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 3 > Part 63
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Charles Roberts acquired a limited education in the district schools of Wallingford, and at the age of nine years started out to make his own way in the world by working as a farm hand, being thus employed until he attained his fifteenth year, when he learned the blacksmith's trade with John R. . Henshaw, of Middletown, with whom he spent two years. . The following year he worked at his trade in Meriden. He was one of the first to offer his services to his country at the opening of the Civil war, enlisting in 186t, at Meriden, for three months, in Company F. ist Conn. V. I., under Col. R. Tyler and Capt. Byxbee. He participated in the first battle of Bull Run, and was then detailed for horse shoeing.
Bennett Jeralds was married first in 1840, to Lucy Mix, a daughter of William Mix, and to this union three children were born: Laura, deceased, who married Henry C. Wooding: Lucy, wife of George S. Allen ; and Cornelia, who married Ed- win P. Smith. For his second wife' Mr. Jeralds wedded Arvilla Raymond, a daughter of Lincoln Raymond, and four children were the result of this union : Alice M., who married Charles R. Lamb ; Ellen, wife of Frederick Wilcox: Frank, who died 1 at the age of four; and Fanny, who married Will- On the expiration of his term of enlistment, Mr. Roberts returned home and followed his trade un- til February, 1862. when he went to New York City and entered the employ of the Sixth Avenue iam Kingford. By his third wife. Mary M. Ad- ams, Mr. Jeralds has a son, Arthur, who resides in Wallingford. The fourth marriage of Mr. Jer- alds was to Lucy Wilcox, widow of Oliver Wil- , Railroad Co., with which he was connected for two
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years. In 1864 he went to California, intending to stop at Nicaragua, but on account of the hostility .of the natives proceeded to San Francisco, where he remained only a short time, and then went south to Santa Barbara and San Bernardino, where he filled the position of station agent. He was also connected with the mail service between Los An- geles and San Diego for a time, but on account of ill health he returned to San Francisco, where he remained several months, and then came East. He was conductor on the street railroad in New York City until 1869, when he again came to New Haven county, Conn., and purchased a farm in Cheshire, which he operated for two years. On selling out, in ISTI, he embarked in the livery business in Ham- den, and has since devoted much of his time to dealing in horses, buying his stock principally in the West and selling the same in Hamden and east- ern markets. In 1889 he opened the "Roberts House," which he has since conducted with marked success, as under his able management it has be- come one of the leading hotels of the locality. His genial, pleasant manner makes him quite popular with his guests, and wherever known he is held in high regard. Socially he is a member of Day Spring Lodge, No. 30, F. & A. M., of Hamden, and politically he is identified with the Republican party. The success that he has achieved in life is due to his own well-directed and energetic efforts, and he may well be classed among the self-made men of the county.
SAMUEL GRIFFING COOKE, a prominent farmer and fruit grower of Branford, was born in Honey Creek township, Adams Co., Ill., Ang. 31, 1835, son of Increase W. and Harriet D. ( Griffing) Cooke, natives of North Guilford and Branford, respectively. He is descended from Henry Cooke, who came from the west of England, and was in Plymouth, Mass., before 1640. His son, Samuel Cooke, married Hope Parker. Their son, Samuel Cooke, married Hannah Ives. Their son, Aaron Cooke, married Ruth Burrage. Their son. Aaron Cooke, the great-grandfather of our subject, mar- ried Lucretia Dudley. Kilburn Cooke, grandfather of Samuel G., was a native of Guilford, was reared to farming and followed that occupation all his days. He married Eunice Williams.
The maternal great-grandparents of Samuel Griffing Cooke were Aaron and Elizabeth ( Palmer ) Griffing. Aaron Griffing was a son of Samuel and Martha (Vail) Griffing, grandson of Robert and Susanna Griffing, and a great-grandson of Jasper and Hannah Griffing.
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Increase W. Cooke. whose name appears above as the father of Samuel G., was born in North Guilford in December, ISO7, and was married in Branford in May, 1832. to Harriet D., daughter of Capt. Samuel and Statira ( Frisbie) Griffing. They had three children who lived to maturity : (1) Harriet A., who married Samuel Beach; (2) Sam-
nel G .; and (3) Sara E., who became Mrs. John A. Leggett, and died in 1870. Mr. Cooke died in 1847. His widow, who subsequently married Jehiel Norton, died in 18.49.
Samuel Griffing Cooke was reared in Illinois until he reached the age of twelve years, when the mother and children returned to Brantord, in 1848. He received his education from the teachers of the public schools, and early in life began his career as an apprentice to the carpenter's trade in New Haven. In the spring of 1855 he went West and located in Adams county, Ill., where he was engaged in farming in the township of Honey Creek for six years. On Oct. 13, 1861, Mr. Cooke enlisted in the United States service as a member of Company A. 50th Ill. V. I., soon became corporal, and in February, 1862, was made sergeant. On Oct. 4, 1862, he and another sergeant took nine prisoners, seven privates, one first and one second lieutenant of the Ist Arkansas Infantry. He participated in the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson ( where he was slightly wounded), Shiloh, Corinth (Oct. 3-4, 1862), sieges of Corinth and Vicksburg, and was on the Atlanta campaign under Gen. Sherman in 1864. He was on detached duty three months. On June 7, 1864, he was discharged that he might be commissioned second lieutenant. In August of the same year he was promoted to first lieutenant, and transferred from the Department of the Ten- nessee to the Department of the Cumberland, by order of Gen. O. O. Howard, and given command of Company I, 44th U. S. C. T. Lieut. Cooke was captured by Gen. Hood Oct. 13. 1864, and was re- leased on parole. This parole was not recognized by the government, and he at once reported for duty at Chattanooga, Tenn. He was in the battle of Nashville. in December, 1864, and was honorably discharged at Chattanooga, May 25, 1865, though he was not relieved from duty until well into the following month. From the time of his en- listment, Oct. 13, 1861, Mr. Cooke was active and faithful in all the duties of a soldier, and made a record admirably clean and good.
After the war Mr. Cooke was engaged in the oil business for two years at Indian Neck, and has since devoted himself to agricultural pursuits in Branford. He bought his present place in 1872, after leasing it for two years. The farm com- prises 148 acres of fine land, highly cultivated, and improved with substantial buildings.
The marriage of Mr. Cooke and Cornelia A. Palmer occurred Oct. 20. 1868. Mrs. Cooke is a daughter of Wilman and Susan C. ( Bradley) Palmer. They have become the parerts of five chil- dren : Charles W .. Lizzie L., Susie B., Harry G. and Addison T.
From 1856 to 1866 Mr. Cooke was a member of the Congregational Church of Mendon. Ill. Since 1866 Mr. Cooke has been a member of the Congregational Church at Branford, to which his family also belong. Our subject has been superin-
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Samuel & books
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tendent of the Sunday-school four years, and his son, Charles W., is a deacon in the church. Mr. Cooke is regarded as one of the upright and lionor- able men of the community. He belongs to Mason Rogers Post, No. 7, G. A. R., of which he was commander for two years, and is now senior vice- commander. . In politics he is a Republican.
HORATIO NELSON CLARKE, a leading citizen and one of the most energetic, enterprising and successful agriculturists of Prospect, New Haven county, was born in that town, Nov. 14, 1841, and belongs to a family of English origin, which was early founded in New England, and one of the first established in this county.
Amos Clarke, his grandfather, was born in Mil- ford, now the town of Orange, about 1758, and spent his entire life in that section, his time and attention being devoted to farming. . His wife, Eunice, a woman of strong character, died Aug. 30, 1838, and he departed this life Nov. 14, 1841, the remains of both being interred in Orange ceme- tery. They had four children: Amos, born May 31, 1791, died in August, 1828; Ira Miles, born June 15, 1793, died in September, 1850; Selah, fa- ther of our subject, was next in order of birth; and Lanson, born Sept. 4, 1797, died in May, 1876.
Selah Clarke, our subject's father, was born in the town of Milford, now Orange, Feb. 14, 1795, and there grew to manhood, remaining upon his father's farm until 1823, when he came to Prospect and located upon the Platt farm-a tract of 115 acres in the southern part of the town-where he spent the remainder of his life engaged in agri- cultural pursuits. He was a man noted for his in- austry, honor and honorable dealings, and though he received only a limited education, he kept abreast of the times and was well posted on all leading events. He took a deep interest in town affairs, and was a stanch supporter of the Demo- cratic party, but never sought political honors. He was an earnest Christian and a consistent member of the Congregational. Church. He died at his home in Prospect, Aug. 29, 1880, and was laid to rest in the Prospect cemetery.
In North Milford, April 25, 1821, Selah Clarke married Miss Hannah Stone Smith, who was born in Milford, Aug. 26, 1800, and died on the home farm in Prospect, Sept. 30, 1877, her remains being interred by the side of those of her husband in Prospect cemetery. She was a good Christian wo- man and a faithful wife and mother. She too, be- longed to an old and honored family of New Eng- land, being a descendant of Rev. Samuel Stone, the first of the name in America, and from him she traced her ancestry through the following: John and Mary Stone; John and Susana ( Newton) Stone; Ezekiel and Hannah ( Merriman) Stone ; . and Samuel and Damaris ( Beach ) Stone. She was a daughter of Miles and Lucretia ( Downs) Smith, and a granddaughter of John and Hannah
(Stone) Downs. Horatio N. Clarke is the young- est in a family of eight children, the others being as follows: (1) Smith Selah, born in Milford, Feb. 14, 1822, died Feb. 7, 1900. (2) Miles, born in Prospect, June 8, 1825, resides in Naugatuck, Conn. (3) Harriette Eliza, born Sept. 25, 1828, is the wife of Lucins Russell, a son of Ransom Rus- sell, and resides in New Haven. (4) Spencer Amos, born Feb. 20, 1833, is a contractor and builder of New Haven. (5) Charlotte Emily, born Sept. 20, 1835, married Julius Smith, deceased, who was a needle manufacturer of New Haven. (6) Lillian Adella, born April 14, 1837, is the wife of George De Forest Bissell, a retired citizen of Naug- atuck. (7) Sarah De Ette, born July 7, 1839, was educated in a normal school and became a noted teacher of languages and music; she married Al- phonse Charpiot, a master car builder for the Georgia Central railroad, and died in Macon, Georgia.
During his boyhood and youth Horatio N. Clarke attended the district schools of Prospect Mills, a preparatory school of New Haven, and the Naugatuck high school, where he acquired a good practical education. He grew to manhood on the homestead and early acquired an excellent knowl- edge of every department of farm work. At the age of eighteen years he took charge of his father's business and cared for his parents during their de- clining years.
On Dec. 24, 1864, in Bethany, Conn., Mr. Clarke was united in marriage with Miss Laura De Ette Perkins, who was born in the old hotel at that place, and is a representative of an old and highily re- spected family of this county, being a daughter of Guy and Laura (Doolittle) Perkins, and a grand- daughter of Archibald and Sarah ( French) Per- kins. Her grandfather was a hotel keeper and farmer of Bethany, where he died March 4, 1842, his wife Sept. 27, 1846. His father was Azariah. Perkins, a native of New Haven county, and the son of an Englishman. Mrs. Clarke's maternal grandparents were Jesse and Betsey ( Wooding) Doolittle, the former a son of Caleb and Hannah ( Merriman) Doolittle, and the latter a daughter of Edward and Ann ( Peck) Wooding. To Mr. and Mrs. Clarke have been born five children, viz .: Maude Genevieve, born in Bethany, Oct. 8, 1868, is at home; Walton Perkins, born Dec. 26, 1870, was married July 12, 1898, to Nellie Maria Page, daughter of John M. Page, of Naugatuck, and is employed in a rubber shop in Naugatuck; Rollin Perkins, born June 14, 1880, is a graduate of the high school of Naugatuck ; Laura Eloise, born Dec. 19, 1881, is possessed of some musical and artistic ability, and is at home; and Edith May, born April 12, 1883, died May 9, 1887. All have attended the Naugatuck high school and are well educated.
After his marriage Mr. Clarke located on what was known as the Hotchkiss farm, and upon that place he still resides, having made extensive im-
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provements thereon which add greatly to its value and attractive appearance. After the death of his parents he bought the old homestead and other lands owned by his father, and to-day he is one of the largest landowners in Prospect, his possessions aggregating 600 hundred acres in that town. In connection with general farming, he is extensively engaged in stock dealing and the dairy business, and has upon his place some fine Jersey stock. He also does a large business as a dealer in wood, for which he finds a ready market in Waterbury.
Politically Mr. Clarke has been a life-long Dem- ocrat, but at local elections votes for the men whon he considers best qualified to fill the offices regard- less of party lines. He is public-spirited and pro- gressive, and gives his support to every enterprise .which he believes calculated to prove of public benefit. He has taken quite an active and promi- nent part in town politics, and has served as as- sessor five years; tax collector nine years; justice of the peace; grand juror ; member of the board of relief ; and member of the board of selectmen sev- eral terms, being still connected with the last. He has been instrumental in securing the rural free delivery soon to be established in the town. Fra- ternally, he is a member of Beacon Valley Grange, and his wife and children are members of the Episcopal Church. The record of Mr. Clarke is that of a man who by his own well-directed efforts has worked his way upward. His life has been one of industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable business methods he has followed have won him the respect and confidence of all.
ALFRED CARLSON. As an example of what may be accomplished by honesty, energy and perseverance, under most discouraging circum- stances, the life of Alfred Carlson, the subject of this sketch, offers a very interesting and instructive narrative.
Mr. Carlson was born at Holmboe, Smoland, Sweden, Sept. 5, 1842, a son of Carl and Katherina (Scott) Carlson, the former of whom was a farmer, and lived and died in the little village of his birth, near the city of Guttenberg. The children born to these worthy people were: Charlotte, widow of Edwin Anderson, lives in Naugatuck, Conn .; Caro- line, widow of Andrew Monson, who was killed by an accident in Canada ; Alfred; and Gustavus, who lives in Middletown. Connecticut.
Alfred Carlson received but a limited educa- tion, as his father died when he was quite young, and, being the oldest son, he naturally assumed the responsibility of his own support. Facing the situ- ation bravely, he left school and engaged as a helper in a tannery, where he worked for a year and one-half, but as this brought him only his board and clothes, he tried to find something else. For a short time he worked with a carpenter, and by the time he was eighteen years old was working as a farm hand, receiving board, clothes and $30
per year. For some time prior to 1871 he found employment as a coachman for a wealthy man in Sweden, but America was the goal of his ambi- tion, many of his friends and relatives having be- come prosperous in this country.
When Mr. Carlson landed in New York his capi- tal consisted of $20 in money and an unbounded ambition, both of which he found very necessary adjuncts for success in the situation which he faced. Saybrook, Conn., was his first location, as there was plenty of work there on the Connecticut Valley R. R., then in the course of construction, and for about eighteen months he worked on that road between Saybrook and Hartford, later finding employment of the same kind at Tariffville, Conn., on the New England R. R. At a still later date he went to Portland, where many of his country- men were working in the brown stone quarries, and while there formed the acquaintance of Erastus Brainerd, and was engaged by him as coachman, remaining one of his trusted employes for nine years. A part of his earnings were regularly sent to his aged mother in Sweden, but by economy he accumulated enough in these nine years to buy his present farm in North Haven, it then being known as the Harvey Sacket place, and consisted of twenty-five acres. Hard work was required to clear this land of stone and brush, but Mr. Carlson had the energy and perseverance to accomplish much, and bravely set to work, transforming in a short time this wilderness into a profitable farm. Adding more land as his means permitted, he has now an estate of fifty-five acres, upon which he carries on market gardening and general farming in a very satisfactory way.
In 1874, in Portland, Mr. Carlson was married : to Georgia Marie Olson, who was born March 10, 1857, in Seffle, Sweden, daughter of Peter and Eliza (Portstrom) Olson. The children born of this union were: William, residing in New Haven, a graduate of Upsaller College, Brooklyn, N. Y .; Franz Oscar, deceased ; Alfred Herbert : Axel Har- old ; Hannah Amelia; Hilma Marie; Carl Henry ;. and Helen Josephine. Mr. Carlson has made every endeavor to give his children good educational ad- vantages, and, in his upright life, he has set them a good example. Both he and his wife are valued members of the Lutheran (Swedish ) Church, in New Haven. In politics Mr. Carlson is a Repub- lican, and is socially connected with the Grange of North Haven. A generous and progressive citi- zen, and a kind and hospitable neighbor, Mr. Carl- son has the esteem of the whole community.
D. WILLIAM FOWLER, a farmer and citizen of East Haven, Conn., was born in Flemington, N. J., Nov. 25, 1841, but is a representative of one of the old and honored families of this State.
David Sullivan Fowler. his father, was born in North Guilford. Conn., March 5. 1807, a son of Samuel Fowler, and was there reared upon a farm.
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When a young man he began teaching school, and in that capacity came to East Haven. While thus employed he boarded with Philemon Holt, and fell in love with that gentleman's daughter, Miss Char- lotte E. Holt, to whom he was married Jan. 20, 1832. She was born March 6, 1809, on the farm where our subject now resides, and her father was born just across the road. Shortly after his mar- riage David S. Fowler removed to Flemington, N. J., where he carried on a general country store for a time, and then purchased a farm, to the cul -. tivation and improvement of which he devoted his attention unti! 1846, when he returned to East Haven, Conn., and located on the old Holt home- stead, and continued to make his nome there until his death, in his fifty-eighth year. He was one of the most prominent and influential men of East Haven in his day, and in 1857 was elected high sheriff of New Haven county for a term of three years, and he had also served in the State Senate. So efficiently and satisfactorily did he fill that office : that he was re-elected for another term, serving, in all, six years. Politically he was identified with the Democratic party, and fraternally affiliated with the Masonic order. He was an active and prominent member of St. James' Episcopal Church of Fair Haven, to which his wife also belonged. To this worthy couple were born nine children, namely : Charles H., born March 17, 1833, is an attorney at law of New Haven; Cornelia, born July 9, 1835, died Jan. 10, 1885; Annie J., born Aug. 6, 1837, married Joel A. Sperry, of New Haven, and died July 20, 1895; Harriet, born Dec. 6. 1839, died Feb. 5, 1889; D. William, born Nov. 25, 1841 ; Sarah A., born July 21, 1844, is the wife of James R. Scott, of New York; George S .. born Feb. 24, 1847, is engaged in the gents' furnishing business in New York City; John H., born Dec. 9, 1849, is in the wholesale lumber business at No. 87 Church street, New Haven ; and James B., born Nov. 17, 1850,. is a salesman for Sperry & Barnes, of New Haven.
D. William Fowler was educated in the public schools of his native town, and grew to manhood upon the home farm, of which he had complete charge after his father's election to the office of sheriff. On the latter's death, he purchased the interest of the other heirs, and now has about 200 acres of land in East Haven, with good and sub- stantial buildings, and has met with fair success in his undertakings. He is a supporter of the Demo- cratic party, and in his religious faith is a member of St. James' Episcopal Church, Fair Haven.
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E. ROWLAND DAVIS is an old and esteemed citizen of Waterbury, and as the proprietor of the Waterbury Steam Laundry, at No. 17 Canal street. has made his name familiar to the people of a wide section of country. He has at this point a fine plant fully equipped with modern and up-to- date appliances, and does not only the regular work
of a laundry, but carpet cleaning and steam dyeing as well. His trade extends throughout the city, and agencies are maintained in many of the adjoin- ing towns and villages. Mr. Davis also owns an equally extensive establishment at Naugatuck. His business in Waterbury gives steady employ- ment to about thirty people. Mr. Davis was born in Middletown, Conn .. Feb. 14. 1847, a son of Evan Davis, a native of Wales, who emigrated to this country when about eight years of age.
David Davis, the father of Evan, came to New York City, and owned a farm where the old reser- voir now stands on Forty-second street. To-day that property is the most valuable in the city. Mr. Davis sold out, and bought a farm, which has since become equally as valuable, located at the inter- section of Fulton and Classin avenues. Mr. Davis married a Miss Newand and reared a family of five children: Evan, the father of E. Rowland : John; Mary : Kate; and Hannah. John, wore the Union blue in the Civil war, and is now a resident of New York City, where his sister Mary also lives. The other members of the family are dead. and the father died in Brooklyn years ago.
Evan Davis grew up in New York, and married Miss Rachel Brooks, a daughter of Stephen Brooks, of Steuben, N. Y., a man of more than ordinary ability. After their marriage the young couple went to Middletown, where Mr. Davis operated the first ferry between that city and Portland. This was his business for many years, but he finally sold it because his religious convictions interfered with a Sunday traffic. Mr. Davis, was a deacon of the Congregational Church at the time of his death, in 1870, a man of strong convictions and high moral worth. Mrs. Davis is still living. They were the . parents of six children : Stephen B., D. Newand, Sarah, E. Rowland, Carroll and Catherine E. Ste- phen served in the Civil war, and is Judge of Pro- bate in Middletown: D. Newand also served in the Civil war, and he has been deputy sheriff in Middletown : Sarah married D. A. Brooks, and has her home in Brooklyn : Carroll died in infancy ; and Catherine is the wife of William Murken, of Brooklyn.
E. Rowland Davis grew to manhood under the parental roof in Middletown, and had his educa- tion in the local schools. As a young man he se- cured a good position in the First National Bank, which he held for three years. He then went to Florida. where he was in business three years, when he returned to Connecticut and secured a position as a clerk in a book store, remaining seven years. At the expiration of that period he opened up in his present business, to which reference has already been made, and in 1884 he came to Waterbury, and engaged in a steam laundry .. Success has crowned his efforts from the beginning. and he is now the proprietor of a laundry plant that is as complete and perfect in all its appointments as may be found in the State.
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On Feb. 4. 1875, Mr. Davis was united in mar- riage with Miss Eliza Maney, of Portland, a daugh- ter of Morris Maney, who was of Irish extraction. No children have come to this union. Mr. Davis is a Republican, and is recognized as a man of solid worth and genuine character by all who know him. He is a charter member of the I. O. R. M., and is a colonel of the Uniformed Rank of the Knights of Pythias. He is also a charter mem- ber of the A. O. U. W., and of the Independent Order of the Heptasophs. Mr. Davis is a loyal member of the Congregational Church.
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