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 44

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 44

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On Dec. 23. 1871, Mr. Neubauer was most happily joined in marriage with Miss Carrie Emi- lie Sessions, a daughter of John H. Sessons, of Bristol. and this union was graced Feb. 5, 1876, with a son. William Ludwig, who was married Dec. 8. 1897, to Miss Bessie O. Rouse.

JONAS COOLIDGE HILLS, the subject of this sketch, has always resided at Hartford, where he was born Oct. 18. 1851. His father, Ellery Hills, was a native of that part of East Hartford called Hillstown, and was a direct descendant from Will- iam Hills, who was shot by the Narragansett In- dians, and also from William Hills, who in 1653 was appointed to train the men "on the east side," that fact being the first ind'cation of a permanent settlement on the east side of the Connecticut river at Hartford. Other original proprietors, twelve of whose names are upon the monument in the old historic burial ground in this city, are among his ancestors. Ellery Hills was favorably known for more than fifty years among the merchants of his clay, and left a reputation for strict honesty and integrity.

From his mother, who was Nancy Coolidge. a daughter of Jonas Coolidge and Lois ( Harris) Coolidge, of Springfield. Mass., Mr. Hills is also of Colonial ancestry, claiming descent from Will- iam Pynchon, the founder of Roxbury and Spring- field. Mass., Gov. George Wyllys of Connecticut, and others.

The early education which our subject received was in the common schools, but being of a feeble

constitution he was unable to endure the discipline and routine of school life, and was placed under private instructors. Contending with ill health, he has never actively engaged in business, which gave him abundant leisure for reading, thought and in- vestigation, keeping pace with the advanced de- velopment of his special studies. His collection of. coins and medals gathered during many years of research, both in this and in foreign lands, is es- pecially rich in military and war decorations, and classed among the finest in this country.

Mr. Hills married in 1896 Miss Elsie MI. Sessions, of Hampden, formerly South Wilbraham, Mass., a daughter of Hon. William R. Sessions and Elsie Walker (Cunningham) Sessions. Mr. Sessions is a prominent man in that vicinity; he enlisted in the Civil war, has served as a member of the Legislature and Senate, and for twelve years was secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture.

In religion Mr. Hills is a Congregationalist, in politics a Republican. He has attained a high posi- tion in the Masonic Fraternity, all the degrees. in- cluding the thirty-second, having been conferred upon him. He is also a member of Washington Com- mandery, No. I. Knights Templar. He was for a time in the Connecticut National Guard, Com- pany K. Ist Regiment. He is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, of the Connecti- cut Historical Society, and of the American Nu- mismatic and Archæological Society of New York. Both in public and private life he has evinced those virtues that have earned for him the esteem of the community in which he dwells.

HON. JOHN GILBERT ROOT. president of the Farmers & Mechanics National Bank, Hartford, is of the seventh generation in direct descent from John Root, the Puritan. through Thomas, En- sign Joseph, Deacon Joseph, Silas and Col. Silas Root.

(I) John Root, the Puritan ancestor, emigrated from Badby, Northamptonshire. England, and was one of the first settlers of Farmington, Conn .. in 1640. He married Mary Kilbourn.

(II) Thomas, son of John, was born in 1648, in Farmington, Conn., and in 1675 married his sec- ond wife, Mary Spencer. He removed to West- field. Massachusetts.

(III) Ensign Joseph Root, son of Thomas, born in 1688, married Sarah He lived in West- field, Massachusetts.

(IV) Deacon Joseph Root. son of Ensign Jo- seph, was born in 1715. at Westfield, and was mar- ried in 1743 to Ann Bancroft. He made his home in Westfield, Massachusetts.

(V) Silas Root, son of Deacon Joseph, was born in 1759, at Westfield, and was married ( first) in 1791 to Amelia, daughter of Joseph Root. of Northampton, Mass. He lived in Westfield.

(VI) Col. Silas Root, son of Silas and Amelia ( Root) Root, and the father of Hon. John Gilbert Root, of Hartford, was born March 28, 1795, in

Selv Goot

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Westfield, Mass., where he made his permanent home. He was married (first) on Jan. 24, 1822, to Lucy Fowler, daughter of Justus and Abigail (Gilbert) Fowler. She was born Jan. 23, 1803, and died at Westfield March II, 1853. Col. Root was married (second ) on Jan. 4, 1855, to Mrs. Merilla B. Chapman. The children born of the first mar- riage were: Lucy A., who married Patrick H. Boies, and died in 1858; Lewis F .; and John G.

Hon. John Gilbert Root was born April 20, 1835, at Westfield, Mass., and after receiving an academic education began his business career in a bank at Westfield, in 1851. He went to Hartford, Conn., in 1855, to take a position in the Bank of Hartford County, which later became the American National Bank, and he remained with the institution until 1883, with the exception of a year and a half when he was treasurer of the Hartford Trust Company. He was chosen cashier of the bank in 1871, a posi- tion he retained until elected president of the Farm- ers & Mechanics National Bank, Dec. 19, 1883. which relation he has since sustained.

During the Civil war Mr. Root entered the United States service as captain of Company B, 22nd Conn. V. I., being mustered into the service Sept. 20, 1862. His command formed a part of the Army of the Potomac. He shared the fortunes of the regiment, and bore an honorable part throughout the term of liis service, being mustered out July 7, 1863. Since his return to civil life Capt. Root has been one of the leading members of Robert O. Tyler Post, G. A. R., of Hartford. For years lie has been one of the trustees of the post fund, and still serves in that capacity. He also held for years an honorable place in the Hartford City Guard, and has been an influential member of the Veteran Asso- ciation. He is connected with the highest order of Masonry in the State, having held the position of grand treasurer of the grand lodge for years. In the 'eighties it fell to his lot to deliver the oration in Cedar Hill cemetery, when the handsome mont :- ment in honor of Thomas H. Seymour, the most chivalric of Knights Templar, was dedicated, and it is not necessary to say that the address was in keep- ing with the occasion, and reflected permanent credit on the one who delivered it. In 1888 he was elected mayor of Hartford, and served the city as an able and conscientious chief magistrate, his administration having been one of marked success; the review of his career as mayor increased the great public re- spect that had previously been felt for him. Mr. Root took a very active interest in the Ist Company of the Governor's Foot Guard. He is a member of the Connecticut river and highway district commis- sion, a commission of considerable importance, which has the recommending of a new bridge over the Connecticut river, and the approaches and high- ways leading thereto. He has also held a number of other important positions in connection with the city, among which may be mentioned his four-years' service on the committee of the high school, and

at present he is vice-president and trustee of the Mechanics Savings Bank, trustee in the Security Company of Hartford, and is president, treasurer and a director of the Spring Grove Cemetery Asso- ciation. These are but a few of the many important positions held by Mr. Root, which go to show his appreciation by the community, and the active inter- est which he has taken in the affairs of the city.

In all of the positions of civic and military life Mayor Root has been the ideal representative of good feeling and manliness. His social qualities have made him an admirable companion, there being no more delightful comrade in the great Masonic Fraternity in Connecticut than he. His upright- ness of character, genial and wholesome manners, and frankness of intercourse with men, have at- tracted hosts of men to his friendship.

GEORGE CYPRIAN JARVIS, M. D., of Hart- ford. The Jarvis family of England were origin- ally from Normandy. Their seat in England is at Bretagne, and the first of the name found was Jean Gervais, who lived about 1400. Both in this country and in Europe the name of Jarvis has been enrolled in almost all the learned professions and pursuits in life. It has given dignity to the Bench ; it has graced the professions of medicine and sur- gery ; it has adorned the pulpit and stage; it has entwined its garlands of poetry with music and painting, and it has thundered its deeds of daring over the ocean wave and among the distant islands of the sea. Such names as Bishop Jarvis, Rev. Samuel F. Jarvis, D. D., LL. D., Drs. Charles, Leonard, George O. and George C. Jarvis, have graced the ministry and the medical profession.

Dr. George C. Jarvis, subject of this review, is in the sixth generation from Willian Jarvis, a farmer of Huntington, L. I., whose death occurred about 1740. His wife's name was Esther. From this William Jarvis our subject's line of descent is through Capt. Samuel, John, John (2) and Dr. George O. Jarvis.

(II) Capt. Samuel Jarvis, son of William, born in 1698, married Naomi Brush, and resided in Nor- walk, Conn., where he died in 1779.

(III) John Jarvis, son of Capt. Samuel, born in 1725, married, in 1751, Catherine Raymond, and lived in Norwalk. He passed away in 1778.

(IV) John Jarvis (2), son of John, born in 1753, married (second) in 1779, Elizabeth Boulte. He lived in Norwalk, and died there in 1824.

(V) Dr. George Oglevie Jarvis, son of John (2), and the father of our subject, was born July 14, 1795, in New Canaan, Conn. He became a thorough English scholar, and was an educator in youth and carly manhood. He studied medicine with Dr. T. S. Wetmore, of Winchester, Conn., and was licensed to practice in 1817, settling first in Torrington, Conn. After two years' practice there he removed to Colebrook, remaining until 1840, and thence to Portland, where he resided and was suc-

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cessfully engaged in his professional duties through- out the remainder of a long lifetime. In 1846 he received the degree of M. D. from Yale College. Hle possessed inventive genius, and devised an ad- juster, an instrument for the more ready and easy manner of reducing and replacing fractures and dis- locations, which proved a success and gave him an enviable notoriety. In 1845 Dr. Jarvis visited En- rope, where his genius and ability were recognized. By special invitation he delivered in London a course of lectures on "Fractures and Dislocations." As a mark of respect for the man, and as acknowledg- ment of his genius, learning and skill, the Society for the Promotion of Arts and Commerce presented him with a gold medal, which he received from the hands of Prince Albert. Dr. Jarvis was the soul of honor and hospitality. In 1819 he married Philomela Marshall, who died in Portland, Conn., in 1875, the same year in which he died.

Dr. George Cyprian Jarvis, son of Dr. George O. Jarvis, was born April 24, 1834, in the town of Colebrook, Conn., and studied at the district school until fifteen years of age. He then spent one year at the Military Academy at Norwich, Vt., and one year with Rev. S. M. Emery, of Portland, Conn. In 1851 he entered Trinity College, and remained through the Junior year, leaving in 1853 ; he after- wards received the degree of M. D. from Trinity. Following this he was clerk in a drug store at Middletown, Conn., for some three years. He be- gan the study of medicine with his father, whose extensive surgical practice gave unusual facilities for illustrations in this branch of the profession, and also studied about two years with the dis- tinguished gynecologist, Dr. J. Marion Sims. He attended lectures at the medical department of the New York University, from which he received the degree of M. D. in March, 1861. He commenced the practice of his profession in Stamford, but remained only a few months, entering the Union army during the Civil war as assistant surgeon of the Ist Battalion, Connecticut Cavalry, receiving his commission in December, 1861. In October, 1862, he received promotion to surgeon of the 7th Conn. V. I. After the first battle Dr. Jarvis was made operating surgeon for the brigade, and con- tinued as such in each division with which he was connected during his field service. At Fort Fisher he was on Gen. Terry's staff, in the same capacity. He had charge of the post hospitals at Fernandina, Fla., from February to April, 1863, after which he went to Morris Island. He superintended the re- ception and feeding of the returned Union prisoners under Gen. Hawley at Northeast, near Wilming- ton, N. C .; and was afterward in charge of the general hospital at Wilmington, where over 8,000 were congregated from Andersonville and other prison pens of the South. A fearful epidemic of typhus and typhoid fever followed, with over one hundred cases of gangrene of different parts of the body, all resulting from the want and exposure to

which the prisoners had been subjected. Out of thirteen surgeons, eleven were sick, and seven died, while the mortality in the hospitals was necessarily great. An epitome of Surgeon Jarvis' field service is as follows: He served throughout Fremont's campaign in West Virginia, during which occurred the following engagements-McDowell, Franklin, Strasburg, Harrisonburg, Cross Keys, Port Re- public Bridge, through the fifteen days' retreat under Pope from the Rapidan, ending with the second battle of Bull Run ; in the Department of the South, at Morris Island, Fort Wagner, and Olustee; in Virginia with the Army of the James, in the siege around Petersburg and Richmond, during which the following engagements occurred-Chester Station, Bermuda Hundred, Deep Bottom, Deep Run, Chap- in's Farm, New Richmond, New Market Road, Darby Town Road, Charles City Road, and Fort Fisher.

An army life extending over so long a period of time, and through so many portions of the country, with such diversified service in the field, during and after battle, in the hospital, in camp, on sea and land, abounds naturally with interesting incidents and adventures, which would justly find place in a more extended biography. One incident, however, deserves especial mention. When the midnight boat attack was planned on Fort Gregg, the regular detail shrank from the exposure of taking surgical charge of what was regarded, and justly, as almost a forlorn hope. Dr. Jarvis volunteered for this service, and was placed in charge, receiving an official indorsement of his action from the gen- eral in command. After the battle of Olustee, when a retreat was ordered, and the wounded had to be hastily removed, the Doctor surrendered his horse to a wounded soldier, who would otherwise have been left on the field, and after a hard service as operating surgeon marched on foot for thirty miles. This circumstance was prominently dwelt upon in a story of the 7th Connecticut under the title, "At Olustee," written by a Hartford lady, in which the surgeon of the regiment is made a hero. Dr. Jarvis served honorably and with dis- tinction through the war, being mustered out July 20, 1865. His army record was notable for brav- ery and gallantry, as well as for skillful and reli- able surgery, as is shown in many places of trust and responsibility.

On the return of Dr. Jarvis from the war he settled in Hartford, Conn., and soon won a posi- tion as one of the leading surgeons in the State, receiving a large general and consultation practice. In July, 1877, he performed the first operation for appendicitis, and up to 1888 repeated the operation thirty-two times, twenty-eight cases successfully. ! Since 1888 he has operated frequently and sucess- fully. He was the pioneer in this department of surgery. The first successful operation in ovari- - otomy in Hartford was performed by Dr. Jarvis, the operation having been previously performed

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successfully elsewhere by the most eminent sur- geons of the profession, but invariably without suc- cess in Hartford. After a great deal of study into the cause of the failures he was led to the belief that lack of success was due to the impurity of the water, which his subsequent success proved to be the case. After careful study Dr. Jarvis devised an operation for the permanent cure of inguinal hernia, and has performed the operation successfully many times. At the time he supposed he was the origi- nator of this operation, but after seven consecu- tively successful cases he found that Dr. Halstead, of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and Dr. Bassini, of Padua, Italy, were doing the same op- eration.

In 1869 Dr. Jarvis was appointed examining surgeon for pensions, and on the organization of the board in Hartford was appointed its president, filling the office until 1884. For six years he was a member of the examining committee for conferring the degree at the Medical Intitution of Yale Col- lege, and relinquished the position through ill health. In 1870 he was appointed visiting surgeon to the Hartford Hospital. He has made contributions to medical and surgical literature, and to the societies of which he is a member.

On Feb. 8, 1866, Dr. Jarvis was married to Martha, daughter of George Gillum, of Portland, Conn., and the union was blesssed with one child, Martha Louise, who married Dr. C. E. Taft, of Hartford.

WILLIAM WALKER CARTER was a lineal descendant of Rev. Thomas Carter, of England, who, at the age of nineteen, graduated from St. John's College, Cambridge, England, residing in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. At the age of twenty-five years, on April 2, 1635, he sailed from London in "The Planter," destined to find a home and greater religious freedom in the New World. He took up his abode in Dedham, Watertown, and Woburn, respectively, and on Nov. 22, 1642, he was ordained pastor of the church in Woburn, with which he con- tinued his pastoral relations until his demise, Sept. 5, 1684. He had married Mary Dalton, who died March 28, 1687. Eight children were born to this marriage, as follows: Samuel (Rev.), born Aug. 8, 1640, died in 1693; Judith ; Theophilus, born June 12, 1645, died Feb. 15, 1649; Mary, born July 24, 1648, died in 1688; Abigail, born Jan. 10, 1649, was married in 1674; Deborah, born Sept. 15, 1651, died Dec. 14, 1667; Timothy, born June 12, 1653, died July 8, 1727 ; Thomas, born June 8, 1655.

Timothy Carter, our subject's great-great-grand- father, was married May 30, 1680, to Anna Fiske. Seven sons and six daughters were born to them, as follows : David, born Oct. 17, 1681, died May 22, 1736; Timothy, born July 12, 1683, died same year ; Anna, born July 17, 1684; Timothy, born Oct. 17. 1686, died in 1770; Theophilus, born Oct. 20. 1688; Thomas, born Aug. 14, 1690; Abigail, born

March 18, 1692; Sarah, born Nov. 24, 1694; Eliza- beth, born Aug. 27, 1696, died June 26, 1709; Ben- jamin, born March 22, 1699; Mary, born June 23, 1700; Martha, born July 22, 1702; Benjamin, born Nov. 18, 1704, died Aug. 3, 1806.

Benjamin Carter, the great-grandfather, was born in Woburn, Mass., Nov. 18, 1704, and passed into the other life in Ward, Mass., Aug. 3, 1806, rounding out more than a century of active life in this world. He married Sarah Stone, and to them were born five children : Sarah, born May 13, 1736, died at the age of eighty years ; Timothy, born Dec. I, 1738, died July 30, 1784; Mary, born April I, 1741, died May 12, 1823; Abigail, born April 10, 1745; Benjamin, born Oct. 11, 1747.

Timothy Carter was born in Sutton, Mass., Dec. I, 1738. He was an architect, directing his ener- gies principally to the planning and building of meeting-houses ; and it was while engaged in his life work, on a house of worship in the town of Leicester, Mass., that he fell, sustaining injuries which proved fatal. He had married Sarah Walker, who was born Oct. 24, 1735, and six children were born to them: Timothy, born Nov. 27, 1768, in Sutton, Mass., died Feb. 25, 1845; Sally, born Oct. 10, 1770, died April 19, 1858; John, born Oct. 29, 1771, died in July, 1852; Abigail, born Nov. 19, 1773, died Oct. 9, 1851 ; Luther, born Aug. 10, 1779, died March 24, 1844; Elias, born May 30, 1781, died March 23, 1864.

Luther Carter, the father of William Walker Carter, was born in Ward, Mass., and died in Bris . tol, on the date previously stated. He inherited designing and constructive ability from his father, and extensively pursued the vocation of builder and carpenter. He was quite popular, and active in the religious and musical development of his city. As a singer his services were much sought, and his mu- sical compositions are considerable. He was a member of the Congregational Church. He mar- ried Ruth Fay, born in Brimfield, Mass., Feb. 8, 1780, who died in Monson, Mass., Nov. 1, 1832. The following children were born to them: Tim- othy, born July 10, 1805, died Sept. 10, 1838; Minerva, born June 15, 1807, died Jan. 20, 1877 ; Sarah Fairbanks, born Feb. 10, 1810, is still living with W. E. Sessions in Bristol ; Luther Fay, born Feb. 29, 1812, died March 11, 1884; William Walk- er, our subject, born in Monson, Mass., July 9, 1816, died Aug. 23, 1893; Charles Lawson, born Feb. I, 1818, died June 10, 1886. Our subject's father married, for his second wife, Ruby Sherer, of Palmer, Mass. She died in her native city, Palmer.

This retrospective glance into the life and his- tory of the Carter family gives us a better concep- tion of the sterling qualities latent in the child who was born in the quiet New England town July 9, 1816. As the years passed, and opportunities pre- sented themselves for the demonstration of ability, perseverance and energy, the Puritan virtues in the lad arose and met the exigencies of the occasion, and

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developed the ripe manhood manifested in the life of William Walker Carter. When nineteen years old his father gave him his time, and he went to Hartford and entered the employ of G. W. Bar- tholomew, at Polkville (now Edgewood ), at cabinet work when twenty-one. In 1838 he went West, collecting for William Case, the famous clock manu- facturer of Canton. The absence of the rapid trans- portation facilities of the present day called into requisition the use of a horse to carry the young collector from place to place, and the healthful exer- cise of riding horseback did much to strengthen his physical constitution.

Returning, in 1841, Mr. Carter was married to Miss Clarissa Barnes, of Southampton, Mass., daughter of Amos and Esther Danks Barnes, July 20, of the same year. Mr. and Mrs. Carter went to housekeeping the following year on North Main street, Bristol. They joined the Methodist Church soon after the old church was built, where the Ad- vent church now stands, and when the new church was built they took a letter and joined the Advent Church, continuing to worship in the old edifice, which was bought by Mr. Carter, Lawson Wood- ing and H. A. Warner, Mr. Carter paying for more than half of the church, which they opened to the Advent people. He took an active interest in the affairs of the church, to which he contributed lib- erally.

In 1891 Mr. and Mrs. Carter's golden wedding was celebrated at their Sachem's Head cottage, by their neighbors and friends. Mr. Carter died at his cottage home Aug. 23, 1893, at the age of sev- enty-seven years. The remains were brought to Bristol for interment. His widow is still living at the home, where she has resided for over fifty years, and is now in her eighty-seventh year, hav- ing been born Aug. 18, 1814. Mrs. Carter is a very devout member of the Advent Christian Church. The marriage was without issue.

Mr. Carter engaged in the clock business until 1870. He worked at clock-making for Chauncey Boardman, the E. Ingraham Co., J. C. Brown, of Forestville, and Chauncey Jerome, in Ansonia, and in 1865 was associated with his brother, Luther Car- ter, making calendar clocks, in the building now used as a tenement, on the lot at the corner of North Main and North streets. This enterprise for about five years was very prosperous, and he acquired a good property. During the last twenty years of his life he was not engaged in active business be- yond caring for his investments. Mr. Carter was a very thoughtful man in every way. Aside from his clock business, he found time to attend to many enterprises for the good of humanity and the pub- lic weal. He was one of the incorporators of the Bristol Savings Bank, filled the position of vice- president, and was also a member of the board of trustees. His business push and executive ability were recognized by his townsmen in his election to the office of first selectman for several years, in

which he rendered valuable service in the manage- ment of public affairs. In politics Mr. Carter was a stanch Democrat until after the Civil war, when he became a liberal thinker. He was a member of the Odd Fellows. He was broadminded in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his country and human- ity, and gave liberally to everything of a deserving nature.

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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 44

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