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 62
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On Nov. 6, 1889, Mr. Northrop was married in Glastonbury, Conn., to Nellie Wyman, who was born in Winchendon, Mass., a daughter of Enoch |
and Mary (Loveland) Wyman. Two sons bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Northrop, namely : Ralph Wyman, born Aug. 18, 1890; and Elmer Mayo, born Sept. 7, 1892.
Mrs. Northrop is a descendant of an old New England family, of German origin, Thomas Wy- man, the first in this country, came from England and located in Woburn, Mass., and his son, Elisha Wyman, married Martha Richardson. Thomas Wyman, son of Elisha, was born in Woburn in 1745 ; in 1773 he married Betsey Reed, and settled in Templeton, Mass., in 1783, removing to Win- chendon the next year. Joshua Wyman, son of Thomas, was born in 1778, and married Nancy Noyes. Their children were: Laura, born 1803, died next year; Enoch, born May 4, 1805; Gilman, Feb. 12, 1807, married Hannah Taft; Sumner, Feb. 22, 1809, married ( first) Sallie Lewis and ( second) Philura Pitkins, and is still living in Winchendon, Mass .; Franklin, born May 26, 1812, died Jan. II, 1814; Henry, Dec. 26, 1821, died in Winchendon.
Enoch Wyman, father of Mrs. Northrop, mar- ried (first) Huldah Twitchell and ( second) Mary Loveland. The last-named was a daughter of Syl- vester and Ruth ( Riley) Loveland, the latter a de- scendant of an old family of Glastonbury and Wethersfield, Conn. The wedding trip of Sylvester and Ruth Loveland consisted of the journey, begun on their wedding day, with a four-ox team, to Marshfield, Vt., where they settled and died, the former reaching the ripe age of ninety-six years. Enoch Wyman died Oct. 12, 1880, in Winchendon, and his widow now resides on a farm at Marsh- field, Vt. They were the parents of four children, two of whom died in infancy. The second of the survivors is Mayo Hazelton, who resides with his mother in Vermont. An adopted son, Charles Wy- man, now resides at Naugatuck.
Mrs. Northrop was educated in the schools of Winchendon, graduating from the high school in June, 1882, and she taught school one year in Glastonbury. After this, she traveled over Con- necticut, teaching systems of dress-cutting. Beside being the possessor of much executive ability, she is a lady of refined nature and many graces of char- acter. A true wife and wise counselor, she is a helpmeet to her husband, a loving and discreet mother, and a valuable member of society.
REV. MICHAEL ANTHONY SULLIVAN is one of those earnest, self-sacrificing, energetic clergymen of the Catholic Church, to whom duty is preferable to ease, and whose faith is a higher and more controlling impulse than riches or fame. Both his parents and grandparents were born in Ireland. His grandfather, Martin Sullivan, a farmer, married Julia Kirby. His father was also named Martin and his mother Julia. His parents came to this country in 1849, and his father for many years worked as a farmer, dying in Colches- ter Aug. 1, 1898. The mother is still living.
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Father Sullivan was born in Middlefield, Conn., Sept. 16, 1859. His education was begun in the Bacon Academy in Colchester, an educational insti- tution founded in 1801 by Theodore Bacon. The young man graduated from the academy in 1876, and soon afterward matriculated at St. Bonaven- ture's College, at Allegany, N. Y., from which seat of learning he graduated in 1881. Feeling an inclination for the priesthood, he entered St. Bonaventure's Seminary as a theological student. Here he pursued his studies until 1884. when he was ordained a priest by Bishop Stephen Vincent Ryan. His first pastoral charge was the parish of Windsor Locks, Conn. After remaining there for two and a half years he was transferred to St. John's Parish, New Haven, where he was assistant rector for ten years. In 1896 he was given charge of St. Paul's Parish, at Kensington, to which is at- tached, as a mission station, the Sacred Heart Par- ish of East Berlin. The latter Father Sullivan has built up, erecting a neat church edifice, which is already wholly paid for. He is a man thoroughly respected by all, takes a lively interest in the wel- fare of his parish, both temporal and spiritual, and is an earnest worker in the cause of temperance. He has organized numerous societies in his church, and has established a flourishing branch of the Total Abstinence and Benevolent Brotherhood with thirty members in East Berlin, and total abstinence societies in Kensington.
SAMUEL WEIR was a well-known citizen of New Haven county. He resided for a number of years in Oxford, where he was engaged in the man- ufacture of satinet. His first wife was Nancy Woos- ter, daughter of John and Eunice ( Hull) Wooster. She died young, leaving no children. He afterward married Adeline Candee, daughter of Levi Candee, of Oxford. They had eight children, five sons and three daughters. About 1850 he removed to New Haven, where he took charge of the well-known ho- tel, the "Park House," situated on Chapel street, op- posite the "Green." He died in New Haven, and, with his second wife and several children, is buried in Evergreen cemetery, in that city. One son, Levi Candee, is president of the Adams Express Co., also a member of the Chamber of Commerce in New York. None of the family remains in New Haven county. Mr. Weir was prominent in town affairs, and many times a member of the State legislature.
ADOLPH MENDEL. Success in any line of business, in any avenue of legitimate enterprise, is not a matter of spontaneity, but is the legitimate offspring of subjective effort in the proper utiliza- tion of means at hand, the improvement of oppor- tunity and the exercise of the highest functions made possible by the specific ability in any case. To trace the history of a successful life, particularly in the world of business, where competition is rife, must ever prove a profitable and satisfying indulgence. I
The name borne by the subject of this review at once suggests a power that to a large degree controls and directs commercial operations in the beautiful city of New Haven. The day of small undertakings, especially in cities, seems to have passed, and the era of extensive and far-reaching enterprise is upon us. In control of large mer- cantile concerns are men of master minds, of ex- ceptional administrative ability, sound judgment and keen discrimination. Their progressivcness must not only reach the bounds that others have gained, but must also pass beyond into broader, newer and untried fields of operation, but an un- crring foresight and sagacity must make no mistake by venturing upon uncertain grounds. Thus, con- tinually growing, a business takes leadership in its special line, and the men who are at its head are deservedly eminent in the world of commerce, oc- cupying a position that comands the respect while it excites the admiration of all who are cognizant of the magnificent results attained. Men look with wonder on such an establishment as that of Mendel, & Freedman, knowing that it is the outcome of the energy, enterprise and ability of such men as the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph. We marvel at the success of a native American who knows the language, the manners, the customs and business methods of the country, and who works his way upward from limited circumstances to affluence; but when a man of foreign birth, but no less patriotic spirit seeks a home in the New World and rises by his own efforts to an exalted position, still greater credit is due him, for he has necessarily greater difficulties to overcome. Thus in reviewing the career of Adolph Mendel we can have naught save admiration and respect, for through his influence and active co-operation has been built up a business enterprise which is not only a credit to himself but also to the city of New Haven, where he stands at the head of one of the largest and most important department stores in New England, an enterprise whose development and progress bear the distinct impress of his in- dividuality. A review of his eminently successful and honorable career can not fail of interest in this connection.
Adolph Mendel is a native of the great German empire, which has given to our republic so vital an element of constituent strength, having been born in Bruchhausen, Germany, Sept. 7, 1854, son of Aaron Mendel, who likewise was born in that town, where he was reared and educated. He finally removed to the city of Bremen, where he was en- gaged in the dry-goods business until his death, at the age of fifty-nine years, his wife, whose maiden name was Esther Abraham, surviving him and living to attain the age of seventy-two. They became the parents of four children, namely : Adolph, the immediate subject of this review; Emil, who is engaged in the dry-goods business in New Haven; Emma, who is the wife of L.
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Wolff, of New York City; and Alevina, who like- wise maintains her home in the national metropolis.
The subject of this review was reared and edu- cated in the city of Bremen, and there was given inception to his business career. His ability was shown when he was still a youth, for we find that he engaged in the book and stationery business in Bremen before he had attained his legal majority, being successful in his efforts, and showing that discrimination and good judgment which have conserved his success in connection with his present magnificent enterprise. Mr. Mendel continued in business in his fatherland until 1871, when he de- cided to come to America where he felt there would be wider opportunities for individual ef- fort. Shortly after his arrival he located in the city of New Haven, and here he has achieved the highest reputation in business circles and has ad- vanced from a clerkship to the control of the most extensive and important department store in the city, and, indeed, in the entire state. Upon locat- ing in New Haven Mr. Mendel secured a position in the dry-goods establishment of Freedman & Frank. After the dissolution of this partnership the enterprise was continued by Milius Frank, and our subject continued to be identified with the enterprise for a period of fifteen years, within which inter- val he had risen to the position of superintendent of the establishment, which was at that time one of the largest dry-goods stores in the city. When Mr. Frank retired from the business Mr. Mendel became associated with his present partner, Isidor Freedman, in the establishing of the present busi- ness enterprise, which had a modest inception, but which has grown to be one of great magnitude, standing as a monument to the enterprise and in- domitable energy of Mr. Mendel, as the product of the fertile brain, the ready hand and superior di- recting power which he has brought to bear, and his partner has proved an able coadjutor in every respect. What he has accomplished can not be adequately told in words. It is certainly not assert- ing too much to say of one who can direct and con- trol a business of such magnitude that he must possess, aside from mercantile foresight and sa- gacity, the faculty of reading and judging men, unusual powers of organization and great executive and administrative ability. No such enterprise could be built up save by regarding the elements which beget public confidence, and thus we find that honesty and fair dealing, promptness, truthfulness and fidelity have been dominating factors in the growth and development of this great institution. Faithfulness on the part of employes is promoted by the knowledge that good service means advance- ment as opportunity opens, and that neglect of duty will not be tolerated. and is further enhanced by the interest taken by the employers in the per- sonal welfare of the deserving.
The great establishment of the firm of Mendel & Freedman is eligibly located in Chapel street, the
premises bearing the numbers 770, 772 and 774. After the formation of the partnership Messrs. Mendel and Freedman erected a building 20x90 feet in dimensions, and in these modest quarters began business in the year 1886, the doors of the establishment being thrown open to the public on the first day of May. The enterprise was attended by success, and the firm has retained a repre- sentative patronage from the beginning, and their high reputation for courtesy, fair dealing and low prices has never been for a moment violated. Within three years the business had so expanded in scope as to demand the enlargement of the store, which was extended to a depth of 125 feet in 1889. In 1890 the second story was en- larged to the same dimensions as those of the ground floor, by the extension of the same 60 feet to the rear. Again the quarters proved inadequate, and in a short time after the improvements noted were made other alterations were instituted, to make the store more attractive and better adapted to the use of the firm in the accommodation of their magnificent stock and gigantic business. About fif- teen thousand dollars were expended in improve- ments among the most notable being the putting in of a fine modern front, affording the best facilities for the attractive display of goods. Again, within the brief interval of two years, they were obliged to devise means for increasing the size of their quar- ters and this was accomplished by the purchase of the building adjoining on the east and the two constitute the present fine quarters of the firm. De- partment after department has been added as the demands of the trade justified, and the establish- ment is by far the most extensive and important of the sort in the city, and one of the most notable with- in the confines of New England. When they start- ed in business the firm of Mendel & Freedman gave employment to only eight persons, and an idea of the magnificent expansion of the enterprise may be gained from the mere statement that at the present time a corps of about two hundred and fifty em- ployes is retained in the service of the firm. The members of the firm are prominent figures in the mercantile circles of New England, and enjoy the highest reputation for ability and absolute integrity of purpose, their business maxim being honesty, fair dealing, appreciation and truthfulness. There is no detail of the vast business too small to be over- looked by Mr. Mendel, and his infinite capacity for details has been a factor of great potency in connec- tion with the business policy of the concern at whose head he stands. Mr. Mendel is public-spir- ited, liberal, and above all, just, and thus he com- mands unequivocal confidence and esteem in the business world, and has the regard and respect of all with whom he comes in contact in the various re- lations of life. Throughout his entire business career he has been looked upon as a model of integ- rity and honor, and as a man of distinct individual- ity and marked ability.
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In politics Mr. Mendel gives his allegiance to the Republican party, but in local affairs he main- tains an independent attitude rather than being di- rected by close partisan lines. Fraternally he is identified with the Ancient Order of United Work- men and with Horeb Lodge, of the Bnai Brith, while he is also a prominent member of the Har- mony Club and one of its directorate. Mr. Mendel is highly honored in the commercial circles of New Haven, being a member of the Chamber of Com- merce and the Business Men's Association.
On June 14, 1894, Mr. Mendel was united in marriage to Miss Gussie Shenfeld, who was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., daughter of J. B. Shenfeld, for many years a prominent clothing merchant of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Mendel have one child, a win- some little daughter, to whom has been given the name of Esther Lissette. The family home is a cen- ter of gracious and refined hospitality, and here our subject finds his greatest solace when away from the cares and anxieties of business.
MRS. EUNICE C. BALDWIN, nee Chatfield, a well-known resident of Woodbridge, is a native of New Haven county, born in Oxford July 16, 1826, and belongs to a prominent old family of that town. There her paternal grandfather, Gideon Chatfield, spent his entire life.
Devine Chatfield, her father, was also a na- tive of Oxford, and there continued to make his home until called from this life, at the age of seven- ty-two years. His time and energies were devoted to the blacksmith's trade. In his political views he was a stanch Democrat, while his wife came from a Republican family. In Oxford he married Miss Mamora Wooster, a daughter of Nathaniel and Charity (Plumb) Wooster, all natives of Oxford. She was one of a family of seven children, the others being Mark; Ransom; Clarissa, wife of L. Buck- ingham; Grace, wife of John Smith; Nathan R .; and Bennett. To Mr. and Mrs. Chatfield were born the following named children: Thomas, Edwin and George, all of whom died young; Elizabeth, de- ceased wife of James Moody, an Oxford hatter; Janette, who died at the age of eleven years ; Eunice C., whose name introduces this sketch : and Grace, wife of Henry Baldwin. of New Haven.
During her childhood Mrs. Baldwin attended both the public and private schools of her native town, and at the age of eighteen years commenced teaching school, a profession which she successfully followed for some time prior to her marriage. On Dec. 15, 1849, in Oxford. she married A. F. Bald-
and died there in 1883. honored and respected by all who knew him because of his sterling worth. His father, David R. Baldwin, was also a native of that town, and lived to the ripe old age of eighty- seven years. Silas Baldwin, the grandfather, was born on the farm in Woodbridge, where our subject now lives, and which has been her home since she
came there as a bride. The place consists of 125 acres, with substantial buildings, and the residence is surrounded by beautiful trees, planted by Mr. Baldwin. Since her husband's death, nineteen years age, Mrs. Baldwin has conducted the farm, keeping one hired man for the past sixteen years. She is a most estimable lady, whose circle of friends and acquaintances is extensive, and who is beloved by all who know her. To Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin came three children: Howard, born March 5, 1853, died Sept. 26, 1890. Francis A., born Jan. 27, 1855, married Kate Hull, and is a prosperous business man of New Haven ; for seventeen years was in the postoffice there, serving as money order clerk, and he is now with Price, Lee & Co., being secretary and treasurer of that concern. Jennie L., born April 11, 1857, married Everett Sanford, and died Feb. 28, 1881. Mrs. Baldwin has reared another girl as her own, Signa Baldwin. Mr. Baldwin was a Repub- lican in politics, as is also his son, and held some minor offices, though he was no seeker after public favors. He was a member of the Congregational Church, and quite active in the work of same.
LEWIS F. HAASE, one of the younger enter- prising business men of Waterbury, is a native of Connecticut, born Sept. 2, 1860, in Terryville, Litchfield county, and comes of good, substantial German ancestry.
F. W. Haase Jr., his father, was born in Berlin, Germany, a son of F. W. Haase, Sr., of the same nativity, who, however, never left the Fatherland. In 1849, when yet a young man, F. W. Haase, Jr., came to the United States, settling in Connecticut, and for many years was in the employ of the Wa- terbury Clock Co. in the capacity of general me- chanic, but is now living retired in that city. He married Elizabeth Gates, born in Stuttgart, Ger- many, a daughter of John Gates, who came to this country and to Connecticut, in order to take charge of a mill in Waterville, in which village he died. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Haase, as follows: Lewis F. is our subject ; Emma married Albert W. Cutts, of Waterbury; Mattie L. is the wife of Walter D. Ford, of Waterbury : Lillian J. married William H. Coer, of Worcester, Mass .; Frederick M. is in the employ of the L. F. Haase Co., and at present is traveling in Europe in the interests of that concern. The entire family attend the Congregational Church.
Lewis F. Haase, whose name introduces this sketch, received his education at the local schools of Waterbury, after which he went to Hartford,
win, who was born in Woodbridge. Jan. 15, 1826, , Conn., where he was employed as bookkeeper some
four years. Returning to Waterbury, he entered the employ of Dennis Blakeslee, interior decorator, and dealer in wall-paper, etc., at the end of three years, in 1803, buying out the entire business from Mr. Blakesice, who had become well advance l in years. In 1893 the business was incorporated as the L. F. Haase Co., and is now recognized as the
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leading decorating and furniture establishment in year he went into business for himself. A small boot and shoe store in the little suburb of Brooklyn- the first establishment of its kind in that part of Waterbury-was the scene of his first enterprise. The start was made in a small way, but it was care- fully made, and Mr. Hutchinson proved a capable and successful tradesman, making considerable money. this section of the State. The building, Nos. 27-29 Center street, includes five roomy floors besides a basement, and Mr. Haase claims that it contains anything and everything necessary to the complete furnishing of any kind of house from cellar to attic. The salesrooms are elegantly and attractively appointed and arranged, while an elevator connects the several floors, in which is to be found a com- In 1893 Mr. Hutchinson put up a fine brick block, into which he moved the same year, and there he continued the boot and shoe business until June 21, 1899. At this period his real-estate interests had become so extensive, and were taking up so much of his time, that he saw fit to dispose of his store plete stock of (among numerous other commodities necessary for house furnishing) furniture of all kinds, upholstery goods. draperies, carpets and rugs, paper hangings and interior decorations-all being under the immediate supervision of Mr. Haase himself, who has built up the business to its | and devote his entire time to looking after his own present mammoth proportions, and who is president and treasurer of the company.
In his political predilections Mr. Haase is a Republican ; socially he is a member of the K. of P. and I. O. O. F .; in church connection he is a Congregationalist. He has held the position of vice-president of the Merchants' Association of Waterbury, and his ability, politeness, laudable am- bition and well-directed efforts have placed hin well in the van of the leading merchants of the county. Mr. Haase has not yet enlisted in the "noble army of Benedicts."
THOMAS P. HUTCHINSON, one of the very substantial and well-to-do residents of Waterbury, has had a varied, eventful history, and has reached his present enviable position in the business world by slow and painful steps. He has manifested good judgment, and has shown business ability of a high order.
Mr. Hutchinson was born in New Haven, Feb. 21, 1855, son of Michael Hutchinson, a native of County Kildare, Ireland, who came to the United States in 1850, locating at New Haven. There he worked at the cooper's trade, and in 1853 married Miss Rosa Gordon, a native of that city. Children as follows were born to this union : Thomas P .; Edward, John, James, Timothy, William and Eliza- beth.
holdings. Some very valuable pieces of property in Waterbury, New Haven and Jersey City belong to him, and their acquisition attests his business sagacity and financial ability. As may be seen, Mr. Hutchinson began life very modestly, and the posi- tion he has attained has been gained entirely by his own efforts. His success is proof positive that they were well directed, and his high standing in the com- munity affords the best testimony as to the methods he has adopted, and his honor in every transaction. Our subject's good judgment has been backed by a determination which admits of no failure, for when he once puts his shoulder to the wheel he relaxes no effort until his object is accomplished. He has advanced in life by industry and good management, and most of all by an instinctive sense of the oppor- tunities in the business world. He is a prominent member of the Merchants Association. Mr Hutch- inson is a Democrat politically. His religions con- nection is with the Immaculate Conception Parish, of the Roman Catholic Church.
On July 29, 1884, Mr. Hutchinson married Miss Catherine Casey, a native of Bethlehem, Conn., daughter of Timothy Casey, a soldier of the Civil war. To this union have been born seven children : David J., John M., May R., Alice M., Catherine B., Thomas G., and Raymond A. (who died at the age of five weeks).
Thomas P. Hutchinson spent the first four years FREDERICK NUHN (deceased). Among the many Germans who came to America, and by their thrift, frugality, industry and good manage- ment made homes for their families, and through their honesty of purpose became worthy citizens, reflecting credit on their nationality, none are more worthy of a place in the annals of their adopted country than he whose name introduces this brief article. of his life in New Haven, and then his parents moved to a farm in Hamden, Conn. During his boyhood days he attended the village school for a few years, and he assisted his father on the farm until he was twenty-one years old. In 1876 he went to Wallingford, where for a year and a half he worked in the spoon factory of Malvey & Stevens. His first wages were $7.50 per week, but by energy and perseverance he rose steadily, and soon had Born in Germany, Nov. 10, 1845. Mr. Nuhn was the son of John and Catherine Nuhn. At the age of fourteen he came to America, remaining a short time in New York. When but nineteen years of age he was conducting the People's Market, in Bridgeport. and in 1860, in company with his brother Theodore, he engaged in the wholesale charge of the contract for supplying all orders for the concern. In 1878 the factory was destroyed by fire, and it was never rebuilt. Mr. Hutchinson then went to North Haven, where he was freman of a brickyard until 1881. when he came to Waterbury. On his arrival he obtained the position of clerk in the grocery store of Charles Fagan. The same , meat business in Waterbury, purchasing their stock
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