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 49

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 49

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On Oct. 7, 1868, Mr. Harmon married Miss Sarah J. Fuller, daughter of Joseph and Cordelia

(Smith) Fuller, prominent residents of Suffield, of whom further mention is made elsewhere. She was an amiable and accomplished woman, a grad- uate of the Conservatory of Music at Salem, Conn., and for some years was organist of the Congrega- tional Church in Suffield. She died Dec. 1, 1871, and Mr. Harmon married her sister, Miss Caroline R. Fuller, who has been a most efficient helpmeet. Her early education was secured in the schools of Suffield and at Westfield, Mass., and before she reached the age of eighteen she taught successfully at Mittineague, Mass., where her father was then interested in founding the town. Afterward she was employed in the graded schools of Suffield and Thompsonville, this county. Mr. Harmon served as secretary of the Congregational Church, and on the society's committee, while for eight years he was secretary and treasurer of the Sunday-school.

ALBERT R. WELLS, for many years a well- known prosperous general merchant of Bloomfield, is a native of Pepin, Wis., born June 15, 1856, and is a son of Eastern-born parents.

Isaac Newton Wells, father of Albert R., was born in Wethersfield, Conn., in 1830, a son of Ros- siter Wells, also a native of Wethersfield, and a lifelong farmer by vocation. Isaac N. was edu- cated in the common schools of his native town and was reared an agriculturist. To his marriage with Miss Kate Butler were born two children, be- sides Albert R., to-wit: Frank Newton, of New Britain; and Carrie S., married to E. T. Griswold, of Bloomfield. In 18544 Isaac N. Wells removed from Connecticut to Rock Island, Ill., thence to Pepin, Wis., and while in the West was engaged in the tinsmith business. On his return to Con- necticut, in 1868, he engaged in farming, and for thirty years followed this calling at Bloomfield with unvarying success. In politics a stanch Repub- lican, Mr. Wells has served his fellow citizens two or three terms as selectman and assessor as well as on board of relief of Bloomfield, and filled the office to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. In this town he had the misfortune to be bereft of his be- loved wife in 1876, and he later removed to South- ington, where he now resides, and is the treasurer of the Beacon & Corbin Manufacturing Co. Fra- ternally he is a member of the F. & A. M., and as a citizen enjoys the esteem of all who are favored with his acquaintance.

Albert R. Wells, the subject proper of this bi- ographical notice, attended school at Pepin, Wis .. until twelve years of age, later attending school at Wethersfield, Conn., two years, and also a school at Bloomfield, during the winter season in cach case, while his summers were passed in aiding his father on the home farm until he was nineteen years old. He then began his business life as a driver of a seed wagon through the States of New Hamp- shire and Vermont, for Comstock & Ferry, of Weth- ersfield, Conn .; later he drove through Delaware and Maryland.

In 1878 Mr. Wells also engaged in the flour,

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grain and feed business, and erected a mill at Bloom- field, and this trade he successfully carried on alone sixteen years, or until in 1894, when he associated himself with Wallace C. Dean, and under the firm name of Wells & Dean bought the general store of C. D. Strictland, which, in conection with the mill, they operated so successfully that in January, 1898, Mr. Wells leased the mill to the Daniels Mill Co. for the term of five years, and the firm have since confined themselves to merchandising-handling coal, flour and feed, in addition to the usual variety of merchandise carried in first-class general stores. Through their affability and desire to please their patrons, and their strict integrity, they succeeded in gaining the most prosperous trade of the town.

On March 19, 1878, at Bloomfield, Mr. Wells was united in marriage with Miss Estelle F. Gillette, a daughter of Amos H. Gillette, but this lady was untimely called away by death, Dec. 17, 1895. To the marriage came three children: Albert G., born Aug. 10, 1882, died April 13, 1883 ; Ethel K., born July 19, 1884 ; and Nina E., born Dec. 19, 1887. On Sept. 1, 1897, Mr. Wells was happily married to Miss Jennie E. Coburn, of Carlstadt, New Jersey.

In politics Mr. Wells is a Republican. In Octo- ber, 1896, he was elected town clerk, being the first Republican elected to that office in Bloomfield, as the Democrats led by a majority of from eighty to one hundred. On Oct. 31, 1897, he was appointed postmaster at Bloomfield, and efficiently filled that office till his removal to Southington, July 1, 1899, when he resigned, also the office of town clerk, and accepted a position as assistant secretary and travel- ing salesman for the Beaton & Corbin Mfg. Co.

Fraternally Mr. Wells is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, the Patrons of Hus- bandry and of the F. & A. M. In religion he is a Congregationalist, and it may be added no man in Bloomfield was held in higher esteem than Albert R. Wells.

H. S. FRYE, president of the New England Tobacco Growers Association, and one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Poquonock, was born in Winsted, Litchfield Co., Conn., Dec. 23, 1844, a son of Artemas and Mary E. (Johnson) Frye. The family was founded in the New World during Colonial days by two brothers, one of whom settled in Massachusetts, the other in Maine, and it is from the former that our subject is descended. Senator Frye, of Maine, belongs to the same branch. The paternal grandfather of our subject was a Revo- lutionary soldier, and lived in Andover, Mass., where he died when over ninety years of age. His wife died at about the same age, at the home of her son, Artemas.

Artemas Frye was born in Andover, Mass., and at an early age commenced life for himself empty-hand- ed. With his father he learned the tanner's and cur- rier's trade, and also learned scythe making, which he followed when a young man in Winsted, Conn. In later years he became a stockholder in the Win-

sted Manufacturing Co., and in the spring of 1865 removed to Rainbow, where he engaged in farming and raising tobacco for several years, but finally returned to Winsted ; in 1874 he became a resident of Poquonock, where he bought, from the estate of George Blanchard, the farm that our subject now owns. He died there in the fall of 1897, and his wife, who was a native of Litchfield county, Conn., passed away in 1888, the remains of both being interred in the Poquonock cemetery. To them were born two children: George, who died in in- fancy ; and H. S., the subject of this review. Po- litically he was first a Whig, but later he refused to support that party, as he was a strong Abolition- ist, and it had no Abolition plank in its platform. He joined the Republican party on its organization, and always advocated a protective tariff. He was the youngest in the family, and his early educa- tional privileges were limited, as during his child- hood, his father, who had once been quite wealthy, had lost most of his property ; he was, however, a great reader, and became a well-informed man.

H. S. Frye attended the common schools near his boyhood home, and later the Windsor Academy, when George W. Standish was at the head of that institution. He was eighteen years of age when his parents removed to Rainbow, and as his father had always engaged in mechanical pursuits he took charge of the farming, and has made that occu- pation his life work. He married Miss Eliza R. Luck, who was born in England, but was reared in Windsor. Their only child, Jennie, now Mrs. Allison H. Brown, has one daughter, Mabel, and lives with our subject.

In his political views Mr. Frye is a Republican, keeps well posted on the issues and questions of the day, and, while not a politician, takes an active interest in the success of his party. At local elec- tions he votes for the man whom he believes best qualified to fill the office, regardless of party ties, and as a public-spirited citizen he encourages any movement for the benefit of his town and county. Socially he is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Windsor. He was one of the original members of the New England Tobacco Growers Association, was a member of its executive committee until the death of the president, Silas G. Hubbard, and was then elected to hill the vacancy, being re-elected at each succeeding election. He is thoroughly posted on every. detail of the tobacco business, from the planting of the seed until the manufactured article is consumed by the public, and in all its intermediate stages ; has probably spent more time in study and research of what will be of benefit to the tobacco growers than any other man in the State; and is therefore well qualified to hold his present respon- sible position. It has also fitted him for work in the interests of the tobacco crop in tariff legisla- tion. The Connecticut crop being a distinct grade of tobacco from that raised in any other section, its interests are its own, and not in common with

HEJ, Etrye.

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other tobacco-producing States, so that the matter of beneficial legislation to it does not have agitators elsewhere. Mr. Frye is a practical tobacco grower, as he has been interested in the business from boy- hood, and his services as the head of the New England Tobacco Growers Association have been of inestimable value, and such as only a man of his knowledge and skill could render. He is well known in tobacco circles all over the United States, and is perfectly familiar with all tobacco tariffs and legislation pertaining thereto. Mr. Frye is a very pleasant man, an entertaining talker, is un- ostentatious in manner, and is an excellent and valued citizen of the community in which he lives.

EMORY F. MILLER, who is at present serv- ing as first selectman of the town of Avon, has been prominent in his locality for years as a prosperous farmer and dairyman, and he comes of a family whose members have always occupied a high place among the citizens of the town from its early days.

Mr. Miller is of English descent. The first an- cestor of whom we have record was William Miller, who came from the old country about 1635 and settled in Northampton, Mass. He had a son, Eb- enezer (I), who also lived in Northampton, Mass .; he had three sons, Jonathan, John and Ebenezer (2). This Ebenezer (2) came to Farmington (now Avon) and bought a large farm in 1747; he died there in 1777, and was buried in the first cemetery i11 Avon. In 1762 he was one of the largest land owners in the town. A member of the Congre- gational Church, he held the office of deacon therein. He had four sons, Job, Joseph, Noah and Reuben, the last named being the great-grandfather of our subject.

Reuben Miller was born on his father's farm in Farmington (now Avon), and passed his entire life in his native town, owning and operating a large tract of land. He learned the trade of cooper in early life, following same to some extent, engaged in hotel-keeping, and was quite a noted huntsman in his day, in his varied occupations becoming wide- ly known in the vicinity. He was a stanch Demo- crat of the Jeffersonian stripe. By his wife, Sarah (Miller), he had five children: Solomon ( who removed to Hartland), Ebenezer, Eleanor, Sarah and Olive. The father died on his farm, and was interred in the old family cemetery.

Ebenezer Miller, grandfather of the gentleman whose name opens this sketch, was born on the Miller homestead at Cider Brook, and like his fa- ther became a farmer, in addition engaging to some extent in stock raising. For ten years he broke and sold a team of young oxen annually. He received only such advantages for schooling as the public institutions of the time afforded, but he was a man of unusual strength of mind and body, was noted far and wide for his industry and intelligence, and took a prominent part in the life of the community. His feats in reaping gave him a wide popularity,

and people came for him far and near to assist in barn raisings and various occasions of the kind. He was a hard working man, bore a high reputa- tion for honesty and uprightness in all his dealings, and was a leader in local affairs, taking a leading part in the workings of the Democratic party in his section, though he never sought office. He was also active in church matters, holding membership with the Baptist Society, and often led prayers in the minister's absence. Ebenezer Miller married Diantha Hutchinson, who was born in Farmington, now Avon, daughter of John Hutchinson, and eleven children were born to this union: Sarah (Mrs. Richard Humphrey) ; Ebenezer ; John H. ; Diantha, who died unmarried ; Nancy ( Mrs. Luther Wood- ford) ; Cynthia, who married Estherus Fairfield ; Truman Harlon; Thede, who died unmarried; Betsey ( Mrs. Ephraim Woodruff, of New Britain) ; Henry Virgil, who was killed by lightning when seventeen years old; and Eliza Ann ( Mrs. Hiram Chapel, of Hartford). The father died Jan. II, 1851, at the ripe old age of eighty-three years, the mother passing away Nov. 6, 1837.

Truman H. Miller was born Jan. 12, 1805, on the home farm in Avon town, and received his ed- ucation in the district schools, supplementing his early training by close reading and observation, and becoming a well-informed man. He was reared to agricultural pursuits on the paternal homestead, and finally settled down to farming, though during his earlier manhood he traveled over the eastern states selling jewelry and silverware, and made a success of that business. When he engaged in the calling of his ancestors on his own account he pur- chased a farm of 150 acres, on which he made nu- merous improvements, and he successfully con- ducted a general farming, stock raising and dairy business, taking a deep interest in the appearance of his property, which under his able management became quite valuable. Like his father l.e was one of the leaders of the Democratic party in his locality, but not an aspirant for public honors of any kind, preferring a quiet life, devoted to his private af- fairs. He was highly respected for his honesty and many sterling qualities of character, and was one of the substantial citizens of his day. Mr. Miller passed away Jan. 17. 1862, aged fifty-seven years, and was laid to rest in the old family cemetery in Avon. He was married, in Thompson, to Miss Julia A. Chapin, a native of Boston, whose parents, Joseph and Sarah

(Jacobs) Chapin, of Thompson, died in the island of Trinidad, and five children were born to their union : Delia T., who died at the age of twenty- two years: Augustus C. (deceased at the age of forty-nine), who married Elizabeth Gray; Joseph, who died in Boston at the age of nineteen years; Charles H., who married Frances Bishop; and Em- ory F. Mrs. Miller died Jan. 5, 1882 ; she was a member of the Baptist Church, and a woman of Christian character, who won the respect of all who knew her. Mr. Miller also held membership with the Baptist Church.

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Emory F. Miller was born July 11, 1844, in the town of Avon, and he commenced his education in the home district, later attending the Avon high school. He remained on the farm, assisting his father, tip to the age of seventeen, when he went to Boston for a year. He was eighteen when his father died, and he continued to operate the home farm in partnership with his brother, Charles, until 1882, when the latter removed to another farm, our subject remaining with his mother on the home- stead. He has always made his home here, and he cultivates 154 acres, devoting his land to gen- eral crops and tobacco, and in addition engaging rather extensively in stock farming and dairying. Mr. Miller takes special interest in the appearance of his home and farm, on which he has made many improvements from time to time, building good barns and outbuildings, and in various ways add- ing to the value of the place, which is ably managed and systematically cultivated. He is up-to-date in all his methods so far as practicable, and he is ranked among the progressive and enterprising agricult- urists of this section, where he is well and favor- ably known. Mr. Miller has been active in local affairs, and like his forefathers is a stanch Demo- crat in political faith, and one of the wheel-horses of the party in this vicinity. Though not an office seeker he was honored with election in 1873 to the office of first selectman of the town, which he filled for two terms. In 1886 he was again elected, this time holding the position for eight years, and in 1898 his fellow citizens re-elected him to that in- cumbency, which he still retains. Mr. Miller's long service in this important office is sufficient evidence of his ability and fidelity to duty, but it is due to him to say that he has in his public capacity displayed only the same traits which have characterized his private life-strict attention to the details of his work and thoughtful and intelligent management, qualities which could not fail to bring about satis- factory results. Mr. Miller keeps thoroughly posted on public events and matters of general interest, and he is highly esteemed as an intelligent, substantial citizen of the town in which he has spent his life. Besides the office mentioned he has served several times as grand juror in Avon.

In January, 1874, in Avon, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Sarah Andrews, a native of East Granby, and a daughter of Frederick Andrews, of that town. They had one child, Nellie, who died in infancy ; Mrs. Miller passed away May 5, 1877, and was buried in the family cemetery. On May 22, 1879, Mr. Miller for his second wife wedded Miss Eliza Wadsworth, who was born in Hartford, a daughter of Sydney Wadsworth, and a grand- daughter of Elisha Wadsworth, of Hartford. Two children have come to this union : One that died in infancy, and Lucy. Our subject supports religious work and enterprises, though he is not connected with any particular denomination, and he and his wife have many friends in the town of Avon.

RANSFORD AVERY PARKER. Few citi- zens of this section, outside of public life, are as well known as this venerable resident of Ware- house Point, whose career, though quiet and seem- ingly uneventful, has won for him the respect of a large circle of friends. A pleasing evidence of his popularity, which is fully shared by his estimable wife, was seen on the occasion of the celebration of their golden wedding in October, 1897, when a good company assembled at their home. A cane for Mr. Parker and a valuable clock for his wife were presented as tangible tokens of friendship by the guests, most of whom were members of the same church with whom their host and hostess have been identified for half a century, and the good wishes of the entire community were expressed in the exer- cises of the happy occasion.

Mr. Parker was born Jan. 9, 1827, at Long Meadow, Mass., and is of good old Vermont stock. Joseph Parker, his father, was a native of Sharon, Vt., and as a boy walked from that place to Spring- field, Mass., to learn the mason's trade. After com- pleting his term as an apprentice he remained in the vicinity of Springfield for some time, and in 1829 came to Connecticut, locating at Warehouse Point. He became the leading contractor and builder of his day in that section, the locks at Windsor Locks hav- ing been constructed by him after his arrival. He also built the Phelps woolen mills, the old "Chap- man House," and the Sexton woolen mills, at Ware- house Point, the last named on the site now occupied by the Simons silk mills. He died in 1855, and he continued his work until two years previous. By his first wife, Miss Harriet (David), of Stafford, Conn., he had seven children: Albert B., deceased ; John B., a resident of the town of East Windsor ; Rans- ford A., our subject ; Harriet, who married Charles Thomas, and is deceased; Elmira, who married William Zimmerman, and died in 1892; Eugene, who died in Broad Brook in 1862; and Leonidas, a fruit grower in California.

Ransford A. Parker was two years of age when his parents settled at Warehouse Point, where he grew to manhood. When only nine years of age he began working on a farm for his board and clothes, and at eighteen he bought his time from his father, paying him $50. In 1846 he began raising tobacco in the vicinity of Warehouse Point at two and one-half cents per pound, and later he cultivated twenty acres of tobacco near Springfield, Mass., re- ceiving eight cents a pound for some of his crop. He then went to the vicinity of Hartford, to the farm of Solomon Porter, president of the State Bank of Hartford, and remained one year, and since that time he has raised tobacco in the neighborhood of Ware- house Point. At first he rented land for the pur- pose, but in 1856 hie purchased eighteen acres just across the town line in Enfield township. This he still owns, and from time to time he has added to his holdings until now he has about seventy acres, raises all the way from five to fifteen acres of to-

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bacco yearly. During the winter months he has turned his attention to buying tobacco, his practical knowledge making his judgment of value to dealers, and for thirty-five years he has bought for George B. Barnes, of Hartford, and for six years for J. H. Simons, of Warehouse Point. In politics he is a Re- publican, and he takes a prominent part in religious work as a member of the Methodist Church at Ware- house Point, of which he has been a trustee and stew- ard for forty years. On Oct. 31, 1847, Mr. Parker married Miss Harriet Johnson, and four children were born to them: (1) William R., a tobacco grower, resides at Warehouse Point. (2) Harriet E. married Frank Cooper, and died in 1877. (3) Miss Georgiana is at home. (4) Henrietta died when three years old.

Mrs. Parker, who has proved an efficient help- meet to her husband, is a native of Hereford, Que- bec, Canada, where her parents resided about twenty years, moving there soon after their marriage. Dur- ing Mrs. Parker's childhood they located in Hines- burg, Vt., where she received an excellent education in the public and private schools. Her fine mental gifts were apparent from an early age, and at nine- teen she began teaching at New Hartford, N. Y. She also taught in her native town, and in 1845 came to Warehouse Point, where she first met Mr. Parker, their marriage occurring two years later. Her grandfather, Stephen Johnson, a native of South Vernon, Vt., was a soldier in the Revolutionary army. Stephen Johnson (2), Mrs. Parker's father, was born and reared at South Vernon, and married Miss Lucretia Streeter, of the same town. He died in 1870, at the age of eighty-two years, and his wife in 1874, aged seventy-three. They had six children : Mary A., who married Lewis Hall; Harriet ( Mrs. Parker) ; Stephen, who resides in the town of Ell- ington, Tolland Co., Conn .; Elizabeth L., who mar- ried Marshall Parker, of Springfield, Mass .; Char- lotte, who died at the age of fifteen ; and Helen M., who became the wife of Frank Remington, of Colo- rado, and died May 16, 1899.

WILLIAM O. HAYDEN. This favored region is, above all, fortunate in the quality of its citizenship, and its present prosperity and hope of progress is based upon the enterprise, foresight and public spirit of such men as this well-known agriculturist of Windsor town. From an carly period the Hayden family has been prominent in that locality, their res- idence at Hayden's Station dating back to 1640, and its members in every generation have maintained the prestige of the name by their sterling qualities of character and honorable lives. A comprehensive genealogy of the family was published in 1888, hav- ing been compiled by J. H. Hayden, of Windsor Locks (an uncle of our subject ), after years of labor and research, and therefore we will not attempt to go into detail as to their settlement in Windsor, but will simply trace briefly our subject's line of descent from William Hayden, the progenitor of the family in America.

(I) William Hayden was born in England, and came to the New World in 1639. He located in Windsor in 1640, and his death occurred Sept. 27, 1669, at Kenilworth, now Clinton, Conn. On Sept. 2, 1885, the "William Hayden Memorial Stone" was dedicated at Hayden's Station in honor of this pio- neer, a flint boulder weighing more than two tons having been prepared with an appropriate inscrip- tion, his descendants in all parts of the United States co-operating in the project. He had three children, Daniel, Nathaniel and Mary.

(II) Lieut. Daniel Hayden (Sept. 2, 1640- March 22, 1712-13) was the first Hayden born in Windsor. On March 17, 1664, he married Hannah Wilcoxson, of Stratford, Conn., who died April 19, 1722, and their children were as follows: Daniel, Hannah, Nathaniel, William (1), William (2), Cam- tel, Ebenezer, Mary.

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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 49

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