USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Commemorative biographical record of New Haven county, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settled families, V. I, Pt 1 > Part 57
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Allen Clark, son of Lemuel, was married on Jan. 19, 1803, to Sylvia Barnes, a daughter of Thomas and Phebe (Langdon) Barnes, who was born June 25, 1782, in Southington. Allen Clark was a clothier by trade and occupation, and a resident of Plantsville. His death occurred on June 30, 1861, at the age of eighty-six years, and his wife died Jan. 12, 1857. Their children were: Sophia, born Dec. 1, 1803, died Sept. 9, 1805; Salmon F., born Jan. 14, 1805 ; Henry A., born Aug. 26, 1806, mar- ried Sarah Curtis, Nov. 14, 1832; Sophia (2), born Oct. 6, 1808, died April 10, 1840; George R., born Dec. 30, 1810, died June 19, 1834; Polly, born Feb. II, 1813, died Nov. 2, 1816; Phebe, born Jan. 12, 18$5, died Nov. 18, 1816; Polly A., born Feb. 9, 1817; Phebe A., born April 12, 1819, married Levi
P. Norton, and died April 30, 1868; Lemuel, born March 1, 1821, married Mrs. Eunice R. Adams, May 16, 1860; and Minerva, born Feb. 16, 1823, married Julius E. Merriman Nov. 24, 1845.
(Stephen Barnes, says tradition, was of the Branford family who came thither from Long Isl- and, settled in Southington, with his wife, Mary, was the progenitor of many of the name there.)
MICHAEL SEIP, superintendent for Manning, Bowman & Co., manufacturers of Meriden, is a well-known and highly respected resident of that city, and has held his present responsible position for the past twenty-two years. His birth occurred Jan. 11, 1835, in Easton, Pa., and he belongs to one of the old families of that State, of German descent. The family name was originally spelled Seib. and the family history is traced back to the beginning of the eighteenth century, to Jacob Seib, a native of Bucks county, Pa., who was born and reared on a farm. During early manhood he removed to Easton, Pa., located on a farm, and there spent the re- mainder of his life. His remains were interred in the cemetery at Easton. For many years he was a consistent member of the Lutheran Church.
(II) Michael Seip, son of Jacob, was born on the farm in Easton and there grew to manhood. He learned the trade of blacksmith, which he followed all his life, becoming one of the best blacksmiths and horseshoers in that section. His death occurred in Easton when he was eighty-two years of age, and he was buried in the cemetery there. In politics he was a Jeffersonian Democrat; in religious matters he was a member of the Lutheran Church. During the war of 1812 he was in the campaign at New Orleans under Gen. Jackson, and in both civil and military affairs was well known and highly re- spected. Michael Seip was married in Easton to Catharine Kreidler, who was a native of that city, although of German descent. Her parents were large land owners and farmers of that locality, and very prominent people. Mrs. Seip died in Easton, and was there buried by the side of her husband. Like him she was an earnest member of the Luth- eran Church. Their children were as follows: Ed- ward, the father of Michael and Henry W. ; Aaron, a blacksmith, who died in Easton; Henry S., who was a coach maker and blacksmith in Easton; Tilghman, a blacksmith at Allentown, Pa., who died in Easton ; Reuben, a blacksmith at Bath, Pa., where he died; Amos, who was first a coach maker, but later studied medicine, and is now a physician in Easton ; and Catharine, who married George Heck- man. of Easton.
(III) Edward Seip was born in Easton, Pa., in 1805, and grew to manhood in his native place, learning the trade of blacksmith under his father. For several years he followed that trade, but being a man of enterprise and progressive ideas he em- barked in several ventures, for a time conducting a livery stable, and later a dairy business. The active years of his life were spent in Easton and neighbor-
Michael Seip
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ing towns, and when he retired from business he removed to Philadelphia, and there died Nov. 21, 1885, at the age of eighty years. He was buried in the Knights of Pythias cemetery, he having been a member of that order, as well as of the I. O. O. F., at Easton, and the O. U. A. M., also at Easton. In religious matters he affiliated with the Lutheran Church, and held the office of deacon in that body. Politically he was a Jackson Democrat, but never aspired for office. Edward Seip married in Easton Margaret Hemsing, daughter of William and Mar- garet (Spinner) Hemsing, the former of whom was a composer and writer of music and a very fine musician. His wife was a relative of United States Treasurer Spinner, who was in office during the Civil war. Mrs. Seip died in Philadelphia Dec. 23, 1879, aged seventy-two years, and was buried in the Knights of Pythias cemetery. She was a devoted wife and mother, a kind neighbor and good Chris- tian, greatly beloved by all who knew her. Children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Edward Seip as follows : Henry William, born May 12, 1829. Henrietta, born Aug. 8, 1833, is now the widow of Jacob Houk, of Easton. Michael was born Jan. 11, 1835. Edward, born May 11, 1836, resides in Easton, Pa. Wilhel- mina, born May II, 1838, married Charles Doch- aradt, of Easton. Sarah Ann, born Nov. 19, 1839, married George Davenport, a barber, of Easton. Richard Madison J., born April 17, 1811, is a manu- facturer of paper supplies in Germantown, Pa. Charles Lewis, born Oct. 11. 1842, graduated from the medical department of the University of Penn- sylvania, and is a physician of New Bedford, Mass. Emma M., born Jan. 24. 1845, is now the widow of Edwin D. Ulmer, of Philadelphia. Alice S. was born Sept. 30, 1846. There were three other daugh- ters, but they died young.
Michael Seip attended the public school of his native town, and there remained until fifteen years of age. At that time he started out to make his own way in life, and located in Philadelphia, where he obtained a position with Hall & Boardman, on Arch street, who were engaged in the britannia business. For about six years he remained in that position, re- ceiving his board and twenty-five dollars for the first year, and board with an advance of five dollars each year for the remaining years of that period. Having attained his majority and learned his busi- ness thoroughly, Michael Seip accepted a position as superintendent with John Oliver Meade & Sons, silver platers, which he filled with general satisfac- tion for fourteen years. On Feb. 1, 1868, he came to Connecticut to accept a position with Manning, Bowman & Co., at Middletown, as foreman. When that company removed the plant to Meriden, in July, 1872, Mr. Seip came with them, and retained the position mentioned until 1880, when he was pro- moted to the superintendency of the entire factory, and since that time has most efficiently discharged its duties. Being a man of genial disposition, and taking a deep interest in the business and the men under him, he has won the respect and confidence
of all with whom he is brought into contact, while his ability in his work is unquestioned.
Michael Seip was married, Jan. 2, 1856, in Phil- adelphia, to Eliza Jane Huston, a native of Quaker- town, Pa., daughter of Jesse Huston. One child came to this union, Ida Virginia, born in October, 1856, in Philadelphia, who was educated in Meri- den, Conn., and given many advantages. She mar- ried Frank W. Frisbie, son of Thaddeus Frisbie, of New Haven, and they make their home with Mr. and Mrs. Seip, in Meriden. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Frisbie: Walter S., born May 11, 1881, graduated from Yale in the class of 1901, and is now a student in the medical department of Cornell University, N. Y. Ethel May was born Aug. 8, 1887. Marguerite Huston was born Feb. 4. 1889. Mr. Frisbie is a druggist. Both Mr. and Mrs. Frisbie are members of All Saints' Episcopal Church, in which he is a vestry- man and secretary of the Sunday school. Mrs. Frisbie has devoted much time to music, having studied under Mr. Parsons, of Meriden, and is a very accomplished musician.
Mr. Seip is a member of Meridian Lodge, No. 77, A. F. & A. M. : Keystone Chapter, No. 27, R. A. M .; Fraternal Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Philadelphia, of which he is past grand; and Ashland Encamp- ment. In political affiliations he is a Republican, but has never sought for or desired office. Both he and his wife are devout members of the First Methodist Church, and Mr. Seip has been one of the trustees of that body for ten years. In their pleasant home a genial hospitality is dispensed, and the family enjoys in the highest degree the con- fidence and respect of neighbors and friends.
DEACON HENRY WILLIAM SEIP, fore- man of the stock department of Manning, Bowman & Co., Meriden, was born in Easton, Pa .. May 12. 1829, son of Edward Seip, and brother of Michael Seip. His education was obtained in the public schools, and he was taught the trade of blacksmith by his father. He worked at his trade in his native town until 1856, at which time he went to Philadel- phia and engaged in the britannia business in the factory of John O. Meade & Sons. From 1856 until 1875 Mr. Seip continued with this one house, with the exception of six years spent in doing con- tract work at the Baldwin Locomotive Works, and gave universal satisfaction. After having been a resident of Philadelphia for nineteen years he re- moved to Meriden and entered the employ of Man- ning. Bowman & Co., working at the drop press. While thus engaged he met with an accident which resulted in the whole or partial loss of the fingers on his left hand. As soon as he had recovered from this accident he was placed in the stock department as assistant to the foreman, and within a short time his ability demonstrated his fitness for the position of foreman, to which he was accordingly promoted and which he has since retained, discharging his numerous and responsible duties faithfully and with
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efficiency. Thousands of dollars worth of goods pass through his hands every year and much re- sponsibility rests upon him, but he has always been found capable of meeting every emergency. Like his brother, Michael Seip, he is genial and has many friends, not only among his business associates, but in social circles.
Deacon Seip was twice married, his first wife having been Miss Eliza Houk, a native of North- ampton county, Pa. They were married in Easton, Pa. Two children came to them, of whom Mary, the eldest, died young. Emma Miller resides in Philadelphia. Mrs. Seip died in Philadelphia. On May 10, 1868, Mr. Seip married Maria Adams, who was born in Burlington, N. J., one of the eight chil- dren of Abraham and Susan (Hawkins) Adams, of Burlington, N. J. No children were born of this marriage. Mrs. Seip is a charming lady, highly ed- ucated, cultured and devoted to her home. She is a most excellent Christian and a member of the Con- gregational Church, in whose work she takes an active part, being a member of the Christian En- deavor Society ; president of the Guardian Society ; and a member of the Benevolent and Missionary Societies of Meriden. Mr. Seip is deacon of the First Congregational Church, having been elected to that office in 1884, and retained it with honor and dignity ever since. For many years he has been an earnest member of and worker in the church, be- longing to the Christian Endeavor and other church societies ; and is a teacher in the Sunday-school. He is one of the leading men of his denomination. Both he and his wife occupy a very high place in the es- teem and affection of their fellow workers in the church, where their many excellent qualities, Chris- tian characters and benevolence are recognized and thoroughly appreciated. Mr. Seip always gives his support to the candidates of the Republican party, but does not take an active part in political matters, his business and church duties claiming much of his time.
Both Michael and Deacon Seip are men of whom Meriden may well be proud, for they are excellent examples of God-fearing, industrious, prosperous men. Through their own industry and thrift they have risen to their present responsible positions, and by their efficiency and faithfulness they have main- tained themselves in the confidence of their employ- ers as well as gained the good-will and affection of those under them. Pleasant in manner, they win friends; generous to a fault, they relieve distress ; kind-hearted, their sympathy is always extended to those less fortunate ; while in their homes they are loved and honored.
HOBART BENEDICT IVES, a representative American business man, was born in Cheshire, New Haven county, June 23, 1843. Both his parents were of sturdy New England stock. His mother, Betsey Rice, a native of Readsboro, Vt., was a woman of solid character and vigorous mind, his father, Bar- ton Ives, came of a long line of New England farni-
ers, and, if he did not endow his son with worldly wealth and great social and educational advantages, at least gave him the high heritage of a respected name.
The boyhood life of Mr. Ives was not bristling with opportunities for advancement in any direc- tion. His formal education was confined to a few winter terms in the district school, his practical ex- perience to the humdrum work upon the farm, varied by an occasional day's work in his father's oyster keg shop, an industry carried on during the winter months to a considerable extent in Connecti- cut in those days, by the aid of which Barton Ives eked out a not too liberal income. Mr. Ives' father was an honored citizen, and, in his way, an am- bitious parent ; but his aspirations both for himself and his children were limited to the boundaries of his own farm. That any better destiny awaited his son Hobart than the cultivation of the ancestral acres, and that any higher position among his fel- low citizens was desirable for him than a chief place among the head men of the town or a possible dea- conship in the village church, never for a moment entered his mind. Those New England farmers of the last generation served a useful purpose as an- cestors, for they transmitted splendid physical frames and safely balanced brains to their descend- ants, but they were not men of imagination.
Thus when young Hobart Ives, in his formative years, began to exhibit an unpardonable indifference to farm life and to murmur against taking it up as a permanent vocation, he appealed strongly to his father and his sympathizing neighbors as a sad young chap who had gone wrong. It is true that on several occasions he had shown promising qual- ities. Thus, even when a youngster, he had dem- onstrated marked progressiveness as a salesman of farm products, his father himself admitting that the boy could take a load to New Haven and dis- pose of it to much better advantage than himself. This fact in itself should have furnished the key to the young man's future. The only part of farm- ing that young Ives was fond of was the selling of the finished product. That his aptitude for selling was general, and not special, was shown by the fact that he never brought the farm wagon back to Che- shire empty, but filled it with an assortment of sea food, which, on his arrival home, he at once pro- ceeded to convert into cash. This faculty for find- ing a ready market for his goods, whether farm products, hardware, or stocks and bonds, has been Mr. Ives' most available business asset through life ; and, if one were asked to name the one pre-eminent reason for his business success, he would put his finger on that feature of his make-up. The pos- session of this quality means much; it implies a personality that commands attention and inspires re- spect, as well as a ready wit for placing the best side of the case foremost. Mr. Ives has other pre- eminent qualities than this, such as tireless energy, unyielding determination, courage and inventive skill; but his ability to interest men in himself and
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his enterprises, and to inspire their confidence in his spoken word, is his gift par excellence. Mr. Ives had shown this quality early. He had also shown a desire to get on in the world; to win the re- spect of his compatriots ; to make his mark. The one thing that was apparent to him above all was that this could not be done on his father's farm; so one day he called his father aside and told him he was going to start out for himself.
"Where are you going?" asked the astonished parent.
"Up in Massachusetts."
"What are you going to do when you get there?"
"Start a store and make money."
"How are you going to get there?"
"You are going to buy my horse, wagon and wood lot, and give me a hundred dollars for them."
The old gentleman was somewhat amazed at this proposition, though, from his point of view, it was not a bad one, as the young man's property was worth two or three times the figures named. It was the first and last bad bargain Mr. Ives ever made ; but then the circumstances were exceptional.
"Well, go on," his father said in despair, "but you'll return penniless within a month and mighty glad to get back."
Mr. Ives was twenty-three years of age when he left home with this left-handed parental bless- ing on his head. He did not return in a month; in fact, in the condition his father described, he has not returned yet; and it begins to look as though his valiant father would prove a false prophet. However, by the time he had paid his carfare to North Adams-the town .he had selected as the first scene of his struggles-and made arrangements to start in business, he was not far from being in the unpleasant financial condition his father alluded to. He hired a small basement store, but his land- lord was so little impressed with his ability to ful- fill his modest engagements that he made him "put up" his watch as security for the rent's payment in advance. Mr. Ives' beginning was thus a modest one, but in two years his business had so increased that he had two larger stores and an established rep- utation as a promising young business man. He constantly added to this reputation for the ten years that he remained in North Adams, in the course of which period he married Caroline Bennett, daugh- ter of Ira P. and Jane Landon Bennett, leading peo- ple of that place.
Mr. Ives' natural inclinations, however, were toward manufacturing rather than toward the trade, and moving to New Haven, in 1876, he soon established the well-known firm of H. B. Ives & Co., manufacturers of hardware. Like all important undertakings, the early history of this firm was one of struggles against adverse fortune, unfair competition, constant discourage- ments and apparent failure-all resulting final- ly in a splendid victory. The firm was MIr. Ives, and Mr. Ives was the firm. He him- self invented the hardware specialties which
brought success ; he secured the capital that made possible their development ; he superintended all the details of manufacturing; and, when the finished product was forthcoming from his modest factory, he himself took it on the road and found a market for it. When, therefore, in 1901, he bought his present extensive factory on Artizan street and in- corporated the business under the name of The H. B. Ives Company, himself becoming president and treasurer, it was in every sense a personal triumph. It was a splendid evidence of what native energy and talent, unaided by favoring circum- stances, could accomplish, and, as such, Mr. Ives is pardonably proud of it. This, however, was not all that he had done. His business obligations, in- deed, had by this time become numerous and mani- fold. He had been instrumental in the organiza- tion and management of several companies, notably the New Haven Car Register Co., of which he was president for several years; had owned, in the course of twenty-five years, seven different stores, one of which, The City Hall Pharmacy, is to-day one of the most successful establishments of its kind in New Haven ; had become largely interested in Western mines; had sent out a party of young men to Alaska, the result of whose trip was the organization of the Kasaan Bay Company, of which Mr. Ives is the president and moving spirit, which founded the town of Kasaan, built school houses for the Indians and developed large mercantile, lumber and mining business, and is, at the present time, building one of the largest canneries on the Pacific coast.
Mr. Ives is also the originator and treasurer of The Apollo Consolidated Gold Mining Co., owners of the famous California mine, in Republic, Wash .; and, in addition to all these, he established The Ives Investment Co., which, besides conducting an ex- tensive loan business, acts as fiscal agent for these several enterprises. The names of the di- rectors and stockholders of all these companies, which include many of the best-known names in New Haven and Connecticut, are sufficient indication of the confidence which Mr. Ives en- joys. But he is more than a successful man- ufacturer and business man. He knows not only how to make money, but, what many more money- makers never learn, he knows how to live. He has a beautiful home upon Whitney avenue, and this, with his children and his grandchildren, of whom he has two, is his greatest delight. He is an ex- tensive traveler, and passionately fond of the rod and gun and the sportsman's life in wood and field. Both his nature and his physical frame are remark- ably well preserved, and his activities were never more marked than now.
Mr. Ives' family is as follows: (1) Bertha Jane Ives, a graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, class of 1890, Anderson Normal School of Gymnastics of New Haven, 1894. married Dec. 29. 1896, Burton J. Hendrick, Yale '95, M. A. '97. They have two children-Ives, born March 10, 1898; and Hobart,
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born Feb. 27, 1902. (2) Sue Bennett Ives has been a student for three years at Mt. Holyoke College. (3) Leila Mae Ives was graduated from Boxwood Seminary, Old Lyme, Conn., in 1898.
BURR S. PECK is one of the best known and oldest builders in the city of New Haven, and he belongs to an old Connecticut family.
Benjamin Peck, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Hamden, Conn., March 31, 1776, and married Lucy Dickerman, who was born June 6, 1776. He engaged in an agricultural life all his days, dying in the locality of his birth. A large family were born to him and his wife: Sophia, Lewis, Rebecca, Henry, Francis, Frederick, Lois, Edson, Chloe, and Sylvia, all of whom grew to be respected citizens, many of them marrying and scat- tering the name over the whole of New England.
Frederick Peck, the father of our subject, was born in Hamden, Conn., May 8, 1809, and died Dec. 19, 1870, at the age of sixty-one. His occupation had been that of a carpenter, which he learned in Bethany, Conn. He married Miss Sarah Sperry, in Derby, who was born in Bethany, a daughter of Alvin and Sally ( Nettleton) Sperry, the former of whom was a carpenter in that village. When yet a young man, Frederick Peck came to New Haven, and after marriage located in this city permanently, and here he built up a flourishing business, con- tinuing until his decease. In politics, he was an ar- dent Republican, and both he and wife were con- sistent members of the Methodist Church.
Burr S. Peck was the only child of his parents, and was born in Bethany, Conn., May 18, 1831. He attended the schools of his native place until he was eight years old, and after removal to New Haven finished his education in the city schools, and has made this his home ever since. His father taught him the trade of carpenter and builder, and so well and faithfully did he master all details, that for many years he has held a leading position among the builders of the city. His work can be seen in many of the finest and best buildings in New Hav- en, among these being almost all of the Yale College buildings.
On Sept. 2, 1855, Mr. Peck was united in mar- riage with Mary Jane Emery, a native of Hanover, N. H., a daughter of Jonathan and Sally ( Buntin) Emery, the latter of whom was born in Pembroke, New Hampshire, and was a cousin of Ex-Gov. Nathaniel Head, of that State. Benjamin Buntin, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Peck, married Abigail Noyes. Her father, Jonathan Emery, was a carpenter, who lived and died in Hanover, at the age of sixty-nine; and his wife died May 3, 1868; they were the parents of eight children: Ira, Abig- ail, John, Mary J., Henry and Charles, and twins that died in infancy. To our subject and wife was born one daughter, Minnie Estelle, Jan. 10, 1860, who died Nov. 2, 1890, the wife of Charles Hunt, of Springfield, Mass., who died in 1888, aged thirty
years. In his political belief, Mr. Peck is a Repub- lican, and since 1853 has been fraternally connected with the I. O. O. F., City Lodge, No. 36. In re- ligious life, the family are consistent members of the M. E. Church, where they are esteemed for their Christian character, and to which Mr. Peck has been liberal and generous. As one of the city's oldest builders, it has been the privilege of our subject to assist very materially in the adornment of it, and among its residents no one is more highly respected.
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