USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 3 > Part 16
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research, taking a year's course at the University of Leipzig, where he devoted himself to special research work in dis- eases of the ear. Returning to America, and to his native town, Hartford, Con- necticut, in 1878, he decided to there enter general practice, where he has since almost continuously practiced, internal medicine occupying him mainly.
He has held many appointments; in 1888 he became medical examiner for the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Com- pany ; in 1893 was appointed associate medical director ; on January 1, 1896, he became medical director; for about ten years he held the position of trustee for Hartford county, of the Connecticut Hos- pital for the Insane, Middletown; has been chairman of the executive committee of the Hartford Hospital, and has been a member of the board of trustees for many years ; he is a member of the City, County and State Medical societies, the American Medical Association, the Medical Direc- tors' Association, and for many years was a physician of the Orphan Asylum and Church Home. His appointments and so- ciety memberships indicate his profes- sional standing adequately, and his social connections may be inferred by the read- ing of the list of social clubs, etc., to which he belongs. They are: Hartford Club, Hartford Golf Club, Country Club of Farmington, Union League Club of New York City, Hatchett's Reef Club and Iota Kappa Alpha.
Dr. Morgan married Gabriella, daugh- ter of Theodore Sengstak, of Washing- ton, D. C., and to them has been born a daughter, Gabriella, July 28, 1914.
HINMAN, George Elijah,
Journalist, Lawyer.
Few of the old New England families can claim, an earlier advent or a longer
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term of residence in this country than that of Hinman, which was founded here, probably about 1649, but possibly even earlier, by Sergeant Edward Hinman, the first immigrant of that name in the coun- try. The family was already prominent in England, where it was entitled to the following coat-of-arms: Vert on a chev- ron or, three roses gules, slipped and leaved of the first; crest, on a mount a wivern proper ducally gorged and lined or.
There is a tradition, which originated with Sergeant Edward Hinman himself, that he, the founder of the family in Amer- ica, had been a member of the bodyguard of King Charles I. of England, and that he had held the office of sergeant-at-arms therein; that after the deposition of his royal master and the coming into power of the Parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell, he fled from his native land to escape the vengeance which was meted out against royalist sympathizers and sought a haven in the new world. If this tradi- tion is true, and there is no reason to doubt it, it is quite ample proof that Ser- geant Edward Hinman was a man of dis- tinction and position in England before his migration here, for only men of this quality were admitted to the king's life- guard, to which position also the most assured loyalty was necessary. Upon his arrival in America, Edward Hinman ap- pears to have gone directly to Stratford, where he is recorded to have received land about 1650. Unfortunately the early records of Stratford, covering the first ten years of its existence as a community, were destroyed by fire in 1649, so that there is no way of knowing definitely whether he had settled there before this date. It is recorded in the early records that his house stood on the west side of Main street, Stratford, not far from the old Episcopal church, an edifice which,
on account of its dignity and the simpli- city of its design, has been held up as a type of the best Colonial architecture. Sergeant Edward Hinman was also the recipient of other grants of land and be- came in course of time the owner of an extensive tract in and about Stratford. Here he carried on the occupation of farming and milling and was indeed the first owner of the old Tide Mill, between Stratford and the site of what is now Bridgeport. In the year 1681 he sold his homestead at Stratford to Richard Bryan, of Milford, and evidently planned to re- move to Woodbury, as he drew a will about this time in which he speaks of himself as of that place. It appears, however, that his death must have oc- curred before he was able to make the move contemplated as it is not recorded at Woodbury and is at Stratford, and his will was proved in Fairfield. His death occurred November 26, 1681. Sergeant Edward Hinman was a man of parts, very intelligent and essentially loyal, pos- sessed of all the essential qualities of the best soldier, a trait which has been in- herited from him by many of his descend- ants.
Sergeant Edward Hinman married Hannah Stiles, a daughter of Francis and Sarah Stiles, of Windsor, Connecticut, and they were the parents of the follow- ing children: Sarah, born September 10, 1653, who became the wife of William Roberts, of Stratford; Titus, born June, 1655, and resided in Woodbury ; Samuel, born in 1658, also of Woodbury ; Benja- min, born February, 1662-63, of Wood- bury : Hannah, born July 15, 1666; Mary, born 1668; Patience, born in 1670, married John Burroughs, January 10, 1694; and Edward, Jr., mentioned below.
Edward (2) Hinman, son of Sergeant Edward (1) Hinman, was born at Strat- ford, Connecticut, in 1672. According to
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a provision in his father's will, he was apprenticed to one Jehial Preston, and was brought up to a trade by that gentle- man, remaining with him until he had attained his majority. At that time he drew an allotment of eighteen acres at Woodbury, but it seems improbable that he ever lived there and it is quite certain that most of his life was spent at Strat- ford, where his children were born, and his death occurred, and where some of his descendants are living at the present day. Others of his descendants have, in the intervening time, wandered far and wide and are now found all over the United States. Edward Hinman, Jr., was mar- ried to Hannah Jennings, a daughter of Joshua, Jr. and Mary (Lyon) Jennings. They were the parents of twelve children, as follows: Jonah or Jonas, born No- vember 5, 1700, settled at Newark, New Jersey ; Hannah, born March 3, 1702; Zachariah, born January 27, 1704 ; Samuel, mentioned below ; Justus, born December 28, 1707 ; Ebenezer, born August 16, 1709, died in infancy; Sarah, born October, 1711 ; John, born November, 1713; Rachel, born December 4, 1715; Ebenezer, born August 16, 1717; Amos, born October 18, 1720; and Charity, born June 6, 1723.
Samuel Hinman, better known as Cap- tain Samuel Hinman, son of Edward (2) Hinman, was born in Stratford, Connec- ticut, in the year 1705. He was by pro- fession a surveyor, and removed while a young man to Litchfield, Connecticut, and there became one of the first proprietors of Goshen. He served this community in a number of different capacities, and was one of the proprietors there who was commissioned for laying out most of the early divisions of land. He surveyed a large part of the surrounding country, and we have an interesting document in his first bill for service as a surveyor to the community, which is dated December 7,
1738. Captain Samuel Hinman was sev- enty years of age at the outbreak of the Revolution, yet he enlisted and served as a soldier in the Continental army during that momentous struggle. His death oc- curred at Goshen, in the year 1784. We are not acquainted with the name of the wife of Captain Samuel Hinman, but we have records of their ten children, who were as follows: Lois, who became the wife of - Norton ; Sarah, born July 5, 1731; Wilkinson, born June 8, 1733; Samuel and Mary, twins, born July 26, 1736; Joseph, mentioned below; Phineas, born March 21, 1740; Ascher, born March 13, 1742; Lewis, and Wait, born in 1748, married Mary Howe.
Joseph Hinman, son of Samuel Hin- man, was born March 7, 1738, at Goshen, Connecticut, but eventually removed to Canaan, that State. Not a great deal is known regarding his career, but it was in the latter place of abode that his children were born.
Samuel (2) Hinman, son of Joseph Hinman, was born at Canaan, Connecti- cut, and made that place his home during his entire life. He appears to have been very active in the community, and played a considerable part in the life thereof.
Henry L. Hinman, son of Samuel (2) Hinman, was born April 24, 1817, at Canaan, Connecticut. Early in life he be- came associated with the marble indus- try in that region. He spent about a year in California, in 1851 and 1852, but re- turned to the East and continued to en- gage in the marble business, devoting most of his time and energy to taking charge of the great marble quarries at Canaan, Connecticut, and Sheffield, Mas- sachusetts. Henry L. Hinman married Nancy A. Loomis, a native of Sheffield, Massachusetts, born July 27, 1823. She was a daughter of Phileder Loomis, who was born at Egremont, Massachusetts,
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and a granddaughter of Andrew Loomis, a native of the same place. Phileder Loomis married Eunice Boardman, a na- tive of Sheffield, born June 26, 1802, and died May 10, 1880. Eunice (Boardman) Loomis was a daughter of Charles and Ruth (Noble) Boardman, her father hav- ing been born at Sheffield, May 22, 1770, removed to Indiana in 1830, and died there December 4, 1851, and her mother, born December 7, 1777, and died in Shef- field, May 28, 1862. Nancy A. (Loomis) Hinman survived her husband many years ; his death occurred September 25, 1867, while she lived until September 12, 1910.
William C. Hinman, son of Henry L. Hinman, was born at Sheffield, Massachu- setts, November 10, 1846. He was edu- cated at the "Little Red School House" of his time. Upon completing his studies there, he removed from Sheffield to Al- ford in 1866, where he engaged in the occupation of farming and continued con- sistently thereat until the year 1889. In the latter year he removed to Great Bar- rington, where he now resides. William C. Hinman has been very prominent in the life of the community, and has held a number of local offices. He was ap- pointed postmaster of Great Barrington on October 1, 1892, and served continu- ously until February 1, 1914. He married Mary A. Gates, a native of Louisa, Vir- ginia, born January 28, 1846. She is a daughter of Elijah M. Gates, of New Leb- anon, New York, where he was born De- cember 4, 1817, and died October 8, 1887, at Alford. He was in turn a son of Eli- jah Gates, Sr., and a grandson of Ezra Gates, who was born near Norwich, Con- necticut. Ezra Gates was a soldier in the Revolutionary army, and in early life he and his young wife went on horseback from Connecticut to Deerfield, Massachu- setts, and thence over the now famous
"Mohawk Trail" to New Lebanon, New York, where they established a home and spent their lives. Elijah M. Gates, Jr., the grandfather of George E. Hinman, removed the year following his marriage to Louisa, Virginia, where he spent eighteen years. He returned to Alford in 1859, where he purchased the farm upon which his wife had been born and spent the remainder of his life there. Wil- liam C. Hinman was, during the first three years of his residence at Great Bar- rington, prominently associated with the "Berkshire Courier," and for a time was its editor. He has been a prominent Re- publican in the district and has served several years on the board of selectmen.
George Elijah Hinman, only son of William C. and Mary A. (Gates) Hin- man, was born May 7, 1870, at Alford, Massachusetts. He attended the district school in Alford, and was graduated from the Great Barrington High School with the class of 1888. He then began work for the "Berkshire Courier," remaining for about three years, and in September, 1891, removed to Middletown, Connecti- cut, where he became connected with the "Middletown Herald." In October of the same year he came to Willimantic, where he has ever since resided, and there en- gaged as editor of the "Willimantic Her- ald." About one year later he became editor of the "Willimantic Journal," in which position he served with success for three years. In December, 1895, having determined to take up the law as his career in life, he entered the law office of William A. King, one of the prominent members of the Willimantic bar, and who subsequently became attorney-general of the State of Connecticut. Under his able preceptorship and later in Yale Law School. Mr. Hinman obtained his legal education. He was admitted to the Con- necticut bar in March, 1899, and engaged
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
in the general practice of his profession at Willimantic. In the same year he be- came assistant clerk of the Connecticut House of Representatives, and two years later was made clerk of the House. In 1902 he was appointed assistant clerk of the Constitutional Convention, in 1903 became clerk of the Connecticut State Senate, was clerk of bills in 1905 and 1907, engrossing clerk in 1909, and clerk of bills in 1911. In politics he has always been a consistent and active Republican, was elected secretary of the Republican State Central Committee in 1902 and served continuously and efficiently in that capacity until 1914, in November of which year he was elected attorney-gen- eral of the State of Connecticut for a term of four years, expiring in January, 1919.
Mr. Hinman has also been active and prominent in the life of the community in which he resides. He was for several years a member and secretary of the town school committee, and served as a mem- ber of the Common Council. He was also, from January, 1903, until January, 1915, county health officer for Windham coun- ty. He is a member and former presi- dent of the Willimantic Chamber of Com- merce, a director of the Young Men's Christian Association, and a member of the State Bar Association. He is a mem- ber of Cincinnatus Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, of Great Barrington ; Trinity Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Olive Branch Council, Royal and Select Masters; and St. John's Commandery, Knights Templar, of Willimantic, and an officer of the Grand Commandery, Knights Templar, of Connecticut, also a member of Sphinx Temple, Ancient Ara- bic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the Consistory of Norwich, Scottish Rite Masons. He is also a member of Natchaug Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Willimantic.
On September 26, 1899, Mr. Hinman was united in marriage with Nettie P. Williams, a native of Pomfret, who later resided at Willimantic, a daughter of Ralph J. Williams, of the latter place. To Mr. and Mrs. Hinman two children have been born: Russell William, January 30, 1907, and Virginia Gates, August 23, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Hinman are members of the First Congregational Church of Willi- mantic ; Mr. Hinman has served as a su- perintendent of the Sunday school and president of the Church Brotherhood, and Mrs. Hinman is a member of various women's organizations connected with the church, and of the Willimantic Woman's Club.
SMITH, Guilford,
Financier, Public Official.
The branch of the Smith family, repre- sented in the present generation by Guil- ford Smith, a leading citizen of South Windham, traces to Jacob Smith, of Had- dam and Colchester, Connecticut, who was a resident of the latter town at the time of his death, and his remains were interred in a cemetery there. It is sup- posed that he was an organ builder by trade. He married, and was the father of three sons: Simon; Frederick; and Joshua, mentioned below.
Joshua Smith, son of Jacob Smith, was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, near the Windham line, and became a resident of the latter town in early manhood. He was a weaver by trade, and also a farmer. During the War of 1812 he made cloth for soldiers' uniforms. In 1818 he was a representative from Windham in the Gen- eral Assembly. He married (first) Laura Allen, daughter of Amos and Anna (Bab- cock) Allen. He married (second) Anna Barodell Allen, sister of his first wife. The Allen lineage is traced to William Allen, of Salem, Massachusetts, who died
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in 1666. Amos Allen was the son of Amos and Anna (Dennison) Allen, both of whom died in 1770. He served three years as a corporal in the Revolution, and died in 1778. His mother, Anna (Denni- son) Allen, was a direct descendant of Colonel George Dennison, who served in Cromwell's army, and was afterwards a noted Indian fighter in Stonington. Colo- nel Dennison's second wife was Anna, daughter of John Barodell, who nursed him back to health after he had been severely wounded in the battle of Naseby. Child of the first wife of Joshua Smith : Myra, became the wife of Colonel George Spafford ; children : Marvin, Charles, Laura, Lora, died in youth. Children of second wife: Mary, became the wife of Alfred Kinne, child, Alfred, who settled in Spaffordville, now South Windham; Emily, became the wife of Harvey Win- chester, children : Arthur S., Edgar C., both now in the Smith & Winchester Company, of South Windham; Charles, mentioned below ; Lydia, died unmarried, at the age of eighty ; Chandler, married Jane Robinson, child, George, resided in South Windham.
Charles Smith, son of Joshua Smith, was born in South Windham, Connecti- cut, September 14, 1807, and died April 6, 1896. He received his education in the district school in South Windham. At the age of thirteen he was left an orphan, and for the following three years lived with his uncle, Frederick Smith, of Col- chester, who was an expert mathema- tician and became his instructor. He learned the trades of wheelwright and millwright in Windham with George Spafford, and in 1835 was placed in charge of a force of men employed at Stafford in building a machine for making paper. This was the duplicate of a machine im- ported for papermaking and set up at North Windham, and was built by Mr.
Spafford and Mr. James Phelps. The machine proved a success and was sold to Amos Hubbard, of Norwich. Phelps & Spafford then established a factory at South Windham, and retained Mr. Smith as superintendent. The panic of 1837 crippled the owners, and the business was purchased by Mr. Smith and Hervey Winchester, and continued under the name of Smith, Winchester & Company until the death of Mr. Smith. Since that time it has been operated by the incor- porated concern known as the Smith & Winchester Manufacturing Company. Mr. Smith was always a very active and ener- getic business man, and continued in per- sonal charge of his affairs and the works until a few years before his death. He was then succeeded by his son. Guilford Smith. He was a leading citizen in every way, and was universally respected for his industry, sound judgment and upright character. Upon the formation of the Republican party he became one of its members, and continued so throughout his life. He served as first selectman of the town, represented it in the General Assembly, and was always ready to ful- fill every duty of a patriotic citizen. He was one of the incorporators of the Wind- ham National Bank, and continued to be a director until his death. He attended the Episcopal church at Windham Centre. He married, November 3, 1835, at North Windham, Marietta Abbe, born August 14, 1816, died April 10, 1901. Children : Guilford, born May 12, 1839, mentioned below; Mary, became the wife of P. H. Woodward, of Hartford, child, Helen, be- came the wife of the Rev. Stephen Henry Granberry, rector of St. Barnabas' Epis- copal Church, Newark, New Jersey, and had children : Helen and Mary Emeline.
Guilford Smith, son of Charles and Marietta (Abbe) Smith, was born May 12, 1839, in South Windham, Connecticut.
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He received his education in the public schools of his native town and in Hall's School at Ellington, Connecticut. At the age of nineteen he entered the office of Smith, Winchester & Company as a clerk, and passed through all the departments. Upon the death of his father he succeeded to his position as treasurer and secretary of Smith, Winchester & Company, and has always manifested good business abil- ity. He is president of the present cor- poration, the Smith & Winchester Manu- facturing Company. He is also president of the Windham National Bank of Willi- mantic, and has been since 1900, and the successor of his wife's father as director of the New London & Northern railway. He is a leading citizen of South Wind- ham, is active in civil and church affairs, and represented his town in the General Assembly in 1883, 1907-1I, in addition to filling various local offices. Both he and his wife are members of the Ecclesiastical Society of the Congregational Church of South Windham, and have contributed largely to the support of the church.
Mr. Smith married, December 16, 1863, Mary Ramsdell, born September 5, 1837, daughter of Thomas and Mary Elizabeth (Lathrop) Ramsdell, granddaughter of Isaiah and Clarissa (Collins) Ramsdell, and great-granddaughter of Abijah Rams- dell, of Salem, Massachusetts. Thomas Ramsdell was an active business man, president of the Windham National Bank, director of several enterprises, and died at the great age of ninety-one years. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsdell were the parents of two daughters : Anna, born May 18, 1834, became the wife of Richard Goodwin Watrous, and Mary, aforementioned as the wife of Mr. Smith. Mary Elizabeth (Lathrop) Ramsdell was the daughter of John and Sybil (Backus) Lathrop. John Lathrop was the son of the Rev. Benja-
min Lathrop, a Baptist minister, who located early in Windham and was noted for his kindness and charity. He pur- chased the house erected by John Cates, the first settler of Windham, and resided in it for many years. He was a descend- ant of John Lathrop, who was the second pastor of the first Congregational church in England, and was imprisoned for seced- ing from the Established Church. The church edifice in which he and his fol- lowers worshipped is still standing in Low- throppe, county of Kent, England. He came to New England in 1634, and was the first minister of Scituate, Massachu- setts. He was the common ancestor of all of the name in this country, and among his descendants are many noted clergy- men of New England. Sybil (Backus) Lathrop was the daughter of John and Sybil (Whiting) Backus. John Backus was the son of John Backus, who with his brother William was among the first six- teen settlers of Windham, coming from Norwich. John Backus, Jr., was a brother of Mary Backus, through whom Mrs. Guilford Smith traces her ancestry to Governor Bradford. Mary Backus mar- ried, December, 1712, Joshua Ripley, born May 13, 1688, in Windham, son of Joshua and Hannah (Bradford) Ripley, of Wind- ham, and the latter named was the daugh- ter of William Bradford, second deputy governor, who was a son of Governor William Bradford. Sybil (Whiting) Backus was the daughter of the Rev. Samuel Whiting, first pastor at Wind- ham, and a son of the Rev. John Whit- ing, a pastor of the first church at Hart- ford.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, and the latter is identified with the Daughters of Colonial Governors and Daughters of the American Revolution.
Conn-3-8
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CHASE, Charles Edward,
Active Factor in Insurance Circles.
The Chase family, of which Charles Edward Chase, chairman of the board of directors of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, and a prominent public offi- cial, is a worthy representative, is of Eng- lish origin, being among the ancient and highly honored families of England, the name being derived undoubtedly from the French word, Chasser, to hunt. They are one of the families entitled to bear a coat-of-arms, described as follows: Gules four crosses patence argent (two and two), on a canton azure a lion rampant or.
(I) Thomas Chase, a resident of Ches- ham, Buckinghamshire, England, the an- cestral seat of the family from which de- scends the line herein followed, was active in community affairs, married and among his children was a son, John, through whom the descent is traced.
(II) John Chase, son of Thomas Chase, was also a resident of Chesham, there spent his entire active career, married and among his children was a son, Matthew, of whom further.
(III) Matthew Chase, son of John Chase, also spent his life in Chesham, honored and respected by his fellow-citi- zens. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Bould, and they were the par- ents of eight children, as follows: Rich- ard, married Mary Roberts; Francis, John, Matthew, Thomas, of whom fur- ther ; Ralph, William, Bridget.
(IV) Thomas (2) Chase, fifth son of Matthew and Elizabeth (Bould) Chase, was of Hundrich, in Parish Chesham, where his active and useful life was spent. He married and was the father of five chil- dren, born at Hundrich: John, baptized November 30, 1540; Richard, of whom further ; Agnes, baptized January 9, 1551 ; William ; Christian.
(V) Richard Chase, second son of
Thomas (2) Chase, was born in Hundrich, Parish Chesham, England, and baptized there, August 3, 1542. He was one of the prominent men of that community, active and public-spirited, performing well the duties that fell to his lot. He married, April 16, 1564. Joan Bishop, who bore him nine children, born at Hundrich, bap- tismal dates given : Robert, September 2, 1565 ; Henry, August 10, 1567 ; Lydia, Oc- tober 4, 1573 ; Ezekiel, April 2, 1575 ; Dor- cas, March 2, 1578 ; Aquila, of whom fur- ther; Jason, January 13, 1585; Thomas, July 18, 1586; Abigail, January 12, 1588; Mordecai, July 31, 1591.
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