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 85

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 85

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Edward G. Fowler passed his boyhood years and early manhood in his native town, working on the home farm, and he also worked for fifteen years in Pratt & Whitney's shop at Hartford. In Feb- ruary, 1866, he married, at East Cornwall, Litch- field Co., Conn., Miss Ellen Jane Thompson, a daughter of Richard Thompson, D. D., a native of England and a Baptist clergyman. To this mar- riage have been born six children, in the following order: George Thompson, born June 17, 1867, and married to Eugenia C. Thrall, of Hartford, has a family of three children, Ernest, Henry and Oliver : Minnie May, born Oct. 5, 1868, is married to Samuel E. Spencer, and is the mother of Ethel Orrin, Gladys and Earle Fowler ; Maria Louise, born March 28, 1870, is the wife of Charles Chaffee, of Hartford, and has a son, Ralph Gilbert ; Albert Lewis was born March 4, 1872; Edward Clarence, July 15, 1874, and Elizabeth Ellen, Dec. 2, 1876.

In 1874 Mr. Fowler settled in Bloomfield, and here engaged in farming, the vocation with which he became so thoroughly familiar in early manhood, and which, since living in Bloomfield, he has profit- ably followed. Mr. Fowler is a Baptist in his re- ligious faith, and a highly respected member of the church at Bloomfield.

MARTIN VAN BUREN PORTER, one of the prominent and highly-respected citizens of South Windsor, spent the greater portion of his life as the trained and trusted employe of a large manufac- turing company. After a service of forty-five years with one company, at once honorable and respon- sible, he resigned his position, and settled on the old homestead, which he inherited, there to enjoy the quiet and comparative ease so richly earned.

Mr. Porter's father, Abiezer Porter, was one of the earliest Argonauts, who, spurred like many other active and ambitious men by the tales of gold dis- coveries on the Pacific slope, sought wealth in the unknown land. He was one of the unfortunates whom death claimed before his dreams were real- ized. In the East he had been successful. He was born in the town of South Windsor, and in his youth had acquired a knowledge of the trade of blacksmith, this proving a stepping-stone to a more important vocation. He became a manufacturer of tacks, brads and shoe nails, and his factory was the present school house at South Windsor, where he for many years actively manufactured nails, un- til the gold fever drew him to the distant western shores of the country. He made the trip over- land successfully, but died in the gold fields some years later. Abiezer Porter married Sophia Wood, who bore him seven children: Elizabeth, wife of Hiram S. Anderson; Edwin A., now living at Genoa, DeKalb Co., Ill .; Frederick A .; Henry E .; Leroy L., who was a soldier in the Civil war, and died while in the service ; Charlotte, who died aged six years; and Martin V. B., our subject, all now. deceased except Edwin A. and our subject. The mother died in 1843.

Mr. Porter was born on the farm where he now lives, Oct. 8, 1833. He was but ten years old when his mother died, and at that age went to Manchester and did chores for his board and clothes. He attended school about two years after his mother's death. In 1850, at the age of about seven- teen years, he began his long and prosperous career in one of Hartford county's manufactories. At Hartford he entered the printing office of the Case- Tiffany Co., now Case, Lockwood & Brainard, be- ginning in the press-room, and steadily improved his position. When he resigned in 1895 to return to the farm he had been foreman of the book depart- ment for twenty-five years.

Mr. Porter married, in 1855, Lydia A. Meek, and has two children: Frederick L. and Eleanor E. In politics he is a Democrat. Socially he is a member of Crescent Lodge, K. of P., of Hart- ford. Mr. Porter owns twenty acres of land, most of which is very valuable for tobacco culture, a branch of agriculture to which it is largely devoted.

ROBERT FRANKLIN WOODFORD, a well- known citizen of Plainville, who follows farming and is also engaged in the coal and wood business as a member of the firm of R. F. Woodford &

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Son, was born in Avon, this county, May 27, 1824, and is a son of Amasa and Almira ( Beach) Wood- ford.

Mr. Woodford's paternal grandparents were Capt. Dudley and Candis (Noah) Woodford. The grandfather, who served with distinction as an officer in the Revolutionary war, was born in 1753, and died in 1803. His parents were Capt. Will- iam and Susannah (Garrett) Woodford. Joseph Woodford, father of Capt. William, was a son of Joseph Woodford, Sr., and a grandson of Thomas Woodford, who was a native of England, and one of the first settlers of Hartford.

Amasa Woodford, the father of our subject, was born in 1780, and died in 1862. By his first wife, Almira Beach, he had twelve children, ten of whom reached years of maturity: Almira, wife of Edward Miller; Nancy, wife of Leverett Hart; Amasa D .; Elizabeth, wife of Rev. Abel L. Bar- ber; John B .; Maria, wife of George Chidsey ; Harry M .; Esther, wife of Henry M. Woodford; Robert F., our subject; and Harvey. The father's second wife was Mrs. Nancy Woodford, his third being Mrs. Fanny Woodford.

The early life of Robert F. Woodford was passed in Avon, and he was educated in the common and select schools. He began life for himself as a farmer, but later worked for three years in an axe factory in Collinsville, and then purchased a farm in Meriden, Conn., where he lived for fifteen years. The following eight years he spent in New Haven, where for a time he was engaged in business as a contractor and builder, and in 1876 he came to Plainville, where he has since followed farming with most gratifying results. He has also been en- gaged in the coal and wood business since 1882, carrying same on as a member of the firm of R. F. Woodford & Son since 1887.

Mr. Woodford was united in marriage with Miss Helen E. Bishop, a daughter of Jacob and Diana (Frisbie) Bishop, of Avon, and by that union had four children : Helen M., now Mrs. Abbott F. Dill ; George C .; Prescott G .; and Emma D., wife of F. W. Allderidge. For his second wife he married Mrs. Caroline E. (Griswold) Moses, of Massachusetts. Mr. Woodford casts his ballot with the Democratic party, and has most creditably served as selectman of Plainville for several terms. He is progressive, public-spirited and enterprising, and has the confidence and respect of all with whom he comes in contact, in either business, social or public life.

George Clifford Woodford, the junior member of the firm of R. F. Woodford & Son, wood and coal merchants, Plainville, was born in Avon, this county, Dec. 5, 1850, and was reared in his native State, receiving a good practical education in its common schools. By trade he is a joiner, and he followed that occupation for many years, being en- gaged in contracting from 1880 to 1887. Since that time he has been interested in his present busi-

ness, and has built up an excellent trade. Like his father, he is a very progressive and public-spirited citizen, and has also served as selectman of Plain- ville several terms. Politically he is a Democrat. In 1884 he was united in marriage with Miss Emma A. Miles, a daughter of Benjamin F. and Sarah ( Stevens) Miles, of Cheshire, Connecticut. -

C. IRVING PHELAND, an enterprising and progressive farmer and tobacco grower of West Suffield, was born on the old homestead there March 7, 1861.

The Pheland family is of Irish extraction, and the first to come to the New World was Thomas Pheland, a native of the Emerald Isle, who settled in the Colony of Connecticut, then a part of Massa- chusetts, in 1733. He became a large land owner in West Suffield, and engaged in farming there until his death, Nov. 17, 1769, his remains being interred in the West Suffield cemetery. He had no children of his own, but adopted a son who bore the name of Joseph Pheland, who was born and reared in West Suffield, and there continued to make liis home throughout life. He also owned a large tract of land and was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He took an active part in the Revolutionary war as first lieutenant of Company 10, 3rd Massachusetts Regiment, under Capt. Jesse MeIntire. At this time the name became changed, presumably by mis- take in his commission, and he was afterward known as Joseph Phelon. All of his descendants have spelt the name Phelon, with the exception of our subject. who uses the original spelling. Joseph Phelon was a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Pres- byterian Church. He married Elizabeth King Sept. 5, 1754, and died on his farm in Feeding Hills, Nov. 27, 1800, his remains being interred in the old cemetery at Feeding Hill, Massachusetts.

Thomas Phelon, the great-grandfather of our subject, remained on the old homestead in West Suf- field throughout life. He was also one of the men who valiantly fought for the freedom of the Colo- nies during the Revolutionary war, serving as a private in Company 8, Capt. Harmon, Col. Walcott's Regiment of Connecticut troops. In religious faith he was a Congregationalist, and in political senti- ment a Democrat. He wedded Mary King, of West Suffield, and the children born to them were Thomas, a physician of Cherry Valley, N. Y. : Jo- seph, a banker of the same place; Isaac, grandfather of our subject ; Mary and Cynthia, who both died unmarried ; and Julius.

Isaac Phelon never left the old homestead, and made many improvements upon the place : follow- ing the occupation of farming throughont life. He was educated in the common schools. He was well- known and highly respected, and was a supporter of the Democratic party, but never an office seeker. Religiously he was a member of the Baptist Church at Zion's Hill, and at his death he was laid to rest in the West Suffield cemetery. He married Miss Lucy

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Warner, of the same town, and the children born to them were Seymour, who died in West Suffield ; Lucia, who married Rufus Rising, and both are now deceased; Dalos (now deceased), who was a resident of Lorain county, Ohio; Cyrus, who died in Suffield; Thomas, father of our subject ; Carlton, a cigar maker, who died in Rising Corners (his wife, Amoret Rising, is still living) ; and Benjamin, a farmer of West Suffield, who married (first) Lorain Sheldon, a daughter of Charles Sheldon, and (second) Mrs. Ellen Phelon; and Cynthia.

Thomas Phelon, our subject's father, was born on the old home farm, Oct. 7, 1818, and was reared there acquiring a good education in the district schools of the town, and the Connecticut Literary Institute. When a young man he went to Ohio with his brother Dalos, and after spending some time there proceeded to Illinois. Chicago was then in its infancy, and, predicting that it would one day become a great city, he wished to invest in real estate there, but was disuaded by his brother. Had he followed his own inclinations he would have un- doubtedly made a fortune. Returning to his native county, he embarked in farming upon the place where our subject now resides, it being then known as the Warner farm. He made many improvements upon the place, and was actively engaged in agri- cultural pursuits there for a number of years, and also in the manufacture of cigars, but is now living retired with our subject. He attends the Methodist Episcopal Church, but is liberal in his religious views, and is one of the highly-respected and hon- ored citizens of the community where he has so long made his home. Politically he is identified with the Republican party, but has never desired official honors. At Feeding Hills, Mass., in 1839, he married Miss Daphney Lucinda Phelon, a na- tive of that place, and a daughter of Harry and Clara (Wilcox) Phelon, the latter a daughter of Dr. Wilcox, of Suffield. Nine children were born of this union: (I) Harriet is now the widow of Edward Loomis, of Southwick, Mass. (2) Emily is the wife of G. Corning, of New York City. (3) Susan P. acquired her literary education in the dis- trict schools and the Connecticut Literary Institute, and then spent several years in the Union office of Springfield, Mass; in 1883 she was graduated from the Woman's Medical College of New York City, and was the first woman in Suffield to enter a pro- fession. For the past fifteen years she has success- fully engaged in the practice of medicine in Spring- field, Mass. ; she is the wife of Stephen E. Seymour, a real-estate man of that place. (4) Isaac Henry is now in South Africa. (5) Frank A. is in Boston, Mass. (6) Horace N. is a resident of Philadelphia. (7) Clara L. is the wife of Charles Northrup, of Tottenville, Staten Island, N. Y. (8) C. Irving is next in the family. (9) Harry A. is a carpenter of Hartford. The mother died in 1883, and was buried at Feeding Hills, on land which was given by her father for a cemetery.

C. Irving Pheland pursued his studies in the district schools of West Sheffield, and was thirteen years old when he went to Springfield, Mass., to begin business life as a clerk in the drug store of Master & Preston. There he remained four years, in the meantime attending night school. While in that city he fell from an elevator and broke his leg, which accident made him lame. Later he was em- ployed as a drug clerk by Herman Krable, of New York City, proprietor of the oldest drug house in the city. While there he graduated in pharmacy, but in 1883 was compelled to give up the business on account of ill health. Returning to the old home- stead in West Suffield, he has since devoted his time to agricultural pursuits, making a specialty of tobacco growing.

On May 25, 1881, in New York, Mr. Pheland was united in marriage with Miss Ella Stoughton, a native of that city, and a daughter of LaFayette Stoughton. Mrs. Pheland is a lady of culture and refinement. To this marriage has been born one child, Inez P., who is now a student in the Connecti- cut Literary Institute, of Suffield. Our subject is one of the leading and popular citizens of his com- munity, and is an honored member of the O. U. A. M., and Grange, both of Suffield. He affiliates with the Democratic party, and has been chosen to fill a number of local offices of trust, being assessor of the town of Suffield three years, a member of the board of relief, and a member of the school board.

JOHN HENRY BURNHAM, tobacco-grower, general farmer and prominent citizen of East Hart- ford, is a descendant of an old family which for two hundred and sixty years has been identified with the growth and prosperity of Hartford county.

Thomas Burnham, the first of the family to come to America, was born in England in 1617, in 1635 sailed from Gravesend for the Barbadoes, and soon afterward came to Connecticut, for the sole pur- pose, apparently, of advancing his fortune. He was a shrewd criminal lawyer, and met with little favor among his Puritan neighbors, and for his defense of Abigail Betts was accused of "blasphemy" in "saving her neck," and was prohibited from further practice in the courts. He owned property at the corner of Main and State streets, in Hartford, mar- ried Ann and had born to him a family of nine children : Thomas ; John, who died in 1721 ; one whose name is not on record; Samuel; Mary ; Anna ; William; Richard, who married Sarah Humphreys June 1I, 1680; and Rebecca, who was married to William Mann, of Wethersfield.

Thomas Burnham, the eldest son of Thomas, the emigrant, married Jan. 4, 1676, Naomi Hull, daugh- ter of Joseph Hull, of Killingworth, Conn., and had a family of nine children : Thomas, born April 16, 1678, married Elizabeth Strong, and died April 18, 1721 ; John was born May 22, 1681 ; Elizabeth, born in 1684, was married March 4, 1702, to Richard Gilman; Sarah, born March 7, 1686, became the

John H Burnham 1

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wife of a Mr. Mulford ; Naomi, born June 3, 1688, was married May 7, 1713, to Josiah Gaylord; Charles, of whom further mention will be made, was next in order of birth; Mary, born in 1692, was married to Lieut. John Anderson ; Abigail, born March 25, 1694, was married to Josiah Williams ; and Josiah, born Sept. 6, 1696, married, lived and died in Warriner, Massachusetts.

Charles Burnham, sixth child and third son of Thomas (2), married Lydia, daughter of Jonas Williams. She lived to be one hundred and three years old, and was the mother of three children : Eleazer ; George, who married Bathsheba Dart, and died May 1, 1812; and Thankful, who was born in 1740, was married to Timothy Burnham, and died May 22, 1824.

Eleazer Burnham, eldest child of Charles, was born in 1729, and married Tryphena King, who was born in 1753 and died Nov. 7, 1814, while his own death took place March 4, 1815. To this couple came three children: Eleazer, born in 1780, mar- ried Sarah Morton, and died May 12, 1816; Phineas, born June 24, 1783, married Abigail Huntley, and died Feb. 1, 1830; and Jesse was born May 29, 1785.

Jesse Burnham, grandfather of our subject, was reared a farmer and butcher, lived in East Hart- ford, and was considered to be the best butcher in the town. He married Anna Abbey, who was born Aug. 18, 1784, and was a daughter of Nehemiah Abbey, the latter a native of the State of New York, born near Utica, who lived to be one hun- dred and four years old. Jesse and Anna Burn- ham had a family of five children: Mabel Abbey, born Sept. 11, 1811, died Oct. 3, 1825; Levi, born July 6, 1813; Martin, born July 4, 1815, married Fidelia E. Coop Oct. 23, 1836; John Abbey was the father of our subject ; and Jesse, born May 31, 1820, married Rhoda Jane Signor, Jan. 1, 1857. To the latter were born ten children: Jesse, born Sept. 14, 1857, married Alice Wolcott, Dec. 24, 1879, and is now living in South Windsor ; Leander, also of South Windsor, was born Oct. 24, 1858, and married Mary Bidwell April 11, 1883; Estella, born Aug. 30, 1860, was married to Frank Farn- ham, of Ellington, April 16, 1885, and now re- sides in East Hartford ; William, born July 16, 1862, married Anna M. House Aug. 29, 1889; Arthur J., born Nov. 21, 1864, died of typhoid fever Oct. 29, 1871 ; Alice G., born April 16, 1867, was mar- ried to Edwin Northrop Aug. 22, 1889, and is now living in Quincy, Ill .; Howard E., born Sept. 4, 1869, died Oct. 4, 1871 ; Edith, born Oct. 3, 1871, died Feb. 4, 1876; Archie S .; and Ida May, born April 6, 1876, was married Aug. 8, 1900, to Arthur L. Brewer, of East Hartford, Conn., and now re- sides in Torrington, Conn. The father of this family, after a brief illiness, died on his homestead Feb. 12, 1876, and December 25, of the same year, Mrs. Burnham was wedded to Charles P. Fair- banks, a native of Middletown, Conn., and a mason

by trade. To this union have been born two chil- dren, namely : Clarence E., Oct. 31, 1878, and Flor- ence, Oct. 5, 1880, the latter now attending the high school at Hartford.

John Abbey Burnham, son of Jesse, and father of John H., subject of this sketch, was born July 29, 1817, in the northeast corner of the house 110W occupied by his son in East Hartford. He was educated at Wells Hall, under Prof. Salmon Phelps and others, and, his parents being comparatively poor, he early left home, learned the trade of painter at Hartford, and contributed largely to their support. He later worked at the manufacture of oil-cloth in a factory that stood near where Morris street intersects the New Haven turnpike, and was there employed when his son, John H., was born. Afterward he was employed a short time as fore- man in the shop of George Burnham, father of Col. George Burnham, on Central Row, Hartford, and later embarked in the grocery trade in a small way in his residence on Retreat avenue. His busi- ness grew, and he removed to the corner of Con- gress street and Maple avenue, where he erected the "flat-iron" building. For eight years he car- ried on a prosperous trade in this triangular block, when failing health compelled him to seek out-door exercise. Consequently he purchased, in 1858, the farm on which his son John H. now resides, and which then comprised but eighteen acres, but which has since been increased by himself and son to thirty-two acres, eight of which are tobacco land.

Mr. Burnham was united in marriage, Feb. 18, 1841, with Mary Gardner Childs, a native of East Haddam, and a daughter of Buckley I. (born Aug. 5, 1789) and Sally Tracy (born May 19. 1792) Childs. Buckley I. Childs was a ship carpenter and ship owner, and had several of his vessels seized during the war of 1812, for which no payment was ever made. Mrs. Mary G. (Childs) Burnham was called from earth Nov. 19, 1892, and John Abbey Burnham died Jan. 16, 1896; the remains of both were interred in the cemetery at East Hartford. Mr. Burnham was a man of small stature, but was an indefatigable worker, and it was while at work in his barn that he accidentally fell from a con- siderable height, and sustained internal injuries that resulted in his death. He was a kind husband and father, a good neighbor, and extremely generous, and noted for strict honesty, and was held in great respect wherever known. His three children were as follows : Thomas Warren, who was born March 14, 1846, married Elizabeth Kellogg, of Colchester, Conn., and is in the poultry business in Tully, N. Y .; John H. is the subject of this biography ; and Anna Sarah, who was born Oct. 11, 1851, died March 13, 1852.

John H. Burnham, it will be seen by the fore- going, is of the seventh generation of his name in America. He was born Feb. 14, 1851, on Retreat avenue, Hartford, nearly opposite the hospital, was an attendant at the South school, and was ten years

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of age when brought to East Hartford by his par- ents. Here he attended the district school, finished his education at Remington's Business College, and then served a three-years' apprenticeship at car- pentering with Crane & Baisden. Prior to this, he remembers having helped to tear down the "Corn house," and to clean up the cellar of the Burnham garrison, in 1859. The latter stood on the north- east corner of his present farm, and was then an old landmark, with a history unto itself.

After serving out his apprenticeship Mr. Burn- ham returned to the home which his father, at his death, bestowed upon him, and here he has resided ever since. Mr. Burnham had ever been a dutiful son, invariably sought the counsel of his father in affairs of more or less importance, and filially cared for both father and mother in their declining years.

Mr. Burnham was joined in matrimony, Oct. 23, 1873, with Miss Mary H. Forbes, a most amiable lady, and a daughter of George and Elizabeth G. (Easton) Forbes. Her father, George Forbes, was born March 20, 1821, and died April 13, 1876. He was a farmer at Burnside, and was 'a very bright man intellectually, but was a cripple nearly all his life from rheumatism. He was a descendant of Capt. James Forbes, the first of the name in Amer- ica, and a grandson of Timothy Forbes, a patriot of the Revolutionary war. Further particulars re- garding this old family may be read in the sketch of James S. Forbes, on another page. George Forbes married Elizabeth Goodwin Easton, who was born Aug. 9, 1839, a daughter of Ages and Mary ( Good- win) Easton. Ages Easton was a surveyor, and some of his instruments are now in the possession of William H. Olmsted, of East Hartford. Mr. Forbes was very prominent and active in the affairs of his town as a Republican, and was a member of. the Legislature in 1867. To him and his wife were born two children, viz. : Mary H. and George Lincoln. Mary H. (Mrs. Burnham), who was born in Burnside, there received her preliminary edu- cation, then attended the Hartford Public High School, later a select private school under Miss Stockbridge, and finished at the New Britain Nor- mal School. She afterward taught, with marked success, in South Windsor and in the north dis- trict of Burnside, and was there employed when she was married. Her mother spends her winters with her, but still retains her residence in Burn- side. George Lincoln Forbes, the younger child of George Forbes, was born May 1, 1865, shortly after the assassination of President Lincoln, was educated in the Burnside district schools, the Hartford High School, and the Morse Business College. He then followed the sea for six months, on a vessel be- longing to William Childs, an extensive ship owner of Boston, and a cousin of our subject. After his six months of seafaring Mr. Forbes went to Ala- bama, was there engaged in railroading for a time, and on his return to the North continued in the same business. He was at one time the youngest

conductor on the Western Connecticut railroad, and is now conductor on the Consolidated railroad, run- ning between New York and New Haven, on the Harlem Division.

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. John H. Burnham are five in number, viz: Anne May, born June 21, 1875, graduated from the Brown school in Hartford, and was married, Sept. 11, 1894, to Charles Olin, of Willimantic, who is now the editor of the New Britain Record; Mrs. Olin has borne her husband three children-Philip Stuart, born Aug. 10, 1895: Charles Burnham, Dec. 19, 1896 (now deceased) : and Florence Burnham, Feb. 21, 1899. Florence Genevra, born Jan. 7, 1878, gradu- ated from the Brown school, afterward attending Miss Smith's young ladies' school in Hartford, and is living under the parental roof. George F. was born Feb. 10, 1882. Eva Elizabeth was born Nov. 3, 1887, and Raymond Henry on Nov. 4, 1890.

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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 85

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