USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Litchfield County, Connecticut > Part 35
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Jeremiah Platt, third, was born October 20, 1772. He inherited the homestead, conducted general farming and dairying, and kept a hotel. He was an able and industrious farmer, well and favorably known ; and he con- tinued active until his death, which took place in 1839. His wife, formerly Irene Barrett, became the mother of three children, as fol- lows: Caroline, who was born February 6, 1800; William J., the subject of this sketch ; and Oliver, who was born January 29, 1812. Mrs. Irene B. Platt died in 1863, aged eighty- one years.
William J. Platt was reared to farm work,
WILLIAM J. PLATT.
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and eventually succeeded to the ownership of the homestead. He conducted farming accord- ing to the progressive principles which were inaugurated by his ancestors, of whose record he was justly proud; and he sought by every possible improvement he could make upon the land and buildings to sustain their reputation as thrifty, industrious, and model farmers, thus becoming one of the leading agricultu- rists of his day. He was a man of sound judgment and high moral character, and he ably fulfilled his duties as an intelligent and useful citizen. He died at the Platt residence in Bridgewater, aged seventy-eight years. His first wife, whose maiden name was Eliza M. Peck, died in middle life; and on October 21, 1875, he wedded for his second wife Mrs. Ann (Arthur) Thompson, widow of Smith E. Thompson.
Mrs. Platt was born in Monmouthshire, Wales, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Harper) Arthur, who were natives of Wales and most estimable people. Her father, a blacksmith and wheelwright by trade, died at the age of sixty years, and her mother at forty- seven. Their children were: Thomas; Will- iam; and Ann, who is now Mrs. Platt. Ann Arthur came to the United States on board a sailing - vessel that was commanded by her uncle, and, being favorably impressed with New York City, she settled there and engaged in dress-making. Iler first husband, Smith E. Thompson, died at the age of fifty-seven years. Since becoming the wife of Mr. Platt she has resided in Bridgewater, where she still occupies the old Platt mansion ; and, although she rents the land, she maintains personal supervision of the estate, in order that she may follow out her husband's idea of keeping the property up to its high standard of excellence. She is a lady of unusual physical and mental vigor, and is held in the highest esteem by
her many friends and acquaintances. She attends the Episcopal church.
A portrait of Mr. Platt accompanies this brief memoir.
ORTLAND D. COLE, a prosperous farmer and successful business man of Washington, was born in New Mil- ford, Conn., August 2, 1846, son of Summer Benjamin and Eliza (Hallock) Cole. Mr. Cole's father, who was a native of Scotland, came to the United States when a child, and passed most of his boyhood years in New York. In early manhood he became inter- ested in railroad construction, and was en- gaged as contractor on the Housatonic and Naugatuck Railways. He led a busy and suc- cessful life, and died at the age of forty-five years. His wife, Eliza Hallock, was a daugh- ter of William Hallock, of Kent. She reared four children, namely: Prudence, who is now Mrs. Edwards, and has three children ; Cort- land D. ; Cassius; and Ida, who is now Mrs. Hoag, and has three children. Mrs. Sumner B. Cole still survives at the age of seventy- two years.
Cortland D. Cole received a good education, and at an early age developed a taste and capacity for business pursuits which have en abled him to conduct successfully various im portant ventures. He resided for eight years in Roxbury. In 1874 he came to Washington and settled upon his present farm, which is pleasantly situated and consists of seventy acres of well-improved land. Besides canying on general farming he has dealt extensively in cattle. He also has business interests of an important nature in Bridgeport and Toning ton, Conn., in Florida, in Union City, and in San Diego, Cal. He is a Democrat in poli ties, and served as Selectman for two years, having also acted as Assessor and Registrar.
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In 1875 Mr. Cole was united in marriage to Adelaide G. Frisbie, daughter of Daniel Fris- bie, of Washington. They have had two chil- dren, namely : Abbie B. ; and Daniel E., who is no longer living. Mr. Cole attends the Congregational church, and is a member of Rising Sun Lodge, No. 27, A. F. & A. M.
AMES JACKSON PRESTON, a vet- eran agriculturist of Litchfield County and an honored and respected resident of the town of Winchester, was born May 5, 1817, in Harwinton, the place of nativity of his father, John S. Preston. For many years the home of his early ancestors was in Massa- chusetts, and the record of their lives forms a part of the early history of that Common- wealth.
Roger Preston, born in England in 1614, sailed from London in 1635; and upon his arrival on the New England shores he settled in Ipswich, Mass., where he resided for twenty-two years. Removing then to Salem, a few miles south, he lived there until his death, nine years later, on January 20, 1666. Martha Preston, his wife, whose maiden name is not recorded, was born in 1623, and died on March 21, 1703. Several sons were born of their union, of whom Samuel, the next in order of lineal descent, was born in Ipswich in 1651, and died in Andover, July 10, 1738. He married in Andover, May 27, 1671, Miss Susannah Gutterson, who died December 29, 1710. Three years later, September 24, 1713, he formed a second union with Mrs. Mary Blodget. He was the father of eleven chil- dren, two of whom, John and Jacob, removed to Connecticut.
John Preston was born in Andover, May 1, 1685. In his Connecticut home he followed the occupation of a hewer of timber and a
tiller of the soil, and spent his last years on his farm in the town of Windham, Windham County, where he died July 26, 1733. On January 10, 1707, he married Miss Mary Haynes, of Haverhill, Mass., where she was born March 3, 1687, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Moulton) Haynes. Mary Haynes and her brothers were captured by Indians and taken to Canada, where the brothers remained, but she was ransomed by a hand-sled load of tobacco and was drawn home on the sled. In 1709 John Preston received a grant of land in Killingly; and from the recorded dates of the births of their children it is evident that he and his wife removed to Windham between 1725 and 1727, as their tenth child, born October 10, 1725, was baptized in Killingly, and the eleventh child was born in Windham, August 20, 1727. John Preston, the second, their eldest, whose birth occurred in Andover or Killingly in 1708, married March 18, 1731, Miss Eleanor Stiles, who was born in Boxford, Mass., February 17, 1703, daughter of John and Deliverance (Town) Stiles. They became the parents of four children, as follows: John, Asa, Anne, and Jonathan.
John Preston, the third, the paternal grand- father of the subject of this sketch, was born . in Windham in 1735. After attaining man's estate he moved to Harwinton, being one of the original settlers; and, buying a tract of land that was in its primitive wildness, he cleared and improved a homestead. At the time he settled in Harwinton, deer, bears, and rattlesnakes were plenty; but a four-wheeled carriage of any sort was a thing unknown. Of a Sabbath morning church-goers made their way to the place of worship either afoot or on horseback, the women of the different fam- ilies seated on pillions behind their travelling companions. John Preston must have come to Windham with a two-wheeled cart drawn by
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oxen; for he brought certain household goods with him, among which was a cedar pork barrel inscribed with the date of 1737, which is still in the possession of the family. In those days it was considered an evidence of thriftlessness and improvidence for a man to be out of pork; but as shad were cheap and plenty, it was not an uncommon occurrence to see a man coming from the Connecticut River on horseback with a few dozen shad thrown behind him on his horse, a sight sure to bring forth the sometimes unjust comment from the onlooker of, "That man is out of pork." John Preston, the third, married Miss Miriam Bristol, a native of Harwinton, and the daugh- ter of Aaron Bristol, a pioneer of the place, and they reared to lives of usefulness their six children, namely: Miriam, who married Jo- seph Halsted, of Trenton, N. J. ; Noah, who married Honor Rossiter; John S .; Garner, who married Bethena Upson; Lucina, who married Jehiel Ford; and Ursula, who married Lemuel Humphreyville and lived to the re- markable age of one hundred and two years.
John S. Preston, son of John and, Maria (Bristol) Preston, was born December 5, 1769, and was a lifelong resident of Harwin- ton, being a prosperous agriculturist and a man of prominence in local and State affairs. Ilis wife, Aurelia Dewey, a daughter of Eli Dewey, of Harwinton, was born September 5, 1774. Their entire wedded life was spent on the home farm, where they reared their family of nine children. In politics he was a Feder- alist at the time of his majority, but later became identified with the Whigs, and was chosen to represent his town in the legislature.
The boyhood days of James J. Preston were spent on the parental homestead, and were re- plete with the incidents and experiences of life in the early part of the present century, before the days of railroads. He was an attendant
of the district school during the winters, and in the season of seed-time and harvest assisted on the farm, obtaining a practical insight into its labors and duties. At the age of nineteen he began the battle of life on his own account, and for seven years was engaged as a travelling salesman of tinware and dry goods. Desiring to settle down to some permanent business, he then bought a farm in the town of Canaan, where he lived two years, when he purchased the homestead he now occupies, and which he has since carried on with good success. It contains twenty-two acres of choice land, and is beautifully located on the hill overlooking the village of Winsted and the surrounding country, commanding a charming view.
Mr. Preston was married November 21, 1841, to Adaline Camp, who was born in Win- chester in this county, January 3, 1817. Mrs. Preston is a daughter of Moses Camp, who was born in Norfolk in 1774, and a grand-daughter of Moses Camp, Sr., a native, it is thought, of the town of New Milford, of early English antecedents. He was a pioneer settler of Nor- folk, where he carried on general husbandry until his decease. Mrs. Preston's father learned the hatter's trade, and in company with his brother Samuel was engaged in the manufacture of hats until 1804. He then sokl out and bought the Stephen Knowlton farm, located on the side hill, a mile south-east of Winsted; and from that time until his death, March 6, 1852, he was prosperously engaged in agriculture. He bought the farm where his son Moses now resides, and where his death occurred. His wife, mother of Mrs. Preston, was Diadema Knowlton Camp, a daughter of Stephen and Diadema (Chubb) Knowhow. She was born in Winchester, October 15. 178.1, and lived until August 11, 1884, having almost completed a century of life.
Mrs. Camp was always blessed with good
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health, never having had any long sickness, her final illness being less than an hour. Only a few hours before the change she re- marked that her memory had failed to such an extent that she considered herself a know-noth- ing. Some one jokingly replied that she had better join a know-nothing society, at which she looked up, laughing, and said, "I should not have to go far." She was an esteemed member of the Congregational church, and reared her family in the same faith. Her father was a soldier of the Revolution, and the name of Knowlton is an honored one in the military annals of Connecticut. Her only liv- ing son is Moses Camp, a well-to-do farmer, residing on the old homestead. He married Amelia Worthington, a native of East Had- dam and a daughter of Edward and Elizabeth (Willey) Worthington.
Mr. and Mrs. Preston have one son, James H., who was born April 15, 1849. He mar- ried Elizabeth Van Valkenburg, the three children born of their union being : Adelaide, a graduate of Smith College, Northampton, Mass., now teaching French and German in Portsmouth, N. H. ; Blanche; and May. In politics Mr. Preston has always stood on the side devoted to the highest interests of human- ity, having been a strong abolitionist in his earlier days, later a strong Republican, and now a firm and influential Prohibitionist. Re- ligiously, he and his wife are consistent and active members of the Congregational church.
As may be gathered from the above, they are worthy representatives of good old New Eng- land families.
ILLIAM H. KNICKERBOCKER, who has conducted a successful blacksmithing business at Wood- ville, in the town of Washington, for many years, was born in Kent, Conn., November
26, 1836, son of William and Harriet (John- son) Knickerbocker. £ Mr. Knickerbocker's father was a native of Dover, N. Y. ; and when a young man he learned the tailor's trade, which he followed during the active period of his life. He settled in Kent, where he re- sided for many years, becoming well and favor- ably known as an industrious and useful citizen. His last days were spent in Provi- dence, R.I., where he died at the age of seventy-three years. His wife, Harriet John- son, who was a daughter of Hezekiah Johnson, of Kent, became the mother of the following children : Julia, who became Mrs. Monroe, and has two children -- George and Mary ; Frederick; Oscar; Delia, a twin sister of the latter, who became Mrs. Taylor, and had five children, namely - William, Mary, Ida, Louis, and Martha; William H., the subject of this . sketch; and Edward, who was twice married, his first wife being Ellen Varney and his sec- ond Ellen Huntley. The mother lived to reach the age of seventy-six years.
William H. Knickerbocker received liis education in the district schools, and at the age of fifteen began work at the forge. 'After learning the blacksmith's trade he worked as a journeyman, and finally settled in Washington in the village of Woodville, where he has carried on a thriving business for over thirty years. During his long residence in Wood- ville he has acquired a high reputation as a skilled and reliable workman, and has met with the usual reward of well-directed industry.
In 1871 Mr. Knickerbocker was united in marriage to Emma Briggs, daughter of David Briggs, of Washington, and has one son, Harry by name. Mr. Knickerbocker is a Democrat in politics, and has well served the town as grand juror, Constable, and in other offices. He attends the Congregational church.
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ARCISSE J. THIBAULT, a leading contractor and builder in Winsted, was born in Quebec in 1848, son of Gregoire and Rose (Marcise) Thibault. His father was born in St. Thomas, Canada, in 1803, and died on his farm in that town in 1888. The widow is still a resident of that place. They had seven sons and seven daugh- ters, all of whom are living save one, Louis,' who died at the age of twenty years.
The child who is one of a large family is usually obliged to cultivate a spirit of indepen- dence unknown to the one who is his parent's only care. This spirit was early developed in young Narcisse Thibault ; and at the age of fif- teen he left home and started on his indepen- dent career, the first four years of which were spent on a farm in Nova Scotia. Then the lumber industry, which is the source of much of the wealth of that country, engaged his attention ; and he later learned the carpenter's trade, working at it in the Dominion for about six months. In March, 1870, he came to Winsted, working as journeyman for some time, but finally starting in business as a con- tractor and builder. He was at first in part- nership with others, but for the past eight years has conducted business alone. He has done some fine work in Winsted, the Strong & Tanner Block, the Alvord Block, and the Winchester Block of West Winsted being samples of his workmanship, as well as the large buildings on the Highland Lake Farm. Mr. Thibault has also erected many dwelling- houses. He is doing a good and increasing business, employing from eight to ten men.
In 1878 Mr. Thibault was married to Miss Mary Dempsey, a native of Ireland, and by her has had four children, one of whom, Greg- ory, died in infancy. The living are: Anna, aged seventeen; Joseph, fifteen; and Louis, nine, all pupils in the Alleghany School.
Mr. Thibault is independent in politics, vot- ing according to his best judgment, regardless of party lines. He settled at his present home, 17 Elm Street, in 1890. It is pleas- antly situated and convenient for business, his workshop being on the premises. By steady industry and conscientious work he is slowly but surely advancing along the road to honora- ble success.
OLONEL SALMON ALGERNON GRANGER, Secretary and Treas- urer of the Morgan Silver Plate Company of Winsted, was born in New Marl- boro, Berkshire County, Mass., August 12, 1839, and is a descendant of Phineas Granger, a soldier of the Revolution, who was born at Suffield, August 7, 1738. Phineas Granger joined the minute-men in June, 1777, and was under command of Captain Elihu Kent, in the Fifth Connecticut line, serving for eight months. In 1780 he enlisted in the Second Connecticut Regiment, and in 1781 joined the ranks of the Third Regiment. He died in the service in July, 1781, three months before the close of the war. His son Phineas, grand- father of Colonel Granger, was a cousin of Gideon Granger, the Postmaster-General under the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Grand- father Granger was a farmer in good circum stances in New Marlboro. He married Martha Newell, of Canaan, who lived to be eighty- four years old, dying October 6, 1857. She and her husband are buried in the cemetery at New Marlboro. They had five children, three sons and two daughters, the oldest of whom, James L., was the father of ex Congressman Judge Miles Tobey Granger. All of the tam ily lived to a ripe old age, and all but one daughter married and had families.
Gideon Granger, father of Colonel Granger. was born in New Marlboro, Angust 6, 1800,
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and died July 3, 1885. He was twice mar- ried, his first wife being Esther, daughter of Salmon and Esther M. Treat, who were farm- ing people in easy circumstances. Mrs. Granger died at twenty-nine, leaving three children, the eldest of whom was Colonel Granger. The others are: Sylvenus E., who resides in Winsted; and Ursula Janette
Granger, who lives in Riverton. Gideon Granger's second wife was in maidenhood Bet- sey Lowe, of Troy, N. Y., who is still living. Seven children were born of this union, two sons and five daughters.
Colonel Salmon Algernon Granger, accord- ing to a sketch of his career in J. A. Spald- ing's Popular Biography of Connecticut, re- ceived a fair common-school education and learned the carpenter's trade. When a youth of eighteen he came to Winsted, where he worked at his trade for E. B. Parsons until the war broke out. In response to the first call for troops he enlisted, April 25, 1861, as pri- vate in the Second Connecticut, under the late General Alfred H. Terry, and was in the first battle of Bull Run. When his term of ser- vice expired, he enlisted again, this time in the Nineteenth Infantry, subsequently desig- nated as the Second Connecticut Heavy Ar- tillery, and had risen to the command of Company I by the time of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. In 1864 Colonel Granger was with Sheridan in the great Shenandoah cam- paign, and throughout the war he served with credit and distinction. At the close of the war he accepted the position of superintendent of the New England Pin Company of Win- sted, which he held for twenty-two years. In 1888 he was one of the organizers of the Morgan Silver Plate Company, of which he is now Secretary and Treasurer.
On December 19, 1860, Colonel Granger married Carrie A., daughter of Newton C.
Potter, of Torrington; and four children blessed their union. Two are deceased : an infant daughter, born February 14, 1866; and a son, born March 3, 1873, who lived only five months. Ralph Stuart Granger, a young man of twenty, is a cadet in the United States Military Academy at West Point, a member of the class of 1898; and William Bradley Granger is a member of the class of 1896 in the Gilbert School of Winsted.
Colonel Granger is a Democrat in politics. He has been Aide-de-camp on the Governor's staff, with the rank of Colonel, since his ap- pointment to that rank by the late Governor Morris. He is also interested in educational matters, and served several years on School Committee. He is Past Master of St. An- drew's Lodge (Winsted), A. F. & A. M .; Past H. P. of Meridian Chapter, and has at- tained the thirty-second degree in Masonry. He also belongs to the Odd Fellows, and is Past Grand Regent of the Connecticut Royal Arcanum and Grand Treasurer of the N. E. O. P. of Connecticut. He has also held the office of Junior Vice-Commander of the Grand Army in this State. Colonel Granger is a Trustee of the Methodist church, of which he has been a member since 1859.
RED. L. WADHAMS, a prominent lumber manufacturer of Torrington, Conn., was born on December 4, 1842, in Goshen, an adjoining town, of which his parents, James and Sarah L. (Oviatt) Wad- hams, were both natives. His grandfather, Norman Wadhams, who was a lifelong resi- dent there, was a stone cutter by trade. He died at the age of seventy-four.
James Wadhams was one of six children. He remained in Goshen until about eighteen or nineteen years of age, when he went to
F. L. WADHAMS.
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Newark, N.J., to learn the wheelwright's trade. After finishing his apprenticeship he worked for a time in Newark, and then re- turned to Goshen, where he purchased a farm, on which he spent the rest of his life. He died at the age of sixty-eight. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah L. Oviatt, was a daughter of Luman Oviatt, a native of Goshen. Luman Oviatt was a prominent farmer and large land-owner in that town. He was twice married, and had thirteen chil- dren, all of whom lived to grow up. His second wife, Alosia Sandford, of Torrington, was the mother of three children, of whom Sarah L., Mrs: James Wadhams, was the first- born. Mr. and Mrs. James Wadhams were members of the Congregational church. Four children were born to them, two of whom are now living, namely: Fred. L., the subject of this sketch; and Abner H., a carpenter and joiner of Torrington. The mother died in her twenty-ninth year.
Fred. L. Wadhams lived with his parents until thirteen years of age, when he went to reside with his grandmother. He received his education in the common schools and at the Goshen Academy. When a youth of eigh- teen, he enlisted in Company I, Thirteenth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, as a private, was in active service three years, participating in several hard-fought battles. He was taken prisoner September 19, 1864, at Winchester, and was paroled in December at Belle Island. He received his discharge in January, 1865, and returning to Goshen remained at home till the fall of that year, when he entered the employ of the Turner & Seymour Manufactur- ing Company of Torrington. In the winter of 1866 67 he attended a business school in Bridgeport. In the spring of 1867 he went West, and a year later returned to Torrington, and opened a meat market, which he con-
ducted about two years. He then purchased the water privilege, putting in the saw-mill of which he is now proprietor, and has since been prosperously engaged in the manufacture of lumber, conducting a large business.
Mr. Wadhams was married in 1871 to Sarah M., daughter of William Goodwin, a farmer of New Hartford, Conn., where the Goodwin family were early settlers. Mrs. Wadhams's parents are both departed, her mother having died within the past year. They had five children, four of whom are now living, the brothers of Mrs. Wadhams being Lewis, Will- iam, and Fred Goodwin. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wadhams, namely : Fred U., a graduate of Yale College in the class of 1895; Sanford H., a graduate of Sheffield College, who is now studying at the Yale Medical School; Herbert, in the Excel- sior Needle Company's office; and Clarence, who is still with his parents.
In politics Mr. Wadhams is a Republican. He is prominently identified with the fraternal orders of the town, belonging to Seneca Lodge, No. 55, A. F. & A. M., of Torring- ton, Hope Grange, also the Knights of Honor. and Steele Post, No. 34, Grand Army of the Republic. The family are connected with the Congregational church of the town, Mr. Wad- hams attending service there and his wife and two eldest sons being members of that church, in which Mrs. Wadhams is very active. Mr. Wadhams is a man of superior intelligence and fine social qualities, very popular in Tor- rington, where he has resided for upward of a quarter of a century. He lived in New Haven from 1891 to 1894, while his children were being educated in that city. With this e- ception, since 1865 his home has been in Torrington; and his business and social record places him among the leading citizens of the place.
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