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 21

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 21

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Aaron Cossitt Goodman was born April 23, 1822, in West Hartford, and there passed his early life, acquiring his education in the public schools. He commenced active life at the early age of thirteen years, in 1835 becoming a clerk in Sumner's book store. Hartford. In 1841 he went to Philadelphia, to take a position in the house opened there by A. S. Barnes & Co., but returned to Hartford the year fol- lowing and went into partnership with his former employer, under the firm name of Sumner & Good- man. Buying his partner out in 1848, he contin- ted the business alone until 1852, when he em- barked in the paper business in New York City. Mr. Goodman was one of the original stockholders and directors of the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Co., of Hartford, and became president thereof in 1875. having returned to that city in 1873 and se- cured the controlling interest in its stock. He con- tinued in that position until 1889, in which year the company was reorganized and he sold out, dissolv- ing his connection with the concern. From that time until his death Mr. Goodman lived quietly, interesting himself in various public and private

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

charities. He was a member of Trinity Church. Fraternally he affiliated with the 1. O. O. F. and the F. & A. M., in the latter connection holding member- ship in St. John's Lodge. During his earlier man- lood he belonged to the fire department, serving in the old Sack and Bucket Company; and was cap- tain of the Hartford Light Guard, formerly the Buckingham Rifles, and served on the staff of Gen. Frank Bacon. Mr. Goodman died July 29, 1899. . Aaron C. Goodman married Miss Annie M. Johnston, a native of New York City, daughter of Robert R. and Mary Sears ( Hatch) Johnston. Mr. Johnston died at the age of seventy-four, in West- field, N. J. The Johnstons are thought to be de- scended from Dr. John Johnston, who came to this country from Scotland in 1685, and settled at Perth Amboy, N. J. Mrs. Mary S. Johnston was also descended from an old family, one of her ancestors being John Alden, of the "Mayflower." Of the chil- dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Aaron C. Goodman four are living: Annie G., who married Rev. John F. Plumb, of St. John's Church, New Milford : Emilie, who married Rev. Richard Wright, of Windsor Locks ; Mary A. ; and Richard J. Edward died in 1872, in Brooklyn, New York.

Richard J. Goodman was born March 23, 1875, in Hartford. After attending the common schools and the Hartford Public High School he entered the Academic Department of Yale University, from which he graduated in 1896, and in 1899 graduated from the Yale Law School, being admitted to prac- tice in January of that year.

THOMAS F. KANE, A. B., M. D., one of Hartford's able and successful physicians, was born in that city Feb. 23, 1863, and his large practice has been gained among those who have known him from childhood.

Like many of our most enterprising citizens he is of Irish descent, the family having originated in County Clare, Ireland. His grandfather, Daniel Kane, was a tenant farmer in County Clare, till- ing a larger estate than the average, and wielded a decided influence in local affairs. Of his children only one son, Patrick, lived to adult age.

Patrick Kane, our subject's father, was born in County Clare, received a good education for his time in the National schools of his native place, and became a farmer. In 1846 he crossed the Atlan- tic, landing at St. John, N. B. In 1847 he located at Ilartford, where his remaining years were spent as a laborer, his death occurring in 1867. He was a man of good natural abilities, and his honest, up- right character won him the respect of all who knew hin1. In religious faith he was a Catholic, and after his removal to Hartford he became a member of St. Peter's Church, with which his family is still identified. He married Bridget Spellacy, who is now living in Hartford, at the age of seventy-three, and they had four children: Mary, who has been a teacher in the South school of Hartford for twen- ty-two years ; Margaret Matilda, a teacher in Brown

school district for eighteen years; Thomas F., our subject ; and Miss Nellie, who is at home. Mrs. Kane is a woman of strong character, and when left a widow with four children to support she bravely met the task, giving them all excellent educational advantages. She was born in County Clare, Irc- land, and was the first of her family to come to America. As time passed she sent for others, and finally, in 1846, her father, James Spellacy, sailed from Limerick to complete the family circle .here. By occupation James Spellacy was a farmer, and after coming to America located on a farm.

Thomas F. Kane first attended the South school in Hartford, and after a few years' study in the high school went to Worcester, Mass., in 1880, to enter the College of the Holy Cross. He completed the classical course in 1884, receiving the degree of A. B., and in the fall of the same year entered the Medical Department of Harvard College, where he remained two years. The last year of his course was spent in Bellevue Hospital Medical College. New York City, and on graduating, in 1887, he established himself in general practice at Hartford. He has never had a partner, and his success has been gained solely on his own merits, as shown in the effective treatment of disease. He is a member of the City, County, and State Medical Societies, and is a member of the executive committee of the city organization. Socially the Doctor is connected with the Knights of Columbus, and he is prominent in municipal affairs, although not especially inter- ested in the political questions of the day. In 1891 and 1897 he was elected a member of the board of school visitors, for terms of three years, and in 1893 he was appointed a health commissioner by Mayor Hayden, in this work proving so invalua- ble that he has since served continuously, having been re-appointed in 1896 and 1899. In the spring of 1900 he was elected president of the board of health.

FREDERICK R. LOYDON, Connecticut State Agent for the Travelers Insurance Co., Hartford, has, in his connection with various leading com- panies, become well and favorably known in in- surance circles in that city. He is of good American stock, being descended on the maternal side from the Backus family, one of the oldest in Connecti- cut. and his father served honorably in both the Mexican and Civil wars, being in the army at the time of his death.

Mr. Loydon was born Aug. 6, 1861, in Cuba, Allegany Co., N. Y., son of Marshall Marvin and Mary Melinda ( Backus) Lovdon. Marshall M. Loydon was born Sept. 20, 1820, in Boston, Mass .. where he spent his early life, and learned the tailor's trade.

On Sept. 21, 1840, he enlisted, at Utica, N. Y., in the United States service, and remained in the army five years, being discharged Sept. 21. 1845. at the expiration of his term of service, at Fort Marion, Fla., as a private of Company E, Sthi

Thomas To Have his.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

United States Infantry. He saw service in the Indian and Mexican wars under Gen. Noble. Mr. Loydon resided in various places, in Canada, Chi- cago, Ill., Hartford, Conn., and finally removed to New York State, settling in the western part. On May 1, 1861, he enlisted from Cuba for service in the Civil war, raising one of the first companies in western New York State, at the first call for troops. At the time he held the rank of second lieutenant in the 64th Regiment, 30th Brigade, 8th Division, New York State Militia, his commission being dated Aug. 6, 1858. On his enlistment he was made captain in the 23d N. Y. V. I., with which he served six months, when he resigned. Re-enlist- ing, he was on Aug. 27, 1862, appointed first lieu- tenant in the 136th N. Y. V. T., having raised an- other company, with which he served in all its skirmishes and engagements until his resignation, when he returned to Cuba. N. Y. Removing to Mayville, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., he there raised an- other company at the close of 1863, entering the service with same Jan. 6, 1864, on which date he was made captain of Company L, 15th N. Y. V. C. He was in the battle of Newmarket, and shortly afterward came home on sick leave, and he died within two weeks, of typhoid fever, Oct. 5, 1864. His letters, explaining all his movements, are still in the possession of his son, our subject. Mr Loydon was actively engaged in many battles and actions of various degrees of importance, and won an enviable record for bravery and honor. He was a great reader, and a man of intelligence, and was universally respected.

On Nov. 5. 1857, Mr. Loydon married Mary Melinda Backus, and five children blessed their union, all of whom survive: Charles N. : Josephine Clark, Mrs. J. George Young, of Hartford ; Mar- shall M., of New York; Frederick R., whose name introduces this sketch; and Albert H., who is with the Daniels Mill Co., Hartford. After the death of her husband Mrs. Loydon removed to Albion, N. Y., residing there until 1874, since when she has made her home in Hartford. She is a member of the South Congregational Church.

THE BACKUS FAMILY, to which Mrs. Mary M. Lovdon belongs, was founded in America by William Backus, of Saybrook, Conn., 1638, he being the com- mon ancestors of the Norwich and Windham county families. In 1860 he removed to Norwich as one of the original proprietors of the place: was made a freeman in 1663, and died in 1664.

(II) William Backus (2), son of William of Saybrook, was also an original proprietor of Nor- wich, Conn., and one of its most enterprising set- tlers. He became one of the original proprietors of Windham; was one of the sixteen Norwich lega- tees of Joshua Uncas, from which estate he re- ceived three shares of 1,000 acres each. He mar- ried Elizabeth. daughter of William Pratt, of Say- brook. She died in 1730, and Mr. Backus about 1720.

(III) Samuel Backus, son of William (2), born in 1693, married in 1719 Sarah Gard, and lived in Windham.

(IV) Nathaniel Backus, of Windham, son of Samuel, born in 1728, married in 1753 Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Hebard. She died in 1813, aged eighty-three years.

(V) Luther Backus, son of Nathaniel. born about 1772, was married three times, and was the father of twenty-one children, the largest family, it is believed, ever raised in Windham. His third wife was Melinda Lyman. Mr. Backus died in 1855.

(VI) Henry Backus, son of Luther, married in 1819 Susanna D. Sawyer, daughter of Daniel and Susanna (Dennison) Sawyer. Mr. Backus died in 1841. Nine children were born to this marriage: Julia A., Albert H., Christopher A., Huldah M., Eliza E., Luther F., Mary M., Chester H., and George A. Four still survive: Eliza E., Mrs. George Severance, of Hudson, Iowa; Chester H .; George A. ; and Mary M., Mrs. Loydon, who was born Dec. 3. 1830, in Windham, Connecticut.

Frederick R. Lovdon received his education at Albion, N. Y., and Hartford, attending school up to the age of fourteen, when he became a cash boy in the dry-goods store of Hichborn & Foster, re- maining with them one year. For the next six months he was a telegraph messenger boy, and then became cashier in Capt. Sluyter's coffee-house in Market street. holding that position one year, after which he accepted similar employment in Fred Kingsley's market, on Asylum street, where he also discharged the duties of bookkeeper. Here he re- mained six years, at the end of which time he en- tered the actuary's department of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co., serving there six years. and subsequently four years in the bond and mort- gage department, resigning in July, 1892, when he became State agent of the United States Mutual Accident Association of New York. On Jan. 12, 1895, Mr. Loydon engaged with the Travelers as District Agent, continuing thus until March. 1897, when he was appointed to the position he still holds, that of State Agent. Mr. Lovdon has attained the thirty-second degree in the Masonic fraternity. be- ing a member of St. John's Lodge, No. 4. F. & A. M. : Wolcott Council. R. & S. M .: Pythagoras Chanter, R. A. M. : Washington Commandery, K. T. : Scottish Rite Masons : and a charter member of Sphinx Temple. Mystic Shrine.

On Sept. 16. 1886, Mr. Lovdon married Miss Mary L. Reilly, a native of Hartford, and they have had three children : Mary Elizabeth and Frederick R., Jr., survive : Urania Josephine, the second, died when eleven days old. Mrs. Loydon is one of the ten children born to Christopher and Elizabeth (Weldon) Reilly, five of whom are still living: Elizabeth, Mrs. Warren S. Taylor : Annie J. : Chris- topher T., who is in the Klondike; John F., an electrician at the Connecticut State Prison : and Mary L., Mrs. Loydon, who is the youngest. The

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

father, who was a contractor and builder for many years, died at the age of sixty-five. The mother is still living.

HENRY STANWOOD ATWOOD is one of the progressive citizens of Hartford, a man of wealth, and one whose success in life is the result of his own assiduous efforts, guided by native shrewdness and sound judgment.

The family to which our subject belongs traces its descent to Dr. Thomas Atwood, who was one of Cromwell's captains of horse during what is com- inonly spoken of by English historians as the First Civil war, taking part in the four great battles of that struggle, including the fierce engagement at Marston Moor, July 2, 1644. The old soldier set- tled at Plymouth in 1647, and died at Wethersfield, Conn., in 1682. At the age of fifty-nine he married a lady whom he had seen as a babe in the cradle, at the first homestead at which he had stopped after landing in the New World. He was the father of four children, of whom the youngest, Josiah, was the great-great-grandfather of Henry S. Atwood. Jo- siah Atwood was born Oet. 4, 1673, and died Jan. 17, 1753. He was the first of the family to settle in the Connecticut Colony. He was engaged in the West India trade, and the loss of a vessel with its cargo so affected his fortune that he was obliged to surrender to his creditors the manor house which he had inherited from his father. His son, Ashur, was born Dec. 27, 1729, and died April 21, 1808. Ezekiel Atwood, son of Ashur, and grandfather of Henry S., was born Aug. 19, 1764, and married Han- nah Francis, born March 22, 1770. They were the parents of three children: Josiah, born April 26, 1794; Sarah, March II, 1798 (married Rev. Henry Stanwood, of Kalamazoo, Mieli.) ; and Francis, Aug. 27, 1803.

Francis Atwood, father of Henry S., married Eunice E. White, Jan. 14, 1840. Her father, Sam- ttel White, served his country as a soldier in two wars, at the age of fifteen years enlisting in the Rev- olutionary army; he was then so short that he stod on tiptoe in order to comply with the military requirements as to height. Returning home, he married, at Granby, and later fought in the war of 1812. His second marriage was to a Miss East- man (daughter of Squire Eastman), who was the grandmother of Henry S. Francis Atwood was the father of three sons: Herman W., Oliver E., and Heury Stanwood. Herman W., born Nov. 22, 1840, was a prominent druggist in New York City, his store being located at No. 846 Broadway ; he died Oct. 22, 1897. Oliver E. was born Sept. 14, 1843, and died Feb. 11, 1888, at Chicago, Illi- nois.

Henry S. Atwood was born June 1, 1847. He was educated in the public schools, and at the Bryant & Stratton Commercial College, in Hart- ford. When eighteen years old he went to New

turn home, and in 1866 he took charge of the farm, which embraced 150 acres. On attaining his majority he bought the property, assuming an in- debtedness of $21,000. For so young a man, with- out financial resources, such a burden would appear to be stupendous. But he had inherited from his Revolutionary grandsire a courage and hardihood equal to the task. He was young, strong, both physically and mentally, of resolute will and earnest perseverance ; why should he hesitate? The result more than justified his confidence in himself. Within a few years his debt had become merely a memory, and his pluck and industry, joined to sa- gacity, had placed him on the high road to success. For some five years he was engaged in the whole- sale milk business, his annual sales aggregating $5,000. Dealing in cattle formed one of his chief interests for fifteen years, his purchases being made chiefly in New York and Connecticut, and not in- frequently amounting to eighty head in a day. He has also been interested in buying and selling fine horses, and, to a limited extent, in breeding the same, sometimes selling a team for as much as $2,000.

Mr. Atwood has from time to time disposed of portions of his original farm, yet his present hold- ings amount to seventy-five acres of valuable land. The story of such lives as his are full of interest, and to young men such narratives convey at once a lesson and an encouragement. Self-made in the best sense of that term, which is too often employed to explain or apologize for a life of selfishness and greed, he has built his fortune, stone by stone, through industry and integrity, and in the construc- tion of the edifice has never lost sight of his duties to his fellows. He has not yet passed middle life, and Hartford may hope for much from the public spirit and philanthrophy of such men as he. A Republican in politics, Mr. Atwood has never cared to take a prominent part in political affairs, al- though in 1899 he consented to represent the Eighth ward in the city council. An evidence of thie es- teem in which he is held by his neighbors and fel- low citizens is afforded by the fact that he was elected by a majority of 553, polling a larger vote than had been cast for an aldermanic candidate in many years. He has always cherished a deep inter- est in popular education, and is treasurer of the Southwestern school district. He is a member of Wyllys Lodge, No. 99, F. & A. M., of West Hart- ford, and attends the services of the South Congre- gational Church.

Mr. Atwood married Hattie M. Brewer, who was born in Unionville, Conn., a daughter of Joshua B. Brewer. They have had three children : Louise E., born July 27. 1887: Florence, born Nov. 25. 1892, who died March 19, 1895 ; and Shir- ley, born Marchi 31, 1896.

HON. JOHN W. THAYER (deceased). son of George B. Thayer, of Hartford, was born at

York. to begin a mercantile career, but within a į of Caleb and Patience ( Phillips) Thaver, and father year his father's failing health necessitated his re-

my S Atwood

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Sterling, Conn., Dec. 5, 1819. His ancestral line is traced through Caleb, Reuben, Joseph, Ephraim and Shadrach to Thomas Thayer, a native of Thornbury, England, who came to America in 1630, settling on a large farm in Braintree, Massachusetts.

After receiving a common-school education John W. Thayer began the trade of wool sorter, and, after working at one or two other places, finally took a contract at Waterford, Mass. Here he was mar- ried, April 2, 1843 ( which event will be fully spoken of farther on), and the next day he and his bride started overland for Rockville, Conn., where he had entered into a business arrangement with the New England Co., one of the woolen manufacturing con- cerns of that place. The journey occupied two days, undertaken in a sleigh, but ending on wheels. From the position of wool sorter Mr. Thayer soon rose to be superintendent of the New England Co., filling that position successfully several years. In 1860 he bought the Ellington Mills, situated on the Hock- anum river, about two miles west of Rockville, to- gether with the tenements connected with the mill, and about fifty acres of land. He soon built a num- ber of cottages for his employes, beautified the vil- lage in many ways, and named it "Windermere," from Lake Windermere, in the lake regions of Eng- land.

In July, 1861, while the mill was running day and night, making army blankets, the two upper stories of the five were destroyed by fire, involving a heavy loss upon the company, and a few years later the picker house was destroyed by fire; yet, notwithstanding these and other reverses, his man- agement of the concern was so successful that his stock in the Windermere Woolen Co. was at one time worth $100,000.

Col. Thayer early took an interest in military affairs. In 1856 he was appointed adjutant of the Fifth Regiment, State Militia. In 1857 he was chosen major, in 1858 lieutenant-colonel, and in 1860 was elected colonel of the same regiment, the last two commissions being signed by William A. Buckingham, afterward the "War Governor" of Connecticut.

In politics Col. Thayer was a Republican from the first. In 1855 he was elected to the House of Representatives from Rockville as a Know-Noth- ing. In 1865 he was again elected to the House, this time from the town of Ellington, a Democratic stronghold. In 1871 he was nominated for the Senate from the Twentieth district, heretofore a Democratic one, and, after a lively contest, was elected by a majority of forty. He also held many minor town offices.

Our subject was a great lover of music, studying it thoroughly. He taught singing in his native town, in Waterford and in Rockville, and led the choir of the Second Congregational Church of the latter place for seventeen consecutive years. He was also captain of Talcott's Fifth Regiment Band for many years.

In 1872, after several years of struggle against certain adverse circumstances connected with the Windermere Woolen Mills, Col. Thayer sold out his interest in the same to a Boston commission house, and in the following spring returned to Rockville. The long continued mental strain, however, resulted in nervous prostration, and treatment in the Con- necticut Hospital for the Insane at Middletown was thought advisable. In a few months he had re- covered completely, and was appointed supervisor of the institution. In a short time he was made clerk, a position requiring the financial oversight of a community of 1,500 people, and involving the outlay of $1,000 per day, and this position he re- tained until his death. The hold which he gained upon the affections of the physicians and attendants of the institution was shown by their setting apart a day, after his death, for planting trees about the beautiful grounds in memory of him. The land- scape gardening around the institution was the re- sult of his fine taste and oversight. He also in- stituted a system of outdoor exercise for the pa- tients, which resulted in much good to them, and caused the board of trustees officially to commend it in their reports. Col. Thayer died March 19, 1889, and lies buried in Grove Hill cemetery, at Rockville.

Col. Thayer, in his business relations, was the soul of honor, and in public affairs a leading spirit in the community. In his acquaintances he conde- scended to men of low degree, and in the bonds of friendship drew others to him with lifelong attach- ments. He hated hypocrisy in every form, and strove to be esteemed himself only for what he was. Pope was his favorite author. He early accepted the conclusions arrived at in Darwin's "Origin of Species." In his home he was kind and affectionate, though of a highly sensitive temperament, indul- gent, and ever planning to make that home a happy one.

On April 2, 18443, in the Freewill Baptist Church, Waterford, Mass., Col. John W. Thayer was mar- ried to Adaline Burton, daughter of Raymond and Deborah (Sayles) Burton, Rev. M. Burlingame performing the ceremony. Three children were born of this union, as follows: (1) Adelbert P., born Aug. 5, 1846, is associated with the Times-Repub- lican in Marshalltown, Iowa. On June 9, 1870, he married Annie J. Whiton, born Feb. 4, 1849, at Charleston, Mass., and six children were born to them, their names and dates of birth being: John WV., March 26, 1871; George F., Oct. 23. 1872; Minnie R., April 17, 1874; Nellie G., Nov. 14, 1876; Lillian E., March 7, 1879 (died Oct. 7, 1879) ; and Kent, June 2, 1881 (died Oct. 29, 1881). (2) Flo- rine, born Feb. 14, 1851, married Col. McCray, a sketch of whom appears farther on. (3) George Burton, born May 13, 1853, sketch of whom imme- diately follows.

GEORGE BURTON THAYER, son of the late Col. Thayer, received a liberal education at the public

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

schools of Rockville and Ellington, Conn., after which for several years he had charge of the com- pany grocery store at Windermere, and purchased another at Vernon Depot. In 1886 he came to Hart- ford to accept a position as reporter on the Evening Post, and later on the Hartford Courant, which po- sitions he filled until 1894. At the age of forty- three years he commenced the study of law at Yale Law School, graduating in the class of '97, and then took a post-graduate course in the same institution.

In May, 1898, Mr. Thayer left with Company K, First Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and was inus- tered out six months later, at the close of the Span- ish-American war. Being a direct descendant of Col. John Sayles and Capt. Jeremiah Irons, who served in the Revolutionary war, he is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, which so- ciety presented him with a gold medal in recogni- tion of his patriotic services during the war with Spain ; he is also a member of the Connecticut His- torical Society. Mr. Thayer is the author of several works, including "Pedal and Path," "Thayer and Burton Ancestry," and a "History of Company K. First Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, during the Spanish-American War."

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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 21

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