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 18
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EDGAR CHAPIN LINN, president of the Connecticut Building and Loan Association, Hart- ford, is a native of the Western Reserve, or "New Connecticut," Ohio, born in Richmond May 29, 1861.
Mr. Linn is descended from some of the older families that removed to the Western Reserve in an early day from Connecticut, Vermont and New Jer- sey, his parents being Dr. and Mrs. Ezra ( Buell) Linn. His great-great-grandfather, Joseph Linn, served as adjutant in the Second Regiment of Mil- itia of Sussex county, N. J., during the war for independence. On his father's side Mr. Linn is descended from William Buell, who was one of the company that came to New England in 1630 with Rev. John Warham, and first settled at Dor- chester, Mass. Subsequently he removed to Wind- sor, Conn. This William Buell is said to have been the common ancestor to all of the American Buells. His name is on the first distribution of lands in Windsor, Conn., in 1639. He died in 1681. His two sons were Samuel and Peter. Samuel married Deborah Griswold, and settled in the town of Kil- lingworth, Conn. Peter married Martha Coggens.
[A resume of the Buell family is given farther on 111 this sketch.]
Edgar C. Linn attended the common schools in Richmond until his fourteenth year, and in the meantime, with his parents' permission, he under- took to carn, and succeeded in carning, sufficient money to carry him through a two-years' course at the academy in Austinburg, Ohio. He then en- tered a general store at Conneaut, Ohio, as clerk, at Sioo per annum, and remained there five years, becoming head clerk of the establishment. Here he earned the money to pay for his expenses for two years in Allegheny College, Meadville, Penn. After leaving college he returned to his former position in the general store at Conneaut, where he remained another year, and then, in 1884, em- barked in the retail shoe business for himself.
In 1887 Mr. Linn retired from the shoe busi- ness and became identified with that of the Build- ing and Loan Association in the same town, con- tinuing therein until 1895. during which period by careful study he became thoroughly versed in its workings. In 1895 he came to Connecticut, associated himself with the directorate of the Con- necticut Building and Loan Association, and aided in its organization. Mr. Linn became the associa- tion's first secretary, a position he filled with great efficiency and very acceptably until his election to the presidency, in February, 1901. In connection with the secretaryship Mr. Linn served as treasurer of the association, having been appointed in 1896 acting treasurer, and shortly thereafter was regu- larly elected.
In June, 1884. Mr. Linn was married to Miss Harriet Hawley, daughter of Gideon Hawley, of Conneaut, Ohio, and to them were born five chil- dren, three of whom are still living: Robert H., Elizabeth H. and Chapin C. The family residence, a commodious and sightly one, is located on Farm- ington avenue, West Hartford.
BUELL FAMILY. First generation. William Buell, or Bewelle, or Beville, was born at Ches- terton, in Huntingdonshire, England, about 1610, came to America about 1630, settled at Dorchester, Mass., and about 1635 removed to Windsor, Conn., where he died Nov. 23. 1681. "William Buell and wife, in 1650, were indicted in Plymouth Colony as Baptists." [ Bayliss 11. 211. | Married at Wind- sor, Conn., Nov. 18, 1640, to Mary [name not known |, who died Sept. 2, 1684. Eight chil- dren.
Second generation. Samuel Buell, first child of William Buell, born at Windsor, Conn., Sept. 2. 1641, removed to Killingworth, Conn., 1664, where he died July 11, 1720. Married at Wind- sor, Conn., Nov. 13 or 18, 1662, to Deborah Gris- wold, daughter of Edward Griswold, who came from England in 1639, and settled at Windsor. Twelve children.
Third generation. Deacon Jolin Buell, of Kil-
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lingworth, Conn., fifth child of Samuel Buell, born Feb. 17, 1671, removed to Lebanon, Conn., 1695, and in 1721 was pioneer to Litchfield, Conn., where he died April 9, 1746. Married at Windsor, Conn., Nov. 20, 1695, to Mary Loomis. Thirteen chil- dren. In the West Burying Ground, at Litch- field, Conn., this inscription appears on an old gravestone : "Here lies the body of Mrs. Mary, wife of Deacon John Buell. She died Nove. 4, 1768, aged 90, having had 13 children ; 101 grand- children ; 274 great-grandchildren ; and 22 great- great-grandchildren. 336 survived her."
Fourth generation. John Buell, of Lebanon, Conn., second child of John Buell, of Killingworth, born Feb. 1, 1699, died at Lebanon [no date] Married at Lebanon May 19, 1726, to Freedom Strong. Nine children.
Fifth generation. Abraham Buell, fourth child of John Buell, born at Lebanon, Feb. 19, 1734; re- moved to Litchfield, Conn., thence to Groton, Conn. (N. H. ? ), 1773, where he died about 1815. Mar- ried in Litchfield, Conn., to Sarah Stone, May 20, 1759. Nine children.
Sixth generation. Ezra Buell, fifth child of Abraham Buell, born at Litchfield, Sept. 18, 1769, went with his father to Groton, N. H., in 1773. Resided in Hanover, N. H., 1790 to 1800; removed to Kinsman, Ohio, 1810; afterward removed to Hartstown, Penn., where he died Nov. 16, 1865. He was a teacher most of the time for sixty years, teaching the first school where Dartmouth Col- lege now stands ; voted at every Presidential elec- tion from Washington's second term to Lincoln's second term. He was married at Deerfield, N. H., 1794, to Dorothy Sanborn, of Deerfield. Four children.
Seventh generation. Theodate Buell, born at Groton, N. H., May 29. 1801. She removed to North Shenango, Penn., and then married Andrew Linn, Feb. 5, 1818.
Eighth generation. Dr. Ezra Buell Linn, third child of Theodate Buell-Linn, born Nov. 6, 1822, at Espyville, Pennsylvania.
Ninth generation. E. C. Linn, third child of Dr. E. B. Linn, born May 29, 1861.
GEN. JAMES H. JARMAN, special agent for the Connecticut Mutual Insurance Co., of Hartford, is a native of Connecticut, born June 18, 1849, in New Haven, and is descended from stalwart New England ancestry.
William S. Jarman, grandfather of our sub- ject, married Miss Eliza Elford, of London, Eng- land. He was a prominent citizen of New Haven, Conn., a deacon in the North Congregational Church, and a school teacher by profession, liv- ing to the advanced age of eighty-four years.
William S. Jarman, father of the General, was born in New Haven, Conn., received his educa- tion in New Haven, and commenced mercantile business as a clerk, in course of time establish- ing the "Bee Hive" Dry Goods Store in New Haven,
Conn., which he conducted with success for many years, dying at the age of seventy. He married ( for his second wife) Emma M. Morrell, and by her had six children, only two of whom are now living : William S. (in Burnside, Conn.) and James H. The mother was called from earth in 1852, when our subject was a small boy. The latter received a liberal education at the public and private schools of his native State, and was prepared for college, intending to enter Yale, but circumstances prevented and he entered a fire-insurance office in New Haven. In 1870 he commenced a clerkship in the office of the Connecticut Mutual Life In- surance Co. in Hartford, where he has since re- mained, for years having had charge of the "New Business" department. In 1885 he was appointed special agent, and has written up an excellent line of business. He is a director of the International Power Vehicle Co., of New York.
Our subject is a Republican in politics, and has served in various offices of trust, such as coun- cilman ( 1895) from the old Second ward; on the school board two terms of three years each, and president of same three years. He is a member of the South Congregational Church, and was presi- cent ( 1898-99) of the Young People's Association of that society. He is on the board of managers of the Y. M. C. A., and member of the State com- mittee of same. He is also on the board of man- agers of the Hartford Free Dispensary. While in New Haven he joined the militia, serving in the New Haven Grays, but on account of removal was discharged. In 1879, after coming to Hartford, he assisted Col. Charles E. Thompson in the formation of Company K, Ist Regiment, Conn. N. G., of which company he was made sergeant, declining a lieutenancy ; his military record since then is as follows: Second Lieutenant, Feb. 19, 1883; First Lieutenant April 29, 1886; Major and Brigade I. R. P., Conn. N. G., July 3, 1888; resigned, May 12, 1890; Paymaster-General for State of Connecti- cut, Jan. 9, 1895, on the staff of Gov. Coffin.
In fraternal affiliations Gen. Jarman is a mem- ber of the F. & A. M., St. John's Lodge, No. 4, and was secretary of Washington Lodge, Windsor, two years; is a member of Wolcott Council, No. I, R. & S. M .; Pythagoras Chapter, No. 17, R. A. M .; Washington Commandery No. I, K. T. (being now past commander ) ; Sphinx Temple, A. A. O. N., Mystic Shrine, of which he was one of the organizers, and is second officer ; is also T. P. Grand Master of Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection, Scottish Rite; an officer of Hartford Council, Princes of Jerusalem ; and is a thirty-second degree Freemason. The General is an honorary member of the Hartford City Guard ; charter member of the Republican Club of Hartford; charter member of the Twentieth Century Club ; member of the Hart- ford Masonic Club; charter member of the Hart- ford Golf Club ; and member of the executive com- mittee of the Woodmont Golf Club.
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In 1871 Gen. Jarman was married to Harriet C. Chipman, of New Haven, daughter of William Chipman, a contractor and builder of that city, and they have had four children, one of whom, Francis Townsend Jarman, died in infancy, and three are living as follows : Florence Eleanor ; Edith Hedges, wife of Clarence Ward Hatch, secretary of the International Power Vehicle Co., of New York : and Frederick Townsend, who was educated at public and high school, of which latter he is a graduate, and is now attending Yale College, class of 1902, being in the Sheffield Scientific Depart- ment. Mrs. Jarman is a descendant of Capt. Na- thaniel Turner, of the New Haven Colony, who was one of the twelve "chosen for foundation work of the church" in 1639, and "Captaine" in 1640. Gen. Jarman is a grand-nephew of Thomas Jar- man, author of the celebrated law work entitled "Jarman on Wills," which holds an honored place in law libraries.
PETER DONAHUE, who died at his home in Hartford, March 1, 1900, was born in County An- trim, Ireland, June 22, 1842. For more than forty years he was engaged in the grocery business in Hartford, where he was much esteemed for his ster. ling qualities of mind and heart. He first estab- lished a store at No. 232 Front street, and in 1893 removed to No. 307 Park street, the business being conducted there until his death. Mr. Donahue was active politically in Hartford, representing the old Sixth ward as councilman for two terms. He was a man of large charity, and many a poor family will miss him. He belonged to several fraternal organ- izations, including the Ancient Order of Hiber- nians ; Charter Oak Council, Knights of Columbus ; and the Emerald Society, and he was a devout and consistent member of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. He had five sisters living in this coun- try: Mrs. Bernard McCaffrey and Mrs. John Gib- bins, of Hartford; Mrs. Mary Atchison, of South Dakota; Mrs. John Trainor, of Moodus; and Mrs. James Carr, of Naugatuck.
In October, 1878, Mr. Donahue was married in Hartford to Miss Nora O'Neil, who survives him. They had three children : John, aged twenty years, who succeeded his father in business; Mar- garet, aged eighteen; and Stephen, aged sixteen.
HERBERT CALVIN PARSONS, proprietor of "Parsons Theater," Hartford, is a native of Con- necticut, born Nov. 4, 1854, in East Windsor, a son of Calvin G. and Elizabeth (Chapman) Parsons.
Calvin G. Parsons was born in East Windsor, Conn., in 1825, and died in 1891, at the age of sixty-six years. In politics he was a Republican, and for many years was first selectman in Windsor ; (luring the war of the Rebellion he was an enroll- ing officer, having the enlisting of men for the Union army, and altogether was a prominent man, taking an active part in all the affairs of his day and time.
He married Elizabeth Chapman, born in Ellington, Conn., a daughter of Jabez Chapman, also of El- lington nativity, where he passed his entire life, a long one, in agricultural pursuits. To Calvin G. and Elizabeth Parsons were born four children, three of whom are yet living : Hattie, wife of Henry Tschummie, residing in Broadbrook, Hartford county ; Carrie, wife of George Crane, superintend- ent of a mill in Glastonbury; and Herbert C., our subject. The parents were members of the Con- gregational Church.
Herbert C. Parsons received his education at the common schools of East Windsor, and passed his early manhood in farming in that town where for five years he was collector of taxes. He has had an extensive and varied experience. In 1872 he started from Jacksonville, Fla., as an assistant to George H. Decostio; next accepted a position as ad- vance agent for Dan Rice's "Paris Pavilion" Circus, which he filled with flattering success. Some two years later he purchased the "Broad Brook Hotel," and in 1893 we find him in Bridgeport, a partner to C. L. Davis, in the Alvin Joslyn show, which he later disposed of to become part owner of the Park City Theater, in that city, and in 1896 he built and opened his theater in Hartford. It is beautifully decorated and elegantly furnished, and is through- out a thoroughly modern playhouse, the equal of those in the larger cities, and the public has shown its appreciation by a very liberal patronage.
Not only is Mr. Parsons a thorough business man, but he is possessed of fine social qualities, and is a member of a number of fraternal organizations. having passed through the various degrees of Ma- sonry. He is a member of Oriental Lodge, No. III, Adoniram Chapter, Rockville Council, Wash- ington Commandery, and Pyramid Temple of the Mystic Shrine; of the Hartford lodge of Elks ; and of Elm Court, Foresters, of Broad Brook. In poli- tics he has always been a Republican. Mr. Par- sons married Carrie G. Simpson, daughter of Harvey and Mirah Simpson, of Portland, Conn .; they have one daughter, Maud M., born in 1880.
HENRY C. JUDD, senior member of H. C. Judd & Root, wool merchants, Hartford, was born of good old English stock, April 12, 1827. in North- ampton, Mass., but has resided the greater part of his life in Hartford, Connecticut.
Thomas Judd, the first ancestor of the family in America, came from England in 1633 or 1634. and settled in Cambridge, Mass., later, in 1636, be- coming one of the original settlers of Hartford, lo- cating next to the Wyllys lot, which was dis- tinguished by the fact that upon it once stood the celebrated Charter Oak. Ile was one of the first settlers of Farmington, where he removed in 1644; he was a member of the General Court, this body then being known as the House of Deputies, and served from 1648 at different times up to 1679- seventeen terms in all. IIe was a member of
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Thmas Hooker's church, one of its seven pillars at its organization, and was a deacon of this church. He was one of the original proprietors of the town of Farmington, which included some five or six towns, thence removed to Northampton, Mass., where he was a selectman and held other offices of trust. He died Nov. 12, 1688, at the age of about eighty years.
Jonathan Judd, great-grandfather of Henry C., was born in the town of Middletown, Conn., a son of Benjamin J. Judd, who was the fourth son of Deacon Thomas Judd, who lived at Lexington. Jonathan Judd had his home for a time in Glaston- bury, whence he removed, in 1716, to Middletown, and there died Aug. 28, 1725, at the early age of thirty-seven years.
Solomon Judd, son of Jonathan, and the grand- father of Henry C., was born in Coventry, Conn., Sept. 21, 1758, and was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war, and died in South Coventry, April 21, 1851, aged ninety-two years. By his wife Anna (Carpenter), who died Jan. 29, 1847, he had six children.
John F. Judd, son of Solomon and Anna Judd, and the father of our subject, was born Sept. 6, 1798, in South Coventry, Conn., and for some years made his home in Northampton, Mass., removing finally to Hartford, where he spent the rest of his life, dying at the age of eighty-five years. In 1850 he embarked in the wool business, and followed same successfully until his death. He was an in- fluential member of the M. E. Church, and one of its trustees; was a director of several public institu- tions, and altogether was a very prominent man. Mr. Judd married Olive Fuller, who was born in Windham, Conn., and six children came to their union, two of whom are yet living: Henry C. ; and Edwin D., a retired army officer residing in Hart- ford. The mother of these passed away in 1851, at the age of forty-eight years.
Henry C. Judd, whose name introduces this sketch, received his education in part at the com- mon and high schools, in part at a private school, and at the age of twenty-one began business with his father, becoming a partner in the concern, and he is now the oldest wool merchant in Hartford. At different times he has had five partners, and the present house of H. C. Judd & Root is not only one of the oldest in the United States, but one of the largest in the wool trade. The firm buys wool all over the United States, importing largely from foreign countries, and as Mr. Judd has traveled ex- tensively in the interests of the business, he is known by every large owner of sheep throughout the Union. The present firm consists of Henry C. Judd, Judson H. Root. Edwin D. Judd, James H. Bidwell and Edwin Y. Judd. In 1883 they built the Judd & Root block, corner of High and Allyn streets, in Hartford, one of the finest in the city, it being I40X100 feet, six stories high.
On Sept. 6, 1853, Henry C. Judd was united in
marriage with Mary P. Young, a native of Jewett City, Conn., and six children have graced their union, four of whom are now living: (1) Edwin Y., a member of the firm; (2) Emma, wife of Will- iam H. Deming, of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co .; (3) Jennie B., wife of Leonard D. Fisk, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere; (4) Fred E., who married a Miss Roberts, of Hart- ford, and is now living in Pendleton, Oregon. The family attend the services of the Park Congrega- tional Church ; in politics Mr. Judd is a Republican. He is a director in the Hartford National Bank, the National Fire Insurance Co., of Hartford, the Ætna Nut Co., of Southington, Conn., and Landers, Frary & Clark, of New Britain, Conn, while for some years he has been chairman of the West Hart- ford School Board.
The home of the family is one of the very finest and most luxurious in the city of Hartford, fur- nished as it is in the most elegant manner, wherein comfort, refinement and artistic taste are the ne plus ultra. In the music room stands a fine pipe organ, run by a water motor, and here the eldest son, who is an organist of no mean merit, finds solace and recreation of the most soul-inspiring kind. Around the walls of this room are numerous electric lights, that produce variegated hues, at the the will of the performer at the organ, without leaving the key- board, presenting in its entirety the suggestion of oriental inspiration. The furniture of some of the rooms is hand-carved, and of rare design, dating back to the sixteenth century. Throughout the en- tire residence there are evidences of the refined taste of the owner, and the handiwork of master artists. Both Mr. and Mrs. Judd are most genial, hospitable people, ever ready to welcome their friends.
JOHN F. WHAPLES, of the firm of J. F. Whaples & Son, contractors and builders, No. 2 Olmsted street, East Hartford, Hartford county, Connecticut.
JOHN C. WEBSTER, who for nearly forty years has been most widely and favorably known in insurance circles, twenty years of which period he served as vice-president of the Ætna Life In- surance Co., of Hartford, and who at this writing is the company's general agent in New York City, was born May 24, 1839, at Kingfield, Maine.
Mr. Webster received a thorough English edu- cation, completing the course at the Concord (N. H.) high school. He learned the printer's trade at Concord, and before he was twenty-one was at the head of one of the largest newspaper offices in that city. In the spring of 1864 he became identified with the business of life insurance, becoming the general agent of the Ætna Life for the States of New Hampshire and Vermont. In that position from the very start he showed marked adaptation for the business, and advanced rapidly. He re-
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ceived the appointment, in 1873, of superintendent of agencies tor the Astna, and removed to Hart- ford, Conn. In July, 1879, he was elected vice- president, a position he occupied in the most effi- cient and able manner. For fifteen years Mr. Webster edited "The Etna," a journal devoted ex- clusively to the interests of the Atna Life. pub- lished quarterly. His writings have commanded wide attention in insurance circles, giving the pa- per and company a standing that could have been attained in no other way. Mr. Webster organized the accident department of the ÆEtna Life, and continued in charge of it until his retirement from the vice-presidency, in 1899. He also organized the Atna Indemnity Co., and was its first president. He served seventeen years as trustee of the Hart- ford Trust Co.
Mr. Webster was one of the founders of the Hartford County Horticultural Society, and was its first president. This society was subsequently in- corporated by the Legislature as the Connecticut Horticultural Society. Mr. Webster, in his political views, is a Republican. While he has steadily de- clined public office and position, he regards public affairs with great interest, and is one of the most patriotic and public-spirited of citizens. He has done a great deal toward the development and pros- perity of that section of the town of West Hart- ford where he resides.
Mr. Webster has been twice married. His first wife, who was Miss Sarah B. Norton, of Kingfield, Maine, died in 1868; by this marriage he had one child. a son, who died in infancy. His second wife, who was Mrs. Mary E. L. Abbott, of Con- cord, N. H., is still living.
HON. GEORGE PAYNE McLEAN, for years a member of the law firm of Sperry & Mc- Lean, of Hartford, and now Governor of Con- necticut, comes of Puritan stock.
Born Oct. 7, 1857, in the town of Simsbury, son of Dudley Bestor and Mary ( Payne) McLean, the Governor on his mother's side is descended from Gov. Bradford, who came to New England in the "Mayflower," and on his father's side from the ancient and illustrious Loomis family, who for generations lived in what is now Tolland county. which section was for years the home of the carlier McLeans, and in whose history a number figured prominently. From the McLeans, of that part of the old town of Boston more recently Vernon, Gov. AlcLean is in the fifth generation from Allen McLean, who, in 1744, married Mary Loomis, the line of his descent being through Capt. Alexander, Rev. Allen and Dudley Bestor McLean.
( II) Capt. Alexander McLean, son of AAllen, born 1747, married, in 1768, Joanna Smith, and clied in 1806.
(III) Rev. Allen McLean, born June 20, 1781, in what is now the town of Vernon, Conn., mar- ried ( first), June 21, 1810, Sarah Pratt, who died in 1831, and ( second ), in 1833, wedded Nancy Mor-
gan, who died in 1860. Rev. McLean, according to his own statement, was reared by good Christian parents, rigid in morals and discipline. He was graduated from Yale College in 1805, and after one vear passed in divinity study in New Haven he furthered his studies in that line in the family of Rev. Hooker, in Goshen. He was ordained and set- tled as pastor over the Congregational Church in Simsbury, and remained in such relations over fifty years, during the last eleven of which he was totally blind, but ever resigned and cheerful. In is the- ology he was in harmony with Dwight and Edwards and the Holy Scriptures, always honest and straight- forward in his religious opinions. He was a strong advocate of temperance. He died in 1861, greatly beloved by the people he had served so long.
Dudley B. McLean, son of Rev. Allen, and the father of Gov. McLean, born Feb. 12. 1821, mar- ried Sept. 16, 1846, Mary Payne. Mr. McLean was a man of intelligence and worth in Simsbury, where he was by occupation a farmer.
George Payne McLean, the subject proper of this sketch, was reared on a farm, worked in the farming season, and attended the district school in the winters. At the age of fifteen he entered the Hart- ford Public High School, in his Junior year was chosen editor of the school paper, and, in his Senior year, as class orator. He was graduated in 1877, and then began the work of life as a reporter on The Hartford Post. In 1879 he left journalism and entered as a student the law office of the late Hon. Henry C. Robinson, of Hartford, and while studying law continued to support himself by keeping books for Trinity College. He was admitted to the Bar in 1882, and commenced practice in Hartford, where he has since continued. In one sense he has re- tained his identity with Simsbury, and represented that town in the General Assembly of Connecticut in the sessions of 1883 and 1884. and was State senator from his district in 1886. As a legislator lis fidelity and ability made him prominent and in- fluential. He was especially active in his advocacy of the bill creating the Board of Pardons, and of what was known as the "Short Haul bill." Mr. Robinson, in whose office Mr. McLean had remained as a practitioner after his admission to the Bar, was the chief attorney for the railroad corporations in the sharp contest which they made against the passage of that bill: but Mr. McLean believed the bill to be right and for the welfare of the people. and so he favored it. The Speaker of the House of Representatives in the session of 1884 was that able and high-minded citizen of New Haven, Hon. Henry B. Harrison, who, when he became governor in 1887. remembered so well the fine quality of Mr. McLean's legislative work that he appointed him, although then only twenty-nine years ol:l, a member of the Commission to perform the delicate and im- portant duty of revising the Statutes of the State, ·his associates on the Commission being Judges James .A. Hovey, Augustus II. Fenn, and R. Jay Walsh. lle was nominated for Secretary of State in 1890,
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