USA > Connecticut > New London County > Biographical review, containing life sketches of leading citizens of New London County, Connecticut > Part 38
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Allan McDonald, his grandfather, was born in the north of Scotland, whence he immi-
grated to Prince Edward Island in 1780. He was a farmer by vocation, and lived to be eighty five years old. For his first wife he married a Miss Mckinnon, and he was mar- ried twice afterward. Jolin McDonald was born on Prince Edward Island about the year 1806, and is still living there. He is a ship- builder. John and Christina McDonald reared nine children, two sons and seven daughters. Both sons now reside in Connect- icut, M. B. in New London, and John E. in the village of Noank.
John E. McDonald grew to manhood in his native town. He received a common-school education, then learned the ship-builder's trade of his father, beginning his apprentice- ship at the age of sixteen. In 1865 he went to Boston, Mass., and on June I of the follow- ing year came to Noank, where he entered the employ of Robert Palmer in the ship-yard in which he has now been the foreman for over twenty-six years. When the Robert Palmer Company was organized, about four years ago, he became one of the stockholders, so that he has since been doubly interested in its suc- cessful operation, though at all times a faith- ful employee.
The marriage of Mr. McDonald and Miss Sarah McEachen, of Prince Edward Island, took place in Boston, Mass. They have an interesting family of four children, two sons and two daughters, namely: Annie Christina, in the Meriden Convent of Mercy, where she is known by the name of Sister Mary Rose; John Francis, attending the Holy Cross Col- lege, Worcester, Mass., class of 1897; James Alfred, in the Bulkley lligh School, of which his brother is a graduate; and Gertie M., thirteen years old, in school in Noank.
Mr. McDonald is a Democratic voter. He is connected with the American Order of United Workmen. He and his wife are mem-
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bers of St. Patrick's Church at Mystic. They reside on Church Street, in the house which has been their home since 1882, about fifteen years.
HARLES ALLYN, who died at his home in New London, September 6, 1888, aged forty-five, was a worthy representative of an old New London County family, being a lineal descendant of Robert Allyn, the early settler at Allyn's Point. Charles Allyn was born in Wilbraham, Mass., and was a son of the Rev. Robert and Eme- line (Denison) Allyn, the former of whom was a Methodist divine.
For a number of years the Rev. Robert Allyn was prominent in educational work in Illinois, first as president of McKendrie Col- lege at Lebanon and later of the State Nor- mal School at Carbondale. He was a gradu- ate of Wilbraham Academy and of the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. He was a man of superior mental powers and attainments, and stood very high both as a preacher and teacher. Many able articles were written by him for leading Methodist papers and educational periodicals. His first wife, Emeline Denison, died young, leaving him with an infant son and daughter - Charles and Emeline. He subsequently mar- ried Mary Budington, of Franklin County, Massachusetts, who bore him four children. The Rev. Robert Allyn died at Carbondale, Ill., January 7, 1894, aged seventy-seven years. He had previously been bereft of his second wife and two of their children. But three of his six children are now living, namely: Emeline, the widow of William Hypes, of Lebanon, Ill .: Joseph, a mining engineer in Chicago, Ill .; and Ellen S. Allyn, residing in Carbondale.
Mr. Charles Allyn is survived by his wife,
whose maiden name was Helen L. Starr. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., daughter of William Holt and Freelove Hurlbut (Will- iams) Starr. Her father was a native of Gro- ton, and her mother of Stonington, Conn. Mr. Starr at one time carried on a large manu- facturing business in Brooklyn, and he was also a writer and publisher. He was a man of influence in public affairs, serving two terms in the Connecticut State legislature. He died at his home in New London in 1884, aged seventy-six, in the house that he built in the winter of 1853-54, forty-four years ago, on Front Street, near the historic old mill, it being one of the first residences erected in this part of the town. Mr. and Mrs. Starr had five children; namely, William H., Charles F., Eliza D., Helen L., and Sarah J. William H. Starr is a Congregational minis- ter in Providence, R.I .; Charles F. lives on Post Hill; Eliza D. Starr lives with Mrs. Allyn ; and Sarah J. is the wife of Henry C. Fuller.
Charles Allyn and Miss Helen Starr were married on November 18, 1867. The first six years of their wedded life were spent in Brooklyn, N. Y., where he held a position in the custom-house office. In 1873 they left Brooklyn and came to New London; and a year or two before his death they removed to Mrs. Allyn's old home at 4 Front Street, corner of Crystal Avenue, where she has con- tinued to live. In New London Mr. Allyn engaged in the book trade. He was the pub- lisher of the History of the Battle of Groton Heights, which appears in a fine quarto vol- ume with illustrations; and for several years he published the Daboll Almanac. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Allyn, namely : Charles, who died at sixteen ; Louise, a graduate of the Emerson College of Oratory, Boston, in the class of 1895, and now engaged
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as a teacher of elocution and physical culture; Robert, who is studying in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Harriet May, thirteen years old, who is attending the gram- mar school.
RS. MARCIA PALMER STAN- TON, of Stonington, daughter of Oliver and Nancy D. (Noyes) Denison, and widow of the late Paul Burdick Stanton, is a native of this town. Her father, who was born January 2, 1787, and died Sep- tember 8, 1873, was one of the nine children, five sons and four daughters, of Oliver, Sr., and Martha (Williams) Denison. Mrs. Stan- ton's grandfather, Oliver Denison, Sr., was of the fifth generation in descent from Cap- tain George Denison, who was born in Eng- land about 1618, and came to this country in 1631 with his brothers, Daniel and Edward, and their father, William Denison, who set- tled at Roxbury, Mass. Captain . George Denison removed with his family from Massa- chusetts to the New London Colony in 1651, and in 1654 took up his abode in what is now Stonington. He was prominent in civil and military affairs, and has been called "the Miles Standish of the settlement." Of his extensive landed estate less than a hundred acres now remain, but it is still held under its first title deed.
Oliver Denison, Jr., was twice married. His first wife, Nancy Graves, died young, leaving one daughter, born in 1813, now Mrs. Nathaniel Clift, of Mystic. His second wife was Nancy Dean Noyes, daughter of Nathan Noyes. The date of their marriage was No- vember 24, 1825. They had seven children, namely : Emma J., who married Asa F. Ken- drick; Oliver, who married Harriet A. Wil- cox, and died in 1886; Marcia P., now Mrs. Stanton; Edgar, whose first wife was Mar-
garet E. Mandeville, and his second, Phebe J. Green; Sarah, who died unmarried; Nathan N., who married Sarah A. Green; Phebe M., who married Rcuben Ford, and still lives on the old place where Captain George Denison, the immigrant ancestor, first settled. The mother, Mrs. Nancy D. Denison, died June 10, 1870.
The marriage of Marcia Palmer Denison and Paul Burdick Stanton was solemnized May 25, 1864. Mr. Stanton was born Noveni- ber 28, 1824. He was the fourth son of Ben- jamin F. and Maria (Davis) Stanton, both of Stonington, and a lineal descendant of Robert Stanton, who was born in England in 1599, settled in Newport, R. I., in 1638, and died there August 5, 1672. Robert's son, John Stanton, a merchant and a member of the So- ciety of Friends, born in 1645, was married in Quaker meeting to Mary Horndale. John, Jr., born in 1673, the fourth of their seven children, settled in Westerly, R.I., in 1733. He had twelve children by his first wife, Elizabeth Clark, and thirteen by his second, Susannah Lamphere, whom he married in 1734, when she was nineteen years of age. His son Job, grandfather of Paul B. Stanton, was born at Westerly in 1737. He married first Elizabeth Belcher, who died in 1773; and in June, 1774, he married Mrs. Annie Williams Bell, widow of John Bell and daugh- ter of Nathaniel and Annie (Hewitt) Will- iams. She was a sister of the wife of Colonel Ledyard, who fell at Fort Griswold. Job Stanton had three children by his first wife, and four by the second, Benjamin F., above named, being the youngest.
Benjamin F. Stanton and his wife, Maria, had nine children - John Davis, Abby J., Emma A., Daniel D., Benjamin F., Maria, Fanny, Paul B., and Mason Manning. His parents, Job and Annie W. B. Stanton, spent
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their last years on this farm, which he pur- chased. Paul Burdick Stanton brought his bride here, and it has since been her home. Two of his brothers, John and Daniel, lived with him. The other brothers, Benjamin and Mason, neither of whom ever married, lived on the adjoining farm. The entire family of five sons and four daughters have now all passed away. Mr. Paul Burdick Stanton spent his life quietly as a farmer. He died July 8, 1884, in his sixtieth year. Since then Mrs. Stanton has had a good tenant to carry on the place. Their only child, a daughter, died in infancy. Mrs. Stanton is a member of the First Congregational Church, the Road Church.
OSEPH D. HERR, A.M., D.D., the pastor of the Central Baptist Church of Norwich and a worthy representative of an old and distinguished family, was born in Sharpsburg, Pa., February 23, 1837. A son of Daniel and Ann (Snively) Herr, he traces his ancestry back to A.D. 1009, and clearly shows that his family is connected with the royal house of Austria. The coat of arms in- dicates that the family is a very ancient one, of royal origin and pure descent, that it pro- duced knights who fought the Saracens in the Crusades, and men of naval prominence, and distinguished philanthropists. Though the male members of the family were remark- able for ability, they had little desire for royal preferment, whether in statecraft or war. Dr. Michael Herr, of Hagenau, Alsatia, who was a contemporary of Martin Luther, was one of the creators of the High German language. His book on the travels of Marco Polo, Co- Inmibus's discovery of America, and its de- scription by Amerigo Vespucci, is one of the registered old works in America. The book
is one of the finest specimens from the first century of the printing art, and is ninety-six years younger than the first print of Guten- berg. There are but three copies in this comtry ; and the best preserved, which was in the possession of Dr. E. F. Leyh, of Balti- more, Md., was purchased by the Tilden- Astor Library of New York. The catalogue of the famous Brown Library in Providence, R.I., gives a full page to the description of this work.
Hans Herr, Dr. Herr's great-great-great - grandfather, who is described in history as the founder and leader of the Mennonites in Pennsylvania, was a resident of the Pequea Valley in that State and an intimate friend of William Penn. His descendants in this country are very numerous, the minimum estimate being thirty thousand. A number of these descendants, including Dr. Herr, have formed the Hans Herr Memorial Asso- ciation, whose headquarters are at Lancaster, Pa., "with a view to commemorating the exodus of Swiss Mennonites to America nearly two hundred years ago and his leader- ship in the movement by erecting some suit- able permanent hall; school, or monument." In this association, embracing many men and women of ability, all the learned professions are represented. From Hans Herr, Dr. Herr traces his descent through Abraham, Chris- tian, David, and Benjamin, who was born in Lancaster, Pa., in 1766. Benjamin Herr, who was the Doctor's grandfather and one of the carliest merchants of Pittsburg, trans- ported his goods on pack mules over the mountains from Philadelphia. He was thrifty and enterprising, and accumulated quite a fortune. His death occurred in Pittsburg in 1846, in his eightieth year. In 1780 he went to Germany for a wife, and brought home a comely frau, who was a member of a
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wealthy and noble family, and whose name before marriage was Magdalena Lichte. She died at the age of seventy-two; and her re- mains lie beside those of her husband in the Troy Hill Cemetery, near Herr's Island. They reared seven children, three daughters and four sons. Of the sons - Benjamin, Henry, Daniel, and John - John, the young- est, is living near Cleveland, Ohio, nearly ninety years old. He has been engaged in agriculture and banking, and is a man of prominence.
Daniel Herr, Dr. Herr's father, was born on Herr's Island, in the Alleghany River, just above Pittsburg, in 1808. He was en- gaged in horticulture up to the time of his death, which occurred at the age of thirty- seven. His wife, who was born in Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, about ten miles from Pittsburg, was a daughter of David and Mary Snively. The Snivelys also are an old Penn- sylvania family. David Snively was a promi- nent man. His brother, Christian, served in the Pennsylvania legislature; and Christian's son Whitmer was an eminent physician. Mrs. Ann Herr is now living in Philadelphia with her daughter, and, though eighty-eight years old, is in possession of , her faculties, and still bright and active. At her husband's death she was left with four children, namely : Mary, now the wife of Dr. Jacob Stewart, of Moline, Ill. ; Magdalene, who is the widow of the Rev. David Williams and resides in Phil- adelphia; Sarah, who is the wife of the Rev. David Jones, D: D., the rector of the Epis- copal church in Rochester, Pa .; and Joseph D., the subject of this sketch.
After receiving a thorough training in the common-school branches, Joseph D. Herr ob- tained employment as a clerk in Sharpsburg, Pa., when fifteen years old, and soon made himself indispensable. At the age of seven-
teen he was converted, and decided to study for the ministry; and in the year of his ma- jerity he graduated from Madison College, Pennsylvania. Before his graduation he began to preach in West Virginia, and about three years later he was installed as pastor of a large church in Pittsburg. Subsequently he had a call to Cincinnati, and about the year 1870 returned to Pittsburg to take charge of another church. In 1875 he became pastor of the Central Baptist Church of New York City. Ill health in his family occasioned his removal to Norwich, Conn., in 1881. In Norwich he had charge of the Central Baptist Church, his present charge, until 1886, when he was called to Milwaukee, Wis .; and in that place he built the Tabernacle Baptist Church, a handsome brick edifice. After a stay of five years in Milwaukee he received an urgent and enthusiastic call to return to Nor- wich; and in January, 1891, he was again occupying his old pulpit. Since then he has erected the fine brick church, with solid gran- ite foundation, which is one of the handsom- est buildings in the town. The style is Romanesque; and the situation, under the shadow of the rocks of Norwich, is most pleas- ing. Thus five societies have lasting monu- ments of his ability in building and repairing churches. That Dr. Herr's ability has been recognized may be gleaned from the few fol- lowing facts concerning his work; he has served on the Board of Trustees of Adrian College, and in connection with the president thereof, Dr. Mahan, was largely instrumental in raising an endowment for the institution. During his pastorate in New York City, on one memorable Sunday morning, under the in- fluence of his fervent leadership twenty-four thousand dollars was raised in a few moments, toward paying off the mortgage of the church. While pastor there he had the great privilege
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JAMES PENDLETON.
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of receiving into membership with the church four hundred and forty-five, more than half of whom were added by baptism. While a pas- tor in Wisconsin he occupied a prominent place in the denomination, and exercised a wide influence throughout the State, in the cause of religion and education. Since his return to Connecticut Dr. Herr has occupied many positions of honor and trust. He holds, among others, the position of a member of the New England Board of Education, also of the Board of the State Baptist Convention. He is well known throughout the State for his zeal in the promotion of religion and educa- tion. He is a popular and vigorous speaker, and has few equals in his ability to present truth and as a vocal interpreter of the Bible. On matters of public welfare he has the cour- age of his convictions, and never hesitates to speak them: that he is interested in the progress of his adopted home is proven by the fact that he is an active member of the local Board of Trade.
Dr. Herr was married in 1859 in Pittsburg, Pa., to Mary E., daughter of Captain Ben- jamin L. and Anna (Boker) Wood, both of whom are now deceased. Mrs. Mary E. Herr died within eighteen months after her mar- riage, leaving an infant son, now the Rev. Benjamin L. Herr, who was recently the pas- tor of the First Baptist Church at Bingham- ton, N. Y. Dr. Herr contracted a second marriage in 1863 with Miss Annie M. Given, of Iluntingdon County, Pennsylvania, daugh- ter of the late Captain John W. and Nancy (Dean) Given. By this union he has had three children, one of whom has passed away. The others are: Mary Lillian and Joseph D., Jr. The former, a graduate of the Female College at Milwaukee and the business col- lege there, is a young lady of considerable literary talent. Under the nom de plume of
Laisdell Mitchell she has written several books; and her "Tony, the Story of a Waif," . has passed through a remarkably large edi- tion. "Niram: a Dusky Idyl," is also quite popular. Miss Herr lives with her parents when not - travelling. Joseph D. Herr, Jr., graduated from the Free Academy of Norwich in 1895; and he is now in the employ of the Uncas Paper Company of the same place.
AMES PENDLETON, a prosperous mer- chant of Stonington, was born in this borough, July 29, 1854, son of Harris and Sarah (Chester) Pendleton. He comes of an old American family, many members of which have distinguished themselves in the service of the State or in the various civic professions. The first progenitor of the fam- ily in this county was Major Bryan Pendleton, who was born in England in 1599, and who came to this country and settled in Roxbury, Mass., near Boston, as early as 1635. He filled many positions of honor and trust in the infant colony, and became one of its leading men. He was a member of the Governor's Council for five or six years. and was subse- quently Deputy Governor of the Province of Maine. His only son, James, served with the rank of Captain in the war with the Narragan- sett Indians, and distinguished himself by his bravery and other soldierly qualities. Harris Pendleton, father of the subject of this sketch, was a lifelong resident of Stonington. His wife, Sarah, was a daughter of Josiah Chester. They were the parents of eight children, all of whom are living except Virginia, who died in childhood. A sketch of one of their sons, Harris, brother of James, may be found on another page of this volume.
James Pendleton attended the common schools until about nineteen years of age.
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He subsequently entered the office of Russell Hinckley, a contractor and builder, for whom he worked two years or more. From 1878 to 1880 he conducted a market, which busi- ness, however, he gave up upon his appoint- ment as Postmaster of Stonington, which occurred near the close of President Arthur's administration. This office he held for five years, being removed by President Cleveland. He then remained out of business about a year, during which he erected his present fine residence on Elm Street, and also the Potter Block, where he opened a grocery store and later, in 1894, his bakery. The block, which is three stories high, is sixty by sixty-four feet in ground area, and contains three fine stores with offices above. After conducting the grocery and bakery together for two years, in May, 1896, he sold out his groceries, and divided the large store into a salesroom, office, and storage room, making it a part of his bakery. He has four delivery teams, which deliver goods in Westerly and Mystic as well as in Stonington. His store is noted for the excellent quality of its bread, cake, and pastry.
On June 12, 1884, Mr. Pendleton married Miss Sarah E. Potter, daughter of William and Olive B. Potter. Her father, a native of Stonington, and a carpenter and builder by occupation, died in middle life, leaving his widow with two children, of whom Mrs. Pen- dleton was the younger. Her mother was born in Norwich, Conn., and died in Stonington in 1890, aged about sixty-five years. Mr. and -Mrs. Pendleton have three sons: Frank Ray- mond, now eleven years old; Carrol Chester, aged nine; and William Clifford, aged seven.
Mr. Pendleton is a Republican in politics. He has been Selectman four years, served fourteen years on the Board of Burgesses, and is now serving his third term as Warden. In
1894 he was elected as Representative to the Connecticut legislature, and was re-elected to the same office in 1896. He is a Master Mason and a charter member of the Royal Arcanum. He is also a life member of the Grand Council, R. A., of Connecticut.
REDERICK M. TIBBETTS, who re- sides on his large farm, distant about a mile and a half from Salem, was born at Chesterfield, October 19, 1840, son of Benjamin B. and Hannah (Stapeling) Tibbetts. His grandfather, Henry H. Tib- betts, resided in East Greenwich, R.I., where he carried on a large farm, and reared a family of six sons and six daughters, all of whom married. The only survivor is Henry, resid- ing in East Greenwich, near the old home, who at the age of eighty-five is still an active worker, and able to cut wood and build stone walls. Benjamin B., who was born in East Greenwich about 1797, went to California during the gold fever of 1849, and was acci- dentally shot in 1851. His widow, after sur- viving him many years, died from the effects of a fall at the age of ninety. Of their ten children there are now living three sons and two daughters, namely: John Tibbetts, a farmer in Rhode Island, who served for five years in the Civil War; Samuel W., who re- sides in Newsneck Hill, R.I .; Lucy Ann, who is the wife of Richard Arnold, of Fall River, Mass. ; Dorcas R., who is living in Providence, R. I .; and Frederick M., the sub- ject of this sketch.
Frederick M. Tibbetts joined the Union army in 1863 from Syracuse, N. Y. He be- longed to the Eleventh New York Cavalry, Company F, served eighteen months, was wounded in the right knee at White Lord, and was discharged for physical disability. A
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cough, contracted during his period of service, has never left him since. He was formerly a member of the G. A. R. in Providence, R. I. His religious belief is that of the Congrega- tionalist denomination. In 1880 he bought his present farm of one hundred and thirty- five acres, upon which he has erected his house and barn. The home is perched up on the hillside, under the shelter of rocky bluffs on the west side, and commanding a beautiful view of the farms and distant hills to the east- ward. On the farm are a flourishing orchard and garden. The property, at one time known as the Calvin Daniels place, was first settled at an early period. To purchase it, Mr. Tibbetts spent the entire sum of his sav- ings, which were earned by himself, his wife, and children in a factory. It has been largely improved since it came into his pos- session. Besides replacing the old residence with the present modern structure, although constantly suffering from poor health, he has erected a wall about the entire farm, that adds much to its appearance. He has a small dairy, keeps five yoke of oxen constantly at work, owns horses and sheep, and grows pota- toes, corn, and oats for his own use. Though an invalid for years, he has survived many of his neighbors who were stronger men than he.
On March 31, 1866, Mr. Tibbetts married Sylvia A. Potter, who was born in West Greenwich. They have reared eight children, including an adopted child, Ambrose B. Tibbetts, a son of Mrs. Tibbetts's sister. Their own children are: Phebe E., the wife of William H. Robison, residing in Franklin, and the mother of one daughter; Elmer G., a farmer of Salem, and unmarried; Benjamin B. Tibbetts, who has a wife and two sons, and resides in West Greenwich; William M., who is unmarried and resides in Norwich; Fred- crick A., who lives at home; Richard B., who
is part owner of his father's farm, now con- sisting of five hundred acres; and Mabel D., a young lady of seventeen, who resides at home.
HOMAS FRANKLIN MORGAN, a former wealthy resident of Groton, was born in Newport, R.I., February 28, 1848, son of Captain Ebenezer and Ann Eliz- abeth (Price) Morgan. The family are of Welsh extraction. James, the earliest known paternal ancestor, who was born in Wales in 1607, in March, 1636, accompanied by his brother, emigrated from Bristol, England, to America, coming to Boston, Mass. Ebenezer Morgan (first), the great-great-grandfather of Thomas F., was born September 21, 1719. His son Nathan was the next in line of de- scent. Ebenezer (second), son of Nathan and the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born August 9, 1791. The second Eben- ezer was twice married. By the first cere- mony, which was performed October 28, 1814, Lavinia Newbury became his wife. She was a native of Groton, Conn., and had two chil- dren - Julia Ann and Ebenezer (third). By his second marriage there were three children.
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