USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 1 > Part 37
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(VI) Their son, James (2) Goodwin, was born in Hartford, March 3, 1803, died
there March 15, 1878. He attended the private school kept by John J. White un- til he was sixteen years of age, then began his remarkably successful business career. His first employment was as clerk in the office of the stage lines running east from Hartford. He quickly developed natural business capacity and aptitude, soon win- ning the full confidence of his employer. After a time the owner of the lines be- came ill and suggested to the young man that he purchase the business. Mr. Good- win replied that he had not sufficient cash, and to the suggestion that he give notes for the purchase price, answered that as he was not of legal age, his notes would be worthless. Even that fact was not allowed to stand in the way, and he be- came owner of the stage lines while yet a minor. The Hartford starting point for these lines was at Joseph Morgan's coffee house, and Mr. Goodwin, through his earnest, aggressive and progressive meth- ods developed a business requiring forty coaches and a stable of four hundred horses. He ran coaches to Worcester and Boston, Massachusetts, and to Prov- idence, Rhode Island, also established a system of fast expresses which carried important news at a speed hitherto un- known.
In the Boston "Traveler" of December II, 1829, there appeared an article de- scribing the transmission of the Presi- dent's message from Washington to Bos- ton, a distance of about five hundred miles in thirty-one hours and twenty-three min- utes. "The express left Hartford at fif- teen minutes past one o'clock p. m. and performed the distance of one hundred miles to this city in six hours and eight minutes. This is a degree of speed with- out a parallel, we presume, in the records of rapid traveling in this country."
Mr. Goodwin early became interested in railroad development and manage-
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ment. He was a director of the Hartford and New Haven Railroad Company, 1837-41, and it was the success of that enterprise that led him to abandon his stage business. Broad in his vision, he quickly saw the possibilities of the life insurance business, and became one of the organizers and incorporators of the Con- necticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, of which he was a director until his death. In 1848 he was elected president of the company, and except for a period of three years, 1866-69, when he retired on account of the demands of his private business, he was chief executive of the company until his death in 1878. Broad as were his activities, it was to the upbuilding of the Connecticut Mutual that he gave the best of his ability, and for the last thirty years of his life that company was his chief interest.
He was also vice-president of the Gat- ling Gun Company, and a director of the Hartford Carpet Company, the Collins Manufacturing Company, the Greenwood Company (cotton mills), the Holyoke Water Power Company, the Farmers & Mechanics Bank, the Hartford Fire In- surance Company, vice-president of Hart- ford Hospital and a trustee of Trinity Col- lege. He took a keen interest in military affairs, and at the age of sixteen years became a member of the First Company, Governor's Foot Guard. He rose through various ranks and was major of the com- pany, 1829-33. He became a communicant of Christ Protestant Episcopal Church about the year 1820, and as long as he lived took a deep and active interest in parish affairs. He served as vestryman for many years, and many times declined the office of warden.
James Goodwin married, July 30, 1832, Lucy, daughter of Joseph and Sally (Spencer) Morgan. She was born in what is now Holyoke, Massachusetts,
February 4, 1811, and six years later was brought by her parents to Hartford. She was educated at the famous Emma Wil- lard School, Troy, New York, where, under the teachings and example of that noble woman, Miss Willard, she devel- oped qualities and character well de- scribed in the language of one who knew her well:
She knew and was interested in the best thought and action of her time for bettering all men and especially alive to all affecting her own country. She was concerned in every good work. She was a lifelong communicant of Christ Protestant Episcopal Church, prominent in all its charitable work and agencies. With her daughter Mary she gave to it the chapel and parish building. She was one of the managers of the Hartford Orphan Asylum, and its treasurer for more than thirty years. The Hartford Hospital, the Union for Home Work, and indeed every charitable institu- tion of Hartford had her lively sympathy and her constant support. Her charities, begun at home, went into all the world of need, spiritual, mental and physical. Her public benefactions were many and well known, among the latest of which was the munificent gift to the Wadsworth Athenaeum.
James and Lucy (Morgan) Goodwin were the parents of seven children: Sarah Morgan, died in infancy ; James Junius, whose life story is told in this work; Sarah Morgan, who married Dr. William R. Brownell, medical director of the Nineteenth Army Corps, during the Civil War; Francis, who is of further mention ; Lucy, died in infancy ; Mary, who died in 1880, unmarried, at the age of thirty-six years ; Walter, died in infancy.
(VII) Rev. Francis Goodwin, son of James (2) Goodwin, was born in Hart- ford, September 25, 1839. His early edu- cation was acquired in private schools and Hartford High School. In 1854 he en- tered the employ of the dry goods firm of Howe, Mather & Company, remaining two years, going thence to New York City with Morton & Grinnell. But such
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was his maternal training and the reli- gious environment of his early years that it is not surprising his mind later turned to the holy calling of a minister of the Gospel. Having decided, he resumed his studies under private tutors, and after completing preparatory studies, he pur- sued a course of theological study at Berkeley Divinity School, Middletown, Connecticut.
He was ordained deacon, May 27, 1863, in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Right Rev. John D. Williams, D. D., bishop of the diocese, officiating. He was appointed chaplain to the bishop and placed in charge of the missions at Durham, North Guilford, North Killingworth and Ponset, his residence at this time being at Middle- town. In July, 1863, he received from Trinity College the degree of Master of Arts, honoris causa. On December 19, 1863, he was ordained priest, Bishop Wil- liams again officiating. He was elected rector of Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church, Hartford, May 14, 1865, continu- ing as such until November, 1871. From April until December, 1872, he was in charge of St. John's Church at Hartford, and from April, 1874, until May, 1875, was rector of Trinity Church, Wethersfield, Connecticut. He was in charge of the Church of The Good Shepherd, Hartford, from November, 1876, until June, 1877. In 1878, when the diocese was divided into archdeaconries, he was elected the first archdeacon of Hartford, an office he filled until February, 1888, when he re- signed. After the death of his father, Francis Goodwin, and his brother, the late James Junius Goodwin, found it nec- essary to devote a good share of their time to the management of the family estate.
He has always been interested in art, especially that branch of art which has to do with architecture. Perhaps the most
notable example of his work in this line was the beautiful residence of his father, which he designed and the construction of which he superintended. He is a director of the Aetna Fire Insurance Com- pany, the Holyoke Water Power Com- pany, and a member of its executive com- mittee. Since 1875 he has been a trustee of Berkeley Divinity School at Middle- town ; was made treasurer of the Bishop's Fund; since 1884 has been a trustee of Trinity College; since 1875 a trustee of Watkinson Library. In 1877 he was elected a trustee of the Watkinson Farm School and Juvenile Asylum; two years later he was elected president of the board, an office he has held continuously for twenty-five years, and is a trustee and director of Hartford Public Library.
Nor has he been unmindful of the duties of citizenship, but in the midst of a busy life has found time to serve most effi- ciently in many public positions of trust. He was a member of the board of street commissioners in 1879 and 1880; member of the board of park commissioners for nearly thirty years, beginning with 1880; has been a trustee of Hartford Grammar School from 1879 until the present time ; was long member of the board of school visitors, and director of Hartford Re- treat. In 1886 he was elected vice-presi- dent of Wadsworth Athenaeum, and since 1890 has been its president. He is a mem- ber of the Century Club of New York City, chaplain of the Society of Colonial Wars, and member of the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Rev. Francis Goodwin married, June 3, 1863, Mary Alsop Jackson, born July 14, 1842, daughter of Commodore Charles Hunter Jackson, United States Navy, and his wife, Martha Lawrence (Willard) Jackson. She is a descendant of Edward Jackson, who was a resident of Newton, Massachusetts, in 1643. Their children
Conn-1-17
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are : I. James, to whose memory this sketch is dedicated. 2. William Brownell, born October 7, 1866; educated at St. Paul's School, 1878-84, Trinity College, 1884-85, Yale University, 1885-88; now special agent for the Aetna Insurance Company, with headquarters at Colum- bus, Ohio. 3. Sarah Morgan, born May 7, 1868, now deceased ; married Henry S. Robinson. 4. Alice Fenwick, born March 30, 1871 ; married Benjamin Wister Mor- ris. 5. Lucy Morgan, born January II, 1873, died May 9, 1884. 6. Charles Archi- bald, born November 18, 1876; educated at St. Paul's School, Yale University, Harvard Law School, now a practicing lawyer of Hartford; married Ruth Cheney. 7. Francis Spencer, born Octo- ber 19, 1878; educated at St. Paul's School, Yale University, now associated with his father. S. Jeannette, born July 2, 1884; married Harold J. Davison, who was first officer on a White Star Line steamship, and a member of the British Naval Reserve, now second in command of a war vessel of the Royal Navy.
(VIII) Rev. James Goodwin, son of Rev. Francis Goodwin, LL. D., was born in Middletown, Connecticut, February 10, 1865, died in Hartford, Connecticut, Jan- uary 3, 1917. He prepared for college in the public schools of Hartford, and at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hamp- shire, entering Trinity College, Hartford, in 1882, whence he was graduated with honors, A. B., class of 1886. Literature was a favorite pursuit from youth, and his grace of expression in verse led to his choice as poet of his class. In 1890 he received from Trinity the degree of M. A., and at the annual commencement, June 28, 1911, he was awarded LL. D. Fol- lowing graduation he studied in Paris, 1886-87, entering the General Theological Seminary in New York City in the latter year, graduating Bachelor of Sacred The-
ology, class of 1890, one of the three graduates to publicly read their essays.
He was ordained a deacon by Rt. Rev. John Williams, Bishop of Connecticut, June 4, 1890, in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Middletown, Connecticut; took a post-graduate course at Oxford Univer- sity (England) the same year, and spent two years in further preparation for his holy calling. In 1892 he was appointed assistant pastor of Calvary Protestant Episcopal Church, New York City, there continuing until appointed priest in charge of St. Barnabas Mission in Ber- lin, New Hampshire. In 1895 he was in- stalled rector of the Church of The Good Shepherd, Nashua, New Hampshire, con- tinuing in charge of that parish until called to Christ Church, Hartford, in 1902, his work in Nashua greatly blessed.
Christ Church, one of the oldest and strongest Episcopal churches in New England, and one of the few remaining "down town," steadily maintained its im- portance as one of the religious centers of the town under Dr. Goodwin's charge and during his nearly fifteen years' pastorate prospered abundantly, both in a material and a spiritual sense. He was a man of deep learning, an accomplished linguist, possessed that fine polish acquired through study and travel abroad, while his mind had the poetic element which made him delicately sensitive to the wonder and bloom of the world, giving him insight and vision to see afar. He was kindly and courteous to all, bore him- self with dignity, and from his pure inner life flowed a gracious, blessed influence.
From the time of his first pastorate in Berlin, Dr. Goodwin manifested his deep interest in public affairs, a dominant trait of his character which made his residence in Hartford so useful and productive of good. His service in Berlin was as a member of the Board of Education, but
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in Hartford his public service was mainly in behalf of the park system. He was elected a member of the Board of Park Commissioners, May 2, 1910, for a term of ten years, his first duty being in con- nection with the ancient burying ground in Sigourney Park and with Village street green. Later he was assigned commis- sioner for Riverside Park, his particular charge until death. He was president of the board, May, 1913, until May, 1914, and ever gave generously of his time to the advancement of park interests, and took great pride as well as pleasure in the all that pertained to that department. For several years he was chaplain of the Gov- ernor's Foot Guard; was a trustee of Watkinson Farm School, the Watkinson Library and the Open Hearth Associa- tion ; was an ex-president of Trinity Col- lege Alumni Association; member of many societies of the diocese and church ; member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science ; Alpha Delta Phi; Century Association of New York; Hartford Yacht and University clubs of Hartford.
Dr. Goodwin married, June 13, 1894, Frances Whittelsey Brown, of Hartford, who survives him with four children : Francis, born April 30, 1895, a junior at Yale University ; Helen, born April 26, 1898; Mary, March 24, 1901; and Lucy Morgan, January 7, 1907. Mrs. Goodwin is a daughter of Roswell and Fanny Hunt (Noyes) Brown, descendant of old and influential New England families, through whom she has gained admission to the Society of Colonial Dames of America.
SMITH, Friend William,
Inventor, Manufacturer.
Friend W. Smith was a true captain of industry and one of Bridgeport's "Grand
Old Men," and he deserves well at the hands of the historian who would aspire to compile an enduring record of the men who have by their genius created new in- dustries and developed new sources of wealth which have brought prosperity to their city. By heredity, Mr. Smith should have been a professional man; his tastes were of a decided literary bent, but cir- cumstances seem to have determined his pathway in life and what the professional world lost the business world gained. His father, also Friend William Smith, was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, in active service for half a cen- tury, filling many Connecticut and New York pulpits. His grandfather, Rev. Eben Smith, was one of the leading Methodist ministers of his day, and with his brother, Rev. James Matthews Smith, rode circuits in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Rev. Eben Smith was a delegate to four con- secutive general conferences of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, and one of the founders of the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut. From these scholarly divines Friend W. Smith, of Bridgeport, inherited the pronounced lit- erary tastes which in youth was displayed in an inordinate love for historical, poetic and scientific books, and in mature years in poetic composition and historical writ- ings. To a fourth generation and a third Friend W. Smith the same traits have de- scended, and in patent law practice the professional prominence of the family has been restored.
Friend W. Smith, grandson of Rev. Eben Smith, son of Rev. Friend W. and Mary (Esmond) Smith, was born in Kort- right, Delaware county, New York, May II, 1829. He attended public schools in New York City and completed his studies at Amenia Seminary, Dutchess county, New York. At an early age, he obtained his first position in the business world,
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becoming clerk in a New York City hosiery house, his remuneration being ten dollars monthly. He remained in clerical positions in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut, until 1849, when he located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. From that year until his death in 1917 with the exception of the years 1871-73 he was a resident of Bridgeport and there won fame as business man, postmaster, in- ventor, manufacturer and citizen.
From 1849 until 1851 he was proprietor of a dry goods store; from 1851 until 1860 a clerk in the employ of E. Birdseye, then a leading dry goods merchant of Bridgeport, one of his fellow clerks being David Read, founder of the dry goods house of D. M. Read & Company. From 1860 until 1869 Mr. Smith was postmaster of Bridgeport, the new post office being erected during his tenure of office. Dur- ing this period, which covered the entire Lincoln and Johnson administrations, he took an active part in political affairs, was a member of the Republican State committee, chairman of the executive committee of the city committee and a potent force in party management. Mr. Smith organized the Forester Manufac- turing Company, but in 1871 retired and went to Nevada in the interest of the Connecticut Silver Mining Company, a corporation in which a large amount of Bridgeport capital was invested. He re- turned to Bridgeport in 1873, and became at once interested in the invention of an improved letter-box lock for which the government was asking proposals. In association with Frederick Egge a letter box and lock was invented for which Mr. Smith devised a key and after securing patents they submitted their joint in- ventions to the post office department and were awarded a large contract. To manu- facture their patents the firm of Smith & Egge was organized in 1874. They con-
tinued as such until 1877, when the busi- ness was incorporated as the Smith & Egge Manufacturing Company, Friend W. Smith, president; Warren H. Way, secretary-treasurer ; Frederick Egge, whose stock had been purchased by the company, serving as superintendent. In later years Oliver C. Smith, son of Friend W. Smith, became secretary-treasurer.
For several years the Smith & Egge Manufacturing Company had the con- tract for furnishing locks for all mail bags used by the post office department of the government and also furnished the gov- ernments of Mexico, Hayti, Santo Do- mingo and Chili with large quantities of locks and keys. Mr. Smith also invented the chain used by the mail carriers and clerks to secure the keys to their persons, and in addition to the immense orders from the United States postal department sold largely of their goods to the navy and war departments. The demand from the other governments mentioned was also heavy for locks and keys. Other articles used by the postal department, cord fasteners, label cases and punchers, were also contracted for and to furnish these various articles the resources of the Smith & Egge Company were taxed to the ut- most notwithstanding the great expansion of their plant and the large number of hands employed. For many years the company were the largest contractors in the country for the furnishing of supplies to the mail equipment division of the post office department, and with the foreign business added the total was very large. As head of the great business he created and to which he contributed several valu- able inventions, Mr. Smith came into his own and was accorded recognition as one of the foremost manufacturers of a city noted for its industrial greatness. To the original lines a variety of chains, padlocks, sewing machine hardware, and attach-
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ments have been added as the years have passed. The substitution of chains for cord in hanging sash weights was an idea conceived in Mr. Smith's fertile brain, and the "Giant" sash chain introduced to the trade by the Smith & Egge Manufactur- ing Company is now a standard in general use. In 1891 he visited England and in Birmingham organized the Automatic Chain Company to manufacture under his patents in England and made a similar arrangement in Germany. He also or- ganized and for many years was president of the Bridgeport Deoxydized Bronze & Metal Company.
To create, develop and manage so vast a business called for executive ability of the highest order, and this quality Mr. Smith possessed. The lot of the inventor usually is to see his patents pass to and enrich others, but Mr. Smith reaped the practical benefit of his genius and as a business man and executive he grandly succeeded. A feature of his life as a manufacturer was the complete harmony that existed between the factory force and the executive department of the company. When there was a demand for a nine- hour day, Mr. Smith was the first manu- facturer to recognize the justice of the demand and to make it the law in his plant. Many of his employes were with him for a quarter of a century and so great was his popularity that he was sev- eral times solicited to be the Labor can- didate for mayor. At a Labor Day parade in Bridgeport, an oil painting of Mr. Smith was carried in the procession and for his services as grand marshal of the Grand Army parade, June 5, 1903, he was presented with a memorial commemora- tive of the occasion. His standing with all classes was unique ; in the manufactur- ing world to possess the confidence of both capital and labor requires an honesty of purpose and a loyalty to both, which few men possess.
He was a member of the reception com- mittee which welcomed President Lincoln to Bridgeport, and his "History of the Bridgeport Post Office" is one of the classics of local history. It first appeared in the "Municipal Register" in 1876 and was republished in Orcutt's "History of Bridgeport" in 1887. He evidenced his public spirit in many ways, and in ad- dition to his own company served the City National Bank as director and the Mechanics' and Farmers' Savings Bank as trustee. He was a member of St. John's Lodge, No. 3, Free and Accepted Masons, and in Scottish Rite Masonry was a thirty-second degree Mason. Though of Methodist training he was a member and vestryman of Christ Episco- pal Church. His clubs were the Seaside, Seaside Outing, and Algonquin. He was a member of the National Manufacturers' Association and the Bridgeport Historical and Scientific societies.
Mr. Smith married, February 23, 1853, in old First Methodist Church, his father assisted by Rev. Edmund S. Jaynes per- forming the ceremony, Angeline Amelia Weed. She was born in Bethel, Connec- ticut, May 3, 1833, died in Bridgeport, January 21, 1911, daughter of Zerah and Zilpah (Northrop) Weed, her father a substantial farmer and manufacturer. Mrs. Smith was a woman of intelligence and abounded in good works. She was a member of the Ladies' Charitable Society and long its president, and after retiring from that office through infirmity retained her interest and served as a member of the board of managers until her death. She visited the poor, dispensed her char- ities with a liberal hand, and after being confirmed with her husband served the different societies of Christ Episcopal Church with great zeal. For nearly fifty- eight years she leaned upon her husband's strong arm and with him trod life's path- way ere the bond was broken. On the
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fifty-seventh anniversary of their wedding day, Mr. Smith composed the following lines :
To MY WIFE. Yes, 'tis a long time from "Now"- Fifty and seven years all told- Since we were pledge by marriage vow, And sealed that pledge with ring of gold.
'Twas early Spring when we were wed, The birds were seeking out their mates, The flowers were waking from their beds, New Life was opening wide its gates.
Ah well, the many years have passed, The hour with us is past eleven. The happiest day must end at last- God grant that ours may end in Heaven.
We're living in the twilight now, The brilliant colors of the day- The gold and crimson-graceful bow And yield themselves to sober gray.
The evening of the day has come, And weary labor greets its close, And in the peaceful, quiet home, Awaits the hour of sweet repose.
Thankful for blessings we have had, For health and comfort all along, So many things to make us glad- Hopeful, we'll sing our evening song.
And blended with that evening song, Forgiveness for each seeming wrong. And when that evening song shall cease, Both sink to rest in perfect peace.
The stream that borders "Better-Land" Is near, and we can almost toss A pebble to its waters clear- And soon we'll gently step across.
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