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 120

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 120

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On Feb. 4, 1851, in Milford, Mass., Mr. Corey married Miss Clarinda Smith, a native of that place, and a daughter of Obediah Smith. Four children were born to them: James A., a railroad man of Kansas; Jessie, who died young; Effie S., wife of Frederick Scott, of Suffield; and Grace. The wife and mother died in Becket, Mass., in 1862, and was buried there. Mr. Corey was again married. in 1866,his second union being with Mrs. Abby ( Keck ) Claus, widow of E. Platt Claus, by whom she had three children, two of whom died in infancy; the other, Ida J., is the wife of Charles Washburn, of Westfield, Mass. By his second union Mr. Corey had one child, Annie M., who married Burton M. Gillett, and has one child, Abby Adelia. They live with Mrs. Corey.

Mrs. Abby Corey is a native of Oppenheim, N. Y., and is a daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Smith) Keck. Her maternal grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. She is a lady of marked intelligence and refinement, and a good housewife, excelling in cooking and making pickles, jams, preserves, etc., and her home is adorned by many articles made by herself, such as rugs, car- pets, etc. In 1899 she entered the garden contest of the New England Homestead Co., and was one of the prize winners. She is also one of the most extensive poultry raisers in the town. Mrs. Corey has been quite successful in canvassing for books, and possesses more than ordinary business ability and sound judgment.

HON. SAMUEL D. DRAKE, formerly repre- sentative in the State Legislature from the town of Windsor, is one of the most highly respected residents of that locality, his sound judgment and sturdy independence of thought and action having won the esteem of all classes.

Mr. Drake was born in this county July 9,

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1828, at what is now known as Wilson Station, and is the oldest male representative of an old fam- ily of Windsor town, now less numerous than for- inerly. His grandfather, David Drake, Sr., was a farmer near Wilson Station. His first wife died a few years after the birth of their son, David, Jr.

David Drake, Jr., our subject's father, was born and reared at the old homestead, and became a farmer and brick-maker by occupation. He ac-

quired a fair competence, and had a comfortable home, his children being given a good start in life. In politics he was a stanch Democrat, and con- sidered it a duty to cast his ballot at every elec- tion. He died at the age of sixty-three, and his wife, Eunice Eggleston, also a native of Windsor town, survived him some years, being seventy years old at her death. Of their five children, the eldest, Elmira, died unmarried, at the age of twenty; Nathan, who died in Hartford, was a mer- chant tailor by occupation; Oliver, who was en- gaged in the grocery business in Hartford at the time of his death, was one of the famous "forty- niners," having been a member of O. P. Mills' party, which sailed in February, 1849, for Cali- fornia, via Cape Horn; Samuel D., our subject, was fourth in the order of birth; Olive E., the youngest, is the wife of S. John Mills, of Windsor town.

Among the brightest memories of our sub- ject's early life are his school days in the old Buck- town District school, which had the reputation of being the hardest to govern of any in the town, some teachers being unwilling to undertake the task. Although he joined heartily in the merriment that frequently reigned there, he managed to secure a fair store of knowledge. As a young man he continued to assist his father in farming and brick- making, with which he became familiar in boy- hood, and when thirty years old he carried out a long cherished desire to become a railroad man, the sight of a train rushing by having always awakened within him the wish to be upon it. He was first employed as a brakeman on a passenger train on the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill rail- road, then running only between Willimantic and Bristol, and after a few months was promoted to the post of baggage-master between Hartford and Providence. As he showed marked aptitude for rail- road work it was not long before he was made "ex- tra man," being called on to fill any unexpected va- cancy from conductor to agent. For five years he filled this responsible position satisfactorily, and for eighteen years he was passenger conductor, his record as an almost unerring collector of fares be- ing a remarkable one. The high esteem in which he was held by the company was shown by the fact that he was often taken from his regular run and placed in charge of large excursion trains, where his well-proven efficiency would be of especial value. In 1878 his health became somewhat af- fected, and he left the road, notwithstanding the

expressed regret of his employers. As he had purchased his present farm some time previous, he settled down to agricultural work, in which he has now spent about twenty years. A comfortable competence, the result of his own efforts, enables him to enjoy the good things of life, and he owns other property in the town besides his home. Hc is fond of driving, being an exceptionally good reinsman, and he always has a fine horse or two in his stables. Fishing is another form of recreation in which he takes pleasure, and in former years he often spent his summers at Moosehead Lake, Maine, in order to enjoy that sport. As a stanch Democrat he has done much effective work in local politics, but he is not a strict partisan, and will vote for a good man whatever ticket his name may be on, while his own support is derived from the best people of all parties. For ten years he served as tax collector, and at one time he was elected town clerk, but declined to qualify. In 1883 he was a member of the General Assembly, his able service winning universal approval.

At the age of thirty-three Mr. Drake married Miss Eliza Capen, daughter of Harry Capen, a well-known citizen of Windsor, and since locating at their present home they have taken a prominent place in the social life of the town. Both are mem- bers of the Episcopal Church, in which our sub- ject is a vestryman, and for some time he had charge of the sale of seats. Fraternally he is iden- tified with St. John's Lodge, No. 4, F. & A. M., at Hartford.

ELIHU NORMAN SHEPARD, an old-time and well-known citizen of Bloomfield, was born April 1, 1821, in the town of Farmington, just across the road from his present residence. He traces his maternal genealogy to George and Eliza- beth (Watts) Hubbard, the former of whom was born in the eastern part of England in 1601, and whose name appears on the records of Hartford, Conn., in 1639, he having come hither overland from Boston, in 1635 or 1636, and having here married Elizabeth Watts, in 1640.

Elihu Norman Shepard has passed his entire life in the towns of Farmington, Windsor and Bloomfield without removing from the home farm. His father, Elihu Shepard, was born on the Bloom- field portion of this farm in 1794, and died March 8, 1873. He married, Oct. 20, 1818, Mary Hub- bard, a lineal descendant of the George and Eliza- beth (Watts) Hubbard, alluded to in the preced- ing paragraph. Mary Hubbard was a daughter of Dosethius and Tamar (Hitchcock) Hubbard; Dosethius was a son of Nathaniel and Mary (Cad- well) Hubbard; Nathaniel was a son of John and Agnes Spencer (Humphreys) Hubbard; John was a son of Samuel and Sarah (Kirby) Hubbard, and Samuel was a son of George and Elizabeth ( Watts) Hubbard, the founders of this family in Connect- icut.

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To Elihu and Mary (Hubbard) Shepard were born seven children, namely: Mary J., born Oct. 22, 1819, and married to Martin B. Holcomb ; Elihu Norman, the subject proper of this sketch ; Alma Melissa, born Dec. 25, 1822, and married to William Whiting, of South Willington; Laura Maria, born Nov. 6, 1824, died Dec. 30, 1833 ; Weltham, born Jan. 11, 1830, died Sept. 26, 1830; Theron, of Hartford, born June 6, 1832, and Maria, who was born Nov. 23, 1833, and died May 31, 1839. The mother of this family, who was born Aug. 17, 1798, died Dec. 19, 1882.

Thomas Shepard, paternal grandfather of our subject, was a son of Thomas, was married four times, his first wife being the mother of Elihu. The great-grandfather, the grandfather and the grandmother all died on the homestead now oc- cupied by our subject.

Elihu Norman Shepard spent his boyhood days in the southwest district of Bloomfield, where he attended school. He first married, in Bloomfield, Feb. 16, 1847, Miss Emily Brown, daughter of Nathan Brown. This lady died Aug. 24, 1882, and at West Hartford May 31, 1883, Mr. Shepard married Augusta M. West, who died Sept. 30, 1889; for his third wife he selected Harriet O. Clark, whom he married March II, 1891, in New Britain, but this lady died March 17, 1893, and May 15, 1895, Mr. Shepard married his fourth wife-Mrs. Esther A. Barber, in West Hartford. The present Mrs. Shepard is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and, with her hus- band, enjoys the warm respect of all her neigh- bors. Mr. Shepard, in politics, was first a Whig and is now a Republican, but has never sought po- litical position.

GEORGE BIDWELL, deceased, was in his day one of the prosperous, respected farmers of the town of Manchester, for thirty years prior to his decease occupying and cultivating the farm on which his widow still resides. He was born Jan. 25, 1816, in the town of Vernon, Tolland Co., Conn., son of George Bidwell and grandson of Zebulon Bidwell, both of whom were natives of Manchester, Hartford county, born on the same farm. Our subject was the eldest of two children ; the other, Mary A., became tlie wife of Dr. Will- iam Woodbridge, of Brooklyn, Conn., and died in 1874.

George Bidwell received his education in the common and private schools of Andover, Conn., and became familiar with farm life at an early age. He was fourteen when his father died, and he and his mother subsequently carried on the home farm, on which he remained until his removal to Man- chester in 1850, when he settled on the farm where the remainder of his life was passed. He was suc- cessfully engaged in general agricultural pursuits, and at the time of his decease owned 100 acres in Manchester town, besides a tract of forty-five acres

in Vernon, Tolland county, deriving a good in- come from his land. On March 19, 1837, Mr. Bidwell was united in marriage with Miss Janet Millard, who was born March 26, 1818, in the town of Manchester, daughter of Elijah Millard, a native of the same town, and granddaughter of Andrew Millard, who was a soldier in the Revo- lutionary war. In the family of children born to Mr. and Mrs. Bidwell, were the following: Estella A., who is the wife of Albert Fuller, of Hartford ; George A., who is mentioned more fully below ; Melvin, born July 3, 1848, who died when two years old; and Jane A., born Sept. 10, 1850. Mr. Bidwell passed away Sept. 7, 1880, widely mourned in the community where he had made his home for so many years, and his remains were interred in the Center cemetery. He was an active member of the Second Congregational Church of Man- chester, in which he was ever a zealous worker, contributing liberally of his time and means to Church work and interests. Politically he was a strong believer in the principles of the Republican party. Though now over eighty years of age Mrs. Bidwell is as active as many women of fifty, and she has always shared the esteem in which her hus- band was held by all their neighbors and friends. In religious connection she has also been identi- fied with the Second Congregational Church of Manchester for many years.

George A. Bidwell was born in 1845, in Vernon, Tolland Co., Conn., and received his education in the common schools of Manchester and in Wil- braham (Mass.) Academy. During his earlier manhood he was engaged in mercantile business, at Munson, Mass., and from 1880 to 1881 in the town of Manchester, but after his father's deatlı he returned to the home farm, where he has since resided with his mother and attended to the culti- vation of the place. He is a stanch Republican in politics, and he has been quite active in local af- fairs, having served several years as constable, and for three years as deputy sheriff under Sheriff Bissell.

On Oct. 31, 1866, Mr. Bidwell married Miss Frances J. Keeney, and they have two children -- Georgia M., who is now the wife of Roland F. Cashman; and Homer G., who lives with his par- ents.

HON. PHILIP WADSWORTH, a retired business man of Brookside, town of Suffield, Hart - ford county, was born in New Hartford, Litchfield county, March 7, 1832, and is of remote English descent, the Wadsworth family being one of the very earliest to settle in New England.

Seth Wadsworth, grandfather of our subject, a native of this State, was an agriculturist of Hart- ford county. He was a brother of Gen. Jeremiah Wadsworth (who was attached to the staff of Gen. Washington), and took a very active part with the patriot army during the Revolutionary war. Seth

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Wadsworth married Mary Strong, and to their union were born four children : Hesakiel, Tertius, Timothy and Daniel. Seth and his wife died in Farmington, and there their remains repose side by side.

Tertius Wadsworth, father of Philip Wadsworth, grew to manhood in Farmington, his native town. He began his business life in New Hartford, Litch- field county, as a merchant, and was also interested in manufacturing, later removing to Hartford, where he became interested in banking and insurance, was a director in the State Bank of Hartford for many years, and was also a director in the Connecticut Fire Insurance Co. of Hartford. He was the own- er of a great deal of real estate in the city of Chicago, Ill., and was altogether a prominent factor in busi- ness and public affairs, although he never sought political honors. He was first a Whig, and later a Republican, and voted simply as a matter of prin- ciple. Mr. Wadsworth married Polly Seymour, a native of New Hartford, and to this marriage were born six children, of whom the three eldest. James, Elisha S. and Julius, are deceased ; Tertius lives in Chicago; Philip is the subject of this sketch; and Mary S. died young. Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth died in Hartford, in the faith of the Congregational Church, and greatly honored by all classes.

Philip Wadsworth, whose name opens this sketch, was educated in the schools of Hartford and at Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Mass. In 1853 he went West, located in Chicago, which was then in its infancy, and for years was a leading business man of that city, and largely engaged in the wholesale woolen business. In 1889 he with- drew from the trade and returned to Connecticut. settled in Suffield, and is now enjoying he pleas- ures of a retired life. He resides in one of the finest mansions in Hartford county, formerly the prop- erty of his father-in-law, Parks Loomis, and in re- modeling this magnificent home-known as Brook- side-there has been expended over $50,000.

Mr. Wadsworth has always taken a very active part in public affairs, especially in Chicago. He was one of the early aldermen of that city, was one of the commissioners that had control of the build- ing of the Illinois State House, and was one of the first Republicans in the State. He was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, and strongly supported him on his first nomination for the Presidency of the United States. In 1862 Mr. Wadsworth was ap- pointed by President Lincoln Internal Revenue col- lector for the First Congressional District of Illi- nois, and ably filled the office many years. In 1895 Mr. Wadsworth was elected on the Republican ticket as a member of the Connecticut State Legis- lature from the Suffield district, and it is needless to add that he served his people ably and faithfully.

Mr. Wadsworth was united in marriage with Miss Georgiana Loomis, a daughter of Parks and Emily (Hathaway) Loomis, of Suffield, and two children were born to their union : Philip, who died

at the age of two years ; and Emily, who was mar- ried to Charles Schwartz, a prominent business man of Chicago, and also well known in Suffield as the builder of Brookside, who died in Chicago in 1893; his remains were brought to Suffield and here in- terred. The two children born to Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz-Wadsworth and Philip-still survive, to cheer her widowed life. She makes her home in the Brookside mansion, is a regent in the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution, S. Dwight Kent Chapter, Suffield, and is a lady of refined taste and culture.

TRUMAN HALE, of East Hartford, is a striking example of what is usually termed a "self- made man," one who, by industry, strict integrity and earnest endeavor, has raised himself from com- parative indigence, and stands to-day among the leading and substantial citizens of his town.

Mr. Hale was born in South Glastonbury, Hart- ford county, Dec. 30, 1828, and is presumably of remote Welsh descent, as tradition has it that in an early day of the Colonies a Mr. Hale came from Wales, settled in what is now West Hartford, and was noted for his immense strength. Another Mr. Hale (of no consanguinity) settled at Was- saic, across the State line, in Dutchess county, N. Y., and also became renowned for his physical strength. Mr. Hale, of West Hartford, hearing of the prowess of the other, determined to chal- lenge him to combat, and started to journey to Wassaic for that purpose. On the road he met the Wassaic Hale, carrying a barrel of cider, which he set down in order to exchange the customary salutations ; but when Mr. Hale, of West Hart- ford, saw the other raise the barrel to his lips and drink from the bung-hole, he decided that discre- tion was "the better part of valor," and also de- cided not to "try conclusions" with him-at least, not just then.

Ephraim Hale, grandfather of Truman Hale,, was born in Glastonbury, Conn., was a shoemaker and cobbler and lived and died in his native town, where his remains repose beside those of his wife, who bore the maiden name of Morley. They reared a large family.

Chester Hale, son of Ephraim, was also born in Glastonbury, about 1795. and there received a meager education, as he early left school to work in a stone quarry, in which he was employed for several years. He then purchased a farm in South Glastonbury, and in 1818 married Miss Nancy Chapman, who was born in 1800, a daughter of Ashel Chapman. To this union were born six chil- dren : Henry, born in 1822, was a butcher, quarry- man and farmer, married Clara Chapman, passed all his life in Glastonbury, and died in 1898: Hector died young ; Titus, born in 1825, married Mary Strong, was a farmer, and is living in retirement at Portland, Conn .: Truman is the subject of this memoir; Hudson, born in 1830, learned toolmak-

Truman Hale

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ing, married Mary Boyd, and is now farming in Portland; Obed, born in 1832, was reared to farm- ing, married Celesta Hale (nce Bidwell), died in Glastonbury about 1875, and was buried in South Glastonbury. Chester Hale, the father, died in 1854, and his widow died at the home of their son Titus, in Portland, in 1881.

Truman Hale attended school in South Glaston- bury, receiving his first instruction from Wealthy Ann Buck, and after his father's removal to North Glastonbury finished his education in the "brick school house." He located in Portland, living there until his father's death, when he settled on his present place, and here filially cared for his mother for several years. At the age of twenty-one years he had a capital of ten dollars, and began his busi- ness life by raising tobacco in a small way. He carried his first year's crop back of his buggy seat to the purchaser, Osmond Wells, who paid him twelve cents per pound delivered at Glastonbury. But mark the progress he has made in life by hon- esty and diligence. He now has seven acres un- der cultivation in tobacco on his home place, owns another farm, as well as several houses which he rents, has made many extensive improvements on his homestead in the shape of tobacco sheds and other substantial out-buildings, and in 1892 erected his present dwelling, a fine specimen of archi- tectual skill. His out-buildings alone represent an outlay of $10,000.

Mr. Hale in politics is a Democrat of the most rigid type, is very popular with his party as well as with his fellow-citizens in general, and has been invited to accept nomination for several responsible offices, but has always declined ; nevertheless, he has considered it his duty to render service in an official capacity in a minor way, and for thirty-five years has acted as school tax collector, is now serv- ing on the grand jury, and has often served as juryman in the various courts of the county and State. He is a member of no secret order. He is a constant attendant at the Episcopal Church, to the support of which he most liberally contributes. Mr. Hale is excellently well preserved, and is a gentleman of very pleasing personality. He has never married.

Since 1862 George R. Bailey and family have made their home with Mr. Hale. Mr. Bailey was born in Lebanon, Conn., Dec. 8, 1834, and when nine years of age located in Glastonbury, living there until 1862, when he came to East Hartford and took up his residence with Mr. Hale. In 1854 he married Miss Josephine Miller, a native of Had- dam, Conn., and daughter of Leonard and Louisa (Dickinson) Miller. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have had two children : George, born Aug 8, 1857, died April II, 1862, and his remains are interred at East Hartford; Agnes L., born June 27, 1858, is married to Charles E. White, a resident of East Hartford and a well-to-do citizen, and they have one son, George Truman, born May 26, 1878, who

has always made his home with his grandmother, Mrs. Bailey. Mr. Bailey is at present engaged in peddling meat ; he has an excellent reputation as a strictly conscientious business man.

HON. EDWARD W. PRATT, D. D. S., mem- ber of the State Legislature from East Hartford, and one of the most able members of the dental profes- sion in Hartford county, was born Aug. 11, 1862, in Essex, Middlesex Co., Conn. Dr. Pratt is a son of Hon. Edward W. and Cornelia M. (Doane) Pratt, and is of the ninth generation from Lieut. William Pratt, the first of the name to settle in New England, who is supposed to have come from Eng- land with Rev. Thomas Hooker to Newtown (now Cambridge), Mass., in 1633, and from there to llart- ford, Conn., in June, 1636. Lieut William Pratt was twenty-three times a member of the General Court. He married Elizabeth Clark, a daughter of John Clark, first of Saybrook and later of Milford.

Ensign John Pratt, son of Lieut. William, was born in 1644, and married in 1669 Sarah Jones, daughter of Thomas Jones, of Guilford. John Pratt was a holder of extensive lands in Saybrook and also in Hebron, Conn., and first settled in the old parish of Saybrook, on land given him by his fa- ther about 1672; he fell heir to the paternal home- stead on Essex Point in 1678, when he removed thereto. He was a blacksmith by trade, and his shop stood at or near the spot occupied in 1864 by Elias Pratt, of the seventh generation from the first settler. He was also several times a representa- tive to the General Court.

John Pratt, son of Ensign John, was born in 1671, at Saybrook, and in 1697 married Hannah Williams, who bore him nine children.

Lieut. John Pratt, son of John, was born in 1703, and in 1732 married Mary Webb, by whom he had five children.

Asa Pratt, son of Lieut. John, was born in 1734, and in 1759 married Abigail Dennison, by whom he had eight children. He died in 1811, and his wife in 1830.

John Pratt, son of Asa, was born in 1763, mar- ried Hester Kirtland, in 1788, and had born to him six children ; he resided in Essex, and died in 1827, his widow surviving until 1849.

Elias Pratt, son of John, was born Feb. 1, 1801, and in 1825 married Abigail Pratt, daughter of _Ash- bel and Elizabeth Pratt. Elias was a blacksmith, and in 1864 had his shop on or near the point in Essex formerly occupied by Ensign John Pratt, al- luded to above. He died when seventy-six years old. The children born to Elias and Abigail Pratt were : Susannah, Edward W., Edwin, Julia L., Au- gustus, Julia and James.

Edward W. Pratt, son of Elias, and father of our subject, was born July 31, 1828, and was of the eighth generation from the original emigrant, Lieut. William Pratt. Edward W. Pratt learned

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blacksmithing from his father, and made a specialty of the ironing of vessels. He was a man of great intelligence, was well read, and in politics was a Re- publican, and as such prominent and popular. He served as selectman, was registrar of Vital Statis- tics, and was twice elected to represent Essex in the State Legislature. He was a Freemason, and a man of great influence in the community at large, and a sincere Christian, one whose integrity had never been questioned. He was a robust man, and never experienced a day's sickness, his lamented death, occurring at the age of sixty years, being caused by a fractured limb. His widow still re- sides in Essex, revered and beloved by all who know lier. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Pratt were as follows: Cornelius R., who is a real-estate dealer in Omaha, Neb .; Sydney K., who was cashier of the Harlan lowa Bank, and died at the age of thirty-two years; Julia E., of Hampden, Va .; Edward W., the subject of this sketch; Abbie M., of Essex, still unmarried ; John H., mate on & trading schooner ; and Mary N., who died when one year old.

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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 120

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