USA > Connecticut > New London County > A modern history of New London County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 42
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Mrs. Young was highly esteemed in Norwich, Connecticut, not alone for her fine business quality, but for her womanly strength of character and for her pleasing personality. By will, Mrs. Young be- queathed her fortune and land estate to her niece, Mrs. Emma M. (Foerstner) Welte, wife of Emil Welte, and mother of Carl M. Welte (see sketch following).
CARL MICHAEL WELTE-The Weltes of Nor- wich, Connecticut, came to that city in 1867. Their home, at No. 34 East Towne street, formerly the Young homestead, was the former residence of Samuel Huntington, the eighteenth Governor of the State of Connecticut, and a signer of the Decla- ration of Independence. Upon coming into posses- sion of the estate, real and personal of every kind, Mrs. Emma M. (Foerstner) Welte, the legatee, had the homestead remodelled to conform architecturally with the original Colonial style, and although the house has been remodeled several times, its ex- terior still retains the appearance it presented in the days when it was the home of Governor Hunt- ington.
Carl M. Welte is a son of Emil and Emma M. (Foerstner) Welte, and grandson of Michael Welte, the latter born on September 29, 1807, in Voern- bach, Baden, Germany, and later becoming a free- mason and a charter member of "Leopold zu Trene in Oriente" Lodge, in Carlsruhe, Baden, Germany. Emil Welte was born in Voernbach, Schwarzwald, Baden, Germany, April 20, 1841. He attended the elementary school in his native city, and was grad- uated from the Technical School in Furtwagen, Baden, Germany. At the age of twenty-one years, he was appointed by the Grand Duke Frederick of Baden, to represent the clock and automatic musi- cal instrument industries from the Black Forest section at the London, England, exhibition, 1862. He left his home town, Voernbach, and sailed from Liverpool, England, on January 21, 1866, on the ship "Afrika," one of the first side-wheelers, built about 1841, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, February 2, 1866, and the following day, Sunday, reached New York City.
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Mr. Welte came to America for the purpose of installing a very large and expensive orchestrion in William Kramer's establishment at No. 50 Bow- ery, New York City. This automatic, self-playing organ attracted favorable comment from critics, and considering it an opportune time to open an establishment here, Mr. Welte wrote to his father in Voernbach to ship him a number of the smaller type of automatic orchestrions. He opened a store on the northeast corner of Fifth avenue and Twenty- second street, New York City, and later opened an- other on East Fourteenth street, New York City, then the popular shopping district of the city. The business in New York was conducted under the firm name, M. Welte & Son, Branch of M. Welte & Sochne, Voernbach, Germany, and until May 1, 1914, Emil Welte was its active managing head. He then retired to his home, No. 34 East Towne street, Nor- wichtown, Connecticut, but is still chairman of the executive board of M. Welte & Soehne, now located at Freiburg, Baden, Germany, that house being manufacturers of automatic musical instruments. Mr. Welte is a member of the Masonic order, affili- ated with Anchor Lodge, No. 720, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, College Point, Long Island, New York; and a member of Cornucopia Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Flushing, Long Island, New York. He is now living in retired contentment at Nor- wichtown, Connecticut, his wife and one son his companions, the latter being his amanuensis and business representative.
Emil Welte married, June 22, 1871, in the Second Congregational Church, Norwich, Connecticut, Em- ma Marguerite Foerstner, born in Norwich, Con- necticut, March 18, 1853, daughter of Joseph and Mary Foerstner, and niece of Mrs. Phillipena T. F. Young.
The Foerstners of this review are of German parentage. Joseph Foerstner, father of Mrs. Emil (Foerstner) Welte, was born March 23, 1825, in Ellwangen, Wurtemberg, Germany. He was a shoe- maker by trade and came to the United States on the sailing vessel "Sea Queen," May 20, 1852. While upon this ship he made the acquaintance of Mary Young, and when the ship arrived in New York they were married. From there the young couple went to Norwich, Connecticut, to visit the bride's sister, Mrs. Phillipena T. F. Young, and while there Mr. Foerstner secured employment in the mold.ng room in Vaughn's foundry, and there the Foerstners remained. In 1863 Joseph Foerstner joined the 18th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers, Company F, under Captain Henry Peale, later Major Pcale, and left Norwich on August 22, 1862, at four P. M., with fifty-nine inen. While in action near Winchester, Frederick county, Virginia, June 15, 1863, he was captured by the Confederates and thrown into Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia, and while imprisoned in Libby received such scanty food that starvation undermined his health, and he was placed in camp at Annapolis, Maryland, where he died, August 10,
1863, at the age of thirty-seven years. Mrs. Philli- pena T. F. Young traveled from Norwich, Connecti- cut, to Annapolis, Maryland, to claim the body, which was shipped north, and buried in the old Norwich cemetery, Cliff street, with military honors. Mr. Foerstner had been promoted to the rank of corporal.
Mary (Young) Foerstner was born in Kaiserslan- tern in the province of Rhenisch, Bavaria, Germany, in June, 1822, died in her home, in Trenton, New Jersey, in November, 1901, and was buried in Tren- ton. She sailed from Havre, France, May 20, 1852, on the ship "Sea Queen" for the United States, met Joseph Foerstner on board, and upon their arrival in New York City, she became his wife, as above mentioned. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Foerstner were the parents of four children: Emma Marguerite, born on March 18, 1853, who married Emil Welte, above mentioned: Charles, born in 1855; Pauline, born in 1857; and Josephine Foerstner, born in 1863. All of these children were born in Norwich, Connecticut. Charles and Pauline died while under ten years of age, in Norwich; Josephine Foerstner was married in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1884, to George Noss, and died in Norwich, Connecticut, November 19, 1891, without issue. Of the four children only one is living, Mrs. Emma Marguerite (Foerstner) Welte, of No. 34 East Towne street, Norwichtown, Connecticut.
Emma Marguerite Foerstner, eldest of the above children, was born in Norwich, March 18, 1853, and attended the city public schools until 1867, when she finished the courses of the Broadway school. She pursued musical study at Music Vale Seminary, and at Salem Normal Academy of Music, Salem, Connecticut, and is a graduate of both. As above noted, she married, June 22, 1871, Emil Welte, then of New York City, and on June 22, 1921, Mr. and Mrs. Welte celebrated their fifty-first wedding an- niversary in a quiet way, with their immediate fam- ily, both being in good health. Mr. and Mrs. Welte are the parents of two sons: Carl Michael, of further mention; and Emil, Jr., born in January, 1874, died November 16, 1881. The family lived in New York City from 1872 until 1914, when they re- moved to No. 34 East Towne street, Norwich, Con- necticut, where they have resided since.
Carl M. Welte was born in Norwich, Connecticut, in the old Governor Huntington Colonial mansion, then the home of his great-aunt, Mrs. Phillipena T. F. Young, August 8, 1872. The same year his parents removed to New York City, where the lad attended public school, finishing primary school at Pleasant avenue and 120th street, New York City, and then passing to Grammar School No. 14, East Twenty-seventh street, New York City, and finally graduar'ng from Packard Commercial College, cor- ner of Fourth avenue and Twenty-third street, New York City. He took a four years' course in the Young Men's Christian Association, at Twenty-third street and Fourth avenue, in mechanical drawing
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and foreign language, and was a member of that association for eight years. He studied music for seven years under a pianist of professional promi- nence, that being part of his preparation for his father's musical business. While residing in New York City he attended the Universalist Fourth Di- vine Paternity Church, then situated at Forty-fifth street and Fifth avenue. In 188) he entered his father's business, M. Welte & Sons, in New York City, serving as an apprentice and learning the trade of organ builder. In 1893 he was sent to Chicago, Illinois, to the World's Columbian Exposition, to look after the firm's exhibition, in conjunction with his father, Mr. Emil Weltc.
In 1901 he became a member of the firm, M. Welte & Soche, in Freiburg, Baden, Germany, and also of the New York branch, M. Welte & Sons, Inc., sharing in the profits of both firms. On May 1, 1914, he withdrew from active partnership in the New York City firm, M. Welte & Sons, Incor- porated, but retained his shares of stock interests, which he sold in September, 1919, after the govern- ment sold the alien enemy stock which represented the interests of German citizens, who were share- holders in M. Welte & Sons, Inc. He resides in Norwichtown, Connecticut, where he manages his mother's real estate and his father's financial inter- ests. He is a member of the New London County Historical Society; the Norwichtown Rural Asso- ciation; a director in the Empire Tin Mining Com- pany, of Tin City, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, acting as an officer of the executive board. He is also a life member of the Luther Burbank Society, of Santa Rosa, California.
Carl M. Welte was married, November 12, 1903, in the rectory of the parish of the Church of the Transfiguration, "The Little Church Around the Corner," No. I East Twenty-ninth street, New York City, New York, by the Reverend George Clarke Houghton, D. D., to Annie Easter Morgan, of Nor- wichtown, Connecticut, and they are the parents of one son, Carl M. Welte, Jr., who was born in 1907, but died July 27, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Welte are occupying a portion of the homestead at No. 34 East Towne street, Norwichtown, Connecticut, where Mr. Welte was born.
RHODES BURROWS-The Burrows family in New London, Connecticut, descend from Robert Burrows, a Baptist, who came from Manchester, England, to escape persecution, and after residence in Massachusetts, went to Wethersfield, Connecticut, where he was a land owner in 1641. Prior to 1642, he married Mary, widow of Samuel Ireland, and about 1650 moved to New London and was soon numbered among the early settlers of the town of Groton, on the west side of the Mystic river. He was appointed the first ferryman on that stream, and in 1682 died, having survived his wife ten years. Their son, John Burrows, born in 1642, was one of the patentces under the amended Charter of the
New London settlement, which at that time included Groton. The first Baptist church in Connecticut was established in New London, and of that church John Burrows was a member. He married Han- nah Culver, and they were the parents of five sons, through whom a large family has descended.
Rhodes Burrows, one of these descendants, is a son of Frank S. and Helen (Bromley) Burrows, his father born in Mystic, Connecticut, where he died in 1919; his mother, born in Stonington, is still a resident of Mystic, Connecticut, where all her mar- ried life has been spent. Frank S. and Helen (Brom- ley) Burrows were the parents of three children: Rhodes, of further mention; Nelson, deceased; and Roscoc T., now residing in Boston.
Rhodes Burrows was born in Mystic, Connecticut, June 2, 1877, and there completed public school courses of study; later he prepared under Professor Charles Chapman, of Mystic, and in 1908 entered the dental department of the University of Mary- land, whence he was graduated D. D. S., class of 1911. Hc at once began practice in Mystic, Connec- ticut, and there continues. He ranks high in profes- sional ability and has built up a large practice. He is a member of the State Dental Association of Con- necticut, and is highly csteemed by his professional brethren. He is a Republican in politics; his church membership is with the Baptist church; and he is a member of Stonington Lodge, No. 25, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Mystic.
Dr. Burrows married, June 21, 1919, Mrs. Mildred (Denison) O'Neal, of Mystic, Connecticut, widow of Thomas O'Neal.
DEXTER SELLEW CASE-A descendant of one of the oldest and most honored families of Canton, Connecticut, Mr. Case, of Sound View, is success- fully conducting a general store at this popular sum- mer resort on Long Island Sound.
Mr. Case's grandfather, Everett Case, was a prom- inent farmer of Canton, Connecticut, and his son, William Wirt Case, was born in Canton, and fol- lowed farming there throughout his lifetime. Dur- ing the Civil War he enlisted in defense of the Union, and was a member of the Twenty-second Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, but after nine months of service was invalided home on ac- count of broken health. He died in Canton, in August, 1910, at the age of seventy-six years, and is buried there. He married Harriet Dexter Sel- lew, of Coventry, Connecticut, daughter of Nathan and Jerusha Sellew. She died January 31, 1921, and lies buried beside her husband in Canton. They were the parents of two children: Dexter S., of whom further; and Hortense Isabella, who was born in Canton, and is now the wife of Charles French, of Sound View, Connecticut.
Dexter Sellew Case, son of William Wirt and Harriet Dexter (Sellew) Case, was born in Canton, November 20, 1876, and received his early education in his native town, completing his studies at the
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Collinsville High School, which is located in the town of Canton. For a number of years after fin- ishing school Mr. Case was engaged in the lumber business and contract work in the northwestern part of Connecticut. Coming to Sound View in 1910, Mr. Case purchased the general store in which he has since gained substantial success. He has car- ried on this business continuously since establishing himself there.
Mr. Case is well known in the town of Old Lyme, of which Sound View is a part, and is an active worker in the ranks of the Republican party. He fills the office of postmaster at Sound View. He is a member of Collinsville Grange, No. 34, Patrons of Husbandry, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Old Lyme. In 1907-08 Mr. Case served as lieutenant in the Salvation Army, and labored faithfully in the cause of humanity, but for financial reasons resigned to enter upon his busi- ness career.
On August 28, 1913, Mr. Case married Jennie Frances Kimball, who was born December 2, 1884, in New York City, and is a daughter of the late Wilbur and Elizabeth (Chase) Kimball. Mr. and Mrs. Case have four children: Paul Kimball, who was born in Sound View July 28, 1914; David Ben- jamin, born February 16, 1917; Nathan Dexter, born March 15, 1918; and Ruth Esther, born November 19, 1919; all born in Sound View.
ARTHUR E. ANDREWS-We are very properly full of praise in this country for the man who has started at the bottom of the ladder and made his way by means of his own effort to the top. New England is full of such men, and certainly we are justified in adding to the long list the name of Arthur E. Andrews, born in St. Michael's, Azores, October 9, 1882.
Arthur E. Andrews is the son of Martin and Aurekata (Medeiros) Andrews. Martin Andrews was a sea captain for many years, and during his voyages travelled most of the European coast. To Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were born three children: John, a baker in Norwich; Horace, an attorney; and Arthur E., the subject of this review.
The education of Arthur E. Andrews was obtained in his native place, after which he was a clerk in a grocery store there for about three years. In 1901 he set sail for the United States, and upon landing in this country, remained in Boston, Massachusetts, for eighteen months, where he secured a position as clerk, subsequently going to Melrose and associat- ing himself there with his brother, who was man- ager of a large bakery. After gaining a thorough knowledge of this trade, he returned to Boston and was placed in charge of the bakery of J. G. & B. S. Ferguson, which position he held for eight years. In 1913 he came to Norwich and opened a small bakery on the present site of his large enterprise of today. He has had two serions fires, through which he has suffered severe losses, the last one occurring
in June of the present year (1920). On this site he is erecting a large garage. In 1919 Mr. Andrews opened a retail department on Franklin street, where he has a large and very attractive store.
Mr. Andrews is affiliated with the Loyal Order of Moose, the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and the Portuguese fraternity of the United States. He is also a member of the United Commercial Travelers' Association, St. Michael's Society, and the Norwich Chamber of Commerce. In religion he is an Episco- palian and attends the church of that denomination in Norwich.
On June 10, 1906, Mr. Andrews was united in marriage with Mary George, a native of Norwich, Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have no issue.
Such is the life of Arthur E. Andrews, a self- made man, who started in this country poor in finances, but rich in shrewdness and foresight, traits which go to make up a man among men. He quickly adapted himself to circumstances and readily took advantage of every opportunity which would bring him in contact with the worth-while things in life. Today he stands as one of the most prominent and respected business men of Norwich, a shining ex- ample to the youth of America, a product of Democ- racy's free institutions.
RICHARD SAMUEL PARKER-The name of Parker, in Norwich, Connecticut, is closely identified, so far as business connections are concerned, with the paint trade. In the social, political and religious activities of the community, as in business, it stands for progress all along the line.
Richard Samuel Parker, born June 5, 1853, at South Pettenton, England, a son of William Parker, came to this country with his family when only two years of age. The family located in Brooklyn, New York, and there the boy gained his education in the public schools of the city. As he grew to manhood he was ambitious to go out into the world and make a place for himself among men of busi- ness. Accordingly, he became associated with Har- rison Brothers & Company, of Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, as a commercial salesman. The firm man- ufactured an extensive line of paints and painters' supplies, and at that time was high on the list in this industry. Mr. Parker remained with them in the same capacity for thirty years. By this time he had, of necessity, become thoroughly familiar with the ins and outs of the paint business. Never con- tent to know anything superficially, he had also in- formed himself in detail of the various points in- volved in the manufacture of paints; and in 1896 he started manufacturing a line of paints in Brook- lyn, New York. Beginning in a small way, but with his valuable experience behind him, the business de- veloped rapidly. In 1903, appreciating the advant- ages of a small city over a large one to any manu- facturer, he removed his plant to Norwich, Connec- ticnt. There, with Charles H. Preston, he incor- porated under the name, Parker, Preston & Com-
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pany, with a capital stock of $25,000, of which $15,000 was paid in. Mr. Parker became president and general manager, and Mr. Preston secretary and treasurer of the company, which began the manufacture of a very complete line of shingle stains and paint specialties. After Mr. Preston's decease, a few years later, Mr. Parker became sole owner of the entire concern, and under his management the business has continued to grow and expand, the firm name being a synonym for excellence in both ap- pearance and quality. During the later years of Mr. Parker's life, his son Nelson was associated with him in the business, and has carried it on most successfully since his death. Richard Samuel Parker died in Norwich, June 26, 1918, mourned by a wide circle of friends, as well as by the business associates with whom he had so long been in daily contact. He was a man actuated by the highest principles, and commanded the respect of all with whom he had dealings of any kind. His chief de- light, in hours of relaxation, was to enjoy the quiet of his home. He married, November 22, 1877, Mary M. Selsor, of Germantown, Pennsylvania, and they were the parents of eight children, of whom four are living.
Nelson Parker, the seventh child of Richard Sam- uel and Mary M. (Selsor) Parker, was reared and educated in Brooklyn, New York, receiving his for- mal training in the public schools. He then learned the paint manufacturing business with his father, and the two worked side by side in carrying on the business, until the elder Parker's death. At that time Mrs. Parker became president of the company, and Mr. Nelson Parker secretary and treasurer, 25 well as general manager. This arrangement still continues, and the business is now one of the im- portant industries of Norwich. The original name of Parker, Preston & Company is still retained.
Besides being one of the foremost manufacturers of Norwich, Mr. Parker is interested in every phase of public life, and stands for the best in civic devel- opment and progress. In political choice he is a Re- publican. He is a member of Somerset Lodge, No. 34, Free and Accepted Masons, and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. The family are mem- bers of the Central Baptist Church.
On September 17, 1911, Nelson Parker married Mary H. Hurlbutt, of Gales Ferry, Connecticut, daughter of Henry W. and Lydia (Perkins) Hurl- butt. Mr. and Mrs. Parker are the parents of one daughter, Margaret H. Parker.
JOHN WILLIAM CAROLY-For many years the name of the late John William Caroly repre- sented one of Niantic's potent forces in the business circles of the village. Mr. Caroly at the time of his death was proprietor of the National House and was carrying on an extensive ice cream business. He was also active in everything pertaining to the wel- fare of the community, which always found in him an earnest supporter.
John William Caroly was born in the town of Hosserhumburg-on-the-Rhine, Germany, June 4, 1844, the son of Peter and Mary Caroly. During his early married life Peter came with his family to this country and settled in Preston, Connecticut, later removing to Montville, where he lived until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Caroly were the parents of four children: Philip, who was a farmer in Ledyard, Connecticut, and is now deceased; Joseph, a resident of New London; John William, of further mention; and Elizabeth, who married the late John Goss, of New London.
Having been brought by his parents to Preston, Connecticut, when very young, John William Caroly attended the local schools there and in his spare time helped his father in his work about the farm. Like so many men who were youths at the time of the Civil War, he has a military record. At the age of eighteen he enlisted in Company E, One Hun- dred and Fifty-eighth Regiment, New York Volun- teers, and served throughout the war, taking active part in twenty-two campaigns with the Army of the Potomac, and returning home at the conclusion of the war with an honorable discharge. After spend- ing a short time at the old homestead, Mr. Caroly went abroad and toured the European countries for a number of years. Upon his return to this country he located in California for a short time, but finally returned to Connecticut, where for several years he was engaged in various projects, among them being a freight line, which he operated in the transporting of goods from New London to the surrounding islands. In 1876 he came to Niantic and built the National House, and later, from about 1893, this, together with an extensive ice cream business, oc- cupied the greater part of his time until his death, which occurred May 23, 1913.
In all matters relating to the town's welfare, Mr. Caroly ever manifested a keen and sincere interest, aiding always to the utmost of his power any move- ment which tended to further public progress. In politics he was an Independent, preferring to vote for the man regardless of party affiliations. He was affiliated with Union Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, was a charter member of Pequot Lodge, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and attended the Lutheran church.
On August 12, 1872, at New London, Connecticut, John William Caroly was united in marriage with Susie Estelle Clark, a native of New London, whose birth occurred July 13, 1856. She was the daughter of Horatio and Susan (Barnes) Clark. Mrs. Clark was the daughter of Samuel Barnes, who was a member of one of the oldest and most prominent families in New London county. Samuel Barnes was a spur maker and he built the first town pump and installed it where the monument now stands on State street. Mrs. Clark's mother, Abbie (Fish) Barnes, came from old New London stock and was a sister of Captains James and Coddington Fish, who were among the best known and most success-
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