Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 2

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 2

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"There is a sentiment prevailing among the members of our profession that as a pro- fession we are not duly appreciated, and for our services we are not properly remunerated. This may be true to a certain extent, but who has the affections of the community about him to a greater extent than the beloved physician ? When stricken down by sickness who has more earnest prayers for his recovery? No one should enter the profession under the expecta- tion of having a long rent-roll, or a large file of certificates of bonds and stocks ; if he does he is doomed to disappointment. We should be governed by higher motives and nobler pur- poses. We should feel that we have entered a field where there is an opportunity of practic- ally carrying out the precepts and following the example of the 'Great Physician,' and in- asmuch as we have lodged a stranger, given food and drink to the famishing, and visited the sick for the work's sake, we have followed His example and served Him." As a general practitioner of medicine he wielded an influ- ence in the community more widely felt by his contemporaries, lay and professional alike, than that exercised by any of his associates.

In the treatment of pneumonia Dir. Charles Woodward met with a success unsurpassed in New England, and was looked upon as an authority on that ailment, frequently being called in consultation, and his decision or ad- vice accepted. His giving of medicine was vigorous in the extreme, and for success in re- sults he was without an equal. In smallpox he never lost a case, though he had as many as twenty-eight patients on his hands at one time, and it is a fact that in his day he treated more smallpox patients than all the other doc- tors of Middletown combined. The only case he ever lost was one that came to Middletown on a New York boat, and owing to long delay in having medical assistance, together with exposure, etc., was past any aid of medical skill. The doctor died in Middletown, May 18, 1870.

In 1841 Dr. Woodward represented the Eighteenth District in the State Senate, be- ing the only Democrat in that body. In 1849 and 1857 he was sent to the Legislature from Middletown, and was chairman of the com- mittee on Divorces. He was the first to move in the matter of securing the location of the Insane Hospital at Middletown, his activity in that project being well worthy of record, in fact, taken all in all, he was one of the most prominent and influential men in the Legisla- ture. In 1870 he was appointed, by the Con- necticut Senate, trustee of the State Hospital for the Insane, but his death occurred the fol- lowing week, and he was succeeded by his son, Henry, in that incumbency. Dr. Woodward was one of the organizers, in 1847, of the Central Medical Association, and he, on two occasions, delivered lectures before the gradu- ating class at Yale Medical School. He also served as one of the examining board of Yale Medical School.

Dr. Woodward was the first president of the Central National Bank of Middletown, tak- ing office when that institution was organized, August 1, 1851. He was a director of the Air Line Railway, member of the first board, and a director of what is now the Berlin Branch of the Consolidated Railroad, on which the first train was run March 8, 1850. For a number of years he was a member of the board of trustees of Wesleyan University. His inter- est in educational matters was keen and marked. He was one of the prime movers, in 1840, in the organization of the Middletown

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

high school, which was the first high school organized in Connecticut. While wedded to his profession in the fullest sense of the term, and while pressed for time as a result of its exacting duties, Dr. Woodward's public spirit was always evident. He always had at heart the best interests of his community, and took as prominent a part in its affairs as his pro- fessional duties permitted. As a public speaker he was ready, forceful and able, and was al- ways sought as the presiding officer at public meetings. In 1850, at the two hundredth an- niversary of the settlement of Middletown, he took a very important part, serving as chair- man of the executive committee at that time. Dr. Woodward's character was symmetrical and well rounded, and as a citizen he had high ideals and lived up to them. His pastime, his pleasure, was his professional work.

In 1823 the Doctor was married, in Wind- sor, Conn., to Miss Miss Eliza Hills, of that town, daughter of Capt. Stephen and Mabel ('Woodbridge) Hills, who were the parents of fourteen children-nine sons and five daughters-Henry Woodbridge Hills, in his day a well-known cotton merchant, being one of the sons. By this marriage Dr. Woodward had one daughter, Miss Eliza Hills, a resident of Middletown. The mother died in January, 1826, and on May 1, 1828, the Doctor married Miss Ellen M. Pratt, who was born in Mid- dletown, May 7, 1805, daughter of Capt. John and Elizabeth (Cooper) Pratt. Capt. Jonn Pratt served in the Revolutionary army. His commission as lieutenant in the newly organ- ized United States army, and signed by Rich- ard Henry Lee, as president of the Congress of the United States, is in the possession of his grandson, Henry Woodward, as is also his commission as captain in the First Regiment in the United States service, dated 1791, and signed by Gen. Washington. The acceptance of his resignation as captain of the First Regi- ment, United States Infantry, because of ill- ness, dated December 5, 1793, and signed by Anthony Wayne, is another of the highly prized papers in the possession of his grand- sons, Charles R. and Henry Woodward. Capt. John Pratt saw service under Gens. Wayne and St. Clair, in the Indian wars on the then Western frontier. By his second marriage Dr. Woodward was the father of three children, two of whom reached adult age, Charles R. and Henry. The mother of these sons died

January 28, 1879, and was interred by the side of her husband in Indian Hill cemetery.

CHARLES R. WOODWARD was born August 28, 1832, in Windsor, Conn., and was but a child when his parents removed to Middle- town, where he received the major portion of his education. Later he attended an academy in Northampton, Mass., which concluded his. schooling. As a boy he worked on the survey of the Air Line Railroad, in 1847. He has for many years been associated with his brother Henry in the drug business at Middletown, where has been built up one of the best known businesses in that line in Connecticut. Charles R. Woodward has for years been one of Mid- dletown's best citizens, and a man whose high standing has been repeatedly attested. He served as mayor of Middletown in 1886, and. 1887. When the caucus assembled to select his successor a petition, signed by many of the best citizens of the city, irrespective of party, was presented, requesting him to again accept the nomination, but he declined. He was first selectman from 1879 to 1883, and again in 1892 and 1893. He has served as a member of the city council several terms. In 1879 he represented the town of Middle- town in the Legislature, being a member of the committee on Incorporations. In whatever capacity, as a public servant or representative of the people, his course has been marked by a conscientious, straightforward discharge of his duties, in which he exercises the same care and earnestness that has distinguished him in the transaction of his private business. Mr. Wood- ward never sought a political office, but lie has held many, and declined more. As a can- didate of the Democratic party, with which he has been affiliated, he has for years been regarded as one of the very strongest in his city. During the seventy years of his resi- dence in Middletown he has seen many changes. In his business life Mr. Woodward enjoys a reputation for the strictest integrity. Being somewhat outspoken in manner, he int- variably defines his position. No business man in his city is any better or more favorably known. Mr. Woodward is ummarried. his home being made with his sister, Miss Eliza 11., and his brother Henry.

HENRY WOODWARD was born June 26. 1838, in Middletown, Conn., which has since been his home, and where his reputation as a citizen and business man is of a high order.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

He attended the public schools, Chase's Acade- my, and, for a time, Wesleyan University, both of Middletown, and also went to John B. Woodford's school at Windsor, Conn. In 1861 he began his career as a druggist, and has ever since been successfully engaged in that line. Mr. Woodward has given consid- erable time to fraternal and social organiza- tions, and is one of the best known men in Masonic circles in Connecticut. As a Knight Templar few members of the fraternity at large are so favorably known and held in so great esteem. On July 15, 1859, soon after reaching legal age, he became a member of St. John's Lodge, No. 2, F. & A. M., Middle- town. On November 29, the same year, he was exalted in Washington Chapter, No. 6, Royal Arch Masons, and on March 12, 1860, he became a member of Columbia Council, No. 7, Royal and Select Masters. He was knighted in Washington Commandery, No. I, Knights Templar, of Hartford, December 18, 1866, and later became a charter member of Cyrene Commandery, No. 8, when it was instituted at Middletown. In Scottish Rite Masonry he has been equally prominent. On February 9, 1870, he joined Charter Oak Lodge of Perfec- tion; March 19, 1891, Hartford Council, Princes of Jerusalem ; March 31, 1891, Cyrus Goodsell Chapter, Rose Croix, and April 9, 1891, Connecticut Sovereign Consistory, of Norwich. On September 18, 1894, he was made sovereign grand inspector general, of the thirty-third and last degree of the Scottish Rite. In addition he was admitted to the Royal Order of Scotland at the same place, September 17, 1894. He has been worshipful master of St. John's Lodge, thrice illustrious master of Columbia Council, eminent com- mander of Cyrene Commandery (five terms), and grand commander of Connecticut. He has also been president of the Connecticut As- sociation of Past Grand Commanders, and on August 28, 1902, was elected president of the New England Association of Past Grand Com- manders, Knights Templar. At the triennial of the Grand Encampment of the United States, held at Denver, in 1892, he was a meni- ber of the ritual committee from this grand jurisdiction. These various offices emphasize the confidence with which his fellow-members honor him, and the conscientious zeal with which he has carried out the teachings of Tem- plar Masonry. Very zealous in the cause of

his Commandery, always at its conclaves, he has been the mainstay, in times of adversity, of Cyrene Commandery, and whatever suc- cess has come to it is due in a great measure to his efforts and enthusiastic encouragement.

Mr. Woodward has been for many years a director of the Middletown National Bank and of the Middletown Savings Bank, and a trus- tee of the latter since 1871. He has been a trustee of the Connecticut Hospital for the Insane since 1870, and the first chairman of the board of trustees of that institution, a posi- tion that he has continued to fill ever since. He is also chairman of the finance committee. During the time the Sshuyler Electric Light Company was in Middletown he was a direc- tor of the same; was a director of the Indian Hill Cemetery Association up to January, 1899; is a director of the Middletown Gas Company ; and a director of the Middletown Electric Light Co. Socially he is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, and is one of the board of managers of the State. He has been a member of the Reform Club of New York. Mr. Woodward is an enthusiastic yachtsman. In his political affiliations he was formerly one of the stanch members of the Democratic party, until recent years, when, owing to that party's attitude on the financial question, he became a supporter of other doc- trines. In the campaign of 1896 he was chair- man of the Gold Democratic Club of Middle- town. He is not strictly allied with any po- litical party. Mr. Woodward has always been averse to holding public office, although he has served as alderman in the city government. In the early days of the attempts of the Legis- lature to regulate the fisheries of the State he was for several terms fish commissioner. By his fearlessness and unswerving determination to do his duty, he accomplished much in bringing the turbulent fishermen into subjec- tion to the laws made for their protection. It was while he was a member of this com- mission that the breeding of shad by the State of Connecticut was first attempted.

Henry Woodward has long been one of the foremost and most valuable citizens of Middletown. His dealings have invariably been marked by that high sense of honor, that sturdy, inflexible integrity, which has been synonymous of the name for many years in Middletown. His identification with so many of the city's institutions has placed him in a

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

foremost position as a business man. In finan- cial circles, especially, he has come to be re- garded as a most valuable counselor, his opinion or judgment on matters of finance carrying no little weight. His interest in pub- lic affairs is continuous, his public spirit abundant, and of distinctively the substantial variety, any movement of benefit readily find- ing in him a supporter.

Mr. Woodward enjoys' an extensive ac- quaintance among public and prominent men throughout Connecticut. To quote a life-long acquaintance : "We find in him the highest type of citizenship, a true friend and an open enemy." Mr. Woodward is unmarried. His home is made with his sister, Miss Eliza H., and his brother, Charles R.

HON. WASHINGTON F. WILLCOX. One of the most prominent and influential men of Middlesex county, as well as one of the ablest members of the Middlesex County Bar, is Hon. Washington F. Wilcox, a man of much more than local reputation. Coming from one of the oldest families of New Eng- land, his ancestors were among the earliest set- tlers in the town of Killingworth. The family has scattered all over the United States, and from it comes Orlando Willcox, of Detroit, a man of national celebrity. Few families have been more thoroughly linked with the history of the old town of Killingworth. On the old records the name is written Wilcox, Wilcocks, Wilcoxson and Willcox. Joseph Wilcox was one of the original twelve planters of the town, who settled there in October, 1663, under the Act of General Assembly authorizing the set- tlement at Hammonassett, which later took the name of Kenilworth, which still later was corrupted into Killingworth. The first mar- riage recorded in the town is that of a Wilcox, and the birth of a daughter of Joseph Wilcox is of record there as early as January 19, 1665.

The Wilcox family is of Saxon origin, and was seated at Bury St. Edmunds, in the County of Suffolk, England, before the Nor- man Conquest. Sir John Dundal, in the Visi- tation of the County of Suffolk, mentions fif- teen generations of this family prior to 1600. This traces the family back to 1200. In the reign of King Edward III, Sir John Wilcox was entrusted with several important commands against the French, and had com- mand of the cross-bow men from Norfolk,

Suffolk and Essex. John Wilcox, of Bury Priory, in Suffolk, an eminent Q. C., is the representative of the ancient family.

William Wilcoxson, born at St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, came to America when thirty-four years old, in the ship "Plant- er;" with a certificate from a minister at St. Albans. Mr. Wilcoxson was made a freeman of Massachusetts in 1636, moved to Stratford, Conn., in 1639, was a representative from Hartford in 1647, and died in 1652. He was accompanied to this country by his wife, Mar- garct, aged twenty-four years, and their son, John, aged two years.

Joseph Wilcoxson, a son of William, the emigrant settler, is the Joseph referred to in the foregoing, who settled in Killingworth. Previous to his removal thither there were born to himself and wife, Anna, children as follows: Joseph, born October 29, 1659; Thomas, November 13, 1661; and Samuel, 1663. The birth of his first child recorded in Killingworth was Hannah, born January 19, 1665 ; and the others born there were Nathan- iel. August 29, 1668; William, January 9, 1671 ; Margaret, 1673; and John, 1675.

Simeon Willcox, the grandfather of Wash- ington F., married Azuba Turner, a daughter of a captain in the Revolutionary war, who lived in the Center District of Killingworth. The children left by this most worthy couple were : Harley, who adopted the teacher's pro- fession and went to Montreal, and of whom the family lost trace; Erastus, who was a Methodist divine in New Jersey; Sabra, who married Capt. Rufus Crane, of Killingworth ; Admira, who married Joseph Dowd, and lived in Clinton, Conn .; and Hervey, the father of our subject.

Hervey Willcox was born in Killingworth, Conn., on the same farm as our subject, where he was reared, receiving only the meager edu- cational advantages of the time and location. His business was that of farming, and he lived a quiet, uneventful life. He took a com- mendable interest in church affairs as a mem- ber of the Congregational denomination, and was one of the bulwarks of the town, sensible. intelligent, not self-seeking, but ever ready to fill any post of duty. His political affiliations were with the Democratic party. but he took no prominent part in public matters. His death occurred int 1866, when he was sixty-three years of age. While still a young man he had

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

married Lydia Wright, a member of one of the best families of Clinton, who lived to an advanced age, her death occurring in 1880, when she was laid beside her husband in the South District cemetery, in Killingworth. Her parents, David and Chloe (Hurd) Wright, w'ere residents of Clinton. The father de- serves more than mere mention, his ability and judgment setting him above his neighbors, and making of him one of the prominent and respected citizens of his locality. Doubtless from this maternal grandfather our subject inherits. somewhat of the natural legal bent of his active mind, for David Wright was a nat- ural lawyer, requiring no legal education to enable him to adjust the affairs of his neigh-

bors to the satisfaction and understanding of all. The only one of his family now surviving is David L. Wright, of Clinton. Children as

follows were born to Hervey and Lydia (Wright) Willcox: Mary married John B. Wheeler, of Newtown, Conn., and has one son ; Washington F. is our subject; Cornelia mar- ried Leach Lyon, of New Haven, and has one son; William is a hotel-keeper of Clarks- ville, Texas; Edward lives in New Haven; Elizabeth, widow of Charles Burdette, of Con- way, Mass., has one daughter; Lucius lives in New Haven, Conn .; Evelyn lives in Bridge- port ; Ella is now Mrs. Frederick Dickerman, of Winsted, Connecticut.

Washington F. Willcox is distinctively a Middlesex county product. He was born Au- gust 22, 1834, in the town of Killingworth, where he early learned the topography of the country by hard farm work among its bushes and stones. In those days the lot of a farm boy was not one of idleness, although Mr. Willcox has never been accused of spending an idle moment. His primary education was received in the district schools, and he later attended Chestnut Hill District school, in Killingworth. He was then sent to a private school conducted by Rev. William Bell, the scholarly pastor of the Congregational Church, and under his direction for several years studied Latin and the higher English branches, later studying at Madison Academy, and also in Clinton. Desiring to enter Yale College, Mr. Willcox went to the Hopkins Grammar School, in New Haven, following which he en- tered Yale Law School, graduating in 1861. On account of a weakness of the eyes, he was not able to pursue his academic course

as far as he otherwise would have done, but the results have shown that he made no mistake when he entered upon the study of law, in- stead of other lines, which had been his first ambition. For several terms he engaged suc- cessfully in teaching, but after he was ad- mitted to the Bar he opened up an office for practice in Deep River, where he has since continued. Although many flattering induce- ments have been offered him to locate in one of the larger cities, and his official duties have often made a distant residence necessary, his love for Nature and the delights of country life, for his home, have kept him' within the prescribed limits of a small town, although his. name and fame have gone over and beyond the boundaries of the State of Connecticut. As an able attorney his services are sought. throughout the State, and he has by far the most lucrative practice in Middlesex county.

In 1862-63 Mr. Willcox's political career was well opened by his election as representa- tive to the Legislature, followed, in 1875-76, by his election to the Senate, where he served two years as chairman of the Judiciary com- mittee. In 1875 he was appointed State's at- torney, which office he efficiently held for eight years, this being followed by a call to come up higher. When the LIst Congress convened he was a member, elected as a Demo- crat, and he was elected to the LIId Congress, making a record for himself, during his first. termt as a member of the committees on Claims, and Coinage of Weights and Meas- ures. During his second term he was chairman of the committee on the Eleventh Census, and on the Labor committee was second to the chairman. Declining a renomination, Mr. Willcox resumed his legal business, but on July 1, 1897, he was appointed by Gov. Cooke to the Board of Railway Commissioners, his associates electing him to the chairmanship. In this position Mr. Willcox is a most efficient official, and his management of the business. coming before the board is above criticism.

On January 1, 1868, Mr. Willcox was. married to Salome C. Dennison of Chester, a daughter of Judge Socrates and Maria (Kirk- land) Dennison, and to this union have been born : Marie, an accomplished lady, whose education was pursued at Deep River high school, at Miss Bangs' establishment in New Haven, and at Fort Edward, N. Y .; Kather- ine, whose education was obtained at the same

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

school, and completed at Smith College; and Frederick W. and Donald D., both students at Wilbraham Academy. Mr. Willcox and his family occupy a high social position in Deep River and Chester, all of the members being well known throughout the county be- cause of the prominence of Mr. Willcox and the gracious hospitality of the ladies. Mrs. Willcox is entitled to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.

For a number of years Mr. Willcox has been a director of the Deep River Savings Bank, of which he is vice-president, and he is also vice-president of the American Bar As- sociation. Strong in his partisanship, never swerving in his loyalty to his friends, possess- ing the courage of his convictions, Mr. Will- cox has made a record for himself of which he may justly feel proud.

HON. HENRY GRISWOLD HUB- BARD. In the death of Henry G. Hubbard, of Middletown, on July 29, 1891, there passed away one of the esteemed citizens and substan- tial men of the city and Commonwealth, one of worth to the community in which he had passed a long, useful life and an active and remarkably successful business career.

Mr. Hubbard was born October 8, 1814, in Middletown, son of Hon. Elijah and Lydia (Mather) Hubbard, and was descended in both paternal and maternal lines from among the first settlers of New England, in his line being men of prominence, usefulness and wealth in their respective communities.

(I) George Hubbard, his emigrant an- cestor, a native of England, appears first of record in this country at Hartford in 1639, and is believed to be one of the company com- ing thither from the vicinity of Boston in 1635- 36, when were located and settled the points of. Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield, on the Connecticut river. Mr. Hubbard mar- ried, in 1640, Elizabeth, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Watts. In 1650 he removed to Mattabesett, which in 1653 was called Mid- dletown. Here he owned large tracts of land on either side of the river. He died in 1684, and his widow in 1702. From this George Hubbard the late Henry G. Hubbard is in the seventh generation, his lineage being through Joseph, Robert, Robert (2), Elijah and Eli- jah (2).

(II) Joseph Hubbard, born December

10, 1643, in Hartford, died December 26, 1688. He married December 29, 1670, Mary Porter, who was born in 1650, and died June 10, 1707.

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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 2

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