Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 81

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 81

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HON. GEORGE W. BACON, father of Mrs. Charles J. Hubbard, was born December 17, 1812, in Middlefield, was a joiner by trade, and also followed farming. Politically he was one of the few Democrats in Middlefield, a rank Secessionist, and in 1858 was elected to the General Assembly. He was also known as Major Bacon, having been a drum major in the local militia. In 1834 he was married to Phebe C. Birdsey, a daughter of Samuel and

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Betsey (Crowell) Birdsey, and five children came to this union, viz. : Melissa J., born De- cember 3, 1834, died September 15, 1835. Henry Lafayette, born October 15, 1838, mar- ried Alice L. Atwater June 14, 1882, and died August 30, 1891, while engaged in the bank- ing business in Elmira, N. Y .; he left one child, Mary L., born October 7, 1883. John Louis, born October 9, 1840, married Mary E. Haz- ard June 22, 1876, and became the father of four children-Louis A., born May 8, 1877, George W., born in 1879 (who died February 14, 1881), John L., born December 10, 1882, and Lucy, born December 26, 1884. Lucy F., born September 13, 1843, was married to An- drew Bell June 15, 1887, and resides in Mid- dlefield. Martha S., Mrs. Charles J. Hub- bard, is the youngest. Major Bacon died of pneumonia in Middlefield May 15, 1877, after an illness of but two days' duration, and his widow survived until March 13, 1889.

Major Bacon "was a man of courteous bearing, witty sayings, a genial companion and a kind neighbor, with a smile and kindly greet- ing for every one, he has been missed from these pathways 'that know him no more for- ever."-[Atkins' History of Middlefield.

JAMES MILLER, president and founder of the Portland Silk Mills, Middletown, Mid- dlesex county, is perhaps as thoroughly con- versant with all the details of silk manufac- ture as any other man in the United States. In his childhood he entered a mill in his na- tive Scotland, and has literally grown up in the trade. Beginning life burdened with lim- ited resources, both as regards finances and ed- ucation, he has worked his way to the top of the ladder, and has now an eminent place among the silk manufacturers of the country. The Portland Silk Mill is regarded as a most valuable addition to Middletown industries.

Mr. Miller was born September 3, 1849, in Dunfermline, Scotland (the birthplace of An- drew Carnegie), a son of William and Jane (Bennett) Miller. William Miller was a silk weaver, as had been his ancestors for several generations. About 1870 he came to this country, and was first employed in Lowell, Mass., but later for many years he was em- ployed in the silk mills at Manchester, Conn. There, when he was over sixty years of age, he was killed at a railroad crossing. His wife.

had died some years previous, shortly after their removal to Manchester. They were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom grew to maturity: James : Alexander, a practical silk weaver in Manchester, Conn .; William, in the same business and loca- tion ; Mary ; Lizzie; Agnes ; Bella ; and Jennie. Mrs. Jane ( Bennett) Miller was a daughter of Alexander Bennett, who was engaged in the manufacture of damasks, one of the most difficult, as well as one of the finest arts of weaving. Among the employes in his factory at one time was the father of Andrew Carnegie. Alexander Bennett car- ried on business at Dunfermline, Scotland.

As the parents were of limited means, the children early took up the burden of flife. James Miller's youth was passed before the days of compulsory education, and by far the greater part of his education has been ac- quired by close attention and observation of the world around him. From the time he was nine he was reared in Glasgow. At that ten- der age he began working in a mill, and has since continued in this line. When he was in the mill work, he was employed in the printing department, where were being made by thous- ands the "Garibaldi" handkerchiefs, then so popular that the demand could hardly be supplied. Mr. Miller remained in Glasgow until he was about seventeen, when he went to Perth, and spent the ensuing three years there. Being ambitious, and wishing to learn the business thoroughly, he worked in the cel- ebrated mills in that city, and secured many valuable ideas. In 1871 he crossed the ocean on the "City of Brooklyn"-one of the noted vessels of her time-and was thirteen days on the voyage. His first work in the United States, at was Adams, Mass., where his father was employed, and he later went to Philadel- phia, and thence to Manchester, Conn., where for eighteen years he was employed by the Cheneys, great silk men of that place. After brief employment in Paterson, N. J., in 1890, in company with his brother, Alexander, he started as a silk manufacturer at that place, and soon after bought his brother's interest, con- ducting the factory alone until July, 1897, when he sold out the plant, which in the mean- time had been moved to Passaic, N. J. That year he came to Middletown and founded the Portland Silk factory. This was a new plant,

James Millen

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had new machinery, thoroughly modern in every respect, and under his enlightened and progressive management, it has grown beyond expectation ; in 1900 the plant had to be greatly increased, as the output was threefold its cal- culation. It is now regarded as one of the leading establishments of the kind in the Unit- ed States, and one whose position as such re- flects the highest credit upon the manage- ment.

In New York James Miller married Miss Margaret Stalker, who was born in Tillicoul- try, Scotland. To this union were born the following children: : Arthur James, of the Portland Silk Company ; David D., vice-pres- ident of the Portland Silk Company; Fannie J., who married William Whitney, of New- ark, N. J., and has one daughter, Ethel. Mr. Miller is a stanch Republican, but he is a mod- est and unassuming man, with a life devoted to his line of business, and has never had any de- sire for political position. He is a man of strong character and much force, and as a cit- izen is upright and loyal, giving strict and careful attention to public affairs, and possess- ing to the fullest extent those sterling charac- teristics of honor and integrity characteristic of his nationality. Mr. Miller is looked upon as one of Middletown's most valuable citizens. Not in that city's history has such a noted and substantial industry been built up in so short a time as that of the Portland Silk Com- pany.

GEORGE H. PENFIELD, one of the best citizens of Portland, is a provident and thrifty farmer. The family of which he is a worthy representative has been known for a long period in the history of the town, and has con- tributed to its population not a few worthy and upright people. Mr. Penfield resides on Pen- field Hill, which perpetuates his family name and is situated in the eastern part of the town. The Penfields, Peltons, Cornwalls, Shepards, and others who have long lived in this com- munity, are intermarried and are all promi- nent in the carly history of the town. Mr. Penfield was born in the same house in which he is now living, March 19, 1838, a son of Hiram A. and Sarah Parmelee ( McNary) Penfield.

John Penfield, the progenitor of the fam- ily in Portland, came from Lebanon, Con11 ..

and settled on Penfield Hill, very early in the eighteenth century. On April 9, 1714, he mar- ried Ann Cornwall, and their children were as follows: Jonathan ( Squire), born March 25, 1719; Col. John, May 14, 1721 ; Ann, Oc- tober 26, 1726, married Joseph Pelton, Sep- tember 27, 1744; Silence married John Shep- ard, October 21, 1756; Simon, married a Miss Powers, of Killingly, and had seven chil- dren ; Stephen married and had a family ; and David died unmarried.

Col. John Penfield, son of John, was born May 14, 1721, and died February 22, 1797. He was a leading man in his day. His wife Ruth died July 17, 1794, in her fifty-eighth year. They had the following family: Jesse, born April 2 1755; Rachel. November 14, 1756; Ruth, October 30, 1758; Phoebe, De- cember 5, 1760, married a Mr. Bill: Samuel, October 13, 1762, was a blacksmith on Pen- field Hill and he married Jemima Hurlbut, on October 17, 1784; Jeremiah, March 29, 1765, was a captain of a vessel and was drowned in the Connecticut river; John; and Jonathan, October 3, 1771.

John Penfield, son of Col. John and grand- father of George H., was born July 25, 1767, and became a farmer, making his home on the farm where he was born, and where he died. He was a leading man in town affairs and in the church in his day. On Feb. 27, 1797, he married Jane Stewart, who was born De- cember 1, 1769, and who died July 23. 1827 ; he died December 1, 1829, and both are buried in Center cemetery. They were the parents of the following children: Susan A., born Au- gust 13, 1799, married Miles Strickland, of Portland, February 25, 1824; Hiram A .. De- cember 25, 1802; Emily Matilda, January 29. 1806, married Allen Brainard, of Portland ; and Alfred C., September 25, 1809, was a farmer on the old homestead. and married Hepzibah Melissa MeNary, who was born De- cember 29, 1816, at South Farms, Conn. ( He died November 17, 1856).

Hiram A. Penfield was born on a farm ad- joining that now occupied by his son George H .. December 25. 1802. He was a student in the district school on Penfield Hill, before its location on its present site. Being a good student, he learned rapidly, and at the age of eighteen began teaching school. continuing with much success for a number of years, and

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winning a high reputation in his time. After his marriage he settled on a rented farm, that of Reuben Payne, and about 1830 moved to the farm that became their life home. They bought it from an uncle, Jonathan Penfield, and it is now the home of the subject of this sketch. There Hiram A. Penfield devoted his

life to the cultivation of the soil, and there he built the excellent home and other buildings, which are still standing to attest the honest industry of the times. On December 25, 1828, he married Sarah Parmelee McNary, who was born May 22, 1798, in Middle Haddam, Conn., a daughter of Morris (who was born Septem- ber 8, 1765, a son of Morris McNary, who came from the north of Ireland) and Sarah (Doan) McNary (who was born September 4, 1766). Hiram A. Penfield died December 19, 1872, and his widow survived to February 28, 1882, and both are buried in Center cemetery. Their children were: John M., whose biog- raphy appears elsewhere; Sarah J., born Jan- tiary 9, 1832, married John H. Clark, Decem- ber 24, 1853, and died in Portland February 28, 1895; Henry A., born January 31, 1836, died February 29, 1836; and George H. The father early came to the front as a reliable and capable man. He was a stanch Democrat, and held various offices, selectman, assessor and others, in the town, always with credit to himself, and he declined to be a can- didate for representative in the State Legisla- ture. He was a man of commanding presence, and had a naturally legal mind, which, with his sound common sense, peculiarly fitted him to settle large estates, which he was several times called upon to do. As a man of positive convictions, which were the result of much thought and reflection, he was always heard with respect. His death came suddenly, and his loss was greatly felt in the community of which he had so long been an honored mem- ber.

George H. Penfield attended the district school on Penfield Hill, and Harrison Whit- comb was among his earlier teachers. He was reared a farmer boy, and received his education entirely in the local district school. Although he began working early in life, he always remained at home.

On January 23, 1862, Mr. Penfield mar- ried Miss Almira G. Bailey, of Chatham, Conn., who was born October II, 1840, a

daughter of Seth and Phila ( Purple) Bailey. Her father was a ship carpenter in early life, but afterward made farming his life work. Mr. and Mrs. Penfield became the parents of three children : (I) Mary Adeline, born April 21, 1863, married October 10, 1883, George M. Taylor, of Portland, but now a contractor and builder in Hartford. Their children are: Percy Penfield, born May 11, 1886; Walter Ellery, October 28, 1889; George Kellogg, December 29, 1893; Tracy, October 1, 1896. (2) Sarah Doan, born December 8, 1867, at- tended the Middletown High School, and mar- ried William H. Rouse, March 26, 1898. (3) Walter H., February 4, 1873, married June 10, 1896, Miss Bessie Pascall, and resides in Portland. Mrs. Almira G. (Bailey) Penfield, the mother of this family, died December I, 1889, leaving behind her tender memories of a good wife and loving mother.

After his marriage, George H. Penfield lo- cated on the family homestead, which came into his possession at his father's death. He is one of the most highly respected men in the town. A stanch Democrat, he is active in party work, and has been constable of the town, and was a candidate for selectman in 1899, but was beaten by four votes. He refused to vote for himself, and did no work to secure the position. On another occasion he was beaten for state representative by thirteen votes. He has long been warden and vestry- man of Christ's Church ( Episcopal) at Cobalt, and is one of the leading men in that parish. Mr. Penfield owns one of the fine country homes of the county, and has a most excellent family. He is a genial and hospitable man, a good farmer, and man of unswerving in- tegrity.

TITUS C. MATHER. Time was when the poet could write truthfully of the lack of man's control of the mighty waters of the ocean, when to "go down into the sea with ships" was to take one's life in one's hand as something of little value, but since the days when Titus C. Mather, with his brave marin- ers, safely sailed its waters, and understand- ingly watched its winds and tides and currents, man has gained a certain mastery over old ocean, and no more disasters occur on the sea than upon the stable land.

Mr. Mather is in the tenth generation from

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John Mather, his line being through Thomas, Rev. Richard, Timothy, Richard (2), Joseph, Dr. Eleazer, Dr. Elisha and Dr. Ezra S. The Captain's immediate ancestors were not sea- going men, his grandfather, Elisha Mather, having been one of the prominent and success- ful physicians of Essex, Middlesex county, as was his father before him, Dr. Eleazer Mather, of Saybrook. Elisha Mather, M. D., was born at Lyme March 14, 1755, and on April 26, 1778, married Elizabeth Selden ; she died June 2, 184I, aged eighty-two. Their childrer were: Samuel Rogers, born January 20, 1780, married September 30, 1812, and died September 20, 1815. A son, born in July, 1781, died the same month. Elizabeth, born August 2, 1782, married Benjamin Trumbull in 1800, and died August 20, 1828. Elisha (2) M. D., born January 9, 1786, married Su- san Willey in 1807, and died May 24, 1848. Ezra S., M. D., born August 7, 1788, is men- tioned below. Sophia, born Jan. 17, 1791, mar- ried George W. Jewett. Laura born August 20, 1796, was married in 1817 to M. Page, and later became the wife of M. Armstrong; she died in 1825. Ulysses, M. D., born No- vember 20, 1802, married Priscilla P. Doane in 1822, and died May 15, 1832. The father of this family resided in Centerbrook, on prop- erty now owned by our subject, where his days were passed in the arduous duties of his pro- fession. For forty years he was a devout member of the Episcopal Church, in which for a number of years he was senior warden.

Ezra S. Mather, son of Dr. Elisha, was born in Essex, and no love for the sea tempted him away from his father's profession. He first studied with Dr. Ely, of Lyme, completing his professional training at a medical school. The village doctor made his welcome visits throughout his native town and those in the vicinity, becoming known far and wide for his skill and successful practice in surgery. An ardent and active Democrat, he was frequently called upon to fill local offices, and was made selectman and often justice of the peace, being noted for his judicial mind. Both he and his wife were valued members, all their lives, of lie Episcopal Church, and possessed the es- eem of the community. On November 7. 1813, he married Chiloe Clark ( daughter of Danforth Clark), who died March 13, 1870. Their children were: Titus S., born June 18.

1814, died June 17, 1815; Titus Clark, born October 14, 1816, died December 31, 1820; Chloe E. was born June 3, 1818; Julia was born December 31, 1819; Capt. Ezra Selden, born November 5, 1821, married October 26, 1868, Susan B. Post; Titus Clark (2), born February 29, 1824, is mentioned below ; Morti- mer D., born December 23, 1828, was married on November 12, 1863, to Eliza A. Pratt.

Capt. Titus C. Mather, whose name intro- duces these lines, was born in Essex February 29, 1824, was given the educational advantages of the home schools, and was also sent to the famous Hills Academy, an institution then with a reputation for erudition that reached over many States. At the age of sixteen, how- ever, his latent love for the sea developed, and he went out from his comfortable home and engaged as a sailor before the mast, his ener- getic disposition requiring more adventure than could be found in the village round of duties. That Mr. Mather was particularly fitted by nature for the life he chose was soon proved, for step by step he was advanced in position until he had attained the highest in the service, when he was still a comparatively young man. For forty years he followed the sea, viewing the ocean in every phase, under every sun, and meeting citizens of every quarter of the globe. He visited every large city on both sides of the Atlantic ocean, as well as upon the Med- iterranean sea, in all these places displaying the characteristics of a manly and courageous American citizen.

For a period of eight years Capt. Mather engaged in trade with the Indians on the Isth- mus of Panama, purchasing from them the products of the soil and supplying them with the articles which they highly prized. Upon his return in 1878 from the Isthmus Capt. Mather decided that should be his last voyage. although his long service had been marred by few accidents. Calm and courageous himself. he inspired others in the same way, thus avoid- ing many disasters, or remedying them in such a way as to leave no lasting trouble. But one ship was lost, and that by fire, in Mobile bay. After settling down at his old home in Essex. Capt. Mather attempted farming as an employ- ment for an active man, but in recent years his failing health has caused him to almost aban- clon it.

By his first marriage to Saralı M. Netter-

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well, in 1852, the Captain was the father of two children : Titus C., who died young ; and Ezra, who married Mary Armstrong, resides in Essex, and has had five children, Charlotte Augusta, Mary Louise, Harrie Melville, Lil- lian Mae, and Verner Elbridge. Mrs. Mather died September 7, 1879, and the second mar- riage of Capt. Mather, to Dolley C. Walkey, a daughter of David Walkley, connected him with one of the prominent old families of Had- dam. Both he and his wife are members of the Episcopal Church, and in his political be- lief Capt. Mather upholds the principles of the Democratic party. Surrounded by the com- forts of life, and cheered by his bright and happy grandchildren, he lives a peaceful and quiet life in the old home, endeared to him by so many youthful recollections, esteemed by all, and a fit representative of one of the best families of grand old Middlesex county.

HON. EDWARD PRATT STANNARD a prominent and influential citizen of West- brook and the distinguished member of the Legislature from that town, comes from an old and honored, as well as numerous, family of the locality. John Stannard, his great-great- grandfather, was a large landowner in West- brook, being at the time of his death the wealthiest man in the community, his estate at that time being valued at $14,000.

John Stannard (2), the son of John, was born in what is now the North Dis- trict of Westbrook. At the age of twenty-three he joined the Continental army, was taken pris- oner by the British and carried to Halifax, with about 700 other prisoners, enduring scurvy and smallpox, but escaped with his life under conditions which to us, of this day of fumigations, disinfectants, anti-septics and medical knowledge, can only seem miraculous. At the close of the Revolution, he was permit- ted to return to his home. He conducted an inn in Westbrook for some years following, but later purchased a farm in the east part of the town, where he remained during the rest of his life, his death taking place May 18, 1842. His wife had been Zuba Pratt, of Say- brook.

Deacon John Stannard, son of John (2) and his wife Zuba, was born in Westbrook in 1789, and he successfully followed the leading occupation of the people there, which was fish-

ing; but he later became a farmer. In 1820 he erected the house which stands immediately west of our subject's present home. His death the result of an accident, occurred in New York City, while on a visit to a son, October 26, 1843. For many years he was a valued member of the Congregational Church, in which he was a deacon. His wife, Katherine Post, of Westbrook, bore him the following children : Alpheus; Catherine, who married William Stannard; and John R., the father of our subject. Mrs. Katherine (Post) Stan- nard survived her husband and later married William Doty, residing for a time in the State of New York, but later both returned to West- brook, and remained in the home of John R. Stannard until the time of decease. Mrs. Doty died September 4, 1884.

John R. Stannard was born on March 6, 1824, in Westbrook, and was reared a farm- er boy, spending his whole life in agricultural pursuits. With filial care he comforted the last days of his parents, and later purchased the interests of the other heirs in the old home- stead. There he resided, hard-working and frugal to the time of his death, August 18, 1900. This sad event was the result of an ac- cident, a heavy cart tongue falling upon him. In his early life he had been a Republican, but later became convinced of the worth of the , principles of the Prohibitionist party. Though very domestic in his habits, he was interested in the advancement of his town, and held many of the minor offices, and for a long time was the tax collector. He married Sarah Ann Kirt- land, who was born in Saybrook, March 27, 1825, a daughter of Joseph and Lydia ( Pratt) Kirtland. She died June 21, 1896, the devoted mother of four children: Grace K., born in 1845, married Henry P. Chapman, of Essex, and has a daughter Jessie, who married Charles E. Kelsey: John A., of Centerbrook. born in 1849, married Mary L. Kirtland, and has one daughter Sarah, who married Aaror S. Miller, of Ivoryton; Edward Pratt; and Adelaide P., born in 1857, died in 1897.

Edward P. Stannard was born on the home farm August 29, 1855, and was educated ir the district schools, later receiving higher in- struction in the Westbrook Academy, unde: Benjamin F. Bushnell and Oliver H. Norris Remaining on the home farm until he was twenty-one years old, he then induced his par

& P. Stannard

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ents to consent to his leaving them to seek em- ployment elsewhere, as he was tired of farm- ing, but he promised to return if they needed him. In Meriden he at once obtained em- ployment as a finisher in the factory of Brad- ley Hubbard, remaining there some seven years. At his parents' request he returned to the farm, intending to remain but a few weeks, but instead spent three and one-half years in managing the farm, his characteristic self-de- nial acquiescing quietly in the call of Duty. Tiring again of agricultural work, he went to Ivoryton, which was near his home, and was employed on contract work in the action de- partment of The Comstock, Cheney & Co. fac- tory, where he remained until 1892. That year he again made his home in Westbrook and in March of the same year erected his present house and barn, where he conducted a very prosperous livery business, especially during the summer seasons, when the various beaches in the vicinity are occupied by summer visit- ors. This he disposed of in 1900.

On November 22, 1887, Mr. Stannard was married to Isabelle M. Magna, who was born in Westbrook December 21, 1857, a daughter of Capt. Samuel C. and Deborah (Hungerford) Magna. They have had three children : Russell M., deceased; Lynda, born March 16, 1891 ; and Grace K., born De- cember 6, 1893. For almost the entire period of his residence in Westbrook, Mr. Stannard has been prominent in public life. He is a stanch Republican, and has most acceptably filled the offices of first and second selectman. In 1900 he was elected to the General As- sembly, representing the town of Westbrook, and in the session of 1900-01 was one of the school fund committee.

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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 81

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