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 4 > Part 14
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Mr. Plant donned the Union blue Aug. 7. 1862. as a member of Company B. 15th Conn. V. I .. Capt. Theodore R. Davis, and his army experiences cov- ered many of the most exciting scenes and incidents of that great struggle. The command was attached to Gen. Gettys' Division of the oth Army Corps. under Gen. Burnside, and our subject's regiment,
which was commanded by Col. Dexter R. Wright and Col. Charles L. Upham, in turn, was under Gen. Sumner at Fredericksburg. After this engagement they went to Newport News, thence to Suffolk, Va., where they were under Gen. Peck, and took part in the siege. Subsequently they were at Kinston, N. C., where Mr. Plant was taken prisoner March 8, 1865; he was sent to Libby prison, detained there three days, and then sent to Annapolis on parole. He went home on a furlough and rejoined his regi- ment at Kinston. He was discharged and mustered out of the service at Newbern, June 27, 1865, and arrived home July 4, 1865. the survivor of many perils and narrow escapes. During his long ser- vice he was never in hospital.
Mr. Plant was married Sept. 20, 1871, to Bessie W., a daughter of Julius and Mabel (Andrews) Upson, of East Haven, and they have had four chil- dren: (1) Albert B., born Oct. 14, 1872, was edu- cated in the common schools and at the business college in New Haven: he is still at home. (2) Mabel U., born Aug. 10, 1875. died June 9, 1883. (3) Mary Eliza was born June 5, 1887. (4) Ray U'pson was born Feb. 26, 1890. Mrs. Plant belongs to the First Congregational Church of Branford, of which her husband is an attendant and supporter.
Mr. Plant is a member of Widows' Sons' Lodge, F. & A. M., and of Mason Rogers Post, No. 7, G. A. R. In politics he is a Republican. He is one of the live, public-spirited citizens of the town, and always ready to lend a helping hand to any forward movement.
CHARLES ZINA MURDOCK. whose name is familiar to those acquainted in the city of Meri- den, as that of a much respected citizen and a very successful farmer and stock raiser, in Paddock ave- nue, was born in the Hanover District, Meriden, May 1, 1850. His father, the late Zina K. Mur- dock, formerly a leading farmer in Meriden, is mentioned elsewhere.
Charles Zina Murdock obtained his education in the public schools, in Meriden Academy, and also at Russell's Military Academy, New Haven. After the completion of his schooling he adopted farming as his life work, for which he was already well pre- pared by a boyhood and youth spent on his father's farm. Until 1888 he remained on his father's farm engaged in general agriculture and in dairying in company with his brother, George. In that year he located on his present farm, a tract of 100 acres, part of the paternal estate, which is admirably sit- uated in Paddock avenue, not far from the city. Here for the past thirteen years he has been engaged in farming and dairving with fine results. Mr. Mur- dock is fond of good horses and cattle, does a good business in stock raising, and takes great pleasure in his outdoor life. On his farm he has just com- pleted the building of one of the finest dwelling houses to be found in the town. outside the city of Meriden, fitted with all the modern appliances; it
a to Plant
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was erected under his close supervision. The ' ford. (7) John W., born Jan. 14, 1835. first mar- grounds are attractive and the outlook upon the sur- ried Anna Fowler and second Ida Bradley; he is engaged in farming in Seymour, Conn. (8) Julia A., born Aug. 20, 1844, married Henry Harrison, of Northford; she survived him, dying April 2, 1901, in West Haven. Those living are Thomas A., Jane and John W. rounding country is magnificent. Mr. Murdock is a modest man, genial in manner and possessing a whole-souled friendliness of spirit which wins and retains a host of friends. While taking an active interest in politics, he calls himself an independent Democrat. In his religious ideas he is broad and liberal and would rejoice to live in a world that had for its great central theological principle the Gol- den Rule.
On March 6, 1889, Mr. Murdock was married at Port Monmouth, N. J., to Miss Alice C. Carter, who died April 25, 1891, and was buried in the West Cemetery at Meriden. She is remembered as a lady of marked beauty, with a warm and generous heart, a cultivated mind and a keen appreciation of the highest and noblest in daily life. She was a men- ber of the Baptist Church. At her death she left one son, Carter Z., born Feb. 12, 1891. Mr. Mur- dock is a member of the Meriden Grange, but be- longs to no other society. He is domestic in his tastes, well-read, and in every way an estimable man.
WALTER E. SMITH, a respresentative far- mer and highly esteemed citizen of North Bran- ford, New Haven county, was born in that town Dec. 23, 1856, and belongs to an honored old fam- ily. James Smith, his paternal great-great-grand- father, married Lydia Todd, March 26, 1747. Their children were: Mary, born Dec. 22, 1747, mar- ried James Pardee ; James, born Aug. 30, 1750; Ben- jamin, born in 1753; John, born June 14, 1756; Thomas, born Oct. 10, 1761 ; Eli; Mabel, born Jan. 20, 1769, married Merriam Munson.
Thomas Smith, son of James, was born Oct. 10, 1761, and died Feb. 20, 1815. He married, first, Sarah Frost, and had two sons and one daughter : Thomas, John and Sarah. On April 22, 1801, he ·married Rosanna Hull, who died Feb. 3, 1846. In their family were the following children, namely : Ebenezer, born March 17, 1802. who wedded Mary Ann Rogers ; Rosanna, baptized June 21, 1812; Mar- tha, who married George L. Thorpe; Hiram, who was baptized May 6, 1810; Thomas ; and James.
Deacon Thomas Smith was born in North Ha- ven Sept. 20, 1798. For over thirty years he was deacon in the Congregational Church. On Jan. 24, 1819, he married Hannah Tuttle, daughter of Jude Tuttle. To them came the following children : (1) Julius, born Dec. 6, 1819. wedded Mary Frost; he was engaged in the butcher business in Fair Haven and Hartford. (2) George R., born Jan. 18, 1821, married Emeline Munson and followed farming near the old homestead. (3) Sarah L., born April 20, 1824, died young. (4) Thomas Andrew, born Jan. 9. 1827, is a farmer of North Branford. (5) . James Franklin, born Dec. 31, 1830, was the father of our subject. (6) Jane F., twin sister of James, is the widow of William S. Munson, of Walling-
James F. Smith, father of our subject, was born in North Branford and there he engaged in agricul- tural pursuits throughout the greater part of his life. In New York City he was married. Feb. 17, 1852, to Miss Frances Elizabeth Brockett, who was born in Cheshire May 24, 1833, a daughter of George and Abigail ( Sanford) Brockett. She had one brother, Nelson Brockett, who married Marga- ret McElroy and resided in Meriden, Conn., where he died in 1896. Her paternal grandparents were David and Damerus (Beach) Brockett, and her maternal grandparents were David and Millicent ( Hotchkiss) Sanford, the latter a daughter of Deacon Gideon Hotchkiss. To James F. and Fran- ces E. ( Brockett) Smith were born two children, of whom our subject is the older. The younger, Emma Brockett, was born May 25, 1858, was given good school privileges and now resides on the old home- stead in Northford, town of North Branford, with her mother and brother ; she married William E. Riker and has two children: Maud F., who was born Aug. 25, 1886, and is now attending the high school of Meriden; and Wilhelmina Evans, who was born Nov. 4, 1889.
Walter E. Smith was reared on the home farm and acquired his literary education in the common and private schools of that locality. In early life he learned the printer's trade and followed that oc- cupation in New Haven and Wallingford for five or six years. In 1894 he returned to the old home- stead, comprising fifty-five acres of land, and has since devoted his energies to its cultivation and im- provement. He is a thorough and systematic far- mer and has met with well-deserved success in his labors. Religiously he is a member of St. Jolin's Episcopal Church, of North Haven, and a church society known as the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, while his mother and sister are Congregationalists. At one time he also held membership in the Knights of the Golden Eagle. Politically he is a stanch Re- publican and takes a deep interest in everything pertaining to the general welfare, withholding his support from no enterprise calculated to prove of ¡ public benefit.
JOHN ALFRED OLSON. One of the most fertile and well-kept farms in the southeastern part of the town of North Haven is that owned by John Alfred Olson, one of the energetic, thrifty and very prosperous farmer citizens.
Mr. Olsen is a native of Sweden, where his an- cestors have for many generations been honorable and wealthy people. His father, Peter Olson, was born in that country, where he remained until mid-
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dle age, when curiosity and a desire for better op- portunities for his children cau-ed him to emigrate to the United States, taking his two oldest sons, P. A. and John Alfred. In 1870 he left Seffle, Sweden, and landed in New York after a voyage of about two weeks. Three years later he sent for his wife. two daughters and youngest son. His occupation had been that of farming, and with the intention of still pursuing that industry he first located in New Jersey, but later removed to Portland. Conn., reach- ing there at the time when the quarries were be- ing extensively worked for the well-known brown stone of commerce. For some time Peter Olson worked in these quarries and later he, in connection with our subject, went to Bolivar. Tenn., where they took the contract for the building of a water- way. This consumed about six months, during some of which time a number of men were kept employed, and later a similar job was taken in hand at Memphis, Tenn., work also being done in St. Louis and Chieago. From the latter city Mr. OI- son and his son went to Lansing, Mich., where they were engaged in construction work on a railroad between Detroit and Lansing, remaining nearly a year in this vicinity ; but their health gave out and they resigned their positions and went to New York, where they both entered the Emigrant Hos- pital on Ward's Island.
Upon discharge from the hospital the father and son went to Saybrook, Conn., and were there em- ployed in the construction of the Connecticut Val- ley R. R., later returning to Portland, where he sent for the rest of his family and where the be- loved father died, in 1876, at the age of fifty-nine years. Peter Olson married Eliza Portstrom, who now lives in North Haven with her children. All of the children were born in Sweden, and all re- side in America. They are as follows: Per A. : John Alfred : Axel, who lives in California : Georgia, who married Alfred Carlson, of North Haven ; and Hilma, wife of Jacob Lundgren, both being now deceased.
John A. Olson was born June 24, 1854, in Sefile, Sweden. His education was obtained in the schools of his native village, including the high school, and after coming to New York he atended the Swedish Lutheran parochial school and was confirmed in that faith. As above stated, he accompanied his father to the various localities where they both engaged in remunerative work. After the return from the Northwest Mr. Olson worked as brakeman on a train for the Connecticut Valley R. R., and then 1
went to Portland where he was employed in the quarries of Erastus Brainerd, and later was coach- man for him, remaining some two years, when he went to New London, Conn. Mr. Olson was fond of horses and in the position of coachman he had many fine specimens under his care. In New York he again became a coachman for two years, and the following six years were spent in the employ of the great Arbuckle coffee firm, and later he went to
Southport, Conn., where he remained as the trusted coachman of Frederick Marquand tlie millionaire. until the latter's death in 1882. Elbert B. Monroe, a son-in-law of Mr. Marquand, was Mr. Olson's next employer, and with him he remained until 1892, when he came to his farm in North Haven that he had purchased several years before, part of it from Mrs. Fitch and the rest from Mr. Hoadley. He erected in 1803 his modern home, and during his residence here he has made many improvements upon the farm which, in the beginning, was prin- cipally covered with underbrush and used as pas- tutre. Now the appearance of the place testifies to the attention which Mr. Olson has given it, and he carries on general farming and dairying. He has a good milk route in the city of New Haven, which he established in 1894.
In 1880 Mr. Olson was married in Southport, Conn., to Josephine Osterberg, a native of Gottland. Sweden, who has proved a worthy helpmate. The children born of this union are as follows: Edwin Alfred, who is a graduate of Moody's school at Mt. Hermon, Mass., and of Childs' Business College, New Haven : Oliver ; Esther ; Josephine ; and John Albert. Politically Mr. Olson is a Republican and has been a member of the school committee. He belongs to the N. E. O. P. and is a stockholder and director in the New Haven Provision Co. All of the family are consistent members of the St. John's Street Lutheran Church, of New Haven. Mr. Ol- son has honorably won his way in life, has become a keen, careful man of business and is considered one of the substantial residents of North Haven.
WILLIAM K. WRIGHT, who enjoys more than a local reputation as a mechanic, was born in Westhampton, Mass., March 5, 1849. a son of Thaddeus K. Wright, also born in Westhampton.
Thaddeus K. Wright was a farmer and wood turner, but his death occurred suddenly while he was still in the prime of life, at the age of forty-seven years. He had raised a company for the Civil war and was engaged in drilling it when he was sud- denly stricken. A man of intelligence and charac- ter, his worth was appreciated by the people with whom he lived and who called upon him to act as a selectman and serve on the school board. Nancy E. Lyman, his wife, was the daughter of Elihu Lyman, a resident of the town of Williamsburg, where she was born. She was the mother of five children : Francis H., Harriet D., Charles L., William K. and Mary J. Of these. Francis H. died in battle dur- ing the Civil war. having become a member of the 37th Mass. V. I .: Harriet married Henry L. Nich- ols, of New Haven; Mary married James B. Mo- ran, of New Haven ; and Charles L. is the subject of a sketch found on another page. Mr. and Mrs. Wright were Congregationalists and he was a leader in the formation of the Republican party in Connecticut in 1850, having been a stanch Whig prior to that time.
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For the first ten years of his life William K. Wright lived in Westhampton where he attended school: the ensuing five years he passed in East- hampton, where he also attended school. When he was fifteen he went to New Britain, Conn., and there secured a position in a cutlery shop, and for some six years was engaged in finishing knives and forks. At Beaver Falls, Pa., he was a foreman in the same line of work and had charge of the scale sawing room for about four years. Then he re- turned to Massachusetts and for two years was em- ployed at Leeds, and for seven years was superin- tendent of a bracket factory at Ivorytown, Conn .. but since that time has lived in New Haven, where for some ten years he was in the employ of the Sar- gent Manufacturing Co., being a contractor in their forging department. For two years he was a fore- man with O. B. North & Co., and for the last three years has been the general superintendent of the entire plant. His mechanical and executive abil- ities are of a very high order and Mr. Wright stands among the very first mechanics of the State.
On Sept. 21, 1877, Mr. Wright was married to Miss Emma L. Davis, of New Haven, a daughter of Daniel Davis, also a resident of New Haven, though not born there. To this union has come one daugh- ter, Ida M., who is living at home. unmarried. Mr. Wright is a Republican, and fraternally he belongs to Hiramı Lodge. No. I. F. & A. M .: Polar Star Lodge, No. 77. I. O. O. F .: Davenport Council. Royal Arcanum, and the N. E. O. P. In religion he and his family are devoted Methodists and are very highly esteemed in the community for their use- ful lives, good character and kindly disposition.
JOHN WILKINSON, a well known manufac- turer of specialties in confectionery at No. 277 Main street, West Haven, was born Dec. 19. 1856. in New Haven, son of John and Elizabeth ( Moffatt ) Wilkinson.
John Wilkinson, the father, was born in England and at the early age of nine years began a seataring life, which he continued until his marriage. He then located in New Haven, where he was employed by the Trowbridges as "ship keeper." and later hy Swift. Courtney & Beacher. who now conduct the Diamond Match Factory. He was a member of the I. O. O. F. and of Olive Branch Ledge. F. & A. M., of Westville, in which he was an especially en- thusiastic worker, being a thor high student of the books. He and his wife were both active members of the Howard Avenue Congregational Church, of New Haven, and he was also interested in local af- fairs in affiliation with the Republican party. He . died at the age of fifty-nine years, and his wife. Elizabeth ( Moffatt), died aged sixty. They had six children, of whom four are living : William Ji .. who is with our subject; John, who is secend in order of birth: Elizabeth, who resides with our subject: and Andrew B., a plumber in West Ha- ven and a prominent citizen, who has held various
offices, including that of chief of the fire department. Fanny ( Mrs. C. W. Bissell) and Sarah ( Mrs. George Mason) are deceased.
Our subject's early life was spent in New Ha- ven where he was educated in the common schools and the preparatory school known as the "Lancas- terian school." At sixteen he began to learn the confectioner's trade, beginning as errand boy with H. H. Snow, one of the leading confectioners of the United States, who employed over one hundred workmen. On completing his term he took a position with them as shipping clerk, remaining six years in all in New Haven. For a short time he con- ducted a messenger express business between New York and New Haven, and he spent a few months with Mr. Snow's brother, Samuel M., in New Ha- ven. He then became a traveling salesman for Ed- ward Smith, of New York, with whom he remained until 1892, his route extending through Connecti- cut. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. In teot he made his home in West Haven, and in the following year the present business was started and his shop and residence built. The shop is a two-story building with basement, especially de- signed for his work. He makes a specialty of chocolates, being the only one'in the State making a fine grade. He also manufactures a cough drop, "King over all," which has a great reputation. Much of his success is due to the attractive designs which he employs in great numbers. His trade ex- tends throughout the New England States and New York State, including the metropolis.
On Nov. 27, 1878, Mr. Wilkinson married Miss Ella J. Smith, a native of Orange, and daughter of , Edward J. Smith, a carriage maker in New Haven, now deceased. They have one daughter, Mae Ella, who is a graduate of the West Haven high school.
Politically Mr. Wilkinson is a Republican and a member of the Young Men's Republican Club, of New Haven. He has served three consecutive terms , as grand juror and two years as a member of the board of burgesses. In December, 1899, he was elected tax collecter, serving one term; in April, [goo. he was elected deputy judge and clerk of the West Haven court. For years he has been an active worker in Annawan Lodge, No. 115. F. & A. M., in which he has held all the offices, now serving as secretary : is a past master of Olive Branch Lodge F. & A. M., Westville ; and secretary and past high priest of Joseph Andrews Chapter. No. 46. R. A. M .. West Haven, in which he has held all the offices. He is an honorary member of the James Graham Hook & Ladder Co. His family are identified with the Congregational Church, of West Haven, and in all the varied activities of social life they hold a leading place.
HARVEY COURTLAND VOORHEES. one of Meriden's leading photographers, was born rear Dwight. Il. Nov. 20, 1867, and is a descendant of one of the old Dutch families of New Jersey. The
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founder of the Voorhees family in America was Minne Lucasse Van Voorhees, a native of Holland, who settled in Somerset county, New Jersey, and there established a family which has become well known in many States of the Union.
Abraham C. Voorhees, the father of our sub- ject, was a native of Somerset county, where he LEWELLYN LUTHER STODDARD, the Haven, and a man well known and popular, not only with his fellow townsmen, but also with Yale stu- dents, whose trade he has controlled for years, was born in Springfield, Mass., Dec. 19, 1840, a son of William Arnold and Phoebe ( Brockway ) Stoddard. was born April 9, 1840. When the Civil war broke ' leading retail cigar and tobacco merchant of New out he became a member of Co. E, 35th N. J. V. I., participated in many serious engagements, and was . under Gen. Sherman in the famous March to the Sea. At Atlanta he was taken seriously sick, and being confined in a hospital, was prevented from the final successful entry into the captured city. After the close of the war Mr. Voorhees located near Dwight, Ill., where he became engaged in farming and where he spent six busy years and then returned to New Jersey where he has since made his home and has there reared his family. In politics he is a stanch Republican and lives a moral life, respected and esteemed by the community. He married Miss Delia Howell, a native of Morris county, N. J., whose death occurred in 1896. She was the devoted mother of five children : John Wesley, a resident of Washington, N. J .; Emma Jane, who married George W. Aber, of Long Island ; Harvey C .; Will- iam ; and Daniel, who died young.
Harvey C. Voorhees was but a child of six years when he left his western home and returned with the family to New Jersey. After finishing his school course at the age of sixteen, he decided to take up photography and, with a view of mastering the art he went to Hackettstown, N. J., where he learned all of the various details of this fascinating work under C. C. Kenney, and then made his way to Hartford, Conn. There, for three years, he was employed in the establishments of Lloyd and Olsen, thence going to Washington, D. C., where he had charge of the well-known Davis studio, opposite the patent office. MIr. Voorhees remained in Washing- ton for two years, gaining a wide experience, but in 1890, he came to Meriden, buying out the interest of C. C. Kenney, and here, during the past eleven successful years, his business has grown to great proportions. Mr. Voorhees is an artist in his work, and his thorough understanding of it and of its possibilities, in connection with his pleasant and affable manner, have won for him a flattering pat- ronage.
Mr. Voorhees selected a Connecticut lady for his wife, Miss Margaret. the daughter of William Davidson, becoming his bride Jan. 1. 1800. In his political choice he is a Republican and was appointed clerk of the probate court by Judge Thayer. four years since, continuing in office. His fraternal con- nections are with the Masons and the Odd Fellows. belonging to Meridian Lodge, No. 77, in the for- mer, and Pacific Lodge. No. 87. in the latter, of which he is past grand. As he is past master in Silver City Lodge, No. 3. 1. O. U. W. : past patron in Meridian Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star
and is one of the valued members and vice-president of the social organization known as the Amaranthi Club. Mr. Voorhees is very popular in Meriden and enjoys the respect and esteem of the whole com- munity.
The ancestor who founded the family in Amier- ica, Col. John Stoddard, was a very prominent man of his period, and held a commission in the British army. Being detailed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he built the line of forts in what was then Northfield, extending from Northampton to Bellows Falls, and organized troops to protect the colonists from the Indians, about 1656. The next ancestor of whom mention can be found in the records of New England was Capt. David Stoddard, captain of a company from Chesterfield, N. H., who par- ticipated in the battles of Bunker Hill and Lexing- ton, and was a brave officer. The son of Capt. David Stoddard, Lemuel, was also a soldier of the Revolution, and the father of his wife, Mary Thomas, was in the company of Capt. David Stod- dard.
Luther Stoddard, son of Lemuel, was also a soldier, participating in the war of 1812. He mar- ried Rachel Chase, whose grandfather, Capt. James Chase, had charge of the fortifications in Narragan- sett Bay, near Warren, R. I., during the Revolution- ary war.
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