USA > Connecticut > New London County > A modern history of New London County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 63
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separated, but Joseph and his wife remained in Canada where they prospered. But old age came on and they sold their home in Kingston and joined their sons in the United States. Mrs. Goodfellow, aged eighty-four, is now sojourning with their son Robert in New London; Joseph, the father, with their son James at Ilanover, New Hampshire. Jo- seph and Henrietta (Weir) Goodfellow are the parents of four sons and a daughter : Robert Weir, of further mention ; Joseph, James, Mary and Alex- ander.
Robert Weir Goodfellow was born in Glasgow, Scotland, August 4, 1867, but soon afterward was brought to the United States, to Adams, Massa- chusetts. As stated, the family journeyed from Adams to Canada, thence in 1877 to the old home in Glasgow, Scotland, where the lad Robert was educated. He grew up in the shadow of the great ship building yards and as his father was a ship caulker, he naturally embraced the ship building trade. He accompanied the family to Kingston, Canada, where he engaged in building lake vessels and there remained until 1892, when he married and brought his wife to reside in New York City. There he was engaged with a boat building com- pany, specializing in electrically propelled boats and, as superintendent of the Electric Launch Com- pany, he continued six years, making New York City his home.
Every Scotchman inherits a love for the soil, and in 1898 Mr. Goodfellow bought a farm in Lebanon, New London county, Connecticut, the Lyon Hunt- ington farm situated on Goshen Hill, one of the best farms in the town. For two years Mr. Good- fellow cultivated his farm and made it his home, then went to the peach raising section of the town of Montville, buying a farm at Kittenomang; but after moving to that section, he devoted most of his time in the boat building industry along the coast, and in 1919 he bought a modern residence near Connecticut College, and in the Pequot avenue district of New London, built an extensive boat building shop. He ran the shop until the spring of 1912, then was bought out by his neighbor, the United States Electric Heater Corporation, Mr. Goodfellow then accepting a position with the cor- poration as superintendent of their marine de- partment. He is a member of Clan Cameron, New London Post, Order of Scottish Clans; is a Repub- lican in politics, and in church affiliation a member of the Second Congregational Church.
Mr. Goodfellow married Maude Tarrant, born at Wolf Island. Province of Ontario, Canada, April 9, 1872, daughter of John and Henrietta (Bennett) Tarrant, both of English birth, and the parents of eight children. Mr. and Mrs. Goodfellow are the parents of four children: Agnes Maude. born in Kingston, Canada, June 22, 1896, now a teacher in the town of Groton. New London county; Mildred Muretta, born April 26. 1898, married a boatswain of the first class in the United States navy; they are the parents of two daughters: Eleanor and Helen ; Robert Alexander, born in Perth, Ontario,
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Canada, March 6, 1900; and Jessie Weir, born in Kingston, Ontario, July 28, 1903, married John Monte of Norwich, Connecticut, and has two chil- dren : John Weir and Maria Monte.
WILLIAM AVERY COOKE-The name of Cooke is a very old one and may be found in the Doomesday book of "William the Conqueror," Gis- lebertus Cocus, also Captain James Cook. In 1462 a Cooke was lord inayor of London. Sir Thomas Cook, of Middlesex, was governor of the East India company. Sir Thomas Cook, of Worcestershire, founded the Worcester College at Oxford. Sir An- thony Cooke was tutor of King Edward in 1543. In 1612 a Cooke was chancellor of the Irish Exchequer. In 1504-08 Edward Cooke was mayor of Doncaster. Sir Edward Cook was secretary of foreign affairs in the cabinet of Charles I in 1635. The name can be traced in America for nearly three hundred years through three historians: Jackson, in his "History of Newton;" Dr. Band, in his "History of Water- town;" and Savage, in his "Genealogical Dictionary of New England," down to 1700, copies of which can be found in many large libraries. A copy of the Cooke coat-of-arms is in the family of the present generation.
William Avery Cooke, of Fort Hill farm in the town of Montville, New London county, Connecti- cut, is of the ninth generation of the family founded in New England, by (1) Gregory Cooke, born in Eng- land, and died in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1690. The line of descent from Gregory Cooke, is through (II) his son Stephen, born in England in 1647, died at Cambridgeville, Massachusetts in 1738, (III) his son Stephen (2), born in Newton, Massa- chusetts in 1683, died in 1760; (IV) his son John, born at Newton, Massachusetts, settled in 1710 in Preston, Connecticut, died in 1762; (V) his son James, born in 1717; (VI) his son Isaiah, born in 1741, died in 1803; (VII) his son Captain James, born in 1768, died in 1850; (VIII) his son Colonel Dwight W .; (IX) his son William Avery. The following matter relates to Isaiah Cooke (VI) and to Captain James Cooke of the seventh generation, also some of his children, this being of especial in- terest as it is historical in its relation to the woolen industries of the United States.
(VI) Isaiah Cooke, great-grandfather of William Avery Cooke, was the pioneer in the woolen indus- try of Eastern Connecticut. He was not in sym- pathy with the revolutionary movements of the colonies in the beginning, but experienced a change of heart and became so intense in his de- votion to the cause, that he gave almost the entire product of his mill to be made into clothing for the soldiers of the Colonial army. He was a warm friend of Governor Trumbull, the war governor of Connecticut. The three historical cases of clothing sent to General Washington at Valley Forge were largely carded, spun and reeled in his mill in Pres- ton, and woven on hand looms in Windham and New London counties.
(VII) Captain James Cooke, born in 1768, died in
1850, was bred a woolen manufacturer and worked with his father until 1823, when he located with his brother Chester in Northfield, Massachusetts. He sold out in 1828, and in 1830 removed to Lowell, Massachusetts, as agent of The Middlesex Mills, remaining with that company until 1845. Up to 1840 all figured woolen cloth had been woven on hand looms, and it was thought it always would be. But under Mr. Cooke's direction the Crompton loom for weaving cotton was altered and changed to weave wool, which proved a great success, and there fancy cassimeres were woven on a power loom, the first in the United States. Mr. Cooke for many years had a cutting from the original piece of cloth, the first ever woven on a power loom in the world. In 1846, Mr. Cooke went as agent to the Winooski Mills at Burlington, Vermont, and remained six years. During this period he took the gold medal of the American Institute, and the Massachusetts Mechanic's Fair, for goods manu- factured at the Winooski Mills. Samples of various fabrics in assorted colors were sent to the World's Fair of all nations, held at London in 1851, for which Mr. Cooke received a diploma signed by Prince Albert, consort of Victoria, Queen of Eng- land, a bronze medal and a large printed volume of the history, catalogue and awards of the great exhibition. In 1853 Mr. Cooke was mayor of Lowell.
(VIII) Chester Cooke, born in 1798, died in 1880, was also bred a woolen manufacturer, which busi- ness he followed in Poquetanuck, Connecticut, Northfield, Massachusetts, and Skaneatles and Rochester, New York.
(VIII) Calvin Worthington Cooke, born in 1800, died in IS73, was superintendent of Middlesex Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, 1830 to 1845. While there he made a study of dyeing, and was during his life- time one of the most expert originators and produc- ers of fancy colors for shawls in this country. He also designed and produced a wonderful number of the finest and most expensive patterns known to the trade during his lifetime. During his busi- ness life, and as manager of the Waterloo Shawl Manufacturing Company, he designed over six hun- dred shawl patterns, of which he kept a working copy, and could duplicate any that might be called for. Although he was not the inventor of the drop shuttle, now so indispensable to all manufacturers of woolens. it was through his adaptation of and improvements, that it was first brought into actual, successful and practical use in the manufacture of unique and beautiful designs of ladies' shawls. He attended the World's Fair in London, 1857-58, and exhibited his shawls in the Crystal Palace, where he was specially honored by the Queen, and re- ceived medals and diplomas for designs, and merit for colors. Queen Victoria was very much inter- ested in the display of beautiful shawls, and had several private consultations with him, and se- lected the designs and gave him an order for a large number of shawls which she wished to dis- tribute as marks of her esteem to her maids in waiting and personal friends. She also consulted
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him as to designs and special workmanship, as to superior quality and colors, and selected two pat- terns which he specially designed for her with the understanding that, as they were for her personal use, the patterns should be destroyed and no dupli- cates ever made. Mr. Cooke was more than a me- chanical expert, he was religious, moral, and an ornament to society, a pillar as well as a warden of the church. At St. Paul's Church, Waterloo, New York, he was prominent in the Sunday school work, and was remarkably successful in managing that special branch of church work. At one time in Waterloo he had a school of over six hundred attendants. As soon as he perceived an outlying district beyond the convenience of his school in Waterloo, he organized another school and con- ducted them all to the great benefit of the com- munity and to the growth of the church. Since Mr. Cooke's death, St. Paul's Church has erected a beautiful chapel in memory of his devout life, and labors among them. The triple chancel window bears the following inscription :
"TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF CALVIN W. COOKE," and the text, "That they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them."
(VIII) Isaac H. Cooke; born in 1804, with his brother, Dwight W. Cooke, continued in the manu- facturing of woolen goods under the firm name of I. H. & D. W. Cooke, 1832 to 1857, succeeding to the business and conducting its development with the advance of the time.
(VIII) Colonel Dwight W. Cooke, father of Wil- liam Avery Cooke, and son of Captain James Cooke, was born February 6, 1813, and died in 1877. He removed to Norwich in 1861, and for many years conducted a brokerage business in Connecticut, fleece wools, also washed wools, and wool waste. He was colonel of the Eighteenth Regiment, the organ- ization that took the place of the "minute men" of the earlier period.
The last meeting of this organization, before being disbanded, was held on Canterbury Plain, Connecti- cut. Colonel Dwight W. Cooke married Abby Amelia Avery, of ancient and honorable family, born June 20, 1819, daughter of Isaac Avery, of Preston, Connecticut, granddaughter of Isaac Avery, who, with his brother Jonas, was a member of Cap- tain Frederick Witter's Company, General Israel Putnam commanding, and fought at Bunker Hill, Long Island, and at White Plains, New York, where Jonas was severely wounded. Sergeant Isaac Avery took his brother home to Preston, and there he died from his wounds and was buried. His grave- stone bears this inscription :
Stop Curious Mortals As you pass this way, A debt to Nature pay, For Life and Liberty and all on earth you prize I and ten thousand were a sacrifice
N.L .- 2.29.
(IX) William Avery Cooke, son of Colonel Dwight W. and Abby Amelia (Avery) Cooke, was born in Preston, New London county, Connecticut, August 15, 1847. He was educated in the public schools of Preston and Norwich, finishing with graduation from Norwich Free Academy, class of 1866. After leaving school, he engaged in mercan- tile life, and until 1888 was in the wholesale produce business in Norwich. In that year he purchased the Fort Hill farm in the town of Montville, and there has since resided and managed the cultivation of its four hundred and fifty fertile, productive acres. Mr. Cooke married Celia Rosaline White, born in Nor- wich, November 27, 1846, daughter of Francis and Belinda (Shaw) White, her mother of the prominent Weymouth, Massachusetts, Shaw family of shoe manufacturers. Mr. and Mrs. Cooke are the parents of three children: William Dwight, Amelia Avery, and Francis Edward, the latter an officer of the United States navy during the War with Germany, 1917-18. Mr. Cooke's sister, Ida Amelia, was the wife of George S. Palmer, a prominent manufacturer of New London, Connecticut. Mr. Cooke was a successful merchant in Norwich, and since taking the Fort Hill farm thirty-three years ago, has taken equally high rank as an agriculturist. He is a pub- lic-spirited, progressive man, modern in his methods and highly esteemed by his townsmen.
The present estate of William Avery Cooke is. Fort Hill farm, containing four hundred and fifty acres, once a part of the three thousand acres owned by the State of Connecticut, and the old house, built two and a half centuries ago, was the home of the overseer of the Mohegan Indians. The old place is pregnant with memories of the past, and in re- view seem to pass the old settlers, the overseer, who was a father to the tribe, the young Indians who came to the house to be instructed from books, and the men to learn to till the three thousand acres of productive land which comprised the reserva- tion. The place was reached by a bridle path in the olden days. The path was later laid out as a turn- pike and post road, and was built from the proceeds being, it is said, the first toll gate erected, that being, it is said, the first toll turnpike in the United States. The State of Connecticut sold the farm in 1872 by authority of the State Legislature, the pur- chaser being Theodore Raymond, from which Wil- liam A. Cooke in 1888 bought the four hundred and fifty acres which he now owns.
MRS. ROSE (MULLEN) SULLIVAN-As the head of a progressive and growing interest in Niantic, Mrs. Sullivan is taking a very practical part in the welfare and advance of the community. The Bay View House, of which she has been the proprietor for four years, and the owner for three years, is one of the most attractive of the smaller summer hotels which are scattered along the coast of Connecticut.
Rose (Mullen) Sullivan was born in Sunbury, in
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the Province of New Brunswick, Canada, and came to the United States in 1888, taking up her resi- dence in the city of Norwich. Coming to Niantic from that city in 1918, she leased the Bay View House, which she operated for one year under the lease, thereafter purchasing the property. Mrs. Sul- livan personally manages the business, and since taking over the hotel has made many important im- provements, including a new water system of a design which has received the approval of noted health authorities. The house contains twenty-five rooms, and is much sought by those desiring a quiet and refined atmosphere, somelike and comfortable, while still among the popular resorts of the sum- mer season, and close to some of the most fashion- able localities on the New England coast. Mrs. Sulli- van is well known in the community and is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Rose Mullen married (first) in 1890, Mr. E. E. Fensley, of Norwich, who died in 1897, leaving three sons, two of whom are now living: Robert W., a marine engineer, whose home is in New London; and Adam Lindsay, a millwright by trade, who is married and resides in Niantic. She married (sec- ond) Daniel Sullivan, of Versailles, Connecticut, in 1902. Mrs. Sullivan has one adopted daughter, Elsie May Sullivan.
JOHN LATHAM MAIN-An honored citizen throughout his lifetime of Ledyard, New London county, Connecticut, John Latham Main was also one of those men whom this State delights to count among her heroes-the men who helped preserve the Union when the question of slavery threatened to disrupt the country.
Mr. Main was one of the eleven children of Wil- liam L. Main and Sarah A. (Frink) Main, of Ledyard. William Leeds was born in Ledyard, lived there throughout his lifetime, always actively engaged in farming. His wife was a native of North Stoning- ton. Both are long since deceased, and are buried in Ledyard.
John L. Main was born August 25, 1841, and was educated in the schools of the neighborhood. Just as he reached an age to feel the interest of sturdy manhood in the affairs of the Nation, the Civil War broke out, and he enlisted in Company G, Twenty-first Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer In- fantry. He served with honor throughout the war, and returned to his native place after his discharge, following agricultural interests during the remainder of his life. He was repeatedly offered the honors of public office, which he always declined. His home was his all, and he took no interest in public life beyond that of the progressive private citizen.
John Latham Main married Phebe A. Frink, of North Stonington, who was born April 13, 1845, and died October 10, 1918. The ceremony was per- formed on March 12, 1864, by the Rev. Nehemiah Cook, of Ledyard. Mr. and Mrs. Main were the parents of following children: 1. William Oscar, died
in infancy. 2. John Orrin, born in Ledyard, died September 22, 1909, at the age of forty-one years. 3. Sadic Elizabeth, born March 13, 1870; became the wife of Herbert Richardson, of Preston, and has three children: Fern Lenora, Calvin Main, and Hazel Hopkins. 4. Calvin Roson, born January 15, 1872; married Gertrude Elizabeth Kinmonth, of Led- yard, and has four children, Kenneth Walton, Calvin Roson, Carrie Elizabeth, and Robert Winsted. 5. Nellie Maude, born January 7, 1874; became the wife of Albert William Kinmouth, the wedding tak- ing place at Grace Church, New York City, January 16, 1908, Rev. Carl Reiland, rector, officiating, and they had four children: Carl Albert and Caroline Fredrika, twins; of whom the daughter is deceased; Dona Catherine, born April 21, 1910; Earl Mortimer, born July 20, 1913.
LEEDS MAIN-There are men in every com- munity who live on, in spirit, long after they are gathered to their fathers. The work which they have done, as citizens and as individuals, is carried forward by those whom they leave behind, but it is the name of him who has gone that still inspires effort and accomplishes progress. Such a man was Leeds Main, of Ledyard, New London county, Con- necticut. Mr. Main was a son of William Leeds and Sarah A. (Frink) Main, of Ledyard.
Leeds Main was born in Ledyard, in September, 1845. He received a thorough and practical educa- tion in the schools of the vicinity, then when he had completed his studies, took up the work of the farm in association with his father. Continuing thus until twenty-three years of age, the young man then hired the farm from his father, and conducted it for himself. This arrangement held for about ten years, then in the late seventies Mr. Main bought the farm, which is now the family home. For about fifteen years he lived to enjoy the satisfaction of success and the development of the farm, which with the passing of the years grew ever dearer to him, as the scene of his prosperity and the home which was brightened by his children. Before he had reached the half-century mark, while still in the prime of life, Leeds Main was cut down, and the friends with whom he had walked saw him no more.
Mr. Main was a man of sterling integrity, always standing on the side of right. A member of one of the oldest New London county families, he bore himself with the dignity that reflected only honor on the name. He died November 9, 1894, and was buried in Ledyard, but later the remains were re- moved to Mystic, to rest in the family plot.
The Holdridge family is another of the old families of New London county, and with this family Mr. Main united, in his marriage with Sarah Hannah Holdridge, who was born in Ledyard, June 21, 1852. She is a daughter of Daniel and Eliza (Main) Hold- ridge, of North Stonington. Leeds and Sarah Hannah (Holdridge) Main were the parents of eight chil- dren: 1. William Leeds, born in Ledyard, March
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6, 1870; married Elizabeth Benjamin, of Preston, and has one daughter, Hazel. 2. Daniel Holdridge, born in Ledyard, February 25, 1872; married Olive Stimpson, and has four children: Clarence, Arthur, Mildred, Elsie. 3. James Stanton, born August 6, 1874; married Elizabeth Brown; dicd December 25, 1905, leaving three children: Harold, James, and Leeds. 4. Samuel Lewis, born February 14, 1877; married Mary Chapman, and has seven chil- dren, five of whom are as follows: Marshall, Myrtle, Sarah, Gladys, Chester. 5. Cora Ida, born August 16, 1881; now the wife of George Appley, of North Stonington. 6. Julia Etta, born August 5, 1884; now the wife of William Cromwell, and has two chil- dren: Lewis, and Mary. 7. Eliza Jane, now the wife of Clarence Davis, and has two children. 8. Rosc Lee, born March 19, 1887; now the wife of Frank Mansfield, and has two children, Edna Mary, and Charles Holdridge.
GEORGE RAYMOND GRAY-The life of George R. Gray was one of increasing effort, and in his battle of life he was largely dependent upon his own efforts. That he won so successfully but proves the strength of his character and the extent of his natural ability. He left behind him an hon- ored namc.
George Raymond Gray was born at Chaplin, Con- necticut, January 18, 1868, son of John Shapley and Delia (Baldwin) Gray. John Shapley Gray taught school in his younger days, engaged in various en- terprises, and later became a farmer in Groton, Con- necticut. He was a son of Benjamin and Sarah Janet (Lewis) Gray, also of the vicinity of Groton.
George R. Gray attended various schools in Con- necticut, finishing at Sheffield High School, Massa- chusetts, whence he was graduated, March 17, 1887. On leaving school he at first worked as a clerk in a general merchandise store, then went to North Wilton, Connecticut, and was there in a general store, remaining there so long that he was appointed a notary public, and also held other town offices. From North Wilton he moved to New London and there was employed for a few months by the United Express Company. When this company retired from business, Mr. Gray went to Willimantic and entered into partnership with his uncle, Jerome Baldwin, in the clothing business. A year later this partnership was dissolved on account of the ill health of Mr. Baldwin, and then Mr. Gray became head clerk for a Mr. Larrabee in a grocery store. He next went to Turnerville, took charge of the mill store and operated it for several years. On the death of his father-in-law, Jared Reid Avery, he came with his family to New London and took over the grocery business of the former, buying the busi- ness from the Avery estate. This business he con- ducted very successfully up to the time of his death, November 4, 1909. He was succeeded in business by his wife, who still continues it with a marked degree of success.
Mr. Gray was first and last a business man; he gave his whole time and energy to whatever line of work he was engaged in, and won his way from the bottom of the ladder to the position of a suc- cessful and substantial merchant. Though always interested in the welfare of the community in which he resided, his close application to business gave him but little time for politics and civic affairs. He was a lover of books, and spent most of his leisure time by the home fireside reading his favorite authors. In politics he was a Republican, and in church mat- ters was a consistent member of the Second Con- gregational Church, of New London. His hobby was bees and chickens, and wherever located he usually had a number of beehives and a small run for chickens.
On October 17, 1894, Mr. Gray married Josephine Lamb Avery, daughter of Jared Reid and Josephine Alice (Lamb) Avery. Jared Reid Avery was a son of Jared Reid and Sarah (Agnew) Avery. James Reid Avery, Sr., was a son of Ebenezer (2) Avery, who was a son of Ebenezer (1) Avery, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and descended from James Avery. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gray, as follows: 1. Willard Avery, born May 16, 1896, at North Wilton, Connecticut. 2. Dorothy Baldwin, born November 23, 1897, at New London, Connecticut. 3. Eunice Cutler, born December 9, 1898, at Willimantic, Connecticut. 4. Jarcd Reid Avery, born December 9, 1900, at Willimantic, Con- necticut. 5. Helen Delia, born September 9, 1902, at Willimantic. 6. John Shapley, born January 4, 1905, at New London, Connecticut. 7. Allyn Bald- win, born July 25, 1906, at New London, Connecti- cut. 8. Josephine Avery, born October 27, 1907, at New London.
WILLIAM AVERY WILCOX-The Wilcox fam- ily traces descent in Stonington, Connecticut, to Captain Jesse Wilcox, a sea captain, who, with his son Jesse, was drowned in Long Island Sound, July 5, 1828, during a heavy squall which overtook them and capsized their small boat. His son, Elias Wil- cox, of the seventh American generation, was the founder of the first oil and fertilizer business, later known as the Wilcox Fertilizer Company. The fam- ily in this branch have remained in Stonington.
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