Commemorative biographical record of Hartford County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Pt 2, Part 102

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1172

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 2 > Part 102

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Col. George Humphrey, our subject's great- grandfather, was born in 1756, in West Simsbury, and died in 1813. He lived at home until the Revo- lutionary war broke out, when he became a promi- nent soldier in the American army, filling many im- portant offices. At the close of the war he returned to the homestead, known as Parsonage farm, and with his brother, Frederick, started a blacksmith shop. He was probate judge in his native town for several years, also justice of the peace, and in 1792 he was elected to the State Legislature. On Aug. 7, 1777, he married Elizabeth Pettibone, who was born in Simsbury in 1756, daughter of Capt. Abraham and Jerusha ( Pinney) Pettibone, and died Sept. 22, 1784. On June 5, 1785, he married Rachel Humphrey, who was born Oct. 12, 1755, daughter of Ensign Oliver and Sarah (Garrett) Humphrey, and died in 1831. His children were

Henry, Humphrey

Lalire A. Howumphrey

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as follows: Clarissa, born July 19, 1780, married in 1811, Elisha Dyer, son of Thomas Dyer. George is mentioned below. Jerusha, born Dec. 2, 1783. died June II, 1784; Elizabeth, born Feb. 22, 1786, married Dr. Dudley Humphrey, and died in Orwell, Bradford Co., Penn. Cornelia, born July 30, 1787, married Abraham Griswold, and died Jan. 14, 1869, at Gustavus, Ohio. Decius, born April 19, 1789, married Laura Adams, and died June 14, 1878. 'Stella, born Oct. 26, 1790, married Lester Cone, and died on Oct. 1, 1846, at Monroeville, Huron Co., Ohio. Emily, born Oct. 17, 1792, married Ralph Meecham, and died Dec. 17, 1862, at Mecca, Trumbull Co., Ohio. Laura, born Aug. 24, 1795, married on Feb. 18, 1814, Deacon Lancel Foote, and died Sept. 19, 1880. Hector, born June 8, 1797, married Mariette Mott, was president of the college at Annapolis, Md., and died June 28, 1857.

George Humphrey, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was born July 23, 1782, in what was then West Simsbury, now Canton, Conn., where he grew to manhood. Like his father he was a soldier, serving in the war of 1812, also in Algeria, where he was taken prisoner. He died in 1836. By his marriage to Candice Case there were the following children : George, the father of our subject, who is mentioned below ; and Harriet, born Dec. 23, 1806, who died Aug. 23, 1877, unmarried, in Canton, Conn. By his second marriage, in 1816, a daugh- ter, Estella, was born in 1817, who married Isaac Beckmith in 1834; her second husband was William S. Dewey.

George Humphrey, the father of our subject, was born Aug. 15, 1804, at New Hartford, Conn., and died at Smyrna, Chenango Co., N. Y., Aug. 13, 1883. Being among the early settlers he was forced to put up with many of the hardships of pioneer life, living in a log house and working hard to clear the land. By persistent effort, however, he made many improvements upon his farm, among them a fine dwelling. He was a good man, liberal in his church views, and in politics was a Demo- crat, but never an office seeker. On ()ct. 12, 1825, he married, at Canton, Conn., Louise Mills, daugh- ter of Gardner and Mary F. (Skinner) Mills, of that place. She died at their home Jan. 19, 1839. By this marriage there were the following children : Alfred F., born Oct. 8, 1826, died March 18, 1898; Louren E., born Dec. 22, 1828, died in California ; Lucy, born Oct. 4, 1830, married, in 1853, Williani G. Hallock, and died April 2, 1874 ; Anson W., born Feb. 8, 1833, died Dec. 31, 1833; Clarissa, born Nov. 5, 1834, died Dec. 20, 1834: George H., born May 25, 1836. Mr. Humphrey married for his sec- ond wife, on Oct. 30, 1839, Louisa Webb, a good Christian woman, who died at Smyrna, N. Y., July 31, 1877. By this union there were the following children: Estella, born July 27. 1840, married Vin- cent Goodsell, and afterward Lawson Hutchins; Theron, born April 23, 1842, married Ellen Fifield Feb. 22, 1865; our subject is mentioned below ;

Edwin, born Aug. 29, 1847, in Georgetown, N. Y., married on May 27, 1868, Abigail Walrod ; Francis, born Sept. 1, 1849, died Oct. 28, 1852; Solon, born July 26, 1851, married on Sept. 10, 1872, Mary E. Wynn, and resides at Smyrna, New York.

Deacon Henry Humphrey, our subject, was born at Smyrna, N. Y., Sept. 3. 1845, and was given a common-school education. At the age of twenty, desiring to start in life for himself, he went to Canton, Conn., where for four years he worked as a farm hand for his brother and William G. Hal- lock. After another year spent in operating a rent- ed farm he bought a tract of one hundred acres, and engaged in tobacco culture, dairying and stock raising. Though he started in life poor, push and energy have in his case had their reward, as his farm now testifies by extensive improvements. In the fall of 1898 he met with one reverse, how- ever, his barn, worth $3.500, being destroyed by fire, but fortunately the loss was partly made good by the insurance. Mr. Humphrey is much re- spected in his community, and is a director of the Canton Creamery Association. He has served on the town school committee, to which he was re-elected at the last town meeting, has been a member of the board of relief for some time, and since 1888 has been a deacon in his church at Canton Center. Po- litically he is a Republican. On Jan. 27, 1869, he married, in Canton, Calcie Mills, who was born in Canton, Aug 31, 1847, daughter of Elizur and Betsey (Case) Mills. She was educated in a select school in Canton Center, and after she was sixteen taught school for a number of terms. Like her husband she is a church member. Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey have had two children: Ernest, born Nov. 13, 1883, who died Nov. 16, 1883; and Alice Estella, born June 21, 1888, who is attending school.

The Mills family, of which Mrs. Humphrey is a member, was also of pioneer stock, her ancestors having come from Yorkshire, England, at an early day. Simon Mills, thic first of the family of whom we have record, was a resident of Windsor previous to 1669, as he then removed from that town to Mas- sacoe. now Simsbury, settling at Weatogue, East Simsbury. On Feb. 23. 1649. he married Mary Buel, and they had the following children : Mary. born Dec. 8, 1662; Hanmah, born in 1665: Simion (1), born in May, 1667, who died at an early age : John, who is mentioned below: Sarah, born in September, 1670: Abigail, born in 1672; Elizabeth, born in 1674; Prudence, born in 1676; and Simon (2), born in 1678.

John Mills, the next in the line of descent, was born in January, 1668, in Windsor, Com., and at an early age removed with his parents to Wea- togue, Simsbury, where he grew to manhood He had married Sarah Pettibone, an English woman of good family, and had fairly settled down to life as a farmer when he died, leaving four children : John ; Benjamin and Joseph, twins; and Sarah, who died in 1797, at the age of 101 years. She was married

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three times, first to Samuel Tuller, next to Francis Garrett, and afterward to Joseph Woodford. The widow of Mr. Mills married for her second hus- band Deacon John Humphrey, and had children : John, Hannah, Benajah, Michael, and Rev. Daniel (who was the father of Gen. David Humphrey).

Joseph Mills was born in Simsbury, in the Wea- togue District, in 1694, and died April 19, 1783. In 1742 he settled in West Simsbury, where he be- came a large land owner and prominent citizen. He married, in 1724, Hannah Adams, who was born in 1709, and died in September, 1776. Of their children, Joseph, born in 1726, died in 1795, was married four times, his first wife being Lois Case. Michael, born in 1728, died in 1819, married Mer- cy Lawrence. Hannah, born in 1731, died in 1796, married Ebenezer Fields. Samuel, born in 1734, died in 1803, married a Miss Curtis. Amasa, born in 1736, died in 1821, married Lucy Curtis, daugh- ter of Peter Curtis. Benjamin, born in 1738, died in 1829, married Hannah Humphrey. Ezekiel, born in 1740, died in 1805, married Ursula Phelps. Dan- iel was born in 1742, and died in 1779. Simon was born in 1744, and died in 1778. Andrew, born in 1746, died in 1813, married Naoma Humphrey. Sarah, born in 1748, died in 1805, married Joseph Cowles, and afterward Asa Foote. Thankful, born in 1750, died in 1776, married Charles Wilcox. Ephraim is mentioned below. Ruth, born in 1753, died in 1789, married James Andrews. Many of the sons mentioned above were prominent in the Revolutionary war, several being captains and one a colonel. Five of them were deacons in churches.

Ephraim Mills, the great-grandfather of our subject's wife, was born April 19, 1751, in West Simsbury, and died there in 1818. His first wife was Rosanna Foote, who was born in 1754, daugh- ter of Capt. John Foote, and died in 1814. His second wife was Bethia Johnson. By his first mar- riage there were ten children: one died in infancy; Rosanna, born Sept. 17, 1780, married Arnold P. Humphrey ; Ephraim, born Oct. 19, 1782, married (first) Sarah Case, widow of Orange Case, and afterward Emma Tuller ; Phobe, born March 28, 1784, married Stephen Davis; Simeon, born in 1786, died in 1787; Simeon (2) is mentioned be- low; Andrew, born in April, 1789, died Oct. 14, 1792 ; Ruth, born Nov. 8, 1792, married Chancey G. Griswold; Andrew (2), born in 1793, died Jan. I, 1804; Norman, born Aug. 21, 1795, married Sophia Andrews.

Simeon Mills, the grandfather of Mrs. Hum- phrey, was born Sept. 22, 1787, at West Simsbury, now Canton, where he spent his entire life. By occupation he was mainly a farmer, although he was engaged in teaming on the Albany and Hart- ford turnpike for a number of years. He was a well-known citizen, a member of the Congregational Church, and in politics at first a Whig and after- ward a Republican. His remains were interred in the cemetery at Canton Center. He was married

first to Anna D. Angilis, later to Abbah Buel, and third to Clarinda Humphrey. His children were as follows: George, Stiles, Elizur, Maryette, Aurelia and Sarah Ann.

Elizur Mills, the father of Mrs. Humphrey, was born in Canton, and died there March 2, 1861. In early life he acted in various capacities-as farmer, teamster, and for a while as a hand in the Collins ax factory. When the rush to California set in Mr. Mills was one of the fairly successful adven- turers. He went by the way of Panama, in com- pany with his brother, Stiles, and he nearly lost his life. After four years, during which he ac- quired considerable property, he returned to Can- ton and settled upon a farm. He was a highly-re spected citizen, a man of liberal church views, and in politics at first a Whig and later a Republican. He was married in Canton to Betsey Case, who died in 1890, and was buried in Canton Center cem- etery. She was the daughter of Giles and Mary Case, and granddaughter of Eli and Athildred (Curtis) Case. Mrs. Humphrey was the youngest of a family of four children. (I) Archibald Lewis, born Oct. 7, 1839, was a soldier in the Civil war, and is now a farmer in Cherry Brook, Canton ; he was deacon in the church in Canton Center for a number of years. In 1872 he married Mary Loomis, who died in 1893, and they had four chil- dren, Lewis (born Jan. 24, 1874), Irene, Irwin and Cora. (2) Belvider died in infancy, and (3) an- other son of the same name died when he was twenty years of age.

ISAAC WINTHROP WARNER, a thorough and skillful agriculturist of the town of West Suf- field, resides on a farm near where he was born, July 22, 1856.

Mr. Warner's grandfather, Isaac Warner, was born on the old homestead in Warnertown, same town, and was a son of Isaac Warner and brother of Curtis Warner. He acquired his literary educa- tion in the district schools near his home, and ob- tained an excellent knowledge of farming, which he made his life work. He was very successful, and was an extensive land owner. He spent his entire life in Warnertown as a general farmer, dairyman and stock raiser, and made many improve- ments upon his place, including the erection of a pleasant residence and good barns. He married Miss Sarah Phelps, and to them were born three children : Isaac L., William W., and Julia Ann (wife of Lovatus Noble), all now deceased. The grandparents died upon their farm, and were buried in the Phelps cemetery, near Warnertown.

William W. Warner, our subject's father, was born upon the home farm Dec. 4, 1818, and was educated in the district schools and the Connecticut Literary Institute. During his younger years he engaged in peddling Yankee notions throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, but after his marriage he turned his attention to agri-

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cultural pursuits upon his father's farm, where he remained for several years, and then removed to the place where our subject now resides. It com- prises sixty-four acres, which he improved by building a fine residence, and barns, thereon, and to its cultivation he devoted his energies until called from this life Jan. 4, 1873. his remains being in- terred in the family burying-ground in Phelps ceme- tery. His political support was ever given to the men and measures of the Democratic party, and he was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He married Miss Emily M. Phelps, a daughter of Cromwell and Teresa ( Rising) Phelps, and three children were born of this union: Sarah, wife of James A. Griswold, of East Granby, Hart- ford county ; Isaac W., our subject ; and Emily MI., wife of Richard D. Cannon, of North Granby. The mother, who was also an earnest and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, died 011 the home farm, Jan. 19, 1859, and was laid to rest in the Phelps cemetery.

The primary education of our subject, acquired in the district schools of Warnertown, was supple- mented by a course in the Connecticut Literary In- stitute. He was only sixteen years of age when his father died, and lived with his maternal grand- mother, to whom he proved a great comfort and help. He took charge of the home farm, which he has since so successfully operated, and has de- voted his time to general farming, dairying, stock raising and tobacco culture. He is recognized as one of the most enterprising, progressive and pub- lic-spirited citizens of his community, and his aid is never withheld from anything which he believes will prove of public benefit. He is a quiet, un- assuming man, yet makes many friends. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat.

On Oct. 4, 1881, Mr. Warner was united in marriage with Mrs. Martha (Birge) Mason, a native of Southwick, Mass., and a daughter of Horace and Lucy (Stiles) Birge. They have one child, Charles I., who was born in 1883, and is now at- tending school. Mrs. Warner is a lineal descend- ant of Richard Birge, who came from Dorchester, Mass., and settled in Windsor, Conn., in 1636, and also of Matthew Grant, who came over from Eng- land in 1630, in the ship "Mary and John," and settled in Windsor, Conn., in 1635.

WILLIAM LUCIUS PHELPS, an enterpris- ing and progressive agriculturist of West Suffield, is deserving of special mention in this volume as a man who has made his own way in life, and the outline of his career as given below cannot fail to afford a helpful object lesson. His popularity as a citizen is a tribute to his personal worth, which is best known to those who have watched most closely his steady advancement.

Mr. Phelps belongs to a well-known pioneer family, tracing his descent from William Phelps, a native of Tewkesbury, England, who came to Amer-

ica in 1630 with a colony of which Rev. Mr. War- ham was the head. There were three brothers, Will- iam. George and Richard, in the party, but Richard went to the Barbadoes five years later, and all trace of him has been lost. George settled in Maine, while William came to Windsor in 1636. His first wife, who had accompanied him from England with their five children, died in Dorchester, Mass., and after his removal to Windsor he married Mary Dover, who also came from England with Mr. War- ham's party. He died in 1672, at his home on the road between Poquonock and Windsor.

Judah Phelps, our subject's great-grandfather, resided at the present site of Warnertown, West Suffield. He married Abigail Bishop, and among his children were two sons, Israel, our subject's grandfather ; and Apollos, known as Capt. Apollos, a prominent citizen of West Suffield in his day.

Israel Phelps was born at Warnertown, and spent his entire life in West Suffield, where he owned and cultivated a large tract of land. As a citizen he was much respected, his broad and lib- eral views of Christian doctrines and duty being ex- emplified by an upright life. He died in 1855, and his wife, Teresa ( Rising), died in 1878, the remains of both being interred in the Phelps burial ground in West Suffield.

Israel L. Phelps, father of our subject, was born on the old Warner homestead at Warnertown, where he grew to manhood. He engaged in farming on property now owned by William J. Graham, and he died there in 1867, at a comparatively early age. While he never sought political prominence, he was a stanch Democrat, and, like his father, he was lib- eral in his religious views. He married Miss Eliza- betli C. Gibbons, of Granville, Mass., daughter of William Gibbons, and had three children: Flora B., deceased ; William L., our subject ; and Teresa Jane ("Jennie"), now the wife of George Pomeroy, of Franklin, N. Y. The mother, for her second husband, married Justus M. Pease, and both are still living in Warnertown. Of the two children born to this marriage, Clare E. married Bradford Goodrich, and Grove M. is at home.

William L. Phelps was born Jan. 30, 1864, at Warnertown, and was but three years old when deprived of a father's care. He remained with his mother for some years, during which he availed himself of the limited educatonal opportunities af- forded by the local schools, but at the age of eleven he left home to work for Isaac Warner, with whom he spent seven years, receiving only his board and clothing. At eighteen he went to Granville, Mass., where he was employed at farming and other labor until 1892. He then returned to West Suffield, securing employment with Oliver C. Rose, and, as his habits were frugal, he managed at the end of three years to buy his present homestead of one hundred acres, formerly known as the King farm. Here he has made many improvements from time to tinie, while by his industry hie gains a comfortable

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income from the place, tobacco raising and dairy- ing occupying his attention in connection with gen- eral farming. Politically he affiliates with the Re- publican party, and in religion he holds to the deep, broad principles which underlie all faiths, rather than to any denominational interpretations. In 1891 he was married, in Westfield, Mass., to Miss Marietta Seymour, whose intelligent aid has been a factor in his success. She is a native of Brad- ford county, Penn., and a daughter of Milton Sey- mour, a respected resident of that section. Four children brighten our subject's home : Brainard B., Esther S., Arlene M. and Jennie M.

JOHN HENRY CONNLEY, general manager of the Berlin Brick Co., Berlin, is a native of New York State, born March 17, 1858, at Fishkill on the Hudson.

John A. Connley, his father, born Oct. 14, 1829, in Orange county, N. Y., is also a brickmaker by trade, and for a time conducted a brick plant in Haverstraw, N. Y .; but in 1878 he gave up that business, and after three years with T. G. Peck & Co., at Haverstraw, he became superintendent for the Nayatt Brick Co., at Providence, R. I. At the end of eight years with that firm he resigned, and for the past several years has been with the Quin- nipiac Brick Co., of New Haven, Conn., as superin- tendent. In political affairs he was a Democrat up to 1896, but in that year he "turned his coat," be- coming a Republican. He held various town offices in Grassy Point, N. Y., while a resident in that place. In religious faith he is an attendant of the Congre- gational Church; socially he is a member of the F. & A. M.

On Sept. 27, 1854, John A. Connley married Martha Saunters, who was born April 29, 1834, a daughter of Stephen Saunters, of Fishkill, N. Y., and a brief record of their children is as follows : (I) Miss Sarah M., born Sept. 13, 1856, lives at home. (2) John H. is our subject. (3) George Benson, born Oct. 19, 1862, is a bookkeeper in the Shoe & Leather Bank, New York ; on May 14, 1885, he married Ada F. Siver, of Fishkill, New York.

John H. Connley, the subject proper of these lines, was a few months old when his parents re- moved from Fishkill on the Hudson to Haverstraw, N. Y., in which latter city he received his educa- tion, partly in the common schools, partly in a se- lect school. At the age of sixteen he commenced to learn the brickmaking business with his father, and in 1881 went to Hamden, New Haven Co., Conn., where he became superintendent of H. P. Shares, manufacturer of bricks, and remained in that position nine years. Following this he was foreman for one year under his father, who was superintendent of the Nayatt Brick Co.'s works at Providence, R. I., after which he and his brother George B. leased the yard, and for three years car- ried same on under the firm name of Connley Bros. Our subject then removed to Berlin, Hartford Co.,

Conn., to fill the position of general manager of the Berlin Brick Co. At the end of two years he su- perintended the erection of the William L. Davis brickyards at Berlin, and remained there as super- intendent two years. In 1898 he returned to the Berlin Brick Co., as their general manager (his present incumbency ), having full charge of the brickyard. Like his father before him, he is a thor- oughly skilled brick manufacturer, fully understand- ing the business in every detail, and, moreover, giv- ing his undivided personal attention to all the de- partments of the work, as he is always found at his post of duty. Of Mr. Connley's perfect famil- iarity with every branch of the business, and of his superior management, the all-round completeness and orderly system to be found in the works of the Berlin Brick Co. are in themselves ample evidence.

On Dec. 22, 1880, John H. Connley was mar- ried to Mattie Elizabeth Buchanan, who was born July 15, 1860, a daughter of Robert and Nancy Emily ( Briggs) Buchanan, the former a mariner, late of Haverstraw, N. Y. Two children have been born to this union: Grace E., born Sept. 18, 1881, graduated from the New Britain high school in 1900. Jessie E. was born Aug. 16, 1884. The family are highly esteemed and respected. Mr. Connley at- tends the Congregational Church, of which his wife is a member, and fraternally he unites with the A. O. U. W., belonging to the lodge at North Haven. In political sentiment he is a Republican.

AUGUST VOIGT. The German-born citizens maintain a high ideal of citizenship, and the sub- ject of this sketch, a well-known resident of New Britain, has shown in his career the energy and public spirit which characterizes the race. For a number of years he has been superintendent of the butt department of the Stanley Works, while in the promotion of general business interests and in the work of municipal improvements he has taken an active and influential part.

Mr. Voigt was born March 12, 1858, in Burg, near Madgeburg, Prussia, where his ancestors in both paternal and maternal lines resided. Henry Voigt, our subject's father, was born in Burg, Dec. 14, 1827, son of David Voigt, and received a public school education, attending from hs seventh to his fourteenth year. As he was quite young when his father died, he was obliged to turn his attention to the work of bread-winning at an early age, and served an apprentceship as a cloth weaver. Ac- cording to the custom in Germany he then traveled three years, working at his trade, and during the Revolution of 1848 was serving in the German army, in which he remained three years. He then settled in Burg, but the introduction of the power-loom in- terfered with the trade, and in 1865 he came to America, hoping to better his condition. He lo- cated first in Collinsville, Hartford Co., Conn., where he was employed in a shop as an axe-grinder, and six months later he settled in New Britain, finding

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employment in the Stanley Rule & Level Co. His ability and skill were soon recognized, and he be- came a contractor, retiring in 1886, after twenty years of successful work, with a comfortable com- petence ; he still resides in New Britain. He is of a quiet disposition, his time having always been spent at home when not in the factory, and his fondness for reading has enabled him to keep well-posted on current events. Politically he is a Republican, but he has not been active in party affairs. He and his family attend the Lutheran Church of New Britain, and he belongs to a local lodge of the I. O. O. F. (in which he has passed all the chairs), and to the German Benevolent Society, which latter he helped to organize. His estimable wife, Elizabeth Kuehne, was born in Burg, Prussia, Sept. 17, 1833, daughter of Christopher Kuehne. August is the elder of two sons born to Henry Voigt and his wife ; the younger, Henry J., born Jan. 19, 1869, is now foreman of the pattern-making department of the Russell & Erwin factory.

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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 2, Part 102

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1172

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1172