USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Litchfield County, Connecticut > Part 51
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George W. Catlin was reared on the home farm, and continued to reside with his parents until he was twenty-three years of age. Some years later he enlisted as a private in Com -. pany F, Twenty-eighth Regiment, Connecti- cut Volunteers, and served one year in the Civil War, during which time he participated in the siege of Port Hudson. After his dis- charge from the service he returned to Harwin- ton, and has since resided here. He is a suc- cessful farmer, owning a farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres, which is mainly devoted to dairying interests. He has also engaged in lumbering with profitable results, and owns and operates a saw-mill. Mr. Catlin has al- ways exhibited a deep interest in the general welfare of the community. He was originally a Whig in politics, later joining the Repub-
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lican party; but at the present time he sup- ports the Prohibition movement.
Mr. Catlin's first wife, whom he married in 1852, and who died in 1882, aged fifty-seven years, was Marilla Hubbard, daughter of William Hubbard, a prosperous farmer of Newington, Conn. She was a member of the Congregational church. By that union there is one daughter, named Eliza M., who married Joseph Van Tobel, a machinist of Torrington, and has one son, Albert Eugene Tobel, who is now a student at Yale College in the class of 1896. Mr. Catlin's second wife, formerly Mrs. Almira Bartholomew, is a daughter of Anson and Ruth (Seldon) Strong. Her father was a mechanic and builder of Haddam Neck. He died at the age of eighty-two years. Four of his five children are still liv- ing, namely: Almira; Anson, a resident of Winsted; Jacob; and James.
Mr. Catlin has been a member of the Con- gregational church since he was sixteen years of age, and has always been active in church work. He was at one time superintendent of the Sunday-school in Harwinton Centre and also of the Mission School at East Litchfield. He has served as a member of the Ecclesiasti- cal Committee, and has earnestly assisted in maintaining a religious spirit in the commu. nity. Mrs. Catlin is also an active member of the Congregational church.
ILLIAM J. MUNSON, an exten- sive farmer and progressive busi- ness man of Watertown, was born September 28, 185%, son of Joseph M. and Sarah ( Hawkins) Munson. Mr. Munson's great-grandfather, Caleb Munson, was an early settler and a prosperous farmer of Middlebmy, Conn. Caleb's son Joseph, Mr. Munson's grandfather, was a native and life-
long resident of Middlebury, who followed agriculture successfully, and died at the age of eighty-four years. He raised a family of eight children, the majority of whom became school-teachers. Joseph M. and Thomas Il. are the only survivors.
Joseph M. Munson was born in Middlebury, and was brought up to agricultural work. He resided with his parents until his majority, when he moved to Watertown, and settled upon a farm owned by his wife's mother. Having managed the property successfully for many years, he relinquished active labor in 1890, and is now retired. His wife, Sarah, was a daughter of William Hawkins, a pros- perous farmer and wagon-maker of Watertown. Mr. Hawkins was the first wagon-buikler in that locality. Mrs. Joseph M. Munson be- came the mother of three children, as follows: Sarah J., deceased, who married Hiram L. Thrall; William J., the subject of this sketch; and Harriet 1. Both parents attend the Episcopal church.
William J. Munson commenced his educa- tion in the common schools, and completed his studies at the academy. At the age of twenty-three he engaged in the wholesale milk business, in which he secured a huge trade. He also embarked in the coal, grain, and lumber trade, all of which he has established on a paying basis. Later he sold his interest in these ventures, and engaged in the is trade. He also conducts a milk business. running two milk wagons, which supply a large quantity of milk to the local trade and Waterbury. His ice business is in a towish ing condition. He was formerly engaged as a contractor and builder, and still deals in ical estate. Ilis farms aggregate four hundred acres. He is a Democrat in politics, and oc- cupies a prominent position in public affans. He served as a Constable for several years.
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was an Assessor one year, has served upon the School Board, and in 1894 was a member of the Board of Selectmen, declining a renomina- tion for another term. Although the Repub- licans are in the majority, he is exceedingly popular with all classes, irrespective of poli- tics; and in 1886 he represented the town in the legislature. He is a member of Federal Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and a charter member of the Grange, of which he is at present Master.
In' 1877 Mr. Munson was united in mar- riage to Marion A. Smith, of Thomaston. She is a daughter of Abel W. Smith, a pros- perous farmer, who had two other children, as follows: Louisa L., widow of H. H. Hotch- kiss; and Alice E., who married John H. Tay- lor, of Watertown. Mr. Munson attends the Episcopal church, and is now President of the church club.
ILBERT N. AUSTIN, the owner and proprietor of the largest and oldest established livery stable in Thomaston, was born in Goshen, Conn., June 23, 1859, son of Theodore and Esther (Roberts) Austin. His grandfather, Nelson Austin, who was a native of Goshen, spent his life there in agricultural pursuits, and died on his farm in the northern part of the town at the age of threescore years and ten.
Theodore Austin, one of Nelson's two chil- dren, was born in Goshen, where he was a farmer and cattle dealer. He remained on the old homestead until 1873, when he re- moved to Torrington, and there for three years conducted a livery stable. He next went to Plymouth, and purchased of William A. Buell his livery business and stage route from Terryville to Thomaston. He died in Plymouth in 1883, at fifty years of age. His wife, Esther, was a daughter of Stephen Roberts, a successful agriculturist of Goshen.
In the latter part of his life Mr. Roberts re- moved to Sandisfield, Mass., where he died at the age of seventy-five years. Mrs. Theodore Austin died in Goshen when but thirty years old, leaving two children: Wilbert N. and Emma. The latter married Frank Bunnell, of Plymouth. Their father was a comniuni- cant of the Congregational church of Thomas- ton, and their mother of the Methodist Episco- pal church of Goshen.
Wilbert N. Austin received a good educa- tion in the common schools and high school at Plymouth. After leaving school, he assisted his father in the livery business until he was twenty-one years old. He then started in business for himself. Two years later, when his father died, he and a Mr. Gregory under- took to run the stage route and a stable in -Thomaston, both of which had been the prop- erty of his deceased parent. They carried it on together for three years, after which, in 1893, Mr. Austin purchased Mr. Gregory's interest, and has since conducted the business alone. His fine large stable on Clay Street was built to his order, and is provided with modern conveniences and improvements. For his livery business alone he keeps twenty horses, and has also a number of boarders. In 1892 he was married to Miss Minnie 1. Maltoon, a native of Plymouth, daughter of Charles Maltoon, a stone mason of that place, where she was born. Her father died in 1880, fifty years of age, leaving eight chil- dren. She has borne her husband two sons and a daughter: Ellsworth, Arline, and Rolland. In politics Mr. Austin is a Demo- crat. In 1891 he served in the State legisla- ture as a Representative from Plymouth. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He and his wife are active and influential members of the Episcopal church of Plymouth.
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HARLES LEE, a prominent farmer of Kent and formerly a member of the Connecticut legislature, was born at the Lec homestead in Kent, August 13, 1853, son of Richard and Almira (Lane) Lee. Mr. Lee's grandparents were Benjamin and Esther (Lane) Lce, the former of whom was an iron puddler of Kent, and resided there until his death, which was caused by acci- dent. He reared the following children : William, Hezekiah, Ruth, Lucinda, Laura, Elizabeth, Richard, and Mary. The grand- mother died aged eighty-three years.
Richard Lee was born in Kent in 1814. In his carly manhood he was engaged in the iron industries of Kent, and continued to work at the furnace until he reached the age of forty years. He died April 4, 1894. In poli- tics he was a Democrat, and for many years was a prominent figure in local public affairs. He served with ability upon the Board of Se- lectmen during the Civil War, and also held other important town offices at different times. Ilis wife, Almira, daughter of Daniel Lane, of Kent, became the mother of four children, as follows: Alice, who became Mrs. Newton, and reared four children - Frank, Mary, Carrie, and Mattie; Sarah, who also married a Mr. Newton, and has two children, respec- tively named Cora and Charles R. ; and Martha, who became Mrs. Haskins, and reared two children, respectively named Howard and Clifford. The mother died at the age of fifty- seven years. She and her husband attended the Congregational church. Charles Lee was educated in the schools of his native town. He has always resided at the old homestead, and has devoted his time and attention to his farming interests, which he has conducted with energy and good judgment. He is enter- prising and progressive, and has been finan- cially successful. He is a Democrat in poli-
tics, and has been called to serve in various important town offices. In 1882 he repre- sented the town in the legislature, and was again elected in 1893, on both occasions ren- dering valuable services.
On October 16, 1879, Mr. Lee was united in marriage to Ida F. Phillips, who was born in Clinton, la., and has four children : namely, Richard, Harry S., Willard R., and Jessie A. Mr. Lee is a member of St. Luke's Lodge, No. 48, A. F. & A. M .; and he and his wife attend the Congregational church.
HOMAS JEFFERSON BRAD STREET, an enterprising citizen of Litchfield County, Connecticut, long a resident of Thomaston, was born in Topsfield, Mass., April 7, 1807. He is a son of Dudley Bradstreet, and traces his ancestry to sturdy Puritan stock, numbering among his fore- fathers Simon Bradstreet and Thomas Dudley, governors of Massachusetts in Colonial times.
The Bradstreet lineage runs back to a non- conformist minister, who died in 1617, leav- ing a son, Simon Bradstreet, who was born in Horbling, Lincolnshire, England, in 1603. Soon after the death of his father he was taken under the patronage of the Earl of Lincoln- shire, by whom probably he was sent to Cam- bridge tor his education, his name being found on the college record of 1617. Gradu- ating in 1621, he took all the degrees, and was employed for several years as steward by the carl. There he became acquainted with the family of Thomas Dudley, whose daughter he married; and soon after the two families sailed for America in the " Aibella " with Winthrop in 1630, and assisted in the settle- ment of Massachusetts Bay. Simon Brad- street settled in Cambridge, and was subse- quently a resident of Andover and of Salem.
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He held many positions of public trust, was one of the commissioners sent by the colonists to plead their cause before Charles II., and was Governor of Massachusetts prior to the appointment of Sir William Phips. Unlike Sir William, Governor Bradstreet was not a believer in diabolism, and took no part in the persecution of the witchcraft victims, which has left such a stain on the annals of old Mas- sachusetts. He was a man of good judgment and great executive ability, and was in public office by actual election more than sixty years. He died in Salem in 1697, in his ninety-fifth year, leaving several sons and daughters.
His wife's father, Thomas Dudley, was also Governor of Massachusetts, and served with distinction many years. John Bradstreet, fourth son of Governor Simon Bradstreet, set- tled in Topsfield, Mass., on a portion of the land granted to his father. Simon, second son of John, married Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Joseph Capen, of Topsfield; and their son John, born March 2, 1718, was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He also followed agriculture as a life pursuit, tilling the soil of the farm in Topsfield. He married Elizabeth Fisk, of Wenham, Mass .; and several daughters and one son were born of their union. The son, Captain Dudley Bradstreet, followed in the footsteps of his ancestors, spending his life on the homestead. He married Polly Porter, of Danvers, a de- scendant of Governor Endicott; and they reared a large family, Thomas Jefferson being the sixth son.
Thomas J. Bradstreet's parents removed to Danvers, Mass., in 1810; and there he re- ceived his early education. In the fall of 1830 he entered Yale, with the intention of studying law on the completion of his college course; but during the winter of 1830-31 he
became interested in the subject of religion, and after graduating, in 1834, he entered the Theological Seminary in New Haven to study for the ministry. At the close of the usual term of three years he accepted an invitation to preach to a church and society newly organ- ized in the part of Plymouth, Conn., now called Thomaston. His health beginning to fail after a brief period of labor, he was obliged to rest for some time; and, when he subsequently returned to his charge, he was assisted by a young man, who had taken his place during his absence. Mr. Bradstreet later supplied the pulpit of the Congregational church in Meriden, Conn., and in 1838-39 preached in the Second Congregational Church of New London; but, his health con- tinuing feeble, he finally decided to give up his chosen profession.
About 1840 he entered the employ of Seth Thomas, of Plymouth, Conn., as superintend- ent of his cotton factory, in which capacity he acted for fifteen years, then entering on the duties of travelling agent for the Seth Thomas Brass Company. At the commencement of the Civil War he resigned his position, and has since been engaged in various kinds of business for himself, such as building, im- proving his land near the village, conducting farm work, running a saw-mill, grist-mill, and a feed and flour store. A man of good judgment in practical matters, possessed of much executive ability, and furnished with a liberal education, Mr. Bradstreet handles understandingly whatever he undertakes, and is to-day one of the largest real estate owners in the vicinity.
November 4, 1840, Mr. Bradstreet was united in marriage with Amanda, daughter of Seth Thomas, the manufacturer in whose em- ploy he spent so many years. Of their chil- dren Thomas Dudley Bradstreet is general
JESSE BEANEY.
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manager of the Seth Thomas Clock Company ; Albert l'., a graduate of Yale, 1871, is judge of the District Court of Waterbury, and is prominent in politics; George P. is general manager of his father's business; Mary Amanda married Mr. J. R. French, of New Haven, a graduate of Yale, 1856; and Ed- ward T., a graduate of Yale, 1874, and of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, is a practising physician in Meriden, Conn.
In politics Mr. Bradstreet is a Republican. He has taken an active part in all projects for the advancement of the town, morally, intel- lectually, and materially; and, though he is eighty-nine years of age, his interest in the common weal has not abated. lle is univer- sally esteemed, and his advice is often sought in matters of moment.
ALTER F. BEANEY, an extensive farmer and dairyman of New Hart- ford, Conn., son of Jesse and Mary (Spencer ) Beaney, was born on May 30, 18.42, upon the farm which he now owns and oc- cupies. Mr. Beaney's grandfather, John Beaney, was a native of England, where he resided the greater part of his life. He was a mason by trade; but, after emigrating to the United States, he settled in Ohio, and engaged in farming. He died there at the age of eighty-eight years, having been the father of a large family.
Jesse Beaney, son of John, was born in England, and came to this country in young manhood. He settled in New Hartford, and, after working as a farm assistant by the month for some time, he purchased the farm now managed by his son, Walter F., with whom he now makes his home, and conducted it sue- cessfully during the active period of his life.
He has reached the age of eighty-two years. He married for his first wife Jane Spencer, daughter of Joel Spencer, who owned and con- ducted an adjoining farm. She died, leaving two daughters, namely: Celestia, who mar- ried R. F. Kellogg, of Nepaug; and Jane, who married William II. Tuttle, of Plymouth. Mr. Beaney's second wife, Mary Spencer, a sister of his first wife, died aged fifty years, leaving two sons: Brainard S., a prosperous farmer of New Hartford: and Walter F .. the subject of this sketch. Mr. Beaney's parents worshipped in the Methodist Episcopal church at Bakerville, of which his mother was a member and he and his family are at- tendants.
Walter F. Beaney received his education in the common schools of New Hartford, and resided at home until reaching his majority. lle adopted agriculture as an occupation, and was employed as an assistant upon different farms in his neighborhood for three years. at the expiration of which time he returned to the homestead, where he now resides. Since his father's retirement from active labor he has managed the property, which consists of one hundred seres; and this, together with another farm of seventy-five acres and some out lying land, he devotes exclusively to charity- ing. He keeps an average of twenty-five cows, and has for many years been engaged in shipping milk to New York City.
In politics he was formerly a Democrat, but now votes independently, and supports the candidates whom he considers most capable and trustworthy. Though not inclined to accept public office, he has served as a mem- ber of the local Board of Relief for some vous past. He is a charter member of the Grange. of which he has been Master and Overseer; and he is actively interested in its affairs.
On February 15. 1877. Mr. Beaney was
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united in marriage with Etta L. Root, daugh- ter of Orrin Root, a well-known and prosper- ous farmer of Barkhamstead. Mr. and Mrs. Beaney have two children : Jesse A. and Win- field C. This brief record of a highly re- spected Litchfield County family is happily accompanied by a faithful likeness of its ven- erable progenitor, Mr. Jesse Beaney, who is now in his eighty-third year.
BIJAH L. PATTERSON, a success- ful farmer and dairyman of Bridge- water, was born in Roxbury, July 20, 1834, son of Seymour and Harriet (Reed) Patterson. Mr. Patterson's great-grandfather, Hezekiah Patterson, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Abijah Patterson, son of Hezekiah, and Mr. Patterson's grandfather, moved from Monroe, Conn., and settled in that part of New Milford which has since been incorporated as the town of Bridgewater. He owned and occupied the farm which is now the property of H. B. Bronson; and he was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and operated a mill until his death, which took place when he was seventy-seven years old. He married Phebe A. Morehouse, and reared a family of eight children; namely, Heman, A. Lory, Abijah, Phebe A., Fanny, Eliza, Clarinda, and Seymour.
Seymour Patterson, Mr. Patterson's father, learned the shoemaker's trade, which he fol- lowed for a short time. as an occupation. Later he conducted a tanning and currying business for a number of years in Roxbury. He subsequently moved to Bethlehem, where he engaged in farming and the cattle business. In 1850 he sold his property ; and, returning to Bridgewater, he purchased his father's farm. Since entering into possession of this estate he has built a new barn and car-
riage house, besides effecting other improve- ments and cultivating the land with success. He has now reached the advanced age of ninety-one years, and up to about a year ago he was unusually active for his age. He is an intelligent, well-read man; and in his busi- ness career he has shown both ability and good judgment. His wife died at the age of thirty years, leaving two children, namely: Abijah L., the subject of this sketch; and Phebe A., who presided over her brother's household until her death.
Abijah L. Patterson was educated in the district schools, and at an early age he com- menced to assist his father in attending to the farm duties. He has always resided at home, where he received the thorough agri- cultural training which has enabled him to manage the farm with success. He not only carries on general farming, but conducts a choice dairy, keeping a fine herd of Devon cows; and he devotes considerable attention to the raising of sheep. He has remodelled the buildings, improved the land; and his success in producing crops superior both as to quality and quantity cannot be surpassed by any farmer in the locality.
On April 16, 1862, Mr. Patterson was united in marriage to Sarah S. Beers, daugh- ter of Chauncey A. and Laura (Dunning) Beers, the former of whom was a prosperous farmer of Roxbury. Mr. Patterson is an Episcopalian in his religious views and a Democrat in politics.
HERMAN COGSWELL, a promi- nent member of the farming com- munity of Washington, was born on the Cogswell homestead in New Preston, June 13, 1834, son of Charles and Asenath Hubbard Cogswell. His grandfather, Ruel Cogswell
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(see Jamieson's "Cogswells in America "), spent most of his days engaged in farming in Washington, and died in his fifty-ninth year. He married Roxanna Smith; and they reared the following children: Riley, Charles, Wash- ington, Ruel, Elisha, Nancy, Mercy, Rhoda, Lydia, Hannah, and Avis. As showing the family tendency to longevity and, incident- ally, the healthfulness of Litchfield County air, it may be noted that of these children the oldest lived ninety-five years and the youngest sixty-cight.
Charles Cogswell, the father of Sherman, was born July 4, 1793, on Tinker Hill, on a rough hillside farm, a breezy situation, com- manding a beautiful outlook on Lake Wara- mang. Early in life he purchased a farm about one-quarter of a mile from the village of New P'reston, where he spent the remainder of his life. The farm faces the south and cast ; and, though rough and stony, the land is of the richest and most fertile quality in the town. Charles Cogswell was a leading farmer of the town; and, being favored with a strong constitution, he lived to the good old age of eighty-five. Ilis wife, Asenath, daughter of Ithamar Hubbard, of Morris, Conn., died at seventy-five. They reared six children; namely, Robert, Egbert, Jeanette, Sherman, Emeline, and Marinda, Sherman Cogswell received his education in the schools of his native town, making a special study of music, for which he had a natural aptitude. Reared in a farming community, he early be- came familiar with farm work, and on the
death of his father succeeded to the home- stead. He has made that his home up to the present time. For nearly four years he was mnsie teacher at the State Reform School, Meriden, and assisting at the same time on the farm connected with the institution. Mr. Cogswell has taught music in the vicinity of
his home for some time, and has also taken full charge of a school. Though giving his chief attention to music, he is very suc- cessful as a farmer. Under his hands the rocks and brush which encumbered the home- stead property have been removed, and the farming machines of modern times can now be used on it without hindrance.
Mr. Cogswell was married October 12, 1862, to Elizabeth Collins Curtiss, daughter of Homer and Julia Upson Curtiss, of Meri- den, Conn. They had two sons, Leonard WV. and Howard F. The former married Miss Carrie E. Strong, and resides in New Haven. He is one of the most expert stenographers in the State, and for many years has been an official stenographer of the Superior Court and of the General Assembly. In politics Mr. Cogswell is a Republican. He is not an aspirant for office, believing that the best public office a man can hold is that of a good, honest, law-abiding citizen. He is a member of Pomona Grange, No. 7, and also of the State Grange. In religious belief he is a Congregationalist ; and he has been clerk of the village church for thirty-three years, a member of the choir for forty-two years, and choir-master for twenty-five. One of the old residents of the town, he is esteemed by all who know him, and is a worthy representative of an old and respected family.
B URTON C. PATTERSON, a prom- inent agriculturist and business man of Torrington, Conn., and a leading granger in this State, was born in Cornwall, Litchfield County, on September 10, 1830. His parents were Sherman and Polly (Gilbert ) Patterson, the former of whom was also a native of Cornwall.
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