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 43

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 43

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(XII) Josephi Miner, second child and eldest son of Clement and Frances Miner, was born Aug. 6, 1666. He married Elizabeth Comstock on Marchi 12, 1689, and had two children, Joseph and Eliza- beth.

(XIII) Joseph Miner, son of Joseph and Eliz-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

abeth (Comstock) Miner, was born March 3, 1690. On Feb. 21, 1713, he married Grace Turner, by whom he had eight children.

(XIV) Jesse Miner, second son of Joseph and Grace (Turner) Miner, was born Aug. 13, 1716. He married Jane Watrous, and had twelve children.

(XV) Turner Miner, eldest son of Jesse and Jane ( Watrous) Miner, was born Nov. 12, 1738, and died at New London, Conn., April 23, 1802. He was a shoemaker, and owned a small place in the suburbs of New London, Conn. During the Revo- lutionary war he was a Tory, but while his sympa- thies were with England they did not lead him to any overt acts. At the massacre of Fort Griswold, and the burning of New London by the British on Sept. 6, 1781, he withdrew with his family from the city into the country. On Jan. 23, 1760, he married Rebecca Moore, and they had fifteen children.

(XVI) Jesse Miner, seventh child and third son of Turner and Rebecca ( Moore) Miner, was born in New London, Conn., Feb. 4, 1770, and died at Vernon, Conn., Nov. 29, 1858. He married Bet- sey Watkins, Nov. 17, 1793, and she bore him four children: Lucy, Harry Watkins, Olive and Dudley Turner. After his marriage he settled upon a farm in Manchester, Conn., but he later purchased a farm in Vernon, Conn., where he died. During the war of 1812 he was in the employ of the govern- ment, transporting large, heavy masts and other ship timber across the country to New London for war vessels. In his old age he received a pension of 160 acres of government land in Iowa, which he sold for $50.

(XVII) Harry Watkins Miner, son of Jesse and Betsey (Watkins) Miner, and the father of our subject, was born in Manchester, Conn., Sept. 5, 1798, and died at Rockville, May 16, 1858. On April 11, 1827, he married Mehitabel, daughter of Benjamin and Sally Griswold, of Windsor, Conn., and they had two children, who grew to maturity : George Henry and Francis Alfred. In his early manhood he conducted a saw and grist mill, but in later life he followed farming at Rockville, in the town of Vernon, Tolland Co., Conn. He took an active part in military affairs, and at one time was captain of a company.

(XVIII) George Henry Miner, the subject of this sketch, was born at Vernon, Conn., July 26, 1835, and grew to manhood in Rockville; he was educated in the public schools of that town, and in the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, Mass., and on attaining his majority purchased an interest in the Granite Paper Mills, at Vernon, Conn., where he was engaged in the manufacture of paper seven years. He then sold, and purchased an interest in the Phoenix Cotton and Warp Mills, of Vernon, with which he was connected nearly seven years. In the fall of 1876 he located at Hazardville Station, where he held the position of station agent seven years, and in 1883 he settled at Hazardville, where he was employed as foreman of the yard hands for the Hazard Powder Co. for seven years. Since 1890 he has practically lived a retired life.

On April 11, 1857, Mr. Miner married for his first wife, Miss Phebe A. Fuller, daughter of Wil- lard and Deborah ( Moore) Fuller, of Vernon, Conn. She bore him five children, of whom three lived to maturity, viz .; Emma L. (Mrs. Francis M. Packard), Harry W., and Edward F. Mrs. Phebe A. Miner died at Rockville, May 14, 1868, and on June 22, 1870, our subject married Miss Mary S. Mudge, daughter of William C. and Sophronia (Gowdy) Mudge, of Vernon, Conn. Mr. Miner and his wife are active members of the M. E. Church, at Hazardville, and both are highly esteemed in so- cial life. He also belongs to Fayette Lodge, No. 69, F. & A. M., of Rockville, and politically he affiliates with the Republican party.

SAMUEL VERNON, who is at the head of the manufacturing department of the Rainbow Book Bindery, has occupied that responsible posi- tion ever since the department was created, in 1890, and is a practical, enterprising and wide-awake business man. He was born in Leroy, Genesee Co., N. Y., Aug. 17. 1863, and belongs to a family noted for its business ability, being a son of Miles and Elizabeth ( Radley) Vernon, whose sketch ap- pears elsewhere.

Mr. Vernon was a child of two years when his parents removed to Middlesex county, N. J., where he was reared to manhood, working on the farm during the summer season and attending the local schools through the winter months. The greater part of his education, however, was obtained in School No. 35, Brooklyn, N. Y., and completed by a course in Brown's Business College, of the same city. During his boyhood he learned thoroughly of what liard work consists, and on leaving the farm took up the trade of book binding. In 1889 he came to Rainbow, Conn., and the following year took charge of the bindery, of which he is still at the head-an honored and trusted employe of the com- pany. He thoroughly understands the business in its various departments, and having charge of the special department of the mill that turns out a distinctly superior product great credit is reflected upon him. Mr. Vernon is half owner of Rainbow Park, one of the popular resorts in the vicinity of Hartford, and for which his enterprise is partially responsible. He also owns his comfortable home at Rainbow, and is one of the valued citizens of the little village, manifesting considerable interest in its welfare by encouraging anything likely to prove of interest or benefit to the place.

Mr. Vernon married Miss Fanny Phelan, a native of West Suffield, Conn., and a daughter of M. D. Phelan. She is a member of the Congrega- tional Church, toward which our subject is a liberal contributor, and which he attends with her. He has one son, Ralph Radley Vernon, born July 9, 1899.

CHARLES MERRIMAN. It has often been said, and with truth, that the insurance business of Mr. Merriman, subject of this sketch, is one of the mnost prosperous and extensive in Hartford county,

ChasMeninay

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outside of the city. It has been conducted since 1887 by our subject, and the end of its growth is not yet. It includes risks in South Windsor, East Hartford, Glastonbury, Marlboro, East Windsor, also in Hart- ford, Manchester and various towns along the Sound and elsewhere in the State. The aggregate losses paid out through this agency in twelve years ex- ceed $120,000. Success is usually the result of a combination of causes. In that of our subject one 01 two are especially conspicuous. He is the repre- sentative of a family of splendid vitality and energy. Moreover, he possesses a personality of that charm which invites trade relations. Most men like to do business with a gentleman.

The Merriman family has descended from one Walter Meryman (as the name was formerly spelled), who in 1745 settled at Harpswell Center, on the coast of Maine. Walter Meryman, the son of Walter and Betsey ( Potter) Meryman, was born (at Harpswell) in 1751, and in 1771 married Miss Elizabeth Webber. Joseph Meryman, the grandfather of our subject, was the son of Walter and Elizabeth ( Webber) Meryman, and was born at Harpswell, Oct. 25, 1788. He was a sea cap- tain, and was married to Miss Eunice Martin, who was born June 9, 1794, daughter of Capt. Matthew Martin, of Harpswell. Capt. Joseph Meryman re- moved with his family in 1826 from Maine to Hart- ford, Conn. He was a man of powerful physique, and was known to have carried a barrel of flour tinder each arm. He was engaged in the West Indies trade, taking the New England products to Cuba and Jamaica, and returning with cargoes of molasses and tropical produce. His death was un- timely. As master of the brig "Eight Sons," owned by S. and W. Kellogg, of Hartford, merchants in the West Indies trade, he sailed from Berbice, Brit- ish Guiana, and was lost at sea with the entire crew in April, 1834, the vessel never being heard from again. He left a widow, Eunice, who died Sept. 14, 1849, and three children: Thirsah, born April 5, 1813, who married Ferdinand D. Hughes, Oct. 25, 1837, and died Dec. 19, 1844; Joseph, father of our subject ; and Matthew M., born June 9, 1823, for many years associated in business with his brother Joseph, at Hartford, where he died Feb. 16, 1882.

Joseph Merriman, the father of our subject, was born at Harpswell, Maine, Oct. 27, 1815. It was he who changed the spelling of the family name from Meryman to Merriman. He came with his father to Hartford in 1826, when about ten years old, and the year following the family moved across the river to a house in the meadow south of Hart- ford Avenue, then known as "the island," because during freshets it was entirely surrounded by the high waters. He attended the little school which stood on Dorr street (now Market), in Hartford. Being eighteen years of age when his father was lost at sea, he at once began the battle of life for himself. He clerked for a year in a general store for $25 and his board; was then employed by Lester Sexton, a Bridge street clothier, at an annual salary of $75 and board, a sum which to the young man seemed

princely. Soon after Mr. Sexton removed to New Orleans, and the young clerk was given the oppor- tunity of buying the stock with his promissory notes and engaging in business without capital, an opportunity which he seized. For four years he de- rived no net income from his business. The next year he cleared $1,000 above expenses. In 1840 he removed his store from Bridge street (now Mor- gan) to State street. In 1851 he became a whole- sale clothing merchant on Asylum street, Hartford, and later extended his business to New York. He remained in active business for thirty-nine years, from 1834 to 1873, and during his long business career he never asked for an extension of a note nor paid less than one hundred cents on a dollar-an ex- traordinary récord, for he experienced the panics of 1837, 1857 and 1873.

In other branches of business Mr. Merriman also became prominent. He was a member of the first board of directors of the Phoenix Insurance Co., organized in 1854, serving continuously until his death in 1895. In 1857 he was elected a director of the Ætna National Bank. He was interested in large real-estate transactions in Hartford, East Hartford and elsewhere. In 1885, in connection with Henry G. Beaumont, he bought the old Wells. property and opened Wells avenue. In 1859 he was elected president of the Hartford Bridge Co., and from that year until the bridge was bought by the five towns in 1889 he was at the head of same. During that time there was a reduction of thirty-seven and one-half per cent in the tolls, and during his administration the causeway was mac- adamized from the bridge to Main street.

In 1854, when the old Whig party was giving place to the Republican party, Mr. Merriman be- came interested in politics. When, two years later, Gen. Fremont was a candidate for President against James Buchanan, he took charge of the campaign in East Hartford, and carried it for Fremont by a majority of one hundred and one. In 1857 he was chosen State representative, serving on the commit- tee on Banks, and in 1864 he was chosen State sen- ator. In 1875 he was elected selectman, and he also filled the office of town auditor several times. For many years he was chairman of the Center Ceme- tery Committee.

Mr. Merriman was married, Sept. 26, 1838, to Miss Eliza Bemont, daughter of Levi Bemont, and she bore him one child, who died in infancy. Mrs. Merriman died Oct. 31, 1842, and for his second wife he married in Suffiell, April 16, 1844, Miss Jane Eliza Bemont, who was born in East Hartford Aug. 21, 1819, daughter of Ambrose Bemont. By this union there were four children: Frank Beau- mont, born June 22, 1846, died at East Hartford April 12, 1897; Joseph Martin, born Nov. 1, 1852, died at Northampton, Mass., July 22, 1872: Charles, subject of this sketch, born March 20, 1855; and Jennie Eliza, who was born Feb. 2, 1865, married Nov. 15, 1881, Rowland K. Erving, and died Feb. 15, 1885, in East Hartford. Mrs. Merriman died Nov. 5, 1873, and for his third wife Joseph Merri-

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man married, in 1885, Miss Harriet E. Bemont, who died Dec. 25, 1889. Joseph Merriman died Sept. 7, 1895, aged eighty years. He had been an excep- tionally well-preserved man, and to his eightieth year had been sick but very little. He possessed business ability of a high order, and with it integrity and industry. He was fully impressed with the du- ties of a citizen, and attended almost every meet- ing in the town called for political purposes or in- volving the public welfare, and in his later years he related many thrilling and interesting reminis- cences of the town meetings during his early life. He was a prominent Mason, a member of Orient Lodge at East Hartford. When a young man he united with the North Baptist Church of Hartford, and in later years he attend the churches at East Hartford, contributing liberally to their support, and assisting notably in the construction of the Episco- pal church.

Charles Merriman, the subject proper of this sketch, was the third son of Joseph and Jane ( Be- mont ) Merriman. He was born in East Hartford, and his boyhood days were spent on the Merrow Place, on Main street, which his father purchased in 1856. His early education was obtained in a pri- vate school conducted by Miss Ann Ayres, in the Center district school. Then for two years he attended the Hartford Public High School. He early developed a taste for business and in 1871, at the age of sixteen years, he entered the store of his father at Nos. 14 and 16 Ford street, Hartford. Two years later his father retired from the whole- sale business, and for several years our subject was a salesman in the retail clothing store of Frank B. Merriman, his brother-conducted in the Boardman block, Asylum street. In the autumn of 1876 Charles Merriman began business for himself by purchas- ing from Walter A. Loomis the largest grocery then in East Hartford, located in the rear of what is now Vinton's store. In February, 1877, while only twenty-one years of age, he was appointed postmas- ter at East Hartford. It is interesting to note in this connection that his nephew, E. H. Merriman, was afterward made postmaster at the age of twenty- four years. For eleven years our subject conducted the grocery business successfully, selling his flour- ishing establishment in 1887 to H. W. Vinton, and the same year purchasing the fire insurance busi- ness of Ezra E. Smith, started by the latter in 1865. For the past thirteen years Mr. Merriman has de- voted his energies to the further development of that business, and he has succeeded in a man- ner that has won wide recognition and commenda- tion. The main companies represented by Mr. Smith were the Ætna, Hartford and Phoenix, of Hartford, and the Home, of New York. To these Mr. Merriman has added, among others, the Insur- ance Company of North America, the London and Liverpool and Globe, the North British and Mer- cantile, the National Fire, the Connecticut Fire, the Middlesex Mutual, the Hartford County Mutual, and the New London Co. Mutual. The policies on considerably more than one-half the insured

buildings in East Hartford are carried through this agency, while the business has extended to many other towns in the county and State.

In politics Mr. Merriman is a Republican. He has been active in politics and in educational af- fairs, and has filled various local offices. From 1891 10 1894 he held the position of treasurer of the Cen- ter school district. For sixteen years he has served as town treasurer, and he is now filling that posi- tion, running in recent years on both tickets. At the formation of the fire district Mr. Merriman was made its treasurer. He was candidate on the Re- publican ticket in 1885 for representative, but that was a Democratic year in East Hartford.

Mr. Merriman was married, Jan. 17, 1884, at Hartford, to Miss Lizzie E. Ranney, who was born in East Hartford July 26, 1859, daughter of James H. and Mary J. ( Elmer) Ranney. To our subject and wife have been born the following children: Joseph M., born in 1887, died in June, 1891 ; Chas. Russell, born May 29, 1891; Helen and Irene (twins), born in November, 1895; Charlotte, born Nov. 24. 1898. Mr. Merriman is a member of the Royal Arcanum at East Hartford. Mrs. Merriman is a member of the Episcopal Church, and an active worker among the King's Daughters of East Hart- ford.

In 1885 Mr. Merriman bought the first lot on Wells avenue, which had been opened the year pre- vions, and built the first residence on the street. In 1894 he purchased the ex-Senator Garvan resi- dence on Main street, where he now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Merriman possesses a delightful home, where they frequently entertain. They are promi- nent in the social affairs of the town, moving in the best circles, and dispensing that rare hospitality which is the fruitage of kindliness and all the graces and accomplishments of social life.

WARREN WESLEY COOPER, of Suffield, is one of the best-known business men of that sec- tion, and it is safe to say that no better example can be found of the value of integrity, allied to courage, foresight and energy than is afforded by his success- ful career. Beginning life as a poor boy. he must inevitably have missed many opportunities for se- curing an independent foothold in the commercial world had he not commanded the entire confidence of men of wealth, whose shrewd and discriminating judgment as to his reliability led them to extend him abundant credit. At the present time his numerous interests include the most extensive mercantile busi- ness in his town, and his advice and co-opcration is frequently sought in corporate enterprises, his con- nection with a project being considered a sign of assured success.

Mr. Cooper was born May 13, 1839, in the town of Luzerne, Luzerne Co., Penn., and is of good New England stock, his ancestors having been residents of Suffield. Jacob Cooper, his grandfather, who was a farmer of Suffield, married Rebecca Spooner, and both died in that town.

NW Cooper

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Rev. Alden S. Cooper, the father of our subject, was a well-known clergyman of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, for some time was connected with the Troy Conference, but about 1843 he removed to Ver- mont. He married Miss Nancy Pomeroy, whose family has long been prominent in the vicinity of Westfield, Mass. She died in 1845, leaving three children, Samuel Alden, Warren Wesley and Charles Seymour ; one died in infancy.

Our subject was but four years old when his parents located in Essex, Vt., and his education was obtained in the district schools of that locality. Al- though he was an apt scholar, he did not care for books, and never hesitated to sacrifice schooling for the sake of doing some work by which he could earn a few cents. His father, who fully appre- ciated the benefits of a good education, offered to send him to better schools, but as the boy knew that the expenses of the other sons told heavily upon the family exchequer he preferred to follow his natural inclination, and begin earning money, rather than be an additional tax to his father. He was full of energy, never being idle, and from the age of twelve years managed to keep his time practically occupied with work for others. For eleven months he was employed as a farm hand at four dollars per month, and, as he established a reputation for promptness and efficiency, he found no difficulty later in secur- ing work with farmers in that locality. He spent some time as a farm hand in the town of Fairfax, Vt., but, having resolved to seek a more profitable field of effort, he left Vermont in the fall of 1857 with the intention of going to Worcester, Mass. While on the way he learned of a situation in Nor- wich, Conn., but on going there to make inquiries found it unsatisfactory and decided to come to Suf- field, where he arrived Sept. 8, 1857, with just eight- een dollars in his possession. He was not long in securing work as a driver on the stage line between Suffield and Windsor Locks, that being prior to the advent of railroads in the vicinity. His wages were fourteen dollars per month "and found," which seemed liberal to him; but he had determined to find some steady trade, and after two months as a driver he entered Edward Austin's carriage shop as an apprentice in the wood-working department, at forty dollars per year and board. Sickness com- pelled him to abandon the work, and on his recovery he began to look about for other employment, but Mr. Austin prevailed upon him to return to his shop, where he was employed for seven years. He then went to Marietta, Ohio, with a surveying party, and engaged in the oil business with his brother, S. A. Cooper, as a leaser. He also spent some time in the vicinity of Charleston, WV. Va., but after a year's absence he returned to Suffield and resumed work as a carriagemaker with G. S. Austin, continuing five years. He then began working as a joiner in summer, while during the winter seasons he made packing cases, and, as he had gained a knowledge of

the undertaker's business with Mr. Austin, he be- came interested in that, his present outfit and equip- ment in this line being thoroughly modern and com- plete in detail.

In 1874 Mr. Cooper made his first venture in the coal business. The yard at Suffield, which had been established by the railroad company soon after the opening of the line, having proved unprofitable, the first manager desired to dispose of it, and offered it to Mr. Cooper, who thought he could make it a suc- cess if he had a chance. The price was $1,200, a sum which then looked large to him, but on visiting the owners in New York and telling them of his lack of capital they readily acceded to his proposi- tion to buy it on time. The dealers also offered to send him coal on terms that he could meet, and in many ways the advantage of having a good reputa- tion was manifested, in fact, more credit was of- fered him than he could judiciously accept. On Oct. 29, 1874, he took charge of the yard, and, from selling 1,200 tons the first year, the business has now increased to about 3,500 tons annually. At first Mr. Cooper did much of the work of the yard himself, many hundreds of tons having been shoveled by him from the cars into his shed, and nothing was allowed to stand in the way of prompt service to his customers, orders being filled after six P. M. as read- ily as before. From the start he prospered, always managing to meet his obligations on time, and of all the thousands of dollars worth of paper which he has had afloat during his mercantile career not one note ever "went to protest." As his capital accumulated he increased his facilities, building sheds and other structures, including a store for general merchandise. The coal business formerly conducted by Frank Fuller was absorbed into his own, and he has also gone extensively into business as a dealer in grain, lumber, hardware, lime, wood, cement, fertilizers and other commodities, his trade being larger than that of any other merchant in the town. He does a large trucking business, and al- together keeps from six to ten horses constantly at work to meet the demands of his various lines of enterprise, while from twelve to fifteen workmen are employed the year round, the number being en- larged in busy seasons to about thirty. Real estate investments have naturally attracted his attention, and at one time he carried on farming in connection with his other business. He has built seven resi- dences in Suffield village, and in 1898 he completed his present elegant home, one of the best in the town, which is noted for the beauty of its private houses.

One would think that the care of all these dif- ferent interests would be sufficient for one man, but Mr. Cooper's business-like methods permit him to carry on an apparently unlimited amount of work, and as president of the Suffield Electric Light Co. and a stockholder in the Suffield Water Co. he has done much to insure the prosperity of both ven- tures. His success in business cannot be attributed

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to penuriousness, as he believes in enjoying the good things of life, and in his dealings with the public he has been inclined to err on the side of generosity, having occasionally met with losses through trust- ing people when he did not really expect to be paid. He gives substantial aid to all measures for local improvement, and for many years he has been in- fluential in religious work as a member of the Bap- tist Church, in which he has at times held office. Politically he is a strong Republican, but the pres- sure of business has prevented him from taking an active share in partisan work, although he served acceptably two years as first selectman.

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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 43

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