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 97

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 97

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business. Returning to New Britain, on June 3, 1895, he entered into partnership with D. Hawley Marion, under the firm name of Marion & Bronson, for the purpose of conducting a hotel, the house, known as the "Columbia Hotel, ' being successful from the day of its opening. On Nov. 6, 1898, Mr. Bronson purchased his partner's interest, and from that time conducted the business alone. On June 2, 1900, he gave up the "Hotel Columbia" and reno- vated the "Strickland House," making a first-class hotel of same, and has named it "Hotel Bronson ;" he took this hostelry Sept. 1, 1900. His life has been marked with singular success from the mo- ment of his entering upon an active career in early youth. As a mechanic he was a skilled workman, and as a hotel proprietor he has ever been a genial and popular host.

On National and State issues Mr. Bronson has always sympathized with the Republican party, but in local affairs has been thoroughly independent. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., the Knights of Pythias, and the Independent Order of Foresters. As a Pythian he has achieved considerable promi- nence, having passed through the highest degree, and served as delegate and alternate at the sessions of the Grand Lodge. He married Victoria, daugh- ter of Nicholas Rowett, of Litchfield county.

GEORGE BRIDGE, a well-known and honored citizen of Hazardville, was born in Milton, County of Kent, England, Nov. 7, 1830.

John and Mary ( Prickett) Bridge, his parents, brought their family to America in 1842, and located in Enfield, Hartford county, where the father was employed as packer in the Hazard Powder Mills for about three years, and for the following four years was engaged in the fish and yeast business in Thompsonville. About 1850 he erected the store in Hazardville now occupied by E. C. Allen, and en- gaged in general merchandising there until 1870, when he retired from business to enjoy a well- earned rest. Ile was born July 3, 1806, and died April 21, 1873; his wife was born Sept. 10, 1802, and died Jan. 15, 1871. Of their nine children,

seven reached years of maturity : George; John W .; Ruth, wife of Rev. Henry D. Adams; Amos D .; Ephraim; Ebenezer; and Stephen. The paternal grandfather of our subject, Robert Bridge, was a fish and oyster man of Milton, England ; he married Elizabeth Down. llis father was John Bridge, a manufacturer of marine supplies at Milton, who married Anna Gallahawk. John was a son of Stephen Bridge, who started the marine supply busi- ness later carried on by his son. Stephen died in 1782; John, in 1803; and Robert, in 1849. Our subject's maternal grandfather, Thomas Prickett, of Faversham, England, married Elizabeth Smith. He was a farmer by occupation, and a son of Thomas Prickett, a shoemaker by trade, who died in Dover, England, in 1781.

George Bridge was a lad of twelve years when he crossed the Atlantic with his parents and took up his residence in Hazardville in 1842. He received a limited education in the common schools. In the spring of 1842, immediately after his arrival in Hazardville, he entered the employ of the Hazard Powder Co., and has remained with them contin- uously ever since, a period of fifty-seven years. For several years he was foreman of the cooper shop, and it is needless to say that his duties have always been most faithful, capably performed, as his long retention with the company plainly indicates that fact. On Aug. 25, 1862, Mr. Bridge enlisted in Company F, 22nd Conn. V. 1., and participated in the battle of Suffolk, Va., and several skirmishes, being honorably discharged July 7, 1863.

Mr. Bridge was married, May 10, 1855, to Miss Jeannette Law, daughter of James and Jane (Crawford ) Law, of Thompsonville, and five chil- dren were born of this union : Mary, wife of Arthur W. Gowdy; John L .; Henry J .; Elizabeth, wife of Herbert A. Abbe ; and George A., who is a grad- uate of Yale college, of the class of '98, and is now studying medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City. Mr. Bridge and his wife are sincere Christians, and faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Socially he is af- filiated with Samuel Brown Post, No. 56, G. A. R., of Thompsonville, and in politics is identified with the Republican party. He has held the office of justice of the peace and grand juror several terms, and was a member of the Enfieldl school committee for eight years. His loyalty as a citizen and his de- votion to the interests of his adopted country are above question, and the community is fortunate that numbers him among its members.

HARRISON HENRY AUSTIN, who is ex- tensively engaged in the cultivation of tobacco in Suffield, and is also a director in the Tobacco Grow- ers Association, was born in Suffield Nov. 28, 1840, and is a member of the remarkable Austin family, a sketch of whom will be found in full detail in the biography of Thomas C. Austin, elsewhere.

Moses Austin, grandfather of Harrison IL, was

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born in South street, Suffield, and was a son of Na- thaniel Austin, a hero of the Revolutionary war. Moses Austin was one of the best-known citizens of his section of the county, was the owner of a large tract of land, on which he made many essential and substantial improvements, and followed agriculture on a large scale throughout life. He married Caro- line Smith, of Vermont, and they became the parents of six children : Seymour, Homer, Samuel, Albert, Almira (who was married to a Mr. Hamilton), and Caroline (who first became the wife of a Mr. Olds, and later married William Lighthall). The parents died in Suffield, in the faith of the Baptist Church.

Samuel Austin, father of Harrison H. Austin, was born in South street, Suffield, in 1808. He was largely self-educated, and was a very keen ob- server of men and their actions. He began his business life as a manufacturer of cigars, and later became a grower and manufacturer of tobacco on a large scale : in conjunction with his cigar making, at one time employing over 150 hands in carrying on his industries. He began life as a poor boy, but through his inexhaustive energy accumulated a handsome competency, and a fame that extended to all parts of the New England States. In politics he was originally a Whig, on the formation of the Re- publican party becoming one of its stanchest sup- porters, and was its delegate to the National Con- vention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the Presidency of the United States in 1860. He never sought office at the hands of the Republicans, but, on the contrary, they constantly sought his counsel, and his home was the resort of many of the most eminent members of his party, including Horace Greeley and Gen. Hawley, the present United States senator from Connecticut. Among his business po- sitions he held that of a director in the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Hartford. He married Miss Amoretta Gillett, a native of Suffield, Conn., who was a daughter of Calvin and Thankful (Warner) Gillett, and a granddaughter of Corporal Nathaniel Warner, who served through the Revolutionary war. To this marriage were born eight children : Calvin, deceased at the age of twenty-four, was married three months before his death to Rosella Haden, of Southwick, Mass., who survives him; William : Louise, deceased wife of Dr. M. G. New- ton, of Suffield ; Charles, who died young ; Harrison H., our subject ; Phebe, widow of Robert E. Pin- ney, of Suffield; Emma, who died at the age of four years ; and one who died in infancy. The re- mains of Samuel Austin, who was one of the most remarkable men of the State, now repose beside those of his late adorable wife in Suffield cemetery, his death having occurred March 12, 1876, hers on Sept. 12, 1881.

Harrison H. Austin was educated in the district school and the Connecticut Literary Institute at Suffield, and at Prof. Dudley's Seminary, North- ampton, Mass., and began his business life with his

father as a traveling salesman; later he became his father's partner, and was next associated in the tobacco business with his brother-in-law, Dr. New- ton, until 1876, since which date he has devoted his time chiefly to tobacco dealing, his tract of 200 acres being now under the superintendency of his son, Ernest N.

Mr. Austin was united in matrimony, Nov. 30, 1865, in Heartwellville, Vt., with Miss Hattie Sears Thayer, a native of Berkshire county, Mass., and a daughter of William and Hepsabahı (Sears) Thayer, the former a native of Buckland, Mass. Her maternal grandfather, Arsella Sears, and great- grandfather, Jonathan Sears, were both gallant sol- diers of the Revolutionary army. Mrs. Austin was educated in the Connecticut Literary Institute of Suffield, is a lady of more than ordinary intelligence and refinement, is a gifted conversationalist, and holds the honor of being the only woman that ever served in a public capacity in Suffield. She was first appointed a member of the school board in South street district, and later was elected to the office, in which she has served with tact and fidelity for three years. She is well-read generally and keeps fully posted on current events. To Mr. and Mrs. Austin the following named children have been born : Samuel H., who, at the time of his death, at the age of fifteen years, was a student in the Connecticut Literary Institute; Grace, who is the wife of Howard A. Standish, of Hartford ; Clarence WV., who was educated in the public schools and is a graduate of the Connecticut Literary Institute of Suffield, and a graduate of Yale College, class of 92, was for three years professor of Latin in the Connecticut Literary Institute, was a young man of acknowledged intelligence and ability, and died in Hartford Feb. 8, 1895, under an operation for ap- pendicitis ; Amoretta Gillett, who died in infancy ; Ernest Newton, born August II, 1874, who is now in charge of the homestead, was married in 1896 to Miss Adeline Cowing, daughter of Joel Cowing, and had one child that died in infancy ; and Charles Calvin, born June 4, 1876, who is at present attend- ing the Connecticut Literary Institute.

Harrison H. Austin has been a director in the Tobacco Growers Association since 1882, and is a man of marked executive ability. In politics he is a Republican, and in religion is a member of the Baptist Church. He was one of the charter mem- bers of the O. U. A. M., and has always been a leader in advancing all measures designed for the promotion of the public welfare. He and his ac- complished wife, with their family, stand high in the social circles of Suffield, and none enjoy a more exalted position in the esteem of the public at large than they.

COL. ALFRED LOOMIS THOMPSON. It would be difficult to say in which of several prom- inent fields-social, business and professional-the subject of this sketch is best known. Some men

Leur Col Alfred LEThompson

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become identified with one department of human activity, and beyond its sphere of action are un- known. It has been the happy fate of Col. Thomp- son to have won the recognition of his fellow men in a career that is well rounded, that mingles the business with the social element, that has displayed types of ability at once rare and delightful. Mili- tary affairs have always possessed a fascination for him. Too young to enlist in the army during the Civil war, he as a boy followed with keenest interest the varied fortunes of arms during that memorable struggle, and later became prominent as a mili- tary instructor and as an officer of the National Guard. Gifted with a personal presence and man- ner that attracted and inspired, he has filled many positions of honor and commanding importance among the fraternal orders. Successful in busi- ness, he has been honored by election to public of- fice. He is now city clerk of New Britain.

Col. Thompson was born in Portland, Conn., Dec. 5, 1851, son of John and Mariette (Case) Thompson, the former a native of Vernon, and the latter of Portland, Conn. His earliest known an- cestor on his mother's side was John Hollister, who came from England and settled in Wethersfield, Conn., in 1642. His earliest ancestor on his fa- ther's side was Hezekiah Bissell, who was one of the founders of the town of Windsor, Conn., early in the eighteenth century. His ancestors figured conspicuously in the Revolutionary war.

Alfred L. Thompson attended the public schools of Portland and New Berlin, completing his edu- cation in the high school of the latter city. In 1865 his father removed from Portland to New Britain, and for two years thereafter our subject assisted him on the farm and attended the schools during the winter. He then became identified with the manufacturing interests of the city. Entering the works of the Stanley Co. in the fall of 1867, he re- mained until the following spring, and then became an employe of the Basket Co. Here he remained until the fall of 1869, when he entered the high school. In the spring of 1870 he entered the em- ploy of the Stanley Rule & Level Co., remaining until the spring of 1871, when he was employed by the James Minoe Paper Box Manufacturing Co .; he soon after re-entered the employ of the Stanley Co., where he remained as contractor until 1892. During that year he became military instructor in the academy at Cheshire, Conn. Col. Thompson then engaged in the coal business for three years, from 1893 to 1896. In the latter year he was elected to his present position as city clerk of New Britain.

In 1884 Col. Thompson was commissioned cap- tain of Company E, Ist Regiment, Connecticut Na- tional Guard, and continued to fill that military of- fice until 1890, when he was elected lieutenant-col- onel of the regiment, from which position lie re- tired in the spring of 1898. Col. Thompson is prominently connected with many of the fraternal orders and social organizations of the city. An

enumeration of the many offices he has filled among the orders will not here be attempted, but the prom- inent standing he holds in the social phase of life is amply attested by the following partial list: He was chief templar of Lincoln Loage, No. 14, I. O. G. T., in 1872; W. C. T., Phoenix Temple, T. of H. and Temperance, in 1876; G. W. T., Grand Temple of Connecticut, T. of H. and T., in 1882 and 1887; B. Councilor, New Britain Council, No. 8, O. U. A. M., in 1886; State Councilor of Con- necticut, O. U. A. M., from October, 1897, to May, 1899; B. C. of Lady Putnam Council, No. 4, Daughters of Liberty, in 1888; Noble Grand of Phoenix Lodge, No. 52, I. O. O. F., in 1893; C. C. of St. Elmo Lodge, No. 21, K. P., in 1892; M. W. of A. W. Harvey Lodge, No. 49, A. O. U. W., in 1892; Governor of Trumbull Council, No. 49, P. F., in 1895; F. C. of New Britain Council, No. 10, C. F., in 1895; B. A. of New Britain Conclave, No. 138, I. O. H., in 1896; Guard in Washington Commanderv. No. 1, K. T., in 1895; J. D. in Cen- tennial Lodge, No. 118, F. & A. M., in 1897; P. P. of New Britain Council, A. B. A., in 1897; Adjutant-general L. L. of the O. U. A. M., in 1896-1900, and is now Major-general of said organi- zation.

Col. Thompson was married, June 11, 1873, 10 Mary S. Packard, who died in 1884.

HENRY M. ADAMS, superintendent of the Hartford County Temporary Home for Dependent Children, at Warehouse Point, has proved himself well-fitted for that important post. A long career as a successful educator has given him a practical knowledge of childhood's needs and developed a rare power of discipline by kind yet firm methods, and the Board of County Commissioners could not easily have made a more satisfactory appointment. As a veteran of the Civil war Mr. Adams has an especial claim upon the regard of his fellow citi- zens, and he bears a constant reminder of the hard- ships of service in the lasting effects of a wound re- ceived at Antietam.

Mr. Adams was born Aug. 18, 1840, at Suffield, Mass., a son of Jamies B. and Julia A. (Peck) Adams. When he was only one year old his parents removed to North Canaan, Conn., and nine years later they settled upon a farm near Broad Brook, this county, where lie grew to manhood. At the age of twenty he began teaching, but in 1862 lie en- listed, becoming a private in Company G, 16th Conn. Vol. Inf., being mustered into service at Hart- ford. His first engagement was at Antietam, Sept. 17. 1862, and was, indeed, a "baptism of fire," a minie ball striking him and causing a compound fracture of the right thigh. The wound was re- ceived at 4 r. M., and for forty-three hours he lay upon the battlefield. On being found by the hos- pital corps he was taken to the field hospital at Sharpsburg, Md., and remained there until the fol- lowing spring, when he was removed to a hospital

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at Big Springs, Md. On April 1, 1863, he received an honorable discharge at Hagerstown, Md., and soon after his return to Broad Brook he resumed his work as a teacher. He was thus employed in Broad Brook and vicinity until 1871, and later he taught one year each at Portland, Meriden, and East Hampton; two years at Westville, New Haven county ; five years in Canaan and two in Rockville, being recalled to Canaan, where he spent six years more in successful work in the school room. His health began to fail, his old wound giving him much suffering, and he was obliged to rest for a time, on his recovery engaging in journalistic work, cor- responding for various newspapers and the Associ- ated Press. In 1896 he was appointed to his present position, as head of the Children's Home at Ware- house Point, where he has since resided.

On Dec. 7, 1871, Mr. Adams married Mrs. Aba- lena H. Allen, a native of Southwick, Mass., and both are prominent in social life and in the work of the Congregational Church at Windsor Locks. In politics Mr. Adams is a strong Republican and has held several town offices, for many years he has been a member of J. H. Convers Post, No. 67, G. A. R., at Windsor Locks, of which he is the present commander.

ENOS E. STOW. Honored and respected by all, there is no man in Southington who occupies a more important position in the business world than the gentleman whose name introduces this re- view, and who was for eleven years president of the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co. Integrity, activity and energy have been the crowning points of his suc- cess, and his connection with the important indus- try of which he was at the head has been of de- cided advantage to this section of Hartford county, promoting its material welfare in no slight degree.

Mr. Stow was born in Southington March 16, 1824, and belongs to an old Connecticut family. His great-grandfather, Solomon Stow, of Middle- town, was born in 1706, and wedded Mary, daugh- ter of Daniel and Margaret Belding. Their son, Ebenezer, the grandfather of our subject, was born June 16, 1753, and was married, March 15, 1775, to Ruth Bulkley, a sister of Gersham Bulkley. Eb- enezer Stow died Jan. 14, 1830, his wife Dec. 15, 1825. Their children were Emily, Margaret, Ur- sula, Roxey (wife of Zenas Hubbard), Enos, Solo- mon, and Ruth (wife of Harry Robinson).

Solomon Stow, the father of Enos E., was born in Rocky Hill, Hartford county, Sept. 14, 1793, and was married, Oct. 17, 1816, to Eunice Shepard, daughter of Samuel and Thankful ( Mallory) Shep- ard. In 1823 he came to Southington and embarked in business as a cabinetmaker with his brother-in- law, Mark Lane, five years later turning his atten- tion to the manufacture of clocks. In 1834 he built a dam and shop on the site partially covered by the bridge over the Quinnipiack, and engaged in the manufacture of machines for Seth Peck & Co. In

1847 he became interested in the tin machine busi- ness, in company with his son, Enos, and Hial Grannis, Sr., and in 1849 he associated with him his two sons, Enos and Orson, under the firm name of Solomon Stow & Sons. In 1852 the works were removed to Plantsville, and a joint-stock company was formed, known as the S. Stow Manufacturing Co. Mr. Stow died in 1868, and in 1870 the Peck- Smith Manufacturing Co., the S. Stow Manufactur- ing Co. and the Roys & Wilcox Co. were consoli- dated. Later the Wilcox & Treadway Co., of Cleve- land, Ohio, was absorbed, and to-day it is the larg- est concern of its kind in the world. Our subject was chosen president of the company in 1887, and filled that position until Aug. 1, 1899, when he re- signed. The success of the company under his management attests his eminent and pronounced ability as a business man.

Mr. Stow was one of the incorporators of the Southington Water Co., of which he is now presi- dent, and is also president of the board of fire com- missioners, and one of the directors of the South- ington National Bank. He is a prominent member of the Second Congregational Church of Southing- ton, of which he is a deacon, and he has been elected to various town offices. He is a Republican in polit- ical sentiment. He is a courteous gentleman, and, above all, wherever he is found, whether in public or private life, his integrity is above question and his honor above reproach. Southington owes much to him, and numbers him among her valued citi- zens.

Enos E. Stow. has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Matilda Newell, and for his second he wedded Miss Mary A. Ames, a daughter of Amon and Rossannah ( Hart) Ames, of Southing- ton. By the last marriage he has three children liv- ing, namely : Mary Eunice, wife of Hiram Roberts ; Frederick Enos, superintendent of the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Co.'s edge-tool works (he married Jen- nie Cowles, of Southington) ; and Bessie Sarah.

EDWIN W. KELLOGG, one of the successful tobacco growers of the town of Windsor, is a thor- oughly up-to-date and scientific farmer-one who makes a study of his chosen calling. Tobacco is the main crop of the locality, and its culture re- quires scientific farming. Our subject is much more of a reader than the average farmer, and as a re- sult he is a man of broad general information.

Mr. Kellogg was born in East Winsted, Conn., Nov. 9, 1856, and is the only child of Col. E. S. Kellogg, a gallant officer of the Civil war, who gave up his life in the service of his country. He was a native of Glastonbury, Conn., born Nov. 27, 1824, and a son of Capt. Elisha and Maria (Stratton) Kellogg, who made their home throughout life in Glastonbury. The grandfather was a captain of coasting vessels, and lived to a ripe old age. His wife survived him for a time, but both now sleep in the cemetery at Glastonbury. In their family

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were the following children : Gustavus, who died in Glastonbury, was a tool-maker by trade, but the lat- ter years of his life were devoted to farming; Col. E. S. was the second son; Ruth married Martin Hollister, and lives in New York State: Maria mar- ried Thaddeus Wells, and died in Glastonbury ; Eliza is the wife of B. Post, of Andover; Laura, who died in Chicago, first married a Mr. Wood- bridge in New York State, and later a Dr. Brown; and Lucy married a Mr. Rockwood of New York State.

Until fourteen years of age Col. Kellogg re- mained at home, and attended the schools of his native town, but on reaching that age he went to New London, Conn., and shipped on a whaling ves- sel. He continued to follow the sea until he was twenty, sailed over much of the globe, and at one time was shipwrecked on the Australian coast. On abandoning the water, in 1849, he went to Cali- fornia, but did not have any success. He then learned tool-making with his brother in Massachu- setts, and continued to follow that trade until the opening of the war of the Rebellion, being em- ployed at that time at Birmingham (now Derby), Conn. He was the first man to enlist in the first three-years company that went from this State, be- coming a member of Company B, 3rd Conn. V. I., which was later changed to the Ist Connecticut Heavy Artillery. He was mustered in as captain of Company B; was promoted to the rank of major in the Ist Artillery, and was sent home as lieut .- colonel when the 19th Conn. V. I. was formed ; but when it was changed to the 2nd Heavy Artillery he was given the rank of colonel. He was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor, June 1, 1864, and his remains were brought back to Winsted, Conn., for interment. He was a well built man, and a good mechanic ; he was a Democrat, but never a politi- cian ; socially he was a member of the Masonic Fra- ternity ; and religiously was an Episcopalian.

Col. Kellogg left a widow and one son, our sub- ject. He had married, Oct. 23, 1853, Miss Polly G. Brown, who was born in Winsted, Dec. 14, 1828, a daughter of Orin and Nancy (Bishop) Brown. Her father, a native of Thomaston, Conn., was a shoemaker by trade, but spent the last years of his active life in farming. He died in Winsted at the age of eighty-four years, his wife at about the age of forty. In their family were nine children, three of whom died in childhood, the others being Hannah, who died at the age of twenty; Hiram, a skilled mechanic and pioneer in edge-tool making, who died in Riverton, Conn., in 1897: Nancy, who died in her 'teens ; Betsey, who married George Kin- ney, and died in Winsted ; Polly G., mother of our subject; and Bradley O., a farmer of East Otis, Mass. Mrs. Kellogg was educated in the public schools and academy at Winsted, and for three years successfully engaged in teaching school, re- ceiving a salary of $t per week, and boarding round among the scholars. After her husband's death she

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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 97

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