USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Litchfield County, Connecticut > Part 20
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took charge of the rivet department of the Coe Brass Company. He held that position until the department was abolished, since which time he has continued as a machinist in the company's employment, a connection now cov- ering a period of twenty-five years.
In 1859 Mr. Spittle was joined in marriage with Miss Catherine I. Raymond, who was born in New London, Conn., daughter of Edward Raymond, a captain of a whaling-ves- sel. Their union was blessed by the birth of three children, of whom two are deceased. The survivor is Anna W. ; Katie, who married Charles Hubbard, of Torrington, died at twenty-eight years of age; and Samuel died when three years old. Their mother, whose death occurred in her fifty-third year, was a member of the Episcopal church. Mr. Spittle afterward formed a second marriage with Miss Mary L. Tucker, his present wife, who was born in Seymour, Conn., and is a daughter of David and Angenette (Whitney) Tucker. David Tucker was Deputy Sheriff of New Haven County for over thirty years, served four years as Postmaster under President Cleveland, was a member of the Congrega- tional church, and died in 1892, sixty-seven years of age. Mrs. Tucker, who was born in Litchfield, Conn., is a communicant of the Episcopal church, and is still living. She reared her husband three children : Mary L., now Mrs. Spittle; Jennie A., the wife of Joseph H. Jarviss, a machinist ; and Henry S. Tucker, who is employed by the Coe Brass Company.
In politics Mr. Spittle is now a Republican, although previous to the Civil War he was a supporter of Democratic principles. He has been Constable two years, Justice of the Peace ten years, and Trial Justice eight years. He was appointed the first Fire Marshal of the town, from which position he afterward re-
signed. As a member of the Knights of Pyth- ias he has four times served as Chancellor Commander, and thrice as Deputy Grand Chancellor ; while at the present time he is a member of the Committee on Law and Super- vision, of the Grand Lodge, and is and has been for the past ten years Secretary of the Endowment Rank. Mr. Spittle is also con- nected with the Order of Red Men, in which he has served one term as Chief of Records ; and he is a member of Steele Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in which he has filled the office of Commander for one term and that of Quartermaster for eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Spittle are both active and influential members of the Episcopal church, he serving as one of the Vestry and precentor in the Sun- day-school, and for fourteen years as member of the choir. Mrs. Spittle is a prominent member of the King's Daughters, the Ladies' Guild, and Ladies' Auxiliary, and is also a teacher in the Sunday-school.
ORMAND ADAMS, of whom a brief memoir is here given, supplemented by a lifelike portrait, was for many years a prominent merchant and highly re- spected resident of Winsted, Conn. He was a son of Matthew Adanis, a native of Sims- bury, Conn., who moved to the town of Win- chester when a comparatively young man, and here spent a large part of his life. He mar- ried Betsey Case, of Simsbury ; and they reared a large family, all of whom are now deceased. The last to pass away was Oscar Adams, who died at Portage, N. Y., in 1891. The com- fortable home of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Adams in Winchester being destroyed by fire, they removed to the West, settling in Ohio, where they died. Their remains are interred in Granville in that State.
NORMAND ADAMS.
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Normand Adams in youth worked on a farm. At the age of twenty he came to Winsted, and with a partner started in business with a good stock of general merchandise, soon building up a flourishing trade. Mr. Adams was also President of the Winsted Savings Bank. In politics he was an old-time Whig and later a Democrat, and as Water Commissioner and in other capacities he looked to the best interests of the town. He died at his home in Win- sted, November 6, 1882, when seventy-five years of age, and is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Adams, whom he married in 1834, when she was seventeen. Mrs. Adams is the daughter of Luman and Betsey (Rockwell) Wakefield, both natives of Colebrook. Her father was for many years a practising physi- cian in Winsted, where he settled before his marriage. He died here on March 19, 1850, in his sixty-third year, his wife having passed away in 1833. They had seven children, one of whom, a son, died in infancy. Of the others the following is a record: Julia became the wife of Eli T. Wilder, a lawyer in Red Wing, Minn., and died in 1866, when in her fifty- second year. Lucy married William H. Phelps, founder and President of the Hurlbut Bank in Winsted, who died in 1864, she fol- lowing him to the better land in 1867, leaving a son and daughter. John Luman Wakefield was a physician in active practice in Shakopee, Minn., where he died in 1874, aged fifty-one, leaving four children. James B. Wakefield, a retired lawyer, living quietly at Blue Earth City, Minn., was in the House of Representa- tives at Washington for four years, and has been Lieutenant Governor of the State. Mary Helen Wakefield became the wife of Richard HI. Yale, and died in New Orleans in 1851, in her thirty-second year. She left a daughter, who married Judge John H. Kennard, and is now a widow with two daughters and one son,
residing in Winsted with her aunt, Mrs. Adams.
During her long married life Mrs. Adams suffered the most severe losses, the closest ties being severed by death. Her first-born child, George Gaylord Adams, died suddenly when three years old; and her youngest, James Wakefield Adams, passed from her arms when but an infant. One son, William Rockwell Adams, lived to be twenty-six years old. He was a refined and scholarly man, of most ami- able character ; and when he passed away, in May, 1868, the grief of his parents was incon- solable. Mrs. Adams is a member of the Congregational church, as was her late hus- band. Ever since she was married she has resided at her present home, 78 Main Street, Winsted, which is thus endeared by the asso- ciations of nearly sixty years.
ISS SARAH A. BISSELL, a re- tired school teacher of Litch- field, was born in Torrington, July 7, 1825, daughter of George and Sarah ( Wood- ruff) Bissell. Miss Bissell's grandfather. Elisha Bissell, was a native of Windsor, Conn. After his marriage he moved to Torrington. where he was a lifelong resident and a prosper- ous farmer. He raised a family of five chil dren, of whom George Bissell, Miss Bissell's father, was the fourth-born. George Bissell passed his boyhood at the homestead in Tor rington. He was educated in the district schools, and after completing his studies he came a schoolmaster. During the War of 181. he went to New London to assist in its de- fence, should the English attack it, as antici. pated. He died in 1834. aged torty tour years, in Torrington. He was a Whig in pol itics, and served as a Selectman, Constable. and in other offices of public trust. In Octo
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ber, 1823, George Bissell married Sarah Woodruff, daughter of John and Sally (De- Forest) Woodruff. The father, who was born in Oxford, Conn., was a prominent farmer of Morris, Litchfield County; but he moved to Torrington in 1820, where he passed the re- mainder of his life. He served in the Revolu- tionary War under General Washington, and was with the army during its memorable en- campment at Valley Forge. He was made prisoner by the British, and confined for a time in New York. John Woodruff died at the age of seventy-five years. His wife, whose maiden name was Sally DeForest, was the mother of six children, three sons and three daughters. The daughters all lived to the advanced age of ninety, and two of the sons lived to be eighty years of age. The mother, Miss Bissell's maternal grandmother, died at the age of sixty-six years. Sarah (Woodruff) Bissell became by her first mar- riage the mother of two children, namely : Sarah A., the subject of this sketch; and George D., who now resides in Naugatuck, Conn., where he has occupied the position of Postmaster, Judge of Probate, Selectman, and at present transacts a large amount of public business.
Sarah A. Bissell came to Litchfield in 1836. She received her education in the schools of that neighborhood. At the age of eighteen she commenced her career as an educator. She continued to teach in the public schools for nearly thirty years, during which time she had as pupils many of Litchfield's most promi- nent business men of the present day. She united with the Congregational church in 1843, and was actively interested in church work until the death of her father. She then devoted her entire attention to the care of her mother, doing for her comfort all that filial affection could prompt, until her death, which
occurred in September, 1894. Miss Bissell has resided at her present home for more than fifty years.
HARLES J. PORTER, the Post- master and the proprietor of a general store in Goshen, was born in this town, January 27, 1839, only child of John P. and Caroline (Prentiss) Porter. John P. Porter, who was the youngest of a family of thirteen children, was a native of Farming- ton, Conn. When about sixteen years of age, he came to Goshen, where he was employed for a few years as a clerk. Later on he en- gaged in mercantile business for himself. He subsequently went to New Haven for a short time, after which he returned to Goshen, whence he afterward went to West Cornwall. He finally settled in Goshen, where his death occurred at the age of threescore years and ten. He was an active and public-spirited man, and served very acceptably as a member of the State legislature. His wife was a daughter of Walker Prentiss, of Goshen. She died at sixty-seven years of age, leaving one son, Charles J. Porter.
Charles J. Porter began his business career when but seventeen years of age as a clerk in a store. At the opening of the Civil War, five years later, he enlisted in the First Con- necticut Heavy Artillery. He served three years, during which he took part in the battles of Petersburg, Fredericksburg, and Hanover Court-house. When the war was over, he resumed clerking, at which he con- tinued for three years. The following two years he dealt in horses, and then engaged in mercantile business in Goshen with a Mr. Cook, under the firm name of Cook & Porter. Thirteen years after, he purchased Mr. Cook's interest, and conducted the business alone for a year. He then sold out, and formed a
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copartnership with Allen Brothers, under the firm name of Porter & Allen Brothers; but in the next year he sold his interest, and opened the general store which he now owns and conducts.
In 1870 he was joined in marriage with Miss Eleanor C. Bennett, a daughter of Charles W. Bennett, of Goshen. Their union has been blessed by the birth of seven children, as follows: John P .; Carrie, the wife of A. Barton; Katie, who married L. P. Humphrey, of Norfolk, Conn., and has one daughter, Hilda; Annie E .; Charles W .; Samuel W .; and Gordon B. In his politi- cal opinions Mr. Porter is a Republican. In 1 866 and 1893 he served as a Representative in the State legislature, and has filled the office of Sheriff of Litchfield County. For a number of years he has been Town Treas- urer of Goshen, and has also served in various other offices. In his religious views Mr. Porter favors Congregationalism.
RANK STOUGHTON, the present Representative in the Connecticut State legislature for the district of Bethlehem, was born in Barkhampsted, April 1, 1848, son of Cicero and Lavinia (Ange- vine) Stoughton. Cicero Stoughton was a native of Bloomfield, Conn. He learned the tailor's trade in Sharon, and worked there a few years, subsequently settling in New Pres- ton, where he died at the age of seventy-four. Ilis wife, who was a native of Sharon, died at the age of sixty-six. They reared five of their eight children, namely: Clarissa, wife of Arthur D. Catlin, who has one child, Clarence F .; Mary A., wife of Charles Meacham, who has four children - Emily, Anna, Fred, and Edward; Hattie, wife of George M. Hubble; William, who married
Mary J. Harrison, and has two children - Frank and Arthur; and Frank, the subject of this sketch. Sarah, John Wolcott. and John died young.
Frank Stoughton was reared in New Preston, and enjoyed the advantages of a good education, attending district and select schools, and finishing his course of study at the Gunnery, the school of Washington vil- lage. He taught for six seasons, and then turned his attention to farming, in which he was very successful. He now resides on a well-improved farm about two miles west of the village of Bethlehem. His judgment in agricultural matters is respected throughout the community ; and he is an influential mem- ber of Bethlehem Grange, No. 121.
On January 13, 1874, he was united in marriage with Martha E. Todd. daughter of Silvanus M. Todd, of Warren. Mr. and Mrs. Stoughton have an adopted son, Will- iam F.
Mr. Stoughton is a stanch Republican. and stands high in the estimation of his fellow- partisans. He was elected to the State legis- lature in 1894. He has held other public offices, acting as Selectman of Bethlehem for some time and serving on the Grand Jury. He is a member of Watertown Lodge. No. 69, Ancient Order of United Workmen. In religious belief Mr. Stoughton is a Congre- gationalist, his wife also belonging to that church.
WIGHT S. CASE. superintendent of the Gilbert Home at Winsted, has held that position since the home was established, having accepted the office at the solicitation of the founder. William S. Gilbert. This beautiful home for friendless children is one of the grandest institutions of the State. It is endowed with a fund ot
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four hundred thousand dollars. The property contains twenty-five acres of well-graded land, on which is erected the home, a fine brick structure, four stories in height, and one hun- dred and ninety-six by sixty feet in dimen- sion. There are now one hundred and fifty- seven children within its walls, nine adults, and three teachers, besides Mr. and Mrs. Case. Mr. Case is admirably fitted for the duties of his position, being kind and sympa- thetic, yet firm, and has the hearty support and co-operation of the trustees. These trus- tees, in whom the property and general gov- ernment of the institution are vested, are : R. E. Holmes, I. B. Woodruff, George B. Owen, Lyman R. Norton, Charles B. Hallett, A. H. Fenn, David Strong, Eugene Potter, Harvey L. Roberts, W. J. Garvin, J. H. Norton, William L. Camp, and C. J. York. Harvey B. Steele and Theophilus Baird, re- cently deceased, were formerly members of the board. This home, founded by the generosity of Mr. Gilbert, has long been needed, and is heartily indorsed by the State Board of Char- ities.
Mr. Case was born in Hartland, February 23, 1843, a son of the late Horace Case and a grandson of Obed Case, who was a native of Granby, this State. Obed Case was a farmer by occupation, and reared a family of eight children, comprising an equal number of sons and of daughters, one of whom, Luna, the widow of Milton Case, is still living. The grandfather lived to a ripe old age, dying in 1850, more than fourscore years of age. Horace Case was born in Barkhamsted, this county, in 1809, and died in the same town in 1891. The maiden name of his wife, to whom he was united in 1840, was Louisa Blakeslee, a native of Hartland, Hartford County, where the first few years of their wedded life were spent. In 1846 they re-
moved to Barkhamsted, settling on a home- stead of one hundred and seventy-five acres, from which they improved a good farm, still re- tained in the family. Their family consisted of four sons, as follows: Clayton H., a jew- eller, who lives in Hartford; Dwight S., sub- ject of this sketch; Frank A., a merchant, living in New Hartford, who is prominent in public affairs, and has served two terms in the legislature; and Herbert B., a farmer, re- siding in Barkhamsted, who has been Town Clerk, Town Treasurer, and Postmaster for many years. Of Herbert B. it may be further said that he is keen, quick-witted, and pos- sessed of good legal ability, that he has been the administrator of several large estates and Representative of his district in the State legislature. The mother died in April, 1864, in the forty-fifth year of her age. The father was again married, this time to Sarah E. Mer- rill, who survives him.
Dwight S. Case received a thorough educa- tion in the branches taught in the common schools, and took a business course at the Hartford Commercial College. He remained on the home farm until about thirty years of age, after which he was successfully engaged in a mercantile business in Barkhamsted for seventeen years. In 1888 he was selected by Mr. Gilbert to fill his present onerous posi- tion, and in the discharge of his duties he has ever evinced the utmost fidelity and ability. He has served the public as Constable, Town Clerk, Assessor, Registrar, Grand Juror, and Postmaster for several years; and in 1872 he was a member of the State legislature. He and his brothers, following in their honored father's footsteps, are Chapter Masons.
On attaining his majority, in 1864, Mr. Case was united in marriage with Ellen M. Sheldon, of Barkhamsted, a daughter of David H. and Charlana (Cady) Sheldon, both now
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deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon reared four children, one of whom, Cady Sheldon, died in middle life, leaving a widow. Another, D. E. Sheldon, is a merchant in Kansas. A third, A. D. Sheldon, residing in Chehalis, Lewis County, Wash., is manager of the Water Company. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Case has been blessed by the birth of three children, namely: Frank D., an unmarried man, who has recently returned from Cali- fornia; Archer M., a young man of nineteen years; and Harold S., an active boy of thir- teen years. Both parents are consistent mem- bers of the Congregational church.
OHN Q. AMES, a prosperous farmer of Litchfield and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in South Farms, now called Morris, October 3, 1845, son of Rufus and Mary (Westover) Ames. Mr. Ames's father, who was a native of Canada, was reared to agricultural life, and in carly man- hood came to the United States, first settling in Goshen, Conn. He later purchased a farm in Morris, which he cultivated successfully, and became a well-to-do farmer. He died at the age of fifty-six years. His wife, who was a native of Morris, became the mother of nine children, seven of whom are still living, and are as follows: David, a resident of Bethle- hem; Mary, wife of Walter Turner, of Salis- bury; Ann, wife of Hiram Bishop, of Water- town; James, a resident of Bethlehem; Lucy, wife of Walcott Bunnell; John Q., the sub- ject of this sketch; and Hattie. The mother, who was a member of the Episcopal church, passed her declining years in Morris, where she died.
John Q. Ames, left an orphan at the age of ten years, then began to support himself. He worked as a farmi laborer by the year, attend-
ing school during the winter. being obliged to pay for his tuition from his earnings. At the age of seventeen he enlisted as a pri- vate in Company A, Nineteenth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, which served under Gen- eral Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley. He participated in the battles of Winchester, Cedar Creek, the siege and capture of Peters- burg, and the capture of Richmond, and was present at the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox. He received his discharge in New Haven after serving one year, the most important and decisive period of the Civil War. He was for the next eight years em- ployed in the cutlery manufactory of Salis- bury. Failing health caused him to relin- quish that business, and for the succeeding five years he followed the trade of a carpenter. He was next manager for five years of the large property occupied by Dr. Allen, of New York City, as a summer residence. This posi- tion he resigned to take charge of George E. Jones's stock farm at Lakeside Park. After remaining there for two years he retired to his farm of seventy-five acres, situated on Beach Street, which he had previously bought, and where he has since resided.
Mr. Ames is independent in politics. He is a comrade of the Grand Army of the Re- public, and has been Commander of his Post. besides holding other offices. He was a mem- ber of the Good Templars of Salisbury, and was for two years Chief Templar of the Lodge. He is a member of the Grange, of which he was Master for two years, and has been Overseer of the County Grange.
In 1867 Mr. Ames was united in marriage to Lydia A. Stone, who was born in Salis- bury, daughter of David Stone, a truckman of that town. Mr. and Mrs. Ames are mem bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. Ho has been officially connected with the church
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in Litchfield as Steward, and was superin- tendent of the Sabbath-school for two years.
OHN H. WOOD, of Thomaston, Litchfield County, Conn., formerly superintendent of the movement de- partment of the Seth Thomas Clock Company, with which he was associated for about forty- four years, is a man of superior mechanical ability. He was born in Plymouth, Conn., on June 30, 1828, and is a son of Henry and Julia (Ford) Wood, the former of whom was born in East Windsor, Conn.
James Wood, father of Henry, was one of three brothers, who came from England, and settled in East Windsor, Conn., where they spent the remainder of their lives in the suc- cessful pursuit of agriculture. He married Miss Susan Elmer, and they became the parents of six children; but all have since passed away. His nephew, John Warner Barber, wrote the History of Connecticut pub- lished in 1836, the first history ever written of that State.
Henry Wood spent his early years on a farm in Windsor. He acquired a good practi- cal education in the schools of that town, and was afterward for a long period engaged in school teaching. After his marriage he re- moved to Plymouth, and the remainder of his life was spent in that town. He died there at sixty years of age. His wife, Julia Ford, was a daughter of Hial and Lucina (Pres- ton) Ford, of Plymouth, a grand-daughter of Amos Ford, a great-grand-daughter of Eben- ezer Ford, and a great-great-grand-daughter of Barnabas Ford, who was one of the earliest settlers in what is now the town of Thomas- ton, Conn., which then bore the name of Northbury. Down to Amos Ford these an- cestors spent their lives in that town, where
they engaged in agricultural pursuits. He sold his property there, and removed to Ver- mont, where he lived during the rest of his life. Mrs. Henry Wood's maternal ancestors were large land-owners in Harwinton, Conn. Her mother, Lucina (Preston) Ford, was a sister of Stiles Preston; and both were children of John Preston, whose wife was a daughter of Deacon Reuben and Edna (Stiles) Preston, the latter of whom was a daughter of President Stiles, of Yale College. Hial Ford and his wife reared a family of eight children, namely: Lucina (deceased); Susan (deceased); John; Allen, who resides in Meri- den, Conn .; Warren, a resident of Thomas- ton; Julia, who is dead; Harriet, who mar- ried Charles Hurlburt, of Thomaston; and Wealthy (deceased).
John H. Wood remained with his parents until he was twelve years of age. He then went to work on a farm, and followed that oc- cupation until he was fifteen years old. His father gave him his wages during the re- mainder of his minority. He soon began to learn the trade of a movement-maker on clocks and watches; and, after serving an ap- prenticeship of three years, he was employed a year as a journeyman. In 1848 he secured a position with the Seth Thomas Clock Com - pany as a mechanic, shortly becoming a con- tractor and later a foreman. He was finally made superintendent of their movement fac- tory, a position that he held for thirty years, and from which he resigned in 1892, since which time he has lived in retirement, hav- ing laid by sufficient to enable him to do so in comfort. When the Thomaston Knife Company was formed, he was chosen its President, and still holds that position.
In 1849 he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Ostrom, a daughter of Henry Ostrom, a woollen operator and one of the
JOHN H. WOOD.
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pioneer settlers of Torrington, Conn. She bore her husband two children, a son and a daughter, Eliza and Henry O. Eliza Wood married O. B. Sawyer, who was a Lieutenant in Company A of the Fourteenth Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers. She died on Feb- ruary 17, 1872, and he on November 16, 1874. Three children were born of their union: a daughter, who died in childhood; and two sons, Frederick H. and Wilbur John, both of whom were graduated from the Thomaston High School in 1887, their class being the first to receive diplomas from that school. In 1890 they entered the class of 1894 at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., and would have graduated together, but Wilbur J. was taken sick, and died on March 3, 1894. Frederick H. completed the course with his class, and is now attending the Bos- ton University, where he is taking a course in theology. Henry O. Wood was for a num- ber of years a book-keeper for the Seth Thomas Clock Company, but is now superin- tendent of the Waterbury Brass Company at Waterbury, Conn. He is a prominent Odd Fellow.
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