- spected him as a man among men. His life was pure, his habits simple and democratic, and his ca- reer showed no shadow nor stain. While his disposi- tion was somewhat retiring, his friends knew him to love him. His pupils found in him a sympathetic listener and a most congenial companion, and in his home he was a most devoted husband.
Mr. Halsey was a trustee of the Norwich Free Academy; a member of the advisory council of the United Workers; a member of the citizens corps of Sedgwick Post, Grand Army of the Republic; trus- tee and counsel of the Norwich Savings Society; director of the First National Bank; counsel for the Chelsea Savings and Thames National banks; director of the New London Northern Railway Com- pany; and, associated with Rev. W. W. Sylvester (former rector of Trinity) and Hon. John T. Wait, was one of the original incorporators of the Hunt- ington Memorial Home.
In his religious belief Mr. Halsey was an Episco- palian, and a member of Christ Church parish, tak- ing an active interest in its welfare. His death occurred at the "Hamilton Hotel," in Washington, District of Columbia, whither he and his wife had gone for the winter. His health had been poor for some time, but such was his power of endurance and self-effacement that few realized his race was so nearly run, and the sad intelligence that all was over was a severe shock to the many friends at home. Services at the capital were attended by many whose names are household words all over the land-men whom he had met in public life and who had learned to admire him for his upright char- acter and his great ability. All gathered to pay a last tribute to this sturdy son of Connecticut. Final services were held at his Norwich home, and were attended by the mayor, the city council, town and county officials, representatives of the great finan- cial institutions of the county, and a large number of the members of the New London county bar. Be- sides these, noted judges from all over the State came to do honor to one they loved and esteemed. The interment took place in Yantic cemetery, the burial services being read by Rev. Erit B. Schmitt, of Stonington (formerly of Trinity, this city).
On June 1, 1854, Jeremiah Halsey was united in marriage with Elizabeth Fairchild, of Ridgefield, Connecticut.
HON. HUGH HENRY OSGOOD, for a number of years one of the leading druggists of the State of Connecticut, at the time of his death president of the Norwich Druggists' Association, and asso- ciated with numerous other enterprises, commer- cial and otherwise, in his city, county and State, was one of the most progressive, successful and alto-
BIOGRAPHICAL
gether creditable citizens Norwich has ever had the honor to claim. Perhaps no better description of the character of the man could be given than that which appears on the tablet at the entrance to the beautiful parish house of Park Congregational Church, erected to his memory: "An interested and generous member of Park Congregational Church from its organization; a sineere and earnest Chris- tian; a public-spirited citizen; a broad-minded pa- triot; a wise counsellor; a devoted and unselfish friend; a man of noble powers, nobly used." The last clause is the keynote to his whole life.
Colonel Osgood was born October 10, 1821, in Southbridge, Massachusetts, son of Artemas and Saloma (Johnson) Osgood, and passed his earlier years at his native place. At the age of ten he came to Norwich, and first lived with an uncle, but his parents came hither later, from Pomfret, and the family resided in what is now the Young block, on Franklin Square. Mr. Osgood's early ambitions in- clined him toward the drug business, and he entered the employ of Samuel Tyler & Son (afterward Tyler & Devotion), who conducted a drug store in a small wooden building on Water street, where the Tyler building now stands. In March, 1842, in company with his uncle, Dr. Charles Lee, he opened a drug store under the firm name of Lee & Osgood, occupying the room later used for part of their wholesale business. Dr. Lee remained as a member of their firm until his death, in the middle sixties, and Mr. Osgood continued in the business for over half a century, until his death on October 22, 1899. The concern prospered beyond all expectation, in time requiring two large buildings, and Mr. Osgood came to the front not only in that line, but in every branch of commercial enterprise in his section. At the time of his death he was president of the Uneas Paper Company, the Goodwin Cork Cormpany, the Dime Savings Bank, and the Sterling Dyeing & Fin- ishing Company of Sterling, Connecticut. He served a long time as president of the Worcester Thread Company, of Worcester, Massachusetts, and the Glasgo Yarn Company, of Glasgo, Connecticut, until they were absorbed by the American Thread Com- pany. He served a long time as president of the Norwich Bleaching, Dyeing & Printing Company, and when it was merged into the United States Finishing Company, of New York, he became viec- president of the new concern. He was a director of the Thames National Bank, the First National Bank, the Ashland Cotton Company, of Jewett City, the Norwich Gas & Electric Company, the Yantie Woolen Company, and the Richmond Stove Com- pany. Ever on the alert to advance the interests of his own city, he was one of the carly promoters of the "Norwich Bulletin," and acted as president of the Bulletin Association and the Bulletin Com- pany; and he was one of the prime movers in the organization of the Norwich Board of Trade, was the first president of that body, and never lost his interest in it.
Mr. Osgood was equally active in the public life of the community. He served several terms as a member of the Court of Common Council, and was subsequently honored with the mayoralty of the city, serving from 1875 to 1876, and from 1877 to 1886, with what satisfaction may be best judged from the length of his term. Whenever he con- sented to run he was elected with flattering majori- ties, which were fully explained by the character of his administration. Many public improvements were inaugurated and carried through while he was in office, among the most important being a sewer system in the central part of the city, and the introduction of the fire alarm telegraph. He was always interested in the fire department. When the Wauregan Steam Fire Engine Company was organized, his name headed the list, and he was foreman several years, and always a warm friend of the organization, in which he retained an honor- ary membership until his death. Public education was another matter to which he gave especial atten- tion. He was a Fellow of the Corporation of the Norwich Free Academy, and for over forty years served as treasurer of the Center school district.
During the Civil War Mr. Osgood was an ardent Union man, aided in raising and sending troops to the front, and was a member and on the executive committee of the Loyal League, an organization formed to advance the Union cause. While William A. Buckingham was governor, Mr. Osgood was a member of his staff, ranking as colonel, and he was the only one on the staff who served through that governor's entire administration. He was a pro- moter of the organization of the Buckingham Rifles. His political allegiance was originally given to the Whig party, and he joined the Republican party at its organization, and was ever after one of its stanchest supporters.
Socially, Mr. Osgood was one of the organizers of the Kitemaug Association, of which he was pres- ident; was a charter member of the Norwich Club; and held membership in the Areanum Club. Fra- ternally, he stood high in Masonie circles. In 1860 he joined Somerset Lodge, No. 34, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and in 1872 he became a charter member of St. James Lodge, No. 23, Free and Ac- cepted Masons; he also affiliated with Franklin Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; Franklin Coun- cil, No. 3, Royal and Select Masters; Columbian Commandery, No. 4, Knights Templar; and all of the Scottish Rite bodies. He was one of the trus- tees of the Masonic Temple Corporation bonds.
Mr. Osgood's religious connection was with the Park Congregational Church, of which he was one of the constituent members, and he served for years as chairman of the society's committee. He at- tended services regularly, and was active in every branch of work undertaken by the congregation, but he was particularly interested in the Parish House Association, organized to promote church work and build a parish house to accommodate the
NEW LONDON COUNTY
needs of an increasing membership, and afford room for the various entertainments and social functions of the congregation. In February, 1895, it was voted to purchase a piece of land south of the chapel, which had been offered to the association for $3,000. Colonel Osgood purchased the land himself, and before his death deeded it to the association. He was much interested with the idea of having this needed building, and on the Easter morning after his death it was announced that Mrs. Osgood would make a gift of a parish house in memory of her husband. The beautiful building, complete in every detail, and ample for every requirement, was dedi- cated on Sunday, November 2, 1902, and is a fitting memorial to the high Christian character in whose honor it was reared. It is the most beautiful struc- ture of the kind in eastern Connecticut. Colonel Osgood was interested in all benevolent and charit- able work, was a vice-president of the Young Men's Christian Association; was a member of the advisory committee of the United Workers; and for two years was president of the Norwich City Mission. In all these organizations, as, indeed, in every body with which he was connected, Mr. Osgood was a power for good, possessing much influence with all his associates-the result of a life of unimpeachable integrity, combined with ability of a high order. The welfare of his employes was always a matter of concern to him, and he had their unbounded confi- dence and esteem, and the same might be said of his relations with his patrons, among whom he was regarded with feelings of the utmost respect. He was often chosen to act as chairman at public meet- ings, and invariably gave satisfaction in such posi- tions, his remarks being few and well chosen, typical of his unassuming and retiring disposition. All the honors he received came to him entirely unsolicited, and Dr. Howe expressed the general sentiment when, in his funeral address, he said: "No office in his reach could have brought him added honor. The few offices of trust and responsibility which his fel- low-townsmen thrust upon him added nothing to the name he won, and were only accepted as the means of rendering his city a needed service." Such was the impression he made upon those with whom he daily associated.
On June 23, 1892, Mr. Osgood was married, by Rev. Dr. S. H. Howe, to Miss Mary Ruth Lee, of Manlius, New York, who survives him. He was also survived by his twin sister, Miss Jane E. Os- good (now deceased), and several nieces and nephews. Mrs. Osgood is a most estimable lady, and, like her husband, deeply interested in works of a benevolent and charitable nature. She has been connected with the W. W. Backus Hospital since it was established, and is chairman of the advisory committee of that institution. Mrs. Osgood is a member of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
On October 7, 1899, Mr. Osgood and wife left Norwich for Niagara Falls, where Mr. Osgood at-
tended the national convention of wholesale drug- gists. On the return trip he was taken ill, but not regarding his cold as serious, proceeded to Manlius, New York, near Syracuse, where Mrs. Osgood re- sided before her marriage. There he was again prostrated, and became sick with pneumonia, which, with heart failure, caused his death, on October 22. His health had not been good for the last several years. The death of a citizen whose interests were so numerous, whose sympathies were so wide, caused universal grief in Norwich, and throughout that part of the State in general, and many were the expressions of sorrow at his demise. A number of prominent citizens met the remains at the depot, and all honor was shown to one who had throughout life shown himself worthy and highly deserving. During the funeral almost every place of business in the city was closed, and the court house bell was tolled for half an hour at noon that day-the first time such an honor was ever paid to a private citi- zen. There were many other unusual marks of re- spect. At the funeral services in the church were members of the city and town government, bank officials and representatives from the various organi- zations to which Mr. Osgood belonged, and the members of Sedgwick Post, No. I, Grand Army of the Republic, were present in a body, in citizen's dress. Relatives, friends, neighbors, business asso- ciates, employes-all came to do honor to the mem- ory of one who had ever commanded their respect and affection, and a most touching address was de- livered by his pastor, Rev. Dr. Howe. Among the resolutions of sympathy passed by the organizations with which he had been connected, "Cooley's Weekly," of Friday, October 27, 1899, published those from the Common Council, the Norwich Board of Trade, Sedgwick Post, No. I, Grand Army of the Republic, the Masonic Temple Corporation, Hugh H. Osgood Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, M. U., the Wanregan Steam Fire Engine Company, the Dime Savings Bank, the Nor- wich Savings Society, the Thames National Bank, the First National Bank, the Norwich Druggists' Association, the Uncas Paper Company, and the Crescent Fire Arms Company. A few extracts from these will not be out of place in this connection. From the Masonic Temple Corpora- tion:
"At a meeting of the directors of the Masonic Temple Corporation, held in Masonic Temple, Mon- day evening, the following minute and vote were unanimously passed:
"While Hon. H. H. Osgood, thirty-second degree, was not a director, nor even an incorporator, of this corporation, it is felt that his death should receive something more than a passing notice from us. In spite of the almost innumerable interests, public, corporate or private, which demanded his atten- tion, he took a deep interest in the formation and success of this corporation, subscribing liberally for our bonds, willingly consenting to act as trustee
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BIOGRAPHICAL
for the bondholders, in which capacity his autograph appears upon all the bonds.
"He was ever ready with his mature judgment to give us the benefit of his vast experience at the time of our organization and later in the conduct of affairs, and the success which has attended the corporation was a source of deep gratification to him.
"It is therefore voted: That a page in the records of this corporation be set apart to the memory of Hon. Hugh Henry Osgood, the upright citizen, the incorruptible public official, the firm and devoted friend, in short, the consistent Mason, with all that is implied thereby.
"Official. ARTHUR H. BREWER,
"Chas. B. Chapman, Secy. President.
The Thames National Bank:
"By the death of the Hon. Hugh H. Osgood there is lost to the State and community a patriotic and public-spirited citizen of the best type, to our busi- ness interests an exemplar of enterprise, thrift and honorable conduct of affairs, to the poor a friend ever sympathizing, helpful and generous.
"Full of years and honors he has gone to his rest with the respect, the esteem and the love of all to whom he was known. No man has been more widely identified with all the varied interests of a com- munity, with its political and social life, its churches and schools, its manufacturing, mercantile and financial enterprises, and in all he was a leader, not by reason of self seeking, but by the common consent of his fellows, who have recognized in him a superiority in wisdom, in self control, in tact and disinterestedness.
"Kindly in heart, and genial in bearing, he in- vited confidence and from the stores of his large experience, gave counsel to the inexperienced or perplexed. No measure for the public welfare, no plan to relieve private distress, but enlisted his ready sympathy and active assistance.
"Always progressive, he kept pace with the ad- vance of the age, and in appreciation of every mate- rial improvement in social, scientific and industrial affairs he was as one entering upon a career and desirous of equipping himself with the best instru- ments of success. Large minded and far seeing, he wrought for the best interests of the community in which he lived, and among the successful institu- tions of his town there are few which do not bear the impress of his energy, knowledge and public spirit.
"In voicing its own severe loss this board but joins in sympathy with a community which is be- reaved of its foremost citizen.
"Voted, That this banking house be closed dur- ing the hours of the funeral and that the directors attend the services in a body.
CHAS. W. GALE, Cashier."
The First National Bank:
"The death of Hon. Hugh H. Osgood has fallen upon this community with suddenness, and with almost paralyzing force. On ever side spontaneous expressions of respect and affection are heard, and sincere regret that this community has lost its first citizen.
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