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 177

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 177

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strated his skill in managing others, and the mayor of the city, L. Hoyt Pease, being interested in the factory, selected him for the office of chief of po- lice, his appointment being made July 29, 1891, and he continued in office until January, 1900. Po- litically Mr. Johnson is a Republican, but he refrains from any appearance of "pernicious activity" in partisan affairs.

On Dec. 12, 1876, Mr. Johnson married Miss Emma C. Haney, daughter of Daniel Haney, of Windom, N. Y., and four children have blessed the union, namely : Edward A., a dealer in wall paper ; Henry A., a civil engineer ; and Daisy and Viola, who are at home. The family holds a prominent place in social life, and Mr. Johnson is a member of the A. O. U. W. ; the I. O. R. M. ; the F. & A. M., Mountain Lodge, at Windom, N. Y .; and the O. U. A. M., in which he has passed all the chairs.

GEORGE HEINRICH, the leading and most popular barber in Southington, was born in Hessen- Darmstadt, Germany, July 26, 1858; a son of John and Gertrude (Grassah) Heinrich.

Mr. Heinrich was reared in his native town, where he received a common-school education, and at the age of fifteen began an apprenticeship to the barber's trade, serving three years. He followed his trade in his native land for eleven years, and then resolved to try his fortune in the New World. where he believed that better opportunities were afforded to ambitious and industrious young men. On Sept. I, 1884, he landed in New York City, and during the first three months spent in this country worked at his trade for his brother, in Southington, Conn. He was subsequently employed as a journeyman in New Haven, New York, Newburgh, N. Y., and New Britain, Conn., and in 1885 purchased his brother's shop in Southington, which he has since so success- fully conducted. having built up a good business and accumulated a nice property. He is the only barber in Southington owning real estate.

On June 12, 1889, Mr. Heinrich married Miss Anna Abel, a daughter of Albert and Theresa ( Magel) Abel, of Germany, and to them have been born two children, Carl Jacob and George. Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich are members of the Lutheran Church, and he also belongs to Friendship Lodge. No. 33. F. & A. M., of Southington ; Triune Chapter, No. 40. R. A. M. : Temple Council, No. 32. R. & S. M. : and Eureka Lodge, No. 75. I. O. O. F. Politically he is a stanch Republican, and he takes a commend- able interest in public affairs.

PHILO SLOCUM NEWTON, whose death occurred at his home in Hartford, May 2, 1891. when he had reached the advanced age of eighty years, was for many years one of Hartford's sub- stantial men and esteemed citizens.

Mr. Newton was born March 20, 1811. in the town of Heath, Mass., son of Daniel and Lucy ( Maynard ) Newton, and was descended from Co- lonial families of New England. Richard Newton,

the emigrant ancestor of this branch of the Newton family, came from England and was at Sudbury, Mass., in 1640. He was one of the petitioners for the town of Marlborough. In 1727, when the town of Southborough was formed, his land fell in that town where his descendants have generally lived. He probably had two wives, Anne and Hannah. He died in 1701, aged about one hundred years.

From this emigrant ancestor Philo S. Newton was a descendant in the seventh generation, his line being through Moses, Moses (2), Elisha, Solomon and Daniel Newton.

(II) Moses Newton, son of Richard the emi- grant, born in 1646, married, in 1668, Johanna Lar- kin, then called of Marlborough. She died in 1713, and he married (second). in 1714, Sarah Joslin. who died in 1723. Mr. Newton was wounded in an attack of the Indians in Marlborough in 1676.

(III) Moses Newton (2), son of Moses, born in 1669, married, in 1095. Sarah Howe.

(IV) Elisha Newton, son of Moses ( 2), born in 1701, married, in 1728, Sarah Tomlin, of West- borough, but at that time called of Shrewsbury. Each lived to be about ninety years of age.

(\') Solomon Newton, son of Elisha, born in 1741, married, in 1762, Hannah, daughter of Daniel Hastings. She died in 1781, and he married ( sec- ond), in 1782, Lydia Hemingway, and died in 1822, aged eighty-two years. His widow died in 1826, aged seventy-nine years.

(VI) Daniel Newton, son of Solomon, and the father of the late Philo S. Newton, of Hartford, born April 13. 1776, married, in 1803. Lucy, daugh- ter of Daniel Maynard, who was a descendant of Maj. Thomas Brown, of Sudbury, Mass., and a par- ticipant in King William's war. Daniel Newton removed from Shrewsbury to Heath, Mass. Mrs. Newton died in 1818, and he returned with the chil- dren, and married Dolly, widow of Moses Havens. Mr. Newton died March 6, 1827.

Philo S. Newton, son of Daniel, and the subject proper of this sketch, in 1818 was taken by his fa- ther to Shrewsbury on his return to that town, and there the son remained until twenty-three years of age, and in the meantime learned the trade of gun- smithing. Subsequently he filled positions in his line of work in the United States Armory at Spring- field, Mass .. and in 1840 superintended the mannfac- ture of firearms in the Wethersfield (Conn.) State Prison, and there became greatly beloved by those under his charge. Later he accepted a position in the United States mint at New Orleans, which he held for a time, then returned to Hartford. Conu. and on State street in that city, he began business as a gunsmith. Shortly thereafter he changed his lo- cation to Kinsley street, and there remained in busi- ness for many years-until feeble health compelled him to retire.

Mr. Newton was an excellent citizen, a man of a quiet, gentle, kind disposition, of unassuming char- acter and was highly respected. He was one of the early members of the Putnam Phalans. and later

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of the Governor's Foot Guard. In 1848, 1849 and 1850 lie served as a member of the common council.

On Dec. 1, 1841, Mr. Newton was married to Elizabeth Anne Pelton, of Wethersfield, born Aug. 13, 1822, daughter of Nathan W. Pelton, who was a descendant in the seventh generation from John Pelton, a native of England, a descendant of the Essex Peltons, and who came to Boston prior to 1634, which year his name is of record in Boston. He was at Dorchester in 1635 and died in 1683. Nathan W.'s line of descent from this John Pelton was through Samuel, John (2), John (3), John (4) and William Pelton.

To the marriage of Philo S. Newton and Eliza- beth .A. Pelton were born Anna Coleman (Mrs. Hawley). of Hartford, and Philo Woodhouse, a druggist and prominent business man of Hartford, a sketch of whom appears on page 174. Of the above named children, Anna Coleman married, July 8, 1868, George Fuller Hawley, M. D. (a lin- eal descendant of Joseph Hawley, of Stratford, Conn.). and their only child was George Burton Hawley, born May 14, 1869.

JABEZ HASKELL HAYDEN, retired manu- facturer, Windsor Locks, Hartford county, Con- necticut.

ISAAC BEECHER DAVIS, who died at his home in Hartford April 9, 1895, was for many years a leading citizen of that city, and in his career were revealed the characteristics of his pioneer ancestry.

Born in Oxford, Conn .. April 15. 1817, he was a son of John Davis, of Chestnut-Tree Hill, Ox- ford, and a grandson of Col. John Davis, of the same town. His mother, whose maiden name was Laura Riggs, was a daughter of John Riggs, of Seymour, Connecticut.

Mr. Davis passed his boyhood at the old farm, and at the age of seventeen went to New Haven to learn the trade of a mason, engaging in teaching during the winter months. In 1841 he located in Seymour, Conn., and entered into business as ? contractor and builder. In the fall of 1854 he went to Syracuse. Ohio, as the agent of the Syracuse Coal & Salt Co., and there spent over two years, opening the mine and establishing the plant. Go- ing thence to Cincinnati, Ohio, he remained there till 1866. as the representative of the same com- pany. The rapid advance in river freight rates. at the beginning of the Civil war, convinced him that investments in steamboats on inland waters were likely to prove highly profitable : accordingly, with his friend, William A. Healy, he bought the "Crescent City," which very soon afterward was chartered by the government, and, encouraged by the success of this undertaking. the two friends built and handled many boats. When Cincinnati was threatened by Kirby Smith, Mr. Davis was chosen to assist in the construction of a pontoon bridge across the Ohio river for the passage of our troops. Owing to ill health he returned to Con-

necticut, in 1866, and later took up his residence in Hartford.

About 1872 Mr. Davis began the manufacture of the Berryman Feed-Water Heater and Purifier, a machine for utilizing the exhaust steam for heat- ing the feed water before it enters the boilers, nearly or quite to the boiling point, which otherwise would enter cold. This device made it possible to use the heat that before escaped into the air; it adds both to the efficiency and life of the boiler, while it also separates the impurities from the current in its passage. Mr. Davis applied his inventive and me- chanical gifts to the improvement of this machine, designing certain special tools to facilitate its manu- facture, and its commercial success affords the best proof of the estimation in which it is held by users.

His fondness for building led him, partly as pas- time, to erect many dwellings in Hartford, some of them among the finest in the city. A few years before his death he closed out his interest in the manufacturing plant located on Cushman street to liis son John O. Davis, and retired from active business.

Mr. Davis was married (first) at Trinity Church in Seymour, Conn., to Miss Maria Ann Tucker. daughter of Sheldon and Nancy Keeney Tucker, of Seymour. His second marriage was in Hartford. Conn., to Mrs. Josephine H. Kenyon, a lady of Scottish ancestry. His children-Mary N., Lillie Annie, John and John O .- were all by his first mar- riage.

In politics Mr. Davis was a Republican. Strict integrity, tireless energy and perseverance, and sa- gacious judgment are some of the characteristics that contributed to his success.

NATHAN HENRY ALLEN, organist. com- poser and teacher of music, Hartford, is a native of the New England States, born April 14. 1848, in Marion, Mass., a son of Henry Manley and Ma- tilda (Clark) Allen. The family is an old one from Connecticut, and the name was formerly spelled Allyn.

Henry M. Allen, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Rochester, Mass. (now Marion) in May, 1809, a son of Joseph Allen, who was in the coasting trade, and died at the age of seventy- eight years. Henry M. always followed the sea, his home being in Marion, Mass., and he com- manded large packet ships for many years between New York, London and Liverpool. He married Matilda Clark, born in Pittsfield, Mass., in 1805. a daughter of Nathan Clark, who was born in 1773. To this union came five children, three of whom are vet living : Mary E., John M. and Nathan H. On his mother's side our subject was descended from Henry Butler Bridgman, an Irish landed pro- prietor, whose estate was located near Limerick, Ireland; and was also descended from Thomas Clark, who came to Plymouth in the ship "Anne" in 1623, and died in Plymouth, aged ninety-eight. Both parents died at the age of seventy-six years,

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and were members of the Congregational Church. The father took much interest in the welfare of his town and in the beautifying of its streets, many of the handsome trees yet to be seen having been planted through his influence.

N. H. Allen received a liberal education. in part at the common schools of the place of his birth, in part at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., which instruction was supplemented with a two-years' course at Providence, R. I., chiefly in music. In 1867 he went to Berlin, Germany, and there de- voted three years to the study of his chosen pro- fession, returning in 1870 to America and settling at New Bedford, Mass. Here he soon received the appointment of organist of the Unitarian Church in that city, and also commenced teaching music. In 1878 he accepted the position of organ- ist of the Park Church, Hartford, a position he acceptably filled for two years, subsequently having charge, for three years, of the music at the Unde- nominational services held in Cheney Hall, South Manchester, Conn .. meanwhile teaching in Hartford. In 1883 he was chosen organist of the Center Church, Hartford, which incumbency he is yet filling with his well-known ability and skill. He is also instructor in musical theory and lecturer at Mount Holyoke College. Of the hundreds of pupils who have passed under his tuition, many are now holding positions in the profession, all over the country.

It is worthy of record that the success of Mr. Allen's concerts and organ recitals has been marked, and favorably commented on. For two years he was vice-president for Connecticut of the National Music Teachers Association, and in 1890 he founded the Connecticut State Music Teachers Association. In 1891, he organized the Musurgia Club, and he is one of the original members of the New York Manu- script Society, also of the American Guild of Organ- ists, in addition to which he is a member of the New York Clef Club. Without exception, Mr. Allen has the largest music library in the city. As a composer of music, including songs, anthems, cantatas, and pieces for the piano and organ, numbering in all several hundred, he is most prolific. Several of his compositions are still in manuscript form, but have already been successfully performed, and at present he is engaged on a work covering the history of music in Hartford county from the time of Hooker down to the present. He has now been teaching music since 1871, twenty-two years of which he has passed in Hartford.

In 1876 Prof. N. H. Allen was married to Elizabeth Mitchell Macy, and two children have been born to them: Henrietta, deceased ; and Henry Manley, who is engaged in business in Boston.

GEORGE C. DUNHAM, who was city sur- veyor of New Britain for several years, has had an extended experience on the best railways of the country as a civil engineer and in kindred positions. and may be said to have brought to the service of

the city an ability and experience which are in- valuable. He is a representative of one of the oldest and best known families of Hartford county.

Mr. Dunham's ancestors for many generations were successful and well-known farmers of the town of Southington. In religious faith they were Con- gregationalists. Of Scotch extraction originally, the Dunham family exemplified the sterling traits of thrift and good management in their business af- fairs, which made them substantial and influential citizens. Harvey Dunham, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a native of the town of South- ington, and at his death left four children-three daughters and one son-namely : Rebecca, who mar- ried Rodney Hart, of Southington ; Clarissa ; Eliza- beth, who married a Mr. Bishop; and Harvey, grandfather of our subject. The last named mar- ried Emma Cornwall, who bore him four children : Angeline, who became the wife of Henry Dick- inson, of Springfield, Mass .: Robert C .; Truman ; and Elizabeth, who married George Loomis, of Parkersburg. West Virginia.

Robert C. Dunham, the father of our subject, was born in Southington, in 1828. He was a life- long farmer, and being methodical, careful and in- dustrious, he was successful in his unostentatious career. In manner he was quiet, but his convic- tions were strong, and his opinions were held in high esteem in the community. He was a regular attendant at the Congregational Church, and he devoted much of his time to general reading. From 1858 to 1875, in connection with his farming, he conducted the "Shuttle Meadow Lake House." At one time he owned nearly the entire flowage of the New Britain water supply. He married Jo- sephine Park, who was born in 1830, daughter of Chauncey Park, of Gill, Mass., and to them were born five children: George Cornwall, subject of these lines, born Feb. 22, 1856: William M., born in 1858, a farmer living on the old homestead ; Frederick P., born in 1860, a traveling salesman ; Minnie J., born in 1862, wife of E. G. Lewis, a boot and shoe merchant and the town clerk of South- ington ; and Julia E., born in 1864, wife of L. O. Sheppard, of Plantsville, Conn., a contractor for the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company.

George C. Dunham was educated in the public schools of New Britain, from which he was gradu- ated in 1872, under Jolin H. Peck, one of the oldest educators of the locality. In the fall of 1873 he entered Yale College. and taking the scientific course he was graduated in 1876. During his Freshman year he received the prize for drafting in a large class. After graduation, in 1877, he entered the service of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Co., as assistant roadmaster at Stoneboro. Penn., continuing in that capacity until 1882. when he returned to New Britain, and there for four years engaged in his profession as a civil engineer. He then accepted the position of road- master on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern road at Stoneboro, whence in the spring of 1887

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he was transferred to Cleveland, Ohio, as assistant engineer of the Lake Shore division. He served as engineer of the division from July 1, 1887, to Nov. 1, 1888, and then continued as assistant en- gineer until November, 1889, when he was trans- ferred to Norwalk, Ohio, with the position of road- master. That position he resigned in December, 1892, to become chief engineer of the Calumet & Blue Island road, with office at South Chicago, Ill. Remaining with this company until July 1, 1894, Mr. Dunham resigned and returned to New Britain to re-engage in his profession as civil engineer, and in 1897 he was elected city surveyor of New Britain, being the second official surveyor of the city. In politics Mr. Dunham is a Republican, but in his office is non-partisan. His success as an en- gineer has been marked, and is due, at least par- tially, to his keen insight into and thorough mas- tery of all the details of the profession. Fraternal- lv he is a member of Harmony Lodge, F. & A. M., New Bedford, and of Marshall Chapter, Elyria, Ohio.

Mr. Dunham was married, Sept. 8, 1880, to Lottie K. Davis, of Stoneboro, Penn., daughter of Adamı and Sarah Davis. Mr. and Mrs. Dunham have been blessed with five children: Bertha E., born July 3. 1881 ; Robert A., born Oct. 21, 1882; Edna B., born Oct. 27, 1885 : Charles N., born Oct. 24. 1887, died Feb. 11, 1889; and Ruth M., born May 27, 1897.

COL. WILLIAM N. WOODRUFF, who died at his home in Hartford March 5, 1899, was one of the most highly-esteemed residents of that city, gaining in a long and honorable career as a busi- ness man the respect of his many acquaintanes, and the warm regard of a host of friends.

Col. Woodruff was born June 23. 1847, in Orange, N. J., son of Moses and Sarah Woodruff, and came of an excellent family. He was related to Gov. Ogden, of New Jersey. Our subject was ed- ucated in the public schools of Newark, and at the' Flushing Institute, Flushing, L. T. In 1861 he be- gan the study of law in the office of ex-Gov. Pen- nington of New Jersey, at Newark, but after an experience of one year abandoned his studies, as he believed the law was not suited to his tastes. Soon afterward he apprenticed himself to the ma- chinist's trade. On completing his apprenticeship. in 1875, lie came to Hartford to find employment. At the depot he met Mr. Whitney, of the Pratt & Whitney Co., asked him where there was a machine shop, and Mr. Whitney pointed in the direction of his own. When Mr. Woodruff reached the shop lic found Mr. Whitney there. The latter took a lik- ing to the young man, and he became a contractor after working a year and a half. He was the young- est contractor then, and at his death was the oldest. having been with the establishment thirty-three years. At the time of his death he had ninety men. two foremen and a bookkeeper in his employ. Hc was the inventor of the Woodruff key, used in

machinery, and he made a trip to Europe in the interest of his invention, for which he was awarded a number of medals at institutes in Boston and New York, and the John Scott medal of Philadel- phia, Pennsylvania.

Col. Woodruff was a Mason, belonging to Wash- ington Commandery, Knights Templar, to the Hart- ford Lodge of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, and (as an honorary member ) the Putnam Phalanx. In early life he was a Republican, but when Gen. Grant became a candidate for a third term he affili- ated with the Democratic party. For some time he served as an aide-de-camp on the staff of Gov. Waller, and he was an honorary member of the Connecticut National Guard.

I11 1884 Col. Woodruff married Miss Carrie E. Sharp, born in Newtown, Fairfield Co., Conn ... daughter of Minot F. and Jane Hawkins Sharp. Her father, who is now living in Fairfield county. was a son of Thomas J. Sharp, and her ancestors. were among the prominent pioneers of that county. The family is of English origin, and they trace their descent from two brothers that came over in the "Mayflower." Archbishop Thomas Sharp, of Lon- don, England, one of their ancestors, is buried in Westminster Abbey.

DOMINICK FLYNN, town of East Hartford, Hartford county, Connecticut.

NORMAN ALBERT HOOKER, of New Haven and Berlin, secretary of the carriage manu- facturing concern of Henry Hooker & Co., New Haven, is a direct descendant of Rev. Thomas. Hooker, the first minister of Hartford and the founder of the Colony of Connecticut.

Henry Hooker, the father of Norman Albert. was born Sept. 20, 1809, in the parish of Kensing- ton, town of Berlin, Conn .. son of Saxie Hooker, a well-to-do farmer of that town who commanded the respect and esteem of the community in which he lived. Henry when a boy assisted in the farm work in season and attended the neighborhood schools in the winters. At an early age he was apprenticed to Norman Warner, of Kensington, to learn carriage painting and finishing. After completing his trade and spending a short time in its pursuit at Savan- nah, Ga., he returned East and, associated with a Mr. Hubbell, began the manufacture of carriages in New Haven, under the firm name of Hooker & Hubbell. This business was carried on under sev- eral changes in the firm until 1855 when Mr. Hooker opened a carriage repository in New Orleans under the name of J. H. Lum & Co., entering later into partnership with Blackman and Randall, which part- nership extended until about 1861. In January, 1863. Mr. Hooker, with Edwin Marble, James Brewster and Leverett Candee, purchased the busi- ness of the firm of G. D. Cook & Co., of New Haven, and the business was carried on under the name of Hooker. Candee & Co .. until the death of Mr. Can- dee in 1865, when the firm name was changed to

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Henry Hooker & Co. In 1868 the concern became a joint-stock company with a capital of $200,000, of which company Henry Hooker was made president, and he held that office to the satisfaction of his as- sociates, and with great success, until his death in October, 1873, the company becoming in the mean- time one of the largest carriage manufactories in this country. Few men in this country did more to promote any one branch of industry than did Mr. Hooker in the carriage business. He was of an inventive turn of mind, understood thoroughly the practical part of the business, and beginning when it was in its infancy he persevered, was quick to see the merits of new ideas and to adopt them. He was broad minded and ever ready to adopt any and all improvements whether of his own device or not so long as they proved good and to the advance- ment of the carriage business. His name in con- nection with carriage manufacturing and building is known all over the civilized world.

For years Henry Hooker was one of the direct- ors of the Tradesmens National Bank of New Haven and a director of the Winchester Arms Company. His religious connections were with the Trinity Epis- copal Church in New Haven. He had no taste for politics, rather shrank from notoriety of any kind, but on the reverse was domestic in his tastes, loved home, where his heart was centered. He was of a kind and generous disposition, ever ready to assist the unfortunate.

In 1840, Mr. Hooker was married to Miss Char- lotte Lum, and to them were born two sons, Frank H. and Norman Albert, both of whom for years were in one way or another associated with the father in his business. Frank H. Hooker died in 1900.

Norman Albert Hooker, the subject proper of this sketch, was born in New Haven, Aug. 17. 1848, and practically speaking grew up in the business of his father. After the death of the latter he with his older brother retained the father's interest in the business, and has remained identified with it through all of the intervening years, the brother only recently dying (as stated in the foregoing) in 1900.

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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 177

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