USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 4 > Part 46
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Emily S.G. Holcomb
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American branch of the family, was born in England in 1596, and was a resident of Hartford as early as 1639, being the first of the name to settle there. It is not known whether or not he accompanied his brother, Elder William Goodwin, who arrived in Boston in the ship "Lion," Sep- tember 16, 1632. Ozias Goodwin's house lot was situated on what is now Trumbull street, near Church street, and he ac- quired by purchase a number of parcels of land in Hartford. He was one of the company from Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield, who on April 18, 1659, signed an agreement to remove to Had- ley, Massachusetts, by September 22 of the same year, in consideration of which they were to receive grants of land. As far as is now known, Ozias Goodwin did not become a resident of Hadley. His name appears on a list of Hartford free- men dated October 13, 1669. He married Mary, daughter of Robert Woodward, of Braintree, England. Ozias Goodwin died prior to April, 1683.
(II) Nathaniel Goodwin, son of Ozias and Mary (Woodward) Goodwin, was born about 1637, died January 8, 1714. He was admitted a freeman in October, 1662. He is named as one of the "towns- men" of Hartford in 1669, 1678 and 1682. His house lot was what is now numbers 16 to 30 Village street. Nathaniel Good- win married (first) Sarah, daughter of John and Hannah Coles, of Hatfield, Mas- sachusetts, but formerly of Farmington, Connecticut. She died May 8, 1676, aged twenty-nine, and her monument in the Center Church burying ground is the oldest one of the Goodwin family now standing in Hartford. He married (sec- ond) Elizabeth, daughter of Daniel Pratt, of Hartford, and she died subsequent to July, 1724, surviving her husband.
(III) John Goodwin, son of Nathaniel Goodwin, was the first of the family to
settle in what is now East Hartford. He purchased forty-two acres from his brother, Nathaniel Goodwin, Jr., for £16, and by gift from his father and purchases from others acquired large holdings of land. He was the third in direct line to follow the trade of weaver. In all phases of the community's life he bore a promi- nent part, serving as collector of the Ec- clesiastical Society, and for twenty years holding the office of deacon. He bore the distinctive title of "Mr." John Goodwin was twice married. The Christian name of his first wife was Sarah, but beyond that and the additional fact that she died in May, 1735, nothing is known of her. There is no record of his second wife. He died February 6, 1757.
(IV) John (2) Goodwin, son of John (1) and Sarah Goodwin, was baptized in Hartford, Connecticut, August 11, 1706, and died September 14, 1793. His trade was that of a tanner, and he was a man who stood high in the community. He became possessed of considerable land, and paid a tax for keeping a chaise, a vehicle then considered a luxury and a mark of affluence. In 1780 he was chosen deacon of the church, but before that time bore the title of "Mr.," which was given only to men who had a claim to distinc- tion. He married Dorothy, daughter of Caleb and Dorothy (Hill) Pitkin, of East Hartford. Her death occurred August 17, 1789, when she was seventy-one years of age.
(V) Joseph Goodwin, son of John (2) and Dorothy (Pitkin) Goodwin, was born May 9, 1743, and died November 13, 1809. About the time of his marriage he built a house on Main street, East Hartford, and in this house he received as his guests some of the officers of the French troops which were encamped in East Hartford in 1781-82. He was one of those who planted the beautiful elm trees which
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have adorned East Hartford for more than a century. Under the Ecclesiastical Society, Mr. Goodwin served in 1781 as school committeeman. He married, June 3, 1773, Hannah Olmstead, born January 3, 1747, in East Hartford, daughter of Jonathan and Hannah (Meakin) Olm- stead. Her death occurred July 1, 1814.
(VI) Hezekiah Goodwin, son of Jo- seph and Hannah (Olmstead) Goodwin, was born September 21, 1789, in East Hartford, and died January 10, 1873. In 1829 he was a resident of New Hartford, and from 1849 to 1861 his home was in Simsbury. Mr. Goodwin married, Sep- tember 11, 1811, Emily Pratt, born De- cember 21, 1793, in East Hartford, died July 28, 1877, daughter of Eliab and Dor- cas (Williams) Pratt.
(VII) Edwin Olmstead Goodwin, son of Hezekiah and Emily (Pratt) Goodwin, was born November 24, 1819, in East Hartford. In 1840 he removed to Hart- ford, studied law, and in 1845 was ad- mitted to the bar. In 1846 he assisted in organizing the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company. The confinement incident to his legal studies, and his duties in this position were detrimental to his health, and in 1848 he removed to Bristol, Connecticut, where he lived until 1857, when he became a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and in that city he passed the remainder of his life. For twenty-four years Mr. Goodwin was an earnest mem- ber of the Clinton Avenue Congregational Church. On September 13, 1848, Mr. Goodwin married, in Bristol, Connecticut, Mrs. Harriet Pomeroy, who was born April 10, 1818, in Tolland, daughter of Jonathan Clark and Sophia (Bingham) Brown, and widow of Chauncey Pom- eroy. After the decease of her second husband, Mrs. Goodwin resided in Hart- ford until her death, which occurred No- vember 12, 1904. On November 25, 1882,
Mr. Goodwin passed away, and in a notice of his death published in one of the New York papers it was said : "He was a most exemplary man, who in his integrity and rare honesty has bequeathed to his family a distinguished name."
(VIII) Emily Seymour Goodwin, daughter of Edwin Olmstead and Harriet (Brown-Pomeroy) Goodwin, was born April 2, 1852, in Bristol, Connecticut, and was about five years old when the family removed to Brooklyn, New York. It was in that city that she became the wife of John Marshall Holcombe, January 29, 1873, whose biography precedes this. Their children: Harold Goodwin, born November 23, 1873; Emily Marguerite, born October 24, 1878; John Marshall, Jr., born May 4, 1889. They have one grand- son, Harold Goodwin, born November 3, 1915. Mrs. Holcombe was graduated from Brooklyn Heights Seminary in 1870. No woman of the present generation at least is better known in Connecticut than Mrs. Holcombe-indeed, her achieve- ments have carried her name far beyond the confines of her native State. She is a woman of great modesty, but possesses initiative to an unusually large degree with the will to accomplish an undertak- ing decided upon as necessary or desir- able. She also possesses great tact, diplomacy and executive ability. In 1892 Mrs. Holcombe organized the Ruth Wyllys Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and was its regent from that time until October 31, 1903, a period of eleven years of most indefatig- able and valuable service. On October 31, 1896, the chapter voted unanimously to undertake the restoration of Hartford's ancient burying ground and to save, if possible, the fast disintegrating grave- stones. This was a result of propaganda work by Mrs. Holcombe, and to her more than to any other individual is due the
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successful accomplishment of this great undertaking. The cemetery committee appointed by Mrs. Holcombe consisted of the following members: Mrs. William L. Pelton, Mrs. Francis Goodwin, Miss Mary K. Talcott, Mrs. J. L. Havemeyer, Mrs. Henry Ferguson and Mrs. J. H. Cone.
The plan Mrs. Holcombe formulated was this, as told in her own report : "That the chapter should, as a patriotic work in connection with the saving and improving of Hartford's Ancient Burying-ground, raise a certain sum of money and present it to the city to aid in the widening of Gold street by the demolition of certain buildings, the remainder of the cost (sup- posed then to be $60,000) to be assessed in fair division upon the property holders receiving benefit. I placed the gift at $20,000, which left a balance of $40,000." It was found that the work involved an expenditure of more than $100,000, not a dollar of which was personally solicited. Demolition of the buildings was begun April 21, 1899, and the celebration of the redemption of the ancient cemetery and the widening of Gold street was held with impressive ceremonies on Bunker Hill Day, June 17, 1899, with an audience of five thousand, including delegations from various patriotic bodies. The following description was written by the late Mrs. Franklin G. Whitmore, historian of the chapter :
While the people were hurrying, long before the hour appointed, to their places, the music of Colt's Band sounding over all the hum of voices and the Putnam Phalanx in Colonial uni- form marching with fife and drum to form in line, the Daughters had gathered in the parlors of the Center Church, and with glad hands and faces drew their regent to the front and presented her, by the hand of the chairman of the reception and celebration committee, Mrs. William H. Palmer, with a superb silver loving cup, a token of their appreciation of her good leadership, her executive ability, her patient
hope and courage, and all the other qualities which had made her work in the chapter a marvellous success. After the presentation and a few brief heartfelt words of acceptance from Mrs. Holcombe, the members of the chapter filed into the cemetery, along the line of their military escort, saluting its colors, to their places on or near the platform.
Appropriate addresses were delivered by leading citizens. One city official said :
If any man of my knowledge in Hartford had undertaken the task, there would have been nothing left of him but the footprints of those who had stepped upon him. This Daughter of the American Revolution had the dynamic force of good patriotic ancestors in her veins, and official boards and public men, court committees and obdurate property owners, all bowed to the persuasiveness of Mrs. Holcombe. One of the greatest improvements that Hartford has known for years was accomplished.
A bronze tablet at the Haynes entrance to the Old Center Church Burying- ground was unveiled on June 13, 1901, and bears the following inscription, which perpetuates in brief and enduring form this memorable chapter in Hartford's his- tory :
1640 Ruth Wyllys Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution erects this tablet To Commemorate the Restoration of the Ancient Burying Ground Where Rest the Remains of The Founders of Hartford and the Makers of the Constitution of Connecticut and to honor The Devotion, Courage and Ability of the Regent of the Chapter Mrs. Emily Seymour Goodwin Holcombe under whose leadership the Unworthy Surroundings Have Been Removed and Both the Burial Place and Gold Street Transformed 1900
It is needless to say that such a work required not only exceptional executive
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ability, but also great tact and diplomacy, and that these are native to Mrs. Hol- combe is proved by the fact that until she undertook the task she had had little experience of the stern, cold and calculat- ing methods of the business world. In the accomplishment of the enterprise she has the satisfaction of seeing her ideals realized and her work appreciated. In 1904 Mrs. Holcombe published a very complete report of the plan and progress of the undertaking. It consists of eighty pages, and is entitled: "Restoration of the Ancient Burying-ground of Hartford and the Widening of Gold Street by the Ruth Wyllys Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution."
It was widely suggested that, as an additional mark of appreciation, the name of the street be changed to Holcombe Place, but this honor Mrs. Holcombe de- clined. It would have been out of har- mony with the purely patriotic motives which inspired a work in which personal ambition had no part. On June 26, 1899, the Common Council passed the follow- ing resolution : "That as there has been a request by many citizens to change the name of Gold street to Holcombe Place, in honor of the regent of the Ruth Wyllys Chapter, and that as this is against the wishes of Mrs. Holcombe, the matter be referred to Ruth Wyllys Chapter to recommend a name for the street." The chapter requested the Council to let the name remain Gold street. Nor was there any necessity for changing it. Mrs. Hol- combe's name lives and will live in the grateful memories of the people of Hart- ford.
In 1903 the former home of Chief Jus- tice Oliver Ellsworth, in Windsor, Con- necticut, was presented to the Connecti- cut Society of the Daughters of the Amer- ican Revolution by Ellsworth descend- ants. Mrs. Holcombe was chairman of
the furnishing committee, and through her efforts the entire house was equipped in antique furniture, the gifts from var- ious other chapters.
Mrs. Holcombe was one of the charter members of the Connecticut Society of the Colonial Dames of America, her an- cestors being :
1. Governor Jolin Webster, of Connecticut;
2. Governor Roger Conant, first governor oi the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
3. Attorney-General William Pitkin, of Con- necticut;
4. Hon. Richard Treat, of Connecticut, one of the patentees;
5. Captain Roger Pitkin;
6. Hon. Captain Caleb Stanley ;
7. Captain Nicholas Olmstead;
8. Captain William Ely;
9. Captain Richard Ely;
10. Captain Jonathan Kingsbury;
II. Lieutenant John Hollister;
12. Captain Paul Thorndike, of Massachusetts (whose father and uncle, the Prebendary of Westminster Abbey, were both interred in the Abbey);
13. Deacon John Whipple;
14. Nicholas Browne; and several others.
The names of twenty-five ancestors appear on the monument to the "First Settlers of Hartford." She was a member of the first board of managers of the Colonial Dames, and at different times held various offices, among which were historian and president, serving in the latter named capacity for four years. She is also a member and has been very active in the Union for Home Work, and also a member of the Civic Club of Hartford. When the Louisiana Exposition was or- ganized at St. Louis, Mrs. Holcombe was appointed a member of the Board of Lady Managers. The selection of the de- sign of the Connecticut building was left largely to her, the Connecticut commis- sioner placing Mrs. Holcombe in entire charge of it. Conspicuous on the wall of the entrance hall was a very beautiful and
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significant piece. This was the coat-of- arms of Connecticut in colors, above which was the inscription: "Connecticut, the Constitution State," and on either side quotations from eminent authors and historians proving the truth of this. The frame was made of genuine Charter Oak, given to Mrs. Holcombe for this purpose, ornamented with four carvings of oak leaves, acorns and laurel. On each one was a scroll with the dates and inscrip- tions :
1639, The Constitution born in Connecticut; 1662, Charter secured by John Winthrop; 1687, Hiding of the Charter in the Oak;
1786, Adoption of the United States Constitu- tion on Connecticut's model.
Desiring that this house should be a lovely home, Mrs. Holcombe made every effort to this end. In a personal inter- view with a friend, Colonel Frank W. Cheney, he said as they were to make no exhibit of their silks, he would furnish all the material she could use either for wall coverings or for furniture. One can imagine the wonderful result. When ask- ing for the loan of an heirloom, which very likely was in a worn or shabby con- dition, the assurance of its return, re- stored, and, if an upholstered piece, cov- ered with exquisite brocades, proved so alluring that it procured many a fine piece. On those lovely walls, covered with tapestry, hung very fine paintings loaned by Connecticut artists. Fifty illustrated coats-of-arms formed a dado around the walls of the library and dining room, and this with no expense to the State, as Mrs. Holcombe sold every one to descendants. There was quite a large library of genealogical books loaned for the occasion, and guests who admired the charts could search for the links of their own line which would connect them with these charts. Photographs of Connecti-
cut's fine old houses hung in the bed- rooms, and proved a most attractive feature. That Connecticut was the "Con- stitution State," Mrs. Holcombe devised many methods of proving. Like a motif in an opera, it appeared in various forms. A very charming official badge bore a picture of the house at the top, and below hung an acorn, and in miniature the four significant dates-1639, 1662, 1687 and 1786. Markers of two sizes bearing the same dates and with the catalogue num- ber written on, were pasted on each piece of furniture and book. Mrs. Holcombe arranged a very delightful souvenir gift for the people of Connecticut ancestry, which included an official list of the fur- niture, the lenders, the coats-of-arms, and followed by a little history of Connecti- cut by Mrs. Holcombe herself, profusely illustrated. Hundreds and thousands of these were given away. Mrs. Holcombe's financial report was one to be proud of, as the furniture sold at a profit. The house was a reproduction of the beautiful Sigourney mansion on Lord's Hill, Hart- ford ; the carved wood-work was from one of the very lovely old homes in Norwich, which at the close of the Exposition was sold to a gentleman who was born in Con- necticut and who erected it for his own residence.
At Jamestown, Connecticut had a State building which was a copy of one of Litchfield's stately residences. Again the Cheney silks adorned the walls, and the same "motif," "Connecticut the Constitu- tion State," was wrought in the various designs as at St. Louis. The financial re- port was even more favorable than at the "Louisiana Purchase Exposition."
But Mrs. Holcombe is above all else a true "home woman" devoted to her husband and children, and finding in these her greatest happiness.
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PIERCE, Noble Emerson, Lawyer, Legislator.
The year 1876, notable as the Centen- nial Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration which was to give birth to a Nation, also witnessed the emancipation of Noble E. Pierce from the rule of in- structors and his entrance into the pro- fessional world as a duly accredited mem- ber of the Albany (New York) bar. From that year until the present he has been in continuous practice, his Hartford resi- dence beginning in 1893. His career as a public official and as a State leader of the Democracy has equalled in merit his legal achievement, and whether his career be viewed in its separate activities or if they be taken in conjunction, the lustre which attaches to the Pierce name in New England has not been dimmed by this twentieth century representative.
There is a peculiar interest attached to his political career as the historian states that his grandfather, Noble Abraham Pierce, was one of the little band of eleven men constituting the Democratic party of Bristol, Connecticut. In 1890, Noble E. Pierce, grandson of Noble A. Pierce, represented the district in which Bristol is located, as State Senator. serving two terms. There is a feeling of regret that the old Democratic veteran could not have witnessed the triumph of the party principles for which he so lonesomely contended. In speaking of a spirited political contest which occurred in Glou- cester, Massachusetts, as long ago as 1806, a writer said: "The Democrats not unreasonably expected success, as they had the influence of the Pierce family. Young ducks do not take to the water more naturally than the Pierce family throughout the country to the Demo- cratic principles."
The name Pierce is a common one in England, of considerable antiquity, un-
doubtedly coming from the Christian name Pierre or Piers or Pierse, as it was called after the Conquest when French was the court language. The name is spelled in various ways, seemingly as the bearer's choice dictated.
This branch of the family descends from John Perss, who came from Nor- folkshire, England, in 1637, with wife Elizabeth and four children. He settled at Woburn, later at Watertown, Massa- chusetts, where he died in 1661. The line of descent to Noble E. Pierce, of Hart- ford, is through the founder's son. Deacon John wrote his name Pierce, and after a residence at Woburn and Boston, settled in the neighboring State of Con- necticut, at Wethersfield. His son, Ser- geant John Pierce, was a soldier in the Colonial wars, and is recorded as joining the church at Southbury, Connecticut, in 1727. His son, Abraham Pierce, pur- chased the historical old family mansion at Bristol, Connecticut, in 1797, that is yet owned by his descendants, five gener- ations of the family having gathered under its roof. His son, Noble Abraham Pierce, was a farmer and manufacturer of horn goods and inkstands. He married, in 1809. Lydia Gridley, who died in 1874. aged ninety-one years.
Their son, Julius Emerson Pierce, was born in the old Pierce mansion at Bristol, Connecticut, January 18, 1825, died June, 1905. After leaving school he became manager of his father's farm and contin- ued a farmer during all his active years. He was a member of the Baptist church. a Democrat in politics, but steadfastly re- fused all offers to become a candidate for political office. He married, May 30, 1849, Huldah Botsford, born November 6, 1822, daughter of Amadeus and Huldah (Merriam) Botsford, of Kensington, Hartford county, Connecticut. Their only son, Noble Emerson, and only
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daughter, Annie S., were born in the old family mansion at Bristol, Connecticut.
Noble Emerson Pierce was born July 31, 1854, and began his education in Bris- tol public schools, continuing at Connec- ticut Literary Institute at Suffield. He then passed to Connecticut State Normal at New Britain, whence he was graduated class of 1873. He then taught for two years in the "Lower School" at Ansonia, Connecticut, studying law during the same period, under the direction of Judge Verenice Munger. He then pursued a course of legal study at Albany Law School, and in May, 1876, was graduated Bachelor of Laws and admitted to the New York bar. He located for practice at Angelica, Allegany county, New York, there gaining needed experience in legal procedure and remaining two years. He then returned to his native city, Bristol, where from 1878 until 1893 he was con- stantly engaged in practice as a member of the Hartford county bar. In 1893 he became a member of the Hartford law firm, Holcombe & Pierce, continuing sev- enteen years until 1910, when Mr. Hol- combe became a judge of the Superior Court. Mr. Pierce then practiced alone until January 10, 1911, when his son, Ken- dall M. Pierce was admitted to the bar and the firm of Pierce & Pierce was formed. Two of the many important cases with which Mr. Pierce has been con- nected as chief counsel in which the de- cision he strove for became precedent are especially worthy of note. The Con- necticut Legislature of 1913 was dead- locked on appointment of police judges for the State, and also on the appointment of county commissioner, the governor making appointments to fill vacancies of twenty-two judgeships and five county commissionerships. A test case on the judges was brought by Mr. Pierce on be- half of Frederick G. Eberle, who was ap-
pointed to the Hartford police court by Governor Baldwin. He carried the case to the Supreme Court, the question at issue being the constitutional right of the governor to fill vacancies in offices that under the constitution are to be filled by appointment of the General Assembly. Mr. Pierce's contention that the govern- or's act was constitutional was sustained by the Supreme Court, and in the later case involving the county commissioners the decision of the Supreme Court was followed. The second case was equally important. James M. Crosby made a con- tract to purchase the charter of the Hous- atonic Light & Power Company from Nicholas Staub and advanced $65,000 toward the purchase price. With this money Mr. Staub bought water rights covering some two miles of the Housa- tonic river. Mr. Crosby failed to com- plete his payments on the contract and Staub afterwards sold the property and charter to other parties for a consider- ation of $320,000. Mr. Pierce, as admin- istrator upon the Crosby estate, brought an action to recover the money advanced by Mr. Crosby upon the contract. Mr. Pierce contended that Staub's conduct amounted to a recision of the contract and therefore his client was entitled to recover the money paid, in the absence of a forfeiture clause. The Supreme Court sustained this claim and so rend- ered their decision.
From the date of his return to Bristol in 1878, Mr. Pierce has been an active, influential worker in the Democratic party, has rendered valuable and highly valued service and has received many honors at the hands of his fellow-men. He served the school board of Bristol for many years and was chairman of dis- trict committee No. I. In November, 1890, he was elected State Senator from the Fourth District, serving during the
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