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 79
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We shall now enter somewhat into detail con- cerning the personal career of Joseph E. Hubin- ger, whose name .initiates this review. He is a native of Madison, Ind., born Feb. 1, 1858. When he was still a boy his parents removed thence to Ohio, and his educational advantages, while not of collegiate order, were of excellent character, and through them he laid a proper foundation for the superstructure of wide information which has come to him through association with men and affairs, through reading, and through the refined condi- tions and accessories which are compassed by wealth. His inheritance of a sturdy physical con- stitution, definite energy and power of application has likewise been an element conserving his success in connection with the active duties of life, and he early displayed that marked pragmatic and execu- tive ability which has been characteristic of those bearing the name of Hubinger. He entered upon an active business career in his youth, and in the year 1880 came to New Haven, where his two elder brothers, John C. and Nicholas W., had preceded him. He was associated with them in the founding of the elastic starch business, and his identification with the enterprise has thus been consecutive from the time of its inception. He has contributed a due quota to the inagnificent success of the great en- terprise, while in his general make-up and char- acteristics he is not unlike his brothers. the hon- ored name being honored the more by their lives and services. He is wide-awake, progressive, and quick to grasp and pass judgment on a business proposition, and in every line of thought and action he has shown himself to be animated by a spirit of fairness and unequivocal integrity, being strong in his convictions, but not intolerant : always firm in defense of right. but having no room in his heart for revenge; while flattery is impotent to cajole him into compromise. or power to awe him into silence, his motto being practically "to live and let live." Much to his credit as a public-spirited citi- zen, it may be said that he erected and owns the
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
fine Hubinger block in Chapel street, New Haven, one of the most attractive modern business and office structures in the city, its erection having done much to stimulate modern practices in the method of constructing local blocks for such purposes, thus adding greatly to the attractions of the city and to safety and the use of the best facilities. Though always true to the duties of citizenship, Mr. Hubin- ger is not in any sense a seeker for official pre- ferment, but rather avows a distinct aversion to all that smacks of public notoriety. He has been re- peatedly urged to accept office of trust and re- sponsibility, but has uniformly declined. For one term he made an exception to his rule in this re- gard and served on the police board, with much credit to himself and to the uniform satisfaction of the city. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and fraternally he is identified with the ancient craft, capitular, cryptic and chivalric bodies of Freemasonry, being a member of Wor- cester Lodge, F. & A. M .; Franklin Chapter, R. A. M .; Harmony Council, R. & S. M .; and New Haven Commandery, K. T .; while he is also a mem- ber of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks in his home city. Mr. Hubinger is one of the stock- holders in the New Haven County Bank and a member of its directorate.
Like his brother, Nicholas W., Mr. Hubinger is a great fancier of high-bred horses and is one of the prominent gentlemen horse-owners on the trotting turf to-day. His stables are extensive, and in them have been found at various times some of the fleetest and best-bred individuals on the trotting turf. From this noble sport he derives a great amount of pleasure and satisfaction, his means enabling him to indulge the propensity to the fullest limit. He is also fond of the sports afield, and makes many interesting excursions with rod and gun, his home containing a large number of fine trophies brought down with his rifle and properly given over to the taxidermist. His steam yacht, the "Sea Bird," is one of the finest of the palatial water crafts of this type owned in New Haven. His purely democratic ways, his liberality to any worthy cause, his genial disposition, and his sterling manhood, have gained Mr. Hubinger a host of friends, and he would be called to serve in positions of official nature were not his tastes averse to acceptance, though his interposition could not fail to be of definite value.
Mr. Hubinger's beautiful home is maintained in harmony with his financial position and is one of the most spacious and attractive in New Haven, widely known as a city of beautiful homes. The residence contains features which place it in a class by itself, so far as being unique and original is concerned. Here may be found specimens of the best lines of art production, both of the old nias- ters and the modern schools, while the graceful attractions of music and beautiful surroundings make the home one of ideal character; the house
lias for the most part been arranged with marked taste and skill, under the direction of Mrs. Hubin- ger. Included in the scheme is a most attractive "den" provided for Mr. Hubinger's individual use, which with its wealth of interesting objets d'art, paintings, bric-a-brac, trophies of the chase, etc., is well worth a visit and careful and appreciative inspection, the equipment of this one room involv- ing the expenditure of many thousands of dollars. In his every-day life our subject is easily approach- able and ever courteous, and, notwithstanding the insistent demands made on his time and attention by his great business interests and his various meth- ods of proper recreation, he never fails to have a cheerful word for his many friends, and is willing to grasp the hand of any honest man in whatever position he is placed. The Hubinger brothers are of the true American type, and more than this need scarcely be said.
On June 8, 1887, Mr. Hubinger was united in marriage with Miss Mamie F. Morrell, a daughter of Edwin and Amanda Morrell, of Portland, Maine, and they have two children, Rene G. and Joseph E., Jr. Mrs. Hubinger presides with gracious manner over the beautiful home, where the refined amenities of true social life are ever in distinct evidence.
DUMOND P. MERWIN, a member of the well- known firm of William M. Merwin & Sons, of Mil- ford, was born in that town Aug. 9, 1853, and has always resided there, his business interests being among the most important in the place.
The family has been identified with this section for several generations, and William M. Merwin, father of our subject, was born and reared in Mil- ford, and has been actively engaged in business there as a grower and wholesale dealer in oysters. The firm owns several steamboats and makes a specialty of Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay oysters. William M. Merwin married Miss Sarah C. Peck, of Orange, Conn., and has two sons, Dumond P. and Merritt W., both members of the firm.
Dumond P. Merwin was educated in the schools of Milford and at Oberlin College, Oberlin. Ohio. On Oct. 1, 1874, he married Miss A. Bathena Bris- tol, of Milford, daughter of David and Elizabeth Bristol, and they have had two children: Albert Dumond and William Harvey. Mr. Merwin owns a beautiful home on the Sound, with extensive and artistically arranged grounds, and commanding a charming view. He has always taken keen interest in the various enterprises begun in Milford, and is now a director in the Savings Bank, and a mem- ber of the library committee. Politically he is a Republican, and he was president of the Republican Club of Milford in 1888, and served as representa- tive in the Legislature in 1897. He belongs to num- erous fraternal orders, including the Union League Club of New Haven ; Ansautawae Lodge, No. 89, F.
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Dumondewin
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& A. M .; Franklin Chapter, R. A. M., No. 2; Union Council, No. 27, R. S. M .; New Haven Command- ery, No. 1; Pyramid Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S .; Wopowage Lodge, No. 14, I. O. O. F .; Isabelle Lodge, No. 23, D. R .; Sassacus Encampment, No. I ; Grand Canton Sassacus, No. 1, P. M. He has been through all the chairs in both local branches of the I. O. O. F., and has been grand patriarch of the Grand Encampment, and was representative in the Sovereign Grand Lodge in 1897-98.
ALONZO B. HALL, who with two exceptions is the oldest druggist in the city of New Haven, was born Sept. 9, 1843, in New Haven, son of Denison and Jane (Clark) Hall.
The first settler of the Hall family in America, John Hall, was born in 1605, came to Boston, Mass., and died in 1676. His family was No. 84 of those who first landed in Boston. He married Jane Woolen, who probably came to America with Wili- iam Wilks, and located in Boston. Three or four of John Hall's sons joined a colony and settled in Wai- lingford in 1670. Few residents of Connecticut have been more respected than the descendants of John and Jane (Woolen ) Hall, and there are still some representatives in Wallingford. The great- grandfather of our subject, John, was born there, and his son, also named John, was born in Walling- ford July 13, 1770. The latter was married April 3, 1800, to Grace Denison Hall, daughter of Benja- min Hall. Mrs. Grace D. (Hall) Hall died Jan. 4, 1840, at the age of sixty-nine years, the mother of ten children, namely: Thankful, born in 1801 ; Lowly, April 4, 1804; Jeremiah A., 1806; John, Oct. 8, 1808; Phoebe, Dec. 18, 1810; Grace D., July 18, 1813; Denison, Dec. 9, 1815 ; Elisha, March 15, 1818; Jeanette, May 31, 1820; and Polly, who died young. All but Polly lived to be over seventy, and all are now deceased. The father died at the age of sixty-five years, having spent his life on the original Hall homestead in Wallingford, now owned by Henry D. Hall. He was a farmer by occupation.
Denison Hall, father of Alonzo B., was born in Wallingford and was there reared, but after the age of fifteen years his home was in New Haven, where he died at the age of seventy-nine. He followed the trade of carpenter and joiner, with the Lewis & Beecher Co., and put up the first house on City Point. Denison Hall first married Jane Clark, of West Haven, who was a daughter of Bryan and Betsy ( Prindle) Clark, both of West Haven, the former of whom died at a comparatively early age, the latter at the age of eighty-six. Mr. and Mrs. Clark's children were Joseph, Linus, Alphteus, Char- lotte, Mary. Jane (Mrs. Hall), Louis, Lucinia and Lucretia, all now deceased but Louis, who lives in Brooklyn. This entire family was identified with the Episcopal Church. Mrs. Jane (Clark) Hall died at the age of thirty, the mother of three chil- dren, two of whom survive: Alonzo B., whose name introduces this sketch ; and Jane, in Brooklyn.
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For his second wife Mr. Hall wedded Lucretia Clark, by whom he had two children : Charlotte, who is married and resides in Brooklyn; and Ed- ward P., also a resident of that city. Mrs. Lucretia Hall died at the age of thirty-eight, in the faith of the Episcopal Church.
Alonzo B. Hall has spent the greater part of his life in New Haven. He received his education in the public schools, attending the Webster school until fifteen years of age, when he commenced the drug business as clerk with James Olmstead, witin whom he remained two years. He then went to New York City, where he was in the employ of Casswell & Mack until 1870, in which year he re- turned to New Haven and started in business on his own account, his first location being in State street where he continued for five years. Since 1875 he has conducted the business at his present stand, No. 1225 Chapel street, which is one of the best known in the city. Mr. Hall has met with gratifying suc- cess in his chosen calling, and he has established himself among the solid business men of New Ha- ven by honorable methods and uprightness in all his dealings.
On Nov. 19, 1866, Mr. Hall married Miss Mary S. Lambert, a native of Danbury, this State, and they had one child, May G., who is now the wife of C. F. Haviland, and has one child. Donald A .: Mr. Haviland is a tailor in Boston, Mass. Mrs. Mary S. Hall died at the age of thirty-eight, and Mr. Hall subsequently married Miss Amelia Emerich, a na- tive of New Haven, by whom he had one son, Aion- zo B., Jr., who is now with a photographer in this city. Mrs. Amelia Hall passed away in 1884, at the early age of twenty-eight. For his third wife our subject married Miss Julia M. Stevens, who was born in New Haven, daughter of Robert MI. Stev- ens, formerly a prominent merchant of the city, and died in December, 1900, at the age of fifty-four. Mrs. Julia M. Hall was, on her mother's side, lineai- ly descended from ex-Gov. Treat, Colonial Governor of Connecticut, and from Miles Merwin, one of the early proprietors of Milford. Mr. Hall is a com- municant of the Episcopal Church, belonging to Christ Church parish. Fraternally he is a Free- mason, holding membership in Hiram Lodge, No. I. A. F. & A. M. : Franklyn Chapter ; and Harmony Council. His political support is given to the Dem- ocratic party, though he reserves the right to vote independently in local elections.
HOYT. The Hoyt family of Connecticut, a branch of which settled in Danbury and to which belonged the late Edwin S. Hovt, who for twenty- five years or more was one of Waterbury's leading furriers and hatters, is an old one, prominent in both the Colonial and State periods.
Simon Hoyt, the first American ancestor of the Hoyts of whom we write, was born in 1595, prob- ably at Curry Rival, Somersetshire, England, and was one of a company under the leadership of Gov.
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
John Endicott, in the ship "Abigail," which arrived at Salem, Mass., Sept. 6, 1628. He was one of the first settlers of Dorchester in 1630, was made a free- man in 1631, one of the first in Massachusetts. He went to Scituate, from which place he came to Windsor, Conn., about 1639, and finally went to Stamford, where he died in 1657.
Walter Hoyt, son of Simon Hoyt, born about 1618, was living with wife and three children in Windsor in 1640. He became one of the proprietors of Norwalk, and later was removed to Fairfield, Conn. He died in 1698.
John Hoyt, son of Walter Hoyt, born in Wind- sor, married (first) in 1666, Mary Lindell. daughter of Henry Lindell, a deacon in the Church at New Haven. He died in 1722. His children were : John, born in 1669, married Mary Drake, of Simsbury, and lived in Danbury, where he died in 1746; Sam- uel, born in 1670, lived in Danbury and there died in 1749-50; Thomas, born in 1674, lived in Dan- bury, and there died in 1749; Mary; Deborah ; and Joshua and Nathaniel, both of whom lived in Dan- bury. The births of five of the children were re- corded at Norwalk.
From a sermon preached in Danbury in 1801, by Rev. Thomas Robbins, it is learned that the first permanent settlement of that town was made in the spring of 1695 by eight families, among them was John Hoyt, and seven of the eight came from Nor- walk, Conn. They purchased their lands from the Indians. From the sons of this John Hoyt descend- ed many of the numerous families of the name who have since lived in Danbury. A number of the Danbury Hoyts were prominent in the hat and fur trade, among those so occupied was the old firm of R. & E. F. Hoyt ( Russell and Eli F.), which was doing business in 1816. John R., a son of Russell Hoyt and- brother of Linus P., and T. Granville, succeeded the old firm, which was eventually con- solidated with the Tweedy family and became Hoyt, Tweedy & Company.
The late Edwin S. Hoyt of Waterbury, referred to above, was born July 12, 1824, in Danbury, Conn., a son of Zar and Esther (Smith) Hoyt, of Brook- field, and early in the fifties removed from there to Winsted, where for three years until coming to Wa- terbury in 1854, he was engaged in the hat and fur- rier trade, a business he was engaged in in Water- bury for more than a quarter of a century. After retiring from the hat business, he was for several years associated with the real estate business. Sev- eral years prior to his death, owing to failing health, he was not active in business. Mr. Hoyt. as a busi- ness man, was shrewd and enterprising, but always upright, and a man whose word could ever be de- pended upon. He was a man of good judgment and held a number of positions of trust and honor. He had been a member of the district committee. and served as town treasurer, giving the best of sat- isfaction in both relations. He was a prominent member of St. John's Episcopal Church, of Water-
bury, and for some time was a member of the vestry.
On May 14, 1851, Mr. Hoyt was married to Miss Sophia, daughter of Alonzo and Flora (Glov- er) Beers, of Brookfield, Conn. Alonzo Beers, father of Mrs. Hoyt, was born in Newtown, Conn., Aug. 19, 1793, and died July 15, 1873. Flora (Glover ) Beers was born in Newtown, Conn., Oct. 18, 1795, and died Aug. 2, 1875. They had a family of seven children, namely: Daniel, born April 6, 1815, was a merchant in Brookfield, Conn., and died Oct. 30, 1870; Rebecca, born May 11, 1817, married Benjamin Jones, of Brookfield, Conn., and died March 27, 1884; Sarah M., born May 21, 1820, married Philo Clarke, of Newtown, Conn .; Eli S., born June 6, 1822, was a merchant and died in In- diana Sept. 11, 1846; Joseph T., born March 15, 1825, is a farmer in Brookfield, Conn .; Sophia H., born June 15, 1827 ; George A., born May 22, 1830, died in Danbury, Conn., Dec. 1, 1868. James Glover, father of Mrs. Flora ( Glover), Beers, was born in Newtown, and married Mary Ann Glover, who was also born in Newtown, and who lived to be 102 years of age. They were the parents of twelve chil- dren, all of whom grew to maturity. James Glover was a son of Capt. Samuel Glover, a Universalist minister.
WILBUR TREAT SMITH, founder and treas- urer of The W. T. Smith Co., manufacturers of door and window screens, tool chests, cabinets, etc., New Haven, is a successful business man, who from a small beginning has builded up a fine trade. He is a native of Woodbridge, Conn., born Dec. 15, 1850, a son of Isaac Treat Smith, and a grandson of Daniel Treat Smith.
Woodbridge was named in honor of Rev. Ben- jamin Woodbridge, and in his home in after years dwelt Daniel Treat Smith, a farmer and blacksmith by occupation. Mr. Smith was a very prominent man in the town, and most active in church work, holding the office of deacon. He married Rebecca Sperry, and became the father of a numerous fam- ily : Eliza, Benjamin, Amos, Nancy, Sally, Isaac Treat, Mary, Willis, Lewis and Emily. Of these Benjamin, Amos and Lewis became blacksmiths: while Lewis also engaged in manufacturing, as did Isaac.
Isaac Treat Smith was born in Woodbridge, and entered into his last rest March 8, 1900. He be- came a manufacturer of carriage bolts, springs, etc., and engaged to some extent in the sawmill business. In 1872 he moved to New Haven, where he lived practically retired, until his death. He married Lu- cretia Ann Sperry, who was born in Hamden, Conn., Nov. 19. 1821, and died Dec. 30, 1897, a daughter of Elihu and Anna ( Lines) Sperry, of Woodbridge, natives of Woodbridge, who later moved to New Haven, and there died. Two chil- dren were born of this union: Wilbur T., and Adella May, the latter the wife of John M. Marvin, a son of Rev. S. B. Marvin, and a silk manufacturer
Hiller T Smith
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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of New Haven. Mr. Smith was first a Whig, and later a Republican. The entire family were 'con- nected with the Congregationalists.
Wilbur T. Smith remained in his native town until he had attained his sixteenth year. He at- tended the district school of that place. and passed one year in the "Gunnery" in Washington. He then served an apprenticeship at the carpenter trade, under I'eck & Skilton, and remained with them for five years, becoming a master workman. At the age of twenty-one he came to New Haven, and found employment with A. N. Clark, contractor and build- er. He remained in this place about five years, and then, after a short time in the carriage building busi- ncss, he and his brother-in-law bought and conduc- ted a silk factory. Ill health compelled his retire- ment from active work for about five years, but in 1887, in company with Joseph G. Newcomb, he en- gaged in .the manufacture of window and door screens, under the firm name of Newcomb & Smith. This continued for about one and one-half years, when Mr. Newcomb retired, and Mr. Smith as- sumed charge of the entire business. This was be- gun in a very small way in a shed in the rear of his home at No. 321 Winthrop avenue, and he himself was the only workman. Now, however, he does an extensive business, and employs about thirty skilled workmen. In the beginning, too, hand power per- formed the work, where now steam power is util- ized. In connection with the manufacture of screens, he had added tool chests, cabinets of vari- ous descriptions, pool tables, chamberlain metal weather strips, and articles of fancy wood work. He was so very successful in his enterprise that on April 1, 1898, he formed a stock company, under the name of The W. T. Smith Co., of which Mr. J. L. Jennings is the president. They have enlarged the plant, and are finding that even in larger quar- ters, they are still unable to fill all orders, but must increase their force still more. They have new plans just completed for largely extending their present plant.
On May 4, 1873, Mr. Smith was united in mar- riage with Emily Maria Perkins, who was born in Woodbridge May 3, 1848, a daughter of Samuel F. and Mehitable (Stowe) Perkins. They have but one child, Edna Louise, born Jan. 31, 1886. In his political affiliations Mr. Smith is a Republican, and socially he belongs to City Lodge, No. 36, I. O. O. F. He and his family attend Dwight Place Church.
Samuel F. Perkins, father of Mrs. Smith, was born in Woodbridge May 10, 1811, and died Oct. 23, 1886. He was a blacksmith by trade. The Perkins family have been represented in Connecticut for many years, the first of whom there is record being Peter, who was of English extraction, and lived in 1690. He had a son, David, whose son, Dan- iel, was the father of Amos, the grandfather of Samuel F., son of Amos (2), and father of Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Mehitable ( Stowe) Perkins was born in Milford, Conn., July 4, 1811, and died March 26,
1880. She was a daughter of Isaac and Mehitable (Smith) Stowe, the foriner a sea-faring man. To Samuel F. Perkins and his wife, Mehitable ( Stowe) Perkins, were born two children: N. Jane, who married James F. Nichols, and died June 20, 1897 ; and Emily M., who became Mrs. Wilbur T. Smith.
RICHARD ALLEN, who has had charge of the rolling mills of the Edward Miller Co., of Meriden, for a period of more than thirty years, is one of the "Silver City's" most respected citizens, and the sec- ond oldest Free Mason in the State. He was born Dec. 27, 1827, in Northfield, in the town of Thom- aston, Litchfield Co., Conn. His father, Megs Mun- son Allen, was a native of Litchfield Co., and was a weaver by occupation. He learned this business with Gen. Humphrey, the first importer of Merino sheep in this country. Mr. Allen became an expert weaver, and was the first weaver of woolen blankets and cloth on a power loom in his section. He en- gaged in business with a man named Mark Hotch- kiss, through whose dishonesty Mr. Allen lost everything he had, even his household goods going with the rest. In the effort to restore his lost estate, Mr. Allen became a peddler of clocks for Mr. Seth Thomas, of Thomaston, and traveled through Mas- sachusetts, being a pioneer in his line in that section. In the year 1829, having traded a load of clocks for a stock of boots and shoes, he wrote his wife that he was about to start out to dispose of his goods, and this was the last his family ever heard of him. It is supposed that he was murdered for his team and wares, as no trace could be discovered of either. He was noted for his quiet disposition and upright deal- ings, and was universally respected where known. His wife, Maria Harrison, was a native of New Ha- ven, and daughter of Michael Harrison. The sub- ject of this sketch was the youngest, and is the only survivor, of their four children: Edward, the eld- est, died in Prospect, Conn .; Alonzo died in Water- bury; and Melissa, wife of E. W. Webster, died Aug. 13, 1901, in Meriden, and was buried in Wa- terbury. The mother of these continued to cherish the memory of her husband to the last, refusing to take another mate, and reached the age of seventy- five years, dying with her family at Waterbury, where she was buried. She was a member of the Episcopal Church, and a good Christian, who, fill- ing the place of both father and mother, reared her children to be good citizens. Devoting her life to them, she found comfort in their happiness and prosperity.
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