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 134

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 134

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HON. HORACE DAVIS PAYNE, treasurer and manager of the Central New England Brick Co., and a well-known citizen of Kensington, was born in East Haddam, Middlesex Co., Conn., Aug. 19, 1870, and is a son of Clarence De Wolf and Laura (Car- ter) Payne, the latter of whom is still living, and makes her home with her daughter, in Meriden, Conn. The father was a native of Sag Harbor, Long Island, N. Y. At the age of sixteen years he enlisted in the 13th Conn. Vol. from New London, Conn., and served through the war of 1861 to 1865, when he came to East Haddam, where he was superintendent and manager of the U. S. Broom & Brush Co., until 1878 when he accepted a position in Meriden, Conn., as forcman in one of the depart- ments of the Manning & Bowman Co. He was a member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge at East Haddam, and many other fraternal organizations. He died at Meriden, Conn., in July, 1884. In the family of Clarence Dc W. and Laura Payne were three children : Clarence De Wolf, born Sept. 9, 1866, dicd at the age of ten years ; Winogene Carrie, born Aug. 29, 1868, is now the wife of Elias T. Sills, who is in the stationcry and novelty business in Meriden ; and Horace Davis.

Horace D. Payne attended the public schools of Fast Haddam until fourteen years of age, and then accepted a position as clerk in the post office at that place. At the end of a year he was appointed assistant postmaster under Sidney B. Warner, dur- ing President Cleveland's first administration, and filled that position until May, 1888, when he came to Berlin as bookkeeper for the C. P. Merwin Brick Company, with which he remained until March, 1898. At that time lic was made treasurer and manager of the Central New England Brick

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Co., general office in New Britain, and has held the position ever since. They do an annual business of $500,000, handling from fifty million to sixty million brick per year. Mr. Payne is a self-made man in the true sense of that oft misused term, and has never lost a day's pay since he began work, at the age of fourteen years. By his well-directed efforts, untiring industry and good management he has met with success. He is also treasurer and director in the C. P. Merwin Brick Co., which has a capital stock of $75,000 and a capacity of fifteen million common and hollow brick per year.

On Feb. 19, 1895, Mr. Payne married Miss Maude Merwin, who was born Sept. 9, 1874, a daughter of Homer Smith and Mary (Tuttle) Mer- win, of Merwin's Point, Conn. Her father was formerly in the brick business in Berlin. Our sub- ject and his wife have one daughter, Barbara Mer- win, born March 15, 1896. Mrs. Payne is a mem- ber of the Kensington Congregational Church, and of Emma Hart Willard Chapter, D. A. R., of Ken- sington.

In his political views Mr. Payne is an ardent Republican, and he takes a deep and commendable interest in public affairs. Although still a young man he has become a leader in political circles, and in 1898 was elected representative to the State Legis- lature on the Republican ticket over Louis E. Kilby by a majority of 137-the largest majority given any candidate for that office in the town of Ber- lin, running ahead of his ticket thirty-seven votes. He was drawn into politics by his friends, and not only received the support of the Republicans, but also that of his many friends in the Democratic party. He was a member of the school committee of District No. 2 for two years, and treasurer of the same for one year, and on June 5, 1899, was elected a member of the consolidated school committee. All duties devolving upon him he has discharged in a most commendable and satisfactory manner, and he stands deservedly high in business, social and political circles. Fraternally, Mr. Payne is a member of New Britain Council, No. 738, Royal Arcanum ; of Harmony Lodge, No. 20, F. & A. M., of New Britain; and of Pequot Council, No. 24, O. U. A. M., of Berlin, Connecticut.

CHARLES BELL, an enterprising and thrifty agriculturist of the town of Glastonbury, is the owner of a fine homestead, and has recently com- pleted one of the most attractive residences in that locality. His prosperity has been gained through hard work and good management, and his career furnishes an excellent example.

Mr. Bell is of German ancestry, and his father, John Bell, a native of Baden, served in the German army when a young man. In 1852 John Bell came to America with his young bride, Hannah (Frye), the voyage, which lasted forty days, making a pleasant wedding trip. On arriving in New York the serious question of gaining a livelihood con-

fronted him, as he had but five dollars in inoney, and for some time he worked at anything he could find to do. Learning that it was easier to secure employment in the smaller towns, he came to Hart- ford, by boat, and on the way chanced to meet a Mr. Thurston, of Suffield, who was going to Hart- ford to find help for his farm. A bargain was quickly made, and the journey from Hartford to Suffield was made in a dump cart which Mr. Thurs- ton had bought in Hartford. Mr. Bell and his wife had with them their earthly belongings, the cart holding them all, and they made their permanent home at Suffield, managing to buy a small farm at the Center. Mr. Bell worked some time for Mr. Thurston at small wages, and for about twenty-five years was employed as sexton of the Baptist and Congregational Churches and the local cemetery. He died in 1889, and his widow still resides in Suf- field. Our subject is the eldest of a family of six children, the others being: John F., who died in early manhood; Lucy, who married John Welles, of Athol, Mass .; Kate, who married John Merrill, a farmer in Suffield; Hannah, who married ( first) Martin Stier, and (second) Clarence Taylor, of Suffield; and George, who married Belle Adams, and settled on a farm in Suffield.

Our subject was born in New York City Feb. 9, 1854, and attended the district schools of Suf- field and the Connecticut Literary Institute. He as- sisted in the work of the home farm until his mar- riage, when he bought a small farm of his brother- in-law, John Merrill. Two years later, seeing a better opportunity in Glastonbury, he purchased fifty acres of his present farm from his sister-in- law, Mrs. Marie B. Geiger. He has made many improvements, building barns and sheds, besides his handsome residence, which was finished in 1898, and from time to time he has enlarged the estate, until it now contains sixty-two acres. In politics he is a Democrat, although in local affairs he is liberal, and for three years he served as selectman. He belongs to Elm Lodge, No. 53, I. O. O. F., at Glas- tonbury. For some years he had been a member of the Baptist Church at Suffield, but at present he and his family attend the Congregational Church at Buckingham. Mr. Bell married Miss Mary Annie Miller, and they have had four children; Clara, born Dec. 16, 1878, died in 1899; Edwin C., born Oct. 6, 1880; Burton J., born May 25, 1882; and Etta R., born Sept. 12, 1886.

Mrs. Bell, who has been an efficient aid to her husband, was born March 26, 1859, in Wittenberg, Germany, daughter of Samuel and Katherine (Welch) Miller. Her father was a teamster in Ger- many in early manhood, and as railroads did not then exist he frequently made long trips into neigh- boring countries. In 1864 he came to America, landing at New York June 10, and located in Glas- tonbury, Conn., where his sister-in-law, Mrs. Fred Hutt, was living. After working for some time in the soap factory of J. B. Williams, and the tan-

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nery owned by Mr. Broadhead, he bought a farm near our subject's present home, known as the "Jo- seph Wickham" farm. He died there April II, 1881. He was married in Germany in January, 1845, and his wife, who was born Feb. 9, 1823, died in Glastonbury Feb. 19, 1889. Of their ten chil- dren, (1) Maria Barbara, born Dec. 17, 1846, mar- ried the late John Geoger, and resides in Water- bury, Conn .; (2) John Ludwig, born Sept. 12, 1848, married Katherine Burk, and settled in Williams- burg, a farmer and coal dealer; (3) Samuel died in infancy; (4) John George, an engineer, married Kate Singeley, and resides in Hartford; (5) Sam- uel (2) died in infancy ; (6) Samuel (3) married Kate Crabbs, and settled in Waterbury (he is an en- gineer by occupation ) : (7) Mrs. Bell was the next in order of birth; (8) Elizabeth Katherine and (9) Rose Margarette (twins) were born July 24. 1861 (the former married David Fladd, of Glastonbury, and the latter wedded Gustavus Rymarchzick, a de- signer, in Boston) ; (10) Fredericka Christina, born in Glastonbury in 1864, was the only child born in America ; she married Frederick Schonhaar, of Glastonbury.

LEROY M. COWLES. Without doubt our readers, in tracing their ancestral lines to the point where uncertain tradition brings their researches to an early and unsatisfactory end, have realized the value to future generations of this attempt to preserve in substantial form the information still obtainable.

The subject of this sketch, a prominent resi- dent of New Britain, is more fortunate than some in having a record of his family through nine gen- erations previous to his own, reaching back to John Cowles, a native of England, who came to Massa- chusetts about 1635; removed to Hartford, Conn., prior to 1639, and settled in Farmington, Conn., in 1640. About 1663 he went to Hadley (now Hatfield), Mass., where he died in 1675. He is supposed to be the progenitor of all bearing that name in America except the descendants, not nu- merous, of three brothers, Thomas, John and Henry Cowles, who came from England to James City county, Va., about 1740. John Cowles was one of the first settlers of Farmington, Conn .; deacon and pillar of the church; member of the General Court or Legislature of Connecticut; con- stable and townsman, all offices of honor in those days. He was also one of the first settlers of Had- ley, Mass., and of Hatfield, Mass. His widow, Hannah, died in Hartford in 1683. They had two sons, Samuel and John (2), and five daughters, all of whom married well and have worthy de- scendants at the present time. John (2) accom- panied his parents to Massachusetts, and became the progenitor of the Massachusetts branch of the family.

(II) Samuel Cowles, the head of the Connecti- cut branchi, was born in 1639, and died in 1691. He

remained in Farmington after the removal of the rest of the family to Massachusetts.

(III) Timothy Cowles, the next in the line of descent, was born in 1666, and died in 1736.

(IV) William Cowles, son of Timothy, was born in 1691, and died in 1771.

(V) William Cowles, son of William (IV), was born in 1728, and died in 1808.

(VI) John Cowles, our subject's great-great- grandfather, was born in 1753, and died in 1821.

(VII) Anson Cowles, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in 1781.

(VIII) Romanta Cowles, our subject's grand- father, was born in 1808 in East Hartford, and in early manhood was engaged in farming there in connection with the mason's trade. In 1840 he removed to a farin in Glastonbury, but his skill as a mason brought him a somewhat extensive business in that line, and at one time he and his three sons were employed in building the Colt's Armory in Hartford. For more than sixty years he read the Hartford Courant, and although he did not care for office he took much interest in polit- ical affairs, being a strong Republican. He was a Congregationalist in religion, and was always active in the work of the church. His death oc- curred about 1888, and his wife, Cornelia Hills, died about 1885. They had the following children : Morris A .; Erastus R., who died in November, 1898; Anson D .; Sarah M., who married Frank Mansur, of Brooklyn, N. Y .; Mary C., wife of Edward B. Hodge; and Hattie, who died in child- hood. The Hills family was prominent in East Hartford, and Hillstown, where our subject's grandmother was born, was named in their honor. Cornelia Hills had two brothers (Osman, a resi- dent of Hillstown, and Edwin) and three sisters (Mrs. Bidwell, Mrs. Rathburn and Mrs. Spencer).

(IX) Morris Adair Cowles, our subject's fa- ther, was born in 1831, at Hillstown, where he remained until the age of eighteen, his education being obtained in the common schools. By trade he was a mason, and he had an extensive business as a contractor. He was of robust physique, and stood six feet two in his stockings, while mentally he was no less forceful, his judgment being un- usually sound and his strong will keeping him "four square to every wind" that blows. Polit- ically he was a Republican, and in religious faith adhered to the Congregational Church, in which he was reared under his mother's teachings. His record as a soldier in the Civil war is an honorable one, as he enlisted in 1861 in a Conn. V. I. regiment, and was afterward transferred to the Harris Light Cavalry : he was mustered out as a sergeant in 1865. From the organization of Stanley Post, G. A. R., at New Britain, he was an active member, and as a citizen his public spirit was ever shown in many ways. He died in November. 1899. Mr. Cowles married Miss Mary Jane Richmond, by whom he had three children : Leroy M., our subject ;

M. Cowley

Perry

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Jameson B., born in 1859, now a farmer and mechanic in Southington ; and Bertha I., wife of Bert Loomis, a farmer of near Westfield, Mass. The mother of this family was born in 1836, died in November, 1888. Her parents, Edmond and Lucinda ( Bailey) Richmond, were highly esteemed residents of Glas- tonbury, where her father was engaged in business as a blacksmith. The following children were born to Edmond and Lucinda Richmond : Edmond, a res- ident of Lyme, Conn. ; Edwin (twin of Edmond), who died in East Hartford in November, 1898; An- drew, who also died in November, 1898; Mary Jane, our subject's mother ; Francis ; and Collins, a veteran of the Civil war, who is in the Soldiers' Home at Noroton, Connecticut.

(X) Leroy M. Cowles was born in Glastonbury July 2, 1855, and was educated in the public schools and the academy of that town, attending summer and winter until he reached the age of sixteen. His excellent memory enabled him to secure a thorough knowledge of the branches taugnt, and since leaving school he has given much attention to history and current events. At seventeen he went to Hartford and learned the trade of mason, working under his father for Hiram Hills, on the Buckingham build- ing. He served a three-years' apprenticeship, get- ting one dollar per day, and paying his board, and at the end of the first year he found himself $40 in debt, the amount being taken out of his next year's wages. After learning the trade he followed it as journeyman in Hartford, and about 1881 he re- moved to New Britain to take a position as foreman for Cornelius E Hills. He had charge of the erec- tion of the electric-light plant and other structures, including the new depot, following his trade until the fall of 1893, and for a short time was with Mr. Hills at the "Columbia Hotel." On June 1, 1895, he was appointed by Sheriff Edwin J. Smith, dep- uty sheriff for Hartford county, for four years, the duties of the office requiring his attention during that time; in June, 1899, he was re-appointed for a similar term. For five years he has been a mem- ber of the police force, and for twelve years has been a member of the fire department, being at pres- ent foreman of Engine Company No. 2. As a Re- publican he has taken an active part in politics, and at one time he served as constable of the town of New Britain, while he is now chairman of the Fourth ward town committee of New Britain. For eight years he was drum-major of the New Britain City Band (now the Philharmonic Band), and socially he and his family are identified with a refined circle. For fifteen years he has been a mem- ber of the Order of United American Mechanics, and he also belongs to the Order of Red Men, the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and the Knights of Pythias.

On July 4, 1875, Mr. Cowles married Miss Ma- rion Victoria Sears, daughter of He nry Sears and Nancy Sears, well-known residents of Glastonbury,

where her father was a foreman in a cotton-mill. The only child of this union, Claude L., was born in 1876, and died in 1884.

CHARLES TREAT FORBES, an old-time and highly respected farmer of Hockanum, is de- scended from one of the oldest and most honored families of the State, being a great-grandson of Capt. Moses Forbes, a hero of the Revolutionary war, who was the father of five daughters and one son, the latter born in a house that stood immedi- ately north of the present home of Charles T. Forbes, the subject of this sketch. This son, Moses Forbes, the grandfather of our subject, married Elizabeth Goodwin, a native of Hartford, and to the union were born seven children: Hart, born Oct. 21, 1789, married Heppy Hills, and died Oct. 13, 1816 (his son, Hart Hills Forbes, married Julia A. Wright) ; Horace, born July 19, 1792, married, and died Aug. 7, 1874; Orrin, father of our sub- ject, born April 18, 1794, died April 5, 1868; Elizabeth, born Dec. II, 1797, was married to John Neff, and died May 3, 1868; Mary was born June 27, 1800; Anna, born Jan. 13, 1803, died Oct. 8, 1808; and Irene, born April 9, 1805, died July 15, 1871.

Orrin Forbes was born in the house now owned and occupied by his son, Charles T., and attended school just north of his home. He was reared a farmer, and Dec. 14, 1815, he married Ruth Risley, a native of East Hartford, and daughter of John Risley. To this marriage was born one child, Horace, who learned the tinner's trade in Hartford, and died Nov. 5, 1860, in Northport, Canada. Mrs. Ruth Forbes was called away Oct. 15, 1819, and Mr. Forbes for his second wife wedded Miss Mary Treat, daughter of Salmon Treat, and also a native of East Hartford. This union was crowned with seven children : Elizabeth R., born Dec. 17, 1822, was married Jan. 1, 1845, to George R. Curtis, of the Curtis Manufacturing Co., of Naubuc, and died Oct. 22, 1886; Jane M., born March 24, 1825, died single, Sept. 9, 1886; Marshall Lee, born July 29, 1828, married Susan Hall, in Wallingford, and was a plater with the Britannia Co., at Meriden ; Edwin Treat, born May 23, 1830, died in 1836; Julia A., born June 24, 1832, is unmarried, and lives with her youngest brother, Charles T .; Henry S., born Aug. 15, 1834, married Henrietta Burnham, of Berlin, lived in Meriden, and there died March 20, 1894 (his wife passed away Nov. 9, 1886) ; Charles Treat, our subject, and the youngest of these seven children, was born Nov. 5, 1836.

Charles Treat Forbes was born on the north- west corner of High street and Naubuc avenue, in a house which stood near his present home. He was educated in the common schools, and assisted his father on the farm until the latter's death, which occurred April 5, 1868, when he assumed charge of the place, which comprises fifty acres, and which he has successfully cultivated ever since, although he

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rents out a portion, as he is but in feeble health and is himself unable to perform manual labor to any great extent.

On Jan. 11, 1871, Mr. Forbes was married to Miss Louisa Forbes, daughter of Leonard Forbes, and to this union was born, Feb. 2, 1873, one child, Louis Charles, who died on the 19th.of September following; the death of the mother took place Feb. 27, 1873, and the remains of both are interred in Hockanum. Mr. Forbes is a quiet, benevolent, and refined gentleman, who enjoys the esteem of all his neighbors. He is a deacon in the Congrega- tional Church, having succeeded the late Franklin Brewer, and in politics is a Republican.

THEODORE ALEXANDER STANLEY. The science of agriculture has made great progress in modern times, revolutionizing methods and in- creasing vastly the productive power of our lands. Among the able and talented young men who have chosen agriculture as a pursuit and made a thorough study of its possibilities is the subject of this sketch, a prominent resident of the town of New Britain, and his fine estate is a model of scientific manage- ment, his homestead being regarded as one of the best in Hartford county.

Mr. Stanley is a representative of one of the oldest and most distinguished families of this county, and is of the tenth generation in direct de- scent from John Stanley, an Englishman, who started for America in 1634, but died while at sea, leaving an estate in goods and money amounting to £116. The name of the wife of this ancestor is not known. They had three children : John ; Ruth, born in 1629, who married Isaac More; and an in- fant, unnamed, who was born and died in 1634.

(II) Captain John Stanley, the next in the line of descent, was born in England in 1624, and on his arrival in Massachusetts became a ward of the Court in Cambridge. He was placed in the care of an uncle, with whom he doubtless remained until of age, and in 1636 they came to Hartford. As a boy of thirteen he joined the next year in the expe- dition against the Pequot Indians. On Dec. 5, 1645, he married Sarah, daughter of Thomas and Anna Scott, of Hartford, and later they settled in Farmington, where they were received into the church June 30, 1652-53. Subsequently, when the families were graded according to dignity, they ranked fourth on the list of forty families, Capt. Stanley, one of the most distinguished of the Colo- nists, being appointed by his townsmen to nearly every office of trust and honor. He was deputy of the General Court almost continuously for 37 years, from 1659 to 1696, this being with few exceptions the longest term of service known in the annals of the State. In King Philip's war he was a lieuten- ant and captain, from which he derived his title of Capt. Stanley. He was a constable in Farming- ton in 1654 ; sergeant in 1669; ensign in 1674; cap- tain in 1676; received a grant of 120 acres of land

from the General Court in 1674, and another in 1687 ; was one of the committee on Indian Troubles in 1689; etc. His first wife died on June 6, 1661, and he was married April 20, 1663, to Sarah Hodder (Stoddard), who died May 15, 1713. Capt. Stanley died Dec. 19, 1706, aged eighty-two years. By his first marriage he had six children: John, born Nov. 4, 1647, married Esther Newell; Thomas is mentioned below; Sarah, born Feb. 18, 1651-52, married Joseph Gaylord; Timothy, born May 17, 1654, married Mary Strong; Elizabeth, born April 1, 1657, died in infancy; Isaac was born Sept. 22, 1660. By his second wife he had two children : Abigail, born July 25, 1669, married John Hooker; Elizabeth, born Nov. 28, 1672, married John Wadsworth.

(III) Thomas Stanley, son of Capt. John, was born in Farmington, Nov. 1, 1649. He was one of the petitioners of the General Court for liberty to plat Waterbury, but did not remove thither. On May 1, 1690, he married Anna, the daughter of Rev. Jeremiah and Joanna (Kitchell) Peck, of Waterbury, and with his wife was received into the church at Farmington, April 17, 1692. He died April 14, 1713, aged sixty-three years, and his wife passed away May 13, 1718. They had two children : Thomas, the next in line of descent; and Anna, born May 14, 1699, who married Thomas Hart.

(IV) Thomas Stanley was born Oct. 31, 1696, in Farmington, and made his permanent home in the Stanley Quarter, New Britain. He was a wealthy man for his time, and at his death, which occurred Oct. 13, 1755, he left a large estate. On Jan. 2, 1718, he married Esther Cowles, daughter of Samuel Cowles, of Kensington, and she sur- vived him many years, dying July 22, 1776. They had the following children: Anna, born Oct. 30, 1718, died Nov. 6, 1732; Thomas, born Nov. 27, 1720; Noah, born Jan. 16, 1724; Ruth, born July 8, 1726, died Aug. 3, 1726; Timothy, born Aug. 13, 1727; Abigail, born March 7, 1730; Job, born Aug. 4, 1732; Gad, born March 21, 1735. Of these eight children, Timothy was born Aug. 13, 1727, and was married May 5, 1757, to Lydia, daughter of Capt. John and Elizabeth (Hawley) Newell, of Farming- ton. She was noted for her energy and piety, and lived to the age of eighty-nine years, dying Dec. 17, 1826. Timothy Stanley was a shoemaker by trade; his house, which stood opposite the home of his father in the north part of Stanley street, on the east side of the road, was subsequently occupied by his son Oliver. He was elected deacon in 1795, and in his last years, being somewhat deaf, he al- ways stood in the pulpit in order to hear the sernion better. He lived to be nearly ninety years old. His children were Oliver, born July 5, 1758, died Aug. 3, 1759; Rachel, born March 20, 1761 ; Lydia, born April 26, 1763; Abi, born Aug. 9, 1765; Timothy, born June 29, 1771 ; Oliver, born May I, 1775 : Jesse, born Oct. 26, 1779.

(V) Thomas Stanley (2), son of Thomas (IV),

Two- as Stanley

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was born in Farmington Nov. 27, 1720. On May 22, 1740, he married Mary Francis, daughter of James Francis, who married Sarah Gridley, then a widow. Of their six children, Job, born May I, 1741, died in infancy; Anna, born Aug. 8, 1742, married Ozeas Griswold; Lucy, born July 14, 1744, married Dan Clark; James, born Feb. 14, 1749, married Mary Butler; Lot is mentioned more fully below ; Thomas, born Sept. 27, 1762, married ( first ) Anna Ford and (second) Mixanda Nott.

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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 134

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