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 2 > Part 43
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Stephen L. Parker was born in Cheshire Oct. 12, 1824, and during his life was a well known and highly respected citizen. He passed his early days after the manner of young men of the time. attend- ing the district school and working on the home farm with his father. Until attaining manhood he continued at home, going then to Meriden, where he learned the trade of carpenter and joiner. This he followed for a number of years, when he became foreman in the Charles Parker shop, where he spent a short time. His next venture was as a lock manu- facturer, in which he was successfully engaged for about five years, after which he accepted a contract of making coffee mill boxes for the Charles Parker Co., with which he continued up to the time of his death, which took place in Meriden, Jan. 7, 1870. His remains rest in the West Cemetery. In poli- tics he was a stanch Republican, but never had any desire to hold public office; in religious belief a devoted Methodist, giving liberally to the cause he loved, and at the date of his death, held the office of trustee. Socially he was identified with the I. O. O. F.
On Nov. 23, 1845, in Meriden, Stephen L. Parker wedded Martha M. Andrews, who was born in Cheshire, Conn., a daughter of Hiram and Martha M. (Hotchkiss) Andrews. Mrs. Parker was edu- cated in the district schools of Cheshire, and taught one term in Meriden. She is a noble, Christian woman, dearly beloved for her many good deeds and kindly disposition.
To Mr. and Mrs. Parker were born five children: Stephen Olin, of Meriden, born April 22, 1847; Imogene, born April 6, 1850, died in July the same year ; Martha Ella, born Aug. 14, 1853, married (first) George Ashdown, and ( sec- ond) Henry Booth, and resides in Grand Rapids, Mich. (she had two children by her first marriage, Edmund Parker, born April 4, 1874: and Edna Ella, born Feb. 1, 1878) ; Jennie, born Oct. 13, 1856, died
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in 1861 ; Annette May, born March 24, 1859, resides at home.
Stephen Olin Parker obtained his education in the district schools of Meriden, also in the Meriden academy. At the age of sixteen years, he began to assist his father in the making of coffee mill boxes, continuing until his father's death, when he took charge of the business and successfully con- ducted it for one year. In 1871 he learned the trade of pattern maker, and for the past thirty years has been in the employ of the Charles Parker Co., filling the position of foreman of the pattern department with great ability.
On Aug. 8, 1871, Mr. Parker was married in Coventry, N. Y., to Algierose Wylie, who was born in Coventry, Chenango Co., N. Y., a daughter of Erastus and Mary Wylie, of Coventry, of Scotch descent, a full sketclr of the family being found in the sketch of Luman F. Parker, elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Parker is a lady of culture and refine- ment and received a liberal education in her native State, where for one year she was a very acceptable teacher. Socially she is prominent in Meriden and is a member of the organization of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and has served on the official board of Ruth Hart Chapter. To Mr. and Mrs. Parker has been born one daughter, Mabel Claire, who has been educated very thoroughly, first in Meriden and then in Wilbraham, Mass. Mr. Parker is a member of the Home Club, the Royal Arcanum and the A. O. U. W., of Meriden. As a Republican he has long been prominent, and has represented the third ward in the city council, served two years as alderman, being on the committees on License and Claims, of which latter he served as chairman, and for two years was clerk of the Police committee. The family attend the Methodist Church. By his pleasant, genial manner, good judg- ment and wise discrimination, Mr. Parker has won his way to the front in his business and enjoys not only the high esteem of his employers, but also the respect and affection of those over whom he is placed.
. GEORGE C. PETTIS, treasurer of the Hogg- son & Pettis Mfg. Co., manufacturers of "chucks" and a large variety of small machinery in New Ha- ven, and also interested in several other manufac- turing concerns and enterprises, was born in Plymouth, March 8, 1833.
George Pettis, his father, was born in Westville, Conn., where he spent his life engaged in farming, dying at Terryville at the age of fifty-two. He mar- ried Sally Ford, a native of Thomaston, Conn., where her father lived before the founding of that city. Seth Thomas, of the famous clock company, bought the ground from him on which to build the clock factory. Of the three children born to George and Sally Pettis, two are now living: George C., whose name appears at the head of this sketch; and
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Jane E., wife of Solomon Palmer, of Torrington. Mrs. Pettis died at the age of sixty-seven. She was long a devout member of the Episcopal Church.
George C. Pettis was reared at Plymouth Hill, where he received a very fair education. He early learned the machinist trade in the Eagle Lock Works at Terryville. When he was twenty-one he came to New Haven to enter the employ of the Davenport Mallory Lock Co., and remained there four years. In 1858 he took up contracting work with the Rus- sell Irwin Co., at New Britain, where he remained seventeen years, at the expiration of that time con- ing to New Haven to enter the employ of the firm with which he is still associated. Four years later he formed a partnership with Mr. Hoggson, and the business was converted into a stock concern. The patronage of the firm has been greatly increased of late years, and they now have a large number of men on their pay rolls, filling many orders from far away, even from Japan and China. The plant Is fitted up with the latest machinery, turns out a great variety of products of interesting construction.
Mr. Pettis was married in 1854 to Emily N. Welton, a native of Plymouth, and a daughter of Selden Welton, a clockmaker in Terryville, who had four children, three of whom are living. Mr. and Mrs. Pettis have three children : Jennie is the wife of Dr. W. W. Hawks, of New Haven. Beulah married William Beckley, of New York City, and has had two children, Gertrude and Margaret. Clin- ton is connected with his father in business. Mr. Pettis is a Republican, and while in Terryville held various local positions. In New Britain he also took an active part in political affairs, filling different offices and was a man of prominence. In the mem- bership rolls of the New Haven Union League Club the name of Mr. Pettis appears as a charter member. He is a member of Post No. 20, G. A. R., the Masonic fraternity and several social orders. With his family he attends Trinity Episcopal Church.
MICHAEL P. RICE, general contractor and proprietor of a large livery and feed stable, Bran- ford, is a native of that town, born Dec. 23, 1866.
Mr. Rice is the seventh son of the late Edward Rice, who came to this country from Glanworth, County Cork, Ireland, in 1848, being then a lad of sixteen years. He first located in Albany, N. Y., and there worked at the trade of cooper with his brother, James Rice (now deceased), of Newark, N. J., later securing employment in a lock factory in Albany. He and the late Alexander Van Wie were brought to this town by the late Thomas Kennedy, when the lock works were purchased by him, and Mr. Rice remained as an employe of the factory for the long period of thirty-five years, proving himself a skilled and competent workman. At one time he was offered the superintendency of the works, but declined, as he did not care to assume the re- sponsibility attached to the position. In 1856, at
New Haven, Conn., in St. Patrick's Church, Mr. Rice was married, by Rev. Father Hart, to Miss Ellen Heelon, of Limerick, Ireland, and eleven chil- dren-nine sons and two daughters-were born to them, eight of whom are yet living. The father died Aug. 3, 1888, the mother surviving him.
Michael P. Rice, whose name opens these lines, received his education in the public schools, but when very young, commenced work in the lock tac- tory, rather than attend school. He learned the trade of polishing, at which he earned good wages, and by his thrift and economy he saved sufficient money to purchase a horse and buggy, which he let to his friends, continuing with his employment in the factory. He prospered gradually, and later, in 1886, he formed a partnership with John T. Carey and started a small livery stable in the rear of the "Griswold House." The partners continued to work in the factory and hired help to run the business. Later Mr. Rice purchased his partner's interest in the concern and built a stable on the land owned by his father, at the foot of Veto street. The business grew so rapidly that Mr. Rice purchased adjoining property on all sides, and built on eight different additions to his building, until to-day he is proprietor of probably the finest equipped stable of any town in New England. In addition to his liv- ery business Mr. Rice engaged in contracting in 1894, and formed a partnership with J. T. Sliney, under the firm name of Rice & Sliney. Included in the work done by them is the excavating, supplying of stone, and carting of the material used in the con- struction of the 'Blackstone Library; also the ap- proaches and tunneling of the three railroad bridges on Kirkham, Rogers and Montowese streets, ex- cepting the south approach of the Kirkham street bridge. On the completion of the library the part- nership was dissolved by mutual consent, each mem- ber branching out for himself. In 1898 Mr. Rice bid for and was awarded the contract for putting in the water system in Branford, which included the laying of about ten miles of pipe. This contract was completed to the full satisfaction of the Water Company, and his reputation as a contractor was then established.
In October, 1889, when Mr. Rice was entering into his twenty-fourth year, he was nominated for the office of first selectman by the Democratic party and was elected by a majority of six votes. The office he held for four consecutive years. During his ad- ministration many improvements in the town were made by him, among them being the removal of the immense ledge on West Main street, and grading of twelve feet on Mill Hill. He was greatly compli- mented for this work by both press and public. The debt of the town was reduced by him to such an extent that during his second term the tax was re- duced from twelve to six mills, and during his ad- ministration it was never higher than ten mills. In 1894 he was again nominated for the office by his party, but was defeated by C. H. Wilford, his op-
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ponent on the Republican ticket. He was later elected on the board of burgesses of the borough. In 1899 Mr. Rice was again nominated for the office of first selectman by the Democratic party, and was elected by twenty-five majority in the face of a Republican majority of one hundred and twenty-five, which speaks well for his record as a "town father," as well as for his popularity. He was again elected in 1900 and in 1901, and he is now serving his seventh term. On the organization of the fire department he was elected chairman of the board of fire commissioners, which office he still holds. Mr. Rice was also elected a member of the board of directors of the Branford Savings Bank, of which he was one of the incorporators, and served three years with that body.
Mr. Rice is now thirty-five years of age and one of the successful young business men of the town, he having accumulated considerable property and an immense amount of stock in his stables. In re- ligion our subject is of the Catholic faith, and a regular communicant of St. Mary's Church, to which, during its construction, he liberally contrib- uted.
JOEL M. BRADLEY, a well known citizen and a representative member of the contracting and building interests of New Haven, Conn., is located at No. 182 Grand avenue. Mr. Bradley was born in East Haven, Conn., June 7, 1834, a son of Jesse C. and Cynthia ( Munger) Bradley.
Joel C. Bradley, his grandfather, was born in East Haven, and there pursued an agricultural life, dying at the age of eighty-three years. In politics he was a Whig and took a leading part in the public affairs of his time. He married Lovisa Bradley, a native of the same locality, and their children were: Abram Nelson; Jesse C .; Abagail ; Mabel; and Amanda. Both Joel C. Bradley and his wife were members of the Congregational Church, in which he served as sexton.
Jesse C. Bradley was read in East Haven and attended the public schools of that section, later be- coming an engineer and receiving promotion in his line until he became a foreman. In the latter ca- pacity he acted both at stationary engines and as en- gineer on the boats plying between New Haven and New York. Through a long life, which reached to his eighty-third year, he was well known in his department. In politics he was a Democrat. He married Cynthia Munger, a daughter of Bela Mun- ger, a farmer by occupation, and a deacon in the Congregational Church in Madison, Conn .; her mother, Mrs. Munger, lived to the advanced age of eighty years. The children born of this union were as follows: John L., Joel M., Nelson J., James K., and Stephen J., who survived, the others dying in infancy ; the mother passed out of life at the age of thirty-six. Jesse C. Bradley was a constant and consistent attendant of the Presbyterian Church, as was also his wife.
Joel M. Bradley was reared in East Haven and remained there until his tenth year, going then to North Haven where he lived for three years. For a life occupation he selected the carpenter trade, to which he applied himself closely at Falls Village, working for four years after as a journeyman. In 1861 he entered into contracting, and he has contin- ued in this line ever since, having previously made a reputation in Fair Haven as a builder of fine resi- dences. There and in East Haven he is regarded as the leader in his line, and he is one of the oldest in the business in New Haven. His work covers a wide territory and necessitates the employment of a large force of skilled workmen.
Mr. Bradley was married on Jan. 12, 1860, to Miss Ellen L. Forbes, a daughter of Bela Forbes, extended mention of the Forbes family being found in another part of this volume. This union has been blessed with one daughter, Cynthia May, who mar- ried Lauren Humiston, who was born in Cheshire, a son of Frank T. Humiston, and one daughter, Lila May, has brightened their home; they live in New Haven. Mr. Humiston is employed by the Ives Investment Co., a sketch of this company being found in another part of this volume. Frank T. Humiston, who in earlier life was a keg manufac- turer, conducted the same business in Fair Haven for a time, and then entered the employ of Warren Crawford, an undertaker and furniture dealer, re- tiring nine years later to Cheshire, where he died, at the age of fifty-eight years. He married Miss Ellen Lounsbury, also of Cheshire, their only child being Lauren Humiston, the son-in-law of Joel M. Bradley.
In politics Joel M. Bradley is a Gold Democrat, taking an active interest in public affairs. While a resident of Fair Haven he was a borough officer, butt his business interests in New Haven have given him little time for politics. Fraternally he belongs to the Adelphi Lodge, No. 63, A. F. & A. M., has been an official in all the Masonic bodies, and is also a member of the Golden Eagle order. The religious home of the family is in the Episcopal Church, where they are held in high esteen.
PETER A. LUNDQUIST, a well known stone- mason and successful contractor of Stony Creek, is one of Branford's noted Swedish citizens. Born in Fogdo, Sweden, May 27, 1846, he is a son of John and Anna B. (Lindstrom) Lundquist, and was reared on the farm, receiving a limited education in the local schools. For three years he was an apprentice at the baker's trade, which was his occu- pation for some months afterward in Stockholm, Sweden.
Mr. Lundquist crossed the ocean in 1872, and worked in the State of New York for about nine monthis, the following year coming to Connecticut and locating at Leete's Island, where he learned the stone cutter's trade, which was his occupation for five years. He then removed to Stony Creek, which
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has been his home up to the present time. Here he has learned the trade of stone mason, which has been his business in connection with contracting and building of docks and bridges, culverts and sim- ilar constructions ; cellar work, as well as other stone work connected with stone masonry ; and well sink- ing and grading.
Mr. Lundquist was married in 1874 to Mrs. Sophia Johnson, of Sweden, who has one danghter by a former marriage, Lina, now Mrs. Robert Davis, in California. Mr. Lundquist is an adherent of the Lutheran Church, and is enrolled in Widows Sons Lodge, No. 66, F. & A. M. In politics he is a Republican. Since coming to this country he has achieved a marked success, and is numbered among the leading men of the town at the present day.
WILLIAM A. KNOWLES, who for some thir- ty-two years has been in the employ of the Holmes, Booth & Hayden Mfg. Co., Waterbury, is a native of Connecticut, born Nov. 15, 1844, in Farmington, Hartford county.
Henry S. Knowles, his grandfather, was born of English ancestry in Bristol, R. I., where he fol- lowed agricultural pursuits, thence late in life came to Connecticut, and died in East Hartford, where his remains were interred. He married in Rhode Island and there reared a family of six children : Samuel, who lived and died in New Britain, Conn. ; Augustus, who was a mechanic in Farmington, Conn., and in Long Island; Eliza, who married Harry Cadwell and lived on a farm in Farmington ; Mary Ann, who was blind, and died unmarried ; Jane, who married a Mr. Powell, a mechanic, and lived in New Britain, Conn .; and William H.,a sketch of whom follows.
William H. Knowles, father of our subject, and a farmer by occupation, was born in Bristol, R. I., removed thence to Connecticut, and died in the town of Farmington, Hartford county. He married Julia Hazard, a native of Avon, Conn., and seven children were born to them: Mary, wife of Ed- ward Converse, died in Collinsville, Hartford county ; Frances married John Alcott, of Thomas- ton, Conn .; Julia married (first) William Robertson, of Torrington, and (second) a Mr. Beckwith; Isa- bella married Lucius Leonard, a tailor in Litchfield, Conn., and died in Torrington; William A. is the subject of this sketch ; Alice married C. Hoffman, and lives in Thomaston, Conn. ; Ella died unmarried.
William A. Knowles was four years old when his parents removed from Farmington to a farm in Burlington, and there the _ family made their home some six years, at the end of that time return- ing to Farmington. In these towns and in Thom- aston, Litchfield county, our subject received a lib- eral common school education, and in 1861, then seventeen years old, he took up his residence in the city of Hartford, where he worked for a short time in Colt's Armory, thence removing once more
to Farmington. After an interval, during which Mr. Knowles was married, he made his home in Thomaston, where he was employed in the Plymouth quarry until the year 1864, when he came to Wat- erbury and entered the employ of the Holmes, Booth & Hayden Mfg. Co., learning the trade of roller. In course of time he became assistant fore- man of the rolling mill; since 1864 he has had en- tire charge of the rolling department of the sheet metal division.
On Oct. 3, 1867, in New York State, William A. Knowles married Juliette Farrell, who was born in the town of Waterbury, a daughter of Almond and Emma (Warner) Farrell, both natives of Wat- ertown, Conn. Two children have come of this union: (1) Georgiana B. married George Com- stock, and lived in Waterbury, where she died in January, 1899; she had two children, Harry and May R. (2) Eleanor R. is also married. Mrs. Knowles is a sister of Franklin Farrell, of An- sonia, the largest manufacturer in the State, and one of the wealthiest. She is widely known for her ability as a painter and sculptress, being one of the finest in the country, and has studied under many of the most prominent artists in both branches, including John Gibson ( sculptor to Queen Victoria), while in Rome, Italy, and others in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Knowles are members of St. John's Epis- copal Church ; in politics he is a Republican.
MRS. CHAUNCEY ATWOOD. Prominent among the old residents and a lady who is held in high esteem in New Haven, Conn., is Mrs. Chaun- cey Atwood, the widow of the late Chauncey At- wood, of this city, although his place of birth was Woodbury. There his father, Stephen Atwood, was also born, and there became a well known man, be- ing interested in farming; also in teaching, his whole life being passed in that town. \Vill- iam Atwood, the grandfather of the late Chaun- cey Atwood, was a carpenter in Woodbury, where he followed his trade and died at the age of fifty years.
Chauncey Atwood was reared in Woodbury, and was one of the leading agriculturists of Litchfield county, owning a large and valuable estate. For a long period he was town assessor and was promi- nent in public affairs. His marriage to our subject took place in 1892. His death occurred at the age of seventy-eight years. In her maidenhood Mrs. At- wood was Mary J. Summers, and she was a daugh- ter of David and Sarah M. (Upson) Summers, of Woodbury, the former being a farmer of that lo- cality, the latter being the only daughter born to her parents. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Summers, of whom Mrs. Atwood is the only survivor. The mother died at the age of eighty- three years. Both she and her husband were mem- bers of the Congregational Church. Mrs. Atwood was born in Woodbury and there grew to young womanhood. She first married Watson C. San-
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ford, of Roxbury, who was a drover and also a carpenter, well known in his neighborhood. Three children were born of this union, the only survivor being Lillian A., who married J. H. Allen, a harness manufacturer, and has three children-Howard San- ford, who is a student of medicine at Yale College, class of 1904; Arthur S., a resident of Woodbury ; and Marion F.
After the death of Mr. Sanford his widow wedded George Atwood, a farmer and prominent citizen of Watertown, Conn., where he was well known in civic affairs, having served as selectman, and in other ways showed himself as a progressive and substantial citizen. The third marriage of Mrs. Atwood was to the late Chauncey Atwood. She has lost one son, Stephen Upson, who was a successful traveling salesman, and who died at Russell, Kans., at the age of twenty-two. Mrs. Atwood is a lady who is highly esteemed for her many charming traits of character, her charity and kind neighborliness, and she is a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church in Woodbury.
GEORGE CARTER LINSLEY is a well known and highly esteemed citizen of North Branford, New Haven county, whose entire life has been passed in that town, where he is now successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits upon the old homestead, and where he was born Jan. 24, 1842.
Like a large number of the present residents of New England, and especially of the Nutmeg State, the Linsley family can trace their origin to England. Two brothers, John and Francis Linsley, came from that country, first locating in Branford, where Francis married Sarah Culpepper. Later he re- moved to New Jersey, and present residents of the name in the central part of that State claim to have sprung from this pioneer couple. John Linsley died in Branford, where he passed the greater part of his married life, though for a short time he lived in Guilford. His eldest son, John, died when com- paratively a young man. The latter's son, John, had two sons, John and Joseph. Of these, John Linsley wedded Mary Harrison, of North Branford, where he had located upon reaching his majority. Records show that he administered his grandfa- ther's (John 2) estate, this leading us to conclude that the family were property holders in both Bran- ford and North Branford. He had several children, including Rufus, the great-grandfather of the sub- ject of this sketch, who was born in North Branford, and there engaged in farming throughout life.
Solomon Linsley, the grandfather of George C., was born Nov. 13, 1784, and died at the age of six- ty-eight years. On Sept. 15, 1807, he married Irene Stilson, of Litchfield county, Conn., who was born March 23, 1782, and died June 25, 1868. Their children were as follows: Edward Alonzo, born Jan. 30, 1809; Mary Flavia, born Nov. 26, 1810, married Philetus Montague; Abigail Rebecca, born July 20, 1813, married Jonathan Foote; Horatio
Yale, born June 12, 1815, died in infancy ; Eunice Stilson, born June 26, 1816, married Henry Plum- bly ; Elizabeth, born Aug. 7, 1819, married George Walker; Irene, born April 28, 1822, was the wife of William Young, of Middletown, Conn .; and Solo- mon Harvey, born March 23, 1824, married Julia Hayden.
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