Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 152

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : Beers
Number of Pages: 1502

USA > Connecticut > Middlesex County > Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 152

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Alexander Merrill was born July 28. 1820. attended the conimion school, and was reared

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to agricultural pursuits. His early life was passed on the farm, and later he rented land, finally purchasing a tract of a Mr. Burrows. This was the nucleus, and from time to time he has kept on adding to it until at the present he owns a fine estate of over 100 acres, carry- ing on general farming. He built his commo- dious and comfortable house in 1883.

The marriage of Mr. Merrill, on March 29, 1853, was to Mary Stannard, of Westbrook, where she lived ; her life ended March 18, 1898, at the age of seventy. Her parents were Da- rius and Mary (Kelsey) Stannard. Children as follows were born to our subject and his wife: Elizabeth, who died young ; Nellie, de- ceased; Lewis, who married Antoinette Post, of Westbrook, a daughter of Lyman Post, and has one child. Phyllis; and Charlotte C., who married Paul Swole, a carpenter, and lives in New Haven.

Mr. Merrill is a quiet, industrious man, who does his full duty as a citizen, and is a highly esteemed resident of Clinton, where he has lived so long. He is a Republican in politics.

W. E. FISHER, M. D., assistant physician in the main building of the Connecticut Hos- pital for the Insane, at Middletown, is in point of continuous service at that institution the old- est physician connected with it, his service dat- ing from February, 1877. During that time he has displayed a wide and thorough knowledge of all phases of mental disease.

Dr. Fisher was born in Philadelphia No- vember 6, 1855, and springs from English an- cestry, his great-grandfather coming from England. For more than a hundred years the Fisher family has been known in Philadelphia. The Doctor's father, William Fisher, son of William, was a successful builder, and a busi- ness man of much acumen; his entire life was spent in Philadelphia. There he married Su- san Haas, a native of Philadelphia, whose fa- ther, Jacob Haas, was a successful stocking manufacturer, and a pioneer in this country in that line. The Haas family is of German ori- gin, and has long been known in Philadelphia. Dr. Fisher's parents are both deceased. They had a family of six children, of whom W. E. was the youngest.

W. E. Fisher was reared in his native city, where he attended the public schools. He was thoroughly prepared for his life work, both in a general and a professional way. In 1876

he was graduated from the Medical Depart- ment of the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1877 came to Connecticut to take a position in the State Hospital for the Insane, where he has ever since remained, meantime becoming widely known as an authority on all subjects connected with his work in the hospital.

Dr. Fisher and Miss Jessie Weston were married March II, 1897, in Middletown. She is a lady of much culture, a graduate of the La- dies' Medical College, at Philadelphia, and is now assistant pathologist at the same hospital in which her husband is engaged. Dr. Fisher is a Democrat, but not an active politician. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in St. John's Lodge, Washington Chapter, and Cyrene Commandery, and among the various associations of the great fraternity is held in the highest esteem. He belongs to the Middlesex County Medical Society, . the State Medical Society and the New England Psychological Society.

NORMAN NEWTON HILL is one of the most esteemed and influential citizens of East Hampton, and one of the leading busi- ness men and manufacturers of Middlesex county. He comes of Revolutionary stock,. than which-in America-one needs no high- er patent of nobility.

John Hill (4), his great-grandfather, a resident of Chatham, and a great-grandson of Capt. William Hills, of Hartford, Conn., served as a soldier in the Revolutionary army, and died while engaged in his country's. defense, not from wounds, but through the contracting of smallpox, while in the army. His wife, Mindwell Wright, was born in Chat- ham in 1732, and reached the age of eighty- three, her death being caused by typhus fever, October 30, 1815. To comparatively few women of her period was it given to witness. the triumphant issue of the two struggles be- tween the parent country and the young "giant" which was destined to play so im- portant a part in molding the history of the world. In connection with Mrs. Hill a bit of interesting history is worth preserving, the. ancient records showing that she personally owned property which was part of a 210 acre parcel of land deeded to her great-grandfa- ther, James Wright, by the city of Middle- town, in 1686, three years after Middletown received it from the Indians.

normann. Hill

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

David Hill, son of John, and the grand- father of Norman N., was born and reared in Chatham. On July 24, 1796, he married Mary ("Polly") Welch, a daughter of Will- iam and Deborah (Jewett) Welch, and a granddaughter of Nathan and Lucy (Selden) Jewett. Her father was a Baptist preacher in the town of Chatham, and also officiated in Middletown. David Hill followed the trade of blacksmith, his shop standing near Lake Pocotopaug, and there, in addition to his gen- eral work, he manufactured nails by hand, a process which was certainly more laborious and costly-and productive of better results- than modern methods. . In politics he was a stanch Jeffersonian Democrat. Concerning his religious faith, it is said of him that to- ward the close of his life he leaned toward Methodism, although his wife was always an adherent of the faith in which she was born and reared. They were the parents of a large family, of whom but three now survive, Lou- isa M., Benjamin A. and Claudius L. (1) David lived in Greenwich, and was a quarry- man and stone contractor. (2) Lord Selden was a resident of Bristol, and married Mary Cook July 4, 1821. (3) Gilbert removed from Connecticut to Lancaster, Pa., where he en- gaged in the book business, and where he died. He married Hannah Strong, and six of their children are living-Mrs. H. V. Barton and Mrs. Emily T. Niles, in East Hampton, and four sons in the West. (4) Emily married Daniel Tower, and accompanied him to Wood- stock, Ill., where she died. (5) Ann became the wife of Elijah Sears, and removed to Algonquin, Ill., where she passed away. (6) Elizabeth (known in the family as "Betsey") married George Andrews, of Haddam Neck, and died in Hartford. (7) Mary Ann was twice married, (first) to Laban Lamb, and' (second) to George McCullumns, a Union soldier, who lost his life in his country's serv- ice. (8) Deborah Lord was the second wife of William Pease, of South Glastonbury. Conn. (9) Louisa M. married George Jack- son, and lives in Union, Ill. (10) Benjamin A. is a farmer and cokemaker of East Hamp- ton; on September 29, 1839, he married (first) Lovina Archer, and in 1861 he wedded (second) Jane Frisbey. ( 11) Claudius L. is referred to below. ( 12) Jane Amanda mar- ried Edwin Weir, of East Glastonbury, Conn. '

(13) Susan Augusta was the wife of William Miner, of South Glastonbury.

Claudius L. Hill was born in East Hamp- ton, February 21, 1820, and had the advan- tages offered by the district schools, receiving a good education. Farming he liked, and to that he added charcoal burning and teaming, and between these occupations he passed his young manhood. Early in life, however, he developed a pronounced mechanical aptitude, the result being that he steadily acquired pro- ficiency as a wood turner. For nearly thirty years he turned out bell handles for the East Hampton factories, and then opened a job. printing office. For twelve years this enter- prise proved reasonably successful, but of late years failing health has prevented him from giving the business active, personal supervi- sion. He has been twice married, first to Sa- rah A., daughter of Benjamin _1. Strong, and second to Olive S. Pease, daughter of Will- iam and Olive ( Smith ) Pease. To the sec- ond union were born eight children : ( 1) Olive Adella is the wife of Frank E. Clark, of East Hampton. (2) Frank L. died in infancy. (3) Charles F. married Jane Smith. (4)

Rosabelle died at the age of six years. (5) Frederick W. married Fannie E. Taylor. (6) Norman N. is the subject of this notice. (7) Lillian Bertha and (8) Frank A. live at home, Claudius L. Hill was for many years a Re- publican, but is now a Prohibitionist. He and his wife are members of the M. E. Church.

Norman Newton Hill was born October 4, 1863, at East Hampton, and his business ca- reer strikingly exemplifies the possibilities which are ever open to keen sagacity, good judgment and sound business sense. His ed- ucational advantages were only those afforded by the district school, and life began for him in earnest at the age of nineteen, when he en- tered one of the bell manufactories of his na- tive place as a workman. He soon acquired so thorough a knowledge of the business, and at the same time evince such taste and so ad- mirable an address, that he was given a posi- tion as traveling salesman and solicitor. Pos- sessed of a fertile, active brain, and endowed with first-rate mechanical skill, he soon de- vised an improved method of manufacture. and in January, 18So, the N. N. Hill Brass Company, of East Hampton, was formedl. Prior to that date all the bellmakers of the place

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

had cast their product. The system of stamp- ing bells from sheet metal was adopted by Mr. Hill. It was not viewed with favor by manufacturers, and it was predicted that he would "go to the wall" within two years. Time, however, has abundantly demonstrated the wisdom of his judgment and the accuracy of his foresight. The company started in business in a small way, in a rented frame building, but trade steadily increased and pro- fits grew, and in 1896 was erected the present handsome brick structure, in which he in- stalled one of the best equipped and most mod- ern plants in Middlesex county. The factory is large enough to accommodate two hundred hands, and the average number employed is from one hundred to one hundred and twenty- five. The machinery is operated by electricity, the force being generated by a water power 1,600 feet below. The specialty of the com- pany is the manufacture of bell gongs, of which more than a hundred styles are turned out, while bell toys, baby rattles and boys' driving reins also form a part of the output. Mr. Hill is also a stockholder in the Gong Bell Manufacturing Company, one of the oldest concerns in East Hampton.

In politics Mr. Hill is a stanch Republican. Although not a professed church member he is a regular attendant upon divine services, and is a liberal supporter of the cause of re- ligion. He married Annette Barton, a daugh- ter of William E. Barton of East Hampton, and three children have blessed their union : Wyman Newton, Evelyn Barton and Norman Watrous.

The first American progenitor of the Bar- ton family, of which we have any authentic record, was one William Barton, who was born in the Society of Wintonbury (now the town of Bloomfield), Conn. During the war of the Revolution he was an armorer at Springfield, Mass. His son, William Barton, Jr., was born November 26, 1762. He worked with his father until the war was ended, when he returned to Wintonbury, and engaged in the making of firearms. In 1790, he removed to New York, where he carried on the manufac- ture of andirons and other brass work. In the spring of 1808 he took up his residence in East Hampton, and there began the making of hand and sleighbells, of a solid pattern. From 1826 to 1846 he resided at Cairo, N. Y., and in the year last mentioned returned to East

Hampton, where he died July 15, 1849. His widow, Clarissa ( Betts), survived until Octo- ber 4, 1858, when she, too, passed away, after reaching the advanced age 'of ninety-one. They were the parents of seven children, as follows: (1) Nancy, who was twice married, first to Vine Starr, and second to Walter Sex- ton; (2) Clarissa, who married Cyrus Brain- ard, and removed to Kankakee, Ill .; (3) Hub- bard; (4) Hiram, Mrs. Hill's grandfather; (5) Barzillai; (6) Philura; and (7) Jason.

Hiram Barton was born January 20, 1799, and died October 22, 1878. He followed the trade of a bellmaker in East Hampton, his first shop being on Barton Hill, and second on the road leading west from the Center school- house. In 1825, he married Lois L. Watrous, who was born September 5, 1805, and died January 23, 1882, a daughter of John Wat- rous. They were the parents of three sons and one daughter: Sarah Ann, born July 7, 1828, married Orlando Clark, and moved to Montreal, Canada; she is still living. Will- iam E., the father of Mrs. Hill, is mentioned below. John W., born May 1, 1835, married Victoria Gates; he is deceased. Henry V. lives in East Hampton, and is referred to else- where.

William E. Barton was born February 8, 1830, in East Hampton, where he grew to manhood and died February 9, 1895. He was associated with his father in bellmaking, and after the latter's death succeeded to the business. In 1874 the building which he oc- cupied was destroyed by fire, and he purchased the buildings of the Union Bell Company, near his former site, and there remained until 1881. He married Annette Watrous, and they were the parents of three children, Abner W., Anna M. and Annette. Mrs. Barton traced her de- scent from John Watrous, a native of Marl- boro (then New London county), Conn., who was a farmer, and the father of four children : Wirt, Lazarus, John and Lucy (who became Mrs. Bigelow, and removed to Vermont).

Lazarus Watrous, the maternal grandfa- ther of Mrs. Hill, was born in Marlboro and died there, in his sixty-third year. He was a prosperous farmer, owning 130 acres of land, and an earnest and active member of the Con- gregational Church. He married, in Chatham, Anna Clark, a daughter of Amos and Anna (Sears) Clark, and she lived to see her eighty- eighth birthday. They were the parents of

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

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ten children, namely : (1) John L. (deceased) was a resident of Waterford, Conn. (2) Tim- othy was a sailor, for several years sailing on one of the "Black Ball" line of packets, to Liverpool, and later entering the United States navy, and rising to the rank of lieuten- ant. He served with gallantry and distinction through the Civil war, and received his dis- charge at the cessation of hostilities. He then became a captain in the merchant marine, and died at Mobile, Ala. (3) Abner Watrous was a peddler and drove his wagon through eastern Massachusetts. He also conducted a general store at New Bedford, Mass., in which place lie died. (4) Fidelia (deceased) was the wife of Philo Bevin, of East Hampton. (5) Harmony died unmarried. (6) Sarah (deceased) was the wife of Alexander Niles, of Cottage City. (7) Mandana died at the age of fourteen. (8) David Watson is a resident of East Hampton. (9) Cicero died at the age of four years. (10) Annette, the mother of Mrs. Hill, born April 20, 1830, died March II, 1863.

R. EMMETT SPENCER is one of the leading merchants and successful business men of Middlesex county, located in the pleasant town of Higganum. His paternal grandfa- ther, Hollister Spencer, a native of the town of Chatham, was married there to Theresa Sex- ton, and they had the following named chil- dren: Mariette, who married Roderick Ack- ley, and, for her second husband, a Mr. Ship- man; Sarah, Mrs. Burdick; Nathaniel; Eras- tus; Julius ; Samuel; Diodate, the father of R. Emmett ; and Norman.

Diodate Spencer was born in 1812, in Cha- tham, and died in Burlington, Pa., in June, 1870. He married Martha H. Done, who was born in 1812, a daughter of Roswell and Hes- ter (Chapman) Done, and died in 1898. Di- odate Spencer lived for some seven or eight years in Bradford County, Pa., but returned to East Haddam, and buying property engaged in merchandising at Upper Landing, where he continued in business some sixteen or eighteen years. Ile was a very capable man, and pros- pered exceedingly. Before his death he re- turned to Bradford County, and ended his days there. In politics he voted with the Demo- cratic party, and he always upheld the princi- ples of which he considered it the exponent.

children, as follows: Roswell D., of Thomp- sonville, Conn., where the mother passed her last days; and R. Emmett, our subject. Both sons were born in Springfield, Bradford Co., Pennsylvania.

R. Emmett Spencer was born December 28, 1838, and was educated in East Haddam, whither the family removed while he was small. Until he was twenty-three years of age he remained with his parents, beginning to as- sist in his father's store when but twelve years old, and later engaging with Hon. D. B. War- ner, at Upper Landing, where he continued for three years. Returning to Pennsylvania, he engaged there in the produce business and did some farming, remaining in the Keystone State for twenty busy years. In 1888 he returned to Connecticut and bought the store and stock of E. D. Gilbert, of Higganum, and has con- tinued in the mercantile business ever since.

The marriage of Mr. Spencer to Helen M. Heath, daughter of George W. and Elita (Smith) Heath, was celebrated in Pennsyl- vania, and one son, Howard F., was born to this union February 10, 1872. He is now a resident of Higganum.

Like his father before him, Mr. Spencer supports the Democratic party, and he has served in many of the local offices very accept- ably. Socially he is connected with the Ma- sonic fraternity, holding membership in Co- lumbia Lodge, No. 26, East Haddam. and Washington Chapter, Middletown, Conn. Both he and his estimable wife are valued mem- bers of the Episcopal Church, where their ex- cellence of character is best known. Mr. Spencer has been a very successful business man because he has devoted much attention to the details of his work. He is considered one of the best citizens of Higganum, and the es- tablishment which he conducts compares favor- ably with those of larger towns.

ABNER AVERY BEVIN. president of the Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company. of East Hampton, is a representative of one of the oldest and best known families of the town of Chatham, a prominent business man and a well known citizen of Middlesex County, and of the State. An extended account of his ances try will be found under the heading "Bevin Family," in this work.

A. Avery Bevin was born August 21. 1843.

Mr. and Mrs. Diodate Spencer had two | in East Hampton, where his father, Abner G.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Bevin, was a lifelong business man and valued citizen. His mother, Catherine Markham, be- longed to an old and highly respected family of the same place, whose genealogy is given at some length on another page of this work. When A. Avery Bevin arrived at school age the State had not yet adopted a free school sys- tem. His primary education was furnished by private and public schools in his native vi- cinity, after which he became a student in French's school, at New Haven, a well known institution. On his return from the Civil war, by a course at Eastman's celebrated business college, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., he was pre- pared for the active business career which he has since followed.

Mr. Bevin inherited a patriotic and mili- tary spirit, and before he had reached the age of nineteen years determined to offer his ser- vices to his country, then in need of soldiers to preserve its territorial integrity. In July, 1862, he became a member of Company H. Twenty-first Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and served with his command until peace was restored, being transferred to Company F, of the same regiment, and coming home with the rank of first lieutenant. For a time he was on the staff of the Third Brigade, Twenty-fourth Army Corps. His regiment at one time be- longed to Burnside's famous Ninth Army Corps, and was under the command of Col. Arthur H. Dutton, a regular army officer. Col. Dutton lost his life in the service, as did also his successor, Col. Thomas F. Burpee, of Rockville, Conn. While serving in the Armies of the Potomac and the James, Mr. Bevin shared in the terrors of Fredericksburg, Drury's Bluff, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, as well as a number of lesser engagements, and his sev- eral promotions were earned by gallantry on the field of battle. In an article upon his ser- vice, one of Lieut. Bevin's comrades says : "He was a brave and faithful soldier, and was pro- moted for gallant conduct on the field of bat- tle. The writer was associated with him dur- ing most of the war, and is glad to testify to: his admirable qualities as an officer and sol- dier. He was in all the battles in which his regiment was engaged, and often in command of his company."

On laying down the sword, Mr. Bevin be- gan looking after the western sales of the Be- vin Brothers Manufacturing Company, and has ever since continued to have general charge

of the business. He is personally acquainted with nearly all jobbing houses handling his line of wares, from New York to the Pacific coast. His genial, companionable nature and courte- ous bearing have made him many friends in all sections of the country, and he is justly popular in many States of the Union. Since the death of his father, in 1896, he has been president of the company, and he is agent of the Water Power Company of East Hampton. He is actively connected with the Congrega- tional Church, as a member and contributor.

In fraternal circles Mr. Bevin has been long and favorably known. He affiliates with An- chor Lodge, No. 112, A. F. & A. M., of East Hampton ; Freestone Chaptetr, No. 34, R. A. M., of Portland; Cyrene Commandery, No. 8, K. T., of Middletown ; and Sphinx Temple, of the Mystic Shrine, of Hartford. He is also connected with Mansfield Post, No. 53, G. A. R., of Middletown, the Army and Navy Club of Connecticut, and the Pennsylvania Com- mandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion.

In 1868 Mr. Bevin was married to Miss Margaret L. Brown, of Geneseo, N. Y., who died in 1879. Their only child died in in- fancy. In 1887 Mr. Bevin married Miss Julia Adams, who was born in Northamptonshire, England, but was reared from the age of nine years in Chicago, Ill., where her father and brothers have been active in business and pro- fessional life. Mrs. Bevin is a worthy com- panion for her generous husband, and their handsome home in East Hampton is the abode of a kind and liberal hospitality.

THOMAS SOUTHMAYD BROWN. This eminent citizen of East Hampton, whose popularity in Middlesex county is attested by the fact that for thirteen years he has held the office of sheriff, is a grandson of the late Eli- jah Brown, of New London county.

Samuel Brown, father of Thomas S., was born in Westchester, in that bailiwick, where, for many years, he successfully conducted a general store. Toward the close of his life he abandoned this enterprise, however, to en- gage in farming, and this pursuit he followed until his death. Samuel Brown was twice married. His first wife was Lucy Arnold, of Haddam, and to this union were born four daughters : The eldest, Mary E., is the wid- ow of George Bevin, of Amherst, Mass. Eliz-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

abeth E. is Mrs. B. M. Field, of Leverett, Franklin Co., Mass. Fannie E. married Ed- win T. Pierce, of Hartford. Lucy, the young- est, died unmarried, at the age of twenty-two. After the death of his first wife Mr. Brown was married to Elizabeth Southmayd, of Mid- dletown, and the issue of this union was Thom- as Southmayd, and Lina, the latter the wife of A. R. Bigelow, of Westchester, New London county. Mr. Brown died June 1, 1883, in his seventy-sixth year. His widow is still living, and makes her home with her daughter in Westchester.

Thomas S. Brown was born in Westchester June 20, 1854. He grew up on a farm, and received his education at the Glastonbury Academy and the Central School of Middle- town. Desiring a life of a larger experience and greater excitement, he purchased in 1880, the fire insurance business of Elijah Ackley, of Middle Haddam, which he removed to East Hampton. Under his conservative and saga- cious methods the same has greatly prospered, and he represents the principal Hartford and New York fire companies. Mr. Brown is to- day one of the substantial citizens of Middle- sex. He is a stockholder and director in the Bevin Brothers. Manufacturing Company, leading bell founders.

Mr. Brown has been a life-long Republi- can, and has always taken a lively and active interest in politics, having been repeatedly chosen chairman of the East Hampton com- mittee. He represented the town of Chatham in the Legislature of 1887, serving on the com- mittee on Finance. For several years he served as deputy sheriff, and on July 23, 1889. was appointed sheriff by Gov. Bulkeley to fill out the unexpired term of Sheriff John I. Hutchinson, who had been made collector of Internal Revenue. This term expired June 1. 1801. With such coolness, courage, ability and fidelity did Mr. Brown discharge every responsibility, he was in 1890 chosen his own successor, by popular vote. In 1894 he was re-elected, by the largest majority ever given a candidate for the shrievalty in Middle- sex county. The result was gratifying to Mr. Brown, as showing the confidence in him which his fellow citizens cherished ; yet it was but a fitting recognition of arduous duty, faith- fully performed. In 1898 he was again a can- didate for the position, and once more tri

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Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 152

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago : Beers Number of Pages: 1502

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : Beers
Number of Pages: 1502