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 70

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 70

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In March, 1636, James Morgan and two younger brothers, John and Miles, sailed from Bristol, Eng- land, and arrived in Boston, Mass., in April fol- lowing. James Morgan, who was born in Wales in 1607, first settled in Roxbury, Mass. His father, so says tradition, was William of Llandaff, Gla- morganshire, Wales. The family appear to have removed from Llandaff to Bristol, England, prob- ably a few years prior to 1636. John Morgan set- tled in Virginia, so says tradition, and Miles, born in 1615, on his arrival at Boston, or soon after, joined a party of emigrants, mostly from Roxbury, of whom Col. William Pyncheon was at the head, and founded the settlement of Springfield, Massa- chusetts.

(1) James Morgan was born in Wales in 4607, and died in 1685. He was distinguished in pub- lic enterprises, and nine times chosen a member of the Colonial Assembly. In 1640 he married Mar- gery Hill, of Roxbury, Mass. His children, all except the youngest probably born in Roxbury, were : llamar, James, John, Joseph, Abraham, and a daughter that died unnamed.

(11) Capt. John Morgan, son of James, born in 1645, married ( first) in 1665 Rachel Dymond, daughter of John, and ( second ) Widow Elizabeth Williams, daughter of Lieut .- Gov. William Jones,

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of New Haven, and a granddaughter of Theophilus Eaton. Capt. John Morgan died in Preston in 1712. He was a prominent public man, was Indian Commissioner and adviser, deputy to the General Court in 1690 from New London, and in 1693-94 from Preston. The children by Rachel were : John, Samuel, Isaac, Hannah, Mercy, Sarah and James. The children by Elizabeth were: Elizabeth, Will- iam, Racnel, Andrew, Margery, Joseph, Theophilus and Mary.

(III) William Morgan, son of Capt. John, born in 1693, married, in 1716, Mary Avery, daughter of Capt. James Avery, Jr., of Groton ; William died in 1729, and his wife Mary died in 1780. Their chil- dren were: Mary, Elizabeth, Margaret, William, Deborah and Prudence.

(IV) Capt. Willianı Morgan, son of William, born in 1723, married in 1744 Temperance Avery, daughter of Col. Christopher Avery, and great- granddaughter of Capt. James Avery (I), of Groton, and died there in 1777 ; Temperance, his wife, died in 1801. Their children were: William, Christopher, Temperance, William Avery, Israel, Mary, Simeon, Prudence, Rebecca and Jacob.

(V) Capt. William Avery Morgan, son of Capt. William, and the father of Nathaniel H. Morgan, was a sergeant in the Colonial army in the war of the Revolution, and was present at the battle of Bunker Hill. He was born in 1754, and married (first) in 1776 Lydia Smith, daughter of Samuel Smith, of Groton. She died in 1804, and he married (second ) in 1804 Sarah Harris, daughter of Capt. Nathaniel Harris, of Colchester. Capt. Morgan settled in Groton, where eleven of his children were born, then in 1796 moved to Colchester (now Salem), and. again, to Lebanon, in 1814, and died there in 1842. Sarah, his widow, a woman of rare mental endowments, died in Hartford in 1855. There were born to Capt. Morgan seventeen children-thirteen to the first and four to the second marriage-all of whom except two lived to mature age and became heads of families. The children by Lydia were : William, Griswold, Avery, Jasper, Lydia, Nathan, Betsey, Denison, Nancy, Phoebe, Lucy Rebecca and Charlotte ; those by Sarah were: Nathaniel Harris, Sarah M., Griswold and Harriet.

From the preceding sketches of a number of the Hartford and New England Morgans, with the genealogy of the family, it will be seen that the Morgans from the very beginning of the settlement of New England took an active and leading part in business and public affairs, and from generation to generation have maintained those positions.

Nathaniel Harris Morgan was born June 8, 1805, in Salem, Conn., and at the age of eight years went with his parents to Lebanon. In later youth he became a sailor; was commander of a vessel at twenty-one, and for some years thereafter was in the West India trade : later on for some years he was engaged in merchandising. In 1830 he lo- cated in Hartford, and for many years was in the

public service of the city, serving in several positions of trust and honor, among them those of alderman, city sheriff, judge of city court, first selectman, school superintendent, city warden, twelve years. On the organization of the Phoenix Insurance Co. Mr. Morgan was chosen the first president. He served as State commissioner on tax laws and taxa- tion ; was president of the board of trustees of the Hartford Home. He was a man of ability, and most ably and satisfactorily performed the duties of the numerous positions placed in his keeping. In his earlier years he contributed largely to the columns of the "New England Review," when the journal was edited by George D. Prentice and, later, by the poet John G. Whittier. Mr. Morgan was possessed of a philosophical turn of mind, was fluent in con- versation, well versed in passing events and the lit- erature of the past. He was the author of the genealogy of the Morgan family published in 1869, also of the genealogy of the Harris family, in 1878, besides a history of the town of Lebanon, and as a citizen he was highly esteemed. He died July 12, 1881.

On May 4, 1830, Mr. Morgan was married to Harriet E. Saxton, born Nov. 19, 1807, a daughter of Nathaniel and Fanny ( Chamberlin) Saxton, of Lebanon, Conn. To this marriage were born chil- dren as follows: Nathaniel Saxton, referred to far- ther on; Harriet E., who died April 28, 1863; and Mary H., who married Dr. S. B. St. John, of Hart- ford, a sketch of whom follows.

Nathaniel Saxton Morgan, son of Nathaniel Harris Morgan, was born Feb. 15, 1833, in Hart- ford, Conn. At the age of sixteen years he began life as a sailor, and during the Civil war he served in the United States navy, making an admirable record. He was Executive officer and, after- wards, Commander of the U. S. ship "Relief," Ex- ecutive Officer of the U. S. steamship "Tacony" at the bombardment and recapture of Plymouth, N. C., Oct. 31, 1864, and also at the famous bom- bardment and capture of Fort Fisher, Dec. 24-25, 1864, and Jan. 13-14-15, 1865. Subsequently he was commander of the U. S. steamship "Ascutney." He died in April, 1893. On July 25, 1858, he mar- ried Emma E. Kellogg, daughter of Capt. Will- iam Kellogg, of East Hartford, Conn., and their children were as follows: William H., died July 23, 1879; Nathaniel K .; and Chencey H., died March 2, 1864.

SAMUEL BENEDICT ST. JOHN, M. D., Hartford, is a native of Ohio, born July 24, 1845, in Hudson, Summit county, of historic Revolutionary stock. His mother's grandfather, Brig .- Gen. Joseph Pearse Palmer, was one of the "Indians" that held the famous "Boston tea party," and was a son of Maj .- Gen. Joseph Palmer. His father's grandfather was also an officer of the Revolution, and was at one time imprisoned on the British ships at Brooklyn.

Samuel St. John, father of Samuel B., was prom- inently identified with early collegiate education

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in the Western Reserve, where he was a professor, also in the Cleveland Medical College, and in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. He married Amelia Palmer Cranch Curtis, and had children as follows : Walter, Eliza. Samuel and George. The father of these died in 1876, the mother in 1856.

Dr. Samuel Benedict St. John received his earlier education in part at the public schools of Cleveland, Ohio, and New Canaan, Conn .; then attended Yale College, where he was graduated in the class of '66, and after a course at the Columbia College of Physi- cians and Surgeons, New York, was, in 1870, gradu- ated with the degree of M. D). He had considerable experience as an interne in various New York hos- pitals, and subsequently, from 1872 to 1874, took a course at each of the following institutions in Europe: the University of Berlin, the University of Vienna, and the eye hospitals of Paris and Lon- don. in order to fit himself thoroughly for his profes- sion. The early positions he held, during his period of study, are a fair indication of his ability : He was house surgeon in the Manhattan Eye and Ear Hos- pital. New York, in 1869; house surgeon at Bellevue Medical Hospital, in 1870; and assistant demon- strator of Anatomy and instructor of Chemistry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, in 1871.

Dr. St. John's official positions have been many : From 1883 to 1888 he was secretary of the Connec- ticut State Medical Society ; since 1888 he has been Secretary of the American Ophthalmological So- ciety : since 1896 Ophthalmic and Aural surgeon to he Hartford Hospital : and since 1897 consulting surgeon to St. Francis Hospital.

Dr. St. John is a member of the following : Con- iccticut State Medical Society, Hartford County Medical Society, Hartford Medical Society, New York Ophthalmological Society, New England Ophthalmological Society, New York Academy of Medicine, American Ophthalmological Society, American Otological Society, and of the Colonial Club of Hartford, and County Club of Farming- on. He is a member of the board of directors of he Hartford Public Library, also for fifteen years director of its predecessor, the Subscription Li- rary. and was the first president of the present brarv.

It will thus be seen that, by the above named onnections with his profession, and with the social nd other life of Hartford and Connecticut, gener- Ilv. the Doctor's activity has been, and is, honorable nd highly appreciated.

In 1882 Dr. Samuel B. St. John married Mary Harris Morgan, as above related. They have two aughters : Elsa Morgan and Helen Curtis.

EDWARD PRINDLE WOODWARD, M. D., ne of the oldest and most experienced practicing hvsicians of Bristol, was born in Litchfield, Conn .. eb. 5. 1837, and comes from a family of medical

professional men. His grandfather, Reuben Sher- man Woodward, was a physician, and practiced principally in Watertown, Litchfield county; he stood six feet two inches in height, was of a modest, retiring disposition, a man of sound judgment, and of great skill in practice. His death took place when Dr. Edward P. Woodward was nine years old.

Dr. Asa Curtis Woodward, father of Dr. Ed- ward P. Woodward, was born in Watertown June 20, 1812, and married Miss Amanda Warner, who was born June 14, 1812, in Plymouth, Conn., daugh- ter of Eliel Warner, a farmer, and died Dec. 29, 1889. Dr. Asa C. Woodward was an active and ardent Jeffersonian Democrat, but never seemed to be ambitious for the holding of office, working for the success of his party for principle's sake only. He was one of the most successful physicians of his day, and died, a greatly respected citizen, May 30, 1882, his remains now lying at rest in Bethany. To his marriage with Amanda Warner were born five children, of whom four are still living, as fol- lows: George W., a farmer residing on the old homestead in Bethany, who married Margaret Sperry, and has one daughter, Lydia A .; Dr. Ed- ward P .; Rosette Amanda, who made it her life work to care for her mother; and Kate Emeline, who married Frederick H. Brown, senior partner of the wholesale and retail firm of Brown & Dur- ham, of New Haven.

Dr. Edward P. Woodward began his attendance at school at a very early age, as he was a pupil in the Litchfield common schools at the time his parents removed to Bethany, when he was but seven years of age. After a due preparatory course of study under that competent and prominent physician, his own father, he entered the Boston University of Medicine, and later Yale Medical College, graduat- ing from the latter in January, 1860. For the two years following he practiced in Cheshire, Conn., and established an excellent reputation for so young a practitioner ; but he found that field too limited for his purpose and removed to Bethany, where his skill was speedily recognized, and a list of patients secured that clung to him until April 1, 1868, when he came to Bristol ; here he now stands as the recog- nized head of the profession.

Dr. Woodward has been four times married. His first bride was Dolly Eliza Sperry, of Bethany, who died July 4, 1864, the mother of two children : Belle Eliza, who was married to William T. San- ford, of Waterbury, and bore him one child, Grace Woodward. Sept. 30, 1889: and Hattie Rose, who is a teacher in the public school of Hartford. The sec- ond marriage of the Doctor was to Miss Antoinette Bassett, who died six weeks after the wedding. The Doctor later married Miss Mary Ann Atwood, daughter of Burr B. Atwood, of Woodbury, and to this union was born one child. Edna May, who was married Aug. 15, 1900, to Dr. Benjamin Bissell Rob- bins. born in Natal, South Africa, Feb. 8, 1870. The fourth marriage of the Doctor was to Mrs. Henriette

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Frances (Clarke) Ellis, widow of William H. Ellis, of Middlebury, Vermont.

In politics Dr. Woodward is a Democrat, and on the adoption of the charter of Bristol borough was elected the first warden, and was re-elected the following spring, a singular instance of personal popularity, as he was from the beginning an out- spoken opponent of the adoption of the charter. In his fraternal relations the Doctor is a member of Phoenix Lodge, No. 50, I. O. O. F., of New Britain ; also of Franklin Lodge, No. 56, Knights Templar, F. & A. M., of Bristol; Blue Lodge; and Washington Commandery, No. 1, of Hartford. Re- ligiously he is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Dr. Woodward is a man of strong convictions, and is outspoken in his opinions, but never engen- ders bitterness, as he is affable and polite, arguing for the sake of truth only, and not for the sake of having his own way, let him think himself ever so near the right, and the world would be much better off if other disputants would follow his example in this respect.

ELWOOD S. ELA, founder and publisher of The Manchester Herald, was born in Decatur, Ill., July 2, 1859. He is of New England stock, his father, a native of Maine, having gone to what was then the far West as a Methodist circuit rider.

Soon after our subject's birth his mother died, and with his father he returned to New England. He was educated at Wilbraham Academy and Wes- leyan University. Before leaving college he began newspaper work, and after serving an apprentice- ship on daily papers for about two years, established The Manchester Herald in December, 1881. He has remained at its head continuously until the pres- ent time. In October, 1893, the paper was made a semi-weekly.

Mr. Ela was married Dec. 21, 1882, to Jennie Chapman, daughter of Maro S. Chapman, of Man- chester. They have two daughters. Mr. Ela has been a member of the Connecticut Editorial Asso- ciation from its organization, has served as its presi- dent, and for several years has been its secretary and treasurer. He is a member of the Masons and Odd Fellows.

JOHN H. CHAMBERLIN. The Chamberlin family originated in Scotland, but the branch to which belongs the subject of this sketch, a well- known business man of Hartford, has been identified with Connecticut from poineer times. Reuben Chamberlin, our subject's grandfather, was born in Woodstock, and it is believed that his father came from Scotland. By occupation Reuben Chamber- lin was a cooper, and he lived in a house in an open lot near the present intersection of Buckingham and John streets, Hartford.

The late NELSON H. CHAMBERLIN, our subject's father, was born Aug. 27, 1813, in the house men-

tioned, and at that time there were no streets laid out in the vicinity. At the age of fifteen he began work- ing for a Mr. Bliss, who owned a tannery standing where Elm street now passes through Bushnell Park. One of the largest elm trees in the park was formerly in the back yard of the tannery. Being unusually strong physically the young employe took an active part in all the work of the place, and al- though much of his time was spent in driving a team he also served a regular apprenticeship to the tan- ner's trade. He frequently drove to Granby with a four-horse team, and remained for several days, gathering tan bark from the farmers to bring to the tannery, and he also drove to New York after loads of hides. After he closed his engagement with Mr. Bliss he worked for the firm of Talcott & Skin- ner, but they failed, leaving him a horse valued at $80. Mr. Lee, of the firm of Lee & Butler, asked him what he was going to do with the animal, and suggested that he might do the teaming for the firm and such other teaming as he could find. This gave Mr. Chamberlin an idea, and he began the teaming business on his own account, continuing to do the work for the firin of which Mr. Lee was the head (now T. Sisson & Co.) until his death. Mr. Cham- berlin also carried on an express business and gen- eral trucking on the New Haven turnpike, between Hartford and New Haven, and he is said to have brought the first load of lumber that ever came to Hartford from New York. He brought the glass for the house where Mr. Butler lived, opposite the Linden, and among the amusing stories which he de- lighted in telling was an account of his tipping over with a load of axes, weighing about 200 pounds to the case, which he had to reload. His business en- larged as the city grew, keeping six horses busy, and at the time of his death it was the oldest teaming business in the city. While his business ability was of a high order, Mr. Chamberlin made his success in life without a shadow of dishonesty, and through- out the community he was respected and honored for his sterling qualities of character. Of him it was said by one who knew him intimately many years : "I would take the word of Nelson H. Cham- berlin as quickly as I would the word. of any mian in the city of Ilartford."

Prior to the Civil war Mr. Chamberlin was a Democrat, and later affiliated with the Republican party, but the struggle for official place never tempt- ed him to leave his business interests. He was a reg- ular attendant of the South Baptist Church, and was prominent in musical circles, having played in local bands for forty years. He was one of the founders of the old Hartford Band, under the direction of a leader named Hamilton, playing the trumpet. He afterward played in Colt's Band, of which he was an honorary member at his death. He was a bass drummer for the Putnam Phalanx when it made its first parade. Mr. Chamberlin died Oct. 6, 1899, at the age of eighty-six years.

N. H. Chamberlin married (first) Miss Eliza-

Netren De Charler Lin

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beth Knox, who died in 1861, and his second wife formerly Miss Sarah Terry, survives him. By his first marriage he had nine children: Charles E. ; Henry A. : Mary, deceased ; Henrietta (Mrs. Sted- man, of Chicago) ; Ella (Mrs. J. T. King) : Jose- phine ( Mrs. Donley) ; Georgiana, widow of Hor- ace Larkum: Lilian A. (Mrs. Worthington ) : and Nellie (Mrs. George Root). By the second mar- riage there were three children : John ; Lottie, wife of William G. Butler; and Grace, now the wife of Frank W. Barnard. Mr. Chamberlin had a number of grandchildren. Of his brothers one survives, Al- vin W. Chamberlin, of Hartford; and two of the sisters are still living. Mrs. Sarah Clark and Mrs. Harriet Cross. Three sisters have died : Mrs. Lock- wood. wife of the late James Lockwood, of the Case, Lockwood, Brainard Co .; Mrs. Puffer; and Mrs. Elizabeth Tatro.

John H. Chamberlin was born Dec. 24, 1864, in Hartford, and was educated in the old Soutli School. When abut sixteen years old he began to learn the bookbinder's trade, but as close confinement (lisagreed with him his father took him into his busi- ness. As a business man he has gained an excellent reputation for ability, and in social life he is de- servedly popular. He is a member of Lafayette Lodge, No. 100, A. F. & A. M. : Pythagoras Chap- ter. No. 17, R. A. M .; Wolcott Council No. 1; Washington Commandery No. 1, Knights Templar ; and also of Sphinx Temple, Mystic Shrine, and has taken a keen interest in the work of the order. His fondness for reading enables him to keep well in- formed on the topics of the day, and in politics he approves of the doctrines of the Republican party, although he votes independently on local issues.

WARREN ROWLEY, one of the oldest and most highly respected residents of Hartford, and for the past twelve years or so living retired. is a native of New York State, born Feb. 6, 1818, in Smithville, Chenango county, and is a descendant of Thomas Rowley, the original immigrant ancestor.

Job Rowley (2), his father, was born in Bloom- field. Hartford Co., Conn., in 1787, a son of Job Rowley ( I), aso a native of Bloomfield, a farmer by occupation, who died in 1821. Job (2) received his education in Bloomfield, and became a carpen- ter and joiner by trade, which he made his life work. In Enfield, Conn., he married Ruth Hale, then re- moved to Smithville, N. Y., but on account of ill- health returned to Bloomfield, and in 1821 settled finally in Hartford, where he passed the rest of his days, dying in 1857 ; his wife died at the patriarchal age of ninety-three years. Five children were born to them : Warren, our subject ; Mary Ann, Chauncey Hale, and Clarissa, all three deceased: and Mary Ann, wife of Aaron Parsons, of plainville, Con- ne cticut.

Warren Rowley, whose name introduces these lines, was a three-year-old boy when his parents took up their residence in Hartford, and there he re-

ceived his education. When old enough he com- menced clerking in the grocery store of J. G. Eggles- ton, and after seven years was admitted into part- nership with him, which continued six years. He then for seven years engaged in the grocery busi- ness, at the corner of Main and Trumbull streets, at the end of which time he sold out and for a brief period was retired from business. In 1856 he was appointed town agent under the Maine law, and in 1876 he was appointed superintendent of Spring Grove cemetery, a position he held for some eleven years. For the past twelve years he has lived a re- tired life at his home, No. 41 Windsor avenue, which he had bought in the spring of 1850.

This house is one of the oldest in that part of the city, and there is an affectionate inscription, written evidently with a diamond, on a pane of glass that was in one of the attic windows for more than a century, showing that the old edifice, in the years prior to the Revolution, was the scene of more than one happy memory. This tell-tale inscription was cut in 1773. and reads as follows: "Anne Bunce. Since I must go, 'tis my lot. Pray let me not regret. The pleasures of Hartford I do reluctantly resign, since I must leave my dear Anne behind : 1773." On another pane of glass, in the same attic, was the name of "Anne Bunce," cut also with a diamond, by that lady, in 1792. The old attic windows were blown in a few years ago by a tornado, breaking these two precious panes into fragments, which were preserved, however, and restored as complete as pos- sible by Edward W. Rowley, son of Warren Rowley. There is an old legend that Washington once dined in this house during the Revolutionary war; also it is said, that the first carpet used in Hartford was laid in that house. Mrs. Lydia Bull, a lineal descend- ant of Capt. Thomas Bull, who settled in Hartford in 1736, was married in this house. It was owned at one time by Major Michael Olcott, who was at the head of the Governor's Foot Guards in 1810, and who died there May 11, 1829. The property de cended to his heirs, and (as above narrated ), in 1850, to Michael Olcott Barry, of Boston. There was a time over 100 years ago when the house was used as a girls' school.

In 1840 Warren Rowley was united in marriage in Windsor, Conn., with Miss Julia Drake, of that town, a daughter of David Drake, and one son was born to this union : Edward W., born June 28, 1845. who was twice married, ( first) to Fanny, daughter of Samuel Mather, of Windsor, and ( second) to Lillie, daughter of John S. Graham; he has one son, Warren Drake. Mrs. Julia ( Drake) Rowley died Nov. 1, 1891, and her remains were interred in Spring Grove cemetery. Mr. Rowley was made a Mason in St. John's Lodge, No. 4. F. & A. M., of Hartford, in 1866, and still retains membership in same : he has been a member of Pythagoras Chapter. No. 17. R. A. M .. for upwards of twenty years.

In the carly part of this sketch we have inci- dentally referred to Thomas Rowley, "the original

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immigrant ancestor" of Mr. Rowley, our subject, and the latter has in his possession an old relic that belonged to him, in the shape of a powder-horn and charger that were brought to this country in 1656, by said Thomas Rowley, who settled in Wind- sor. On the bottom of the powder-horn are carved his initials, "T. R."

MILES BARBER PRESTON, ex-mayor of Hartford, and one of the leading residents of that city, was born in Simsbury, this county, May 9, 1850, son of Truman W. Preston, of that town. His mother, whose maiden name was Mary Etta Brong, was a native of Addison, N. Y., and died a few years ago at Culpeper, Va. Truman W. Preston returned North after the death of his wife, and died in Hartford April 17, 1896.

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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 70

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