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 39

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 39

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Charles K. Atwood, the subject of this sketch, passed his boyhood and youth upon the home farm, and his primary education was obtained in the pub- lic schools of Newington. Subsequently he at- tended school in Glastonbury and Berlin for one term each; was for a time a student in the academy in Newington ; and for one year took a private. course of study under the direction of Rev. Dr. Brace, then pastor of the Congregational Church of Newington. In 1839 he entered Yale, where he pursued the regular course, and was graduated in 1843, after which he studied law in Hartford for one year with Gov. Toucey. and for the same lengthi

of time with Francis Fellows. He was admitted to the Bar during the March term of court, 1846, and for a time successfully engaged in practice in Hart- ford, but finally, in response to his father's urgent re- quest, he returned home to assist in carrying on his large farming interests, and has since remained on the old homestead, his time and attention being devoted to agricultural pursuits.

Mr. Atwood is a gentleman of culture and re- finement, and keeps well posted on the leading ques- tions and issues of the day. He has always been a stanch Democrat in politics, but being opposed to the free coinage of silver at a ratio of sixteen to one he voted for Palmer and Buckner in 1896. In 1872 he was elected to the State Legislature as the first representative from Newington, which the year previous had been separated from Wethersfield. At the first town meeting he was made first selectman, and most acceptably filled that office for several years, until he refused to hold it longer. Frater- nally he is a member of Newington Grange. Since 1870 he has served as deacon of the Congregational Church, and has always taken a prominent part in church work. During the long years of his resi- dence here he has championed every movement de- signed to promote the general welfare, has sup- ported every enterprise for the public good, and has materially aided in the advancement of all social, educational and moral interests.

JAMES HENRY HASKINS, one of the best- known and most progressive of the tobacco raisers of Suffield, was born in Washington, Berkshire Co., Mass., Aug. 11, 1829.

Amos Haskins, grandfather of James H. Has- kins, was a native of Salisbury, Conn., where he was reared to manhood, and whence he removed to Washington, Mass., there engaging in farming and stock raising. He married Lovisa Bills, and the union was blessed with nine children, as fol- lows: Orrin, Amos, James, John, Charles, Sara, Lovisa, Mary and Nancy, all now deceased with the exception of Mary, who lives in Joliet, Ill., and Charles, who makes his home in Rockford, same State. The father of this family was a Whig in politics. He and his wife both died on his farm in Washington, in the faith of the Congregational Church.

Orrin Haskins, father of our subject, was born in Washington, Mass., was reared on the home farm and was educated in the comon schools. When quite a youth he was drafted for the war of 1812, and was stationed at Boston. He served as selectman of his native town for some years, and he followed agri- cultural pursuits on the old homestead until 1847, when he sold his place and came to Suffield, Conn., purchasing the place known as the Beamont farm. There he passed away in 1853, in the fifty-eighth year of his age. He was very liberal in his church views, and in politics was a Democrat, but was no office seeker. Orrin Haskins married Celestia

James H Haskins

953

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Spellman, a native of Granville, Mass., and to this union were born seven children: Levi, who died at the age of eleven years; James H., our subject ; Saloma, wife of Jarvis Norcott, of Becket, Mass .; Maria, who married Andrew Barnes, of Middle- field, Mass .; Marion, deceased; Sarah, who died when two years old ; and a twin that died unnamed. After the death of Orrin Haskins his widow mar- ried George Fuller, but of this union there was no issue. The mother of the above named family was a pious member of the Congregational Church ; she died in 1876, and her remains were reverently laid to rest beside those of her husband in the Suffield cemetery.

James H. Haskins, the subject proper of this sketch, received only an ordinary district-school education in Washington, Mass., and was eighteen years of age when he came with his parents to Suffield, Hartford Co., Conn., remaining with them until the father's death, when he paid off all claims and assumed sole charge of the farm. He made extensive improvements thereon, and engaged largely in the cultivation of tobacco, as well as in general farming and stock raising, until 1892, when he came to his present home. Here he has also made extensive improvements and is very pleas- antly domiciled. He owns one hundred acres, and, as he thoroughly understands the theory and prac- tice of agriculture, has met with complete success in his various operations. His surroundings speak well for his industry, taste and skill, and his farm is a model of its kind.

Mr. Haskins was joined in matrimony, April 25, 1854, in Suffield, with Miss Mary Ann Hast- ings, a native of the town, and a daughter of Will- iam and Lydia (Remington) Hastings, also na- tives of Suffield. This marriage has been blessed with five children: Ida M., who died young ; James O .: William Henry, who passed away at the age of four years; Nellie M., wife of Apollos Fuller, of Suffield; and Charles Edward, the pres- ent occupant of the old homestead in Suffield owned by his grandfather and later by his father. Charles E. Haskins married Lizzie K. Fuller, who has borne him one son, Edward N.

In politics Mr. Haskins is a Democrat, and at different times he has been a candidate for repre- sentative to the State Legislature, but the town being strongly Republican he was defeated. He served as a selectman of Suffield from 1881 until 1883, during his last year in that incumbency being instrumental in bringing about a final settlement of the boundary line between Suffield and Granby, which had been in dispute for several years. After the case had been in litigation for a. time the court appointed a commission of three men to settle tlie question, and most of the points were decided ac- cording to Mr. Haskins' original claim. Our sub- ject has also served as a grand juror. He and his wife, with their surviving children, are adherents of the Baptist Church, and all are highly respected for their individual merits.

WALTER WING COWLES has done his full share in adding lustre to a name already respected and "familiar as household words" in Hartford county, especially in Manchester and the neighboring towns. His trout preserve, one of the finest, if not tlie finest, in the State of Connecticut, is known to all who have any interest in that direction in this part of the country.

Mr. Cowles was born Feb. 15, 1844, on the farm in the town of Manchester where he makes his home, son of Francis W. Cowles, and grandson of Stephen Cowles, a native of Springfield, Vt., who in about 1834 came with his family to Hartford coun- ty, Conn., locating at Hilliardville, where he began work in the woolen mills. The trip was made in the winter time, with sled and ox-team :. Stephen Cowles passed away in 1847, at the advanced age of ninety-two years. He was tall and spare in build. His family consisted of nine children: Stephen, Austin, Eliza, Francis W., Paulina, Nancy, Martha, Mary and Walter.

Francis W. Cowles was born July 4, 1805, in Springfield, Vt., and in early manhood came to Hartford county, where he became one of the most influential men of his day. He was a self-made man, having few opportunities in his younger lire, for when a niere boy he began work in the Hilliard woolen mills, and when sixteen years of age he went to Buckland's Corners, where at that time there was a hotel and stage stables located on the old stage road between Boston and Hartford. Here he was employed until he reached his majority, when he purchased the old tavern, and he conducted it suc- cessfully until 1846, when he removed to the farm now owned and occupied by his son Walter W. in Manchester town. He carried on general farming and stock raising, breeding Jersey cattle, and for the first few years had a general store in connection at Buckland's Corners. Mr. Cowles became inti- mately identified with the history and advancement of Hartford county, and his personal worth and pop- ularity may be estimated from the fact that up to the time of his death he and Dr. C. W. Jacques and Ralph Cheney were the only Democrats who repre- sented the town of Manchester in the Legislature since it was set off from the town of East Hart- ford, in 1834. A more complete mention of this esteemed citizen will be found in the sketch of his son, Clinton W., elsewhere.

On Nov. 12, 1834, Francis W. Cowles was mar- ried to Miss Harriet Wing, of East Hartford, daugh- ter of Sylvanus Wing, and they had a family of five children : Albert F., who is a farmer of Manchester town; Harriet, who died in 1858; Clinton W., a prominent citizen of Manchester: Walter W .; and Martha J., deceased wife of Dwight A. Moulton, of California, who is at present assistant State treas- urer of that State. Mr. Cowles' death occurred in Manchester, March 10, 1880, when he was seventy- four years of age.

During his early life Walter W. Cowles re-

954

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ceived every opoprtunity for obtaining a good ed- ucation, attending the common schools of the home neighborhood, the Suffield high schools and Lit- erary Institute of Suffield, and East Grenwich Sem- inary, remaining at school until he was twenty years of age. Returning to the home farm, he was engaged thereon until in 1869 he and his brother, Clinton W., engaged in the hotel business at Man- chester, having purchased the "Weaver Hotel," which has since been known as the "Cowles Hotel." After 1873 our subject had entire charge of the business until 1881, when he again took up his res- idence on the farm, and here he has since remained. This is a highly improved and valuable tract of 200 acres, and in addition to extensive operations in gen- eral farming Mr. Cowles is engaged in stock-rais- ing and the care of his trout preserve, breeding Jer- sey cattle and a standard grade of fine driving horses.

While on a summer visit to the seashore, in the vicinity of Plymouth, Mass., Mr. Cowles became in- terested in the trout preserves so numerous in that locality, and recalling the fact that a large number of springs start up on his farm in various parts of the estate, feeding the brook which runs its entire length, he was convinced that he could make a suc- cess of the industry at home. The idea took sub- stantial form in 1895, when he had his first pond, covering an area of three acres, made, and in 1897 a second, about the same size, was constructed. Be- sides there are dozens of pools along the little stream, and Mr. Cowles at present has at least 500,000 young trout, and about four tons of two and three-year-old fish. The place is equipped with every facility for the successful conduct of this business, our subject owning his own trout hatchery, etc., and in 1899 he gave four million trout eggs to the State to be used in stocking streams. His fish find a ready market, selling at from sixty cents to one dollar per pound. In this connection Mr. Cowles has become especially well known, for he was instrumental in passing a bill through the Legislature during the past session making it lawful to market trout from Feb. I to Oct. I, the previous law having limited the time to three months in the year, from April I, to July I. Mr. Cowles has also been closely identified with the affairs of his own locality, and has served efficiently as road commissioner ( for eleven years) and jus- tice of the peace, giving unbounded satisfaction. Like all the members of his family, he is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party. Fraternally he is a member of Manchester Lodge, No. 73, A. F. & A. M.

On May 28, 1879, Walter W. Cowles was mar- ried to Miss Hattie Fuller, a native of Manchester, and their union has been blessed with five children : Florence, born June 6, 1880: Clinton W., Dec. 7. 1882: Arline, Nov. 17, 1888 (who died Feb. I, 1893) ; Robert, Oct.8, 1894 ; and Mark, July 23, 1899.

SAMUEL C. THRALL. The Thrall home- stead in the town of Windsor is one of the most valuable estates in Hartford county, and is of spe-

cial interest to the historian, as it has been in the possession of the family from pioneer times. The fertility of its broad acres, extending along the banks of the Farmington river, has never been ex- hausted, the judicious use of scientific methods of farming having prevented the failure of soil so often deplored in our older settlements. The pres- ent commodious brick residence was built in 1879, taking the place of a building erected by William Thrall, our subject's uncle, and it is one of the largest and most substantial in this section. The subject of this sketch is a man whose long and use- ful life has won for him the respect and esteem of the entire community, and in giving a prominent place to the following history we are but paying a just tribute to his personal worth.

The spelling of the family name was somewhat varied in the old days, the records giving it as Thrale, Thrail, Trall and Thrall. The first an- cestor of whom a definite account has been pre- served was William Thrall, who came to Windsor before the Pequot war, in which he took an active part. In 1646 he joined with Robert Winslow in the purchase of "Hoyte's Meadow" from Simon Hoyte, and later he settled there with his family. As they were quite a distance from any neighbors and were thus exposed to sudden night attacks from the Indians, the Court exempted him from the duty of "watch and word," to which all able-bodied men in the settlement were liable. Ever since his time the land has been the home of the Thralls, suc- cessive generations maintaining the reputation of the family for thrift, industry, public spirit and all that constitutes good citizenship.

David Thrall, our subject's grandfather, fol- lowed farming at the homestead throughout his life. He married Zulima Denslow, and had four sons : Joel, William, Harvey and Horace. There were also several daughters, of whom Sarah mar- ried Elijah Griswold ; Mary married Hezekiah Gris- wold, and moved to New York State; another daughter, Hulda, never married.

Hon. Horace Thrall, the father of our subject, was born July 26, 1795, in a house which stood a short distance to the east of the present residence of our subject. He was always engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, and his fine mental gifts and high character gave him much influence among his wide circle of acquaintances. Politically he was a strong Democrat, and at times he served in local offices of trust and responsibility, while for one term he rep- resented his town in the State Legislature. On March 14, 1855, he married Miss Eliza J. Wilson, who was born Aug. 16, 1806, daughter of Capt. Calvin and Submit ( Denslow ) Wilson. Her father was a Revolutionary soldier, and a leading citizen.of Windsor town, residing in Poquonock. She died April 22, 1846, and Dec. 25, 1848, Mr. Thrall mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Elliott, who was born July 6, 1816, and died May 17, 1850. On March 14, 1854, he married Juliana Treadway Huntington ( widow of Simeon Huntington), who was born Sept. 11, 1808, and died May 16, 1880. His death occurred

Samuel BThrall

955

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Jan. 31, 1865, and was strangely predicted by himself. On Sunday, Jan. 29, 1865, he hitched up a team of black colts, that he owned, and went out for a drive. He returned shortly before noon, apparently as well as ever, as he was a well-preserved man, but took to his bed almost at once, stating to his family that he was going to die on the Tuesday following at 10 P. M. It seemed unlikely, but on Monday he settled up his affairs, talking as intelligently as ever and dictating all dispositions to be made of his prop- erty. His son Thomas M. was to have been mar- ried on Feb. 14, but fully believing that he would not live until that day he requested that the cere- mony be performed during his lifetime, and it was solemnized on Jan. 31, the day he died aged sixty-nine years and six months. As he had pre- dicted the hour of his departure from this earth, watch was closely kept. He showed no signs of passing away until the clock struck ten on Tuesday evening, when he suddenly lost consciousness, and one hour later had passed away. This strange oc- currence attracted wide notice, and was witnessed by many.

Mr. Thrall had a large family of children, all by his first marriage: (1) Charles W., born Sept. 19, 1824, died Jan. 14, 1862, at Poquonock, unmar- ried. He was a farmer and merchant, and at one time a gristmill owner. (2) Horace H., born July 7. 1825, died December, 1897. For twenty-two years he was engaged in paper-mill work, being a foreman for much of that time, and he was also interested in mercantile business at Poquonock and later in farming. He was a leading Democrat, and served as second selectman for many years. In November, 1856, he married Charlotte A. Watrous, and they had two daughters, Gertrude A., wife of W. G. Clark, of Poquonock; and Eliza M., wife of Leroy Sykes, of Suffield. (3) Laura Z., born Jan. 30, 1829, married Salmon Clark, Sept. 8, 1850, and died in Windsor, Dec. 22, 1883. She had three children, Eliza A., Charles O., and a twin of the latter who died in infancy. (4) Oliver W., born July 11, 1830, was a farmer at the homestead, where he died Dec. 28, 1892, unmarried. (5) Joseph G., born Sept. 14, 1831, is a resident of the town of Windsor. On Sept. 8, 1880, he married Vesta E. Bartlett. (6) Samtiel C. is mentioned more fully below .. (7) Edward F., born Feb. 6, 1837, married Flavia A. Howe. (8) Thomas M., born Nov. 23. 1840, died May 21, 1889 (further mention is made of him elsewhere). (9) Willard A., born Aug. 24, 1842, is a farmer of the town of Windsor, and is known as the pioneer peach grower of that locality, and the most extensive one. He received excellent educational advantages, as he had four years at Windsor Academy, and two years at private school in Poquonock. He is one of the prominent Demo- crats of the town, and is exceptionally popular as an official, his work as assessor being quite thorough and efficient. He married Miss Helen Churchill, of Little Falls, N. Y., and has three children, Henry W., Howard C., and Laura H.

Samuel C. Thrall was born at the homestead May 30, 1833, and was educated at the old brick school house in District No. 7, of Windsor, where many of the best citizens received their early in- struction. Among his first teachers were Jeff Aus- tin and a Mr. Barlow. He was reared to farm work, and on leaving school turned his attention to the management of the old farm. He and his broth- ers were all healthy, muscular boys, Oliver being the heaviest, our subject the lightest, and at one time the nine children, including the sister, had a com- bined weight of more than two thousand, two hun- dred pounds! As the work of the homestead did not require the constant help of all the boys, some of them were employed by neighboring farmers, but in 1860 Oliver, Joseph, Samuel, Thomas and Wil- lard formed a partnership and took charge of the homestead. Desiring more land, they purchased tracts from time to time until they had a farm which taxed even their energies to cultivate. The part- nership lasted several years, the utmost harmony prevailing in their settlements, which were infor- mally made between themselves, but as one after an- other married the immense estate was divided, and our subject is now the only one remaining at the homestead proper. While he is in excellent health, being physically and mentally active, he has re- tired from business, the control of the farm being given to his nephew, Frederick H. Thrall. Al- though our subject has never married, his material needs have been well cared for, as his brother Thom- as married a most excellent wife and settled at the homestead, which is a model of neatness and com- fort under her skillful management. In his manner Mr. Thrall is unassuming, and his kindliness of heart is well known, as he has always been ready to aid in any case of need. It is a rule in the family that no one shall ever be turned from the house hun- gry, and hospitality is never refused. to the way- farer. Like all of his family he is a stanch Detilo- crat, and takes keen interest in the party's welfare. but beyond voting regularly he is not active in the practical work of the organization.

WILLIAM PEARCE, the well-known superin- tendent of the Atwater Manufacturing Co., Plants- ville, has the distinction of having won the proud American title of a self-made man. He possesses fine ability in mechanical lines, and this, together with his great determination and energy, has enabled him to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles in his path, and work his way steadily upward to pros- perity.

Mr. Pearce was born in Avlesbury, Buckingham- shire, England. Dec. 23, 1846, a son of Edward and Sarah ( Mead) Pearce, who came to America in 1848 and located in Hartford, Conn., where the father conducted a bakery for a short time. He then re- moved to Glastonbury, Conn., and engaged in the manufacture of spectacles until 1870, when he came to Southington and worked in the shops, first with the H. D. Smith Co., and later with the Atwater

956

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Manufacturing Co. He died in Southington, April 27, 1884. In his family were the following chil- dren: Charlotte, wife of Robert McNaughton; Ed- ward T .; William; Mary, wife of William Ferry, and later of Robert Swanton; and Mercy, wife of Richard Cowles.

Mr. Pearce was two years old when brought by his parents to the United States, and in Hartford county he was reared and educated, attending the public schools. In early life he served a three-years apprenticeship to the machinist's trade with Wood- ruff & Beach, of Hartford, and later worked as a journeyman for ten years. In January, 1875, he entered the employ of J. B. Savage & Co., of South- ington, as foreman of their machinery department, and served in that capacity for three and one-half years. In July, 1878, he accepted the superintend- ency of the Atwater Manufacturing Co., of Plants- ville, which responsible position he has since most creditably filled. He has also been a director of and stockholder in the company for fifteen years. Mr. Pearce is of an inventive turn of mind, and has taken out some forty different patents, among the most im- portant being an ox-shoe, reducing the cost of man- ufacture from seventy-five dollars to eleven dollars per ton; also a patent nail-puller, the object of which is to pull the nail straight as well as easily, that it may be used a second time or more, and at the same time lessen the cost of production. He has also made several inventions on carriage coup- lings, now used extensively throughout the world, the Atwater Manufacturing Co. being the principal manufacturer of these in the United States. Mr. Pearce is known among his fellow townsmen for his reliability in all trade transactions, and justly merits their confidence and regard. Socially he is a mem- ber of William Perry Lodge, No. 50, K. P.

In 1866 Mr. Pearce was united in marriage with Miss Eva F. Brown, a daughter of George L. and Alma A. (Cook) Brown, of Providence, R. I., and to this union two children have been born; Edward L. ; and Bertha G., now the wife of William Hartley.

JOHN DEXTER ANDREWS, secretary and treasurer of the Collinsville Savings Society, is a man whose probity and sound business judgment lend strength and prestige to any enterprise with which he may be connected. The bank has a sur- plus of about $65,000, the largest percentage of any savings bank in the State, and since Mr. Andrews became associated with the institution the number of depositors has increased from 400 to 1,700. Mr. Andrews is a self-made man, having begun his career as a carpenter and joiner, contractor and builder with no capital except his abilities, and his success affords a pleasing illustration of the old adage, "Where there's a will there's a way."

Our subject was born March 15, 1833, in Ash- field, Mass. At an early day three brothers named Andrews came from England, one settling in Mas- sachusetts, one in Connecticut and one in Georgia. James Andrews, our subject's grandfather, was

born in Massachusetts, and made his home there throughout life. He died at the age of fifty, but his wife, Sarah, lived to the advanced age of eighty-four, her death being caused by a fall from a coach in a runaway. They had several children, among whom was a son, Rodolphus.

Rodolphus Andrews, our subject's father, was born and reared in Massachusetts and became a farmer and general mechanic, being able to make almost anything from a waterwheel to a clock. He located at Ashfield, Mass., and later in New York State, and his death occurred in Illinois in 1856. His wife, Lois Kellogg, who died in 1843, was a native of New Hartford, and a daughter of Capt. Michael and Sarah Kellogg. Her family has been prominent in New England from an early period, and numbers among its members Clara Louise Kel- logg, the famous singer. Capt. Michael Kellogg resided at New Hartford, and, realizing the value of the water power at the North End, he built the first mill there, disregarding both advice and crit- icism from less acute and far-sighted business men. Our subject was the youngest of a family of six children. (1) The first child, a son, died in in- fancy. (2) Almira died at the age of twenty-one. (3) Louise married Andrew Slawson, and died at Piqua, Ohio, leaving four children. (4) Sarah married Charles Van Velzor, of Princeton, Ill., and had six children, four of whom are living. (5) George W., a bridge builder, died at Rockport, Ohio, leaving a widow and three children.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 39

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