USA > Connecticut > New London County > Biographical review, containing life sketches of leading citizens of New London County, Connecticut > Part 7
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Charles B. Harvey, only son of the late Elijah B. Harvey, conducts the farm for his aged mother, now in the eighty-fourth year of her age. He was born July 28, 1838. He received his early education in the common schools of Salem, and afterward studied math- ematics for a few months in Norwich. Ile began to earn his own living as a clerk in a retail grocery store, where he spent the first two years; and a third year he spent in the wholesale department. Becoming clerk on a steamboat at the age of eighteen, he spent twenty years in the employ of the Norwich & New York Transportation Company, during which time he was their New London agent for two years.
He married January 6, 1862, Mary L. Stan- ton, daughter of John Stanton, of Norwich. They had two children --- Frederick and Charles Waterman. Frederick, the elder, died when three months old. Charles Water- man Harvey, who is a marine engineer and unmarried, still makes his home on the old farm. He was educated at Eastman College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and began work as a ..
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fireman on the Norwich line at the age of eighteen years. His next position was with the Morgan steamship line running from New York to Galveston, Tex. He was promoted to position of engineer while with this line of steamships, and after two years with the Panama Steamship Company he has spent the past two years as engineer of different pleas- ure yachts.
Mr. Charles B. Harvey has spent his win- ters for the last eight years in Salem. His mother received a fall in 1895, breaking her hip; and since that time he has remained at home. He is a Democrat in politics, and represented the town in the legislature in 1872. He is now the First Selectman, and he also holds the office of Judge of Probate.
'SRAEL F. BROWN, of New London, a" retired manufacturer, has had a long and successful career in business, producing machinery for two of the greatest industries of the United States, the manufacture and print- ing of cotton. He was born in Salem, Conn., December 31, 1810, son of William F. and Sarah G. (Edgerton) Brown. His grand- father, William Brown, was one of seven brothers.
William F. Brown was born at Gale's Ferry, Conn., about the year 1771. Having learned the trades of cabinet-maker and ship-joiner, he was engaged for some time in the manufacture of furniture in Montville, this State, sending his goods to the West Indies. In 1823 he went South, and for some five years was in business in Macon, Ga., where his brother, E. E. Brown, was afterward the proprietor of the Brown House. E. E. Brown erected this hotel, was a prominent man in Macon, a Jus- tice of the Peace for several years, and was associated with General Winfield Scott in
military service at the time of the Seminole War in Florida. William F. Brown died in Macon in 1837. He was married in 1795 in Norwich, Conn., to Sarah G. Edgerton, of that place, who also died in 1837. They were the parents of five sons and two daughters. who all married. Of these Eunice died at the age of sixteen : Elizabeth Leffingwell, who was the wife of Samuel Jacob Hicks, died at eighty-three; Alexander D., an ingenious natural mechanic, died in Columbus, Ga., at eighty-three, leaving a family. Israel F. is the only survivor of the seven children. The sons, who were all gifted with mechanical skill, conjointly made two miniature vessels about three feet long, perfect in every detail - a brig and a steamer having a copper boiler - named respectively the "Bunker Hill" and "The Independent."
Israel F. Brown was left with a brother in Norwich, Conn., when his parents went South in 1823. In 1825 he and his brother fol- lowed; and in 1828 he was engaged by Sam- uel Griswold to work on cotton-gins in Clin- ton, Ga. After spending three years in that employment, he returned then to Macon. whence he went to Girard, Ala., where he was engaged in the same industry for some years. Then, with Dr. E. T. Taylor, he formed the firm of E. T. Taylor & Co., who carried on a successful business manufacturing cotton-gins at Columbus, Ga., for the ensuing eight years. In 1858 he returned to Connecticut, and es- tablished a cotton-gin factory in New London, beginning in 1861 to make these machines for New York firms in his own name. The war put an embargo on the trade in the South, but he found a market in Brazil until after peace was declared. In 1869 he formed a stock cor- poration, of which he has since been the presi- dent, and his son, Edward T., the secretary and treasurer. In 1882 the plant was moved
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to a new brick structure on Pequot Avenue of imposing architecture and measuring five hundred by fifty feet. The capital stock of the company at this time was twenty thousand dollars. One of the leading manufacturing enterprises in the United States, it employs from two hundred and fifty to three hundred hands, and has turned out eighteen hundred cotton-gins in one year, worth from one hun- dred and eighty dollars to two hundred and fifty dollars each. During the past ten years it has made printing-presses for the Babcock Company.
Mr. Brown was married at the age of twenty-two to Maria L. Martin, of Jones County, Georgia, who lived but a year after that event. In 1837 he was united to Ann Smith, of Macon, Ga., who died in New London in 1865, aged forty-six years. She bore him five children, of whom two sons and one daughter reached maturity. The elder son, Edward T., is the secretary, treasurer, and manager of the manufacturing company of which his father is president, the elder man being practically retired, and leaving all the responsibility to his son. The second child, George C., was employed by the American Bank Note Company some ten years, and then went to Georgia to take charge of the Brown Hotel. He died in Macon in 1886, in the prime of life, leaving three children. The youngest living child of Mr. Brown's second marriage, Sarah A., is the wife of George Colfax, of this city. In 1866 he contracted a third marriage, which united him with Miss Emma Conant, of Massachusetts, the adopted daughter of William Albertson. There are no children by this union. ] In politics Mr. Brown favors the Democratic party. He is a Master Mason, and belongs to the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows. His religious be- lief is that of the Swedenborgians. On Au-
gust 13, 1895, he moved from the house on Howard Street, which had been his home for twenty-seven years, to the pleasant and at- tractive cottage at 83 Willets Avenue, where he now resides.
OHN MILTON NEWTON LATHROP, a representative farmer of Bozrah and formerly Representative from Franklin to the Connecticut legislature, was born in Franklin, New London County, Conn., May 20, 1830, son of James and Clarissa (Spicer) Lathrop. He is a descendant of the Rev. John Lathrop, a Congregational preacher, who settled in Scituate, Mass., and who was the founder of the Lathrop family in America. The line of descent continues through Samuel Lathrop (of Norwich, Conn.), Ezekiel, James, and James (second) to John. Grandfather James Lathrop, who resided in Franklin, fought for American independence, and is said to have served all through the Revolutionary War.
James Lathrop, second, father of John, was a native and lifelong resident of Franklin. A farmer and carpenter by occupation, he was quite prosperous, and was one of the prominent and highly respected citizens of his day. He lived to reach his seventy-fifth year, dying in 1862. He held some of the town offices, and in politics he supported the Whig party. A man of strongly defined character, he was positive in his opinions, and was an anti- Mason. His wife, Clarissa, was a native of Connecticut. Of her children, the only sur- vivor is the subject of this sketch.
John Milton Newton Lathrop began his education in the common schools of. Franklin ; and his schooling was completed at the Phil- lips Academy in Andover, Mass. He was reared to farm life, and has given his time and
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attention to agriculture. He continued to reside in his native town until September 4, 1895, at which time he moved to his present farm in Bozrah. He owns some two hundred and forty acres of land, situated in this town and in Franklin; and as a farmer he is practi- cal, energetic, and progressive.
Mr. Lathrop was first married to Lydia E. Gager, daughter of Samuel A. Gager, late of Bozrah. By this union there is one son, Charles E. His present wife, whose maiden name was Lucretia Hough, is a native of this town, and daughter of Jedediah and Amelia (Fowler) Hough. Her father was born in Bozrah; and her mother was a native of Leba- non, Conn. Neither is now living. Mrs. Lathrop is the mother of three sons - James H., Clifford A., and Jabez G.
While residing in Franklin, Mr. Lathrop took an active part in public affairs, serving as a Grand Juryman for many years, as Assessor eight years, and as a Selectman for one term. In the autumn of 1890 he was elected to the legislature, in which body he served with abil- ity for two years. In politics he acts with the Republican party, and he and Mrs. Lathrop are members of the Congregational church.
HARLES PRENTICE ALEXAN- DER, a successful farmer of North Waterford, New London County, Conn., was born in Groton, this county, Feb- 'ruary 8, 1832, son of William and Eliza (Williams) Alexander. The father was a na- tive of the same town, born in 1800. The mother was born in Stonington, Conn., in 1802. They were married in 1825, and had three sons and three daughters - Eliza Ann, William, Charles P., Pardon, Emily, and Amanda. Eliza Ann married William El- dridge, and died in Groton in 1892, at the age
of sixty-two, leaving four children. William was a sailor and farmer, and died in Groton at the age of forty, leaving four children. Par- don is a carpenter at Groton Banks, where he holds the office of Postmaster. Emily mar- ried Simeon Perkins. Amanda is now Mrs. Chipman. With the exception of Charles Prentice, all the children live in Groton. The mother died in 1864, and the father in 1875.
Charles P. Alexander was brought up on the farm, and acquired a common-school edu- cation. At the age of twelve years he shipped as sailor on a fishing-smack, but followed the sea during one summer only. For fifteen years thereafter he was employed as farm hand, receiving from four to eighteen dollars a month, out of which he contrived to save quite a fair amount. In 1870 he invested his savings in a pleasant farm of thirty acres, which by energy and perseverance he has since greatly improved. It is picturesquely situated on an eminence commanding a fine view of the Thames and of the hill on which Commodore Decatur planted his cannon; and it also has excellent buildings. Mr. Alexander has a good dairy of Jersey cows, and sells milk in New London.
On November 14, 1858, he married Harriet E. Jerome, daughter of Jesse and Harriet (Loomis) Jerome, who had five children, three sons and two daughters, of whom four are now living. The parents have both passed to the life immortal. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander have two children: Charles Jesse, a farmer, resid- ing at home with his parents; and Frank Jerome Alexander, a merchant at Quaker Hill, who married Martha Alice Lawson. The brothers were both educated in New Lon- don. In politics Mr. Alexander affiliates with the Democratic party. The family are members of the Baptist church.
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B ENJAMIN F. BAILEY, a prosper- ous sail - maker of New London, was born in Niantic, New London County, September 2, 1840, son of Henry and Susan (Franklin) Bailey. His paternal grandfather died in Niantic in 1845, at an advanced age. Henry Bailey, the father, came to this county near the close of the eighteenth century. He married Susan Franklin, of Block Island, and they had a family of ten children, seven sons and three daughters, only two of whom are now living : namely, Benjamin F. ; and George, his young- est brother, a sailor, who lives in Mobile, Ala. The father and mother both died at the age of sixty-four, the mother surviving her husband fifteen years.
Benjamin F. Bailey, after attending school for the usual period, at the age of sixteen began to learn his trade with the firm of Ar- nold & Beebe. He subsequently enlisted in Company C, Twenty-first Connecticut Regi- ment, and served thirty-four months as pri- vate, with the exception of a short time when he was in the hospital. After concluding his military service, he began business in Noank, where he continued nearly thirty years, em- ploying generally about eight men, and con- trolling the sail-making industry in that place. In 1891 he came to New London, where he has more competition, there being three sail lofts. Mr. Bailey's loft is located in the rear of the Day office. Being a man of energy and careful to turn out none but the best work, he does a large business. In poli- tics he affiliates with the Republican party, and has occasionally held town offices. He belongs to Williams Post, G. A. R .. , of Mystic, and also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he holds the office of Chaplain.
At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Bailey
was united in marriage with Miss Abby Perry, of Colchester. Conn. She died leav- ing a daughter, Georgiana, who is now the wife of Samuel Dennis, a machinist. In 1866 Mr. Bailey married for his second wife Miss Amanda Franklin, of Ontario County, New York. By this union there are two sons: Fred Bailey, who is a resident of Pensacola, Fla. ; and John, who resides with his father, is married, and has two daughters.
IGBERT N. MOORE, a well-known nurseryman of Waterford, Conn., son of William C. and Abby L. (Richards) Moore, was born in Waterford, New London County, Conn., June 3, 1830. His grand- father, William Moore, resided in Lyme, Cont., but subsequently removed to Western New York. Here he was joined by nearly all of the members of his family, including the father of the subject of the present sketch, who at a later period emigrated to Janes- ville, Wis., where, in company with three of his brothers, he engaged in the manufacture of fanning-mills.
Egbert N. Moore remained in Waterford at the home of his maternal grandparents, Daniel and Jemima (Harding) Richards, both lineal descendants of John Richards, one of the early settlers of New London. At the age of seven- teen Mr. Moore went to New London to learn the carpenter's trade, at which he worked for a number of years in Connecticut, and also in . Philadelphia, Pa., and Charleston, S.C. On February 5, 1853, he went to California, via the Isthmus, being on the steamer "Tennes- see," which was wrecked near the harbor of San Francisco. The steamer was a total loss, but the passengers and mail bags were saved. Mr. Moore worked at his trade in California for over three years, and then returned to Con-
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necticut, where on May 11, 1857, he was mar- ried to Lucy E. Hunt, second daughter of William and Ann (Baxter) Hunt, of Water- ford, Conn. Mrs. Moore was born in Leices- ter, England, April 22, 1839, but came to this country with her parents in early infancy. Her grandparents settled in Western New York, and died near Nunda, Livingston County, where many of their descendants are still living.
Soon after Mr. and Mrs. Moore were mar- ried they went to Independence, Ia., where they lived nearly four years. While there Mr. Moore took a pedestrian tour to Topeka, Kan., walking four hundred miles in thirteen and a half days. In 1861 he made another trip to California, going afterward to Virginia City, Nev., in April, 1862, crossing the snowy mountains on foot. In Virginia City he was a foreman carpenter at the Gould & Curry mill for two years and a half. In the fall of 1866 he returned to Connecticut, and purchased the site of his present home and nursery, about one mile south of Uncasville, Conn. It consisted of twenty-eight acres of . land, beautifully situated upon a commanding eminence in the midst of fine natural scenery. Since its purchase many improvements have been made, suitable buildings erected, and also a nursery established. Mr. Moore's love of nature and botanical studies has eminently fitted him for his work, and he has designed and planted many fine places in New London County. Ilis home grounds contain rare ornamental trees of large size, together with many choice and beautiful plants and shrubs.
Mr. and Mrs. Moore have had four chil- dren : Mary Baxter, who was born in Inde- pendence, Ia. ; Egbert William, who was acci- dentally drowned in his nineteenth year; Lucy Abbie; and Annie Hunt - the last three born in Waterford, Conn.
ISS LOUISA J. BREWER, a rep- resentative of one of the oldest families of Norwich, and resid- ing at 92 Washington Street, one of the most sacredly historic homes in Norwich, is a daughter of Lyman and Harriet (Tyler) Brewer and a grand-daughter of John and Hannah (Tracy) Tyler. She is a descendant of Colonel Thomas Leffingwell, who was one of the original settlers in this part of Con- necticut, and owned all the land in this sec- tion. Mary E. Perkins, in "The Old Houses of the Ancient Town of Norwich," makes the statement that his grandson, Isaac Tracy, to whom a small portion of the original estate descended, could walk on his own land a dis- tance of nine miles in one direction. John Tyler, the maternal grandfather of Miss Brewer, was the first rector of Christ Church, which he served for fifty-four years. That church stood on the site of the present fine stone structure, in which a tablet to his mem- ory has been placed. The land, therefore, was originally given to the church by the Tyler family. Being a servant of the Church of England and loyal to the crown, he was greatly disliked as a Tory, and his life was frequently threatened. `In 1768 he went to England to receive ordination, and in that same year was joined in marriage with Miss Hannah Tracy, a daughter of Isaac and Eliza- beth (Bushnell) Tracy. The Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Tyler had nine children, of whom three were sons; and all but one son grew to matur- ity. The father was born in 1742, and died in 1823.
Lyman Brewer was engaged in mercantile business in Norwich for a few years. Then he became the cashier of the Thames Bank, holding that position for a quarter-century from its establishment. He was one of the founders of this institution and of the Nor-
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wich Savings Society. He died in the house now occupied by his daughter, June 19, 1857, aged seventy years, leaving a name that was a synonym for integrity and benevolence. His widow survived him until November 3, 1880, reaching the venerable age of ninety-two years, and retaining her faculties to the last. The Brewer home, now over a century old, has been occupied by members of this family for a period of eighty years. With the exception of nine years spent in California, Miss Brewer has lived here all her life, often surrounded by her nieces and nephews, whose frequent visits make the old home bright with their youth. Arthur H. Brewer, a grandson of Lyman Brewer, is a director in the Thames Bank, which is the second largest national bank in New England outside of Boston. Miss Brewer is active in church work, and in her home and social life exerts a kindly Christian influence.
OHN MILTON KEENEY, sea cap- tain, for the last ten years of his life retired and residing at his home in New London, Conn., where he died on No- vember 15, 1897, was born in this city, De- cember 12, 1812. His parents were Captain Giles and Tassie (Chappell) Keeney. His paternal grandfather, John Keeney, who also was born here, served under General Washing- ton in the Revolutionary War.
Captain Giles Keeney likewise was a native of New London, being born in 1790. In 1809 he married Tassie Chappell. They had nine children, seven of whom grew to matu- rity; namely, Samuel, John M., Giles, Will- iam, Albert, Jane, and Caroline, the latter now the only survivor. Samuel C. Keeney was captain of a fishing-smack for nearly fifty years. He died in New London in March, 1885, at the age of seventy-five, leaving a
widow and six children. Giles Keeney, Jr., was a seaman. He died in 1867, in the prime of life, leaving a widow and three children. William, another sea captain, died in Water- ford, Conn., of a cancer, in 1887, at the age of seventy-one, leaving a widow and two chil- dren. Captain Albert Keeney died at his home on Blinman Street, New London, in 1891, at the age of seventy-seven, survived by his wife and three children. Caroline, now Mrs. Lester, a widow, lives at Shelter Island, N.Y. Jane married Captain Charles Lewis, and died in 1867, at the age of fifty, leaving three children. Her husband died in 1895, at the age of eighty years. Mrs. Tassie C. Keeney, the mother, died at the age of thirty- six; while Captain Giles Keeney, the father, survived many years.
John M. Keeney began to go to sea at the early age of five years on his father's fishing- smack; and three years later he hired himself out as cook on a fishing-vessel, at a salary of three dollars a month. When he was fourteen he shipped before the mast, having his salary raised from fourteen to eighteen dollars a month that year; and at the age of seventeen he commanded his first vessel, the "Flash," of which he was the sole owner. Five years later he sold that vessel, buying the "Atlas," which he owned and commanded three years, subsequently being captain and owner of eight vessels. For a quarter of a century he was in government employ, being captain in the inspecting service and engineer depart- ment. During that time he commanded a schooner and the steaniers "Cactus," "Iris," and "Mistletoe." For twenty-one years he was on the "St. George's Bank." In 1887 he retired, having been engaged in seafaring for seventy years. In politics he was formerly a Republican, but in his later years he affili- ated with the Prohibition party.
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On January 20, 1834, he was united in mar- riage with Louisa Young, daughter of Joseph and Lydia (Butler) Young, of this city. Mrs. Keeney was born April 4, 1815. She became the mother of nine children, six of whom- grew to maturity - Mary, Dr. B. M., Louisa, Wallace, Lavinnia, and George W. Mary, now widow of Thomas Allender, kept house for her father in his later years. Dr. B. M. Keeney is a medical practitioner in New York City. He has a son who is a dentist in New London. Louisa Keeney married John C. Ladd, of Middletown, Conn., and has one daughter. Wallace, a dentist in New Lon- don, has one daughter and a son. Lavinnia, wife of Frank Phillips, of this city, has two children, the elder now a young lady and the younger a little boy. George W. Keeney, who was born in 1840, died at the age of thirty-six in 1876, leaving a widow, who died ten years after, and a son, who died four years ago. Mrs. Louisa Y. Keeney died at the age of seventy-one on March 24, 1886. For fifty- five years the home of Captain and Mrs. Keeney was in the unpretentious but comfort- able dwelling built by him at 24 Truman Street. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church for nearly sixty years; but, as they were not rigidly sectarian, they often at- tended other churches.
ERBERT M. CAULKINS, the effi- cient Postmaster of Lyme, is a na- tive of this town, born October 13, 1856, son of Lemuel A. and Maria Caulkins. His grandfather, Elisha Caulkins, was a well- known farmer and influential citizen of Lyme in his day. Elisha had a family of four sons and three daughters, all of whom are living with the exception of Elisha, Jr., and Lemuel, the father of the subject of this sketch. Lem-
uel A. Caulkins was born in November, 1822. near Thanksgiving time, and died January 13, 1896. He was a farmer by occupation, and was prominently identified with the public life of the town, filling capably numerous po- sitions of trust and responsibility. He was Tax Collector for some thirty years, Select- man of the town for several terms, Assessor. and Representative to the legislature. He was an active member of the Baptist church and a man widely respected by his fellow- townsmen. He married Maria Calkins, of Wilbraham, Mass., who bore him four sons and one daughter. Mrs. Caulkins is now re- siding with her son, Eugene D., on the farm. The other children besides the subject of this sketch are: Frederick L., a member of the mercantile firm of Caulkins & Post, of Middle- town, Conn. ; Frank L., a mechanic, em- ployed in a large manufactory in Chicago: and Emma A., wife of W. S. Searle, a machinist with Mr. Whiton in New London.
Herbert M. Caulkins received a common- school education, and became himself a teacher, having charge of a school in Lyme for some twelve or thirteen terms. He then worked three years as a butcher, a part of that time being in business for himself, and dur- ing the rest being employed by others. For thirteen years he was a partner in the firm of Champion & Caulkins in this place, but sold out his interest in January, 1896, to Roger B. Champion, his former associate. He has been Postmaster of Lyme for the last three years, and his administration of this office has given general satisfaction. He has also served the town capably as Assessor. He is a member of the Baptist church, in which he has served as Deacon, following in the foot- steps of his father.
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