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 79

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 79


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Trung et Smith


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he was honored, in 1898 and 1900, by being made the nominee of both political parties, receiving all but thirty-seven out of a total of 9,487 votes cast, and twenty-seven out of 10,348 votes, respectively.


Mr. Smith is actively and prominently identified with many fraternal, social, athletic and benevolent organizations. He is a member of Charter Oak Lodge, No. 2, I. O. O. F., and Miriam Lodge, Daughters of Rebekah; he is a charter member of Lincoln Lodge, No. 55, K. P., has always stood high in its councils, having been Master of Finance from 1894 to 1897, and is now a member of the board of trustees ; is president of the Pythian Build- ing Association. He has attained high rank as a Mason, being a member of Lafayette Lodge, No. 100, A. F. & A. M .; Pythagoras Chapter, No. 17, R. A. M .; Wolcott Council, No. 1, Washington Commandery, No. I, K. T., and Sphinx Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He also belongs to Teutonia Lodge, No. 9, Sons of Herman ; Charter Oak Tent, No. 27, K. O. T. M .; is a social member of the Modern Woodmen ; the Hartford Saengerbund ; the Hartford Maennerchor ; the Hartford Turnerbund; the Hart- ford Rifle Club; the Republican Club; and of the Board of Trade. He has also taken a deep interest in the Connecticut National Guard, of which he has long been a tried member and efficient officer. He connected himself with that body in 1872, join- ing Company A, Ist Regiment, rose from the ranks to be first lieutenant, and resigned in 1891. Five years later he became a member of Putnam Phalanx, and since Feb. 22, 1898, has been adjutant of the organization, holding rank of captain.


In October, 1876, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Rose Bihl, of East Hartford. Their only child, Ernest W., was born Dec. 9, 1879, and died Oct. 14, 1884.


JOSEPH R. ANDREWS. The Andrews fan- ily has long been prominent in this section, and the ancestors of the subject of this sketch, a leading busi- ness man of New Britain, were early settlers there, a portion of the city being built upon the old home- stead.


The first of the family of whom we have record, John and Mary Andrews, early settled in Hartford county, probably about 1640, he being one of the eighty-four proprietors of the ancient town of Tunxis, named afterward "Farmington." Tunxis was then as much the name of a tribe of Indians as it was of the river and land they occupied and claimed as proprietors.


Daniel Andrews, third son of John and Mary, the settlers, was born May 27, 1649. He lived in Farm- ington, Conn., in 1672 was recognized as one of the eighty-four proprietors, and received a division of the lands on his £44 taxable estate. He united with the church at Farmington May 24, 1692. He died April 13, 1731, in his eighty-second year. His name occasionally appears on the town records as engaged in public business ; was one of the "townsmen"


1696 and later; was often employed in the settle- inent of estates, etc. He was a large land-holder, as appears from the land records at Farmington.


John Andrews, son of Daniel, of Farmington, born June 10, 1680, lived in the town of Wethers- field, Conn., but belonged to Kensington l'arish. He died June 16, 1740, aged sixty years. He was called Sergt. John.


Moses Andrews, second son of Sergt. John, of Wethersfield, and great-great-grandfather of our subject, born May 12, 1722, at Wethersfield, near the line of Farmington, married Nov. 10, 1748, Lydia, daughter of Joseph Root. She was a woman of great Christian meekness and patience. She fit- ted out for the army of the Revolution six of her nine sons, by her own industry, spinning the yarn and then making the garments. She died July 6, 1806, in lier eighty-first year. Moses Andrews was chosen one of the standing committee of the church of which he and his wife were members. He was a carpenter by trade, and was greatly respected. Like his father he had the military title of sergeant.


Joseph Andrews, our subject's great-grandfather, and son of Sergt. Moses, of New Britain, was born Dec. 23, 1751, and died Nov. 23, 1831, aged eighty years. He learned the carpenter's trade from his father, was also a farmer at the homestead, was a large land-holder, and built the house recently oc- cupied by our subject's father, at No. 62 Burritt street, New Britain, that street being on the bound- ary line of the farm. He was a thorough farmer and good mechanic. Ile married Feb. 6, 1777, Lydia Judd. He was in the Revolutionary war.


Joseph Andrews, Jr., grandfather of our subject. and son of Joseph and Lydia Andrews, of New Britain, was born Jan. 4, 1791. On Jan. 9, 1817, he married Clarissa, daughter of Deacon John Os- good, of New Britain, and lived at the old home of his father, north of West Main street, about one mile from the village. lle died June 19, 1824, aged thirty-three years. They had two children, John H. and Clarissa : Clarissa married Samuel W. Steele, and died Aug. 13, 1840.


John H. Andrews, the father of our subject, was born Aug. 27, 1819, at the home of his grand- father, Joseph, and was educated in the schools of that locality. While a boy he went to Wethersfield to gain a knowledge of the grocery business with Samuel J. Andrews. He inherited part of the old Andrews homestead of his father and grandfather, about one mile west of the village, and leaving the grocery business he settled thereon and engaged in general farming and tobacco culture. He added largely to the estate, having at one time at least 250 acres, including pasture lands, while in the home- stead proper he had one hundred acres. The growth of the city in that direction led to the selling of many residence lots, but the greater portion of the land is still retained. He was always regarded as exceptionally industrious and thrifty, and his judg- ment was considered excellent in business matters


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and in public affairs. At the time the new Baptist church was built he served as trustee, and his influ- ence was given to various progressive movements. He passed away Jan. 30, 1899, aged seventy-nine years. In early life he was a Democrat, but later he became an independent and then a Republican. Mr. Andrews married Julia A. Church, a daughter of James and Hulda ( Barnes ) Church, of Haddam, Conn., and the following children were born to them : Hattie married Anson F. Fowler, of North Guilford, Conn., and died in December, 1880; Georgianna, is the widow of Charles M. Church, late of New Brit- ain, who died Oct. 1, 1900; Jennie died Aug. 14, 1870; James E. is a farmer and market gardener on Burritt street, New Britain; Joseph R. is our subject ; John G. resides in New Britain ; and Annie married F. H. Johnston, of New Britain.


Joseph R. Andrews was born June 26, 1856, at New Britain, and in boyhood attended the public schools of the place, leaving the high school during the second year of the course. In the summer of 1876 he was employed temporarily in the local post office, while the regular clerks were taking a va- cation, and then, after a few months spent in as- sisting in the work of the farm, he became associ- ated in business with his father and brother James, who were carrying on an extensive trade in dressing cattle for retail dealers. For four years our sub- ject had charge of this business. The great packers of Chicago were then extending their business op- erations, the first to establish a branch house in New Britain being Gustavus F. and Edwin C. Swift, and Mr. Andrews, seeing the inevitable tendency of the movement, formed a partnership with them in 1881 which has ever since continued successfully, til- der the firm name of Andrews, Switt & Co. He has been active in municipal affairs, for four years has been a member of the board of police commis- sioners, being chairman at the present time, and was instrumental in securing the introduction of the Gamewell police signal system in 1898. He is also chairman of the joint board of police and fire commissioners, for the erection of the new police and fire building on Commercial street. On Aug. 9, 1890, he enlisted in Company I, Ist Regiment Connecticut National Guard, and at the second meet- ing thereafter, Aug. 15, 1890, was elected second lieutenant. On Jan. 25, 1891, he was chosen first- lieutenant, and Dec. 1, 1892, captain of Company EL, serving until March, 1896, when, at his request, he was placed on the retired list. He and his family are prominent in the best social circles of the locality. He is a member of the Baptist Church, and has been a trustee of the same for a number of years. He is identified with the New Britain Club: the New England Order of Protection ; the Royal .Ar- canum ; Centennial Lodge, No. 118, F. & A. M .. in which he is senior warden; Giddings Chapter, R. A. M. ; Doric Council, R. & S. M., of New Britain ; Washington Commandery, No. I. K. T. ; and Sphinx Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Hartford.


ALVA E. ABRAMS, M. D., a prominent and successful physician of Hartford, where for fifteen and more years he has been closely and favorably identified with the medical profession, is a descend- ant of New York and Connecticut ancestry.


J. Danforth Abrams, the father of Dr. Abrams, and son of Elnathan and Anna ( Strong) Abrams, who were farming people of Duanesburg, N. Y., where the former died in 1861, was born in 1836, at Duanesburg, and was there reared and passed the greater part of his life, engaged in agricultural pursuits. During the Civil war he enlisted and served in Company I, 137th N. Y. V. I., and lost his life, dying in 1865 at Fortress Monroe, Va. He had married Miss Susan, daughter of Elijah and Har- riet (Bentley) Ladd, and a sister of George W. Ladd, of Bloomfield, Conn., and to the marriage were born two sons: Alva E., our subject ; and Elijah D., a farmer and dairyman of the town of West Hartford.


Alva E. Abrams was born June 28, 1856. at Duanesburg, N. Y., and in the schools of that place received his elementary education. He was pre- pared for college at Little Falls, N. Y., then pur- sued the scientific course of study, to the Junior year, at Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. Follow- ing this he taught school two years in New York State, and began the study of medicine at Duanes- burg. He studied at the New York University Medical College, was graduated from the Albany (N. Y.) Medical College in 1881, and for a time following his graduation was connected profession- ally with St. Peter's Hospital, at Albany, N. Y. Then for two years he was engaged in practice at Duanesburg. In 1884 Dr. Abrams came to Hart- ford, Conn., where he became associated in practice with Dr. J. A. Stevens, with whom he remained three years, then removed to Collinsville, Conn., remain- ing one year. On the death of Dr. Stevens, in 1887, our subject returned to Hartford and took up that doctor's practice, and from that time to this he has been a most busy and active man, not only profes- sionally but also in all lines of citizenship. Of studious habits and ambitious to excell, Dr. Abrams has kept abreast of the times in all lines that have tended to the advancement of his profession, and by his close attention to his professional duties and good management he has been successful in build- ing up an extensive practice. He is a member of the City Medical Society, of the County Medical Society, and of the State Society. He is also a member of the American Medical Association, and of the American Laryngological, Rhinological and - Otological Society. In 1897 he was a delegate to the International Medical Congress which met at Moscow, Russia. He is a member of the Hartford Scientific Society, and of the Twentieth Century Club ; is medical examiner for the Royal Arcanum, the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co., of Philadel- phia, and the John Hancock Society of Massachu- a setts. He is identified with the Park Congrega-


Ceva E. abrams


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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.


tional Church of Hartford, in which society he is a deacon.


On July 26, 1877, Dr. Abrams was married to Miss Jessie, daughter of Rev. D. Cook and Euphemia ( Murray) Davis, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and to the union have come children as follows : Mabel, Effie and Jessie:


CHARLES KING, for nearly seventy years a respected resident of Hartford, where he has lived retired from active business life for the past eight or nine years, is a native of Massachusetts, born May 8, 1825, at Chicopee, of stalwart New England stock.


(I) William King, the first of this family known, lived in Devonshire, England. He had two sons, James and William, who came to America, James settling in Ipswich, Mass., William some- where in the South.


(II) James King, born in England in 1652, came to this country in 1678, and died in Suffield, Conn., i11 1717; he married Elizabeth Fuller March 23, 1674.


(III) Benjamin King, great-great-grandfather of our subject, was born Nov. 20, 1683, and died in 1733, at Stafford, Conn. He was a farmer ; his wife was Remember Hall.


(IV) Benjamin King, son of the above, born in J717, in Enfield, died in 1776; married, in 1741, Sarah Pease.


(V) Nahum King, son of the above, and the grandfather of our subject, was born in 1757, and died in 1812 in Enfield, Conn. By occupation he was a wagon maker and blacksmith. In 1779, in Enfield, Conn., he married Sarah Bugbee.


(VI) Seth King, son of the above, and the father of our subject, was born March 7, 1798, in Enfield, Conn., and spent his early school days there. On Feb. 9, 1824, at Hartford, Vt., he married Miss Marcia Bugbee, daughter of Jonathan Bugbee. For a year or two Seth King clerked in Chicopee, Mass., and then engaged in business at Wentworth, N. H. In 1832 he moved to Hartford, Conn., and here for forty years was connected with the Ætna Fire In- surance Co., from which for ten years he received a pension. He and his wife both died at Hartford, he on Jan. 3, 1882, she on Dec. 12, 1862. They were the parents of children as follows : Charles, the sub- ject proper of this memoir; Sarah Bugbee, born in 1827, died in 1828 in Wentworth, N. H .; Henry, born in 1830, died in 1840 ; James, born in 1832, died in 1872: Edward, born in 1836, residing in Chicago : William Henry, born in 1840, secretary of the Ætna Fire Insurance Co., of Hartford; and Seth Bugbee, born in 1842, now a resident of Hart- ford.


Charles King, whose name introduces these lines, received his education at the First district school of Hartford, now known as the Brown school, and at the age of fifteen years entered the employ of Smith, Bourn & Co., merchants and manu-


facturers of Hartford, with whom he remained, in the capacity of clerk, and, later, as partner, some thirty years. In 1872 he engaged in the stove busi- ness in Hartford, in a store located next to the Fourth church, and this he successfully carried on for twenty years, retiring in 1892 from active busi- ness, on account of his health.


On june 17, 1850, Charles King was married, in Windsor, Conn., by Rev. T. E. Leete, to Maria C. Olmstead, who was born in Enfield, Conn., daugh- ter of Norton and Clarissa Maria ( Allen ) Olmstead, both of Enfield, and granddaughter of George Allen (VI). To this union children as follows were born : Emma Maria, Charles, George Allen (who died Nov. 17, 1900), Sarah Adelaide (wife of Isaac Bragaw, of Hartford), and Louis Henry ( who died in 1888. at the age of twenty-one years ).


George Allen, son of Moses ( V), was born Oct. 24, 1770, and died in Enfield Sept. 1, 1833. He married, March 1, 1793, Betsey Rich, of Haddam, Conn , who was born March 6, 1778, and died in En- field Nov. 6, 1864; her father was a sea captain. To this union were born five children, whose names and dates of birthi are as follows: George, Dec. II, 1795; Betsey, Feb. 16, 1798; Norman, Oct. 18, 1800; Henry, Jan. 15, 1803; and Clarissa Maria, Aug. 5, 1812, who became the wife of Norton Olmstead, father of Mrs. King. Norton Olmstead was a son of Joseph and Dorothy (Terry ) Olmstead ; resided miost of his life in Enfield, was engaged in the hatting business in Windsor, Conn., but died in Hartford.


On June 17, 1900, Mr. and Mrs. Charles King gave a reception at their home on Windsor avenue, the occasion being the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding. This interesting event was, in addition to otlier ceremonies, fittingly celebrated by the baptism of their youngest grandchild. Mr. and Mrs. King have been connected with the Windsor Avenue Con- gregational Church since its formation, and he has served as deacon thereof for the past twenty-six years. Their numerous friends wish them many years of health and happiness, and a long continu- ance of the high regard and esteem in which they are held.


JOSEPH BUTHS, collector and appraiser of the State Savings Bank of Hartford, was born June 2, 1858, at Kænigstein, near Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany.


Mr. Buths comes of excellent family, and his father, Anton Buths, a native of Bibrich on the Rhine, was a well-known lawyer at Königstein. He was clerk in the courts for about eighteen years, and his long and faithful work on the records re- ceived high commendation. In religious faith he was a Protestant. He died aged forty-four years, and his wife, Eva Colloseus, died in 1891, when fifty-five years of age. She was born at Konig- stein, and was one of the family of eleven children of Joseph Colloseus, a wealthy hotel-keeper at Kænig-


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stein, who held the position of postmaster for fifty years, and also kept about sixty horses for supply- ing various stage lines. He lived to the ripe old age of seventy-nine.


Our subject spent his early days in Germany, and after receiving a grammar and high-school edu- cation entered the railway mail and telegraph ser- vice, where he continued ten years. At the age of twenty-three he came to America, locating in Hart- ford, where his ability and energy speedily won him a prominent place in business circles. About 1881 he started in the State Savings Bank, and he now has charge of all the collecting and appraising, much of his time being given to collections and appraising for court purposes ; he is an expert in his line. The bank does a loaning business of over $2,000,000 011 real estate, and Mr. Buths has dealt in land to some extent, and has built ten houses for sale or lease.


In 1883 Mr. Buths married Miss Louise R. Stamm, who was born in Hartford, one of the four daughters of John and Rosina Stamm. Her father was a well-known tailor, having been in business in Hartford for many years. Mrs. Buths died in 1893, aged thirty-seven years. Two of her sisters are living : Emilie, wife of Max H. Peiler, assistant actuary of the ZEtna Life Insurance Co. of Hart- ford: and Mrs. William A. Smith, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Buths had two children : Anna Eva and Louis S., both living at home and attending the high school.


Our subject is a Democrat in politics, and was in the common council in 1890-91 ; was alderman in 1892-93; was appointed member of the board of street commissioners in 1893; re-appointed in 1896; and re-appointed again in 1899, to serve until 1902. At present he is the second oldest in the board of commissioners, and its president. He has been ac- tive in school interests, serving four years on the committee of the Washington school district. For nine years he was a member of the board of direc- tors of the Hartford Building & Loan Association previous to his resignation in 1899, and for five years he has been a member of the board of fire under- writers. He is treasurer of the Hubbard Escort, a political association, and has held the same office in Lafayette Lodge, F. & A. M., for five years. He is a member of Pythagoras Chapter ; of Washing- ton Commandery, in which he is now guard ; and also belongs to Sphinx Temple, Mystic Shrine, at Hartford. He is an active member of the First Universalist Church of Hartford, to which his wife also belonged, and is a member of the church com- mittee.


ADDISON HARVEY BRAINERD, a prom- inent farmer of Enfield, was born June 1, 1857, on the Brainerd homestead, where he now resides, a son of Harvey Pierce and Mary Lavinia (Brain- erd) Brainerd, and on both paternal and maternal sides is descended from Daniel Brainerd, who abo:it


1648, at the age of eight years, was brought by the Wyllys family from England to Hartford, Conn., and was there reared to manhood. He spent most of his life in Haddam, Conn., where he settled about 1662. He married Hannah Spencer, daughter of Gerrard Spencer, of Lynn, Massachusetts.


Our subject's paternal grandparents were Jared and Mary ( Pierce) Brainerd, and he traces his an- cestry back through Frederick and Anna (Brain- erd) Brainerd ; Ezra and Jerusha (Snow) Brainerd ; Josiah and Hannah (Spencer) Brainerd; William and Sarah ( Bidwell) Brainerd ; to Daniel Brainerd, the progenitor of the family in America, who canie to Hartford about 1648.


The maternal grandparents of our subject were Ansel (Jr.) and Olivia ( Shaler) Brainerd ; and the line is traced back through Ansel (Sr.) and Han- nah ( Dart) Brainerd : Josiah and Lois (Hurlburt) Brainerd : Josiah and Hannah ( Spencer) Brainerd ; William and Sarah ( Bidwell) Brainerd : to Daniel and Hannah (Spencer) Brainerd, the original an- cestors in America.


Harvey P. Brainerd, the father of our subject, was born and reared on the Brainerd homestead in Enfield, where he lived almost all his life, a success- ful farmer. Always fond of his books, it was his ambition in youth to obtain a college education, and he prepared himself accordingly, but too close appli- cation injured his health, and he was obliged to give up the project. Going South, he remained some time, teaching school, and regained his health to a marked degree, though not sufficiently to warrant him in resuming his studies, so he settled down to farm life at the old home. Having taken up farm- ing, he devoted himself to that calling with an en- ergy and earnestness that was in itself assurance of success, and his farm became one of the best cul- tivated and most productive in Enfield. The old house was replaced by one of modern architecture. He was a thorough business man, scrupulously hon- est and careful in all his dealings, and was most respected where best known. Mr. Brainerd's fam- ily consisted of five children, but only three grew to maturity: Mary O. (Mrs. Edwin D. French ). Addison H. (our subject ), and Helen E., the daugh- ters residing in New York City. Harvey P. Brain- erd took an active part in church affairs, and was for many years a deacon in the First Congregational Church of Enfield, which he joined in 1841. His strong, elear mind was plainly shown in his thor- ough knowledge of the Bible, and the great pleas- ure he took in listening to a deep Scriptural dis- course. Mr. Brainerd died April 28, 1889, aged sixty-eight years, his death being brought on by enlargement of the heart: he was confined to the house but a few days. His widow passed away Marclı 23, 1897, after an illness of several weeks. and both were sincerely mourned by all their neigh- bors and friends in the community. Mrs. Brainerd was a native of Haddam, and came to Enfield after her marriage. Slie proved a devoted wife and a


Mary S Brainerd


Af D' Brainerd


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kind and indulgent mother, and no labor that would add anything to the comfort or happiness of her family was too great for her to undertake. Her neighbors, also, had many evidences of her kind- heartedness, and she was known as an exemplary Christian woman. She declined gradually during the last few years, and she passed away peacefully, conscious to the last, and trusting in the assurances of her faith.


Addison Harvey Brainerd was educated in the common and private schools, and at the Connecticut Literary Institute, Suffield. He succeeded to the homestead at his father's death, and is a success- ful farmer. On Feb. 22, 1882, he married Agnes B., daughter of Charles F. and Mary (Lawrence ) Morrison, of Thompsonville, and has one daugh- ter, Agnes Mary. Mrs. Brainerd died Dec. 25, 1883. In politics Mr. Brainerd is a Republican, and in religious connection he is identified with the Pres- byterian Church.


IRA WARREN PORTER (deceased) was born in East Hartford March 9, 1821, was an energetic, reliable and progressive farmer throughout life, and one of the most respected citizens of the town. He descended from one of the oldest Colonial families of the State, having its origin in England.


John Porter, the founder of the Porter family of Connecticut, was born in 1590 in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England, at Uraxhall Abbey, the ancient seat of the family, and was of the twelfth generation descendant from William de la Porte, a Norman knight who came to England in the train of William the Conqueror, in 1066, as may be seen on the Roll of Battle Abbey, but which name, by easy changes, was transformed into Porter. John Por- ter, his wife Rose, and their children, sailed from London, England, in the ship "Anne," and arrived May 30, 1627, at Dorchester, Mass., where they re- mained until the summer of 1635, when they joined one of the companies organized for the purpose of penetrating the wilderness. These companies made settlements at Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield, Conn., Mr. Porter locating at Windsor, where his death took place April 22, 1648, and that of his wife May 12, of the same year. To John and Rose Porter were born thirteen children, of whom Sam- uel, the sixth child and third son, born in 1626, mar- ried Hannah Stanley, daughter of Thomas Stanley, and sister of Mary Stanley, who was married to John, the eldest brother of Samuel. Of the ten chil- dren born to Samuel and Hannah Porter, the third, Hezekiah, born Jan. 7, 1665, first married Hannah Cowles, and after her death married Esther Dick- inson, of East Hartford. There Hezekiah Porter died in 1752. Hezekiah Porter, son of Hezekiah and Esther Porter, born June 10, 1687, married May 25, 1719, Sarah Wright, a daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Osborne) Wright. Benjamin Porter, son of Hezekiah and Sarah, born Dec. 11, 1730, married in 1753 Elizabeth Philips, who died in 1786; he af-




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