USA > Connecticut > New London County > Biographical review, containing life sketches of leading citizens of New London County, Connecticut > Part 28
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
in 1798, daughter of Robinson and Lydia (Briggs) Hill and a descendant of the Hills of Massachusetts. The mother was living in her island home during the War of 1812, and afterward well remembered the stirring events of that time. Although Mr. Hill began life in humble circumstances, sadly handicapped in many ways, he has bravely surmounted al! obstacles, and won an assured position among the respected and valued citizens of his native town. He had a step-father, a Mr. Mitchell, whom he never knew, his early home having been with Mr. Bennett; but it was his privi- lege and pleasure to tenderly care for his mother in her last years.
Mason C. Hill began working for his living when a very young boy. At the age of four- teen he used to go on fishing-smacks as cook. On one of his first voyages he came very near being killed by having his head crushed be- tween two vessels, his rescue from death being almost a miracle. At the age of seventeen he left his foster-parents to serve an apprentice- ship of three years at the carpenter's trade with Joseph Frink, on the conditions that he would receive one month's schooling yearly and one hundred dollars and a set of tools when his time would expire. He was not al- lowed to attend school; and, instead of receiv- ing the tools and money referred to, he bought the last three months of his time from Mr. Frink for sixty dollars. He worked at his trade in West Hoboken, going there after the great fire, previous to 1840. Then he secured a position as carpenter in Groton, his wages being fixed at one dollar per day and board; but, when his employer cut his pay to seventy- five cents a day, he left him. Coming then to Mystic, he worked for a time at boat-build- ing for eighty-four cents a day. He after- ward shipped for New Orleans. Upon his re- turn from that voyage he was offered one
dollar a day as a ship-carpenter, in the yards of Irons & Grinnell, his pay to continue, rain or shine. He continued working as a ship and house carpenter for some time, carrying on business for eight years for Charles Mallory in Mystic. In 1858 he went to Jersey City, N.J., to superintend the con- struction of a dry dock, remaining there till the fall of 1860. In this year he formed a partnership with Amos Grinnell, and for the ensuing fifteen years was engaged in ship- building under the firm name of Hill & Grin- nell, constructing in that time many steam- ships.
During the war Mr. Hill was employed by the government in Connecticut and New York to superintend the building of war vessels; and for nineteen months in Cincinnati he superintended the construction of ironclad monitors at a salary of four thousand dollars. These ironclads, the "Catawba" and the "Oneoto," built in 1863 and 1864, which were never in action, were subsequently sold to the Peruvian government. Afterward he lost about five thousand dollars by the burning of his ship-yard. In 1891 he embarked in his present mercantile business, in which he is meeting with good success.
Mr. Hill was married in 1842 to Mary Ann Williams, a woman of rare loveliness of char- acter and personality. She was accidentally drowned July 4, 1853, leaving an adopted daughter. The latter is Phebe, the widow of John Forsyth, who died during the war. leav- ing two little ones. In 1855 Mr. Hill mar- ried Margaret Wheeler, of Stonington, a daughter of Stephen A. Wheeler. Of the eight children born of this union, two are now living - John E. and Herbert Crary. John E. Hill, after graduating from Yale Univer- sity, took a post-graduate course at Clark Uni- versity, and is now serving his second year as
299
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
professor of mathematics, his favorite science, in Columbia College. He is married, and has one daughter. Herbert Crary, also a graduate of Yale, is a civil engineer by pro- fession. One of Mr. Hill's daughters, Mary Ann, who married Frank H. Sheffield, died leaving two children, one of them an infant. Mr. Hill is a stanch Republican, takes an ac- tive interest in public affairs, and has served for two terms as Selectman of the town. He is a member of the Methodist church, and for more than thirty years has been the secretary of the Board of Trustees. Liberal and active in all religious movements, he has given finan- cial aid toward the erection of three churches.
OSHUA HALEY, of the hardware firm - of Haley & Chesebro, one of the oldest and most reliable houses in Stoning- ton, was born on the old Haley homestead in this town, September 5, 1822. A son or Joshua and Rebecca (Brown) Haley, his an- cestry is traced through five generations to John Halcy and his wife, Mary (Saunders) Haley, who are known to have lived in Centre Groton, Conn., as early as 1738. They were the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters. Of these John, Joshua, and Caleb remained at Centre Groton. John, from whom this branch of the family is descended, came to Stonington, and settled on a large tract of land, much of which was covered with a heavy growth of timber. This place was the family home for four generations. John married Deborah Fanning, and became the father of thirteen children, four sons and nine daugh- ters, all of whom grew up, and all but one married. The sons were named: John, Ed- mund, Joshua, and Belcher. Edmund married Polly Irish; Joshua left no issue; and Belcher married a Miss Barry. One daughter, Abi-
gail, was married May 10, 1770, to William Miner, and had twelve children; another, whose name is not given, was the wife of John West; Zeruiah married David Smith in 1777, and afterward lived in Mystic, Conn .; Hannah married Manassa Miner in 1779, and had scven children; Mary became the wife of Thomas Leeds in 1773; Constance married a Burdick; Lucy married Nathan Burdick in 1784; Deborah was the wife of Elisha Han- cock; and Phebe did not marry. The father died in 1813, at an advanced age, and the mother in 1827.
John Haley, son of the preceding bearer of the namc, was born in Stonington in 1763. During the Revolutionary War he served on the American privateer "Yankee." On Oc- tober 21, 1792, he married Priscilla Fellows, a descendant of an old family here. Three sons were born to them, namely: John, July 22, 1793; Joshua, March 15, 1795; and Elihu, born May 8, 1797. Joshua, the father of the subject of this sketch, succeeded his father as owner of the old homestead at the Roads. About the year 1832 he moved to the village, and engaged in cabinet-making, a trade he learned in Hebron, Conn. He worked at that and carpentering for some years. Rebecca, his wife, to whom he was married in 1821, was a daughter of David and Lydia (Billings) Brown. Her father was in the Revolutionary War; and her mother, who lived ninety-six years and some months, drew a pension for many years as his widow. Of their twelve children five reached mature life, namely: Joshua, the subject of this sketch ; Rebecca, who was the wife of John Brown, of Quiambog, and dicd in 1894, aged seventy years, leaving four children; Jane, wife of James Norman, a large farmer of Poquetanuck, in Ledyard; John E., who lives in New Britain, Conn. ; and Harriet, who is still single.
300
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Joshua Haley, the special subject of this biography, attended school at the Roads church until ten years old, when his father re- moved to Stonington village. From the age of seventeen to that of twenty-one he served an apprenticeship as a worker in tin and iron, and in 1847 started in business for himself as a hardware merchant. Beginning on a small scale with a limited stock, he has built up the business so that it now gives employment to from two to four men. He had conducted it alone for nearly twenty years, when, in 1866, his present partner, E. S. Chesebro, who had previously been in his employ, be- came a member of the firm. The new firm, Haley & Chesebro, at once removed from the old stand down town to their present commo- dious quarters, where they occupy three floors, and carry a large and varied line of goods. The store is the leading one of its description in Stonington. Mr. Haley is one of the old- est merchants here, fifty years having passed since he established the business.
On New Year's Day, 1851, Mr. Haley and Miss Matilda Williams were united in mar- riage. She was born at Groton Bank, Conn., and is a daughter of Captain Peter and Amy (Daniels) Williams. In his younger days her father was a sea captain, and later ran the New London ferry-boat, which was drawn by four horses. A son and daughter have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Haley. The daughter, Matilda W. Haley, is a lady of musical abil- ity, and lives at home. George W. Haley, the son, now a newsdealer in Stonington, was a student in the agricultural department of Amherst College, and was at one time em- ployed in the railroad office here. He mar- ried Hope Dyer, of Providence, R.I. Pre- viously a Whig, Joshua Haley has been a Republican since the birth of his party. He has served in various minor offices and as
Burgess. Under President Lincoln he was appointed United States Weigher, an office that he held until it was abolished, some eight or ten years later. During his term of office in this capacity he weighed four shiploads of railroad iron. He was also Justice of the Peace for ten ycars. Mr. Haley is affiliated with the Masonic order, being a Knight Templar, and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being the oldest member in this county. He joined the latter fifty years ago, has been through all the chairs, and he was a Representative to the Grand Lodge three times. In the Congregational church he is the senior Deacon and a trustee, and he has been the superintendent of the Sunday-school for a quarter of a century. He has resided at the corner of Main and Church Streets for thirty years.
ENRY C. JOHNSON, the efficient manager of the William G. Johnson Company dye works at Uncasville, in the town of Montville, was born here July 10, 1843, son of William G. and Louisa (Matthewson) Johnson. His paternal great- great-great-grandfather emigrated from Scot- land to America. The grandfather, William, was born near Norwich, Conn., in 1765. On June 26, 1799, he married Nancy, daughter of John Leach, a farmer of this town. They had these children : William G., born in New London, April 3, 1800; Robert, born July 1, ISO1; Nicholas, born in February, 1803: Nancy, born May 30. 1807; and Sarah, who is the widow of Erastus Osgood, a brother of the late Dr. Charles Osgood, and resides in Vermont, being still bright and active. The parents of these children have long since passed to the life immortal.
William G. Johnson, father of Henry C.,
301
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
married Louisa Matthewson, a native of Rozrahville, this county, in 1823. Immedi- ately after his marriage he went, accompanied by his wife, to Buenos Ayres, South America, where for twelve years thereafter he was en- saged in trade. They had five sons and four daughters, eight of whom grew to maturity: Mary, Caroline, Nicholas W., Louisa, An- drew T., Edwin C., Charles S., Henry C., and Lucy. Mary died in infancy in Buenos Ayres. Caroline married Samuel Townsend, and died in 1863 in Bovina, Miss., leaving four children. Nicholas W. is a banker in Des Moines, lowa. Louisa, widow of Robert HI. Gardner, resides in Norwich. Andrew T., who was Captain of Company A, Thirteenth Connecticut Regiment, met his death in a railroad disaster. He was twenty-eight years of age and unmarried. Edwin C. resides on the old homestead. Charles S. is a resident of Norwich. Lucy married Dr. McLord, and both she and her husband died in Kansas City, Mo.
Henry C. Johnson, after acquiring his edu- cation, engaged successively in various occu- pations. He subsequently became a live- stock dealer, going South to Texas after cattle, and being one of the first in that enter- prise to drive a herd to Colorado. He re- mained in the West eleven years. He now owns some of the best blooded horses on the turf, among them being: Bessie Hessell, a very promising colt, by Father Wilkes, able to trot in 2. 10; Walter J .; and a valuable mare, Westeria. He became the owner of the dye works five years ago, when it comprised but thirty-four mills. Since then he has re- fitted the plant at an expense of thirty-four thousand dollars. He takes a justifiable pride in the quality and high reputation of his goods.
On August 15, 1871, Mr. Johnson was mar-
ried to Rebecca M., daughter of Richard Wells. Her father, a native of Woodbury, N.J., was a cotton broker and dry-goods mer- chant in Natchez, Miss. Her mother, Anna Laycock in maidenhood, was born in Camden, N.J. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have had seven children, five of whom are living; namely, William G., Richard W., Sarah, Nancy Leach, and Charles S. William G. was grad- uated at the Norwich Business College, and is now book-keeper in the dye works. Richard W., a young man of twenty-two, is superin- tendent of the William G. Johnson Company. Sarah, who was graduated at McLean's Semi- nary in Simsbury, Conn., is a fine pianist. Nancy, a young lady of seventeen, is now a student in the same seminary. Charles S., who possesses musical talent, plays the snare drum in Johnson's Military Band, which was organized in 1894, and has since won a fine reputation. Mr. Johnson owns the old fiddle which was found in the Niles House in 1812. In politics Mr. Johnson is an independent voter. He is identified with Mohegan Lodge, 1. O. O. F., having attained its highest office, and he also belongs to the encampment.
ILLIAM J. BROWN, who was a prosperous and well-known farmer of Ledyard, was born in this town, August 31, 1841, son of James J. and Sophia E. (Crandall) Brown. The father was a na- tive of Rhode Island, born near Hopkinton, April 3, 1806. When five years old, as his parents had a large family of children, he left home to live with his uncle, James Wood- bridge, a large land-owner of Ledyard, who had no children. His marriage with Sophia E. Crandall was solemnized in 1840. She was born May 15, 1811. They became the par- ents of two sons - William J. and Albert Z.
302
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Albert is a farmer on a portion of the old Woodbridge farm. The mother was nearly eighty-four when she died on March 4, 1895.
William J. Brown supplemented a district- school education with three terms of study in Dr. Hart's High School at Stonington Point. When nineteen years old he began teaching, which calling he followed in the winter season for several years. The most of his life, however, was spent in agricultural pursuits. He died January 2, 1897, on the farm whereon he had passed his last fourteen years.
On September 14, 1882, Mr. Brown mar- ried Mrs. Jennie A. Sabin, the widow of Charles Sabin, by whom she had no children. She is a daughter of Henry and Lucy (Smith) Denison, who were natives respectively of Stonington and Groton, Conn. Mr. Denison thirty years ago settled on this farm of one hundred acres, and continued to live here until his death, April 5, 1885. Mrs. Brown then succeeded to the property. Her parents' ten children, three sons and seven daughters, grew to maturity; and eight are living in this section. Her mother died May 23, 1872, in her seventy-fifth year. Mr. Denison lacked but three days of ninety-two years of age at the time of his death. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have one daughter living, Jennie E., born July 6, 1883, who is an apt scholar in the common branches of study, and possesses con- siderable musical talent.
Though afflicted with heart - disease for years, Mr. Brown was always a hard worker, and at his death left his wife and daughter in good circumstances. Mr. Brown was always prominent in public affairs, and highly es- teemed in the community as a man of sterling worth. He represented Ledyard in the State legislature for two terms, and served as School Visitor for several years, taking a deep inter-
est in educational matters. Mrs. Brown and daughter are members of the First Groton Baptist Church. They reside on the farm.
ICHARD WILLIAM CHADWICK, a prosperous farmer of Old Lyme. owner of the Chadwick farm, which has been in the family from the time of the Revolution, was born here, September 17, . 1836, son of George H. and Mary (Sparrow) Chadwick. The paternal grandfather, Rich- ard Chadwick, married a Miss Terry, of Long Island, by whom he had one son and one daughter, George and Betsey. The last named became the wife of Grant Chamber- lain, reared a family of four daughters, and died at an advanced age in Litchfield County. George II. Chadwick adopted farming as his life occupation, and was quite successful. Esteemed by his fellow-townsmen, he was elected to various positions of trust and re- sponsibility, including that of Selectman. He saw military service in the War of 1812, and at its close received an honorable dis- charge. In 1833 he married Mary Sparrow, of this town, daughter of Union Sparrow; and by her he had two children - George R. and Richard W. George, who went to sea, lost his life in 1852 when nineteen years old, by falling from the mizzen rigging of a vessel. The father and mother of the subject of this sketch, and also his grandparents, are resting in Old Lyme cemetery. The parents were members of the Congregational church.
Richard W. Chadwick was educated in the town schools and at Lyme Academy. Like his father, he became a farmer, in which occu- pation he has been successful. Politically, he is an ardent Republican. He takes a warm interest in town affairs, and has been repeatedly elected to publie office. Until
303-304
RICHARD W. CHADWICK.
305
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
June, 1895, he was Deputy Sheriff, having held that position for thirty years with the exception of his period of service in the legis- lature and two years under a Democratic ad- ministration. He was instrumental in captur- ing the notorious gang of Bridgeport burglars in 1885, and at that time narrowly escaped death by a pistol shot fired by one of the youthful desperadoes while the Sheriff was placing him under arrest. In 1873 and 1889 he was sent by his town to the lower branch of the State legislature, where he served his constituents with the fidelity and ability which have always marked his administration of public office. In April, 1896, he was ap- pointed County Commissioner for a term of three years. A Master Mason, he was for- merly a member of Mount Olive Lodge, and now belongs to Pythagoras Lodge of Lyme.
At the age of twenty-two years Mr. Chad- wick married Maria Bracey, of this town, who bore him two children (twins) : G. Robert Chadwick; and Maria, now Mrs. Charles Stanton, of Hartford. The mother died while her children were yet infants. Mr. Chadwick married for his second wife, in January, 1886, Miss A. M. Rowland. In religious belief the family are Congregation- alists.
ILLIAM DENISON ROGERS, the well-known ice dealer on Laurel Hill in Norwich, was born in Salem, Conn., February 15, 1831. A son of William Pendleton Rogers, he belongs to the twelfth generation descended from the John Rogers who was burned at the stake in Eng- land in the reign of Queen Mary. This branch of the Rogers family is one of the old and worthy families of the county. Denison Rogers, the grandfather, married Nancy Pen- dleton, and had four sons and three daughters
- Alfred, Henry, William, James, Charlotte, Lucy, and Emily. Alfred was Captain and James a Colonel in the militia.
William Pendleton .Rogers, who was a teacher for many years, married in 1830 Lucy Caroline Beebe, of East Great Plain. She was born in 1809, daughter of Joab Beebe, who settled here in 1790. After the marriage they rented a farm in Salem. Two years later they removed to the old Beebe farm in Norwich, where they remained during the rest of their long and useful lives. Their children were: William Denison, Joab B., Emily, Mary Elizabeth, Nancy Maria, Jenny L., and J. Frank. Joab B. Rogers is the present jailer at New London. Emily died unmarried in 1873. Mary E. was married in California, and died there, leaving two children. Her twin sister, Nancy M., is unmarried, and re- sides at the old farm. Jenny L. became Mrs. Harris. J. Frank is a farmer and a mail agent of Salem.
William Denison Rogers remained at home until he reached his majority. He then bought a few acres of land in Great Plain, and built the house to which he took his bride on March 28, 1865. She was Susan Frances, daughter of Gardner and Martha (Bates) Hull. Mr. Rogers has been in the ice trade for thirty-two years, supplying ice both at whole- sale and retail. His ice is obtained from the pure spring water which comes from his own water works on the hill, and which is con- ducted several hundred feet from the three reservoirs built by Mr. Bill. Ile bought this property on time, going in debt to the ex- tent of five thousand dollars for the first pur- chase, and afterward buying over forty acres for the sum of one thousand dollars. Within five years he had paid up his entire indebted- ness. He is now one of the solid farmers of the county.
306
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have two sons and a daughter. Their first-born, William Gardner, who is at home on the farm, spent a part of the year 1896 in California. Fanny Bell Rogers and her younger brother, John Deni- son, were educated in the Norwich High School. Miss Rogers is now cashier in the large store of Porteous & Mitchell, where she handles several hundred dollars daily. Mr. Rogers is a Republican voter, as was his father, though his ancestors were adherents of the opposite party. He carries on general farming, and besides three horses he keeps fif- teen cows of the Holstein and Guernsey grades. He has made many improvements on his farm, including the erection of a double ice-house and sundry out-houses.
IDWARD KEEFE, an enterprising gro- cer doing business at 495 Bank Street, New London, was born in Newfound- land, April 4, 1852, son of Richard and Eliz- abeth (Brown) Keefe. The father, who was born in Ireland in 1824, married Elizabeth Brown, of the same country, and emigrated to Newfoundland. Subsequently he came to New London, where he followed the trade of tailor during the rest of his life. Of his seven children six were reared, namely: Ed- ward, the subject of this sketch; Mary, of this city; James, a resident of Syracuse, N.Y .; Ellen, the wife of John Callahan; Thomas, who resides at home and is unmarried; and Richard, who also lives with his widowed mother on Bank Street.
After acquiring a public-school education in this city, Edward Keefe had learned the machinist's trade at the age of seventeen. He was employed for seventeen years thereafter in two concerns, serving the New London & Northern Railroad for fourteen years. In the
spring of 1885 he established his present gro- cery. He is the owner of his residence at 281 Bank Street and of another place on the corner of Bank and Ocean Avenue. On Sep- tember 23, 1875, he was married to Bridget Rowe, of this city. Her parents, James and Elizabeth (Dray) Rowe, came from Ireland in 1851. Her father is dead; but her mother is still living, and has three daughters and one son. Mr. and Mrs. Keefe have six children - Mary, Frank, Fred, Edward, Bessie, and Lucy. Mary was graduated from Williams Memorial High School of this city in June. 1895. Frank, who was also a high-school graduate, is now the book-keeper in his father's store. The other children are still attending school. In politics Mr. Keefe is a sound money Democrat. He is a member of Trumble Lodge, No. 47, K. of P .; of the Ancient Order of Foresters of America; of the Knights of Columbus; and of St. John's Literary Association. In religion both he and Mrs. Keefe are Roman Catholics.
ILLIAM A. FRASER, book-keeper for the Robert Palmer & Son Com- pany at Noank, in the town of Gro- ton, Conn., was born in Bath, Me., January 20, 1856, son of Simon Campbell and Jane (Nicholson) Fraser.
Simon C. Fraser, now a wharf builder at New London, was born at Kirk Hill, Inver- ness, Scotland, January 1, 1825. He was a son of Donald and grandson of Donald, Sr .. a lineal descendant of Simon Levat, a noted Ilighlander, and at one time a contestant of his estate.
The family, nicknamed Maconie (from land owned by the family for many generations), immigrated in 1832 to Nova Scotia, where Donald, the father of Simon, died at the age
307
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
of eighty. There were seven children, and five are now living, namely: Simon C. and J. Donald, of New London; Ann Cameron, of New Glasgow, N.S .; and Margaret Hender- son and Jennie Fraser, of Boston, Mass.
In 1868 Simon C. Fraser came to New London, and engaged in the ship-building in- dustry; and about twenty years ago he took up wharf building, in which he still continues to do a profitable business. He resides at 115 Main Street, New London. Simon C. and his wife, Jane, who died December 21, 1884, had eight children. The three now living are: William A., of Noank; George W., an engineer and dock builder, engaged with his father in New London; and Jean C., a grad- uate of the class of 1896 in the Ladies' High School in that city.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.