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 44

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 44

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Our subject's first wife, Miss Martha J. King, daughter of Sethi King, of Suffield, died March 14, 1895, leaving no children. On Aug. 1, 1898, he married Mrs. Jennie (Loomis) Drake, widow of William B. Drake, and a descendant of one of the oldest families of Suffield. Mr. Cooper and his wife are much esteemed socially, the latter being an active member of the Congregational Church, and he is connected with several fraternal orders, including Gideon Granger Lodge No. 62, K. P., and Lodge No. 59, F. & A. M., at Suffield.

ADDISON BRYANT STOCKWELL. In the respect that is accorded by the world to men who have made their way to success through their own efforts, we find an unconscious recognition of the intrinsic worth of character which can endure the rough discipline of life and gain new strength from the experience. Among the self-made men whose histories lend interest to this volume none stand higher in public esteem than does this well-known resident of Windsor Locks, who began his career as a bread-winner at an age when most boys are in school, and has gained a substantial competence.

Mr. Stockwell comes of good New England stock, his ancestors in the paternal line having come from England at an early date. Walter Stock- well, his grandfather, was born at Thomaston, Conn., but became a farmer at Northampton. Hampshire Co., Mass., where he died in 1850, aged nearly one hundred years.

Erastus Stockwell, our subject's father, was born in Northampton, Mass., and for many years was engaged in farming there. His death occurred in 1861. He married Miss Rucksbee Bryant, of Chesterfield, Mass., a cousin of William Cullen Bryant, the famous poet. She had two sisters and two brothers, all now deceased.

Our subject was born April 13, 1835, at the old home in Northampton, and his education was obtained in the public schools of that locality. At the age of fourteen he became self-supporting, work- ing for two years on a farm, after which, for six years, he was employed at the Round Hill Water Cure. In 1860 he came to Windsor Locks to en- gage in mercantile business, buying out T. B. Perse, and locating at the store now occupied by James Keevers. After five years he disposed of this busi- ness and opened a livery and sale stable, in con-

nection with which he conducts a wood and coal business, and also deals extensively in wagons, har- ness, blankets and whips. As a citizen he has al- ways been noted for his progressive spirit; he is a member of the Republican party, but has never aspired to political office. In religious faith a Con- gregationalist, he and his family are leading mem- bers of the church at Windsor Locks. Mr. Stock- well is identified with the Temple of Honor, and is prominent in the Masonic fraternity, with which he united in Suffield, being a charter member of Euclid Lodge, No. 109, A. F. & A. M .; a member of Washington Chapter, No. 30, R. A. M .; Suffield Council, No. 23, R. & S. M .; Washington Com- mandery, No. I, K. T., at Hartford, and of Sphinx Temple, Order of the Mystic Shrine, at Hartford.

In 1860 Mr. Stockwell was married, in Windsor Locks, to Miss Catherine Rooney, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and four children have blessed the union, all of whom have been well educated: Emma died in 1884; Frank, who is in the dry-goods business at Saginaw, Mich., married Miss Alice Prunell, and has three children, Bessie, Frank and Luther. Lula 13 at home. Harriet married A. N. Shepard, of Portland, Conn., and has two children, Nelson and Dorothea.

BENJAMIN VERNON, superintendent of the Rainbow Paper Mill, at Rainbow, this county, has won an enviable reputation for executive ability by his successful management of the extensive inter- ests under his charge. Possessing a complete mas- tery of the workings of all departments of the es- tablishment, his energetic foresight forestalls emergencies and keeps everything in perfect run- ning order, while his admirable methods of dealing with the workmen inspire them with confidence and respect.

The Rainbow Paper Co., of which Mr. Vernon is superintendent, does a large business, making a specialty of railroad work, and being able to supply all kinds of bound or unbound material. Their patrons include the principal railroad corporations in the United States, the New York Central and the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroads giving large orders. The mill, which is now owned wholly by Richard Vernon, a brother of our sub- ject, has been in the' Vernon family for a number of years, having been taken on a mortgage by Ver- non Bros., paper dealers, of New York City, on the failure of William C. Hodge, the former owner, to whom they had advanced a large sum of money. To the efficient management of our subject is chiefly due the present satisfactory condition of the busi- ness, which has been converted into a profitable en- terprise, and was kept open without an interruption during the recent financial depression that caused the suspension or permanent failure of many con- cerns in similar lines.

The Vernon family is of good old English stock, and Richard Vernon, our subject's great-great- grandfather, was an admiral in the British navy. Members of the family were prominent among the

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pioneer settlers of America, and Mt. Vernon, the home of Washington, was named in honor of them. Richard Vernon, the grandfather of our subject, was a resident of Devonshire, England, and a man of position and wealth, being a ship owner of prom- inence. He married Elizabeth Wills, and nad five sons : Samuel, of the firm of Vernon Bros., men- tioned above; Miles, our subject's father ; Thomas, a member of the firm of Vernon Bros. ; Charles W., a Baptist minister ; and Richard, who was for many years a sea captain, and made his home for a time in the United States.

Miles Vernon, our subject's father, was born in 1816 in Devonshire, England, and married Miss Elizabeth Radley, a native of the same county, born in 1818. Her father, Richard Radley, owned a large estate there, and he and his family were of excellent social standing. On coming to the United States Miles Vernon located first in Genesee coun- ty, N. Y., where he owned a fine farm, and later removed to the vicinity of Woodbridge, N. J., con- tinuing agricultural work there until his death, which occurred Feb. 14, 1888. He was the first to import Devonshire cattle into the United States. He left valuable real estate at Woodbridge, which is still in the possession of the family. His esti- mable wife survived him but a few years, dying Jan. 12, 1890. They had the following children : George R., head of Vernon Bros. & Co., paper makers, No. 22 Read street, New York; Charles, head salesman of above company; Miss Elizabeth ; Richard, now sole owner of the Rainbow Paper Mill, who resides in Madison, N. J., and has an office at No. 239 Broadway, New York; Miles, of the firm of S. E. & M. Vernon, No. 69 Duane street, New York ; Benjamin, our subject ; Thomas, a sales- man for the Rainbow Paper Mill; and Samuel, of whom a sketch appears elsewhere.

Benjamin Vernon was born June 15, 1856, at Leroy, Genesee Co., N. Y., and was reared to farm work, acquiring valuable habits of industry. In the winter he usually attended the local schools, but at times he studied in private schools near his home. Later he took a course in a business college in Brooklyn, and in 1876 he left home to make his way in the world, going to Colorado, then a terri- tory. His first vote was cast after the admission of the State for Gov. Pitkin, the first executive. He spent some time in the San Juan district, and in the vicinity of Mineral Point and Ouray, gaining an interesting experience of border life. About 1878 he went to Arizona, traveling 1,500 miles on horseback, and visited the (now) town of Tomb- stone when but one house stood on the site. He also made a trip to New Mexico, and in all spent about five years in the West, being sometimes em- ployed in various capacities and at other times en- gaging in business for himself. His work in quartz mills gave him his first practical knowledge of ma- chinery, and as he generally held responsible posi- tions he learned also to manage workmen, the ex- perience proving a most useful one. When he re- turned home, in 1881, he expected to go back to

the West, but at the urgent request of his parents gave up the plan. In 1886 Mr. Vernon went to Rainbow in the interest of Vernon Bros., of New York, and in 1888, after learning the practical de- tails of the business, he took the place of super- intendent. He has built an attractive residence at Rainbow, and now owns a large tract of farming land, much of which is devoted to tobacco raising. Since his removal to the village he has shown a loyal interest in all that concerns its development, and he is rightly regarded as one of the most popular citizens of the town. Politically his sym- pathies have always been with the Republican party in State and National issues, but he votes independ- ently on local questions, according to his judgment as to fitness of candidates. Beyond voting regularly he leaves partisan work to others, as his business in- terests require his undivided attention. Fraternally he is identified with Washington Lodge, No. 70, F. & A. M., at Windsor. While he is not a church member he and his wife attend the Congregational Church at Poquonock, to the support of which he is a liberal contributor.

On June 7, 1888, Mr. Vernon married Miss Nellie B. Kay, and two children brighten their home : George Kay and Dorothy. Socially the family is much esteemed. Mrs. Vernon was born at New Brunswick, N. J., of Scottish ancestry, and her father, William Kay, was a well-known paper- maker. John C. Kay, Mrs. Vernon's grandfather, was the first to introduce the process of callendering paper in the web at Trenton, N. J., about 1850.

E. L. COBB, of Windsor, is a man whose ster- ling qualities of character have won for him a high standing in the community. For many years he has been prominent among that intelligent and influen- tial body of citizens known as the Masonic frater- nity, in which he has attained the thirty-second de- gree, and in local affairs he manifests a public spirit and freedom from self-seeking which are most com- mendable.

By his upright life he sustains well the prestige of a good old family name that has been held in honor in New England from an early date and which was borne by several "minute men" in the trying times of the Revolution. The first ancestor of whom any record has been preserved came to America in 1643 from the vicinity of Plymouth, England, and settled first at Scituate, Mass., and then in Rhode Island, while later generations lo- cated in Litchfield county, Connecticut.

Nathaniel Cobb, our subject's great-grandfather, was a blacksmith by occupation, and made his home at Colebrook, Connecticut.

Jacob B. Cobb, the grandfather of our subject, followed agricultural pursuits, and for some years before his deatlı he resided in Windsor. He (lied at the age of eighty-seven in Canton, Conn., while on a visit, but his remains were buried in Windsor. His wife, Hannah Spencer, was ninety-two years old at death. They had ten children, of whom two are still living: M.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Huntington, of Philadelphia, and Charlotte E., widow of Timothy Phelps, of Windsor. The former is a well-known journalist, being now on the editorial staff of The Philadelphia North American, while he was formerly a writer for the New York Tribune, under Horace Greeley's man- agement, and private secretary to Simon Cameron during his teri as Secretary of War. He is a well- preserved man and is still active in public affairs, holding the position of chief clerk of the United States Mint in Philadelphia.

Hiram Cobb, our subject's father, was born at Colebrook, Conn., and was the eldest son and sec- ond child. He was reared to farm work, his educa- tion being limited to the common schools of the locality, but learned the carpenter's trade in his youth, and for many years was engaged in business as a builder, although at one time (soon after his removal to Windsor in 1855) he was interested in the tobacco business. Politically he was a Demo- crat until the formation of the Republican party, in which he became an earnest worker. During the war he served as Deputy Provost Marshal, and he was postmaster at Windsor under the administra- tions of Lincoln and Grant. He was five feet eleven inches in height, with a large, biny frame, and weighed about one hundred and seventy pounds, and enjoyed robust health until stricken with paral- ysis, from which he died in Windsor, Oct. 30, 1895,

aged seventy-two years. While still a resident of Colebrook he married Miss Harriet Hawley, a na- tive of that town, who survives him and now re- sides with our subject. She is a daughter of Elisha Hawley, a native of Norfolk, Conn., and belongs to an old and highly respected family, which includes among its members United States Senator Hawley. Our subject is the elder of two children, and his only sister, De Ette, is now Mrs. John G. Caulk- ins, of Winsted, Connecticut.

Mr. Cobb was born Oct. 18, 1848, at the old home in Colebrook, but as his parents removed to Windsor during his childhood his education was chiefly gained in the academy there. He also took a course in Bryant & Stratton's Business Col- lege, Hartford, in preparation for commercial life, as his early training in carpentering and farm work, under his father's direction, had proved those occu- pations to be congenial. From early boyhood he was employed occasionally by neighbors, but his time was spent mainly at home until 1873, when as the car- penter business was dull, he found a situation in New IJaven as a bookkeeper for Lewis Osterweis, a prominent cigar manufacturer. His faithfulness and reliability made his services invaluable, and for twenty-two years he remained with the firm, but an attack of LaGrippe in 1895 compelled him to re- linquish his work. After a year or two he took a similar position with The E. S. Kibbe Co., whole- sale grocers, in Hartford, where he is now em- ployed.

In 1872 he completed his substantial residence on Maple avenue, Windsor, and on June 26th of that

year he married Miss Sarah Mack, a lady of un- usual ability and strength of character, whose as- sistance has been invaluable to him. She was born Aug. 13, 1851, a daughter of William and Sarah ( Ware) Mack, well-known residents of this county, of whom an account is given elsewhere. Four children have blessed our subject's home: Mabel E., Bertha H. (who died in infancy), Edna J., and Newton Hawley. Mrs. Cobb is a believer in Chris- tian Science, while our subject is a member of the Methodist Church. Both are popular in social life, and Mr. Cobb in identified with Washington Lodge, No. 70, F. & A. M .; Pythagoras Chapter No. 17, R. A. M., at Hartford; Harmony Council No. 8, R. & S. M., at New Haven; New Haven Com- mandery No. 2, Knights Templar; E. G. Storer Lodge Perfection; Elm City Council Princes of Jerusalem A. & A. S. R., and New Haven Chapter Rose Croix A. & A. S. R., all of New Haven; La Fayette Consistory, S. P. R. S., and Pyramid Ten- ple of the Mystic Shrine, at Bridgeport ; was thrice Illustrious Master of Harmony Council No. 8, R. & S. M., in 1889, and Eminent Commander of New Haven Commandery No. 2, K. T., in 1894. While he takes keen interest in the political issues of the day and always votes the Republican ticket at Na- tional elections, he supports the "best man" in local contest.

WILLIAM GIBSON FIELD, Eso., of Enfield, Hartford county, was born in the city of Easton, Northampton Co., Penn., Oct. 25, 1841. His fa- ther was Dr. Cridland Crocker Field, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, an eminent physi- cian and surgeon of fifty years' practice, whose surgical operations were referred to in lectures de- livered before the students of the university, and in the obituary notice of him that appeared in the London Lancet. He died in 1887, leaving a large sense of loss in the community.

Dr. Field held friendly and professional rela- tions with Profs. William E. Horner, William Gib- son, D. Hayes Agnew and Samuel Gross : and many medical men were prepared in his offices for the uni- versity and for successful practice. He was born Feb. 18, 1819, on board of the American ship "Ann," on the arrival of his parents from England, within the bounds of Queens county, N. Y. Capt. Crocker wrapped him in the American flag. They went to Northampton county, Penn., thence to Philadelphia, where the father practiced medicine in company with Dr. Physick, Dr. McClellan and others, and where the son was educated generally and especially for the profession, being a private student of Prof. William E. Horner, the author of a noted work on Anatomy. They returned to Northampton county, settling finally in Easton, the county seat. The mother of the subject of this sketch was Susannah (Freeman) Field, who was born at Freemansburg, Northampton Co., Penn., and died lamented by all who knew her, especially by those who had been the

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recipients of her open-handed charity. His pa- ternal grandparents were Richard and Phœbe (Cridland) Field.

Richard Field was brought up at Dudley Hill, Bradford, Yorkshire, England, and after graduating at the University of London he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Henry M. Field, D. D., of New York City, brother of the late Cyrus W. Field, projector of the Atlantic cable, in a work printed privately for the use of the family, and sent by him to the subject of our sketch, quotes Osgood Field, Esq., an American long resident in London, as follows: "Hubertus de la Feld was in England within a year or two of the Conquest, and in all probability came over with the Con- queror. He was of the family of the Counts de la Feld, of Colmar, in Alsatia, on the German bor- der of France, who trace back to the darkest period of the middle ages, about the sixth century. Prob- ably not a dozen families in Europe can prove so high an antiquity. The ancestors of the English de la Felds had been seated at the Chateau de la Feld for centuries before, and so early as the gloomiest times that followed the fall of the Roman Empire. They held lands (according to the feudal system) probably granted to them for military serv- ices by William the Conqueror-the original spel- ling of the family name "Feld" being derived from the verb to fell ; field land being opposed to wood- land, and meaning land where the trees have been felled. Mr. Osgood goes on to say that "the first appearance of the Field family without the prefix 'de la' was in that part of the West Riding of York- shire which borders upon Lancashire;" and it was in Yorkshire that W. Gibson Field's paternal grand- father, Richard Field, grew to man's estate. A branch of the Field family probably went from Saxony through France to England. Richard Field spent the last years of his life in America. His wife, Mr. Field's paternal grandmother, Phoebe (Cridland) Field, was born in Leicestershire, Eng- land, her father being a great woolen manufacturer. Members of the Cridland family have held posi- tions of public trust in England, and several Brit- ish consuls to this country were of the same stock. Mr. Field's paternal great-grandfather was John Field (whose son Richard is above referred to), and he lived to be over one hundred years old, at which age he mowed grass, as (so tradition says) his father did at the same age. John Field went from Saxony to Yorkshire, taking with him his then infant son, Richard. W. Gibson Field, a few years ago, received a letter from the late Stephen J. Field, late a justice of the supreme court of the United States, regarding the Field family in Eng- land. Cyrus W. Field, years ago, sent him a book of family biographies. In the Field ancestral line the name of John Field, the astronomer, is found, from whom the Field family coat of arms is de- rived.

Mr. Field's maternal grandparents were Jacob and Susanna ( Butz) Freeman. ( For Jacob Free- man, Freemansburg, Penn., was named ; and he was a number of times elected to public office). His maternal great-grandparents (male line) were Edward and Susan (Laubach) Freentan. (Ed- ward Freeman's father was Richard Freeman, who came from England about 240 years ago, settled first in Maryland and afterward removed to North- ampton county, Penn.). His maternal great-grand- parents ( female line) were George and Catherine (Dreisbach) Butz. (George Butz's father possibly came from Saxony). His maternal great-great- grandparents were Michael and Elizabeth ( Mes- singer ) Butz, and his maternal great-great-great- grandparents were Michael and Elizabeth Messin- ger ; and Michael Messinger was a member of the "committee of observation" of Northampton coun- ty, Penn., formed at Easton on Dec. 21, 1774, with the view of furthering the cause of American independence. [2 Penn. Archives XIV., p. 549.] The number of medical men that came from each ancestral line is remarkable. Both of Mr. Field's brothers, George B. Wood Field and B. Rush Field, are physicians.

Mr. Field fitted for college at the Easton ( Penn. ) high school, where he was graduated in 1858, his commencement theme being "The Three-fold Cul- ture in Education." When at this school he looked forward to going to Harvard. A number of his addresses delivered during the high-school course were published. He was the first president of the high school alumni association, and, as such, at the centennial year banquet, held in July of that year, at Able's Opera House in Easton, Penn., he made the welcome address to the class of 1876, the prominent educational authorities of the city being present. The address was printed in the daily press.

In 1862 he was graduated at Lafayette College, with the degree of A. B., his theme being "In- centives to Action," and during his course there he was connected with the Washington Literary Society, all of whose important offices he filled. Among thie elections given him by the society was that of junior orator, to represent in part the so- ciety at the annual junior exhibition held July 29, 1861. The subject of his oration was "True Cour- age." He was a contributor to the "Lafayette Monthly Magazine."

At the beginning of the Senior year he was ad- mitted to Harvard College, and was graduated, with the degree of A. B., with the class of 1863, the class numbering among its members Historian Jolin Fiske, Artist E. D. Boit, and Charles S. Fairchild, of President Cleveland's first cabinet. Among others at Harvard at the time were sons of Lincoln, Everett, Emerson and Holmes. While at Harvard he was a contributor to the "Harvard Magazine."

After being graduated at Harvard College, he

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entered the Harvard Law School, where he was graduated July 19, 1865, with the degree of LL. B. During his connection with this institution he attended the law lectures of Parker, Washburn and Parsons, so well known, through their published works, to the legal profession. He also heard the lectures of Louis Agassiz, Oliver W. Holmes, etc. He was secretary of the Law School Parliament and president of the Parker Club. On July 19, 1865, he received the degree of LL. B. from Harvard. He received the degree of A. M. from both Harvard and Lafayette Colleges. He is a member of the Con- necticut Valley Harvard Club.

Mr. Field entered the law offices of the late ex- Gov. Reeder, of Kansas fame, and of the late chief justice of the Pennsylvania supreme court, Henry Green, in Easton, Penn., and on Nov. 21, 1865, on motion of the latter, he was admitted to the Bar of Northampton county, Penn., of which Easton is the county seat, and practiced law there a number of years.

On Feb. 4, 1867, he was elected secretary of the Farmers' & Mechanics' Institute of Northamp- ton county, Penn., whose exhibition building is one of the largest and finest in Pennsylvania. He was re-elected five times and then declined re-election., receiving a vote of thanks for past services.

During his residence in Easton he became the founder and editor of The Easton Daily Dispatch, the first number of which appeared May 16, 1874. Just prior to the starting of this newspaper he was offered and declined the editorship of the Easton Daily Argus. Before he embarked on a newspaper enterprise of his own he had, during a sojourn in Brooklyn, connected himself with the editorial de- partment of the Brooklyn Daily Times.

While a citizen of Easton Mr. Field accepted a number of invitations to deliver public addresses. On Washington's birthday, 1866, he delivered an oration before the Washington Literary Society of Lafayette College on the "Character of Washing- ton." By request he repeated the oration before the Young Men's Missionary and Christian Associa- tion, of Bethlehem, Penn., and it was afterward published in the "Young Men's Monthly," of Tren- ton, New Jersey.

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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 44

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