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 28

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 28

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Fom this Joseph Peck, of Milford, Austin L. Peck, our subject, is a descendant in the eightli generation, his line of descent being through Jo- seph (2), Ephraim. Henry, Capt. Zalmon, Ezekiel and Zalmon S. Peck.

(11) Joseph Peck (2), son of Joseph, of Mil- ford, baptized in 1653, married in 1678-79 Mary Camp. He settled in Milford, and there died.

(III) Ephraim Peck, son of Joseph (2). bap- tized in 1692, married in 1716 Sarah Ford, of Mil- ford. He removed from Milford to Newtown. Conn .. where he died in 1760.

(IV) Henry Peck, son of Ephraim, born in 1719. married ( first) in 1755 Ann Smith, and (second ) in 1765 wedded Hannah Leavenworth. He resided in Newtown.

(V) Capt. Zalmon Peck, son of Henry, born in 1758. married (first ) Zilpha Hard and ( second) Mrs. Sarah Booth. He resided in Newtown, where he died in 1812. He was a soldier in the Revolution.

(VI) Ezekiel Peck, son of Capt. Zalmon, born in 1786, married ( first) Sarah A. Johnson, and ( second) in 1818 wedded Mis. Betsey Briscoe. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. The tomb- stones of the four generations of Zalmon S. Peck

(still living) are all in perfect condition in the family burial lot in the cemetery at Newtown, Connecticut.

(VII) Zalmon S. Peck, son of Ezekiel, and father of Austin L. Peck, of Hartford, was born May 22, 1812, in Newtown, Conn. During the Civil war he served as the enrolling and drafting officer of the town. He was made postmaster of the town under President Lincoln's first term, and held the position for twenty-six years, being out for two years ( from 1867 to 1869) under the Johnson administration. During his active years Mr. Peck was one of the prominent public men of the town. Time seems to have dealt kindly with him, as he is still quite active and remarkably well preserved. He is an interesting conversa- tionalist. In 1833 he was married to Polly J. Lum, and they had children as follows: Sarah A., born in 1834. is deceased: Henry S., born Sept. I, 1838, is secretary and treasurer of the Brass City Lumber Co., Waterbury. Conn., of which city he is a prominent business man and citizen ; Austin L., born June 3. 1844, is referred to in the follow- ing ; and Mary F. was born June 10, 1854.

(VIIl) Austin L. Peck, the subject proper of this sketch, is a native of Newtown, Conn., where he passed his boyhood attending the public schools of the town and the Newtown Academy. During the Civil war, Aug. 25, 1862, he enlisted as a private soldier in Company C, 23d Conn. V. I. The 23d Regiment was recruited in Fairfield and New Haven counties during August and Septem- ber, 1862, and it was mustered into the United States service at Camp Terry, New Haven, Conn., Nov. 14. 1862, with C. E. L. Holmes, colonel ; Charles W. Worden, lieutenant-colonel ; David H. Miller, major : and Julius Sanford, captain of our subject's company. The regiment left the State Nov. 17, and joined Gen. Banks at Camp Buck- ingham, L. I., and it served in the independent command of Gen. Franz Sigel. It was sent to the defenses of New Orleans, Department of the Gulf. From December. 1862, it was a part of the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 19th Army Corps ; and from June, 1863. it was stationed at Post of Bra- shear. District of La Fourche, 19th Army Corps and Defenses of New Orleans, and Department of the Gulf from May, 1863. Young Peck shared the experiences of the command, and returned with an honorable. army record. He was mustered in as corporal Nov. 14. 1862, and was taken prisoner at Bayou Boueff. La., June 23, 1863; was paroled July 3. of that year, and was mustered out Aug. 31. 1863. After his discharge from the service he began an active business career, which he has continued from that time to this, and his efforts and undertakings have been crowned with the suc- cess they have merited.

In January, 1864, Mr. Peck moved to Water- bury, and became a clerk in the general merchan- dising store of Benedict, Merriman & Co. Later, in 1865, he entered the employ of the Hartford,

Lahun & Peck Chuch Lag

Harry ARck

It. Windsor Peck

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Providence & Fishkill railroad, as freight clerk at Hartford, and was soon promoted to agent of this company in charge of their Waterbury sta- tion. Early in 1869 he entered into the lumber business with Chester Curtiss, and in 1870 dis- solved that partnership, immediately entering the same business alone on Meadow street, that city. In 1887 he removed to Hartford, and has since resided there. He retained his business in Water- bury until 1898, when he organized the Brass City Lumber Co., retaining a large interest, and be- coming its president. In 1883 he organized the Big Rapids Door & Blind Mfg. Co., of Water- bury, Conn., and located the mill plant at Big Rapids, Mich. ; was its largest stockholder and treasurer of the company, which was in active operation up to June 14, 1900, at which date the plant was totally destroyed by fire. He organized the Capital City Lumber Co. of Hartford in 1895. becoming its first president, but later sold his in- terest therein ; is at present an active partner in the firm of Andrews & Peck, of Hartford, and is a man of means and prominence, not only in Hart- ford, but throughout the State. While in New- town our subject attended the Presbyterian Church. On Feb. 20, 1867, Mr. Peck was married to Susan M., daughter of Horatio Root, of Hartford, and the union has been blessed with children as follows: (1) Edward A. Peck, born in Waterbury in June. 1868, is a resident of Saybrook, Conn. He married Cora Hall, and their children are Helen Josephene, born in Holyoke, Mass., March 20, 1890 ; Frederick Hall, born in Hartford May 13, 1894; Susan Elizabeth, born in Hartford Sept. 20 1896; and Wallace Horatio, born in Hartford Feb. 2, 1900. (2) Harry H. Peck was born Feb. 7, 1870, in Waterbury, Conn. He attended the Waterbury High School, Phillip's Classical School, and in 1886 was graduated from the Cheshire Academy. After returning from school he was bookkeeper for the firm of Andrews & Peck for two years. In the fall of 1888 he traveled through the West in the interests of the Big Rapids Door & Blind Manufactory, visiting Denver, Chicago and Big Rapids, Mich. In the spring of 1889 he again went West, remaining in Denver some eight months, and that fall he went to Chicago, remain- ing there until Jan. 6, 1890, at which time he was married to Miss Alice W. Grow, daughter of Caro- line Grow, of that city. From January, 1890, to the fall of that year, Mr. Peck located at Win- ooski, Vt., and following this he returned to Hart- ford, where he was made manager of the Hartford Sash, Door & Blind Co., with headquarters at No. 554 Main street. This company was sold on Feb. I, 1894, to Andrews & Peck. After this sale he became treasurer of the Capital City Lumber Co., remaining as such from 1894 to Sept. 14, 1895. At the latter date he started in business for himself at No. 32 Church street. Mr. Peck is treasurer of the Gentlemen's Driving Club of Hartford, a po- sition he has held since Feb. 5, 1900. He is a mem-

ber of B. H. Webb Council, No. 702, Royal Ar- canum. Mrs. Peck died May 7, 1897, and left children as follows: H. Windsor, born Nov. 21, 1890; Everett Laurence, born Oct. 21, 1892; and Alice W., born April 20, 1897. (3) Theo- dore Peck was born March 15, 1875, in Wa- terbury, and was educated at the Hartford Public High School. He was in the employ of his father until 1896, when he went to Africa in the employ of the Royal Gold Mining Co. Leaving there he returned to Hartford, and is at present residing there. He is unmarried.

FRANK W. HAVENS, agency supervisor for the Hartford Life Insurance Co., Hartford, was born in Wethersfield, Conn., Dec. 2, 1845, a son of Hiram and Mary Welles Havens.

Hiram Havens was a manufacturer during the first half of the century, and was engaged in ship- building at Wethersfield, Conn., when that industry was a prominent feature of that place. His wife was a daughter of William and Mary ( Welles) Adams, of Wethersfield, the latter being a daughter of Elijah Welles, an honorable and honored soldier of the Revolution, who served in Capt. Hezekialı Welles' company in Boston, January, 1776, and aft- erward at the battles on Long Island under Wash- ington. Through this line our subject traces his ancestry direct to Gov. Thomas Welles, one of the first governors of the Connecticut Colony. Mrs. Mary W. Havens died in November, 1876, aged sixty-four. Hiram Havens died ten years later, in November, 1886, aged eighty-three.

Frank W. Havens was two years old when his parents moved to Hartford, and here, with the exception of some seven years spent in Manchester, Conn., he has since resided. He was educated at the schools of the city, and by private tuition, then read law in the office of Johnson & McManus, but owing to ill health did not apply for admission to the Bar. Afterward he engaged in manufacturing, later conducting an insurance agency under the firm name of Nevers & Havens, representing some of the largest companies in the country. In 1887 he became connected with the Hartford Life In- surance Co., as editor and manager of the literary department, but since 1898 he has held the position of agency supervisor, an incumbency he fills with characteristic fidelity and ability.

Mr. Havens is prominent in the Masonic frater- nity of the State, having been a member thereof since 1881, in which year he joined Manchester Lodge, No. 73. He is a 32d degree Mason, a mem- ber of Norwich Consistory; has passed the several chairs of the Grand Lodge; in January, 1898, was elected Grand Master of Masons in Connecticut ; and has been president of the Hartford Masonic Club since its formation. In church relationship Mr. Havens is a Congregationalist ; in politics he is a stanch Republican.

On May 18, 1870, Mr. Havens married Eliza

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Brainerd, daughter of Martin B. Brainerd, of Had- dam, this State, and they have two children : Frank S. Havens, Ph. D., Yale, '96, now secretary and gen- eral manager of the New York Silk Conditioning Works, New York City; and Mary C. C. Havens. Mrs. Havens' father, Martin B. Brainerd, was born in Haddam, and died in 1899, aged eighty-nine. His wife, Mary ( Baldwin) Brainerd, born in Mans- field, this State, is still living, now (1901) aged eighty-seven.

EMERY DOWNING, deceased. For almost a half century prior to his death, in 1893, the sub- ject of this sketch was one of the most prominent truckmen of Hartford. He was a man of excel- lent judgment, and possessed a rare degree of en- ergy. Succeeding to a large business, he conduct- ed it most successfully, and his interest is still re- tained by his widow.

Mr. Downing was born in Hampton, Conn., May 21, 1828, son of Emery and Lora ( Parish) Downing, both also born in Hampton. The father was reared on the ancestral farm, and became a farmer and butcher, spending most of his life in the village of Scotland, where he died at the age of seventy-seven, his widow surviving to the age of seventy-eight. To them were born Diantha ; Emery and Emily (twins) ; Serena ; Eliza ; Henry ; Lydia, who married Edwin S. Bill, of Hartford : and Mary, who married George W. Bill, also of Hartford. The parents were members of the Uni- versalist Church.

Emery Downing, our subject, received a good education, and was reared on a farm until twenty- one years of age, when he came to Hartford, and began work for Mason Smith, one of the early truckmen of Hartford, who later became his fa- ther-in-law. Mr. Downing was admitted to a part- nership, and later purchased the business, which he followed up to his death, Jan. 26, 1893, having been at that time forty-five years in active busi- ness, the oldest in the city and among its best- known citizens. He managed a very large trade, which he had built up in a most successful man- ner, doing the work for many of the large con- cerns of Hartford, and was a man highly respected and esteemed by all who knew him. A few years previous to his death he admitted into partnership D. C. Perkins, who had been his bookkeeper for several years, and who now carries on the busi- ness under the old firm name of Downing & Per- kins. In politics Mr. Downing was a Democrat. He filled various local offices, and served for sev- eral years on the board of common council. He was a member of St. John's Lodge, No. 4, A. F. & A. M., for many years, of the Governor's Foot Guard for a number of years, and later of the Veteran Corps. He was also a member of the Governor's Horse Guard, and in social circles held a wide and influential acquaintanceship.

In 1852 Mr. Downing married Henrietta

Smith, a native of Hartford. Her father, Mason Smith, was born in Marshfield, Vt., and her grand- father, Joshua Smith, in Woodstock, Vt., whence he removed to Marshfield when a child, and there spent his life, dying at the age of eighty. He was an extensive farmer. His wife, Ketura, was born in Glastonbury, and lived to a good old age. Joshua and Ketura Smith were members of the Presby- terian Church. They had a family of six chil- dren, all of whom are now dead. Mason Smith was a farmer up to the age of twenty-one, and was educated in Vermont. He married Lydia Moore, a native of Vermont, and came to Hartford with a horse and sleigh, starting as a pioneer in the trucking business about 1830. This he continued successfully, in later years selling out to Mr. Downing and retiring to a farm at Blue Hills, near Hartford, where he died at the age of sev- enty-seven years. His wife died at the age of fifty-six. At the time of his retirement Mason Smith was the oldest truckman in the city, and had an extensive acquaintance with Hartford business men. To Mason and Lydia (Moore) Smith were born seven children, three of whom are now living: Henrietta ( Mrs. Downing) is the eldest ; Julietta married Jerome Walker, of Water- bury, Conn. ; and Ellen L., who married John S. Stannard, of Hartford. Mason Smith and his wife were members of the Universalist Church.

To Emery and Henrietta Downing was born one daughter, Jennie, who married George A. Evans, formerly with the Adams Express Co., but now manager of the various electric express lines in and about Hartford, having charge of the ex- press cars which run over the tracks of the street railway company. Mrs. Evans has two daughters, Annie and Henrietta J. Annie married Dr. Rich- ard P. Lyman, a veterinary surgeon of note in Hartford, who was educated at Amherst, at the Agricultural College, and in the veterinary depart- ment of Harvard. He is a member of the Veter- inary Association of Connecticut, of which he is secretary. Mrs. Lyman has one child, Bertha Downing. These four generations, Mrs. Down- ing, her daughter, granddaughter and great-grand- daughter, all reside in Hartford.

JAMES W. ELDRIDGE, a large real-estate dealer and owner, also engaged in the insurance busi- ness in Hartford, office No. 868 Main street, was born in Mount Carmel, Ill., July 4, 1841, and is a lineal descendant of Elder William Brewster, who came to the country in the "Mayflower." Charles W. Eldridge, father of James W., was born in New London, Conn .: William, the grandfather, also in New London ; Charles (2), the great grandfather, in Groton, Nov. 14, 1720; Daniel, the great-great- grandfather, in England. The last named was among the early settlers at Groton. He was one of three brothers who came to this country, one of whom married a daughter of Pocahontas.

Charles Eldridge (2), the great-grandfather, was

EMERY DOWNING

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severely wounded at Fort Griswold, battle of Groton Heights. There is a monument in the burying- ground at the head of Mystic river, from which the following inscription is taken : "This monument, sacred to the memory of the late Charles Eldridge, Esq. He was an Ensign in the Revolution, and was wounded in the knee. While lying on the field was attacked by two British soldiers and run through with a bayonet, and, although left for dead, crawled to cover; later bribing a British soldier by giving him his gold watch to obtain him nourishment and take him to a place of safety." He had formerly kept a store in Groton, but that was burned by the British. He died Nov. 20, 1798. A full account of his war record is found in the work "Battle of Gro- ton Heights," published in 1882 by Jabez Allen.

Grandfather William Eldridge was born Dec. 14, 1769. He was a merchant in Groton and New London, where he continued in business for many years, shipping goods to the West Indies. Later he spent some years in Tolland county, where he was a town official, extensive land owner and prominent man. He was also what was known as one of the "fire commissioners," appointed by the United States government, to apportion lands set apart in north- ern Ohio, called "The Fire Lands," which were given to reimburse those who had suffered by the burning of New London by the British, under the auspices of the traitor Arnold, and assisted in laying out the same. James W. Eldridge has his diary, showing where he with two others started from New London with a chaise and saddle horse, and went first to New York, then to Pennsylvania, then to northern Ohio, back to Albany, and then to Hartford. He later went to Mount Carmel, Ill., and was the owner of some 12,000 acres of land, the greater part of which was in northern Ohio, and he gave the village (now the city) of Cleveland, Ohio, twenty village lots, to be used as aburying-ground, most of which has since been "appropriated"-the beautiful Euclid avenue being one of the streets laid out through this gift land. Mr. Eldridge first married Elizabeth Avery, who was born Sept. 14, 1794. She had two chil- dren, Francis A. and Charles W., and died Dec. 12, 1816. The second wife, Pauline (Lee), born July 15, 1787, had three children, Richard H., Gloriana H. and Ellen P., all now deceased. She died Oct. II, 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge were formerly members of the Congregational Church, but later at- tended the Presbyterian Church.

Charles W. Eldridge, father of our subject, was born in New London, Conn., Nov. 9, 1811, passed his earlier years in Tolland county, and was educated in the select schools. He began work as a clerk in Hartford, in a dry-goods store, and, later, learned the painting of miniatures on ivory, chiefly portraits of the celebrated men and women of that day. This he began in 1828 and traveled through the various cities, such as New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Nashville, Cleveland and New Orleans, spending several weeks in each. Our subject has

a diary, kept by his father at that time, which shows the number and names of the persons whose minia- tures he painted, in each of these cities. In New York City, on his first visit, he painted fifty-six; in Springfield, Mass., nearly one hundred; in Balti- more, in 1834, he painted ninety-eight. In Deceni- ber of the same year, he located in New York, where he remained until October, 1836, during which time he painted miniatures of 250 people. He also vis- ited Louisville, Ky., in fact all the great cities of the United States. He had as a partner James Parker, the firm being known as Parker & Eldridge. They were celebrated throughout all the States of the Union, and were artists of high degree. Our subject has portraits painted in those early days by his father, which are to-day as perfect as when com- pleted. Scores of letters still remain to show the satisfaction which they gave their patrons, and of the great superiority of their work.

The father returned to Hartford in 1865, where he went into the shoe business for the benefit of his son, and was a resident of that city until his death, which occurred Jan. 10, 1883. Charles Eldridge's second wife, Hannah (Mitchell), born Dec. 18, 1813, is still living in Hartford, with faculties remark- ably preserved. Frances E. (Parker), mother of James Eldridge, was born in Sag Harbor, Long Island, N. Y., May 5, 1819, a daughter of Capt. William Parker, a sea captain of that town, who spent his life largely on the water, making his home in Sag Harbor, where he died. Our subject's mother had ten children, he being the only one living. She died Feb. 13, 1847. The parents of our subject were members of the Congregational Church.

James Eldridge spent his early years in Illinois, until the age of twelve, and was up to that time edu- cated in the common schools. He then came East to Ellington, Conn., to attend the famous select school of Edwin Hall, 1852-1855, after which he made his home with his father, on Long Island, N. Y., until enlistment in 1862, as a private in Company A, 127th N. Y. V. I., of which he was soon made a corporal, and then promoted to sergeant. Ile served two years in this regiment, and in 1864 was discharged to ac- cept promotion as second lieutenant in the 23d United States Colored Troops, commanding his com- pany. He was further promoted to regimental quarter-master ; first lieutenant in April, 1865; re- ceived a furlough on account of physical disability, and went north for treatment, and while undergoing same the war ended, he receiving his honorable dis- charge "on account of close of the war." Mr. Eldridge served nearly three years, and was under fire three hundred days, being attached to various army corps, including the 4th, 7th, 9th 10th, 11th and 25th, commanded by Gens. Keyes, Banks, Gil- more, Weitzel, and others. His regiments partici- pated in many battles and skirmishes, including the siege of Suffolk, Va., siege of Charleston, S. C., bat- tles about Richmond, Petersburg, and others. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic,

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Loyal Legion, Army and Navy Club of Connecticut, Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution and other patriotic societies.

After leaving the service Mr. Eldridge came to Hartford, and entered the employ of F. A. Brown, in what was known as the "Charter Oak Coal Co.,' which continued for a short time. Mr. Eldridge's father having bought out the "Boston Shoe Store," our subject left the coal business and joined him, conducting the business successfully some fifteen years. Then, on account of failing health, he sold out his interest in 1880, and later entered the real- estate business, which he has since continued, being now one of the largest dealers in the city. The fine residence in which Mr. Eldridge lives, on Wethers- field avenue, opposite Mrs. Colt's residence, "Arms- mere," was purchased by him and remodeled, and is one of the finest homes on the avenue.

James W. Eldridge has been four times married, (first ) Oct. 29, 1867, to Ellen A. St. John, born in Woodbury, N. J., who died Feb. 26, 1872. For his second wife he married Ada E. Hight, born in New- port, Maine, by whom he has one child, Annie F., living at home (she is an artist of rare taste, but was compelled to give up her studies on account of weak eyesight) ; her mother died Feb. 5, 1879. For his third wife Mr. Eldridge married Emma Ells- worth, a great-granddaughter of Chief Justice Ol- iver Ellsworth. She was born in Connecticut, and (lied March 24. 1880, and for his fourth wife, he wedded Lillie L. Hamilton, born in Sacramento, Cal .. a daughter of Lorenzo Hamilton, a resident of Hartford, where he was a prominent man for many years, and was a charter member of the Young Men's Institute or Atheneum. Afterward he went to Sacramento, Cal., where he died. The family at- tend the Center Congregational Church, and in pol- itics Mr. Eldridge is a Republican.

Mr. Eldridge has been for many years celebrated as a collector of original war relics and curios. In his beautiful home he has two rooms 30 feet long by 20 feet wide, which are especially adapted to his purpose, and which have been fitted up at great ex- pense. Here, tastefully arranged, are thousands of valuable war relics, each of which has a history, and collected at an expense of thousands of dollars, from all parts of the country. Pages would be inade- quate to describe them. Here are to be seen the first flag carried by the first regiment to take part in any battle in defense of the Union; the first Confederate "Stars and Bars" flag to cross the Potomac river which was made in Washington, D. C., by Confed- erate young ladies, and was taken across Long Bridge the morning that Virginia seceded; the first solid shot fired in the war of the Rebellion ; and a part of the first shell that exploded in Fort Sum- ter : a right hand gauntlet glove of T. J. (Stonewall) Jackson, the famous Confederate general ; a chair from the home of Jefferson Davis, and saddle used by him ; the famous sword of John Brown ; a wreath made from the hair of forty generals who took part

in the war of the Rebellion, including that of Gen. Grant; revolver carried by Gen. Grant throughout the war; uniforms, sabres, drums, canteens, haver- sacks, knapsacks, bugles, pistols, guns carried by different officers and men, each telling its own story, the authenticity of each article being guaranteed by sworn affidavits from persons of character and relia- bility. The collection is undoubtedly the largest in the United States. In addition to this Mr. Eldridge has a collection of autographs, numbering into the thousands. He also has the finest historical collec .. tion of Confederate money in the world, including all issues of every denomination, and a majority of the serial numbers, issued by the so-called Confed- erate States; a war library given up to literature, of the war of the Rebellion, of over five thousand volumes; and manuscript official letter books and files, pertaining to the Rebellion, covering over a thousand pages of matter, all of which he is pleased to exhibit to those who are interested and apprecia- tive, and especially to classes of school children, who often visit his rooms-his object being lessons in patriotism for the young.

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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 28

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