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 137

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 137

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Mr. and Mrs. Henry G. Rollins have reared a family of two sons and five daughters, all of whom are living, and are useful members of society : Mary E .. Mrs. W. A. Cobb, of Concord, N. H .; Julia E .. Mrs. H. G. Darling, of Providence, R. I .; Anna S .. Mrs. C. A. Sinclair, of Montpelier, Vt .; Robert W., our subject : Edward H .. superintend- ent of power, Hartford Electric Light Co. : Hattie 1 .. Mrs. I. C. Renfrew, of Littleton, N. H .; and 1 .. Josephine, a stenographer and typewriter with the Hartford Electric Light Co. Mr. Rollins gave his children the benefit of good educational ad- vantages at Newbury Seminary and Peacham Acad- cmy, and five of them became teachers. He is a kind-hearted, conscientious, reliable man, possessed of good liard common sense. In politics a stead- fast Republican, he has efficiently served as lister and selectman.

Robert W. Rollins was born April 12, 1864, in Newbury, Vt., and received a common-school educa- tion, finishing at the Newbury Seminary. He came to Hartford at the age of twenty, and secured a position with the Hartford Electric Light Co., as lamp trimmer. After a few months the manage- ment, deeming him worthy of better employment, secured him a position with the Schuyler Electric Co., which at that time had its main offices in Hart- ford. and where he acquired considerable experience. Thence he returned to his first employ, as night engineer, in which position he remained three years. His next experience was with the Waterhouse Elec- tric Co., with which he remained until the con- cern was absorbed by the Westinghouse Electric Co., when he entered their Boston office as con- structing engineer, and while with them installed many plants, in all parts of the country, as well as the plant of the Havana Electric Light Co., Ha- vana, Cuba. After several years in this incumbency Mr. Rollins returned to Hartford in 1892 to accept the position of assistant superintendent of the Hart- ford Electric Light Co. In 1894, on the death of the superintendent, he was promoted to that posi- tion, which he held until elected general manager of the company, in February, 1900.

Mr. Rollins' wide experience, in all branches of electric lighting, has made him conversant with every detail of the large and increasing business of the concern, and he is considered one of the most expert men in his line in the East. The company in April. 1896, absorbed the Hartford Light & Power Co., thus obtaining a clear field in Hart- ford and vicinity, and they operate four plants, own- ing three, and buying the power from the other. It may be readily seen that Mr. Rollins, as general manager, is a very busy man, and in addition to attending to the multifarious duties of his position he keeps himself thoroughly posted on improvements and new appliances in his line. The fact that he has proved himself capable in every position he has oc- cupied, from the lowest to the highest, is sufficient justification for his rapid rise in the commercial world, a circumstance not now so common as it was a quarter of a century ago, before competition be- came so keen. Success and promotion have come to him as the direct result of ability, energy and hard word, properly applied, and he occupies a de- servedly prominent place among the business men of the city in which his active life has been passed.

On Jan. 22. 1888, Mr. Rollins married Miss Adelia Lillian Bolger, of Hartford county.

HERBERT J. MILLS, a well-known manufac- turer of Bristol. Hartford county, is one of the lead- ing citizens of that locality, and is at present serv- ing as representative in the State Legislature. He comes of good Connecticut ancestry, and was born Sept. 15, 1851. at New Hartford, Litchfield county. (I) Simeon Mills, of Windsor, Conn., about 1640, not long thereto, probably married Jane or Joan -. There is a tradition that Mr. Mills

HerbertJ. Will

1885

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

came over with Capt. Newbury to Salem, and mar- ried Sarah Bissell, who came over in the ship with him. From this ancestor Herbert J. Mills, of Bris- tol, is a descendant in the eighth generation, his line being through Simon, John, Deacon Joseph, Deacon Joseph (2), Roger and James Remington Mills.

(II) Simon Mills, son of Simeon and Sarah (Bissell), born probably after the father's emi- gration, married in 1659 Mary, daughter of Will- iam Buell, a Welshman, supposed to have left Eng- land in 1630, in the company under charge of Rev. William Warham, and who came from Dorchester, Mass., to Windsor in 1635 or 1636. Simon Mills, who was in Simsbury about 1670, died there in 1683.

(III) John Mills, son of Simon, born in Wind- sor, in 1668 or 1669, married Sarah Pettibone, and died in Simsbury in 1698.

(IV) Deacon Joseph Mills, born in 1694, mar- ried Hannah Adams. He removed to West Sims- bury in 1742, being among the first settlers of that part of the town. He was a farmer in comforta- ble circumstances, and a man of eminent piety, dea- con in the church. He died in 1785, and his wife in 1776.

(V) Deacon Joseph Mills (2), son of Deacon Joseph, born in 1728, in Simsbury, married ( third) n 1771 Hannah Remington, of Suffield. He re- moved to Norfolk. Conn., about 1759. He was chosen a deacon in the church in 1772. He was a farmer and to some extent a mechanic, a man of humble piety, interesting, and affectionate and kind to his family. He died in Norfolk in 1792.

(VI) Roger Mills, son of Deacon Joseph (2), born in 1773, married in 1804 Harriet, daughter of Phineas Merrill, of New Hartford. Mr. Mills was a farmer, and to some extent a lawyer. He was greatly beloved. and held the confidence of the peo- ple. His death occurred in New Hartford in 1844.

James Remington Mills, father of our subject, was born in New Hartford Dec. 19, 1818, and re- sided there until 1854. when he engaged in mechan- cal and agricultural pursuits at Beloit, Wis. There he remained thirteen years, returning to Connecti- cut in 1867. Soon afterward he removed to Chi- copee, Mass., where he found employment as a me- chanic, and later he spent some time in Springfield, Mass. About 1884 he returned to his native State to pass the remainder of his life. He died June 25, 1885. On July 30, 1844, he married (first ) Mary Elizabeth Mix. of Bristol, who died in Wis- consin in 1865. His second wife was Jane E. Wood, of Windsor, Conn., who survives him, and resides in East Hartford. He was the father of the following children : Mary Louisa. wife of Delos H. Cady, of Brookfield, Mo. : Cordelia A., wife of Da- rius A. Cudworth, of St. Anthony Park, Minn .; Herbert J., our subject ; Harriet (deceased), who married Joseph F. Smith, of Bristol: Anna Isabel ( deceased) ; and Walter E., who married Lizzie Lundbourg, and resides in Bristol.

Herbert J. Mills was educated in the district schools of Wisconsin, and his early life was spent in the wholesome environments of farm life. When the family returned to the East he went to Spring- field, Mass., where he learned the business of making paper boxes, and in 1872 he removed to New Haven, from there going in 1873 to Bristol. In 1887 Mr. Mills and his cousin, David Mix, leased the paper box factory of Mr. Hitchcock, and during the same year Mr. Mills purchased his partner's interest. He continued thus until 1891, when he purchased the entire business, and built his present commodious factory.

On May 1, 1878, Mr. Mills married, in South- ington, Conn., Adelia Baxter Dozier, daughter of Isaac and Lydia Dozier, of Bristol, and they have two children: Bertha Dozier, born Aug. 31, 1879; and Roger Herbert, born April 4, 1884. Mr. Mills was one of the first assessors of the borough, and he also served as burgess previous to his election as rep- resentative. Socially he and his wife are popular, and he is a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 66, F. & A. M .; Bristol Conclave, No. 556, Independent Order of Heptasophs; and Ethan Lodge, No. 9, K. of P., as well as the uniformed rank of that order. Politically Mr. Mills is a Democrat, and in religious faith he inclines toward the Baptist Church, of which his wife is a member.

TIMOTHY ELEAZER STEELE (deceased), in his lifetime a bright and shining light at the Bar of Hartford county, and who held and left the reputation of an honest lawyer, was a native of Connecticut, born Sept. 1, 1837, at Bolton, Tolland county.

The genealogy of the family of which Mr. Steele was a worthy member dates back to (I) George Steele, born in the County of Essex, England, who came thence to this country with his brother John, and in 1634 was made a freeman at Cambridge, Mass. From there he removed to Hartford, Conn., where he owned lands, and where he passed the rest of his days, dying in 1663, at an advanced age. His son,

(II) Lieut. James Steele lived at Hartford in 1658. He married Sarah Bartholomew, who died at the age of forty-four years, and was the mother of one son. He was appointed by the General Court to lay out lands along with Gen. Wadsworth, also to determine the dividing lines between New Lon- don and Lyme. In 1675, at the breaking out of King Philip's war, he was appointed a commis- sary. Lieut. Steele died in 1712, leaving an estate of £878.

(III) Rev. Stephen Steele, born at Hartford in 1696, graduated from Yale College in 1718. He was the first settled minister at Tolland, his salary Icing £75 (about $375) per annum. He married, May 2, 1720, Ruth, daughter of Samuel Porter, of Hadley, Mass., whose sister was the wife of Rev. Solomon Williams, a descendant of whom was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Rev.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Alr. Steele died Dec. 4, 1759. his wife on May 14, 1791, aged ninety-one years.

Santord Steele, father of our subject, was a prominent farmer and judge of probate in Bolton, Tolland county, where he died at the age of over eighty years. He married Caroline E. Sumner, daughter of T. E. and Elizabeth C. Sumner, of Gilead, Tolland Co., Conn., and to this union were born several children, of whom are vet living : (1) Henry S., of Middlefield, Conn., a farmer ; (2) B. Frank, a wholesale fruit dealer of Spring- field, Mass .; (3) Mary, wife of George Howe, of Springfield; and (4) Elizabeth J., a teacher of Springfield. The mother died in Springfield when over eighty years of age, a member of the M. E. Church.

Timothy E. Steele, of whom we more partic- ularly write, received his primary education at the common schools of h's place of birth, after which he entered Wilbraham Academy, and then took a course at the Wesleyan University, from which in- stitution he graduated in 1863. Having decided on the profession of law for his life work, he studied under the late Hon. Thomas C. Perkins and ex- Gov. Richard Hubbard, in 1865 was admitted to the Bar, and at once commenced practice in Hart- ford. continuing there until his death, June 30. 1899.

To Mr. Stecle an obituary notice pays the fol- lowing tribute: "A safe counselor, his tastes and talents made him pre-eminently a trial lawyer. He was industrious and painstaking in the preparation of cases for trial. In the conduct of trials he was forceful and straightforward, thoroughly master of his own case, and quick to take advantage of every weakness of his opponent. While making no pre- tense to oratory in any technical sense, Mr. Steele was clear and convincing in stating his case to court or jury, and very few surpassed him in the skillfulness with which he presented the evidence in a case to the jury." Of him. also, Judge David S. Calhoun, in speaking of resolutions of respect adopted at a meeting of the Hartford County Bar. says: "While on the Bench I was always inter- ested in the way Mr. Steele tried his cases. He was positive and industrious in the highest degree. and was possessed of a rigid honesty. I do not speak of honesty in any limited or restrictive sense. Mr. Steele was an honest man before he became a lawyer, and when he became a lawyer he did not leave his honesty behind him. His methods in Court were open and honest, and it was never nec- essary for the opposing lawyer to inquire whether he had a private wire leading to the jury box. He was a fearless man, a man who not only had physical but moral courage, and nothing ever swaved him from doing what he thought was right." To all of which it should be added that he was celebrated for his great ability in the examination of wit- nesses.

At all times an ardent Democrat, Mr. Steele nevertheless was not ambitious of political prefer-

mient. though he never hesitated to openly and mantully avow and champion his views. In 1866 he represented Bolton in the General Assembly, and after removing to Hartford he served on the coun- cil board from 1873 to 1875, being president thereof for two years. From 1891 to 1894 he was city at- torney, and from 1894 to 1897 was street commis- sioner, while his interest in the public schools led lim to serve the district in which he resided for many years as chairman of its committee. Of municipal problems he was an intelligent student, and as a public servant he was conspicuously useful and honorable. For many years he was an active member of the Congregational Church, and served on the committee of same.

Oct. 24, 1866, Timothy E. Steele was married to Clara J. Eaton, of Longmeadow, Mass., daugh- ter of Levi Eaton, a farmer of that locality, who died there at the age of sixty-six years: his wife, Clarissa (Cooley), was born in Springfield, Mass. Of his family of six children three are yet living : Levi, in Bridgeport ; Clara J. (Mrs. Steele ) ; and Flavia (Mrs. Carter), their half-sister, of East Longmeadow, Mass. Mrs. Eaton died at the age of thirty-three, a member of the Congregational Church.

Mrs. Clara J. Steele received her education at Wilbraham Academy, and at the age of sixteen be- gan teaching in East Longmeadow, Mass., after- ward in Springfield, and, still later, in Indian Orchard, thence back to Springfield, terminating her school duties in March, 1866. By her marriage to Mr. Steele she had five children : (I) James E., with his uncle B. Frank in Springfield, Mass. (he is a graduate of the Hartford Public High School) ; (2) Edward L., a brief sketch of whom follows: (3) Elizabetli, a graduate of Smith College, and now' a post-graduate of Wesleyan College, where she is taking a literary course under Prof. Win- chester : (4) William, a traveler for Tucker & Good- win. of Hartford: and (5) Raymond, employed in the Hartford National Bank (he and his brother William both live at the old home in Hartford). The entire family attend the Congregational Church. The father of this interesting family found his chief pleasures in the domestic circle of his home, and in the companionship of his chosen friends. It has been most truly said of him that. as a comrade, he was entertaining and instructive; and, as a friend, he was steadfast and loval.

EDWARD L. STEELE. the second son in the fam- ily, received his education in part at the Hartford Public High School, graduating therefrom in 1890; in part at the Wesleyan University, graduating therefrom in 1894: and completed his professional studies at Yale Law School, from which institution he was graduated in 1896. He then practiced his profession along with his father, and since the latter's death has been alone. On July 12. 1898, he married Julia Simonds, of Hartford, daughter of Stillman A. Simonds. and one child, Richard T., has blessed this union.

In politics Edward L.

1887

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Steele is a Republican, and for two terms of two years each he served in the common council of Hartford. Socially he is a member of the Royal Arcanum.

SETH TALCOTT (deceased), for many years one of the leading and popular citizens of Hartford, was born in West Hartford Nov. 4, 1830.

Mr. Talcott was able to trace his ancestry back to John and Dorothy ( Mott) Talcott, the latter a daughter of Thomas and Alice ( Mead) Mott. John Talcott died in 1660, his wife in 1669. (II) Samuel Talcott, the next in direct descent to our subject, was born in 1635, and dicd in 1691. He married Hannah Holyoke, who died in 1677. (III) Benjamin Talcott, born in 1674, died in 1729. He married Sarah Hollister, who was born in 1676, and died in 1715. (IV) Capt. Samuel Talcott, born in 1708, died in 1768. He married Hannah Mosely, who was born in 1710, and died in 1800. (V) Samuel Talcott, born in 1738, died in 1780. He married Mary Smith. (VI) Samuel Talcott, grandfather of our subject, was born in 1765, and died in 1854. He married Abigail Pantry Hooker, who was born in 1770, a daughter of Thomas Hart and Sarah ( Whitman) Hooker. (\'II) Seth Talcott, the father of our subject, was born in 1810, and died in 1846. Samuel Talcott (VI) wore a queue and knee breeches. By occupation both Samuel (VI) and Seth (VII) were cloth dyers and fullers. Seth married Charlotte S. But- ler, who was born in 1804, a daughter of James and Irene (Ensign) Butler, and died in 1875.

(VIII) Seth Talcott, whose name introduces this sketch, began his education in the schools of West Hartford, and later attended Yale College. His early business training was obtained while clerking in the drug store of Harvey Seymour, and on attaining his majority he started a retail and wholesale drug store of his own, where the Hills block, Hartford, now stands. He continued in the wholesale business up to the time of his death, originally in his own name, later as a member of the firm of Talcott Brothers, and finally Talcott, Frisbie & Co. His son, Charles Hooker Talcott. is now a member of the firm. Mr. Talcott was a man of scholarly and refined tastes, was conscien- tious and straightforward in all that he did, and no man in the community was held in higher re- gard or had more warm friends. He was a mem- ber of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, and his life was in perfect harmony with his pro- fessions. He passed away April 16, 1894.

At Long Meadow, Mass., July 13, 1865, Mr. Talcott married Miss Sarah Elizabeth Allen, a daughter of Brinton Paine and Ann Elizabeth (Turpin) Allen. She is also a representative of an old New England family, being a descendant of Samuel Allen (probably a brother of Matthew Allen or Allyn), who was born in 1588. and died in 1648. (II ) John Allen, the next in direct line, wedded Mary Hannum, and was killed at Deerfielc.

i11 1675, during the Pequot war. (III) Samuel Allen, born in 1673, in 1700 married Hannah Bur- roughs, who was born in 1675, and died in 17-, and his death occurred in 1735. (IV) Joseph Allen, born in 1704, married Mary Hewlett in 1723 ; she died in 1782, and his death occurred in 1777. (\) Hezekiah Allen, born in 1739, married Abigail Bartlett in 1768; she died in 1825, and he in 1807. (\'1) Hezekiah Allen, born in 1777, died in 1846. He married Nancy Paine, who was born in 1780, and died in 1843. (VII) Brinton Paine Allen, the father of Mrs. Talcott, was born in 1816, and died in 1879. He married Ann Eliza- beth Turpin, who was born in 1819, and died in 1898.

To Mr. and Mrs. Talcott were born three sons : Allen Butler; Charles Hooker, who married Mary Dudley Vaill, and has two children, Seth and Dud- ley Vaill : and Edward Coleman, a resident of New York City.

ALVIN SQUIRES ( deceased) will be remem- bered among the business men of Hartford as one of the oldest and most successful merchants in his line, and one who, throughout life, maintained a high reputation, in both commercial and private life.

Born March 10, 1821, in Berlin, this county, Mr. Squires was a son of Amos Squires. The first few years of his life were passed in his native place, but he was "bound out" at an early age. When a young man he commenced boating, running to Sag Harbor, and was thus engaged for thirteen years, becoming pilot, and during the carly part of the Civil war acting as captain. It was in 1863 that he first entered the market business, being with J. N. B. Stevens a short time, in a store on Market street, Hartford, where Rogers Bros.' establishment is now located. He was then in business alone for a time on Main street, on the site now occupied by Mr. McManus, and in 1870 established the "Putnam Phalanx Market," which he conducted until his death. His patronage increased constantly, and in 1880 he took his son Elisha into partnership. They dealt in meats and vegetables, and did the largest business in their line, among the best class of people, in the city, and at the time of his death Mr. Squires was one of the oldest market men in Hartford. The business had grown to such proportions that ten men were employed.

Mr. Squires was twice married, and by his first wife had children as follows: Elisha ; Charles ; and Mary E. Benham, widow of James L. Benham. In 1865 our subject married Miss Ella L. Stratton, who survives him. Mr. Squires was connected with the old volunteer fire department for a number of years during his younger manhood. He was prom- inently identified with the Putnam Phalanx, of which he was the oldest surviving member at the time of his death. He served two years as major in that organization, and many years as quartermaster, and the members attended the funeral in a body. There were many other evidences of the respect and es-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

teem in which he was held by his fellow citizens. Mr. Squires was a Democrat in politics, and dur- ing the 'seventies served two terms as alderman. lle died Feb. 8, 1899, at the age of seventy-seven years.

Mrs. Ella L. Squires is a native of Windsor, Conn. Her grandfather, Julius Stratton, was a na- tive of Simsbury, where he spent his entire life, engaged in farming. Morgan Stratton, her father, was also born in Simsbury, and was a farmer by occupation. He moved to Windsor, and thence to Hartford, where he held the responsible position of superintendent of out-of-door work at Colt's for thirty years. He died in 1890, at the age of sev- enty-four years. Mr. Stratton married Amelia Cook, a native of Bloomfield, this county, who passed away at the age of seventy years, and by whom he had nine children. They attended the Congregational Church, and Mrs. Squires is a mem- ber of the Center Congregational Church in Hart- ford. She now makes her home with her sister Isadore, who is the wife of Charles Burr, at No. 16 Linden Place, Hartford.

Elisha Squires, son of our subject, is a well- known citizen of Hartford. He is a Knight Tem- plar Mason, and a member of the Baptist Church, in which he holds the office of deacon. Mrs. Ben- ham is a member of the Fourth Church.

HENRY HERMAN CLARK has for almost half a century been identified with the business interests of Southington as a member of the firm of Clark Bros. & Co., manufacturers of bolts and carriage hardware at Milldale, and he is justly numbered among the leading citizens of the town. His is an honorable record of a conscientious man, who by his upright life has won the esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.

Mr. Clark was born in Southington May 14, 1829. a son of Theodosius and Chloe (Clark) Clark. On the paternal side he traces his ancestry back to James Clark, originally from England, who located in New Haven in 1638, and was one of the company consisting of Gov. Eaton and others who met in a Mr. Newman's barn June 4, 1639, to form a civil compact. In 1669 be removed to Stratford, Conn. His son, Ebenezer Clark, the first of the family to locate in Wallingford, was born Nov. 29, 1651, and was married May 6, 1678, to Sarah, daughter of James Peck. Their son, Stephen Clark, born Dec. 7. 1721, married Lydia (of Ruth ) Hotchkiss, and died Nov. 4, 1800. He was the father of Amasa Clark, who was born Nov. 25. 1753, and was married Dec. 28, 1785, to Lydia Hull, daughter of Deacon Zephaniah Hull, of Cheshire. He engaged in farming in Cheshire, and died Dec. 30 1833. Their son, Theodosius Clark, father of our subject, was born in Cheshire Oct. 22, 1788, and spent his early life on a farm. At the age of eighteen years he commenced teach- ing in a district school in his native town, and in 1810 he came to Southington to teach in the Plants-

ville District. In 1811 and 1812 he taught at what is now Plainville, and in Farmington in 1813 and 1814, while for several years following he taught in the districts in the southern part of Southing- ton. In 1824 he was a teacher in the South End District. This was the first year that grammar was taught in the town, the school commissioners requiring it. Mr. Clark was entirely ignorant of grammar, but he took the study in hand, and with much labor was enabled to carry his class through the book. In connection with teaching he also fol- lowed farming. He took an active part in build- ing the old Farmington canal, since abandoned by building the New Haven & Northampton railroad on the same line, and he was commissary at Suffield in the seasons of 1826 and 1827, during the con- struction of the canal around Enfield Falls for the Water Power Co. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. In 1819 he united with the First Congre- gational Church of Southington, in 1834 was elected deacon, which office he filled until his death, and was also superintendent of the Sabbath-school for some years. . He died July 27, 1865, honored and respected by all who knew him. On Oct. 26, 1816, he married Chloe Clark, who passed away April 5, 1848. Their children were Harriet, wife of Hezekiah Cummings ; Francis J. ; William J. ; Henry H .; and Charles H.

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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 137

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