USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 5 > Part 12
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Hartford County Tobacco Growers' In- surance Company for protection against hail, and became director and president of that corporation. A man of excellent judgment, a good organizer, and mana- ger, a popular employer, and possessed of superabundant energy, Mr. Ellsworth succeeded well in his business undertak- ings, and took interested part in many of the public movements in his town. He was a member of the Village Improve- ment Committee; was chairman of the comittee of improvements of the Wind- sor Cemetery; and was president of Moore's Park Association for several years. Mr. Ellsworth was one of the most prominent of the Windsor towns- men in the movement to establish the Windsor Driving Park, and later devoted much time to directing the work of trans- forming the tract of forest into the beau- tiful park it now is. For years he has been identified with church movements, was chairman of the First Ecclesiastical Society of the Congregational Church at Windsor, and chairman of the First School Society Committee. In town ad- ministration he has been on the board of selectmen for many terms, much of the time as first selectman.
On September 16, 1874, he married Laura J. Fowler, of Windsor, and soon thereafter made his home in a house that had been built on his land, with bricks of his own manufacture. Mrs. Ellsworth was an estimable lady, accomplished and refined. She was born in Windsor, Jan- uary 3, 1856, and died July 9, 1906, es- teemed for her good works in religious, social, philanthropic and patriotic direc- tions. She attended Wilbraham Acad- emy, and later became prominent in the proceedings of the Connecticut Society of the Daughters of the American Revo- lution, a member of the Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth Chapter. She was a daughter
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of Major-General Amos Fowler, who was the son of Amos Fowler, a noted Revolu- tionary soldier, aide-de-camp of General Washington at the battle of Long Island, and scion of a Colonial family resident in Lebanon, Connecticut, since pioneer days of that settlement. Mr. and Mrs. Ells- worth were the parents of the following children : Minnie E., who married W. S. Hastings, of Windsor, and they have chil- dren : William E. and Laura E .; Ella M., who married J. A. Oakes, of Hartford; Alice L., who is the wife of J. D. Wood- worth, of Suffield, and they have chil- dren: Raymond H., Ellsworth D. and Ella M .; Philip Fowler, of further men- tion.
Philip Fowler Ellsworth, only son of Horace House and Laura J. (Fowler) Ellsworth, was born December 1, 1883, in Windsor, and his descent connects with many of the well-known Colonial families of New England. One not previously mentioned herein was the Miller line, with which he is related through his grand- mother, Emily (Miller) Ellsworth, who belonged to a family originally from Ger- many, the American progenitor of which came to this country to act as chemist for Governor Belcher, of Massachusetts, who started the copper mine in Newgate Prison about 1700 and into whose family Miller married. Philip Fowler Ellsworth attended the public schools of Windsor, later proceeding to Wilbraham Academy, from which he was graduated in 1903. He had resolved to enter professional life, his inclination being to the engineering branch; therefore, after graduating at Wilbraham, he went for a civil engineer- ing course to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. There he had a good record, and succeeded in gaining the degree of Bachelor of Science. In 1908 he became connected with A. B. Alderson, of West Hartford, a well-known civil engineer. In
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April of the following year, he was suc- cessful in gaining appointment under the city administration of Worcester, Massa- chusetts, taking office as supervising engi- neer of the Worcester Sewer Department. As such he remained in Worcester for two years, then becoming associated with Professor George Swain, of Harvard Uni- versity, in the valuation of the New York Central Railroad, an important commis- sion. In the fall of 1911 he went to West- field, Massachusetts, as chief assistant to John L. Hyde, a civil engineer, who in addition to his municipal responsibilities also had an extensive private practice. Mr. Ellsworth devoted much of his time, while at Westfield, to the making of a de- tailed map of the town, for assessment purposes, and also had a responsible part in the development of Westfield's water supply. Associated with him in this lat- ter work was Mr. James Tighe, a consult- ing engineer of Holyoke, Massachusetts. Altogether, his theoretical and practical understanding of civil engineering is ex- tensive and valuable, and had he held to his professional work he would in all probability have quickly advanced to much greater responsibilities. But in the fall of 1914 the affairs of the Windsor Canning Company, of which his father had been the controlling head for so many years, had developed so that it be- came advisable for the son to take an active part in its management. He there- fore forsook his profession, at least tem- porarily, and returned to Windsor, and his name has since appeared as one of the principals of that company, which has an extensive business in canned foods. And since his advent the firm has, by im- proved methods of handling the products, very appreciably extended its operations. The installation of better and more modern equipment, and the inauguration of more sanitary and labor-saving meth-
ods, has caused a marked improvement in its output and standard of product. The firm now employs a large force of men and women throughout the canning season, and under the junior Mr. Ells- worth's supervision has every indica- tion of expanding its business consider- ably in the near future. In addition to his activities in the canning company, Mr. Ellsworth acts as general agent of the Hartford County Tobacco Growers' Mu- tual Insurance Company, and during the winter season he is also busily engaged in the conversion of native timber into ties and telegraph poles, and cord wood.
Mr. Ellsworth is unmarried. He is an alert, aggressive man of business, his energy probably resulting from his ath- letic college days, during which he gained many trophies in various forms of athle- tics. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order, affiliated with Washing- ton Lodge, No. 70, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, of Windsor, the Even- ing Star Chapter, of Westfield, Massa- chusetts, and the Wolcott Council, No. I, of Hartford, Connecticut. His college fra- ternity is Sigma Alpha Epsilon, which he joined in Worcester.
NEWLANDS, James Andrew, State Chemist.
James Andrew Newlands, president of The Henry Souther Engineering Com- pany, director of Newlands Sanitary Lab- oratory, and State Chemist at Hartford, Connecticut, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, April 23. 1877, that city having been the seat of the Newlands family or clan for generations. Mr. Newlands is a worthy representative of that sturdy race of people, noted for their persistence in whatever they undertake, thorough- ness in detail, and great efficiency in the performance of duties and obligations.
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essential factors in business success, and they are also noted for their high type of citizenship, being willing to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, to uphold the honor and integrity of their adopted land.
James W. Newlands, father of James Andrew Newlands, was born in Edin- burgh, Scotland, in 1848. After acquiring a practical education in the schools of his native city, he learned the trade of pat- tern-maker, which line of work he fol- lowed in Edinburgh until the year 1881, when the family emigrated to the United States, locating in Mckeesport, Pennsyl- vania. In that city James W. Newlands secured employment in the United States Steel Company as a pattern-maker, and shortly afterward his skill and ability led to his promotion to the position of chief pattern-maker. After about fifteen years' service with that company, he left to accept a similar position with the Car- negie Steel Company at Duquesne, Penn- sylvania, with whom he remained until" 1908, in which year he retired from active mechanical pursuits, taking up his resi- dence at Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, where he is residing at the present time (1917). He married Helen Frances Mar, daughter of Peter Mar, of Jedburgh, which has been the seat of the Mar family for a number of generations. They were the parents of five children, four of whom attained years of maturity, as follows : John, of Burgettstown ; James Andrew, of whom further; George, of Pittsburgh; Harold, of Burgettstown. The members of the family attend the Presbyterian church.
James Andrew Newlands attended the public schools of Mckeesport, Pennsyl- vania, and prepared for college at Port Byron Academy, Port Byron, Illinois. He then entered Beloit College, Beloit, Wis- consin, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in
1903. He then took post-graduate work in the University of Chicago, studying medical bacteriology, and in 1904 and 1905 completed sanitary engineering courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During a portion of the year 1903 he worked in the Smith Sanitary Laboratory at Beloit under the preceptor- ship of Professor E. G. Smith. After com- pleting his formal technical training, he entered the employ of The Souther Engi- neering Company as water analyst. Later he accepted a position with the State Board of Health to install their labora- tory. For two years, from 1905 to 1907, he served as State Bacteriologist, and from 1907 to 1913 served as chemist of the board. He then purchased an inter- est in The Henry Souther Engineering Company, was secretary of the company until July 1, 1916, when he was elected to the office of president. This company and the Newlands Sanitary Laboratory per- form all kinds of chemical, physical and bacteriological analyses for city and State departments, public institutes and large manufacturing industries. Their business comes from all over the United States and even from British, French, Belgian and Russian companies. The company employs the services of more than thirty skilled men, and it ranks high in the busi- ness industries of the community. Mr. Newlands also serves as chemist of the water department of the city of Hartford. Mr. Newlands was appointed a member of the new State Department of Health by Governor Holcombe in June, 1917, and is also a member of the Committee on Sanitation and Medicine of the State Council of Defense. Mr. Newlands has written many articles for technical jour- nals on "Water Purification," "Sewage Disposal," "Chlorine Treatment of Water and Sewage," "Disposal of Factory Wastes," "Oyster Pollution," "Typhoid
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Epidemics," etc. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Society for the Advancement of Science, American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, American Society for Testing Materials, New England Water Works Association, Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers, University Club of Hartford, Hartford Golf Club, and the Phi Kappa Psi at Beloit College.
Mr. Newlands married, October 21, 1908, Alice Cary, of Florence, Massachu- setts, daughter of James Cary, and a de- scendant of the old Nantucket family of that name. They are the parents of one son, James Bryant, born December 20, 1915.
SPELLACY, Thomas J., Lawyer, Public Official.
Thomas J. Spellacy, United States Dis- trict Attorney for Connecticut, is a native of Hartford, born March 6, 1880, the son of James and Catherine (Bourke) Spel- lacy.
The education of Mr. Spellacy was re- ceived in the public schools of his native town, including the High School, and a private school conducted by Miss Bur- bank. After receiving his elementary education he entered the Holy Cross Col- lege in Worcester, Massachusetts. He then prepared for the profession of law- yer in the Georgetown Law School, from which institution he was graduated in
1901. During the interim from the time of his graduation to his admission to the bar, Mr. Spellacy was employed on the staff of the Hartford "Telgram" as a re- porter. In January, 1903, he was admit- ted to the bar, and at once took up the practice of his profession. In 1906 Mr. Spellacy was elected to the State Senate from the Third District, on the Demo-
cratic ticket, and again in 1910 was re- elected from the same district, by a major- ity five times larger than that which had elected him the first time. He was an active factor in the passage of the Work- men's Compensation Law. Two years later, in 1912, he was nominated for mayor of Hartford, but was defeated in the election by Colonel Louis R. Cheney. Mr. Willie O. Burr, editor of the Hart- ford "Times" appointed Mr. Spellacy his alternate to the Democratic National Con- vention at Baltimore, and as Mr. Burr was unable to attend, Mr. Spellacy served as delegate-at-large to that convention in his place. He is ex-chairman of the Dem- ocratic town committee and of the Demo- cratic State Central Committee. On June 30, 1915, he was appointed United States District Attorney by President Wilson; this was a vacation appointment. He re- ceived the regular appointment, January 13, 1916. Mr. Spellacy is a member of many social and fraternal organizations.
On November 25, 1903, Mr. Spellacy was married to Nellie Walsh, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Gaitley) Walsh, of Middletown, Connecticut.
ALLEN, Francis Burke, Manufacturer.
A descendant of ancestors who have taken an active part in every conflict that this country has ever known, who has himself contributed his share to uphold the honorable position they attained, and who enjoys the unique distinction of hav- ing held at the same time the ranks of rear-admiral of the navy and major-gen- eral of the army, Francis Burke Allen was born in Baltimore, Maryland, June I, 1841, the son of William C. and Louisa B. WV. (Burke) Allen.
The great-grandfather of Mr. Allen was a minute-man of the Revolutionary War
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and took part in the battles of Concord, Lexington and Bunker Hill, receiving a slight wound in the last named engage- ment. His grandfather, Francis Burke, was a resident of Washington at the time of the War of 1812, and formed one of the volunteers of the First District of Columbia who strove to withstand the attacks of the British, and the grand- mother of Mr. Allen accompanied Dolly Madison, the wife of President Madison, in the retirement from the capitol at the approach of the British.
The elementary education of Francis B. Allen was received in his native town, and he learned the trade of mechanical engineer. In February, 1862, he was ap- pointed in the engineer corps, United States navy, from Illinois, and on March I, the same year, was commissioned as an ensign in the Philadelphia Navy-yard. Before the end of the Civil War he rose to the rank of master of the engineer corps. During the entire period Mr. Allen was with various ships and squad- rons and on special duty in New York. He served on the gunboat, "Port Royal," in 1862, on the Potomac, James, Appo- mattox and Chickahominy rivers, where the fighting was very heavy. The fol- lowing two and one-half years he was with the East Gulf Squadron and the West Gulf Squadron, and in 1865 was with the United States ironclad "Dicta- tor" in the Atlantic (North) Squadron. His service was continuous until 1868, and 1866 and 1867 saw Mr. Allen on spe- cial duty at New York, while the latter year he was in the West India Squadron on the flagship "DeSoto." He resigned from service in this year because of defec- tive hearing which had been brought about by standing on deck after having been hours in a hot engine room. Among the more notable of the engagements in which he took part was in May, 1862,
when his ship and others of the fleet bom- barded Drury's Lane on the James river upon finding that the narrow channel was impassable because of the gunboats and supplies which the Confederate Army had sunk across it. He also took part in the battle of Mobile Bay under Admiral Far- ragut, and during the conflict his ship was lashed to the "Richmond." In a little reminiscence of his career in the navy, speaking of the famed "Monitor," Mr. . Allen said: "The old 'Monitor' which de- feated the Merrimac, although not so de- cisively as history makes out, is the direct ancestor of the present submarine. It was almost through a miracle that the inven- tor, Captain Ericson, had a chance to show what it could do. The board which then corresponded to our present Ad- miralty Board maintained that an iron- clad steamer would sink, and could not be convinced differently. Finally the in- ventor succeeded in interesting private capital, which was entered purely from a standpoint of experimentation, and every- body knows the result. If Ericson had taken the word of the experts that an ironclad ship could not float, the develop- ment of the present-day great navies might have been postponed for years."
Upon his resignation from service in the navy, Mr. Allen accepted a position with the Novelty Iron Works in New York City. He was afterwards assistant to the superintendent of motive power on the Northern Pacific Railroad. In 1872 he entered upon his duties as special agent of the Hartford Steam Boiler and Inspec- tion Company in their New York depart- ment, and ten years later was promoted to the position of supervising general agent, located at the home office in Hart- ford, Connecticut. He later became sec- ond vice-president of the company and subsequently vice-president, which posi- tion he ably occupies to-day. Through
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his varied training and wide experience he is ideally fitted for the office, and has throughout the years given close and dili- gent attention to the performance of his duties, for the same qualities that made him a good sailor have made him a good citizen and a successful man.
Mr. Allen is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers of New York : the American Society of Naval En- gineers of Washington, District of Colum- bia ; the Marine Engineers' Society of New York; the National Association of Stationary Engineers; the National As- sociation of Naval Veterans, of which he is lieutenant-commander; vice-president of the Naval Veteran Association of Con- necticut ; member of the Army and Navy Club of Connecticut ; Robert O. Tyler Post, Grand Army of the Republic ; mem- ber of the Loyal Legion. In 1915 Mr. Allen attended the encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is past junior vice-commander-in-chief, and also past commander-in-chief of the National Association of Naval Veterans. He found Washington a vastly different place then when he had visited it in 1865, and changed for the better, as he said, "It would be hard to recognize that it is the same city."
At different times he has resided in Portland, Maine, and has a summer resi- dence on the shore at Watch Hill, Rhode Island, where he can hear the beating of the surf and breakers of the sea he loves so well. He has also resided in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, and through his connection in naval and business affairs he has achieved a wide reputation, and gained many friends by virtue of his winning personality.
Mr. Allen married Margaret Louise, daughter of David Williams, and they were the parents of five children: I. Ed- win S., who is the assistant secretary of
the Ætna Fire Insurance Company of Hartford. 2. Mabel WV., deceased. 3. Arthur Williams, of the insurance firm of Allen, Russell & Allen. 4. Marjory, who became the wife of Harold Deming, of Hartford. Mr. Allen with his family is a member of the Congregational church of Hartford.
ALFORD, Hestes Ward, Agriculturist, Public Official.
Throughout his life a resident of Wind- sor, Mr. Alford enjoys the respect and esteem of his contemporaries, earned by a consistent, industrious and worthy life. He is a descendant of one of the oldest families of the town, always connected with the industrial life of the community.
Sergeant Benidictus Alford was born about 1615-18, probably in Whiteston, England, and died there April 23, 1683. In 1637 he served in the Pequot War, and was in England in 1639. In 1640 he re- turned to Windsor, and in that same year purchased land. He filled various town offices in Windsor, and was a man of sub- stance. On November 26, 1640, he mar- ried, in Windsor, Jane Newton, of Broad- way Parish, England.
Jeremy Alford, youngest child of Ser- geant Benidictus Alford, was born De- cember 24, 1655, and was baptized Janu- ary 31, 1666. He was a contributor to the support of the poor of other colonies in 1676, his contribution being one shil- ling and three pence. His death occurred June 1, 1709. He married Jane Hoskins, born April 30, 1761, and died May 19, 1715, the daughter of Anthony and Isa- bel (Brown) Hoskins.
Jeremy Alford, third son of Jeremy and Jane (Hoskins) Alford, was born May 8, 1692, and married, July 4, 1711, Sarah Eno, daughter of John and Mary (Dib- ble) Eno.
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Jonathan Alford, second son of Jeremy and Sarah (Eno) Alford, was born Sep- tember 16, 1720, married, December 17, 1744, Charity Thrall, born about 1729, and died September 9, 1776, the daugh- ter of William and Hannah (Thrall) Thrall.
Joseph Alford, second son of Jonathan and Charity (Thrall) Alford, was born July 6, 1748, married, in 1772, Lucy Gris- wold, who was born in 1753, and died April 10, 1835. She was the daughter of Moses and Mary (Nichols) Griswold, of Poquonock, town of Windsor.
William Alford, eldest son of Joseph and Lucy (Griswold) Alford, was born May 3, 1774, and died December 26, 1856, at Poquonock. He married (second) April 3, 1810, Selina Griswold, born Janu- ary 2, 1782, and died February 4, 1821 ; she was the daughter of Isaac and Chris- tiana (Holcomb) Griswold.
Euclid W. Alford, fifth son of William and Selina (Griswold) Alford, was born July 16, 1813, and resided at Poquonock, where he died April 24, 1859. He mar- ried, October 10, 1842, Mary Elizabeth, the daughter of Leonard Keeney, of East Hartford, Connecticut. They were the parents of the following children : I. Celeste, born March 3, 1844; married George W. Barnes, of Windsor, and died in that town in February, 1915. 2. Hestes Ward, of whom further. 3. Wil- liam Euclid, born March 16, 1848; re- moved to Oklahoma, and died there about 1914; he married, in Connecticut, Elsie Merriman, of Tarrifville, formerly of Windsor. 4. Frank Wells, born Decem- ber 27, 1856, who has lived on the paternal homestead at Poquonock during his en- tire life ; married Katherine Suess Merri- man, the sister of his brother's wife; she was born October 29, 1857, and is the mother of the following children: Alden Euclid, born November 29, 1890; Mary
Sophia, January 9, 1893, Elsie Merriman, April 10, 1895, Alice Viets, August 16, 1897, and Leon Morton, November 20, 1899.
Hestes Ward Alford, son of Euclid W. and Mary Elizabeth (Keeney) Alford, was born May 4, 1845, in Poquonock, and received such education as the public schools of the neighborhood afforded. He was but fourteen years of age when his father died, and as eldest son much of the responsibilities of the management of the paternal farm fell upon him. He still continues to till a portion of this farm and has given much attention to tobacco cul- ture. After many experiments he dis- covered the best use of fertilizers and the peculiarities of the tobacco plant, and has long been known as one of the most suc- cessful growers of the Windsor section. He never had an ambition to try any other life than that of farmer, and was always fond of hunting and fishing. He relates many interesting details of his ex- periences while pursuing these sports. He has been an extensive collector of bird specimens, and has a very large number representing the natives of this locality. All of these were mounted by Mr. Alford himself, and he takes a just pride in ex- hibiting his collection to those who may be interested. His intimate knowledge of bird nature and habits enabled him to so mount his specimens as to bring out the most characteristic pose of each. Equally interested in the development of plant life, his success in agriculture naturally followed his study of these subjects. Mr. Alford has always maintained an intelli- gent interest in the progress of his coun- try, and has ever espoused the principles of the Republican party, but he has always shunned any political preferment. His shrewd and successful management of his own affairs naturally led his towns- men to seek his services in other con-
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cerns. Responding to this solicitation, he served the town as representative in the Legislature, session of 1911, in which he was a member of a number of committees.
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