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 105

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 105

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ceased ; Peter, who died young; Mary J., deceased ; John, at home; Josephine, wife of ex-Gov. Lorman Cook, of Connecticut ; George, a resident of River- ton, Litchfield Co., Conn .; Horace J., our subject ; Charles, deceased ; Victoria, wife of Clayton H. Case, of Hartford; Emma, at home; Isabelle, wife of Frank Gates, a druggist of Winsted, Litch- field county ; Clarence, at home, who has served as selectman of the town of Hartland, and in 1894 was elected judge of probate for two years; and William, a resident of Denver, Colorado.

Horace J. Ward, whose name introduces this review, was born in Riverton, Hartford county, June 17, 1845, and his early education was obtained in the public schools of that town, after which he was for three years a student in the Connecticut Literary Institute, Suffield. In 1878, in company with his brothers William and George, he embarked in the manufacture of paper, under the firm name of Ward Bros., and they expended $20,000 in con- verting a cloth printing mill into a desirable plant for their business. Later, when this was destroyed by fire, they erected another mill, and continued business there quite successfully until 1893, when they sold out to a Massachusetts firm. Since then our subject has devoted his attention to his private interests. He seems to have inherited much of his father's business ability, and has always carried forward to successful completion whatever he has undertaken. Since attaining his majority he has been actively identified with local political affairs, first as a Democrat, but since 1876 as a stanch sup- porter of the Republican party. In 1870 he was elected to the State Legislature, and again in 1892, and served the citizens of the town of Hartland well and faithfully for two terms. He has also been selectman for several terms, and the cause of ed- ucation has always found in him a firm friend. In 1896 he was elected probate judge, to succeed his brother Clarence, and has since filled that office with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the general public. His decisions are always fair and impartial, and he is absolutely fearless in the discharge of his duties.

JOEL AUSTIN GRIDLEY, one of the most progressive and enterprising farmers of Southing- ton, was born in that town March II, 1831. His father, Solomon D. Gridley, was also born in South- ington, July 14, 1805, and was married, Nov. 24, 1829, to Miss Wealthy P. Dunham, a daughter of Sylvanus and Theodosia (Peck) Dunham. The children born of that union were Joel A .; George C .; Solomon H .; Sarah B .; Charles A .; Wealthy Ann, wife of Frederick Woodruff ; and Wilmer D.

Joel Gridley, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was born in Southington in 1777, and was married, Oct. 25, 1802, to Amanda Woodruff, daughter of Amos and Phebe (Hart) Woodruff. He died Aug. 26, 1821, and she died Feb. 27, 1870, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years. His

father, Noah Gridley, was born in 1722, and was married, Aug. 15, 1751, to Sarah, daughter of Rev. Jeremiah and Hannah (Burnham) Curtiss. Noah Gridley died May 15, 1811, at the age of ninety years, and his wife departed this life Aug. 6, 1806. He was a son of Joseph Gridley, who was born in Farmington in 1684, and married Hannah, daughter of Samuel Lewis. He made his home in South- ington, where he died Dec. 7, 1770, aged eighty- six years. His father, Samuel Gridley, was born in Hartford Nov. 25, 1647, but was reared in Farm- ington, where he died in 1712. Prior to 1680 he married Esther Thompson, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Wells) Thompson, of Farmington. After her death he was again married, Dec. 1, 1798, his second union being with Mary Humphrey, of Sims- bury. He was a blacksmith by trade, and a man of considerable prominence, his name occurring fre- quently in Colonial records. His father, Thomas Gridley, was the progenitor of the family in Amer- ica. He came from the County of Essex, Eng- land, in 1631, and first located in Massachusetts, but in 1639 came to Hartford, and was at Wind- sor Sept. 5, 1639, being one of the thirty men sent from Windsor to the Pequot war under Capt. Ma- son. Sept. 29, 1644, he was married, in Hartford, to Mary Seymour. He appears to have been in- terested in the settlement of Nonatuck (North- ampton), Mass., but he died in Hartford in 1655.

Joel A. Gridley, the subject of this review, grew to manhood on the farm where he now resides, and early became familiar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist. His literary ed- tication was obtained in the common schools, Lewis Academy, the Connecticut Literary Institute, of Suffield, and Madison University, of Hamilton, N. Y., and he was thus well fitted for life's responsible duties. His principal occupation since leaving school has been that of farming, and most of his life has been spent on the old homestead.

On Oct. 23, 1860, Mr. Gridley wedded Miss Mary Ruth Arnold, a daughter of Ethan and Mary A. (Thompson) Arnold, of Manchester, Conn., and to them were born three children: Genevra A., wife of Frank W. Dunham ; Emmons D. ; and How- ard E., deceased. Religiously Mr. Gridley is a member of the Baptist Church of New Britain, and politically he is connected with the Democratic party.

HON. ALBERT A. BARNES, who for a decade and more has been the efficient superintend- ent of the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co., of East Ber- lin, and who throughout his mature life has been one of the substantial men and useful citizens of the town, was born Jan. 7, 1845.

Levi R. Barnes, our subject's father, was a na- tive of Southington, born in 1807, learned the busi- ness of clock making, and was one of the first to engage in the manufacture of the old-style time- piece of that period in his section of the country.

一

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His factory occupied the site of the present Dudley mill, in East Berlin. His wife, who was formerly Miss Julia A. Wilcox, was a native of Berlin, born in 1812. Their marriage was blessed with children as follows : Malvina ; Rodolphus, who for years was chief engineer of the Panama Railroad Co.'s steam- ers at Panama ; Lyman W. ; and Albert A. ; all are now deceased excepting the subject of. this sketch. The parents of these children were good, substan- tial people, plain and unassuming, who held the es- teem and respect of the community in which they lived. Mr. Barnes' death occurred in 1880, and his wife passed away in 1864.

Albert A. Barnes passed his early boyhood in and attended the public schools of his native town. At the early age of fourteen he began the struggle of life for himself, as a clerk in a store in Middle- town, receiving for his services the first year his board and $30 in cash. Leaving his employers at the end of the year, he returned to East Berlin, and for a short time was in the employ of the Roys & Wilcox Co. From here he went to Hartford, and for about one year worked in the Sharps Rifle Fac- tory. From Hartford he went to New Haven, and for another year he was occupied in the works of the Whitney Fire Arms Co. Following this he was for a brief period otherwise engaged in labor at New Haven and Middletown, then again entered the employ of the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co., of East Berlin, his duties being in the packing room. A year later he accepted the position of passenger and freight agent at East Berlin, being the first freight agent at that point, and he also sold the first ticket for passenger transportation from that depot. He most efficiently performed the duties here devolv- ing upon him for eleven years, gaining popularity, and establishing a reputation as an obliging and ac- commodating agent. In 1887 Mr. Barnes was ten- dered and accepted the position of superintendent of the works at East Berlin of the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co., a position he has since most creditably filled, showing executive ability of high order.

Politically Mr. Barnes has been identified with the Democratic party, and such has been his fitness for public business and his popularity that he has been favored with nearly all of the various town offices. In 1878 he was elected to the General As- sembly and was a member of that body at the time of the holding of the last session in the old State House at Hartford, and the first in the new one. For a period of ten years he served as president of the board of education of Berlin. His religious connections are with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he was one of the first members of the society in the town, and for twenty-one years served as superintendent of the Sunday-school. He is a member of the K. P. lodge at East Berlin, and has served as chancellor commander of same a num- ber of terms. He was the first vice-president of the East Berlin Building Association, and the first presi-

dent of the Mattabessett Canning Co. Few men have more friends and enjoy greater popularity, and deservedly so, than the subject of this sketch.

On June 9, 1869, Mr. Barnes was married to Miss Emilie Bunce, of East Berlin, Conn., a daugh- ter of George and Harriet ( Bulkeley ) Bunce, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere. She received her education in the public schools of East Berlin. To this marriage have come three children : Wini- fred E., who was graduated in the class of 1896 from the New Britain high school; Mabelle W., who was graduated from the New Britain high school in 1897, and is a member of the class of 1901 at Wesleyan University, Middletown; and Albert Delos. The family reside in a neat and comfortable home built to suit their own tastes, located on Main street. The parents also own the property adjoining them, in which reside the family of Julius B. Barnes, son of the late Rodolphus Barnes, and the adopted child of our subject. He married Grace Frary, and is now connected with the American Bridge Co. in New York City.

HON. CHARLES A. ENSIGN. secretary and treasurer of the Tariffville Lace Co., of Hartford county, was born in the village of Tariffville March 31, 1850, and is a son of Dr. Charles W. and Melissa (Case) Ensign, who were the parents of two children : Charles A., the subject of this sketch ; and Laura, who was married to Samuel F. Cadwell, of Hartford, in which city she died in 1887.

Dr. Charles W. Ensign was a son of Austin and Laura ( Beach) Ensign, and of him it was written, in the "Memorial History of Hartford County," 1886, as follows: "Dr. Charles W. En- sign was born in West Hartland. He was grad- uated in 1844 from the University of the City of New York, and commenced the practice of medicine in Tariffville, town of Simsbury, the same year. as an Old-school physician. Ile became a Fellow of the Connecticut Medical Society, enjoyed the es- teem of his brother practitioners, and was respected in the community in which he lived. Becoming convinced of the truth and value of the homeo- pathic system in 1855, he openly practiced accord- ing to its principles, and in consequence was ex- pelled from his society. In 1857 he joined the Connecticut Homeopathic Society, and remained a member until his death."

The Ensign family originated in England. and can be traced back as far as 1563. Its arms appear in the church at Childham, where Ensign Manor is located, near the cathedral town of Canterbury, and the name was well- known in the counties of 1.shes. Norfolk and Kent. James Ensign was the first of the name to come to America. His first location was at Cambridge, Mass., but in 1634 he came to Hartford with Rev. Thomas Hooker's colony. He died in November, 1670, his wife Sarah passing away in May, 1676, Their son David, the first of the name born in Hartford county, was the pro-

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genitor of the generations which have since been born here.

Charles A. Ensign attended school in Tariff- ville until fourteen years old, and then went to Muscatine, lowa, and for some time was there employed as a clerk, but failing health compelled his return to Connecticut. Here he learned car- pentering under a Mr. Shaw, and in 1876 again went West to engage in bridge construction along the line of the Louisville & Nashville railroad. He returned to Connecticut to take charge of the bridge building department of the New England railway. In 1884 he returned to Tariffville and began busi- ness as a contractor and builder, and some of the finest homes in Hartford county, including his own attractive home at the corner of Elm and Center streets, Tariffville, stand to-day as monuments of his care and skill. In July, 1898, Mr. Ensign became identified with a business concern which was super- seded by the Tariffville Manufacturing Co., and in February, 1899, was one of the incorporators of the Tariffville Lace Co., of which he is now the secretary and treasurer.

While not too strongly partisan, Mr. Ensign is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party, and in 1874 was elected to the General Assembly from Simsbury ; he was at that time the youngest mem- ber of that august body, being but twenty-four years of age. He is a member of St. Mark's Lodge, No. 36, F. & A. M., at Simsbury, and a charter member of the K. of P. Lodge at the same place. He married Mrs. Sarah Toy Curtiss, a daughter of the late Joseph Toy, who comes from one of the most respected families of Simsbury, of which vil- lage Mr. Ensign is one of the most progressive and valued citizens, ever holding the best interests of the community at heart, and ever ready to respond, when called upon, to aid, financially and otherwise, any project designed to promote the welfare of the public.

HOWARD MERRITT STEELE, one of the prosperous young business men of New Britain, di- rected his education largely toward a commercial and business training, believing that practical knowl- edge is the more valuable, yet he did not neglect those more general lines of study the aim of which is mental training.

Mr. Steele was born in New Britain Aug. 24, 1872, son of Dwight Newell Steele, and attended the schools of his native place until he had reached the middle year of the high-school course. Then for two years, in 1888 and 1889, he attended Doane College, at Crete, Neb., taking an elective course, choosing studies in part with a view to a business career. After leaving school he worked for his uncles for a time, and was then for three years as- sistant bookkeeper for Landers, Frary & Clark. He was promoted to the position of bookkeeper, which he retained for two years, and had not yet reached his twenty-first birthday when he had under him

two bookkeepers. The position was a most excel- lent one for a young man of his age, but he was obliged to relinquish it on account of failing eye- sight.

Mr. Steele then formed a partnership with a Mr. Lyons, in the wholesale and retail grain trade, at the corner of Biglow and Chestnut streets, New Britain, and six months later sold out to his partner. In March, 1895, he purchased the livery and board- ing stables of W. T. Holbrook, assigned, and re- named them the "Park Stables," of which he is still proprietor, in addition operating the electric express, in connection with the Connecticut Lighting & Power Co. He owns the largest barn in New Brit- ain, and also the largest boarding stables, having eighteen horses and twenty-two boarders. He has six hacks, and is prepared to supply any demand. Mr. Steele has been successful in all the branches of business in which he has engaged. He applies him- self to his business, and owes his success to his indi- vidual efforts. He is a member of Lexington Lodge, No. 72, I. O. O. F .; the O. U. A. M .; and Harmony Lodge, No. 20, F. & A. M.

In September, 1893, Mr. Steele was married to Miss Minnie Rhodes, daughter of Franklin Rhodes, the ice dealer of New Britain, and a member of an old Connecticut family. To Mr. and Mrs. Steele has been born one child, Ruth.

THOMAS STANDISH, of Wethersfield, Conn., was one of the early settlers of the town, 1631- 1635, having been naturally attracted to the fertile valley of the Connecticut by popular interest at the time. He is supposed to have been a nephew of Miles Standish of Puritan fame, and came to this country soon after the founding of Plymouth. There is a marked characteristic resemblance between the descendants of this branch and the descendants of Miles Standish. Little is known of the family, except that they were of nobility, being of the Standishes of Duxbury and Standish Hall, Eng- land.

Thomas Standish was an influential citizen, and by the first records of the town owned extensive property. He served the Colony in the Pequot war, and received a grant of land in 1671, on that ac- count, a part of which is still in the possession of his descendants. He died here Dec. 5, 1692, at the ripe age of eighty years, and his wife, Susannah, died Nov. 30, 1692, at the age of sixty-eight. They had three children: (1) Thomas, (2) Sarah, and (3) Eunice.

Their only son, Thomas Standish, Jr., spent his entire life in Wethersfield as a general farmer, and his remains were interred in the Wethersfield cemetery. He was married, March 20, 1690, to Mary Church, a native of Hartford, and a daugh- ter of Thomas Church. By that union he had four children: (1) Thomas, boin March 10, 1691, died single, 1749; (2) John, born Aug. 1I, 1693; (3) Eunice, born May 31, 1698, married Capt.

HON Steele

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John Williams ; and (4) Josiah, born April 8, 1701, married Hannah Butler. The wife and mother died Jan. 20, 1705, and Thomas Standish was again married, Oct. 26, 1706, his second union being with Rebecca Hunn, by whom he had two children : (I) Rebecca and (2) Jeremiah (twins), born Dec. 22, 1709 (Rebecca married Hezekiah Butler; Jere- miah married Hannah Wise. To them were born three children: Hannah, Oct. 24, 1768; Josiah, Aug. 27, 1770 ; Lois, Oct. 9, 1772).

Josiah Standish, a son of Thomas, Jr., was born on the home farm in Wethersfield, and throughout life followed agricultural pursuits there. On March 27, 1733, he married Hannah Butler, who was born in Wethersfield Sept. 26, 1705, a daughter of James and Hannah (Edwards) Butler, and died July 8, 1744. They had three children: (1) John, born March 2, 1735; (2) Hannah, wife of Lemuel Dem- ing, born March 22, 1739; (3) James, born Jan. 22, 1742, died unmarried April 18, 1817.

John Standish, son of Josiah and Hannah ( But- ler) Standish, lived to see the American people gain their independence, and his sympathies were with the Colonies in their efforts to throw off the yoke of British oppression. He was widely known and highly respected, and was a man of prominence in his community. He died July 29, 1798. On May 21, 1785, at the age of fifty years, he married a neighbor, Eunice Tryon, daughter of Abijah and Eunice Frances Tryon, born March 17, 1763, died Dec. 18, 1837, at the age of twenty-two, whom he had waited for, having told her mother that she was a fine baby and he would wait for her. To them were born seven children, as follows: (1) Han- nah, born July 1, 1786, was killed by a sleigh Jan. 20, 1789; (2) Josiah, born Jan. 29, 1788, died April 20, 1790; (3) John, born March 29, 1790, married Namoni Crawford, and removed to Bridgeport, Conn. (they had five children, Laura, Harriett, Eunice Frances, Nancy and James Tryon) : (4) Nancy, born April 12, 1792, married Jared Butler, of Wethersfield (they had three children, Josiah, born Aug. 11, 1813; Lucy Ann, born Dec. 25, 1815; and Jared, born Aug. 20, 1818) ; (5) James, born Feb. 2, 1794, married Cynthia Wells: (6) Laura, born Aug. 1, 1795, married Capt. Timothy Griswold April 19, 1821 (had three children, Jane, Myles Standish and Isabella) ; (7) Josiah, born Aug. 29, 1798, died young.

James Standish throughout life was engaged in farming on the old homestead in Jordan Lane, and was also interested in dairying and stock rais- ing. He made many improvements upon his farm, and was noted for his industry and honorable deal- ings. Ile was well read, and took a deep interest in educational affairs; was a stanch supporter of the Democratic party : was liberal in his religious views ; temperate in habit and genial in disposi- tion. He died upon his farm Jan. 12, 1871, and was laid to rest in Wethersfield cemetery. He was mar- ried, April 2, 1826, to Miss Cynthia Wells, a daugh-

ter of Jonathan Wells, descendant of Gov. Wells, of Hartford. She was born Feb. 26, 1799, and died March 16, 1885. In their family were seven chil- dren, namely: (1) James, born Jan. 27, 1827, mar- ried Jerusha Griswold Nov. 26, 1854: (2) Cynthia, born 1829, died unmarried ; (3) Capt. Jolin New- ton, born Nov. 19, 1831, died May 18, 1888, mar- ried Abigal M., daughter of Levi and Abigal Gris- wold Churchill, April 4, 1855, and they removed to Bridgeport (they had six children, Jolin N., born Feb. 3, 1856; Miles Shephien, born Oct. 9. 1857; Rose Maria, born Dec. 13, 1860; Ilarriett Isabella, born Nov. 30, 1863; George Wells, born Aug. 14, 1865; and Frank Ernest, born Nov. 25, 1869, died Feb. 19, 1881); (4) Ira, born July 5. 1833, died Dec. 30, 1895, married Sarah, daughter of Levi and Sarah Larkin Warner ( to them were born five chil- dren, Annie, born April 26, 1863, died May 6, 1879; Alice, born May 9, 1865: Minnie, born Aug. 11, 1868; Bertha, born March 28, 1870; and Rose, born June 13, 1875) ; (5) Mary Louise, born 1836; and (6) Nancy, born 1838, both unmarried and living in Wethersfield; and (7) Annie Rose, born Feb., 1842, died Aug. 22, 1851.

JAMES STANDISHI was reared on the old home- stead in Jordan Lane, and was educated in the dis- trict schools of Wethersfield and the Wethersfield Academy. He also studied civil engineering and surveying, and prepared himself for school teach- ing. On hearing that his brother John had failed to pass the teacher's examination before the board of education at Farmington, he resolved that lie would secure a teacher's certificate, and accordingly one winter day walked across the country through the woods from Wethersfield to Farmington, passed a successful examination, and got tlie school. For some time he taught through the winter months, while in summer he engaged in farming and also surveying. After his marriage he located on llart- ford avenue, near the State prison. He has since made many improvements upon his place, and has successfully engaged in general farming, stock rais- ing and dairying. Ile is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party, but has never sought political honors. He is liberal in religious views, and is widely known and highly respected.

On Nov. 26, 1854, Mr. Standish married Miss Jerusha Griswold, a native of Wethersfield, and a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Churchill Gris- wold, and to them were born nine children: (1) Thomas, sketch of whom follows. (2) Willys Wells, sketch of whom follows: (3) James, born Oct. 27. 1859, died Aug. 3. 1861. (p) Jonathan Edward and (5) Mary Elizabeth (twins), born Sept. 13. 1863: Jonathan married Ilarr'ett, daugh- ter of David and Harriett Taylor, April 15, 1896 ( have one child, Marian, born Feb. 13, 1808) ; Mary married Charles C. Hart, of Rocky Hill, April 21, 1886 Chave three children, Frank Standish, born Sept. 9. 1887 : William Griswold, born July 26, 1892; and Everett Herbert, born July 10, 1891).

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(6) Jared Butler, born Sept. 4, 1866, married Martha Louise, daughter of Charles and Eliza Densmore Perkins, of Bridgewater, Vt., Jan. 30, 1895 (they have one child, Erland Myles, born Oct. 13, 1896). (7) Hannah Tryon, born Nov. 15, 1868, married Arthur W. Howard, M. D., Oct. 10, 1894 (they have one child, Mildred Standish, born April 19, 1898). (8) James Herbert, sketch of whom follows. (9) Emma Louise, born Feb. 3, 1877 is unmarried.

Thomas Standish was born in Wethersfield Oct. 1, 1855, and attended the district schools and the academy of Wethersfield, also the Hartford Public High School. In 1876 he and nis brother Wyllys opened a store in Wethersfield, but at the end of five years he sold his interest in the business and moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where he spent one year. On his return to Wethersfield he was en- gaged in the carriage business for five years, and in May, 1892, was appointed secretary and treasurer of the Birkery Manufacturing Co., of Hartford, which positions he has since most creditably filled. He is a Knight Templar, member of St. John's Lodge, F. & A. M., of Hartford, and belongs to the Congregational Church. In politics he is a Democrat, and at one time was the nominee of his party for representative from Wethersfield, but failed of election as the Republican party is largely in the majority here. He was married, in Weth- ersfield, April 14, 1892, to H. Leila Bailey, daugh- ter of Arnold and Nancy (Lockwood) Bailey, and they have two children: Lorea, born Feb. 24, 1893 ; and Helen Lockwood, born April 9, 1898.

Wyllys Wells Standish, son of James, born in Wethersfield Nov. 24, 1857, was educated at the district schools and the academy of Wethersfield. He was connected in the grocery and ice business with his brother Thomas from 1876 to 1881, when the partnership was mutually dissolved. He con- tinued it alone for a few years, then selected the ice business, which he has carried on since. Mr. Standish was married, Aug. 14, 1878, to Carrie M., daughter of Asa and Mary E. White, of Plain- field, N. J. They have three children : Harry Asa, born June 21, 1880, and Frederick White, born Oct. 29, 1882, both employed in the office of the Central New England R. R .; and Guilford Wells, born May 23, 1885, living at home in Wethers- field. Mr. Standish, politically, is a Democrat, and is an influential member of that party. He has held the office of committeeman of the public school in his district for several years, and also serves the public as justice of the peace. He is a member of Charter Oak Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Hartford.

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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 105

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