USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 4 > Part 38
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
He married (first) Elizabeth Humas- ton, May 3, 1762. His home stood near that later owned by Harry Bradley, and here was born a large family. He mar- ried (second) Mrs. Susanna Tuttle.
EDWARDS, George Clark, Manufacturer, Financier.
George Clark Edwards, a prominent manufacturer of Bridgeport, was born in Watertown, Connecticut, June 29, 1846, a lineal descendant of John Edwards, who came from England about the year 1690, in quest of religious freedom, and settled at Chestnut Hill, near the site of the pres- ent city of Bridgeport.
Mr. Edwards was educated in the pub- lic schools and at Watertown Academy. At the age of eighteen he entered upon employment in a drug and chemical house in Waterbury. He proved his adaptability, and in 1870 he engaged in the same business on his own account in
265
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Philadelphia. Three years' close applica- tion told upon his health, and he retired to pass two years in travel.
In 1876, fully recuperated, he returned to Waterbury and entered upon the manu- facture of wood alcohol. This venture followed after the abandonment of a simi- lar business at Black Rock, and Mr. Ed- wards was importuned by his friends, among them men of broad knowledge, to refrain from an experiment which they felt was doomed to failure. However, he had an intimate acquaintance with chem- istry, and was not to be dissuaded, and he organized the Burcey Chemical Company and entered upon the work of manufactur- ing. Soon afterward, he removed the establishment to Binghamton, New York, which afforded better facilities, and gave it great expansion. He imported from France special apparatus, and was suc- cessful in utilizing material which had previously been cast aside as useless, and made it a useful adjunct, and the factory soon came to be recognized as one of the really important industries of the country. Pioneer in this undertaking. Mr. Edwards was really the company, taking upon him- self the responsibilities of secretary and treasurer as well as of general manager. In 1880 he became secretary and treasurer of the Holmes & Griggs Manufacturing Company of New York, manufacturers of German silver and brass goods. In time, with the assistance of his brother- in-law. Colonel C. E. L. Holmes, president of the company named. he bought a con- trolling interest in the Rogers & Brittin Silver Company of Bridgeport. changed the name to Holmes & Edwards Silver Company, and took up the consumption of metals manufactured by the former com- pany. Following the death of Colonel Hohnes, Mr. Edwards sold his interest and resigned his position in the Holmes & Griggs Company. He had seen a bril-
liant future for silver-plated flat ware manufacture, and he now removed to Bridgeport and as president, treasurer and controlling spirit of the Holmes & Edwards Silver Company, expanded its business to such a degree that frequent additions to its property and equipment were made, until it came to be recognized as one of the largest establishments of its kind in the United States. A most important product, and of which this company is sole manufacturer, is the ster- ling silver inlaid spoons and forks favor- ably known the world over, and which have taken the highest awards at all art and industrial exhibitions. The report of the governmental managers of the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago said : "The Holmes & Edwards Silver Company are entitled from a practical standpoint to the credit of having made the most mark- ed progress in the development of the art of increasing the durability of silver-plated spoons and forks that has been made since the first introduction of silver-plated ware."
Not being content with the general con- dition of the silver and silver-plated ware business as then being carried on by many of the independent competing com- panies, an attempt was made to consoli- date as many of them as possible. After months of preliminary work, in 1898 thir- teen independent companies who were manufacturing sterling and silver-plated ware were consolidated into the Inter- national Silver Company, which has proven a great success, Mr. Edwards be- ing chosen vice-president of this com- pany, which controlled considerably more than half of the business of this country in 1903.
Mr. Edwards also organized and is president of the Minnesota Gas & Electric Company doing business at Albert Lea, Minnesota, furnishing gas and electric
266
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
light and power and heat to that city and this place the boy completed his studies, surroundings.
Mr. Edwards in 1887 organized an- other important manufacturing house- the Bridgeport Chain Company, for the manufacture of the "Triumph" weldless wire chain; this he exhibited at the Uni- versity College of Liverpool, and the ma- chine for making it, and which so excited the admiration of leading British manu- facturers that they organized a Weldless Chain Company, and purchased patent rights for manufacture. Mr. Edwards is president and treasurer of the Bridgeport Chain Company, and also of the Miller Wire Spring Company, which he organ- ized and incorporated. He is also a direc- tor of the City National Bank of Bridge- port, a trustee of the Bridgeport Savings Bank, and a trustee of the Young Men's Christian Association. He has been ever active in promoting charitable, civic and community interests, but has never been ambitious of holding official position.
Mr. Edwards married, in 1872, Ardelia Holmes, daughter of Israel Holmes, one of the founders of brass and German sil- ver industries in the United States.
STRICKLAND, Erwin,
Manufacturer, Active Citizen.
Erwin Strickland, whose death on July 11, 1898, deprived the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, of one of its most respected and valuable citizens, was born at Straf- ford, Connecticut, 1843. He was a son of - - and Mariah (Holmes) Strickland, prominent citizens of Strafford, where Mr. Strickland, Sr., was a carriage-maker. The first years of Erwin Strickland's life were spent in this little town, and here he obtained the rudiments of his education, attending the local school. While still a child his parents removed to Middletown in the same State, and in
attending the Middletown High School until he was fourteen years of age. His childish duties did not end with lessons, however. In addition to these he found it incumbent upon him to aid with the work of the place, especially with the de- livery of milk, which his father had under- taken to add to the family income. When but a lad of seven Erwin took upon him- self the carrying of a considerable supply for some distance, it being discovered that a saving of one cent on the pint could be made by this means of trans- portation. It is characteristic of his uni- formly kind and willing temperament that he performed this not easy duty. without complaint, and an apparent understanding, surprising in one of his years, of the advantage to be derived from his labors. Equally characteristic of him is the fact which is recounted of his child- hood and his relations to his brothers and sisters. He was, it seems, the eldest child, and did much to aid his parents in the care of the younger children, even help- ing to dress them in the morning, and displaying in all ways a gentleness of heart, and a sense of duty to his parents, as rare at his age as it is commendable. Circumstances caused him to leave the high school where he was a student, when fourteen years of age, and seek employ- ment in some remunerative form of work. This he quickly found in Douglass, Con- necticut, where his father was already employed, the reputation of the father and the bright and earnest aspect of the boy being both factors in the promptness of his success. He worked for some time, but later, conditions appearing favorable, he asked and was granted permission to return to the high school for the purpose of further study. He assured his father in this connection that he had no expecta- tion of entering college, but merely to
267
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
pursue in school such subjects as would prepare him for a business career. Ac- cordingly, upon his return, he specialized in bookkeeping and the other subjects of the business course. With his unusually apt mind and innate industry, he was soon able to complete this course, and it was but two years after his former de- parture from school that, feeling himself equipped for a commercial position, he again left the old Middletown high school to seek such a position in his home town. His personal characteristics again stood him in good stead, and he quickly re- ceived employment in a grocery store in Middletown. His duties in this new posi- tion were of a very varied sort, and ex- tended all the way from those of clerk and bookkeeper to taking care of the horses and doing some of the work of a porter, such as lifting heavy barrels, boxes and so forth. Fortunately for him he was very well grown and developed for his age, and at sixteen looked like a man in face and figure. Fortunate also that he was devoted to horses, so that their care was rather a pleasure than a task for him. This great fondness for horses never left him, but persevered into his later life, when he was able to gratify his love for them by having in his stables some of the finest animals in the State of Connecticut. In this position, where hard work seemed to be about the only thing to be had, there was, as a mat- ter of fact, a lot of valuable experience to be had also, and Mr. Strickland remained in it for five years before seeking else- where, well content to learn the rudi- ments of business at Gardner's grocery in the Connecticut town.
There came a time, however, when he realized that he had gained all that was to be had for him in his all around job in the grocery store, and he cast about for another opening, wherein he could
hope for a further increase of knowledge and experience, as well as of the emolu- ment of which he stood in need. An opportunity of this sort offered which Mr. Strickland speedily availed himself of, and he soon found himself installed as cashier of the Middletown Bank. This was an advance of moment and it serves to illustrate the regard which the young man had already won in Middletown. In spite of this he was not wholly satisfied, however, feeling a strong desire to break away from the somewhat narrow environ- ment of small towns generally, and espe- cially from that of the community where he had been universally known as a boy. This was not a difficult matter as it turn- ed out, for shortly after his occupancy of his new position, he received an offer to take another position with the firm of Talcott & Post, dealers in dry goods, of Hartford, Connecticut. This he accepted for the reason above suggested, nor did he ever have reason to regret his judg- ment as the position served as a stepping stone to further advancement. For six years he remained with Talcott & Post, and when he finally left them it was to become secretary of the Eagle Lock Com- pany at Terryville, Connecticut. Terry- ville is a beautiful little village, of that attractive type so characteristic of Con- necticut, and, indeed. of New England generally, and a most desirable place for a home, and there Mr. Strickland. during the five years of his association with the Eagle Lock Company, resided, having built for himself a charming residence. But Terry- ville, though beautiful, was small, and Mr. Strickland felt more than ever the neces- sary restrictions of life in such a place, and still cast about for a larger field for his endeavors. His positive and capable nature craved also for a more complete expression that was possible in a busi- ness managed chiefly by others, and he
268
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
decided, urged by these twin impulses, to embark for himself on an independent enterprise in a field more justly propor- tioned to his ability. He therefore severed his connection with the Eagle Lock Com- pany at the end of five years, removed to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and purchased a large parcel of land upon which he erected a building equipped for manufac- turing purposes. Here he established a lock works which at once began to do a flourishing business, and gave employ- ment to a large number of hands, princi- pally of the skilled mechanic class. The site of this factory is that upon which to-day stands the great Bullard Machine Works of Bridgeport.
Mr. Strickland was a man always seek- ing to benefit those with whom he came in contact, and it is curious and well worth considering that it was in such an effort that his attention was called to the business in which he finally engaged, and in which he made the major part of his fortune. While still operating his lock works, he conceived the idea of aiding his employees by buying large quantities of coal at wholesale prices and reselling to them at the lowest possible figure. By this means he was enabled to offer them the popular and well known grade known as "Cross Creek Coal" at the absurdly low figure of two dollars and a half a ton. It was not long before this act came to be generally known, and was mentioned in a number of the leading papers, to the great increase of his reputation and popularity among the masses. The success of his undertaking and the great publicity at- tending it suggested to Mr. Strickland the idea of engaging in the coal business altogether. This he eventually did after disposing of his lock works. He entered upon this new venture in partnership with his brother-in-law, Mr. Miller, under the firm name of Miller & Strickland, and,
as in the case of all his undertakings, prospered from the start.
Erwin Strickland was, in the best and fullest sense of the term, a self-made man. From the humble and obscure circum- stances already described as surrounding him in childhood, he worked himself up step by step to a position not merely of independence, but of affluence and promi- nence in the great community which he adopted for his home. The secret of his success lay primarily in his ability to meet obstacles and discouragement with- out flinching or apparently pausing in his purpose. That he had a bright, alert mind, and readily mastered any matter that he took up is also true, but though this undoubtedly contributed to his suc- cess, it was first and foremost due to his persevering courage, a confidence which seemed almost faith in the desired out- come. He was truly typical of the youth in whose lexicon "there is no such word as fail." His attitude in religious matters was not an uncommon one in this day and generation, save for the fact that it appeared to be truly operative in his life. He was not a church member in any sense of the term, except that he was a regular attendant with Mrs. Strickland at divine service. But though not for- mally affiliated with any sect or church, he was a firm believer in the great truths upon which Christian life depends, and his practical generosity and altruism might well have been taken as a model by many a churchman. He professed little, but did much, and won for himself a secure place in the hearts of his friends, whose name was indeed legion. There have been but few men of Bridgeport, who have remained in private life, who have enjoyed a greater popularity than he, and certainly none who have been more universally and highly respected.
Mr. Strickland was not a man to con-
269
I
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
fine his attention and energy within the narrow limits of his personal business, as is so often the case with our successful business men and financiers of to-day, a process which cannot fail to narrow one's sympathies, and eventually all the facul- ties. On the contrary, he was ever inter- ested in all that was going on in the world about him and especially in those things which his sure judgment told him were for the benefit of his home commu- nity. Nor was his interest of the barren sort such as an outsider might feel, but of that more practical kind which is ever willing to aid by an expenditure of time, money and energy. At the time of the Columbus Celebration of 1892, Bridge- port took an active part in the great fete, held all over the United States, and it fell to the lot of Mr. Strickland to collect the funds to be expended by the city on that occasion. In this he was extremely suc- cessful and, as chairman of the finance committee, made such efficient and appro- priate use of them that the celebration was a great success in every particular. The executive committee afterwards voted a set of resolutions, in which appre- ciation of his work in this matter was ex- pressed, and a copy of the same, printed in a volume handsomely bound in padded white kid, and decorated by hand, was presented to him. These resolutions read as follows :
At a meeting of the executive committee of the Columbus celebration, held in the City Hall, Bridgeport, Connecticut, October 25, 1892, the fol- lowing preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted ;
WHEREAS: Erwin Strickland, as a member of the executive committee of the Columbus Day celebration was appointed a member of the finance committee, and whereas : The success of the grand demonstration in this city on Friday, October 21. 1892, was owing largely to the judicious care and expenditure of the funds placed at the disposal of the committee, and whereas: Mr. Strickland
cheerfully devoted a large portion of his valu- able time and services, together with his co- laborer, Mr. E. N. Sperry, in securing a generous amount of money to be used for celebation pur- poses : Resolved, That this executive committee desire to acknowledge the arduous work of Mr. Strickland and to convey its sincere thanks for the deep interest he has taken in the success of the celebration, and for the efficient and satisfac- tory work he has accomplished. Resolved, That an engrossed copy of these resolutions be pre- sented to Mr. Strickland as a token of regard and appreciation and that this action be spread at lengthi upon the record of the secretary.
Bridgeport, Connecticut, November 1, 1892. (Signed ) W. H. MARIGOLD, Chairman ; EUGENE BOUTON, Secretary.
This instance serves to illustrate the zeal with which Mr. Strickland was in the habit of laboring in the interests of the community at large, and the well earned appreciation which his efforts called forth. One of the ways in which he most conspicuously showed his inter- est in public affairs was in the part he played in politcs. While an independent thinker, he was nevertheless a strong party man and one of the active sup- porters of the Republican party in the city. Always taking a prominent part in the campaigns, he spared no effort to "round up" the voters, and actually went about from place to place urging friends and strangers alike to do their duty at the polls. How ardently he worked, and how resourceful he was is shown by an amusing anecdote told of him. It seems that upon arriving at a voter's house, a man whom he had felt might need a little persuading. he found the gentleman with what to most would have seemed an im- pregnable excuse. His wife and family had all left for the day, and he was the only soul at home to mind the baby. Nothing daunted, Mr. Strickland took that alarming office upon himself, per- forming it with conspicuous success until the return of the father. It was often
270
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
said of Mr. Strickland, not in unkindness, but in appreciation of the dry humor that he possessed, that before election day he was convinced that the salvation of the country absolutely depended upon Re- publican success, but that afterwards, he would admit with a smile, that perhaps America might have pulled through an opposing administration. His services were greatly valued by the local organ- ization of the party, in whose councils he stood high, and more than once he was entrusted by his colleagues with responsi- ble tasks which he accepted the more happily for the sake of the cause. He was a delegate from his State to the National Republican Convention that nominated Mckinley for the Presidency of the United States, and worked hard himself for this nomination, supplementing these efforts by others equally effective before election.
Mr. Strickland married Katrina Eliza- beth Strickland, a native of Middletown, and a daughter of Stephen Miller and Lu- cretia Tryon F. Miller, of that place. Mrs. Strickland is a woman of great talent, her ability taking chiefly the line of painting, in which she has both a remarkable nat- ural aptitude and the advantages of in- struction. She has the true artist's prefer- ence for painting directly from nature and life, and many of her portraits on china have received high commendation from those whose powers of criticism are gen- erally recognized. She is the center of a large circle of devoted friends, and is a charming hostess, whose entertainments are deservedly popular among the cultured people of Bridgeport. To Mr. and Mrs. Strickland were born four children. Their first child, Charles, died in early youth, as did also the second, a daughter, Edith C. The third child, also a daughter, Maude, was married to Edward C. Jen- nings, of Greens Farms. Mrs. Jennings inherited the artistic talent of her mother
in a very marked degree. She studied painting in Europe, and did so brilliantly that a splendid future was unqualifiedly predicted for her by all who saw her work, especially in portraiture. Unhap- pily her promising career was cut short by her untimely death, when but thirty years of age. Besides her husband Mrs. Jennings is survived by one child, a daughter, Catherine Maude, a charming girl who has inherited her mother's and grandmother's ability. The fourth child of Mr. and Mrs. Strickland was also a daughter, Nellie, who married Mr. Henry A. Jennings, of Greens Farms, who also died young, in her case at the age of thirty-two. She is also survived by her husband and one child, a son, Erwin Strickland Jennings.
Mr. Strickland's appearance was one which did not belie his inner character. Large of stature, well developed and powerful, he had a head that might have tempted the sculptor or limner. Yet there was nothing of pride about an ap- pearance so imposing. On the contrary there was nothing that less pleased him than to hear himself spoken of as hand- some. A true child of the republican in- stitutions under which he was born, lived and died, a true democrat, he was never unduly self-assertive, and always easy of approach, no matter how humble the ap- plicant, or how pressing his own busi- ness. It has already been mentioned, in the description of his youth, that he was very fond of horses. This was a taste that never left him through all the years of his life, and a taste which he was for- tunate enough to have shared with him by his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Strickland were, in this, as in so many other matters, possessed of a comradeship additional to the usual bond between husband and wife, a comradeship, rarely existing, save between two men. Nor was it a com- munity of tastes merely. They were
271
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
both unusually keen judges of horseflesh, PAGE, John Merriam,
and their stables were filled with as fine specimens as could be found in Connec- ticut. It was often said of the Strickland horses that they took the dust of nobody. Another taste possessed in common by Mr. and Mrs. Strickland was that for travelling. On three separate occasions they sailed abroad, visiting Europe, and during the course of these trips saw all the points of interest and note in the "Old World." Mr. Strickland felt that noth- ing was too good for himself and his wife and had no hesitancy in spending liber- ally his ample means for their comfort and pleasure. They travelled in every way as is appropriate to the best class of Americans, elegantly but not extrava- gantly. At home their tastes were simple and unassuming. Mr. Strickland was a member of the Sea Side Club of Bridge- port and Brooklawn Country Club and monastery, and took a great deal of pleas- ure in the transactions of these. The Sea Side Club passed appropriate and beautiful resolutions on the occasion of his death. Awaking the sentiments of affection and respect wherever he went, beloved by his family and friends, if one were obliged to describe him in a single term, perhaps the most inclusive and complete would be simply a good man.
Mrs. Strickland, who is the sole sur- vivor of her immediate family, has had more than the usual share of sorrow, but in spite of that fact she has retained her courage and cheerfulness to a remarkable degree, never burdening others with her own griefs. It has already been remarked that she is a delightful hostess, and she adds to her other qualifications as such the fact that she is a gifted musician. But, perhaps, it is rather as a painter and as one who always maintains a cheerful outlook upon life that she is best known to her friends.
Manufacturer, Public Official.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.