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 50

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 50

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wrote the poet, and the world everywhere recognizes the justice of a season of rest following an active period of business life. Mr. Flower is now living retired at his pleasant home on Fern street, West Hartford, and his history is one that shows the accomplishment of well-directed labor.

Our subject was born in West Springfield, Mass., Aug. 7, 1815, and comes from a long-lived race, his grandfather, Timothy Flower, being ninety-two years of age at the time of his death. Not know- ing the date of birth of our subject, one would hardly guess him to be over seventy years of age at the present time. His parents, Spencer and Rosanna (McIntyre) Flower, were lifelong residents of West Springfield, where the father was engaged in wagon manufacturing and blacksmithing. In their family were eight children : Hannah, who died at the age of ninety years ; Julia, a resident of Iowa; Nancy, who died in 1882; Spencer Lee, our subject ; Cornelius, who died in 1888; Homer, deceased ; Henry, a resi- dent of Iowa; and Lester, deceased.

Our subject acquired his education in the schools of West Springfield, Mass., and remained in his native town until fifteen years of age, when he came to Hartford and clerked in the general mercantile store of Nathaniel Eggleston for about ten years. He then formed a partnership with John G. Litch- field and engaged in the grocery business on Asylum street, under the firm name of Litchfield & Flower. When Mr. Litchfield retired W. P. Williams became junior member of the firm of Flower & Williams, and he was in turn succeeded by E. H. Hills, the name being then changed to Flower & Hills. In 1875 Mr. Flower retired from the business, which is still conducted under the firm style of Hills & Co. For thirty-six years Mr. Flower resided on Pleas- ant street, Hartford, but in 1890 he erected his present residence on Fern street, West Hartford, into which he moved in 1891.

For his first wife Mr. Flower married Miss Har- riet, daughter of Dr. Charles Greenleaf, a former well-known dentist of Hartford, and to them were born three children: Charles, who died at the age of twenty-three years; Harriet, who died at the age of twenty-two; and Charles, who died in in- fancy. In Thompsonville, Conn., he was again mar- ried, in November, 1883, his second union being with Mrs. Louise (Terry) Price.

Since 1843 Mr. Flower has been an active and prominent member of the Fourth Church of Hart- ford, and served as its librarian for eighteen years, and treasurer for thirteen years. He is a member of the Governor's Foot Guard Veteran Corps, also a member of the Harrison Veterans of 1840. His in- fluence is always found on the side of right, and in many respects his life is well worthy of emulation. In political sentiment he is a Republican.

WILLIAM ROGERS (deceased). in his day a man of energy and sterling business principles, widely known throughout this section, especially in the silver trade, was a native of Connecticut, born in Hartford, Nov. 15, 1833.

William Rogers, father of cur subject, was a member of the original world-renowned firm of Rogers Bros., manufacturers of silverware, and the first in Hartford. Later he removed to Meriden, whee he conducted business for a time, and then re- turned to Hartford, residing there up to the time of his death, Feb. 17. 1873. He was a successful busi- ness man, and one of the most prominent and best known in the city. In 1831 he married Nancy Wil- son, by whom he had a large family, and who died at the age of seventy years. [Further facts in regard to William Rogers, Sr., will be found in the sketch of F. Willson Rogers.]

William Rogers, whose name introduces these lines, received his education at the common schools of Hartford, and at the age of sixteen commenced to learn the trade of silversmith under his father's direction. He then took a position in the establish- ment as shipping clerk, and continued with his fa-

ImRogers

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ther up to the latter's death, when he took charge of the business, and conducted same until his decease. For several years he was also connected with the firm of Simpson, Hall & Miller, of Meriden, and had control of the output of the goods in a branch known as "flat ware." He died June 21, 1897, at the age of sixt-four years, leaving a widow and one son.

On October 29, 1866, Mr. Rogers married Lucy J. Ramsey, who was born in Hartford, a daughter of Jonathan and Lucy M. (Briggs) Ramsey, the for- mer for many years one of the leading musicians of that city. One son, Frederick William, was born of this union. Mrs. Rogers has inherited her father's musical talent, being an accomplished vocalist, and has sung in the leading churches of Hartford for over a quarter of a century, taking the part of first soprano.

GEORGE H. MITCHELL, late secretary and treasurer of the E. N. Welch Manufacturing Co., at Forestville, with which corporation his active business career of forty years was passed, was one of the town's substantial men and influential citizens.

Mr. Mitchell was born Nov. 12, 1835, in the town of Bristol, descending on both sides from an historic ancestry. William Mitchell, his great- grandfather, was a native of Scotland, born in 1748, and when a young man came to this country, locat- ing in Bristol. This was prior to the war of the Revolution. He espoused the cause of the Colonies, and fought in the Continental army in that historic struggle. He reared a large family, several of the sons becoming men of great force of character, who in turn transmitted their qualities to their children, some of whom became men of mark, of State and National reputation. S. Augustus Mitchell, the geographer, was a son of William Mitchell, the emigrant; another son of William, and the grandfather of our subject, was Hon. George Mitchell, of Bristol, a man of prominence and in- fluence in the town, who represented the district in the State Senate, and was conspicuously identified with the town's history. This George Mitchell's son, George H. Mitchell, brings us down to the fa- ther of the subject of this sketch.

On his mother's side, she being formerly Miss Lurene, daughter of Hon. Ira Hooker (who served five terms in the General Assembly of the State), our subject is a lineal descendant of Rev. Thomas Hooker, an historic character and divine of the Colonial period of New England and Connecticut ; and also from Capt. Thomas Willet, one of the "Pilgrim Fathers," a magistrate and captain of militia at Plymouth, a participant in the capture of New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, and the first mayor of New York City under English rule.

George H. Mitchell, our subject proper, was reared and educated in Bristol, where he attended the public schools. He was carly thrown upon his own resources, which developed self-reliance and

inspired confidence and ambition. When a young man, in 1858, he was married to H. Donsilla, daugh- ter of the late Hon. Elisha N. Welch, of Bristol, became at once interested in the E. N. Welch Manu- facturing Co., at Forestville, and remained through life an active official of that corporation. He was long its secretary and treasurer, and on the death of Mr. Welch, in 1887, became its active manager, and so remained until his own death, which oc- curred March 6, 1896. The plant is one of the leading clock manufacturing concerns in the coun- try, and for upward of forty years has made clocks for the home and foreign market. The entire plant now includes five separate factories, located in the village of Forestville. The duties of Mr. Mitch- ell through all of the years of his connection with it were arduous, but were ever ably, efficiently and satisfactorily performed.

Mr. Mitchell was a musician of high order, music being his forte, and as an organist, singer and leader of a church choir he had few equals, as the thousands who listened to Mitchell's Quintette in the Park Church and the Pearl Street Church of Hartford will remember. Through his own unremitting efforts and study he was entitled to great credit for his musical ability. To him music was truly the art of arts, and in the realm of the noblest music he had genius. His carly taste led him to the violin and brass instruments, and to the arrangement and composition of classical band music. But those who knew him and felt his musical power will remember him for the remark- ably spiritual conception which he had of sacred ·music. Whether presiding at the organ or lead- ing his unique and well-known Quintette, he had the faculty of producing a beautiful combination of harmony, wherein were blended pathos and suppli- cation, penitence and joy, hope and tears, worship and praise. In the sphere of church music he was the leading spirit in Hartford for twenty-five years. He stood alone as master of Quintette music. His spacious music room at his beautiful home in Forest- ville was well stored, at the time of his death, with his choice and unpublished musical compositions, and they remain as he left them. He shrank from publication, for to him music was art. If his work as a musician does not survive on the printed page, it will survive in the souls of those who drew from him the inspiration of their musical careers. Dur- ing the last two years of his life he had charge of a Quintette in the Bristol Baptist Church, of which he was a member. In his earlier life he led the music of the church for a number of years. He was a man whose soul was responsive to all that was beat- tiful. While by scrupulous choice he kept the circle of his intimate friendship limited, he easily won and held friends. Ile was generally liked by all who came in contact with him, though to some he seemed almost imperious in temperament, but those nearest him knew how tender his heart really was. Mr. Mitchell's funeral was largely attended, and

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the services were impressive ; included in the music was a dirge composed by the deceased, and rendered by J. Willard Parsons, of New Britain.

When, in 1862, the news reached Forestville of the battle of Antietam, and the death of Capt. Man- ross, the brilliant Yale professor, and favorite of his native village and town, and that the body would be brought to Bristol for interment, Mr. Mitchell in one night composed the dirge which was used at that time. This dirge was used a number of times at the funerals of soldiers, but as it was never printed it gradually fell into disuse. Mr. Mitchell left a widow and two children.

GOODWIN BROTHERS are extensive manu- facturers of pottery ware at Elmwood, Hartford Co., Connecticut.

Of all trades that of the potter is perhaps the oldest. Among all people, from the earliest dawn of time until the present day, vessels have been fash- ioned from clay and burned in the fire, and are con- tinually being found in many countries as records of people long since forgotten. Without the ar- ticles fashioned of clay that have been discovered in ancient lands, and that have been for ages waiting the historian, all knowledge of many races of men would have been forever lost. The useful character of the products has always made the potter's trade one of the most honorable of callings, while its con- tributions to the history of past ages have gained it almost a reverence among scientists. Not only does the antiquity of pottery command attention, but the further fact that during all the centuries that have passed, since the habitation of the globe until within a few years, the mode of production has been prac- tically the same. The potters of the days of the Pharaohs, those earlier, and those of the present time, have used the same methods, the same imple- ments, the same tools, and the same power for the manufacture of their wares, with little or no change except in form or decoration. In tracing the early history of the industry in Connecticut, we find that the enterprise known as Goodwin Brothers Pottery Co. was instituted as early as 1832 by the late Har- vey Goodwin, the father of the present officers of the company. From 1832 until 1872 flower pots were the principal products of the works. At the latter date, however, Harvey Goodwin's three sons became identified with the enterprise, and from that time on it may be said to have taken on its greatest activity, and developed into the largest and most im- portant establishment of the kind in the country. The plant is conveniently situated on the line of the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad, with which it is connected by side tracks, and contains an inexhaustible supply of what is said to be the finest clay in the country for the class of goods turned out, and the company furnish employment to sev- enty-five workmen. The products, which are manu- factured under most favorable conditions, are the standard of excellence, and of a particularly high

order of merit, and comprise flower pots of all kinds, shapes and sizes, handsomely decorated jar- dinieres, lamps, cuspidors, umbrella stands, lawn vases, hanging baskets, novelties in money banks, jugs, mantel vases, and a wide range of useful and ornamental articles in small vases, etc. These goods are supplied to the trade in all parts of the United States, a branch office being maintained at No. 55 Park Place, New York, and also one in Chicago. The officers of the company are H. B. Goodwin, president; W. E. Goodwin, secretary; and N. E. Goodwin, treasurer.

The Goodwin Brothers trace their ancestry back to (I) Ozias Goodwin, who became a resident of Hartford in 1639, and died before April, 1683. He wedded Mary Woodward, daughter of Robert Woodward, of Braintree, England. They had three children: William, born in 1629; Nathaniel, born in 1637; and Hannah, born in 1639.

(II) William Goodwin, the eldest of this fam- ily, was made a freeman May 21, 1657, was a chim- ney viewer in 1662, 1665 and 1671, and died Oct. 15, 1689. He had three children : Susannah, Will- iam and Nathaniel.

(III) Nathaniel Goodwin, son of William, was a shoemaker, and was deacon of the First Church in Hartford from March, 1734, to 1847. He mar- ried Mehitable Porter, who was born Sept. 15, 1673, a daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Stanley) Por- ter, of Hadley, Mass. She died Feb. 6, 1726, and his death occurred in November, 1747. Their children were Mehitable, Hezekiah, Benedicta, Isaac, Abra- ham, Stephen, Eleazer, Joanna, Ruth, Alice and Nathaniel.

(IV) Isaac Goodwin, son of Nathaniel, was baptized Nov. 10, 1695. He resided in West Hart- ford, and was grand juror in 1741 and selectman in 1742. He married (first) Hannah Morgan, who was born Nov. 24, 1703, a daughter of Thomas and Rachel Morgan, and (second) Ruth Gaylord, who was born Oct. 18, 1704, a daughter of William and Hope Gaylord, of Hartford. He died Aug. 15, 1766, and his second wife died in May, 1773. The names and dates of birth of his children, so far as known, are : Sarah, Jan. 29, 1721 ; Mehitable, March 30, 1723; Anna, May 16, 1725: Morgan, Feb. 4, 1728; Deliverance; Isaac, April, 1733; Uriah, May II, 1735; Ebenezer, Oct. 30, 1737; and Ebenezer (2) May 29, 1743. Only the last named was by the second marriage.

(V) Ebenezer Goodwin was born in New Hart- ford May 29, 1743, and in 1762 he received from his grandfather, William Gaylord, fifty-seven acres of land in the town of New Hartford, Litchfield Co., Conn., whither he removed, becoming one of its leading citizens. He was a member of the commit- tee of inspection in 1775 and 1776: and a member of the Ecclesiastical Society from 1780 to 1796. He married Anne Webster, daughter of Isaac Webster, of West Hartford. He died May 18. 1810, and she died Jan. 8, 1835. They had twelve children, names

Harvey Goodwin

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and dates of birth being as follows: Ruth, June 3, 1764; Ebenezer, June 10, 1766; Lucy, July 18, 1768; James, Sept. 4, 1770 ; Seth, Aug. 12, 1772; William, Jan. 5, 1775; William (2) Oct. 15, 1776; Norman, Jan. 16, 1778; Pitts, Jan. 28, 1779; Horace, Feb. 12, 1781 ; l'olly, Oct. 8, 1782; and Amanda, Oct. 15, 1783.

(VI) Pitts Goodwin, born Jan. 28, 1779, in New Hartford, was the grandfather of our sub- ject. Ile followed farming in that town during his active business career, and with two exceptions slept in the same room every night throughout life. He sang in the church choir for over sixty years. In 1801 he married Miriam Gilbert, a daughter of Joseph Gilbert, of Litchfield. She died Dec. II, 1821, and on Dec. 25, 1822, he married Jerusha Fyler, a daughter of Ulysses Fyler, of Torrington, Conn. He died Aug. 2, 1864, and she departed this life Aug. 2, 1875. All of his children were by the first marriage, namely : Harvey, father of our sub- ject ; Nancy, born Nov. 4, 1804; Miriam W., born March 5, 1806; Urania, born in 1808; Sherman, born Feb. 23, 1810; and Joseph, born in 1812.

(VII) HARVEY GOODWIN was born in New Hartford Aug. 17, 1802, and in that town was reared and educated. In 1823 he removed to Tor- ringford, where he engaged in farming and brick- making until 1827, when he came to West Hartford, Hartford county. Here he worked in a brickyard for a time, and in 1832 erected a pottery in Elmwood and engaged in the manufacture of glazed carthen- ware until 1872, when he transferred the business to his sons. On March 18, 1832, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Sedgwick, who was born Jan. 31, 1806, a daughter of Timothy and Lucy (Braman) Sedgwick, of West Hartford, and died April 18, 1843. By that union there were two chil- dren : Ann Amelia, born May 5, 1834, who married Samuel P. Burnham; and Lucy Sedgwick, born Sept. 25, 1836, who died Aug. 5, 1840. Mr. Good- win was again married, Feb. 2, 1845, his second union being with Miss Frances Adelia Elmore, who was born March 31, 1814, a daughter of Moses and Eunice (Burnham) Elmore, of South Windsor, Conu. To them were born four children: Harvey Burdett, Nov. 30, 1845; Wilbur Elmore, July 17, 1847: Newell Elton, Aug. 25, 1849; and Clarence B., Jan. 6, 1853. The father was an carnest member of the Congregational Church, his second wife of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and they were high- ly respected and esteemed by all who knew them. He died June 11, 1895, and she passed away Nov. 8, 1897. Mr. Goodwin was ever a temperate man, and, although he lived to be past ninety, retained his faculties to an unusual degree, his eyesight being es- pecially remarkable. He voted for Jackson for President.

(VIII) H. BURDETTE GOODWIN, president of the pottery company, was educated in the schools of West Hartford and Hartford, and when a small boy commenced working for his father in the pottery.

He is a member of Wyllys Lodge, No. 99, F. & A. M. On June 10, 1885, he married Miss Annie Bramley, who was born in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England, Oct. 4, 1862, a daughter of John B. and Martha (Jepson ) Bramley, and they have five chil- dren : Frances Catherine, born June 12, 1886; Wal- lace Burdette, June 17, 1889; Harvey, Sept. 5, 1890; Margaret Argyle, Aug. 8, 1894; and Shirley Bram- ley, Nov. 6, 1899.

(IX) WILBUR E. GOODWIN was born in Elm- wood, has spent his entire life there, and was edu- cated in the district schools and a business college of Hartford. After completing his education he worked for his father until 1872 when the three elder sons formed the firm of Goodwin Brothers, and have since been successfully engaged in the pottery business. They are now at the head of one of the inost important industries of the country, and are numbered among its most enterprising and progres- sive business men. Our subject takes quite an active and prominent part in public affairs, and has been called upon to serve in many town offices. He was for several years a selectman; has been a member of the school board many years, and postmaster at Elmwood since 1873. Since attaining his majority he has been a member of Wyllys Lodge, No. 99, F. & A. M., and in social as well as business circles he is quite popular. Mr. Goodwin was married, in Hartford, Sept. 24, 1874, to Miss Ella J. Waters, a daughter of Henry Waters, and to them were born four children, namely: Maud Elmore, Oct. 27, 1875; Herman Wilbur, Oct. 24, 1877 (died March 17, 1878) ; Roy Wilbur, July 5, 1880; and Florence Ella, April 30, 1886.

CORNELIUS WASHINGTON PECK, an honored and highly-respected citizen of Kensing- ton, who is now living retired from active labor, was born there, on the old homestead in district No. 2, Feb. 22, 1820. The family residence, built many years ago, remained standing until 1872, when it was torn down and replaced by a more modern structure, into which our subject moved May 20, of that year. On April 1, 1897, his home was burned to the ground, and the fire is supposed to have been of an incendiary nature, as it started under the woodshed. Since then he has found a pleasant home with his daughter, Mrs. Hutchison.

Mr. Peck is of English descent, and is a de- scendant of Deacon Paul Peck, who is supposed to have been born in the County of Essex, England, in 1608, and to have come to this country on the ship "Defense," in 1635. He remained probably in Bos- ton, Mass., or that vicinity until 1636, when he came to Hartford with Rev. Thomas Hooker and his friends. His name is in the list of proprietors of Ilartford in 1639, and from the records of the town it appears that he became one of the leading men. His residence is said to have been upon what is now Washington street, not far from Trinity College, the site of which is still called the l'eck lot

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by the old residents there. He was a deacon in the Congregational Church from 1681 until his death, which occurred Dec. 23, 1695. His will, which is upon the probate records, was dated June 25, 1695, and proved Jan. 15, 1696. It is quite lengthy, and is of interest in its details and de- scription of his property. His inventory amounted to £536, 5 shillings.

Samuel Peck, the great-great-grandfather of our subject, who settled in Middletown (now Berlin), Hartford county, married, March 6, 1701, Abigail Collier, daughter of Joseph Collier. She died Oct. 28, 1742, and he died Dec. 9, 1765. The great- grandfather was Samuel Peck, a resident of Ber- lin, where he died Aug. 25, 1784. He was married, Jan. 10, 1725, to Thankful Winchell, who died Jan. 6, 1762. The grandfather, who also bore the name of Samuel Peck, made his home in Berlin, where he died July 18, 1802. He was first married, March 3. 1757, to Ruth Hopkins ; his second wife, Sarah, he married March 31, 1773; and for his third wife he wedded Abigail Lattimer, Dec. 7, 1775.

Edward Peck, father of our subject, was born Nov. 21, 1776, and died March 11, 1834. His first wife, Sarah Langdon, he married March 23, 1802, and on Aug. 8, 1816, he married Polly Williams, mother of our subject. Edward Peck was a car- penter and cabinetmaker by trade, and was quite extensively engaged in the manufacture of coffins. He was a very early riser and hard worker. He was a good-natured man, always jovial and kind- hearted, but was very strict with his sons. He attended the Congregational Church very regularly, but the mother of our subject was a member of the Baptist Church of New Britain.

Cornelius W. Peck pursued his studies in the Fourth District school of Kensington, and was reared to agricultural pursuits upon the home farm. comprising sixty acres, which was divided between the four sons on the death of the father, when our subject, now the only survivor, was fourteen years of age. His brother Asahel operated the farm for one year, and then each took his own share. About 1845 our subject went South, and for four years traveled through North and South Carolina, selling dry goods, clocks, shoes, tinware, etc. In younger years he was very strong, and up to the time he was seventy years of age he could hold 355 pounds on his legs while in a sitting position, his feet not resting on anything, and could jump up and strike his feet together three times without an effort!

On March 22, 1848, Mr. Peck was united in marriage with Miss Lucy Ann Hale, of South Glastonbury, Conn., who though rather delicate was always a great worker, and proved to her husband a faithful helpmeet. She was born Aug. 24, 1827, a daughter of Josiah and Fannie Maria (Bidwell) Hale, and died Nov. 16, 1896. To Mr. and Mrs. Peck were born two children, namely: (1) Ellen Mary Peck, born Feb. 5. 1849, was married, April 7. 1870, to Levi Ward Hutchinson, who at that time

was a joiner and housebuilder of Meriden, but at present is engaged in farming. He was born in East Orange, Vt., Aug. 20, 1832, and at one time was a large land owner in that State. His parents, Jerry and Sallie (Ward) Hutchinson, are both now deceased, the former dying June 20, 1887, at the age of eighty-nine years, the latter in January, 1887, at the age of eighty-four. Their remains were in- terred in East Orange, Vt. Levi W, and Ellen M. (Peck) Hutchinson have one son, Walter Frank- lin, born May 14, 1871. He is a fine workman at the printer's trade, being a master of the "art pre- servative of all the arts," but is at present running a "bicycle rest" in Kensington. On Sept. 20, 1898, he was married to Miss Lulu Tunnell, who was born Jan. 30, 1874, in Pulaski, Tenn., a daughter of Mar- cus and Mary Tunnell. (2) Edward Josiah Peck, only son of our subject, was born May 1, 1851, and engaged in business as a joiner and carpenter for several years, but is now employed in the Wilcox & White organ factory, of Meriden. He married Ellen Priscilla Stevens, a daughter of Henry Ste- vens, of Westfield, Mass., and to them have come two children-Harriet Lucy, who was born Feb. 4, 1882, and died Nov. 10, 1888; and Henry Cornelius, born May 12, 1890.

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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 50

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