USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Litchfield County, Connecticut > Part 13
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Francis N. Holley was a native of Salis- bury, born May 13, 1807. In 1837 he re- moved to Torrington, then called Wolcottville, and here purchased the woollen-mills and en-
gaged in the manufacture of doeskins. He was a man of prominence and influence, was President of the savings-bank and a member of the School Committee, besides serving in other local offices. He was active in forward- ing all good works designed for the benefit of the community. He attended the Congrega- tional church, was very generous in his contri- butions toward its support, and donated seven thousand dollars toward the erection of the new church building. Hc died in 1878, being then seventy-one years of age. He married Eliza A. Hotchkiss, a native of New Hart- ford, born May 29, 1824. She died at the age of forty-two years, leaving four children, two of whom are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Hol- ley have five beautiful children ; namely, Francis N., Lily W., Lawrence H., Irving B., and Horace A. All are receiving the best of educational advantages obtainable, and a practical training that will enable them to occupy useful and honorable, positions in life.
ENRY SANFORD, one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of Bridgewater, Litchfield County. Conn., his native place, was born on October 14, 1806, and still occupies the farm on which his paternal grandfather, Nehemiah Santord, Sr., settled in 1772. Mr. Sanford is a scion of an old New England family, whose first ancestor in this country was Thomas Sanford. who lived in Dorchester, Mass., in the carly days of the colony, and moved in 1039 to Mil- ford, Conn., where both he and his wife Sarah died in 1681.
Their eldest son, Ezekiel, settled in Fait field, Conn., dying there in 1683. in his torty ninth year. He and his wife, Rebecca Wickla or Wakelee, reared a son Ezekiel, who lived and died in Fairfield, and whose wife also boje
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the Christian name of Rebecca. Joseph San- ford, son of second Ezekiel and Rebecca San- ford, and great-grandfather of Henry Sanford, married Catherine Fairchild. Their lives were spent in their native town; but their son, Nehemiah, sought a new home, settling first in Redding, Conn., and in 1772 removing to Bridgewater, as above mentioned. He took possession of two hundred acres of land south- east o Wolf Pit Mountain, and worked industriously for many years, clearing and improving the land. Nehemiah Sanford, Sr., married Elizabeth Morehouse, and they were the parents of the following children : Ger- shom ; Liffe; Phœbe, who died young ; Anna; Catherine; and Nehemiah, Jr.
Nehemiah Sanford, Jr., the father of the subject of the present sketch, was born in Redding, Conn., in 1762, and was the young- est son of his parents. He enlisted in the Revolutionary army when a youth of nineteen, and when his term of service was ended settled on the homestead farm, passing the rest of his life in Bridgewater, where he was universally esteemed as an upright and industrious citizen. An ardent supporter of the Congregational church, he was one of the leading members of the Bridgewater parish up to the time of his death, which occurred December 20, 1844. His wife, Hannah Beach Sanford, who was a daughter of David Beach, of Bridgewater, died in 1839, at the age of seventy-four. Their children were named: Robert, Anna, Electa, Garry, Beach, and Henry.
Henry Sanford, who was the youngest son of his parents, received a moderate education, and on reaching man's estate settled on the home farm, caring for his father and mother in their last days. He took up the work of agri- culture with zest and pursued it with ability, making many improvements on the estate, remodelling the house, which was built by his
father in 1786, until it was almost like new, and erecting new barns and other buildings. He is one of the thriftiest farmers in the com- munity, and though eighty-nine years of age attends to business every day in the week. A man of strong convictions and decided charac- ter, he is bold and fearless in the performance of duty ; and it is rare to find a man better posted on political subjects or agricultural matters.
December 4, 1828, Mr. Sanford was married to Anna J., daughter of Daniel Canfield, of Bridgewater. She died March 10, 1844, and was laid beside her first child, Canfield H., who was born July 28, 1839, and died August 17 of the same year. She was the mother of one other child, Horace N., who was born Jan- uary 4, 1841, and grew to maturity, working on the farm with his father. He enlisted in 1862 in Company H, Nineteenth Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers, and served three years, being promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the Second Connecticut Artillery. At the end of his term of service he returned to the homestead, and was for many years a promi- nent citizen of the town and a Deacon in the Congregational church. He died September 5, 1889. He married Dora M., daughter of George and Lucretia M. (Turner) Kasson, of Bethlehem, Conn., and was the father of three children, namely : Genevieve T., born March 18, 1872, a popular and successful school teacher; Henry C., born April 16, 1875; and Mabelle F., born April 29, 1879, who lives on the homestead with her mother and grand- parents. The marriage of Mr. Henry Sanford and Polly B. Platt, daughter of Deacon Sim- eon Platt, of South Britain, took place on No- `vember 12, 1845; and their golden wedding was celebrated on November 12, 1895, the pleasant occasion being one long to be remem- bered in Bridgewater.
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In politics Mr. Sanford is a Republican. He has been prominent as a town official, and in religious matters especially has taken an active part, having been identified with the Congregational church since he was twenty- one years old. He rarely misses a service, and his life is consistent with the teachings in which he has so long believed.
On a neighboring page may be seen a por- trait of this venerable gentleman, who is now in his ninetieth year, his mind enriched with a wealth of garnered memories of blessings enjoyed and labors done.
HEODORE SEDGWICK GOLD, a prominent citizen of West Cornwall, is a native of Madison, N.Y., born on March 2, 1818, son of Dr. Samuel Wadsworth and Phebe (Cleveland) Gold. His genealogy is traced back through seven generations to the Hon. Nathan Gold, the first representative of the family in America. Nathan Gold was one of the nineteen petitioners who received the charter of Connecticut. His four children were: Nathan, Jr., Sarah, Deborah, and Abi- gail. Nathan Gold, Jr., first married Miss Hannah Talcott, a daughter of Lieutenant Colonel John Talcott. She died in 1696, leaving six children, as follows: Abigail, John, Nathan, Samuel, Joseph, and Hezekiah. Three other children, Onesimus, David, and Martha, were by a second wife, Sarah. Heze- kiah Gold, who was born in 1694, graduated at Harvard in 1719, studied for the ministry, and became a successful preacher at Stratford. llis death occurred in 1761. He married Miss Mary Ruggles, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Ruggles, of Guilford, Conn. At the time of her death, in 1750, she was but forty- eight years of age. They were the parents of thirteen children ; namely, Mary, Katie,
Jerusha, Sarah, Hezekiah, Jr., Thomas, Anna, Rebecca, Huldah, Anna, Catherine, Abigail, and Elizabeth.
Hezekiah Gold, Jr., who was born in Strat- ford, Conn., on January 18, 1731, was edu- cated at Yale College, from which he gradu- ated in the class of 1751. He was the first of the family to settle in Cornwall, Litchfield County, where he died May 30, 1790. He was thrice married, the first time on Novem- ber 23, 1758, to Miss Sarah Sedgwick, daugh - ter of Deacon Benjamin Sedgwick, of Corn- wall. She died August 18, 1766, when but twenty-seven years old, having had five chil- dren; namely, Thomas, Hezekiah, Benjamin, Thomas R., and Hezekiah (second). The Rev. Hezekiah Gold's second wife was Eliza- beth (Wakeman) Gold, a daughter of Joseph Wakeman, of Fairfield. She died on Febru- ary II, 1778, at thirty-three years of age, leaving a son and two daughters: Joseph, Sarah, and Mary. For his third wife he mar- ried Miss Abigail Sherwood, of Fairfield, Conn. Hezekiah Gold (second), who was born on August 1, 1766, spent his life in Cornwall. His death occurred in 1847 on the anniversary of Washington's birthday, aged eighty-one years six months and twenty one days. He married Miss Rachel Wads- worth, a daughter of Samuel Wadsworth, Oc- tober 24, 1788; and the fruit of their union was a son and three daughters, as follows: Sally Maria, Samuel Wadsworth, Julia R., and Lorain Sedgwick.
Samuel W. Gold, the father of Theodore Sedgwick, was born in Cornwall, on Septem ber 27, 1794. He graduated from Williams College in 1814, studied medicine at Pitts- field and Yale, and began the practice of med- icine in Madison, N. Y., and in 1824 opened an office in Goshen, Conn., where he followed his profession for fifteen years. He took a
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keen interest in public affairs. During two sessions of the State legislature he filled the office of Senator, and in 1857 he served as a Presidential elector. His wife, Phebe Cleveland, was a daughter of Erastus Cleve- land, of Madison, N. Y. They were married April 17, 1817; and their union was blessed by the birth of a son and two daughters: Theodore Sedgwick, Mary E., and Julia Lo- rain. The father died September 10, 1869, and his wife's death occurred on the 29th of the following November, seventy-three years of age.
Theodore S. Gold came with his parents from Madison, N.Y., to Cornwall when he was a small child. He received his early edu- cation in the public schools of Cornwall, and later attended Goshen Academy and Yale College, from which he graduated in the class of 1838. He was one of the editors of the Connecticut Homestead as long as it was pub- lished at Hartford, Conn .; and in 1878 he published a history of Cornwall. He has al- ways given considerable time and attention to agricultural pursuits and interests, and at the present time owns about eight hundred acres of land in Cornwall. On September 13, 1843, he was joined in marriage with Miss Caroline E. Lockwood, daughter of Charles and Eunice Lockwood, of Bridgeport. She died April 25, 1857, in the thirty-second year of her age, leaving five children, as follows: Eleanor Douglas, who married Charles H. Hubbard, of Sandusky, Ohio; Mary Eliza- beth; Emily Sedgwick; Rebecca Cleveland, wife of Samuel M. Cornell, of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; and Caroline Simons, wife of William F. Gibson, of San Francisco, Cal. Two years later, on April 4, 1859, Mr. Gold formed a second union with Mrs. Emma (Tracy) Bald- win, daughter of A. W. Tracy, of Rockville, Conn. They have four children: Alice
Tracy, who married Franz Ulrich von Putt- kamer, a relative of Prince Bismarck; Martha Wadsworth, wife of Colin D. Morgan, of Montreal; Charles Lockwood; and James Douglas, the latter a successful physician of Bridegport, Conn., who married Miss Ger- trude House.
Mr. Gold was one of the founders of the State Agricultural Society, and has been offi- cially connected with it since its organization in 1854. In 1866 the State Board of Agricult- ure was established, Mr. Gold being elected Secretary, which office he still holds. He is a member of the Board of Control of the Statc Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, Conn. From the establishment of Storr's School and Agricultural College he has been a member of the Board of Trustees, and is now Secretary. Mr. Gold in connec- tion with his father established in 1845 the Cream Hill Agricultural School, which was successfully conducted for twenty-four years. In 1864, with the aid of the other incorpora- tors, he obtained from the General Assembly a charter for the Connecticut Soldiers' Orphan Home at Mansfield; and during the mainte- nance of this institution till 1874 Mr. Gold held the office of Secretary of the corporation. He is also a member of the Connecticut His- torical Society, of which he is one of the Vice-Presidents, a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a life member of both the American Forestry Association and the American Pomological Society; and he is connected with Patrons of Husbandry and various other organiza- tions. In religious belief Mr. Gold is a Congregationalist. For many years he has served as Deacon in the church at Cornwall, and is at present chairman of the society's committee.
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EACON HENRY B. BISSELL, one of the most respected and prosperous agriculturists of this section of the county, resides on his valuable and well-kept homestead on Maple Street, Litchfield, about three miles from the village. He has the dis- tinction of being one of the oldest native-born residents of the town, having first opened his eyes to the light on a farm adjoining the one on which he now lives, April 10, 1814. He comes of pioneer ancestry, his great-grand- father, Zebulon Bissell, who spent his early years in Union, where he was born in 1724, having been one of the original settlers of Litchfield. Zebulon Bissell bought land from the government, and in the midst of the path- less wilderness erected the log cabin that was the first home of himself and young wife. Benjamin Bissell, the grandfather of Deacon Bissell, was born on the paternal homestead June 15, 1754, and, as he grew to manhood, assisted his father in clearing and cultivating the land. He was occupied in agriculture throughout his life, being one of the well- to-do farmers of this locality. He married when young; and, of his children, Nathaniel, born in 1786, was the father of Deacon Bissell.
Nathaniel Bissell was a lifelong resident of Litchfield, and, like his ancestors, was a tiller of the soil. On coming of age he bought land adjacent to the farm now owned by Deacon Bissell, and in its care and management spent the remainder of his eighty-six years of life. A man of sterling worth and character, he was greatly esteemed by all, and was actively in- terested in advancing the material welfare of his native town and county. In politics he was a Whig, and at one time served as grand juror. He married Anna Smith, one of the four children of Captain Daniel Smith. Cap- tain Smith was a farmer of Middlebury, and
lived to the venerable age of ninety years. Nathaniel Bissell and his wife had seven chil- dren, four of whom are yet living ; namely, Charles, Henry B., Frederick, and Julia. The last-named is the wife of William Ensign.
Deacon Henry B. Bissell had better educa- tional advantages than were generally given a farmer's son in his time. After finishing with the district schools he was sent to the semi- nary, where he was under the instruction of John P. Brace. He subsequently engaged in teaching, which he continued for six winters. His chief occupation, however, was assisting on the home farm, where he remained until twenty-eight years of age. Having by that time much experience in general farming he then bought the property on which he now resides. Since that time he has placed the two hundred and thirty acres of fertile land in a yielding condition and made many other val- uable improvements, sparing neither time nor expense for that purpose. In 1850 Deacon Bissell erected his present residence, which stands on rising ground overlooking the village three miles distant, the granite used in its construction having been quarried on his own farm. He pays a good deal of attention to dairying, keeping some twenty head of fine cows, and finds this branch of his business quite profitable.
In 1841 Deacon Bissell married Clarissa M., daughter of Captain Samnel Wright, one of the carly settlers of Litchfield. Ot the nine children born to them, seven grew to adult life; namely, Lewis, Philip, Samuel. Alice, Francis, Cornelia, and Amelia, the tol lowing being chronicled of them : Lewis, who is a veteran of the Civil War, is now a car penter in Syracuse, N. Y., and is married to Clara Aldridge, by whom he is the father of one child, Carl. Philip died at the age of thirty-six years ; and Samnel died when forty
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years old. Alice married F. Germond, by whom she has had four children : Henry B., James H., Gertrude, and Paul. Francis, who lives with his father on the old homestead, married Myra Piper, and has three children : Arthur, Frederick F., and Clarissa I. Cor- nelia is the wife of Arthur Edwards, a neigh- boring farmer, and has two children: Henry II. and Ruth. Amelia and Cornelia are twins. In 1892 Mrs. Bissell, the devoted wife and mother, after a wedded life of more than fifty years, passed from this life, at the age of seventy-three years. She was an active Chris- tian and an esteemed member of the Congrega- tional church, of which her husband has served as Deacon for many years. In politics the Deacon is a stanch Republican. No man in the community stands higher in the public es- timation than Deacon Bissell, his entire life having been marked by those noble and upright principles that are most desirable in a good and loyal citizen.
DWARD L. LORRAIN, a successful building contractor of Canaan, was born in France, February 14, 1843, son of John and Mary (Mundry) Lorrain. Both par- ents were natives of France. Mr. Lorrain's father, who was a wheelwright by trade, emi- grated to the United States in 1847, and set- tled in East Canaan, where he became con- nected with the Barnum & Richardson Company, with whom he remained for thirty- five years. He died in Florida at the age of sixty years. His wife, Mary Mundry, became the mother of six children, of whom three are now living, namely : Edward L., the subject of this sketch; Isabella, now Mrs. McCarty; and Paul J. Mrs. John Lorrain died in 1862, at the age of forty years.
Edward L. Lorrain was educated in the
schools of East Canaan, and at the age of twenty years commenced to learn the carpen- ter's trade. After completing his apprentice- ship he followed his trade as journeyman for a time, and subsequently commenced business for himself as a contractor and builder. Being a thoroughly skilled workman and possessing besides a considerable knowledge of architect- ure, he is able both to furnish and execute plans for any kind of building. He has ac- quired an enviable reputation, and is at the present time engaged in fulfilling a large con- tract for the erection of some fancy stock stables in Great Barrington. He also fur- nishes plans for buildings outside of his opera- tions as contractor, and is well known as a capable architect. He is a member of Hoosa- tonic Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; and in politics he is a Democrat. In 1868 Mr. Lorrain was united in marriage to Sarah E. Crocker, daugh- ter of Milo Crocker, of Lebanon, N. Y. They have two children, namely: John E., who married Mary Goodwin, and has two children, named May and Bessie, respectively; and Sarah E. Mr. Lorrain occupies a fine resi- dence on Prospect Hill.
ESSENDEN IVES, a retired farmer, spending the sunset years of his busy life in the village of Litchfield, widely known as an honest man and a good citizen, has been identified with the agricultural prog- ress of this part of Connecticut for the past half-century and more. He was born August 17, 1826, in the town of Goshen, and there bred and educated.
He comes from a race of farmers, and is of pioneer stock, his grandfather, Asa Ives, hav- ing been an early settler of Goshen. He bought a tract of "college land," which was then in its virgin wildness; and from this he
FESSENDEN IVES.
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labored unceasingly to improve a homestead, and was largely instrumental in developing the resources of the town. He cleared a large part of the land, placing it in a tillable condition, and there lived until his demise, being then a venerable, white-haired man, of fourscore and ten years. This farm is still in the possession of the Ives family, being owned by the widow of one of his grandsons. His wife, whose maiden name was Sally Marks, bore him four children, three sons and one daughter; namely, Eben, Luther, Lev- erett, and Sarah. The latter married Amos Johnson, of Cornwall, her only descendant now living being a son, Marion, a resident of lowa. The grandmother also attained a good old age, living to celebrate her eightieth birthday.
Leverett Ives, son of Asa, was born in the town of Goshen in 1796, and was reared to a farmer's life. He at length assumed the management of the homestead property, tak- ing care of his parents in their old age. At the time of his marriage he built a house near the dwelling in which he was born, making that his home until a few years prior to his decease, when he removed to Canaan, where he passed his last years, dying December 7, 1877, at the home of his daughter Mary, who married Nelson Clark. Leverett Ives was a very enterprising farmer, greatly respected, and was ever active in advancing the interests of his native town. His wife, whose maiden name was Huldah Holbrook, was born in Mendon, Mass., daughter of a well-to-do farmer of that town, being one of a family of eight children, all of whom grew to maturity.
Mr. and Mrs. Leverett Ives had a family of ten children, nine of whom grew to years of discretion, namely : Alderman, who lived to the age of sixty-eight years; Fessenden, of whom we write; Sabin; Everardus and
Bogardus, twins, both deceased, the former at the age of fifty years, and the latter when a boy of ten; Hubert, who passed away in 1868, aged thirty-five years; Mary E. (Mrs. Nelson Clark), of Canaan; Henry H., who departed this life at the age of twoscore years ; and Florene, who became the wife of A. G. Stephens. The mother long survived her husband, joining him in the bright world be- yond in September, 1893, at the venerable age of eighty-nine years. She was a woman of sincere piety, a devoted member of the Methodist church, which she and her husband joined in their younger days.
Fessenden Ives grew to man's estate on the parental homestead, and in his youthful days received all the educational advantages the town afforded. For a few years after leaving school he was engaged in teaching in the winter season and assisting his father during seed-time and harvest. Having concluded to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors as re- garded his life occupation, Mr. Ives purchased in 1851 one hundred and sixty-seven acres of land, and began farming on his own account. He was successful from the first, and in course of time bought another small piece of land, and having erected good buildings con- tinued the pursuit of agriculture for forty four years. He made substantial improvements on his property, clearing the land, putting in a complete system of drainage, placing the larger part of it under cultivation, carrying on his labors after the most approved methods of agriculture. In addition to mixed hus- bandry Mr. Ives made a specialty of stock- raising, keeping a herd of grade Jersey cows and making an excellent quality of butter, which he disposed of at the highest market price. In April, 1895, Mr. Ives sold this valuable farm to his son, Fessenden 1 .. Ives. who is keeping up the reputation the father
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had well earned by years of diligent and faith- ful toil as one of the most practical and suc- cessful agriculturists of Goshen.
On November 20, 1850, Mr. Ives wedded Mary Cook, one of teu children born to Thad- deus and Susan (Wiley) Cook. Her father, a well-known farmer of Sheffield, Mass., died at the early age of forty-four years, when she was but two years old. Mrs. Cook lived to the age of sixty-eight years, spending her last days in Sheffield, Mrs. Ives being the only survivor of this large family. Of the nine children born to the household of Mr. and Mrs. Ives only four grew to adult life, a brief record of whom is as follows: Thaddeus, the owner of a farm lying near the old homestead in Goshen, married Mary H. Pratt, a daugh- ter of Edwin Pratt, of this town, and they have six children - Chester F., Ray H., Alice H., Edwin R., Thaddeus C., and Mary L .; George C., the owner of a creamery in Tor- rington, married Lucy C. Luddington, and they have one child - Frances; Fessenden L., who lives on the parental homestead, mar- ried Ellora M. Kimberly, daughter of Sher- man Kimberly, of Goshen, and they have one child - Fessenden E .; Mary J., who married Courtland F. Ives, a farmer in Ohio, died in 1894, aged forty years. These children all had good educational advantages, the eldest son having attended the State Normal School at New Britain and the others having taken a course of study at the Goshen Academy.
In his politics Mr. Ives is a straight Re- publican, and has taken an active part in local affairs, having served as Selectman twelve years, the major portion of the time being chairman of the board, and also at one time was a member of the Board of Relief. In 1875 he creditably represented his town in the State legislature. He has been ap- pointed trustee of different estates, and has
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