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 95

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 95

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The early educational privileges of Mr. Connor were such as the public schools of his native land afforded at that time, during his youth working for his father. Later he found employment in the iron mines ; but wages being low, he, in 1862, de- cided to come to America. He sailed from Dublin to Liverpool, and at the latter place took passage on the sailing vessel "Ascott," which was seven weeks and three days in reaching the harbor of New York. His future wife made one of the party to which he belonged, and both proceeded at once to Hartford county, as she had relatives living in Rainbow. Our subject obtained work as a farm hand with James Alderman, in East Granby, and in that way obtained a start in the New World.

At Rainbow, Aug. 31, 1862, Mr. Connor was united in marriage with Miss Helen Wright, who was born in County Dublin, Ireland, in 1828, a daughter of Thomas Wright. They began their domestic life in Rainbow, and their little home was furnished with only what was absolutely necessary. Soon after his marriage our subject obtained em- ployment in what is now the Hartford Paper Mills, at Rainbow, but two years later resumed farming. Subsequently he worked for five years in the

Springfield Paper Mill at Rainbow, at the end of that time removing to Luzerne county, Penn., where he was employed in a coal mine for a few months ; but not liking the work, he returned to Connecti- cut and again entered the paper mills, being identi- fied with that industry continuously since. He worked in the mill at Windsor Locks for a time, and is now with the Rainbow Paper Mill at Rain- bow. Almost his entire life has been devoted to the manufacture of paper, and from the lowest po- sition he has worked his way steadily upward until he is now a skilled workman. He has resided in Poquonock since 1889, and in 1890 bought his present farm, which is operated by his son while he retains his position in the mill.

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Connor were as follows: Katy, now the wife of John Dynon, of Poquonock; Juila and Mary, who both died at the age of twenty-four years; Lizzie, who died at the age of twenty; John, a papermaker of Rain- bow, who is married and has three children, Nellie, Lizzie and John; Maggie, who died at the age of twenty-three years; and Thomas F., who carries on the home farm for his father.

Mr. Connor is not identified with any political organization, but votes for whom he believes to be the best man, and supported Mckinley at the last Presidential election. He and his family are prominent members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Poquonock, and he suggested the name for the parish. From boyhood he has been honest, indus- trious and energetic, and the success that has come to him is certainly well deserved. At one time he was so unfortunate as to lost $500 in wages due him, but in the main he has prospered and has al- ways paid dollar for dollar. He has been ably assisted in life by the counsel and assistance of his good wife, and they have the respect and es- teem of all who know them. Mr. Connor is ex- ceedingly well preserved for one that has performed the amount of hard work that he has done, is vig- prons and robust, and very active for one of his years. As the result of careful reading, he is a well informed man, and is recognized as one of the best citizens of his community.

CHARLES HENRY TOLLES, a prominent and representative farmer of Southington, was born on West street, in that town, March 13, 1845, and is a son of Henry and Harriet M. (Hitchcock) Tolles.

Daniel Tolles, the paternal grandfather, was of Scotch descent, his father being a native of Scot- land, and an early settler of Bethany, Conn. The father of our subject was bv occupation a farmer and sawyer. He married Charlotte, daughter of Alfred and Rachel (Grannis) Hitchcock, and by that union had two children: William Frank and Horace A. After the death of his first wife he married her sister, Harriet M., and to them were

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also born two children : Charles H. and Fred- erick D.

Our subject was reared in Southington, which has always been his home, and farming has been his chief vocation. On Oct. 12, 1870, he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Andrews, a daugh- ter of William and Theodosia ( Evans) Andrews, of Southington, and they have a family of three children: Olive O., Marshall H. and Louis G.

Fraternally Mr. Tolles affiliates with the F. & A. M., Friendship Lodge, No. 33. Southington, Conn., also with the Order of United American Mechanics, and politically is identified with the Re- publican party. He served as deputy sheriff of the county for two years ; for a score of years has held the office of constable ; and for eleven years he had charge of the roads in the western part of South- ington. His public duties have always been most faithfully and conscientiously discharged, and he merits and receives the confidence and respect of all with whom he comes in contact.

FRANK J. ALFORD, an enterprising young agriculturist, tobacco grower and dairyman of West Simsbury, was born in that town (then known as Canton ) Sept. 20, 1864, and is a son of Emerson Alford, of Plainville.

Mr. Alford belongs to an old Connecticut family, and his great-grandfather, Samuel Alford, was born in Granby, this county, but spent most of his life in the town of Avon, where he followed the occupa- tion of farming, and where he served as constable for many years. He had a family of six children, namely: Roxie, wife of Truman Woodford; Dorinda, wife of James Blackwell; Lucy, wife of Henry Humphrey; Jane, wife of Henry Stock- bridge; Daniel M. (grandfather of our subject) ; and Samuel.

Daniel M. Alford was in carly manhood a trader in the South, and lived for several years in Virginia. Returning to Hartford county, Conn., he purchased a farm in Avon about 1829, and made his home there until called from this life, in August, 1873, at the age of seventy-seven years. He mar- ried Miss Elmira Mills, a daughter of Joel and Anna (Russell) Mills, of Canton, this county, and to this union the following children were born : Rollin, who was killed by lightning in Illinois ; Juliette, wife of Andrew Chidsey ; Emerson, father of our subject ; Ephraim A .; Louisa, wife of Al- bert Andrews; Lucy A., wife of Asa Hoskins ; Sarah J., wife of Anthony Mallory ; and Franklin M.

Emerson Alford was born near Front Royal, Va., Dec. 28, 1825, and was four years of age when his parents returned to Connecticut; lie grew to manhood in Avon, receiving a limited education in the common schools. He remained on his father's farm until eighteen years of age, and then worked as a farm hand for six months. Subsequently he was employed as a peddler for a time, and at the age of twenty located in Collinsville, where he

worked in an ax factory for ten years, being in- spector in the grinding department the last five years of the time. In 1860 he purchased a farm in Simsbury, which he successfully conducted un- til, in 1888, he retired from active labor and moved to New Britain. After residing there for two years and a half he came, in 1890, to Plainville, and here he has since made his home, living a retired life.

On April 23, 1851, Emerson Alford was united in marriage with Miss Sarah M. Pratt, a daughter of Jeremiah and Celia ( Merriman) Pratt, of Green- field, Mass., and to them were born five children, namely: Clara J. ; Ephraim B., deceased ; Ralph E .; Frank J., more fully referred to farther on ; and Leon P. Mr. Alford is one of the leading and influential members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Plainville, and is now president of its board of trustees. He is a stalwart supporter of the Democratic party, and represented Simsbury in the State Legislature in 1886-87. After a use- ful and honorable career, he can well afford to lay aside business cares and live in ease and retirement.

Frank J. Alford, our subject, received an ex- cellent education in his younger days, beginning in the district schools of West Simsbury, whence he went to the Wilbraham Academy ( Hampden coun- ty, Mass.), and finally graduated from the East- man Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., in 1887. His first business experience was as a clerk in a variety store at Winsted, Conn., for six months, when he returned to his father's farm in West Sims- bury, on which he was born. In 1888 his father re- tired to Plainville, and young Frank took charge of the farm of 275 acres, since when he has been extensively engaged in tobacco growing, as well as general farming, and he also conducts one of the largest dairies in the town. His success in man- aging these extensive industries has been a subject of general commendation among his neighbors, and everything went on smoothly with him for about five years, when, in 1893, the old dwelling house. in which he was born, was destroyed by fire. By 1897 Mr. Alford had completed a new dwelling of modern architecture, containing all the latest conveniences, and commanding a beautiful view. Mr. Alford raises about five acres of tobacco yearly, and has built a substantial shed for curing, etc., 98x30 feet ; this crop invariably brings the highest market price.

In May, 1888, Mr. Alford was united in mar- riage, at West Simsbury, with Miss Flora Hol- comb, a native of the village, and a daughter of Chauncey D. Holcomb, one of West Simsbury's most respected citizens. Of this marriage one child. Stuart Emerson, born in 1897, is the sole offspring. Mr. and Mrs. Alford are members of the Nortli Canton M. E. Church, and fraternally he is a mein- ber of St. Mark's Lodge, No. 36, F. & A. M., at Simsbury; he has also been a member of the Grange. In politics lie is a Democrat, and has held the office of assessor of Simsbury five years.

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CHARLES H. FAULKNER possesses that versatility of character which adapts itself readily to the changing circumstances of the material world, and that- singleness of purpose and unfail- ing energy which, combined with the above trait, almost insure a successful career. Those men achieve most who begin life at the bottom of the lad- der, and in this class must be included Charles H. Faulkner.

Mr. Faulkner's father, John Faulkner, a gar- dener of County Leitrim, Ireland, left his native land during the distressful times that followed the great famine. He was born about 1816, and crossed the ocean in 1848. After living for a short time in Vermont, he removed to New Haven, and in that vicinity followed his occupation of gardening, also acting as sexton of the Catholic cemetery and of Evergreen cemetery, in New Haven, for several years. During the early part of the Civil war he enlisted in the 9th Conn. V. I. His wife, however, secured his release because he had passed the age limit, but he enlisted again, in 1862, becoming a member of Company I, 27th Conn. V. I., for nine months service. He was at Fredericksburg, and was taken prisoner and confined in Andersonville for a period of nine days. Coming back to New Haven he then continued gardening until his death, in 1887. John Faulkner was a man of unusual force of character. He arrived in America without friends, and without knowledge of the customs and manners of the people, but he was intelligent and soon acquired a fund of practical information that was invaluable in his new environment. In poli- tics he was a Democrat, and he was a member of the Catholic Church. He married Ann Dority, who bore him the following named children: Patrick J., who lives in New Haven; Michael C., who en- listed during the Civil war, and is now deceased ; John W., a tinsmith of New Haven; Mary A., wife of James Kelly; Charles H., subject of this sketch; Catharine, wife of Harry Deering, of Brooklyn, N. Y .; Nellie E., widow of Edward L. Cahill, of New Haven, son of Col. Cahill, of the Ninth Connecti- cut Volunteers ; and Frank H., a resident of New Haven. The mother died in 1874.

Charles H. Faulkner was born at New Haven March 14, 1853, receiving his education there in the Washington street school, and when he completed the course, at the age of fourteen years, he began life for himself as an errand boy for a merchant tailor. Remaining in that capacity about a year he entered the employ of Mr. Seward, in the manu- facture of carriage hardware, and remained with him about four and a half years. Then coming to New Britain Mr. Faulkner was for six months an employe of the Judd factory, on West Main street, next entering the shops of the Stanley Rule & Level Co., and for two years working on rules for Mr. Thornton. Ile was now twenty-two years of age. He had had considerable experience in the shops, and decided to assume greater responsibility,

and accordingly he took a contract for stripping boxwood and ivory for the farmers in making the rules. It was a fortunate acquisition, for Mr. Faulkner made it a complete success to himself financially. He held the contract for twenty years, and at the expiration of that time had seven men working for him.

Having passed the earlier part of his life in working with dead material, Mr. Faulkner sought a more active life among his fellow men. He wished to deal with men, not matter. In 1894 he left the shops where he had passed so many years and pros- pered, and with courage opened for himself an in- surance and real estate office, devoting especial at- tention to real estate transactions. The new busi- ness venture has proved eminently successful. Mr. Faulkner has ably demonstrated the possession of those qualities which attract and win among men. He has also been prominent in politics, holding allegiance to the Democratic party. In the fall of 1889 he was appointed by the selectmen town col- lector, and for four years was annually re-appointed. In the fall of 1894 and again in 1895 he was elected assessor. In April, 1896, he was elected city col- lector for two years, he and R. J. Vance being the only candidates on the Democratic ticket who were elected. A more remarkable political success was scored in the spring of 1898, when he was re-elected to the same office by a majority of thirteen votes, being the only Democrat elected, the majorities of the Republican candidates ranging from 200 to 800; in 1900 he was re-elected with ninety-seven plurality. In 1874 Mr. Faulkner enlisted in Com- pany D, First Regiment, Connecticut National Guard. In 1877 he was elected second lieutenant, and he resigned in 1878. In 1890 he was appointed inspector of rifle practice under Col. Erickson, taking the rank of captain of militia, and holding the posi- tion for two years. He is a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Mr. Faulkner married Margaret A. Coogan, daughter of John Coogan, of New Britain, and to this union have been born six children: Frank W., Jennie C., Charles H., Jr., Agnes, Margarette R. and Beatrice.

JOSIAH HUBBARD MERRIMAN, a lead- ing and successful horticulturist of Southington, was born on the farm where he now resides Dec. 15, 1834, a son of Anson and Fanny (Hubbard) Merriman.

Anson Merriman, a progressive farmer of his day, was born Oct. 21, 1786, and was married, Oct. 31, 1810, to Miss Jerusha, daughter of Joel Bacon, of Westfield, Conn. By that union he had six children: Mary M., wife of Giles O. Griswold; Joel B .; Anson, Jr .; Jerusha, wife of Wallace A. Judd; Lucetta, wife of Alfred Claflin; and Lydia B., wife of Chester Claflin. The mother of these children died March 18, 1822, and Mr. Merriman was again married, Sept. 18, 1822, his second union

Farrah H. Murimane

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being with Fanny Hubbard, of Sandisfield, Mass., by whom he also had six children: Julia; Lewis; Julia (2), who first married Elisha M. Stoddard, after his death lra Becket, and later became the wife of John Meserole, whom she survives; Alfred ; Josiah H .; and Ann E., wife of Josiah Howell.

Chauncey Merriman, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was married, Feb. 13, 1777, to Sarah Ives. He was a son of John Merriman, who was born in Wallingford, Conn., Sept. 12, 1728, and died in Southington April 13, 1801. The father of the latter, Rev. John Merriman, who was born Oct. 16, 1691, was a Baptist minister, and was among the first to join that denomination in Wall- ingford, in 1729. In 1738 he became pastor of the Baptist Church at that place, and in 1750 retired and removed to Southington, where he died Feb. 17, 1784. He was married, Feb. 24, 1726, to Jemima Wilcox, and lived in the Marion District of Southington. His father, John Merriman, was born in New Haven in February, 1659, and was married, March 28, 1683, to Hannah Lines. After her death he was again married, Nov. 20, 1690, his second union being with Elizabeth Peck. He was a son of Nathaniel Merriman, a native of England, and an early settler of New Haven. In October, 1665, he was confirmed sergeant of the New Haven train-band by the General Court. In 1672 he re- moved to Wallingford, and was there confirmed lieutenant of the train-band and captain of dra- goons of New Haven county, Nov. 1, 1675. He signed the plantation covenant at New Haven in 1639, and in 1673 was on a committee to fix the boundary between Wallingford and other towns, be- ing a surveyor. He was deputy to the General Court from Wallingford a number of times, and died there Feb. 13, 1694, at the age of eighty years.

Our subject was reared on the old homestead in Southington, where he has always made his home, though he spent several years in Illinois and Da- kota. He has ever taken a deep interest in horti- culture, and now has a fine peach orchard covering sixty acres, and containing one thousand trees, and an apple orchard-the largest in the State-of seven hundred trees, principally of the Baldwin variety. He has made a deep and careful study of horticult- ure, and is thoroughly conversant with everything pertaining to the business. He assisted in organiz- ing the Connecticut Pomological Society, of which he is now president, succeeding J. H. Hale ; he wrote the constitution and by-laws of the New Eng- land Tobacco Growers Association, and was its first treasurer.

On April 22, 1859, Mr. Merriman was united in marriage with Miss Anna E. Curtiss, a daughter of Solomon and Sarah (Cook) Curtiss, of Plainville, Conn., and to them have been born three children : Florence E., who married Thomas Martin; Anna Louise; and Sarah, wife of Elijah Rogers. Only the last named is now living. Mr. Merriman is an active and prominent member of the First Congre-

gational Church of Southington, of which he is a deacon and teacher in the Sunday-school. He also holds membership in Friendship Lodge, No. 33, F. & A. M .; Unity Council, No. II, O. U. A. M .; and Union Grange, No. 25, of which he is chaplain. Politically he is a Republican, and gives his support to every enterprise which he believes calculated to advance the moral, intellectual or material welfare of his town and county.

JOSEPH R. ENSIGN, who, since 1891, has been identified with the Ensign, Bickford & Co., fuse manufacturers, at Simsbury, was born in that vil- lage Nov. 24, 1868, and is the only son of Ralph H. and Susan (Toy) Ensign, whose biography is given in full on another page of this volume. He was prepared for college in the Hartford Public High school, from which he graduated in 1885, and then matriculated at Yale College, from which he graduated with the class of 1889. The degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him by his Alma Mater in 1891, after a year's study. In 1894 he visited Europe.

On April 5, 1894, Mr. Ensign married Miss Mary J. Phelps, who was born in Simsbury Nov. 13, 1865, youngest daughter of Jeffery O. and Jane (Humphrey) Phelps, of whom a full sketch is also given elsewhere. Mrs. Ensign was educated at Miss Haines' School, Woodside, in Hartford, and at Miss Annie Brown's school. Fifth avenue, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Ensign attend the Methodist Church, and Mr. Ensign holds membership with the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity, his college so- ciety.

HERBERT L. MILLS. Few young men have shown as much business sagacity as this well- known hardware dealer of New Britain, and in his success may be seen the promise of a bright future. As a representative of one of the leading families of the State he ably maintains its reputation for good citizenship, his energies being so far devoted, how- ever, to his business interests.

Mr. Mills was born Feb. 26, 1868, in Middle- field, Middlesex Co., Conn., son of Hon. Lyman A. Mills, now lieutenant-governor of Connecticut. The late Rev. Charles L. Mills, our subject's grand- father, was for many years an honored minister of the Congregational Church at Andover, Mass. He married Elizabeth Lyman, sister of the late David Lyman (president of the Air Line road), and a descendant of a well-known family.

Hon. Lyman A. Mills was born Feb. 25. 1841. in Middlefield, then a part of Middletown, and still makes his home there. He received a public-school education only, but from an early age has mani- fested a keenness of intellect which could master the practical problems of life unaided. As a young man he became an official in the Metropolitan Man- ufacturing Co., at Middlefield, not long after its organization in 1860, and from that time he has

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been prominent in the management of their ex- tensive interests. Until recently he was the man- ager of the Middlefield Plant of the American Wringer Company, and at present he has charge of the gun-sight business of the late William Ly- man. He also has the care and management of various property and estate interests, and is a di- rector of the American Wringer Co., a trustee of the Middletown Savings Bank, president of the Levi E. Coe Library Association, and holds other positions of trust and responsibility. He has held important town offices by unanimous vote, and in 1895 he was a member of the State Legislature, serving on the committee on Finance. Aside from his other business pursuits Mr. Mills has been widely known for thirty years as a successful breeder of Jersey cattle, and in all the lines in which his numerous activities have taken him he has won an enviable name for honorable dealings, as well as for exceptional business capacity.

Our subject was prepared for college at the Wilson grammar school, and Dr. Holbrook's Mili- tary College, at Briar Cliff, below Peekskill, N. Y. In 1887 he entered Yale College, where he re- mained one year, taking the academic course, being ranked throughout his stay in the first of the five divisions into which the students were organized. He has always been interested in athletics, and while in the preparatory schools was a member of a base- ball nine and captain of a foot-ball team. On leav- ing Yale, in 1889, he became a clerk for the Orr & Lockett Hardware Co., the largest retailers in that line in Chicago, and in 1892, having gained a thorough knowledge of the business, he pur- chased what was left of the stock of C. D. Lewis, of New Britain, who was then closing out. As the business was at a very low ebb Mr. Mills had to build it up practically from the start, but he has succeeded in establishing a fine trade. Politically he is a Republican, but has never been actively interested in party managment. In 1892 he mar- ried Miss Bessie D. Kendall, daughter of the late J. P. Kendall, of Chicago, and one child, Cath- erine Lyman, brightens their home. Mr. Mills is a member of the New Britain Club, the Gentlemen's Driving Club, and a Knight of the Ancient Essenic Order, of Hartford.

HENRY C. GUSSMAN. It has often been remarked that where energy, determination and in- tellectual force are present, the emigrant to Amer- ica or his sons often make strides upward in the scale of individual influence and renown with sur- prising rapidity.

Henry C. Gussman is a native of New Britain, the city in which he now as a prominent lawyer wields a potent influence, but his father came over from the Fatherland, and in his youth our sub- ject imbibed to a certain degree the air and spirit of his German forefathers. The transplantation upon American soil was stimulative, and in the

personality of Mr. Gussman has developed a char- acter manly, aggressive, public-spirited and able, one which needs must come to the front in American life. Mr. Gussman adopted law as his profession. He has signally succeeded. He has won a wide and commanding practice. His professional edu- cation was largely the result of his own personal efforts. The self-reliance which he thus won has ever since proved most helpful in his advancement. The largeness of his views has not kept him, how- ever, within the borders of practice only. In that broader field of politics and of public affairs, to which law naturally leads, he has already become eminent and influential.

Mr. Gussman was born in New Britain Jan. 28, 1857, son of Frederick and Mary ( Blume) Gussman. The father was born near Hanover, Germany, in the year 1828. He was well educated in his native land, and possessing a taste and a talent for music he was educated in that profession. Migrating to America, he located at New Britain, where he became the leader of Gussman's band, consisting of eighteen pieces, four of the musicians being Gussmans, brothers of the leader. The fa- ther of our subject was also a composer of music, and both as teacher and composer enjoyed a wide reputation throughout the State. He was married in New York City to Miss Mary Blume, who was of German extraction, her parents coming from near Hanover. To Frederick and Mary Gussman were born four children: Frederick, who died Jan. 6, 1895, aged forty-one years; Louise ; Henry. C., our subject ; and Edward, a clerk for .D. M. Reed & Co., of Bridgeport, Conn., who died May 5, 1898. The father died Dec. 30, 1862.

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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 95

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