Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 1, Part 12

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1336

USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 1 > Part 12

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Philharmonic Orchestra ; of St. John's Lodge, No. 4, F. & A. M .; Hartford Lodge, No. 88, I. O. O. F .; and Midian Encampment, No. 7. In politics he is an independent. He is an active member of the First Company, Governor's Foot Guard, and a member of the Veteran Association of Company K, Ist Conn. V. I., of the Spanish-American war.

GEORGE LEWIS CHASE, of Hartford, who for a third of a century has been the executive head of the Hartford Fire Insurance Co., one of the leading insurance companies not only of the United States, but of the world, and who since boyhood- for fifty and more years, with the exception of a short interval-has been identified with underwrit- ing. is known throughout the insurance world as an authority in all matters pertaining to the business.

Mr. Chase was born Jan. 13, 1828. in the town of Millbury, Worcester Co., Mass., son of Paul Cush- ing and Sarah (Pierce) Chase, and is descended from Aquila Chase, who was also the emigrant an- cestor of the late Hon. Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio, chief justice of the United States. Aquila Chase, born in 1618, was in the fourth generation from Thomas Chase, of Hundrich, Parish of Chesham, England, through Richard and Aquila Chase, Sr.

Coffin's History of Newbury refers to Aquila (2) as of Cornwall, while George B. Chase, the com- piler of a small work on the Chase genealogy, clearly to himself locates him in Chesham. But in either case he was one of the first settlers and grantees of Hampden, Mass., in 1639 or 1640, and later, in 1646, a settler at Newbury. He married Ann, daughter of John Wheeler, of Salisbury, England. Aquila Chase died in 1670. From this first American an- cestor President Chase, of Hartford, is a descendant in the eighth generation, his line being through Moses, Daniel, Daniel (2), Paul, Joshua and Paul Cushing.

Paul Cushing Chase, son of Joshua, was born March 6, 1790, married Dec. 19, 1819, Sarah Pierce, daughter of Aaron and Hannah Pierce.

George L. Chase, the subject proper of this re- view, attended the old Millbury Academy, receiv- ing a good English education, and when nineteen began his business career as the agent of the Farm- ers Mutual Fire Insurance Co., of Georgetown, Mass., of which he was subsequently elected a mem- ber of the board of directors. Young Chase had shown himself of good material, a man of quality, effort and energy, and speedily became an efficient canvasser, operating at first through southern Mass- achusetts and eastern Connecticut, and within a short time his agency included four companies trans- acting business on the mutual plan, one of which, the Holyoke Mutual of Salem, is still engaged in successful operations. In 1848 Mr. Chase was ap- pointed traveling agent for the People's . Insurance Co. of Worcester, and retained the position until 1852, giving great satisfaction. From 1852 until 1856 his attention was given to the business of railroad- ing. Having in the former year been appointed as- sistant superintendent of the Central Ohio Railway Co., he removed to Ohio, caught hold of the snap, hurry and push there exhibited by the then con- sidered Westerners, soon got into the current, and became at home among them. The same qualities that he had exhibited in his insurance experience brought him deserved recognition and reward in his new field of operations, and he was advanced to the office of general superintendent of the road. Hewas one of the first representatives who organized the first association of railroad superintendents in the United States, the meeting for the purpose being held at Columbus, Ohio, in 1853. In 1860 Mr. Chase resumed the fire insurance business, accept- ing the Western general agency of the New England Fire Insurance Co., of Hartford, a position he held until 1863, in which period he did much effective work in the line of supervision that brought in- creased business to the company. In 1863 he ac- cepted the appointment of assistant Western gen- cral agent of the Hartford Fire Insurance Co., and here, as in all previous positions he had occupied, Mr. Chase displayed ability of the highest order, attracting from the outset the attention and ap- proval of the board of directors. In 1867 the presi-

Der Lehave

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

dency of the company was placed at his acceptance, the duties and responsibilities of which he assumed in June of that year, succeeding in that high office Timothy C. Allyn. And from that time on, through all of the intervening period of thirty-four years, his management of the company's business and in- terests has been matchless in character, placing him in the foremost rank of fire insurance representa- tives.

It is not within the province of this article to go into and follow the history of the Hartford Fire, one of the oldest and most successful insurance in- stitutions in the United State : suffice it to say that it has now a capital of one and one-quarter millions, and in addition to this great sum it has total assets of II,- 180,000, a mighty reserve against which to draw if ever the occasion arises. The net surplus is over $4,458,000, all of which makes the company one of the strongest in the world. The Hartford began its career in the field of underwriting in 1810, a career that has been one unbroken success from that day to this, its charter then authorizing a capital of $150,000. In its business life of ninety years the company has had only five presidents, including the present incumbent, who has exceeded all of them in his length of service, and in this long official period of thirty-four years he has administered the affairs of his office with peculiar acceptance to the directors, the stockholders, and those who have been fortunate enough to hold policies in this great cor- poration. The company has always been in the hands of men who stood high in the confidence of the community. There is hardly a name in the long list of directors which is not known to every one familiar with the business life of Hartford, and the company's prosperity has rested and now rests on the character of its managers.

When Mr. Chase came to the presidency of the Hartford, the office of the Company was on Main street, and was in very limited quarters. At Mr. Chase's suggestion, the Board of Directors decided to build an office of their own, and purchased a lot on the corner of Trumbull and Pearl streets, on which, under Mr. Chase's supervision, was erected a very handsome, granite building. The new office was finished and occupied by the Company in 1870. Its appointments were up to the times, and every ar- rangement was made for conducting their large business in an economical and systematic manner. This gave the Hartford the most commodious quar- ters of any insurance company in the city at that time.

In 1897 the Company's business had outgrown its accommodations, and the directors decided to enlarge the office building which was done by the erection of an addition, which gave the Company more than double the room they had before. The business, in the mean time, however, had increased more than fivefold. Their new office is of the most approved type with all the modern improvements for the trans- action of business.

President Chase was the first to suggest the use 4

of the telephone for communication between the Hartford, Atna and Phoenix offices, and, in connec- tion with Presidents Hendee and Kellogg, communi- cation was arranged between these three offices by means of telephone wires, and, although the serv- ice was of necessity somewhat imperfect, yet it. was found to be a great advantage in communicating between these three offices. Mr. Chase now has in his office the first instrument of this kind, which is a very crude affair. This was the introduction of telephone service in the City of Hartford. Mr. Chase was also the first to employ stenographic and typewriter service in the business. The Hartford have always availed themselves of the best facil- ities that could be secured for the transaction of their large business.

The standing of President Chase as an insurance manager was recognized from the very outset by his associates and competitors in the business. In 1876 he was elected president of the National Board of Fire Underwriters, and has since served the board as chairman of the committee on Legis- lation and Taxation, in all respects the most import- ant committeeship in the organization. His connec- tion with the national board has been one of com- manding influence and leadership. He is a member of the board of trustees, and one of the vice-pres- idents, of the Society for Savings in Hartford, which is the largest savings bank in the State, and is also a trustee of the Connecticut Trust & Safe Deposit Co., and a director in the American National Bank. Mr. Chase is a leading member of the Hart- ford Board of Trade, and is thoroughly interested in the industrial development and prosperity of the city of which he is so prominent and influential a citizen.

President Chase has been several times the recip- ient at the hands of his co-workers and friends of handsome gifts. In 1892, on the twenty-fifth anni- versary of his presidency of the Hartford Fire In- surance Co., he was given a silver loving-cup by his local co-workers, as a testimonial of their admiration and love for him. And again, in June, 1898, the general and special agents of the company, located in various cities throughout the United States, pre- sented him with a $1,000 Jurgensen watch, which is one of the handsomest timepieces that has been manufactured, striking the hours, halves and quarters.

President Chase's religious connections are with the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hart- ford, and he has five times been chosen president of the Connecticut Congregational Club, the most im- portant organization connected with the Congre- gational Churches in the State, and wiekling the most extended influence.

On Jan. 8, 1851, Mr. Chase was married to Miss Calista M. Taft, daughter of Judson Taft, and the union was blessed with three children-one son and two daughters. The former, Charles E. Chase. is the efficient assistant secretary of the company of which his father is president. He married Miss

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Helen S. Bourse, and they have one daughter. Pres- ident Chase's younger daughter died in 1866. The elder was married, in 1874, to Charles H. Longly, and died in 1893.

ROSWELL J. CLAPP, successor to Clapp & Son, the well-known iron and steel merchants of Hartford, was born in Hartford June 10, 1871. He comes of a long line of ancestry, and in his office, handsomely framed, is a genealogical chart of the family, giving all the facts connected with them, from the first settler, Rodger, down to 1873. It is a complete and authentic record of the family, and one of which any man might be justly proud. This chart was prepared by a member of the Clapp family, being done with a steel pen, and is a mar- velous piece of penmanship.

Rodger Clapp, the pioneer, was born in Devon- shire, England, in 1609, son of Richard Clapp, and came to Dorchester, Mass. Preserved Clapp, son of Rodger, was born in Dorchester in 1643. Thomas Clapp, the next in the line of descent, set- tled in Hartford at an early date. Elijah Clapp, son of Thomas, was born in Hartford. Norman Clapp, of Hartford, was our subject's great-great- grandfather ; his great - grandfather was John Clapp, and his grandfather Daniel Clapp.

GEN. JOHN B. CLAPP, our subject's father, was born July 4. 1842, in the town of Wethersfield, and received a common-school and academic educa- tion. He enlisted in the 16th Conn. V. I. July 21, 1862, entering the company of Capt. Henry L. Pasco, of that command. Capt. William H. Lock- wood, of Hartford, was the first lieutenant, and Charles A. Tennant, who was fatally wounded on the Nansemond May 3, 1863, was the second lieu- tenant of the company. Gen. Clapp was with the regiment at Antietam Sept. 17, 1862, and displayed marked gallantry on the field. He was at once advanced to the first lieutenancy of Company D, his commission dating from the day of the battle. He received the appointment of adjutant Jan. 9, 1863, and at the siege of Plymouth, April 20, 1864, received the brevet rank of captain for gallant and meritorious conduct. The capture of the 16th Regiment at Plymouth resulted in his being im- prisoned by the Rebels for nearly one year, the time being spent at Macon, Savannah, Charleston and Columbia. In March, 1865, he was released on parole at Wilmington, N. C., and he soon after- ward became post adjutant under Gen. F. D. Sew- all, at Camp Parole, Annapolis, Md. The war record of Gen. Clapp was an honorable one in all respects. His courage in the field was unques- tioned, and actuated by patriotic impulses he gave himself entirely to the cause which he had esponsed.

After returning from the war the General was appointed to the captaincy of Company F. of Weth- ersfield, Ist Regiment, and held the position until he was appointed assistant adjutant-general on the staff of Gen. C. II. Prentice, of the Ist Brigade. Subsequently he resumed the command of Com- ,

pany F. In 1873 he was promoted to lieutenant- colonel of the regiment, and in 1874 became colo- nel, which latter position he retained until 1876. He was appointed brigade inspector in 1878, on the staff of Gen. Stephen R. Smith. Gen. Charles P. Graham, who succeeded Gen. Smith, renewed the appointment, which was retained by Gen. Clapp until his promotion to the staff of Gov. P. C. Louns- bury as commissary-general. Gen. Clapp was a member of the Veteran City Guard of Hartford, and had been the commandant of the organization. At the time of his death he was a member of the Ist Company, Governor's Horse Guard, Hartford, holding the position of adjutant.

Gen. Clapp served three years in the court of common council in Hartford, representing the old Second ward. He was a member of the board of fire commissioners nine years, and a member of the commission under the direction of which the Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park was erected. He was also a member of the Camp Field Monument Association, representing, with Col. Frank W. Cheney, the 16th Connecticut in that body. He belonged to the Army and Navy Club of Connecti- cut, to the Society of the Army of the Potomac, and was also a member of Robert O. Tyler Post, G. A. R. Gen. Clapp was the life secretary of the 16th Regiment Association. In January, 1899, he was elected secretary of the Connecticut Secre- taries' Association, succeeding Judge E. E. Mar- vin, clerk of the United States Court. Gen. Clapp was identified with the Union Prisoners Associa- tion in the State, and was one of the most popular veterans of the Civil war in this section of Con- necticut. He was commandant and foremost in the organization of the Buck Engineer Corps, dur- ing the two campaigns which resulted in the elec- tion of the Hon. John R. Buck to Congress from this district.

The Masonic career of Gen. Clapp was one of singular interest. He was a member of St. John's Lodge, and received the degree of Knighthood in Washington Commandery, Knights Templar, Nov. 10, 1868, being knighted by Gov. Thomas H. Sey- mour ; ex-Mayor John G. Root was generalissimo of the commandery at that time. He first became captain-general of the commandery in 1878, and held this position under different eminent com- manders, including two terms under Watson H. Bliss, until 1893, when he started on an unbroken period of service in the office, holding it up to the hour of his death. He was the recipient of a Knight Templar sword from the commandery in November, 1897, the event being one of excep- tional interest in the order in the city. He was a brilliant officer in the commandery, and won the admiration of his associates, wherever the organi- zation appeared in a public capacity.

From 1868 Gen. Clapp was engaged in the iron trade, from 1868 until 1880 as a member of the firm of Blodgett & Clapp. In 1880 the Blodgett & Clapp corporation was organized, the partnership

John Balapp

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

being dissolved, and he became secretary and man- ager. In recent years he carried on business un- der the firm name of John B. Clapp & Son, his only son, Roswell J. Clapp, being identified with him.

Gen. Clapp was married Sept. 17, 1867, to Miss Leila F. Blodgett, of Hartford, daughter of Kos- well Blodgett, and the wedding took place on the anniversary of the battle of Antietam. The ser- vices were conducted by Rev. William S. Colton, pastor of the Congregational Church in Washing- ton, but the General s pastor in the Wethersfield Church. Mrs. Clapp died at Madison in May, 1893.

Gen. Clapp became a member of the Wethers- field Congregational Church in 1865, after his re- turn from the war. This action was taken with Robert Hale Kellogg, now president of the 16th Regiment, and the General's lifelong friend and associate. The late Judge Elisha Carpenter, of the Supreme Court in this State, joined the church in the same period. As soldier and Knight Templar Gen. Clapp possessed traits of character that greatly endeared him to men. He was held in the sin- cerest regard and friendship in the 16th Connecti- cut, having been on the executive committee of the regimental association from the first, and for years its secretary. He succeeded Major B. F. Blakeslee in the secretaryship, and made the posi- tion one of importance to the veterans of that com- mand. In Washington Commandery he was held in equal admiration and esteem. For years he had been identified with the highest interests of the commandery, serving as captain-general under such members of the order as Past Eminent Command- ers Watson H. Bliss, Stephen Ball, H. LeRoy Woodward, of Springfield, Gen. James H. Jarman, Edward Mahl, A. D. Newton. In 1894 he was at Pittsburg with the commandery, attending the tri- ennial conclave of the order, whose interests were of the highest importance in his life.

Gen. Clapp was a man of genial impulses, and companionable in all the surroundings and circum- stances of life. His loss will be felt as a lasting one in all circles, where men met and exchanged courtesies with him. The following is a tribute by a comrade: John B. Clapp was one of those fine Connecticut country boys whose soldierly quali- ties were brought to appreciation and development by the Civil war. He had the faculty to organize and lead. Hardly half a year from a country store, he brought the records and accounts of a hastily gotten together regiment, which was precipitated into battle when just armed and not at all instruct- ed, and was almost decimated at the first charge, into order and official semblance, and ably sec- onded Cols. Frank Beach and John H. Burnham in reforming this half demoralized mass into a fine body, whose moral and soldierly standing became the best. He was an officer of dashing appear- ance, full of life and energy, prompt in his de- cisions, and skillful in carrying them out, for he

carried by winning the co-operation of the men. He was very sympathetic, and the entire regiment heartily loved and trusted him. On several occa- sions in battle he showed marked bravery, and at Plymouth he displayed exceptional heroism. The long captivity in Southern prisons he bore, with the rest of his comrades, courageously and man- fully; and, when the fragments of the regiment were released, he helped form it again into a good military body.

As adjutant of the 16th Connecticut John B. Clapp's service was eminently brilliant, and of ad- vantage to his cause and country ; and the men of the 16th will always affectionately associate him with the evolution and the war record of their regiment. The memory of his dashing figure and fine mount, and his clear ringing voice, will carry them back to the days of the struggle that made truer and stronger men of all, and gave something to their life that endured beyond it. With his more acute military quality there was true kind- liness, warm sympathy and great justness of ap- preciation. He knew each man of his regiment personally, and knew him all around, so as to ap- preciate him at his best. And thus he proved a leader whose leadership did not expire with his commission, but endured through three decades of civil life. He passed away July 14, 1899, at the home of his son, in Hartford.

Roswell J. Clapp was married in 1894 to Miss Mabel R. Lawrence, of Worcester, and they have one son, Lawrence John, born in 1896.

ARTHUR S. CLAPP, advertising agent for Parsons' Theater, Hartford, was born in Hartford March 25, 1858, a son of Caleb Clapp, born in North Hampton, Mass., whose father was born in North Hampton, May 3, 1787, and died Feb. 22, 1843. He was a lifelong farmer of prominence in North Hampton. His wife, Maria J. (Hooker), was born in Milford, Conn., Nov. 20, 1793, and they reared fifteen children, only one of whom, Harriet, is now living, a resident of Chicago. Roger Clapp, the first settler of the Clapp family in America, came to Nantasket in September, 1630.

Caleb Clapp, father of Arthur S., was reared in North Hampton, where he learned the tailor's trade. Then coming to Hartford he became proprietor of the "City Hotel," which he conducted for a number of years, or up to the time of his death. He was a well-known man, took a prominent part in the affairs of the city, was a Republican in politics, and served as a member of the city council. Socially he was affiliated with the I. O. O. F., but was in no sense of the word a "lodge man," preferring the quietude of his own home. For many years he was interested with Mr. Sharp in the livery business, and was also interested in the Shelby Iron Mines, in Alabama. He married Sarah M. Sexton, born in North Hamp- ton, Mass., Jan. 27, 1822, a daughter of Phineas Sexton, born in September, 1771, who was a man of prominence, a shoemaker by trade, and spent

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his life in North Hampton. £ He married Phobe

Thompson, born Dec. 30, 1770. Mrs. Clapp had a brother in the Mexican war. Ten children, all sons, were born to Caleb Clapp and his wife, Arthur S. being the youngest, and three are yet living : Allen C., with E. C. Kibbe, wholesale gro- cers; Henry P., in San Francisco; and Arthur S. The mother died at the age of seventy-seven, on Oct. 18, 1899. The parents were members of the Pearl Street Congregational Church, in which the father took an active interest. At the time of his death he was among the oldest business men of Hart- ford, having come here in 1854.

Arthur S. Clapp spent his early years at home, was educated in the common schools, and then learned the drug trade. In 1886 he went to Colorado, remained a year, and returned East. For a time he was employed by Charles F. Adams, and in 1896 he accepted a position with Parsons' 'Theater as adver- tising agent, in which incumbency he has since con- tinued. He is a member of the Industrial League of the Fourth Church, and in politics is a Republican. On Sept. 27, 1900, Mr. Clapp married Nettie Studa- baker, of Lucerne, Mo., born in 1863 in Adams county, Indiana.

Howard S. Clapp, brother of Arthur S., was born in Middletown, Conn., Oct. 21, 1848, attended the common and high schools, and later graduated, when only eighteen years of age, from Yale Col- lege. He then entered the Berkeley Divinity School, after graduating from which he was called to the pastorate of Trinity Church at Wethersfield, being their first pastor. Later he went to Philadelphia, then to St. Paul, Minn., and for a number of years supplied various churches. He died in Hartford, Oct. 16, 1898. Another brother, William, was a druggist in Hartford, having learned the business with Talcott Brothers, and later for a number of years conducted the City Hotel Drug Store; he died Sept. 21, 1884.

DAVID CLARK, of Hartford, was the son of Amasa and Eleanor (Fuller) Clark, of Hampton, Conn., and was born in that town Oct. 12, 1806. He was of full Revolutionary descent.

Mr. Clark married Miss Julia M. Ross, of Chaplin, Conn., Oct. 12, 1827. He came to Hart- ford in April, 1832, and died Oct. 8, 1889. His wife died June 7, 1892. We cannot do better for this sketch than to give the following tribute to Mr. Clark by his long-time friend, Judge D. W. Pardee :

"By the death of Mr. David Clark a remarka- ble man has been taken from the visible life of Hartford. Physically he was a fine specimen of the men whose youth is passed upon the hill-coun- try farm, and who therefore are so strong that they came to fourscore years. His stalwart frame, supporting a sound head, made him a noticeable figure in any company. He changed early from the farm to the counting-house. As a merchant he was of untiring industry. If at any time losses

came upon him, he still held his courage; and his determination to succeed made him victor at last. And his is the rare honor due to one who pays debts collectible no otherwise than in the court of conscience.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 1, Part 12

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1336

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1336