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 23

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 23

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brightest legal lights, was a ward and cousin of Mr. Roberts, and passed his youthful days on the latter's farm.

Ozias Roberts never lost the charm that made his home the abode of enjoyment and true hospi- tality, and his dwelling in East Hartford, in his day, was the scene of more gatherings than any other in the town. Thanksgiving Day and Elec- tion Day were always observed with bountiful cheer, and the members of the family were invaria- bly present on these occasions, beside innumerable friends and visitors, and the home, indeed, was one of the most popular known in its day ; all who ever visited it fully enjoyed themselves, and came away with undisguised admiration and praise of its unre- served hospitality.

George Roberts, the subject proper of these lines, was born in 1810 in East Hartford, and lived with his father upon a farm until seventeen years of age, when he went to Hartford and entered the grocery store of Thomas K. Brace as clerk, serving in that capacity until the age of twenty-one. He then went to New York, and entered the large dry- goods house of Fitch, Goodwin & Co., continuing with that firm for two years, and remaining on duty through the great cholera epidemic of that time, when but few had the courage to stay in the city. In 1833 he returned to Hartford, and was soon there- after chosen State director in the Phoenix Bank. He also entered into business with Charles H. Northam, carrying on a wholesale grocery business under the firm name of Northam & Roberts. In 1836 he entered into co-partnership with Philip G. Ripley and Edwin G. Ripley, under the firm name of Ripley, Roberts & Co., and conducted an exten- sive iron business some three or four years.

About 1840 Mr. Roberts again went to New York, forming a partnership with G. Spencer (James M. Bunce, of Hartford, being a special partner in the firm), and was for several years in successful busi- ness in that city. He was one of the business men who organized the Metropolitan Bank of New York. In 1853 he retired to a farm in South Windsor. In 1854 he was chosen treasurer of the Hartford Carpet Co., which owned extensive mills at Thomp- sonville and Tariffville; in 1856, on the retirement of Hon. T. M. Allyn, he was elected president and treasurer of the company, and continued to fill these important positions for twenty-two years, or until his death. One of the prominent officials of the company, with whom he was most closely associ- ated, said that in all that time there was never an unpleasant word from Mr. Roberts, who was al- ways even-tempered, genial and kind. He was care- ful and sagacious, and managed the financial affairs of the great corporation with much prudence and skill. He was also president of the Woven Wire Mattress Co., a director in the Phoenix National Bank, the Etna Fire Insurance Co., the Connecti- cut Trust and Safe Deposit Co., and ( for twenty years) the Hartford Gas Co. His judgment was excellent, and his incessant fidelity and devotion re-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

markable, in fact, in all the relations of life he was an excellent and highly esteemed man. He was possessed of unusual executive ability, which, with the strict integrity which had always characterize. his business life, made him an exceedingly valuable man in the many business corporations with which he was connected. Naturally modest and retiring, he was yet social, withal, and possessed of a vein of quiet humor that made him an exceedingly agreea- ble companion. He was a close observer of na- tional affairs, was sound and well-grounded on all important questions of political economy, was an earnest Republican, and a stanch supporter of the Union cause during the war of the Rebellion. He was a member of Center Church, and a man whose religious convictions pervaded his whole so- cial and business life. He was a manly type of the upright Christian gentlemen, who, in business, poli- tics, religious and social life, have shaped the char-1 acter of New England institutions and communities during the present century.

Mr. Roberts was twice married, on Oct. 19, 1836, to Louisa Stewart, daughter of Capt. Allen Stewart. To this union came one daughter, Louisa Stewart, who died at the age of about eleven years. For his second wife Mr. Roberts wedded Elvira Evans, who was born July 12, 1812, and they had children as follows: Martha married Edward C. Ritchie, of Brooklyn; Mary married George C. Perkins, of Hartford, son of Henry \. and Sarah Perkins; George married Ida Hamilton, of Hartford (he suc- ceeded his father as president of the Hartford Car- pet Co.) ; Jane L. married George D. Holton, of Chicago, Ill .; Sarah died when three years of age Henry married Carrie E. Smith, daughter of Isaac W. Smith, of Bridgeport, Conn. ( he is president of the Woven Wire Mattress Co., of Hartford).

We give a brief record of Mrs. Roberts' ances- try : In the year 1639 two brothers by the name of Taylor came to this country from England. One of them soon after took ship to return ; the vessel was never heard of after leaving New York. John Tay- lor, the other brother, settled at Windsor, Conn. He married a widow, and a son, John, was born of this marriage in 1641. Te married Thankful Wood- ward Dec. 18, 1662. He was killed by the Indians at New Haven, May 13, 1704. Thomas, his son, was born Nov. 4, 1680, and married Thankful Hawkes Aug. 31, 1715. He was active in the French and Indian wars, was wounded at Deerfield, and was drowned in the Connecticut river Aug. 31, 1717. Ilis son Thomas was born in 1717, and married Sarah Merriman. There is no record of her death, but record of his marrying Sarah Stebbins, in 1755. She died Sept. 11, 1809. While on a march from Northfield to Fort Dummer, July 14, 1748, in com- mand of seventeen men, Sergt. Thomas Taylor was attacked by one hundred French and Indians, taken prisoner, carried to Canada, and afterward ex- changed, and :eturned home Sept. 17, of the same year. The government of the Province voted him .£50 for his bravery in action. The record says he

lost a French gun worth £18, and a pair of leather breeches worth fio. Sergt. Taylor was acquainted with the Indians who were with the French wlien he was taken captive. Two of them, one on either side, seated Sergt. Taylor on a log, and one of the Indians said, "Thomas, me kill you." The Sergeant said, "Why kill me?" The Indian said, "You kill my brother." The Sergeant said, "But he shot at. me first." The Indian dropped his head a moment, then said, "Yes, Thomas, that's so. Me no kill you." He died March 24, 1778. His son, Hollis Taylor, was born in 1758. Thankful Taylor, daughter of Hollis Taylor, was born April 20, 1791, and on May 20, 1810, married Jason Evans, who was born April 19, 1786, and died Oct. 29, 1823.

HERBERT H. WHITE, secretary and director of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co., Hart- ford, has been connected with various lines of enter- prise which have helped to make that city famous, and as a representative successful business man is entitled to honorable mention in this volume.

Mr. White was born July 3, 1858, in Hartford, son of Francis A. and Cornelia (Humphrey) White, who had a family of eight children, four now liv- ing, namely : Herbert H .; Harry W .; Howard C., of California; and Clara, of Hartford. The fa- ther passed away May 28, 1884, the mother Aug. 30, 1898. He was a native of Massachusetts, but spent the greater part of his life in Hartford, where he was engaged as a contractor and builder. Her- bert H. White grew to manhood in his native city, and in February, 1874, entered the employ of the Hartford Trust Co., with whom he remained sev- eral years. In April, 1878, he entered the Phoenix Bank, with which he was connected over twenty years, winning promotion by his own efforts until he attained the responsible position of assistant cashier of that institution. For four years he was one of the auditors of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co., and in January, 1899, the directors of the company were unanimous in electing him a director, in the place made vacant by the death of E. M. Bunce. He was also unanimously elected secretary, as Mr. Bunce's successor, and has since filled that position with characteristic ability. Being thoroughly familiar with the internal affairs of the company. Mr. White's fitness for his important office was quickly recognized by all who knew him and his election was looked upon as an evidence of the con- servative policy of that great concern. The insured must depend much upon the officers of the company in which they insure, and the choice of Mr. White carries into a younger generation the assurance that the Connecticut Mutual will continue to be managed by men who have a full sense of the moral responsibilities of their trust, and the business ability and personal integrity to conduct its affairs.

However, it is not alone in business circles that Mr. White is regarded as one of the most success- ful and promising men of his age in the city. He

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

served efficiently as a member of the city council for six years, beginning with 1893, was president of the council in 1896, and alderman from the Tenth ward 1897-1899, during which period he acted as chairman of the Ordinance committee. In February, 1900, he was elected president of the Colonial Club of Hartford.

On Oct. 20, 1886, Mr. White married Miss Ella F. Kinne, of Richfield Springs, N. Y., and they have had one child, Marian H., now ( 1900) eleven years of age.

CASE. The family of this name, from which descended the late Hon. Jairus Case, M. D., of Granby, whose surviving son is Hon. William Cul- len Case, of the law firm of Case, Bryant & Case, of Hartford, is one of the old and prominent families of Windsor and Simsbury, William C. Case being in the seventh generation from John Case, the American ancestor. His line of descent is through John (2), John (3), Capt. John, Levi and Dr. Jairus.

(1) John Case married (first) about 1657 Sarah, daughter of William Spencer, of Hartford, Conn. He resided in Windsor, Conn., until the spring of 1669, when he removed to Massacoe (now Sims- bury). Conn., and settled in Weatogue. His wife died Nov. 3, 1691, aged fifty-five, and he married (second) Elizabeth, widow of Nathaniel Loomis, of Windsor. Mr. Case was appointed constable for Massacoe, by the General Court, Oct. 14. 1669, be- ing the first person that ever held office at that place. He represented his town at the General Court in; 1670, and several times afterward. He died at Simsbury Feb. 21, 1703-04. His widow, Elizabeth Case, died at Windsor July 23, 1728, aged ninety. His children by Sarah were : Elizabeth, Mary, John, William Samuel, Richard, Bartholomew, Joseph, Sarah and Abigail.

(II) John Case (2), eldest son of John, born Nov. 5. 1662, settled in Simsbury. He married (first) in 1684 Mary, daughter of Thomas Olcott, Jr., of Hartford, Conn. She died in 1685, and he married ( second ) in 1693 Sarah, daughter of Joshua Holcomb, of Simsbury. John Case died in 1733. One child. John, born to the first marriage, died in infancy. The children born to the second marriage were : John, Daniel, Mary, Jonathan, Sarah and Hannah.

(III) John Case (3), son of John (2), born Aug. 22, 1694, married in 1716-17 Abigail, daughter of Lieut. Samuel Humphrey. He settled in Sims- bury, and died in 1752. His children were: John, Norah. Charles, Abigail, Mary, Lucy, Martha, Job and Lydia.

(IV) Capt. John Case, son of John (3), boin Feb. 19. 1718-19. married in 1745 Sarah, daughter of Samuel Barber. She was born April 1, 1722. They resided in Simsbury. Capt. Case died in 1776, and his widow died in 1805. Their children were : John. Giles, Seth, Sarah, Asa, Mary, Giles, George, Levi, Judah and Abigail.

(\') Levi Case, son of Capt. John, born Dec. 14, 1760, married Polly, daughter of Hon. Daniel Hum- phrey, of Simsbury, who was in the fifth generation trom Michael Humphrey, the American ancestor of the family, Windsor, Conn., 1643, in line through Sergt. Johan, Deacon John and Deacon Michael. Polly ( Humphrey) Case was born March 18, 1764, and died Jan. 19, 1849, in Hartland, Conn. Levi Case died in Simsbury April 23, 1802. After his death, by her exertions, the widow reared and edu- cated her children to positions of influence and use- fulness. Their children were : Polly married Elizur Benjamin, of Hartland : Agnes married Dr. Josiah W. Case, of Canton ; Persis married Hiram Sanford, of Barkhamsted ; Levi P. married Harriet Jones, of Barkhamsted; and Jairus, M. D.

(VI) Hon. Jairus Case. M. D., son of Levi, and the father of Hon. William Cullen Case, was born March 20, 1802, at Sinisbury, Conn. He attended the public schools at Hartland, to which point the family removed in his boyhood, and subsequently was graduated from the medical department of Yale College, and located in the practice of his profes- sion at Granby, where he continued to live through- out life. He built up a large practice, was success- ful in his profession, and accumulated considerable property. Politically he was a Democrat, and as. such represented his district in the State Senate one term, elected in 1868. He was identified with the Congregational Church at Granby, and held the es- teem and confidence of the community. He was a man of good judgment, practical, and ranked high in the profession. He died at Granby, Conn., Dec. 30, 1874.

On Oct. 5, 1830, Dr. Case was married to Miss Mary T., daughter of Hon. Silas Higley, of Gran- by, Conn., and the union was blessed with two chil- dren : John, born April 15, 1832, became a lawyer, and died March 1, 1890: William Cullen is referred to farther on. The mother of these children born Feb. 22, 1808, and died Feb. 6, 1887.

Hon. Silas Higley, the father of Mrs. Mary T. Case, descended from one of the early and promi- nent families of Windsor (Conn.) and Simsbury, his line of descent being from Capt. John Higley, through Brewster, Joseph and Ozias.

Capt. John Higley, the American ancestor, was born in 1649, at Frimley, Surrey, England, and emigrated to America in 1666, locating at Windsor, Conn., where, in 1671, he married Hannah Drakc.

Brewster Higley. son of Capt. John, born in 1680. in Windsor, Conn., married in 1709 Esther Holcombe, of Simsbury.

Joseph Higley, son of Brewster, born in 1715, in Simsbury, married (second) about 1740 Sarali Case.

Ozias Higley, born in 1748. in Simsbury, married Martha Gillette in 1772.

Hon. Silas Higley, son of Ozias, was born in 1780. in Granby, and was married to Melissa Haves ; he died June 21, 1853. His wife Melissa died May 16, 1856, aged seventy-four. His children were:

Al Casa

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Mary T. (Mrs. Dr. Case), John Jay, William W. and Julia M. Silas Higley was a lawyer by pro- fession, for upwards of forty years practiced in Hartford county, and for many years was on the bench. "He was honorably identified with the growth, organization and management of the lead- ing interests of the town." The public records show that few citizens were more prominent. Socially and intellectually, by Bench and Bar, and from a legal standpoint, he was acknowledged everywhere as one of the foremost and distinguished men of Hartford county.

(VII) Hon. William Cullen Case, son of Hon. Jairus Case, M. D., was born Feb. 17, 1836, at Granby. Conn. He was prepared for college at the Connecticut Literary Institute, Suffield, and was graduated from Yale College in 1857. He took a law course in Yale, and furthered his studies under the direction of Rockwell & Colt, at Pittsfield, Mass. He was admitted to the Bar in New Haven in 1860, and has since been engaged in active prac- tice. He has maintained an office in New Haven since 1874, but since 1889 he has been more thor- oughly identified with Hartford. He is the senior member of the firm of Case, Bryant & Case. Mr. Case has by no means confined himself to criminal practice, yet that branch of his business has been extensive and singularly successful. "It is probable that no other lawyer now at the Connecticut Bar has engaged in the defense of so many capital cases ; and these include the defense of Allen for the kill- ing of Shipman at the State's prison, of the Malleys in the so-called 'Jennie Cramer' case, of Conant for the shooting of Mcclellan, and many others almost as prominent in the criminal annals of the State for the past twenty-five years. But although he has achieved much distinction for his masterly handling of the class of cases to which these belong, by far the greater part of his practice has been in the civil branches of his profession, and here his successful qualities as a lawyer are no less marked. Perhaps no case ever tried in Connecticut has aroused more general interest or called for greater legal ability in its management than the recent contest over the governorship and other State offices. This contro- versy, which began in the Legislature in 1891, and reached the courts under the popular name of the "Quo Warranto Cases,' was, owing to its political character, one of peculiar bitterness, and involved some of the most important questions that have yet been the subject of litigation in Connecticut. Mr. Case's ability and his wonderfully exhaustive study of the case largely contributed to the final success of the Republican party, which he represented, to- gether with Mr. Henry C. Robinson and Mr. Charles J. Cole."

Mr. Case is a powerful and effective speaker. with a habit of expression original and striking, and in his writings he is master of a terse and vigorous style. He is possessed of fine literary tastes and instincts, and is a man of wide reading. He has great capacity for hard work, and is always busy.

He is a painstaking lawyer in the preparation of his cases, and his conduct of a case in court is marked by a skill that shows singular power of concentra- tion and a shrewd forecasting of the possibilities. He is able in his treatment of witnesses, strong in the presentation of testimony, and he has the rare gift of orderly and concise arrangement in argu- ment. In his political views Mr. Case is a Repub- lican, and from 1869 to 1884 he was many times a member of the House of Representatives, and was Speaker of that body in 1881.

In 1862 Mr. Case was married to Miss Margaret Turnbull, of Tariffville, Conn., and the union was blessed with two children: William S., born June 27, 1864, who is mentioned elsewhere; and Theo- dore G., now a student in Trinity College.

HON. CHAUNCEY EVELYN ENO, one of Simsbury's most respected retired agriculturists, is a native of Hartford county, born in Simsbury Dec. 27, 1815, and descends from one of the first settlers in the State.

James Eno, the progenitor of the Connecticut family, came from England, and located in Windsor, Ifarttord county, in 1648. There he married, for his first wife, Hannah Bidwell, a daughter of Rich- ard Bidwell, born Oct. 22, 1634, died Oct. 7, 1657. For his second wife he married, in August, 1658, Elizabeth, widow of Thomas Holcomb, of Wind- sor; she died Oct. 7, 1679. To the first marriage were born three children : Sarah, born in June, 1649, was (first ) married April 11, 1667, to Benajah Holcomb, son of Thomas Holcomb, born June 23, 1644, and for her second husband married Samuel I helps ; her death took place in April, 1732. James (2) was born Oct. 30, 1651. John, born Dec. 2, 1654, married the widow of James Eggleston.

James Eno (2) served in the war against the Indian King Philip. He married, Dec. 26, 1678, Abigail, daughter of Samuel and Abigail ( Hol- comb ) Bissell, who was born July 6, 1661, and died April 19, 1728, the mother of nine children : James was born Sept. 23, 1679; Ann, born April 10, 1682, died June 10, 1760, was married April 6, 1699, to Joseph, son of John and Sarah (Spencer) Case, of Hartford (Joseph and Ann Case settled in Sims- bury, and she became the mother of Rev. Benajah Case, who graduated from Yale in 1732) ; William was born Jan. 15, 1684; Abigail, born March I, 1687, was married to Samuel Phelps in 1707 ; Mary, born May 5, 1691, died Sept. 15, 1697; John was born Jan. 5, 1693 ; Samuel, July 7, 1696; Susannah, May 16, 1699 ; and David, Aug. 12, 1702.

David Eno, son of James (2), was born in Simsbury, and on March 20, 1723, married Mary Gillett, who was born Feb. 29, 1702, and died Nov. 23, 1760; she was a daughter of Nathaniel (3) in descent from Nathaniel Gillett, who came from Eng- land in 1634. David Eno died in the Cape Breton campaign, in June, 1745, and his remains were in- terred at Simsbury. To David and Mary ( Gillett)

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Eno, were born six children : David, born Aug. 14, 1727, who became a lieutenant in the Colonial troops : Mary B. : Roger (Gen.), born in 1729, who died Oct. 6, 1808; Mercy, born in 1734, who died March 3. 1806 (she was married in 1754 to John, son of John and Sarah (Lee) Langdon) ; Ann, born Sept. 14. 1735; and Jonathan ( Capt.), born in De- cember, 1739, who died Dec. 5, 1813.

Capt. Jonathan Eno, a native of Simsbury, was a farmer. He served as a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war. He married Mary Goodrich Hart, daughter of Elijah and Abigail (Goodrich) Hart, natives of New Britain, and a descendant of Stephen Hart, of Cambridge, Mass. Mrs. Eno was born Dec. 28. 1744, and died Oct. 8, 1834, the mother of nine children : Mary, born Dec. 21, 1764, was married to Elijah Tuller, of Simsbury, April 30, 1782: Rhoda, born Aug. 12, 1766, married Daniel Phelps : Jonathan was born March 15, 1769: Lu- cretia, born Feb. 13, 1771, was married to Granville G. Humphrey: Elizabeth, born Aug. 9. 1773, was married Dec. 12, 1793, to Alexander Phelps, and died in 1868, aged ninety-five years and eight weeks: Cynthia, born May 28, 1778, was married to Hezekiah Case: Salmon was born Dec. 13. 1779: Chauncey was born Dec. 19, 1782; and Abigail, born Feb. 28, 1785, was married Oct. 2, 1805, to John Viets, son of Dr. Alexander Viets, the latter a son of a German physician who came from New York to Simsbury in 1730, and was ancestor of the Right Rev. Alexander Viets, Bishop of Massa- chusetts.

Chauncey Eno, father of our subject, was born Dec. 19. 1782, and was all his life a farmer in Simsbury. He was a Deacon of the church, and quite a prominent citizen. On Nov. 4. 1807, he married Amarilla, daughter of Fithen and Amarilla (Humphrey ) Case, and she bore him the following- named children : Elizur Hart, born Nov. 7. 1809, married May 24, 1848, Sarah Elizabeth Tuller, and died Jan. 16, 1883. Cordelia, Born June 3, 1812, was married Dec. 3, 1839, to Watson Wilcox, who died Feb. 15. 1879, leaving her with two children- Addie, born Jan. 9, 1841 ; and Lewis W., born July 15, 1842, who died Oct. 15, 1853. Chauncey Evelyn, the third child, born Dec. 27, 1815, is the subject of this sketch. The fourth child, Jennette Amarilla, born May 8, 1818, was married April 15, 1839, to Rufus Tuller, and died Feb. 13, 1889, the mother of three children-Nellie V., born July 26, 1840. and married Dec. 25, 1866, to Joseph A. Beecher : Fanny A., born Jan. 21, 1844, who died May 10. 1871 ; and Chauncey Evelyn, born Jan. 20, 1846, married to Jennie Curtiss. The fifth child of Chaun- cey Eno, Josiah William, born Feb. 23, 1820, mar- ried Louisa Glassell, of Virginia, and died in Plym- outh, Penn., in 1895, the father of two children -- William Glassell and Jennette, the latter the wife of Palmer Campbell, of Hoboken, N. J. Chauncey Eno, the father of the above family, was a repre- sentative in the General Assembly in 1828, and a

justice of the peace in Simsbury in 1834. He was noted for his upright character and temperate hab- its, was a true Christian, a good husband and kind. father, a bright example to his fellow men, and was blessed with the love of all. His death took place Jan. 13, 1845.

Chauncey Evelyn Eno was educated primarily in a district school, and later became a student at Amherst ( Mass.) College. He was reared to farm- ing, and followed that vocation in Simsbury until 1878, when he removed to Weatogue and settled on the farm of his father-in-law, Richard Bacon, where he continued his calling until within the past few years, when he retired to pass the remainder of his years in peace and quiet.

Mr. Eno has been twice married, his first wife having been Harriet Goodwin, who was born Feb. 19, 1821, and whom he married Sept. 30, 1840. She wa a daughter of James Goodwin. a native of Bloomfield, and she died Oct. 27, 1856, the mother of two children : Harriet A., born March 6, 1846, was married to Rufus F. Bond; and Lewis Good- win, born March 23, 1851. married Annie Bradley. The second marriage of Mr. Eno took place Oct. 27, 1858, to Miss Maria Bacon, a native of Sims- bury, and a daughter of Richard Bacon, and to this union have also been born two children: Rich- ard Bacon, April 4, 1860, and Mary C., Nov. 13, 1864. The latter, unmarried, is a lady of refine- ment, well-read. and a fine conversationalist: she is a member of Abigail Phelps Chapter, Daughters of the Revolution, at Simsbury. Mrs. Eno is a lady of marked intelligence and sweet disposition, and though for the past thirteen years afflicted with blindness bears her deprivation of sight with Chris- tian patience and commendable fortitude.

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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 23

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