A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume II, Part 76

Author: Lincoln, Allen B
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co.
Number of Pages: 960

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The father was born in Eastford and followed the occupation of farming, devoting his time and attention to the development and improvement of land which he received from his father, Deacon Elisha Trowbridge, who was a large landowner, and as each of his sons reached maturity and married set off a farm for them and built a house on it. Upon the place which thus came into his possession Philander Trowbridge carried on farming for thirty years after his marriage. On the expiration of that period he sold the property and bought the adjoining farm, which he continued to cultivate for ten years, or from 1856 until 1866. He then sold that property and invested in land which is now included within the borders of the present Trowbridge homestead-a tract of one hundred and fifty acres near the Gery schoolhouse in Pomfret. This place he improved to some extent but soon afterward he retired from active business. He died upon his farm in 1898. He had served as a selectman in Eastford and was also justice of the peace, being again and again called upon to perform marriage ceremonies in addition to discharging the other duties of the office. His wife was born in Rhode Island and in young girlhood came to Chestnut Hill, in East Killingly. They were married in Eastford and Mrs. Trowbridge passed away upon what is still the home farm of the family in 1889. Her parents were Thomas and Esther (Carter) Durfee, natives of Greenwich, Rhode Island, where her father followed blacksmithing. He afterward removed to Chestnut Hill, in East Killingly, where he set up a blacksmith shop and made handmade hoes and scythes together with other farming tools, all of high grade. He won a wide and well deserved reputation as a maker of farm tools.

I. W. Trowbridge pursued his education in Eastford, where he remained until he attained his majority, and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Pomfret. When his father retired from active farm work I. W. Trowbridge took up the manage- ment of the old homestead and made considerable improvements in the buildings. He was a very alert, energetic and progressive farmer, constantly watching for chances to improve his land, to enhance its productiveness and make his farm more valuable. He was the first farmer in Windham county to equip his farm with a silo. This he built himself in 1882 and it has been in use continuously since. He had ever been a great reader of agricultural papers and thus became acquainted with the silo and realized the

HON. INGOLDSBEE W. TROWBRIDGE

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great benefit to be derived from its use. When the silo was built his neighbors spoke in a most uncomplimentary fashion about it, but the wisdom of his course was soon demonstrated and others soon followed his example. He always carried on general farming and for more than thirty years raised high grade Guernsey cattle, having a fine herd of these cows upon his place. At his death, which occurred July 13, 1919, he had largely retired from active business, leaving the management, cultivation and im- provement of his farm to his son.

On the 21st of January, 1879, Mr. Trowbridge was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Perrin, who was born in Pomfret on the old John Larned farm and passed away on the 18th of June, 1917, when sixty-nine years of age. She was a daughter of Jedediah and Harriet (May) Perrin, who were natives of Pomfret and representatives of one of its old families. To Mr. and Mrs. Trowbridge were born two children. The daughter, Lucia Perrin, was born December 13, 1881, and is the widow of Edward I. Colcord, a druggist of Portland, Maine, where she now resides. John Works, born February 9, 1886, married Augusta M. Erickson, of Pomfret, in June, 1914. She was born in Sweden and had made her home with the Trowbridge family for many years before she became the wife of John W. Trowbridge. They now have a daughter, Harriet Marie. John W. Trowbridge is cultivating the home farm, on which he resides, and is also doing some road contract work.

In his political views Mr. Trowbridge was a republican, which party he supported for many years. He long served on the board of relief and in 1897 was elected to the state legislature, in which position he made an excellent record. He passed the seventy- fourth milestone on life's journey and his was an active and useful career, in which he achieved substantial results as the direct outcome of close application, indefatigable energy and sound judgment.

JEROME CLINTON NICHOLS.

Jerome Clinton Nichols, now deceased, was prominently known as a foundryman and inventor who for thirty-five years was connected with the Putnam Foundry & Machine Corporation, with which he was associated to the time of his demise on the 16th of November, 1912. He reached the fifty-ninth milestone on life's journey, his birth having occurred in Thompson, Connecticut, March 13, 1853, his parents being Jerome and Harriet Frances (Alton) Nichols, also natives of Thompson. He was descended from English ancestry, the line being traced back through nine generations to William Nichols, who was born in England in 1599 and on coming to Massachusetts was granted land in Danvers in 1638. To him and his wife, Mary, were born three children. He was a prosperous farmer, his property embracing six hundred acres.

His son, John Nichols, born in Danvers in 1640, died October 12, 1700. To him and his wife, Lydia, were born ten children, which number included Thomas Nichols, whose birth occurred in Topsfield and who passed away in Sutton, Massachusetts, to which place he removed in 1725. He married Joanna Towne, of Topsfield, and they had eight children. The mother, Joanna Towne, had three aunts who were accused of witchcraft during that strange delusion which constitutes a most black page in the history of New England. Two of these, Rebecca Nurse and Mary Esty, were condemned and executed.

Jonathan Nichols, the direct ancestor of Jerome C. Nichols in the fourth genera- tion, was baptized in Salem, Massachusetts, and in 1763 became a resident of Thomp- son, Connecticut, where at the time of the formal organization of the town he was the first man to receive the title of Mr. He was married May 24, 1731, to Mary Phelps and their son, Jonathan, the eldest of their eight children, was a soldier of the Revolu- tionary war and a member of the constitutional convention of Connecticut in 1818. Their son, Elijah Nichols, through whom the line of descent comes down to Jerome C. Nichols, was born in Thompson, Connecticut, in 1742 and in 1766 married Martha Flint, while subsequent to her demise he wedded Mary White. He was a farmer and died in Thompson, February 22, 1839. There were two children of his first marriage, the son being Elijah Nichols, Jr., who was born in Thompson in 1770 and became a prominent farmer of Windham county. He acquired vast tracts of land and was accounted a man of wealth in his day. He passed away March 17, 1850, in his eighty-first year. He married Millicent Brackett, of Thompson, and they were parents of five children.

Hon. George Pickering Nichols, son of Elijah Nichols, Jr., was born in Thompson, December 14, 1796, and became a wealthy agriculturist. He wedded Lucy Alton and following her death in 1826 married her sister, Polly Alton. There was one child by the first and five children by the second marriage, this number including the Hon. Jerome Nichols, the father of Jerome Clinton Nichols. The grandfather, George P. Nichols, was a man of prominence in connection with the public life of the state as

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well as in his farming interests. He was exceedingly active in politics, served as a member of the general assembly of Connecticut and for many years supported the democratic party but ultimately became a republican. He served as a captain in the state militia and was usually called by that title. His religious faith was that of the Methodist church.

Hon. Jerome Nichols, born in Thompson, March 6, 1831, was a man who displayed marked business ability along various lines. He followed agricultural and mechanical pursuits and in addition to the development of his farm often assisted in bridge build- ing and in carpenter work. He was married May 2, 1852, to Harriet Frances Alton, who was born in Thompson, December 31, 1832, and who passed away in Putnam, April 3, 1901, while the death of Mr. Nichols occurred March 19, 1897. He was very prominent in community affairs, filling almost every public office in his town, and in 1870 he was elected to represent his district in the state legislature, his support being given to the republican party, while his religious faith, like that of his forebears, was of the Methodist church.

In the acquirement of his education Jerome C. Nichols attended the schools of West Thompson and also the Nichols Academy, after which he continued his studies in the Dudley Academy at Dudley, Massachusetts. In young manhood he removed to Webster, Massachusetts, and there learned the carpenter's trade, remaining at that place for several years. When about twenty-seven years of age he became a resident of Putnam, Connecticut, and for a year was in the employ of Mr. Truesdale. He next engaged with the Wheaton Lumber Company, with which he remained for a year, and then entered the Putnam Foundry and took up pattern making. After learning the trade he patented what was first known as the Plummer heater, but the name has since been changed to the Putnam heater. For about thirty-five years Mr. Nichols was connected with the Putnam Foundry, remaining there to the time of his death. He was a thoroughly skilled workman in his line and a most reliable and progressive business man, while his inventive ingenuity was of marked value to the company which he represented and of which he was one of the directors.

On the 25th of March, 1876, Mr. Nichols was married to Miss Ann Jeannette Childs, a daughter of Daniel and Polly (Brown) Childs, of North Oxford, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols became the parents of one child, Jessie Luella, who was born in Webster, February 15, 1877, and who on the 27th of October, 1897, became the wife of Daniel Burton Gilbert, a native of North Brookfield, Massachusetts, and now a resident of Putnam, Connecticut. To them were born two children: Florence Agnes, whose birth occurred in Putnam, July 6, 1899, became the wife of George Stanley Shaw, of Putnam, and they are the parents of one child, Martha Elizabeth, who was born in Putnam, May 31, 1920. Mr. Shaw served overseas in the World war as a member of the One Hundred and Forty-sixth United States Field Artillery. Jeannette Nichols, who was born in Putnam, May 23, 1904, is at home with her parents.

Mr. Nichols was a member of the Royal Arcanum and was a very devoted and faithful follower of the Methodist church, in which he held many offices, serving as treasurer of the church for a number of years and also as one of its trustees. He was a supporter of the republican party and was filling the office of alderman in Putnam at the time of his demise. Of quiet demeanor and of natural refinement, he com- manded the respect and confidence of all who knew him. He possessed a kindly spirit, guided by high principles, and his sterling worth brought to him the warm friendship of all with whom he came in contact. While he never sought to figure prominently in any public light, he nevertheless exerted a beneficial influence over his community by reason of his endorsement and support of all those forces which make for individual uplift and the betterment of the town at large.

JOHN LOUIS RIVERS, JR.

John Louis Rivers, Jr., engaged in general farming and dairying and also having a milk route in North Grosvenor Dale, makes his home in the town of Thompson. He has always been a resident of New England, his birth having occurred at Milton Falls. Vermont, July 29, 1853, his parents being John L. and Masoline (King) Rivers. The father was born in Canada but was only five years of age when brought across the border into the United States, the family home being established at Milton Falls, Ver- mont. There he was reared and educated and in young manhood took up the occupa- tion of farming, working for others until his industry and economy had brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase property. He then invested in farm land and carried on general agricultural pursuits and dairying for several years. He after-

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ward removed to Pomfret, Connecticut, where he passed away in 1897. In his family were six children: John Louis, Edward, Elizabeth, Frank, Peter and James.

The first named largely spent his youth at Milton Falls and the schools of that city afforded him his educational privileges. He afterward worked upon his father's farm and subsequently secured employment as weaver in a woolen mill. Later he was employed as loom fixer in various places in the southern part of New England and eventually he took up his abode in the town of Thompson, Connecticut, where he pur- chased farm property in 1899. Here he has since remained, his time and energies being devoted to general agricultural pursuits and to dairying, and both branches of his business are proving profitable, while at the same time he derives a substantial income from a milk route in North Grosvenor Dale. He has a large farm property, is very progressive in its conduct and management and has equipped it with all the modern accessories and improvements found upon the model farm of the twentieth century.

On the 17th of February, 1874, in Putnam, Mr. Rivers was married to Miss Celina La Vallee, a daughter of Paul and Lucy (Vandel) La Vallee, who were natives of Canada. To Mr. and Mrs. Rivers have been born ten children: Henry, who is married and is employed as a mill man at Woonsocket, Rhode Island; Rose, who is the wife of Alfred Grenier, a farmer of the town of Thompson; Agnes, the wife of Fred Dixon, a mill man; Fred, who married Eva Desautelle; Joseph, who is in New York; William, residing in Putnam, Connecticut; Edna and Nelson, who are located in Philadelphia; Alexander and Jane, who are under the parental roof.

The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church and in his political views Mr. Rivers is a republican, having supported the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. There have been no exciting chapters in his life record, but industry and perseverance have enabled him to overcome difficulties and obstacles in his path and gain a place among the progressive and prosperous agriculturists of his section of the state.

GEORGE EDWARD CHALLENGER.

George Edward Challenger, who for many years has been the successful manager of the Windham Inn at Windham Center, and is one of the prominent citizens of that place, was born at Turton, near Bath, England, June 30, 1849. The family home had been established at Turton many years before. His grandfather, Samuel Challenger, was a resident of Bath and followed the business of gardening. In his later years he removed to Turton, which is situated about one hundred and six miles from Liverpool, and there he passed away at the age of seventy-three. His son and namesake, Samuel Challenger, Jr., the father of George E. Challenger, was reared to manhood in that section of England and became a boss wool sorter, working along that line until he came to the new world. He had passed the fortieth milestone on life's journey when he determined to seek a home in America and settled at Barre, Massachusetts, where he engaged in mill work for an extended period, there passing away at the age of seventy- two. He married Mrs. Charlotte (Savage) Silcox and to them were born five children: Josephine, who has passed away; Mary, who became the wife of Peter W. Hill; Char- lotte, living at Waltham, Massachusetts; Jane, a resident of Barre, Massachusetts; and George Edward.

The last named was but five years of age when the family came to the United States and after a residence of twelve years in Cherry Valley he was taken to Barre, Massachusetts, and there he continued his education in the public schools, attending until he reached the age of eighteen. At that time he started out in the business world and for four years was employed in the mills at Barre. Later he spent several years as dresser tender in the mill at Gilbertville, Massachusetts, and for some time he was employed at Stafford, Connecticut. While residing in Gilbertville he was united in marriage to Miss Maria A. Finran, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Desirous of engaging in business on his own account, Mr. Challenger found oppor- tunity to carry out his long cherished plans at Baltic, where for six years he success- fully conducted a market. He was afterward proprietor of the hotel at Scotland for a period of four years and then purchased the Windham Inn, which is one of the oldest hostelries in this section of Connecticut, having been erected in 1800. Mr. Challenger has now been proprietor for more than a third of a century and has made it a popular resort with the traveling public. He has always studied to advance the welfare and comfort of his guests in every way and has accomplished what he has attempted. The Windham Inn is centrally located at the cross roads in the pretty little village of Wind- ham, facing a beautiful and well shaded park, and it draws a liberal patronage from city people during the heated months of summer. There is every convenience for the

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comfort of the guests, the rooms being large and spacious and well ventilated. Asso- ciated with Dr. Frank E. Guild, Mr. Challenger invested fourteen hundred dollars in fitting up a spring and laying twenty-nine hundred feet of pipe, through which the most splendid spring water is supplied to the hotel and public fountains, as well as to private residences of the village. The hotel has always made a feature of its table, which sup- plies every delicacy of the season, the cuisine at all times being excellent, and moreover Mr. Challenger in former years maintained an excellent livery barn in connection with the hotel.

Politically a democrat since attaining his majority, Mr. Challenger has supported the party and he stands at all times for those interests which have to do with public progress and improvement. He has served as selectman of the town of Windham and has been a member of the board of burgesses of the borough of Windham, serving as chairman of the board for twenty-one years, during which time he took a very active part in promoting many civic improvements. He is a member of Willimantic Lodge, No. 1311, B. P. O. E., of Willimantic. The long period of his residence at Windham Center has made him widely known and all with whom he has come in contact speak of him in terms of warm regard.

REV. JOSEPH E. MCCARTHY.

Rev. Joseph E. McCarthy, a prominent representative of the Catholic priesthood, now pastor of All Hallows church at Moosup, Connecticut, was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, November 14, 1876. After passing through the grammar and high schools he entered Holy Cross College at Worcester, Massachusetts, and was graduated from that institution with the class of 1899. In preparation for the priesthood he entered the Catholic University at Washington, D. C., for post graduate work in philosophy and in the following year began the study of theology in the St. Sulpice Seminary at Paris, France. After completing his course there he was ordained to the priesthood on the 4th of July, 1903. Returning to America, he was appointed professor in St. Thomas Seminary at Hartford, Connecticut, and after six years' teaching was assigned as assist- ant to St. Patrick's church in Norwich, Connecticut. After leaving that place he was made pastor of the Sacred Heart church at Wauregan and in 1913 was transferred to Moosup, where he has since labored as pastor of All Hallows parish. He has a large church here, the membership steadily increasing as the result of his earnest labor, and his zeal has made this one of the strong churches of the diocese.

OSCAR MUNYAN.

Oscar Munyan, farmer, dairyman and orchardist residing in the town of Thompson, has spent much of his life in Connecticut and is a native son of the town in which he still resides. He was born December 15, 1856, of the marriage of James M. and Harriet A. (Wakefield) Munyan, the latter a daughter of John and Susan (Davis) Wakefield. The father, James M. Munyan, was reared in Thompson, attending the district schools, and in young manhood he secured employment upon farms. He afterward turned his attention to the grocery business and conducted a store in the village of Thompson for fifteen years, meeting with substantial success during that period. Later he re- tired to the farm, which he continued to further develop and improve to the time of his demise in 1899. To him and his wife were born four children, of whom Oscar is the eldest, the others being: Sarah A., who resides at home with her mother; Clara M., the widow of Jesse Armstrong; and Fred A., who married Minnie Whittmore.

The public school system of Thompson afforded Oscar Munyan his early educational opportunities. Later he attended the Dean Academy at Franklin, Massachusetts, and afterward became a student in the Bryant-Stratton Business College at Providence, Rhode Island. He next entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Boston and was a member of the class of 1881. Thus liberal educational opportunities well qualified him for life's practical and responsible duties. Returning to Thompson, he there conducted a store and also engaged in surveying. He spent four years in the store and then went west to Chicago, where he was employed in a grocery house for a time. He afterward returned to Thompson, however, and took over the old home- stead, which he continued to farm for a period of twenty-five years. He subsequently purchased the Wilson farm property in 1909 and has since made his home thereon, devoting his attention to the cultivation of the crops best adapted to soil and climatic

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conditions here. In addition he also carries on dairying and he has a fine apple orchard, the sale of his fruit adding materially to his annual income.

At Charleston, Pennsylvania, April 13, 1880, Mr. Munyan was married to Miss Martha A. Card, daughter of Robert and Margaret (Bailey) Card, and to them have been born three children: Alice G., now deceased; Emery C., who wedded Mary Ross and is a bookkeeper at the Worcester Wire Works; and Sarah L., at home.

In his political views Mr. Munyan is a democrat and for one year served as town selectman, was town auditor for three years and for several years has been a member of the school board. His family are members of the Congregational church of Thomp- son and they are widely and favorably known in this part of the state. Progressive business methods characterize his farming interests, while observance of all the rules of honorable conduct has made him one of the highly esteemed citizens of his native town.

FELIX J. LIZOTTE.

Felix J. Lizotte, manager at Putnam for the Direct Importing Tea Company, was born April 25, 1881, in the city in which he still makes his home, his parents being Joseph and Philomine (Tatreault) Lizotte. The father was a native of St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, where he was reared and educated, but in the early '70s he came to the United States, becoming one of the pioneer residents of Putnam. He entered the employ of the Fisher Shoe Company, with which he remained for a short period and then obtained a position in the Morse Mills of Putnam, acting first as clerk and later as bookkeeper in the general store conducted by the company, so continuing for several years. Later the company gave up the store and Mr. Lizotte then entered the mill but soon afterward retired from active business. He passed away in Putnam in 1914 and is still survived by his widow, who now makes her home with her son Felix. They were the parents of a large family of fourteen children, of whom eight are living: Mary, residing in Putnam; George, who married Eliza Peppin and lives in Putnam; William, also of Putnam; Fred, who married Leoline Thurber and makes his home at Webster, Massachusetts; Henry, living in Putnam; Felix J .; Edward, also of Putnam; and Isaac, who married Maria Robillard and resides in Putnam.

Felix J. Lizotte attended a convent school in Putnam and after completing his education was employed for a short time in a cotton mill. Later he worked in a grocery store as clerk and then became agent for the Metropolitan Insurance Company of New York, with which he remained for a number of years. In 1910 he accepted the management of the store of the Direct Importing Tea Company of Putnam and has since occupied this responsible position. He also opened stores at Danielson and at Willi- mantic for the same company. He is one of the trusted employes of the corporation, an enterprising and capable executive, and his fidelity and industry have gained him the high regard of those whom he represents and have brought him to a profitable and responsible position.

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A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume II, Part 76

Author: Lincoln, Allen B Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co. Number of Pages: 960

Author: Lincoln, Allen B
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co.
Number of Pages: 960