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 77

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 77

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(VI) Everest Case, our subject's father, was born in Canton Dec. 19, 1796, and died July 31, 1866, his remains being interred in the cemetery at Canton Center. He received a common-school education and became a cooper by trade, having served an apprenticeship with Calvin Case, and lie also owned a small farm. He was domestic in his

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tastes, avoiding any official honors and duties, but he was well informed on the isues of his time, and was first a Whig and later a Republican, sympathiz- ing with the anti-slavery movement from the start. He was also strongly anti-Mason in the days when that question was agitated politically, white in his religious views he was liberal. On Jan. 6, 1820, he married Lucy Case, who was born March 9, 1794, daughter of Silas and Mary Case, and died Nov. 24, 1859. She was a descendant of John Case, the pioneer, through his son, Bartholomew Case, who was born in Simsbury, and married Mary, daughter of Lieut. Samuel Humphrey. Everest and Lucy Case had the following children: Sarah, born Oct. 22, 1820, married John Green, Jr., and died Nov. 15, 1898; Levi, our subject, was second in the order of birth; Orestes, born March 23, 1823, died Oct. 5, 1824; Emeline, born Nov. 12, 1824, died Aug. 2, 1853, unmarried; Orestes (2), born May 15, 1826, was married Aug. 4, 1852, to Sophrona Woodruff, of Hartford, and died March 3, 1899; Lucy Maria, born May 18, 1828, died Aug. 14, 1828; Miss Helen Rowena, born Aug. 15, 1829, re- sides in Collinsville; William Wirt, born Jan. 26, 1834, was a soldier in the Civil war (he was mar- ied first on May 1, 1862, to Eliza E. Humphrey, of Bloomfield, and later to Harriet Irene Dexter, of Coventry) ; Nathan, born Nov. 25, 1836, died Dec. 15, 1857; Lucy Ann, born July 9, 1838, died Sept. 16, 1838.

(VĪI) Levi Case was born Jan. 4, 1822, and vas educated in the district schools near the home- stead, and the village schools of North Canton and Canton Center. For several winters he taught in listrict schools at Canton, Granby, Simsbury, and Barkhamsted, his summers being spent in farm vork, and for many years he has resided at his present homestead, a small farm. For more than forty years he followed surveying, and for thirty ears he was a notary public, having been first ap- pointed in 1854 by Gov. Dutton. He was a justice of the peace for six years, and a selectman for two ears, and has served on the local board of relief for many years, while in all movements for the bene- fit of the community his influence is felt on the side of progress, the temperance question being espe- ially important in his opinion. He cast his first ote for Henry Clay, and on the disorganization of he Whig party became a Republican. His able articles on historical and other topics in the public press have attracted favorable comment, and he is correspondent of various newspapers. In relig- ous faith he is a Congregationalist, and his la- nented wife was a member of that Church. Mr. Case was married in Ohio, March 3, 1859, to Eunice Case, who died July 20, 1883, her remains being nterred at Canton Center. She was born in Sims- bury July 18, 1821, daughter of Asa L. and Ro- annah ( Buel) Case, granddaughter of Asa and Lois Dill) Case, and great-granddaughter of Deacon Iosea Case. Of the two children born to this

union, (1) Asa Levi, born March 9, 1860, resides at the homestead, and is interested in market gar- dening ; he is a printer by trade. Like his father he is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Congregational Church. He was married, March 18, 1885, to Annette E. Pyatt, who was born in Farm- ington ; daughter of Samuel S. and Candace ( Web- ster ) Pyatt, and they have had three children : Hor- ace Asa, born March 17, 1886; Charles Archibald, Jan. 12, 1888; and Rosa Candace, Oct. 31, 1890. (2) Rosa Lucy, born March 30, 1864, died May 2, 1884.

JOHN ERWIN MORTON, who owns and conducts the most extensive general business in Man- chester, is one of that town's wide-awake and enter- prising merchants, and ranks among her substan- tial citizens.

Mr. Morton was born Nov. 6, 1852, in the town of South Windsor, Hartford county, and there passed the early years of his life on his parents' farm. His early education was acquied in the com- mon schools of his native town, and was supple- mented with study at the high school of Ellington, Tolland Co., that State, whither his parents had removed when he was a youth of sixteen. At the age of eighteen our subject went to Stafford Springs, Tolland county, where he commenced his mer- cantile career as clerk in the store of L. W. Crane, with whom he continued for three years. Return- ing to Ellington he remained there a few months, and then came to Manchester, with whose business interests he has since been identified. Having pur- chased the store of Levi Drake, he continued same seven years, and for some time afterward, on ac- count of ill health, was not engaged in any social business. When able to resume work he started on the road with confectionery, and he subsequently carried on merchandising in the Union Manufactur- ing Co.'s store, purchasing the business of Park- hurst & Hayes. Mr. Morton began the erection of his present store building in 1889, and the struct- ure was completed in 1890, on May 17 of which year he opened the general business which he has ever since successfully conducted. The building, a three-story brick, 40x50 feet in dimensions, is the largest store building in Manchester, and is completely stocked with a line of dry goods, boots and shoes, men's furnishings, etc., besides grocer- ies, Mr. Morton aiming to meet the demands of all his patrons. He gives careful attention to the details of his business, and the requirements of a constantly increasing custom, and by his courtesy and obliging ways has made numerous friends among those with whom he has had dealings, and has become widely known in and around Manches- ter, both as an honorable and upright man, and as a business man of enterprise and sound judgment. The second story of his building is used as a store- room, and the third for an opera and hall room. Though business interests claim his time altogether,

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Mr. Morton has become identified with the most public-spirited citizens of Manchester as one who has the welfare of his town and county at heart, and will give his support to any worthy undertaking for its advancement or improvement. His political sympathy is given to the Republican party. Mr. Morton is not a member of any church, but he con- tributes generously toward church work and Chris- tian enterprises.

JOHN L. JENCKS, of the firm of Jencks Brothers, the popular lumber dealers of East Hart- ford Meadow, as well as of South Manchester, was born Aug. 2, 1865, in East Hartford Meadow, in the house that stands immediately north of the dwelling of Lyman Risley, his maternal grandfa- ther, of whom a biographical sketch is given else- where. In the sketch of Charles L. Jencks will be found the family history of our subject-John L. and Charles L. being the brothers who constitute the lumber firm.

John L. Jencks attended the "Meadow" school, with a Mr. Chaffee and Charles Andrews as teach- ers, and next attended the "Brown' school in Hart- ford until 1881, when he entered the lumberyard owned by his grandfather, Lyman Risley, at East Hartford Meadow, and worked for small wages, at anything and everything-hauling lumber, piling lumber, and caring for the horses. As his knowl- edge of the business increased, so did his salary. With his savings he bought from his grandfather an interest in the business, and on April 1, 1888, he and his brother formed a partnership with the grandfather under the firm style of Lyman Risley & Co. A few years later the brothers bought the entire interest of the grandfather, who wished to retire from business, and the firm name is now Jencks Brothers. Their trade rapidly increased from the start, and is now immense, ramifying through Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, South Windsor and other towns and villages.

Both the brothers Jencks have a strong liking for fast horses, yet keep them almost solely for pleasure and recreation, as they but seldom enter them in races for purses. John L. Jencks has the finest matched team in all New England, but his favorite animal is "Capt. Jencks," a roan stallion.

On Oct. 7, 1885, John L. Jencks was united in marriage with Miss Carrie L. Brewer, who was born March 22, 1864, a daughter of George C. and Julia A. (Hurlbut) Brewer, natives of Hockanum. This union has been blessed with two children : Ethel M., born Sept. 9, 1887, and Percy C., born October 13, 1889. The family attend the South Congregational Church, of which Mrs. Jencks is a devout member ; in politics Mr. Jencks is a Re- publican, but is too busy a man ·o give much heed to party affairs ; neither has he time to spare to at- tend any secret organizations. In their business the brothers are thoroughly practical, Charles L. at-

tending to the office work; John L. having the yard management, and they keep the trade on a constant boom.

RICHARD J. MOMMERS. This gentleman, the present superintendent of the manufacture of velvet in the mill of Messrs. Cheney Bros., is a son of Theodor and Katharin ( Seves) Mommers. The father was a manufacturer of velvets at Lobberich, near Crefeld, Prussia, which city is the center of that industry in Germany. Richard J. Mommers was born there March 19, 1846. He received a colle- giate education, graduating from Kempen gymna- sium, a preparatory school for the university, at the age of nineteen.

On leaving this college Mr. Mommers at once began the battle of life, in which he was destined to play no mean part, and to win a substantial re- ward. He was apprenticed for a term of three years to a mercantile firm of Cologne, that he might become thoroughly familiar with the general prin- ciples that underly trade, as well as with the minor details of a business career. While acquiring this information the young clerk received no compen- sation, and met all his expenses from his own purse, the instruction which he received being considered ample payment for the service which he rendered. Young Mommers after completing his apprentice- ship returned to Lobberich, and entered the employ of his father, who, as has been said, was a manufac- turer of velvets. He remained in his father's fac- tory until 1878, when he embarked in a manufactur- ing business of his own, but of a very different de- scription. He erected a machine shop in Crefeld, and began making looms for the weaving of silk and velvet fabrics. In the spring of 1880 members of the firm of Cheney Bros., of South Manchester, visited Crefeld, and were so pleased with Mr. Mom- mer's looms that they placed an order with him for a number of them, stipulating that Mr. Mommers should accompany them to the Connecticut mills, and personally supervise their erection and instal- lation. Accordingly, when his task was completed the firm tendered him the position which he now holds. He accepted the offer, and has filled the post uninterruptedly since 1880, sending for his family the following year.

Richard J. Mommers was married in 1872 to Miss Matilda Janssen. They have four children, Paul, Matilda, Richard and Ellen, all of whom are living. Mr. Mommers is a Republican in his poli- tical creed. He is not a member of any religious body, but attends the Episcopal Church and con- tributes to its support.

CAMPBELL PHELPS CASE. In the life of the subject of this sketch has been demonstrated the ability of an individual, bereft of father's care in early childhood, to take up for himself the battle of life and guide his way patiently but surely toward the goal of success. Content to till the soil and fol-

John Lo Juncker.

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low the ways of his fathers, our subject has amply shown the merit of his success.

Mr. Case is a representative of the Case family which was founded in Simsbury, Hartford county, in 1669, by John Case, and is seventh in the line of descent from that ancestor, as follows: John Case, Jr .; John, son of John and Mary (Olcott) Case ; Capt. John, son of John and Abigail (Humphrey) Case, born Feb. 19, 1718, a soldier of the Revolu- tionary war; Levi Case; Levi Phelps Case; and Campbell Phelps Case. Capt. John Case, the great- grandfather of our subject, married Sarah Barber, Nov. 7, 1745, and their children were: John, born in October, 1746; Giles,, born Feb. 20, 1748, died Feb. 5, 1754; Seth, born Sept. 29, 1749; Sarah, born July 27, 1751 ; Asa, born June II, 1753; Mary, born Jan. 2, 1755 ; Giles, born May 24, 1757 ; George, born March 4, 1759; Levi and Judah, twins, born Dec. 14, 1760; Abigail, born Nov. 28, 1763. Capt. John Case died Nov. 16, 1776, his wife Dec. 19, 1805.

Levi Case, the grandfather of our subject, born in Simsbury, Dec. 14, 1760, one of twins, was edu- cated in the district schools, and was a farmer. He spent his entire life in Simsbury He married Polly Humphrey, of Simsbury, and four children born to them were : Polly ; Agnes ; Levi Phelps, father of our subject ; and Jairus, who was a graduate of Yale Medical College, was a prominent physician, practic- ing in Granby all his life, and was the father of Hon. William C. Case, the well-known criminal law- yer of Hartford.

Levi Phelps Case, the father of our subject, was born in. Simsbury, and received a district-school education. He was a man of ability, through hard study obtained a good common-school education, and taught school during the winter months, both in Simsbury and in Hartland. When a young man he removed to Barkhamsted, Litchfield, Co., Conn., where he engaged in farming, and owned a tract of land. Later in life he removed to Ilartland, locat- ing in East Hartland, where he bought a tract of 500 acres, and erected the first steam sawmill in that section, engaging in the manufacture of lumber. He also engaged in dairy and general farming, and here spent the balance of his life, dying in 1850, and was buried in East Hartland cemetery. Ile was a Whig in politics, a pronounced anti-slavery man, a member of the Congregational Church, and a man of enterprise and progressive ideas, noted for his in- dustry, honesty and honorable dealings. He was temperate in his habits, a good Christian, and a kind father and loving husband. Mr. Case married in Barkhamsted, Harriet Jones, who was born in Barkhamsted, daughter of Elijah Jones, of that own. The children born to Levi Phelps and Har- iet Case were as follows: Cornelius, who died young; Harriet,, who married Frank Holbrook, of Pompey, N. Y .; Julia, who was a school teacher, inmarried : Campbell Phelps, our subject ; Helen, who died young ; and Lucian, now of Syracuse, N.

Y. The mother died at her home in East Hartland in 1870, and was buried in East Hartland ceme- tery. She was a member of the Congregational Church.

Our subject was only five years old when his father died. He remained at home with his mother, attending the district schools of East Hartland, and working on the farm until his mother's death, when he removed to Pompey, N. Y. There he was engaged at farm work for two years, receiving $300 per year. In 1874 he came to Simsbury, worked for one year as a farm hand, and then entered a ten-acre tract of land and grew tobacco for one year. He next rented the farm which he now owns, a tract of 100 acres, which he operated for four years, and was engaged principally in tobacco culture and dairying. In 1880 he bought the farm owned by Lucius Goodrich, where he is now extensively and successfully engaged in dairy, tobacco and general farming, keeping a stock of forty-five head of Jer- sey cows, and he has made many improvements upon his farm. He is also a stock dealer, and be- longs to the Tobacco Growers Association of New England. Mr. Case is temperate, honest and up- right in character. He started in life a poor boy,. and has succeeded through hard work. He is a: Republican in politics, and was a member of the. board of relief. Himself and family are members of the Congregational Church.

Mr. Case was married in Hartland to Myra L. Banning, who was born in Hartland, daughter of Edwin Banning, of that town. To our subject and wife have been born three children: Charles, edu- cated in the district schools, also in the State Agri- cultural College, and the Hartford Business College, is at Hartford; Jesse is at home; Ida May is at school. Mrs. Case is a member of one of the oldest families of Hartland. She is a lady of re- fined tastes, and has been a good helpmate, aiding materially in the substantial progress which her husband has made as a citizen of Simsbury.

BUEL DAVID HODGE is numbered among the elderly residents of West Suffield, by whose peo- ple lie is held in that reverence and respect accorded those whose lives have been distinguished by integ- rity and usefulness. He was born in East Gran- ville, Mass., March 6, 1828, and belongs to a fan- ily of English origin, which was founded in New England during Colonial days. Ilis grandfather. Asa Hodge, was a native of Glastonbury, Hartford Co., Conn., where he was reared and married, and engaged in farming there during his early life, but his last years were spent upon a farm in Westfield. Víass. Ile was a good Christian gentleman, and lib- eral in his religious views.

Henry Hodge, father of our subject, was born, reared and educated in Glastonbury, Conn., where he also followed farming. There he married Eliza- beth ( Betsy) Harmon, and to them were born five children: George, a resident of Glastonbury; Bucl

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D., our subject; Harriet, deceased, who (first) married Chauncey Barker and (second) William Caswell; Emily, widow of Amos Sampson, of South- wick, Mass .; and Julia, widow of William Howell, of Catskill, N. Y. The father with his family re- moved to East Granville, Mass., where he followed farming until called from this life. He made many improvements upon his place, and was quite a suc- cessful agriculturist. In political sentiment he was a Democrat, and in his religious views he was lib- eral. His wife also died in East Granville, and both were laid to rest there.

Buel D. Hodge is indebted to the district schools of East Granville, Mass., for his educational advan- tages. At the age of twelve years he left the paren- tal roof, and commenced earning his own living, doing chores for neighboring farmers while he still attended school. Leaving East Granville in 1846, at the age of eighteen years, he came to Suffield town, Hartford Co., Conn., where he worked as a farm hand for two years. He then obtained a posi- tion at packing cigars for Neland Loomis, with whom he remained for fifteen years, and was sim- ilarly employed by a Mr. Austin for two years. Later he spent two years as foreman of the George W. Loomis cigar factory, and afterward packed cigars in Hartford for a time. Returning to Suffield, he drove a stage, and carried the United States mail from Windsor Locks to Suffield for a short time, and then purchased a tract of land from James Hastings, in West Suffield, where he engaged in to- bacco growing and general farming for nine years. He then rented the B. Loomis farm of 100 acres, at Suffield Center, and after operating it for nine years he in 1885 bought his present farm, from Charles Taylor. This is located in West Suffield, and has been greatly improved by our subject, who is still actively engaged in dairying, farming and tobacco raising. Though quiet and unassuming in manner, he makes many friends, and is held in high regard by all with whom he has come in contact, in either business or social life. Formerly he was a sup- porter of the Democratic party, but since 1888 he has voted with the Prohibitionists, being a strong tem- perance man, willing to do all in his power to abol- ish the liquor traffic.

In Suffield, in 1855, Mr. Hodge was united in marriage with Miss Marietta Cartter, a native of Turin, Lewis Co., N. Y., and to them were born four children : Clara, now the wife of Charles D. Warner, of Ansonia, New Haven Co., Conn. ; Emma E., wife of Francis Leroy Ashley, agent at Windsor Locks for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- road Co. ; Nellie, wife of Elihu S. Cook, of Hartford ; and Lucy B., wife of Lawrence Hern, of Ansonia. Mr. and Mrs. Hodge are both faithful members of the Congregational Church, and have the respect and esteem of all who know them. Socially he is a member of Apollo Lodge No. 69, F. & A. M., Suf- field.

The CARTTER FAMILY, to which Mrs. Hodge be-

longs, is an old and honored one in New England. During the Colonial period Charles Carter, a native of England, came to America and located in Maine. While living there a plot was formed by the Indians to destroy the town on the Penobscot river, and a squaw was to give the signal for the Red men to advance. Through threats Mr. Carter obtained from the squaw what the signal meant; then killed her; put out the fire; and built another near the falls. The Indians came down in their canoes, went over the falls, and were drowned. The town was thus saved, and William III, then king of England, in honoring Mr. Carter for his bravery, changed his coat of arms, and added the second "t" to the name, which has since been spelled by the family Cartter. Mrs. Hodge's grandfather was Charles Cartter, whose father was in the Revolutionary war. Her father, who also bore the name of Charles, was a native of New York State, and in early life learned the blacksmith's trade at Turin, N. Y., where he followed it until after his marriage. After coming to Connecticut, he worked in Collin's ax factory for some time, and later followed his trade in Tariff- ville, East Granby and Suffield, Hartford county. In Turin, N. Y., he married Lucy Coats, a native of that place, and a daughter of James Coats, a soldier of the war of 1812, and a pioneer of Lewis county. The children born of this union were as follows: Mary Ann, wife of James G. Hastings; George, who died young ; Mariette, wife of our sub- ject ; Marian, widow of John Cline, of Windsor Locks, Conn .; Maria, wife of Theodore Fitzgerald, of Rochester, N. Y. ; Marilla, deceased ; Charles W., deceased ; Martha, wife of Eugene K. Comstock, of New London, Conn .; George, who was drowned in the Potomac river while serving as a soldier in the Civil war; Jame Monroe, deceased ; Mina, wife of John Butler, of Groton, Conn .; Julius, deceased; Medora, deceased wife of Joshua Loomis, of East Hampden, Mass. The parents both died in West Suffield, and were laid to rest there. They were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and honored and respected by all who knew them.

HENRY M. BEECHER, an honored and high- ly esteemed citizen of Plantsville, who is now liv- ing retired, free from business cares and respon- sibilities, was born in Woodbury, this State, March 12. 1830, a son of Benjamin Dutton and Permelia (Tuttle) Beecher, natives of Cheshire and Pros- pect, Conn., respectively. The paternal grandfa- ther, Benjamin Beecher, a prominent farmer of ('heshire, accumulated a fine property, and he deeded a house and barn, with one hundred acres of land to the Home Missionary Society forever, the income thereof to be used to spread the gospel. This was in 1802 and 1805, when the Society was first organized, and the property was leased for 999 years, and afterward, by special act of the Leg- islature, was sold to the lessee. Mr. Beecher mar-

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ried Esther Barrett, and they had eleven children. He died in February, 1835.

Benjamin D. Beecher, the ninth in the family, was born Nov. 2, 1791, and died Jan. 17, 1868. He was reared in Cheshire, and during the war of 1812 conducted a shop in Southington, where he was engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills for cleaning wheat and grain of all kinds, his own invention, and the first of that nature in the coun- try or the world, as well as one of the best. He carried on that business for several years, and in 1832 invented the first screw propellers used on canal and steam boats, the first being made in Cheshire, for use on the Farmington canal; they are now used on all ocean steamers and war vessels throughout the world. In 1837 he built a boat using his propeller for use on the Erie canal; this boat was made in three sections, held together by central pivots so it could be separated while passing through the locks. Among the many other things Mr. Beecher invented were a screw cutter, a horse- power corn sheller, and a threshing machine which he manufactured in New York City. For a num- per of years he made his home in Woodbury, Conn. His wife, Permelia, was a daughter of Moses and Demorest (Hitchcock) Tuttle, of Cheshire. Her father was a soldier and pensioner of the Revolu- ionary war, having enlisted at Cheshire and served inder Capt. Bradley and Col. Douglass. The Tut- les were among the pioneers of Prospect and Cheshire, and William Tuttle, the founder of the family in America, was at one time the owner of he land now occupied by Yale College. To Ben- amin D. Beecher and wife were born six chil- firen; Luther, a successful business man and mil- ionaire of Detroit, Mich., who died in 1892 ; Sophia, vife of Janes Porter; Hiram and Ira, both de- eased; Amelia, deceased wife of John Fenton ; nd Henry M., our subject.

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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 77

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