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 59

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 59

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for sixteen years, and then bought an adjoining farm of eighteen acres, on which he erected a pleasant residence and good barn in 1893. He is now suc- cessfully engaged in raising general produce.

On Aug. 7, 1872, Mr. Splettstoeszer was united in marriage with Miss Susan Weckesser, of Chris- tian Lane, Berlin, who was born May 15, 1854, a daughter of Henry and Katherine (Elie) Weckes- ser, of that place. To our subject and his wife have been born three children: Lena Alvena, born Jan. 23, 1874, is the wife of Frank H. Dohrenwend, of Berlin; Henrietta Louise, born March 14, 1879, works in Corbin's Dox factory in New Britain, and resides at home; and Carl John Frederick, born May 27, 1890, is also at home, and is a student in district school No. 6.

In 1891 Mr. Splettstoeszer took out his natural- ization papers in New Britain and Hartford, and now supports the Democratic party, though he takes little interest in politics. Being a great reader, he is a well-informed man, and takes an active interest in educational matters. He is one of the substantial German citizens of Berlin, and is highly respected by all who know nim. He attends the Congregational Church, of which his wife is an earnest member.

GEORGE HENRY NOBLE, one of the young and progressive farmers and tobacco growers of Simsbury, is a member of one of the old Connecticut families. His great-grandfather, Roswell Noble. was a native of Simsbury, and in his youth was a drummer boy in the Revolutionary army. He was a son of John Noble, brother of Phineas, Elijah and William Noble, who were of English descent. Ros- well Noble was a cloth dresser by trade, and made his home in Hop Meadow. By his first wife, Su- sanna, he had two children, Roswell and Sylvester. For his second wife he married a widow, Mrs. Anna (Wordsworth) Francis. He attended the Congrega- tional Church. He died at his home Sept. 9, 1841, aged eighty-three years, and was buried in Simsbury cemetery.

Roswell Noble, grandfather of our subject, was born in Hop Meadow, town of Simsbury, and re- mained a resident thereof throughout life. Ile was drafted into the military service during the war of 1812. He was a member of the Congregational Church, and in politics was a Democrat. He mar- ried Betsy Case, a native of Simsbury, daughter of Abel and Anna (Tuller) Case, the former of whom was a soldier of the Revolutionary army. Abel Case was a son of Josiah and Mary ( Hoskins) Case, grandson of Joseph Case, and great-grandson of John Case. Anna Tuller was the daughter of Ezekiel Tuller, of Simsbury. To Roswell and Betsy Noble were born five children: Henry J., who married Susan M. Babcock, and died at his home in Simsbury April 13, 1900; Laura S., de- ceased ; Chester T., father of our subject ; Roswell, a resident of East Granby, who married Ellen Hol- comb ; and Everett, of Hartford. Roswell Noble, the grandfather of our subject, was a well-known

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farmer. He owned and operated until his death, in 1843, at the age of fifty-one.years, a farm of IIO acres, and was prominent in the affairs of the town.

Chester T. Noble, the father of George H., was born in Simsbury in 1824. He received in his youth a good common-school education, and like his father became a lifelong farmer, engaging in that work on his father's farm as a boy. After his marriage he began farming for himself in the East Weatogue District, Simsbury. Several years later he removed to the St. John farm, near Hoskins Station, or the Westover Plains District, where he made extensive improvements, erecting a fine dwelling-house, barn, tobacco sheds, etc., and engaging extensively in to- bacco culture and in general farming. He operated a tract of 110 acres of land, and was not only a successful farmer but a man of considerable promi- nence in the town, noted for his integrity and fine sense of honor, and possessing a genial disposition, which made him many warm personal friends. In church views he was liberal, and in politics he was a Democrat. He married Sarah Burr, a native of Bloomfield, daughter of James and Nancy ( Wells) Burr, old and respected citizens of Connecticut. To Chester T. and Sarah Noble were born five children : Charlotte E., wife of Henry M. Goddard, of Sims- bury; Alice B., at home; Warren C., at home ; George H., our subject ; and Burton J. The father died on his farm in February, 1882, and the mother survived until Jan. 21, 1899, dying in the seventy- fifth year of her age. She had been a good Christ- ian woman, and was a consistent member of the Congregational Church.

George Henry Noble was born in the town of Simsbury Sept. 27, 1864. He attended the public schools of the Westover Plains District, and was a student at McLean Academy, Simsbury. In voca- tion he has successfully followed in the footsteps of his ancestors. Since the death of his father he has been operating with his brother Burton the home farm. They are engaged extensively in tobacco growing, in dairy and general farming, and in stock raising and dealing. They are young men who are successful because they have thoroughly learned their business, and apply themselves to it with en- ergy and well-directed effort. They are noted for their industry and integrity, are temperate in habits, unassuming in manners, and highly respected. In politics our subject is a Democrat. At the home, his sister, Alice B., a lady of culture and accomplish- ments, is the presiding spirit.

HON. GEORGE WYLIE MILLER. The hardy and intelligent sons of Scotland make ex- cellent citizens, their ideals of life coinciding with the progressive spirit of a new country, and the subject of this sketch, a prominent resident of Ware- house Point, is a worthy representative of the race. In the fullest sense of the term he is a self-made man, even his education having been gained through his own efforts, and his present standing, in busi- ness, political and social life, furnishes a striking

illustration of the possibilities which lie before an enterprising youth.

Mr. Miller was born July 22, 1841, at Paisley, Scotland, a son of George and Catherine (Wylie) Miller, who had a family of six children: John, now deceased ; Catherine, wife of William Brodie, of Brooklyn, N. Y .; Elizabeth, wife of John Brodie, of Brooklyn, N. Y .; Marion, who died in infancy ; Agnes, who died in 1877; and George W. The mother died in 1848, at Tariffville, Hartford coun- ty, and the father subsequently married Martha Malcolm, by whom he had one son, Hugh. The father died in 1872, in Thompsonville.

When George W. Miller was about a year old his parents came to America, locating first in Tar- iffville, this county. In 1848 they removed to New York City, but remained only one year, when they came back to Hartford county and settled at Ware- house Point. He attended the public schools of the different places in which the family resided, and at the age of twelve years he began his career as a breadwinner, taking a position in the old Sex- ton woolen-mills, at Warehouse Point, where he was employed about eight years. In 1862 he went to Hartford to work in the Providence railroad shops, and in 1883 returned to Warehouse Point to take the post of master mechanic in the Simons silk mills, which he has held ever since; his long term of service is, in itself, an evidence of his abil- ity and fidelity. His personal worth is recognized not only by his employers, but by his fellow citi- zens generally, and in 1895 he was elected on the Democratic ticket as a member of the Legislature, where he served with credit. He is active in re- ligious work, being identified with the Episcopal Church at Warehouse Point. It would be difficult to find a citizen whose influence has been more constantly directed toward promoting the good of his community.

On May 14, 1865, Mr. Miller married Miss Mary Sunderland, who died April 30, 1898. Of their two sons, the elder, Ernest J., is a clerk in the employ of Case, Lockwood & Brainard, of Hartford ; George H. died at the age of twelve years and eight months.

STEPHEN WILLARD, one of the highly re- spected and honored citizens of Wethersfield, where he is successfully engaged in general farming and seed growing, was born in that town Oct. 14, 1827, a son of Stephen and Rhoda (Latimore) Willard, and an uncle of Stephen Francis Willard, president of the Comstock Ferre Co., of Wethersfield, in whose sketch may be found a full account of the Willard family.

Our subject was reared in much the usual man- ner of farmer boys of his day upon the home farm, and spent a number of years with the firm of Con- stock & Ferre. On leaving their employ, in 1865, he went to Oneida county, N. Y., where he was en- gaged in farming until 1881, when he returned to Wethersfield, and has since carried on farming and

George W Miller

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

seed growing on the old Samuel Wells homestead, near Wolcott Hill, with good success.

Mr. Willard was first married, in Wethersfield, to Miss Harriet D. Pelton, a native of that place, and a daughter of Nathan Pelton. By that union he had six children: Stephen, now a resident of Stockton, Cal .; Harriet E. and Mary, both residents of Wethersfeld; Eliza, who lives in Wethersfield ; Oliver, who died in infancy ; and Martha, a school teacher, who resides in Wethersfield. The mother of these children died in 1890, and in 1892 Mr. Wil- lard was again married, his second union being with Mrs. H. Amelia ( Welles) Blinn, widow of George Blinn. Our subject is an active and faithful mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has filled the offices of trustee, steward and treas- urer, and his sterling worth and strict integrity have gained for him the confidence and high regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact.

The Welles family, to which Mrs. Willard be- longs, is one of the oldest and most honored families of Wethersfield. There her grandfather, Samuel Welles, was born Dec. 10, 1753, a son of Joseph and Mary (Robbins) Welles, and a descendant of George Thomas Welles. [A full history of the fam- ily appears elsewhere.] Throughout life Samuel Welles followed farming in Wethersfield, where he owned a tract of land. He was a member of the Light Horse Guards in the Revolutionary war, and devoted seven years of his life to that conflict. Religiously he was a member. of the Congregational Church. He died in Wethersfield, and was buried there. On April 19, 1787, he married Anna Griswold, a native of the same town and a daughter of Ozias Griswold, and they became the parents of nine children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows : Anna, 1788 ; Samuel, Aug. 5, 1789; Ashel, Feb. 7, 1791 ; Polly Griswold, Feb. 14, 1793; Sarah, June 14, 1795; Ab- igail, Aug. 25, 1797; Laura (wife of Moses Mor- ris), March 8, 1800; Mabel, July 30, 1802; and Nancy, Nov. 11, 1804.

Ashel Welles, father of Mrs. Willard, was born on the old homestead in Wethersfield, where he spent his entire life in agricultural pursuits, and was edu- cated in the schools of the neighborhood. He made many improvements upon his place. A man of prominence in his community, and a Republican in . politics, he was honored with a number of local of- fices, including those of selectman, assessor and jus- tice of the peace. He married Miss Tryphena Ward, a native of New York State, and to them were born nine children: Martha, who died in the West; Nancy, who died in Waterbury, Conn. ; H. Amelia, wife of our subject; Ashel, who died in the West ; William, who died on the homestead; Elizabeth, wife of John Wilcox, of Bristol, Conn .; Martin, who operates the home farm; Mary Ann, wife of Albert D. Griswold, of Rocky Hill; and Charles, who died young. The parents both died on the old homestead. and were buried in the old Wethersfield cemetery. Mrs. Willard is an intellectual lady, well posted and a good consistent Christian.

GEORGE H. AND JOHN H. GRAY. In 1852 two English lads, brothers, came to America, friend- less and alone. Their experiences in the new land for a few years was trying. One attained a good position, which he resigned to enlist in the army during the Civil war. He was never heard from again. The other is the subject of this sketch.

Mr. Gray was born in the suburbs of London, England, Nov. 25, 1836, a son of Cornelius and Elizabeth (Trivett) Gray, and a grandson of Hugh Gray. The father was a teamster, and is yet living, a resident of England. The grandfather was a farm- er of some repute and a zealous Episcopal Church- man. Our subject was one of four children. When a child he attended in England a public school, where the pupils were obliged to sew and knit to help pay the expenses of the school. Later he attended a private school. He left school to become a groom with one of the wealthy families, and went to Scot- land, where he remained several weeks, then re- turned to England. At the age of sixteen years, in August, 1852, in company with his brother John Henry Gray, he sailed from London for America, landing at New York. They secured positions as stable boys at a race track on Long Island, where they remained several weeks. The boys then started afoot for Vermont. On the road above Harlem they fell in with a drover, who offered them positions in his father's Vermont pottery. But at Roxbury, Mass., they met a farmer who invited them to work on his farm on trial. They remained two weeks, received twenty-five cents each for their services. and left. The brother proceeded to Waterville, Conn., where he secured work at his trade, that of a knitter. Our subject worked for about two months on the farm of a lawyer, then for a similar period tried blacksmithing, which he found too hard. He began farming for George Langworth, at Rosebury, Mass., became his farm foreman, and remained in his service about ten years. Starting in 1862 for New Britain, where his brother had been foreman in the Sergeant knitting factory, he learned at New Haven that his brother had enlisted in New Jersey in the Civil war, and he has never heard from him since. Arriving at Berlin, he began work on the farm of Norris P. Dunham, but soon after enlisted at New Haven, in Company F, 14th Conn. V. I. However, he was not accepted on account of the defects of his left leg that had been broken. Until the following March he was employed by Henry M. Robbins, of Newington, then became farm foreman for Amos Crittenden, of the same town, and remained in that position for three years. He left in 1867 to take charge of the farm of Mrs. Olive S. Seldon, and has ever since remained in Berlin. After Mr. Seldon's death he built his home on property willed to him by Mrs. Seldon.

Mr. Gray married, Jan. 4. 1867, Miss Sarah Isa- bella Whapples, who was born in Newington, Feb. 22, 1847. To our subject and wife were born three children, all of whom died in childhood: John Hor- ace, born Nov. 1, 1869, died Sept. 19, 1877 ; Hattic

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Isabelle, born April 22, 1875, died Oct. 4, 1877 ; and Cora Johnson, born Sept. 26, 1878, died Feb. 9, 1882. All are buried in Church street cemetery, Newing- ton.

Mr. and Mrs. Gray are members of the Second Congregational Church of Berlin. In politics our subject has been a Democrat since his naturalization, March 21, 1872, though in local elections he votes for the best man. He has served as justice of the peace, was for three years on the school committee, and is now clerk of the 7th District school commit- tee. For nearly six years he was a member of Com- pany F, Ist Connecticut National Guard, of Weth- ersfield, having been enrolled Aug. 15, 1864, and dis- charged Jan. 17, 1870. For some time he was a member of the Knights of the Silver Cross, of Hart- ford. Mr. Gray is a veterinary surgeon of consid- erable note, and has practiced in Newington, New Britain, Cromwell, Berlin, and Rocky Hill. He is a wide-awake and intelligent, and since 1894 has been the Beckley Quarter correspondent for the Berlin News. In public affairs he displays that judgment and ability which add greatly to his value as a citizen.

MRS. OLIVE S. SELDON was the widow of Sini- eon Seldon, a wealthy farmer, who died at their home at Haddam. One son and one daughter also died there. With her two surviving sons she moved to Church street, in the Beckley Quarter, and there her two sons preceded her to the grave, Simeon in the fall of 1866, and Lora in February, 1867. Mrs, Seldon died Dec. 25, 1868, aged about eighty years. She had granted to Geo. H. Gray a tract of twenty- eight acres. The balance of her property, amount- ing to $9.526,36, she bequeathed to Berlin School District No. 7, the interest to be used for school purposes. It was allowed to accumulate until 1895, when the board of trustees erected from the fund a new brick building, the finest school structure in Berlin. There was property of Mr. Seldon in Had- dam, which went to his heirs.

ISAAC PORTER BOTSFORD, a representa- tive and prominent citizen of Cromwell, Middlesex Co., Conn., whose home is just across the line from Berlin, Hartford county, was born April II, 1837, in Blue Hills, Kensington, Berlin, where W. J. Cor- rigan now lives. He traces his ancestry back to ( I) Henry Botsford, one of the colony that settled the town of Milford, Conn. It is believed that he trav- eled overland from Massachusetts to Wethersfield, Conn., in 1639, here joining the colony then form- ing under Rev. Peter Predden to settle the town of Milford, Conn. His wife Elizabeth joined the church at that place in 1640. An inventory of his

will shows that he had property valued at eighty- seven pounds and four shillings. He had six chil- dren, whose names and dates of birth were as fol- lows : Elnathan, 1641; Mary, 1640; Elizabetlı, 1643 ; Hannah, 1645 ; Hester, 1647 ; and Ruth, 1649.

(II) Elnathan Botsford, the only son of this pioneer, was born in Milford.

He was baptized

Aug. 4, 1641, and died in August, 1691. On Dec. 12, 1664, he married Elizabeth, daughter of John Fletcher, and they had one daughter. For his sec- ond wife he married Hannah, daughter of Timothy Baldwin, and to them were born eleven children.

(III) Timothy Botsford, born in 1678, was mar- ried Feb. 14, 1705, to Mary Peck, daughter of Jo- seph and Mary (Camp) Peck, and they had four children. He died in 1767.

(IV) Timothy Botsford, born in April, 1708, probably in Milford, followed the occupation of farming. He was married, Jan. 6, 1735, to Lydia Smith, daughter of Timothy Smith, and to them were born five children. He died Feb. 23, 1774, his wife on Aug. 26, 1787.

(V) Isaac Botsford, a native of Milford, was born June 25, 1742, and died Sept. 22, 18II. In early life he was a school teacher and jeweler, but later followed the occupation of farming. He was a very small man, weighing only ninety pounds. Isaac Botsford and his dog went in the same notch. He married Esther Frost, a daughter of Stephen and Hester Frost, and to them were born four children, of whom Isaac, the father of our subject, was the youngest.

(VI) Col. Isaac Botsford, born in Milford Oct. 7, 1786, was commander of the old 17th Regiment, Connecticut State Militia. He owned and operated 175 acres of land, and also had a factory near his home in Kensington, where he engaged in the manu- facture of tack hammers, buttons and "kettle ears." He invented and had made the first die which would cut, stamp and punch at one stroke. He was a strong anti-slavery man, and always took a deep in- terest in military affairs. For a number of years he served as deacon of the First Congregational Church of Kensington, and he was highly esteemed by all who knew him. On Nov. 12, 1821, he married Miss Melissa Hart Porter, who was born in Berlin, Hart- ford county, Sept. 22, 1802, a daughter of Russell and Matilda (Wilcox) Porter. Of the seven, chil- dren born to them, five died in infancy. Of the other two our subject is the younger. Ellen, born May 31, 1833, married Elijah Beach, of Cheshire, now deceased. Their son, Frederick Elijah, born June 12, 1863, is now doctor of physics in the scien- tific department of Yale College. The father of our subject died Aug. 14, 1851, the mother on May 22, I886.

(VII) Isaac P. Botsford, the subject of this sketch, passed his boyhood in Blue Hills, Kensing- ton, formerly known as "Blow Hills," and acquired his education in the schools of Berlin. At the age of eight he commenced working for his father in the shop, and was thus employed until the latter's death. Then going to Meriden, Conn., he learned the machinist's trade, which he followed for several years. He was in Cincinnati, Ohio, when the war of the Rebellion broke out, and from there went to New York. For about three years he traveled through the New England and Middle States, sell- ing lamps and oils, and was the first man traveling out of New York who carried a catalogue contain-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ing cuts of lamps in colors, as they had formerly car- ried samples altogether. While on one of his trav- eling tours, in 1864, he stopped in East Berlin to visit his grandfather, and while here Samuel C. Wil- cox offered him a position with the Roys & Wilcox Co., but he did not at first accept, though he finally consented to help them for two months, and worked for the company as a tool-maker for ten years. On account of ill health he then resigned, and later was induced to engage in the manufacture of trusses, to which he has since devoted his attention, and in which business he has been very successful, having a large patronage. He also treats his patients, and takes measurements and fits them with trusses made to order. As already mentioned, he now lives in the town of Cromwell, Middlesex county, just across the line from Berlin, Hartford county, and in the house built in 1812 by his grandfather, Russell Por- ter, on land which was included in the one-mile square, deeded to Daniel Wilcox. This property has passed from one generation to another, and our subject still owns fifteen acres of the tract, which he now rents to others. Here he has resided since 1870.

On April 13, 1865, Mr. Botsford was united in marriage with Miss Emma Ann Penfield, who was born in Berlin Feb. 23, 1840, a daughter of Titus and Julia (North) Penfield. They have one son, Charles Porter Botsford, a physician of Hartford, with office at No. 1393 Main street. He was born Sept. 22, 1870, and began his education in the schools of Berlin. He graduated from the Middletown high school and then entered the Medical school of Yale College, from which he was graduated in 1894. The following two years he spent in the Hartford Hospital, from which he received a diploma, and at the end of that time he opened his present office in Hartford. He has already met with excellent suc- cess in his chosen profession, and has built up a large practice.

Politically Mr. Botsford is identified with the Republican party ; socially he is a member of Wash- ington Lodge, No. 81, F. & A. M., of Cromwell. He attends the Second Congregational Church, of Berlin, of which his wife is a member, and com- mands the respect and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact, in either business or social life.

OWEN L. ENSIGN, of Silver Lane, East Hart- ford, is a worthy representative of the old and hon- ored family whose name appears so frequently in this work as descendants of James Ensign, the English-born gentleman, who founded the family in America, and whose progeny is traced in full from his time until the present in the biographies of Charles A. and F. Howard Ensign. As Owen L. Ensign is of the seventh generation, a brief recapitu- lative mention of the line of descent may here be made with no impropriety : Of the first generation, James died in America in 1670 ; of the second, David was born in 1645; of the third, was Thomas; of the fourth. Moses (1) was baptized in 1732-34 ; of the fifth, Moses (2) was born Dec. 4, 1759, and

died Nov. 30, 1821 ; of the sixth, Moses (3) was born Sept. 6, 1791, and from him descends Owen L., our subject.

It is necessary, however, to revert to the record of Moses Ensign, father of our subject. He was born in 1791, on the ground on which Owen L. now lives, but the house has been torn down by the latter and a modern dwelling erected in its stead. Moses Ensign received but a limited education ; however, being a man of unusual intelligence he was quite competent to make his way through the world at all times. He early learned stone-cutting, and followed that trade all his life, and the pursuit of it was in fact the cause of his death; while engaged in con- structing the vault for the Connecticut Valley Bank at Hartford he overstrained his back in lifting a heavy stone, and, while convalescent, ran in haste all the way to Wethersfield in order to anticipate an- other man in the recording of a deed, this exertion causing a relapse, resulting in his death a year la- ter, Dec. 8, 1829. His widow survived until 1864.

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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 59

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