An historic record and pictorial description of the town of Meriden, Connecticut and men who have made it, Part 78

Author: Gillespie, Charles Bancroft, 1865-1915; Curtis, George Munson
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Meriden, Conn. Journal publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1252

USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Meriden > An historic record and pictorial description of the town of Meriden, Connecticut and men who have made it > Part 78

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

J. H. PRESTON.

John Henry Preston, for thirty- eight years engaged in the fish busi- gineering Company and previous to . ness in the immediate vicinity of his present store, is a native of Cheshire, but for the most of his life has resid- ed in Meriden. He is a son of Lucius and Elizabeth Preston and his family name is one identified with Cheshire for several generations back. He was educated in the public schools of that town and concluded his education at the Cheshire Academy.

When the war broke out he enlist- ed in Litchfield but after arriving at New Haven, with many of his young friends, he was sent back to Chesh- ire, the authorities refusing to assign him to active service on account of his youth. In May, 1862, he again en- listed at Cheshire, this time with bet. ter success and was sent to the front in Company A, 20th Conn. Vols., with which regiment he saw a year and a half active service, afterwards being assigned to further service in the First Conn. Heavy Artillery, in which he continued until the close of the war. He served as a private throughout his three years' term of enlistment and he was one of the many who were tak- en prisoners at Chancellorsville.

He began his successful mercantile life as a clerk in the fish market of

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BIOGRAPHIES.

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John Beach, located in the basement

Hotel. Some time later near that lo- cation he opened a fish market with R. K. Pitkin, which partnership con- tinued for a period of two years, when Mr. Pitkin retired from the fish busi- ness and went to Kansas City, and since that time Mr. Preston has con- tinued business each year with grow- ing success. It was in 1901 that he removed to his present market, 39 East Main street, which was fitted up by him with all modern conveniences and which comprises one of the most attractive in all New England. He employs a large number of clerks and supplies the first families of the city with all kinds of sea food, in which he deals exclusively. He stands high as a business man and resident of Meriden and has shown a disposition to lend his influence and give of his means to further all commendable and charitable objects. He is also pos- sessed of a large amount of local pride and public spirit. He is a member of the Meriden Business Men's Associa- tion and of the Meriden Conclave, In- dependent Order of Heptasophs.

He was married April 20, 1867, to Elizabeth Clark, of Wallingford, and resides in his own comfortable home, 32 Orange street.

James Anson Curtiss, one of the ac- tive men of Meriden of 1906, was born at Cheshire, Conn., February 23, 1846. His parents were John L. and Ellen

(Mathews) Curtiss. He received a of what was then known as Rogers . good common school education and at the age of fifteen went to Iowa City, Iowa, where he obtained his first in- sight into business life in his father's store. He, later, at Kankakee City, Ill., became a clerk in a grocery store where he added to his experience, but at nineteen he was called upon to re- turn to Connecticut to attend to the business interests of his grandmother. At the age of twenty-one he married, November 6, 1867, Hester A. Morgan, of Plainville, securing a clerkship in a grocery store in that near-by town. His industry and courage, ever appar- ent, were especially shown two years later when he became the proprietor of a general store at South Meriden. His success was such that at the end of three years more he was enabled to start the "Old Original Cash Grocery" at 17 Colony street which in later years became owned by C. N. Dutton & Co., and afterwards by H. C. Bi- beau. This store Mr. Curtiss contin- ued for twelve years, during which he not only built up a large trade but an enviable reputation for honorable bus- iness dealings and low prices ; the lat- ter he was enabled to do with the aid of that most desirable quantity "cash sales," which was his watch- word and which ever proved a bene- fit, both to him and his customers. JAMES A. CURTISS. Through his success as a retail grocer, speculator in horses and operator of local real estate ; and by the aid of var- ious enterprises in which he gradually became interested, he was enabled to engage in the wholesale grocery trade,

BIOGRAPHIES.

55I

RESIDENCE OF JAMES A. CURTISS.

JAMES A. CURTISS ._

COFFEE ROASTER

WHOLESALE

GROCER

M & CO

TOBACCO

WAREHOUSE OF JAMES A. CURTISS.

Photos by R. S. Godfrey.

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Photo by Akers & Pigeon.

James A Courts

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BIOGRAPHIES.

his first jobbing house being at 102 West Main street. Growth of busi- ness compelled him in 1900 to re- move to the location, 136 State street, where excellent railroad facilities are enjoyed and which Mr. Curtiss occu- pies for the purposes of his wholesale grocery and coffee roasting business, a large three-story brick building with a frontage of 100 or more feet.

His wholesale trade has for some years, therefore, been well established ; and by buying his goods as advantag- eously as New York and Boston wholesalers, he is enabled to meet the closest competition.

Mr. Curtiss has had an eye to im- proving local real estate and has grad- ually become one of the larger tax- payers of the town. He has also be- come extensively interested in the printing business. He was president and almost sole owner of the Converse Publishing Co., capitalized at $40,000 ; and, since its organization has been a large stockholder and president of the Curtiss-Way Co.

He is a member of King Hiram Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of New Haven, and is also a Royal Arch Mason. He is a member of the First M. E. church, and for many years has been one of the trustees. His residence on Linsley avenue is one of the comely and com- fortable Meriden domiciles. He has one daughter, Bertha Ellen Curtiss.

FRANK TREAT SOUTHWICK.

Frank Treat Southwick, musician, composer, lecturer and bibliophile, was

born in Cromwell, Conn., October 17, 1858. His father, Daniel Franklin Southwick, came to Meriden with his family in 1861 and established himself in the shoe business and for many years was one of the more prosperous merchants of Meriden. Frank was given a liberal education by fond and indulgent parents, and early in life showed a musical talent, which was duly encouraged. He became an en- thusiastic and promising student of music under such teachers as Theo- dore Thomas, Otto Singer and George E. Whiting, of New York.

At the age of fifteen he became the organist of the First Baptist church of Meriden, afterwards accepting a similar position at Christ church, Hartford ; later at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Middletown, and finally was offered position of organist and musical director at the First Presby- terian church of Englewood, N. J., and ever since accepting that position, he has been connected with churches of New York and vicinity, having pre- sided over the organ at the Church of the Holy Trinity, at St. Andrew's, and at the West End Presbyterian church, all of New York City.

For many years Mr. Southwick has been a teacher of music, and has trained advanced musicians, many of them holding professional positions, in both this city where he resides, and in New York where he has become a prominent figure in the musical world, and has had a studio for the past twen- ty years. He has won no little fame as a composer of songs and anthems.

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and is also a fluent writer on musical subjects, being thoroughly conversant with the work of the different com- posers, and having traveled abroad in advancing himself in his profession. His semi-annual musicales are looked forward to with much pleasure by mu-

DANIEL F. SOUTHWICK.

sic lovers. He was one of the found- ers of the American Guild of Organ- ists and one of the organizers of the Manuscript Society, both of New York. He possesses a rare and val- uable collection of antique books, which he prizes highly and which he thoroughly appreciates, being a great lover of good literature, but especially those works which the passing of time has made valuable from their rarity.

He was married in New York City to Emma L. Thompson, in 1895,

and to them have been born a son, Laurence Francis Conway Camp Southwick.

Daniel Franklin Southwick, father of our subject, was born in Middle- town, August 9, 1832, and was de- scended from Laurence and Cassan- dra Southwick, English Quakers, who came to this country in 1658, and took refuge at Shelter Island, from which that locality derived its name. Daniel Southwick went to California in 1850 to search for gold, joining the forty-niners, but after his adventure

FRANK T. SOUTHWICK.

returned to Hartford, and engaged in the shoe business, which he carried on successfully until he came to Meriden as above stated, and opened a store in the Collins block, which he conducted

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for several years with pronounced suc- cess. He was one of the founders of the Beecher Manufacturing Company, who carried on the manufacture of drop forgings on Center street. Mr. Southwick was enterprising, public- spirited and generous. His wife was Sarah J. Camp, of Middletown, before her marriage, and both were for thirty years members of the First Congrega- tional church, to which and to other worthy objects, Mr. Southwick con- tributed liberally. He died March II, 1898, much beloved and respected by his neighbors on Curtis street, where he resided with his family, and also by the citizens of the town.

FENNER BUSH.

Fenner Bush, whose life furnishes an example of a remarkable business career, and who was one of the early manufacturers of Meriden, was born at East Lyme, Conn., June 26, 1791. His father, John Bush, died when he was but six years old, and Fenner Bush, from that age, became self-sup- porting. He learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner at sixteen, and at twenty-one, after returning from ser- vice in the War of 1812, engaged in business, afterwards buying out his former employer, and later buying a house in Saybrook, having previously, in 1816, married Eunice Kirtland, of that town.

Coming to Meriden in 1824, he en- gaged in the comb manufacturing bus- iness with Julius Pratt. Twenty years later their factory was destroyed

by fire, and he lost every dollar he had in the world. With characteristic courage he started to rebuild his fac- tory, and with improved machinery, continued with well-earned prosperity. He became one of the largest stock- holders in the concern, which not only made a name for him in the business world, but an honorable position in so- ciety. The product of his industry in a few years destroyed foreign compe-

FENNER BUSH.

tition, and in a large measure he was finally responsible in transforming the United States from a country import- ing combs, to one exporting them in large quantities, and the combs made at his factory finally became used all over the civilized world.

Mr. Bush was a man of great inde- pendence of thought and action. He

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was whole-souled and generous almost to a fault, giving liberally to worthy objects. At least three of the churches and five schools were partially built from his means, and he contributed generously to the cause of anti-slavery.

Mr. Bush, although deprived of early schooling, and almost man- grown before he could read or write, finally became a well-read and self-ed- ucated man. He served in the State Senate from Meriden in 1848, and at the time of his death possessed a li- brary at his home of 1,500 volumes. From the time when he first moved to Meriden from Saybrook, until the end of his life, he was an earnest and con- sistent member of the First Congrega- tional church.

Mr. Bush was the fond father of two daughters : Temperance Jennette, who became the wife of Randolph Linsley, a sketch of whom appears following ; and Eunice Kirtland, who married Partrick J. Clark.

RANDOLPH LINSLEY.

Randolph Linsley, for whom Ran- dolph and Linsley avenues are named, was born in Meriden November 10, 1809, and died in the brick residence on West Main street hill, which he had built some years previous, on his property, January 22, 1887. With the exception of short periods away his entire life was spent in Meriden. He was one of the sturdy, reliable, God- fearing men of the town, and was pos- sessed of a strong physique and active brain.

In 1835 he married Temperance J., daughter of Fenner Bush, one of the pioneer manufacturers of the town, and before the Civil war he engaged in the manufacture of combs with Wal- ter Webb & Co., whose factory was at South Meriden and at one time acted as their agent in England. After the close of that war he engaged in cotton raising in the south but returned

RANDOLPH LINSLEY.

to Meriden, and on a tract of land comprising about fifteen acres, where he also took up his residence, entered into the florist business.

He did business on a large scale and his plant eventually comprised four- teen or fifteen greenhouses. His flowers were shipped to New York and sold at wholesale, and he also supplied to the Meriden markets, large quanti-

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ties of asparagus, lettuce and celery. He owned, too, a number of acres of land farther west in Meriden and through which Hickory street now ex- tends, and was one of the first in Con- necticut to engage in peach growing on a large scale. While high spirited and exacting, Mr. Linsley was a man entitled to the respect of his fellow townsmen, and this he held in marked degree. He is remembered by some of the older residents as a man exceed- ingly fond of music. A constant and loyal member of the First Congrega- tional church, he always occupied a seat near the choir.

That Mr. Linsley was thoughtful and prudent seems to be proven by the fact that when the city commenced to grow in his direction, he sold land at a good price, until he had gradually disposed of it all. He erected the brick residence in which he died and which is now the parsonage of Trinity M. E. church.

Mr. Linsley was the father of eight children, of whom are now living the following : William B. Linsley, of Es- canaba, Mich., superintendent of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad ; Thomas Linsley, a lumber merchant of Michigan ; Nellie and Jessie Linsley, and Mrs. Sarah L. Allen, of St. Louis, Mo.

EDWARD C. ALLEN.

Edward Chauncey Allen, born in Meriden May 26, 1823, was the third son of Levi and Electa (Hall) Allen,

grandson of Archelaus and Prudence (Merriam) Allen, and of Aaron and Elizabeth (Cook) Hall of Walling- ford, Conn.

Mr. Allen was a lineal descendant in the sixth generation of Roger Allen, who in 1639 came from England (Kempston, Bedford county), was the first and only treasurer of the colony of New Haven from May 29, 1661, un- til its union with the colony of Connec-

EDWARD C. ALLEN.

ticut May 14, 1665, and deacon in the first church in 1669. From Roger Allen the descent is traced through "Sargeant" Samuel Allen, Daniel Al- len, Timothy Allen, Archelaus Allen, Levi Allen to Edward Chauncey.

Archelaus was a soldier of the Rev- olution, enlisting at the time of the Lexington alarm, and serving with the

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Connecticut troops in the Boston expe- dition under General Putnam.

Aaron Hall, the maternal grand- father, enlisted in 1777 at the age of sixteen, in Capt. Stephen Hall's com- pany of Col. Heman Swift's Seventh Regiment, "Connecticut Line," and was honorably discharged at the expir- ation of his term of service in 1780. He served under General Washington in the battles of Germantown, Bran- dywine, Monmouth, etc., wintered at Valley Forge, 1777-78, Redding, Conn 1778-79, took part in the storming of Stony Point and wintered at Morris- town Heights 1779-80.

On his return from the war he lived in Wallingford where he occupied an influential position, was a justice of the peace, an arbitrator in controversies and engaged in settling estates until his death in his seventy-ninth year.

Levi Allen was born March 30, 1777, in that part of Wallingford known as North Farms. He removed to Meriden with his parents in 1793, and purchased a homestead (still standing) of Giles Collins, where he died August 27, 1861.

Edward Chauncey received a good public school or academic education and with his first earnings which were obtained by teaching he bought land adjoining his father's farm and built a home. For many years his farm was regarded as one of the model farms of the state, and as an officer of the State Agricultural Society, he took special pride in everything pertaining to progressive farming. Mr. Allen was also prominent in the advance-

ment of the musical interests of the church and community with which he was connected, and was one of the directors of the Worcester Festival As- sociation, which gave the first of those now famous New England musical events.

In July, 1840, he became a member of the First Congregational church in Meriden and in 1857 was chosen a life deacon in " that church. He never sought political honors, but was an earnest Republican, doing all in his power to advance the principles that he believed his party represented.

Mr. Allen's first wife was Jerusha Temperance, a daughter of Joseph Platt, of Deep River, Conn, and grand- daughter of Captain Daniel Platt, a soldier of the Revolution in the Fourth Regiment of the "Connecticut Line," by whom he had four children, three now surviving, viz .: Captain George W., Caroline J. (now Mrs. A. B. Jen- nings) and John Platt Allen.

His second wife was Sarah Hillard Linsley, daughter of Randolph Lins- ley, of Meriden. By this marriage there were two children, Edward Lins- ley and Emma Jennette (now Mrs. Nelson Moody). Mr. Allen died July 13, 1887.

Captain George W. Allen, his oldest son, enlisted in Captain Bassett's Com- pany, Fifteenth Connecticut Regiment, early in the Civil war and after ser- vice in Virginia and the Carolinas was appointed captain in the Twenty-ninth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers and served before Petersburg, Richmond and at Brownsville, Texas,

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BIOGRAPHIES.

CLARA LOUISE SANDS.

Clara Louise Sands, who during her useful life, collected more genealogi- cal information concerning American families probably than any other in- dividual in this country, was born in New York City, February 17, 1862. She was the daughter of Jesse and Mary Melvina (Turner) Sands and

CLARA LOUISE SANDS.

was descended from John Wakeman, first treasurer of New Haven colony for twenty years, and one of the orig- inal settlers of New Haven in 1639, and many other early and distinguished ancestors. Her mother died when she was but an infant, and she grew to womanhood under the watchful care of a fond and indulgent father, who

gave her a liberal education. She possessed many admirable and lovable traits which, although a great physical sufferer, as she became of age, grew more pronounced. Patience, accu- racy and serenity were ever exempli- fied in her character, those admirable qualities necessary to the successful student.

Her work in the research for fam- ily genealogy brought her unstinted praise ; and having collected the lead- ing books on the subject to aid her, she was encouraged to make this her life work. Gradually she became more familiar with the records of towns, cities and their courts and li- braries until her name became famous as an expert and familiar to the libra- rians and to the public press, to all of which she was a justly celebrated cor- respondent. Her success as a search- er for genealogical information and compiler of family records was great- er than has ever been known. She took a vast pride in this commenda- ble work and her remarkable persever- ance was a strong factor in her ulti- mate accomplishment of every task un- dertaken. Her work brought her wide repute and she had correspond- ence not only in every state in the union, but in every country in the world where the English language is spoken and penetrated by American families ; and where other genealo- gists failed her services, methods, pa- tience and perseverance brought the desired results. She was for many years a contributor to the genealogical records of the Boston Transcript. New

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York Mail and Express, Hartford Times, Newark News, Connecticut Quarterly and many western publica- tions ; and her compilation of geneal- ogical records for individuals brought her the love and esteem of number- less families in this and other coun- tries. She loved this work and took infinite delight in making herself use- ful to others, and her death, which oc- curred June 15, 1902, removed from Meriden one of its most lovable Chris- tian characters. In the genealogical collection included in her estate she left an almost priceless heritage, which in January, 1903, her executors pre- sented to the Curtis Public Library as a memorial to her name. After her death the members of her family re- ceived from all parts of the country glowing testimonials of the value of her collection, which was conceded by the best authorities the most accurate, clear and rarest compilations in exist- ence. The gift was much appreciat- ed by the trustees of the library, for without doubt the Curtis Public Library of Meriden now contains more material for the research of fam- ily records than any other in this coun- try.

The collection comprises the follow- ing books and pamphlets :

Vol I .- Signers of the Mayflower compact and their "descendants and other earliest emigrants.

Vol. 2-Boston Transcript geneal- ogical records.

Vol. 3-Mail and Express geneal- ogical records.

Vol. 4-Mail and Express written genealogical records (very rare).

Vol. 5-Transcript and Mail and Express records.

Vol. 6-Family names and where found in genealogies and on records.

Vol. 7 .- Genealogies and family his- tories.

Vol. 8-Connecticut emigrants to. other states.

Vol. 9-Hartford Times, Newark News and other publications' geneal- ogical records.

Vol. 10-Connecticut Quarterly Magazine records.

Vol. II-Connecticut Quarterly Magazine records.

Vol. 12-Connecticut Quarterly Magazine records.

Vol. 13-Old Norwestern Quarter- ly genealogical records.

Vol. 14-The Owl genealogical rec- ords.

Vol. 15-Genealogical records of families, A.

Vol. 16-Genealogical records of families, B.

Vol. 17-Genealogical records of families, C.

Vol. 18-Genealogical records of families, D.

Vol. 19-Genealogical records of families, E.

Vol. 20-Genealogical records of families, F.

Vol. 21-Genealogical records of families, G.

Vol. 22-Genealogical records of families, H.

Vol. 23-Genealogical records of families, I, J, K.

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BIOGRAPHIES.

Vol. 24-Genealogical records of families, L.

Vol. 25-Genealogical records of families, M.

Vol. 26-Genealogical records of families, N.

Vol. 27-Genealogical records of families, O.

Vol. 28-Genealogical' records of families, P, Q.

Vol. 29-Genealogical records of families, R.

Vol. 30-Genealogical records of families, S.

Vol. 31-Genealogical records of

families, T.

Vol. 32-Genealogical records of families, U, V.

Vol. 33-Genealogical records of families, W.

Vol. 34-Genealogical records of families, X, Y, Z.

Vol. 35-Conn. School Journal gen- ealogical records.

Vol. 36-Meigs genealogy and al- lied families.

Vol. 37-Kent genealogy and al- lied families.

Vol. 38-Buckingham genealogy and allied families.

Vol. 39-Prince genealogy and al- lied families.

Vol. 40-Eastman genealogy and allied families.

Vol. 41-Sharon births, deaths and marriages.

Vol. 42-Bodge's Indian wars.

Vol. 43-Palfrey's New England.

Vol. 44-Palfrey's New England.

Vol. 45-History of Fairfield coun- ty.

Vol. 46-History of New Haven county.

Vol. 47-History of Danbury.

. Vol. 48-History of Rhode Island. Vol. 49-History of Block Island. Vol. 50-History of Saratoga.

Vol. 51-History of New Jersey.

Vol. 52-History of Pennsylvania. Vol. 53-New Jersey Historical col- lections.

Vol. 54-New York historical col- lections.

Vol. 55-Massachusetts historical collections.

Vol. 56-Pennsylvania historical collections.

Vol. 57-Genealogical index.

Vol. 58-Middlesex county histor- ical sketches.

Vol. 59-Portfolio of manuscripts of genealogies of families.

The various pamphlets accompany- ing the collection includes :

Births, deaths and marriages of Hartford, Windsor and Fairfield.

Life of Josiah Meigs.

Lane-Griswold genealogy.

Marvin-Beckwith genealogy.

Names and ages of Connecticut old folks.

Governor Elihu Yale.

Family of John Savage.

Descendants of Stephen Pierson.

Records of Pynchon family.

Chatfield genealogy.

Beckwith notes.

Statistics of Middlesex county.

Founders of Ohio.

Early history of Brattleboro, Vt.

Bristol centennial records.

Westchester historical records.

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MERIDEN.

Glastonbury Centennial records.

Baptisms, marriages and deaths, Congregational church, East Hamp- ton.

Malden, Mass., historical records.

Incidents of Revolution in West- chester county.

Johnson genealogy.

Potter genealogy.

Blakesley genealogy.

Clinton's 200th anniversary records.

Killingworth historical records.

Stanwich Congregational church manual.

History of Piqua, Ohio.

GEORGE AUSTIN FAY.

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An historic record and pictorial description of the town of Meriden, Connecticut and men who have made it, Part 78

Author: Gillespie, Charles Bancroft, 1865-1915; Curtis, George Munson Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Meriden, Conn. Journal publishing co. Number of Pages: 1252

Author: Gillespie, Charles Bancroft, 1865-1915; Curtis, George Munson
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Meriden, Conn. Journal publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1252