USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 5 > Part 20
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Dr. Russegue has been elected to the medical examinership of seven different insurance organizations, in one of which he served in that capacity for upwards of twenty years. Dr. Russegue is a life member and a Senior of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, and he is also a life member of the Massachusetts Homoeopathic Medical Society in his native State.
In fraternal organizations Dr. Russe- gue is a member of St. John's Lodge, No.
4, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; of Pythagoras Chapter, No. 17, Royal Arch Masons; of Wolcott Council, No. I, Royal and Select Masters; of Wash- ington Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templar; of Charter Oak Lodge of Per- fection, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite ; of Hartford Council, Princes of Jeru- salem ; of Cyrus Goodell Chapter of Rose Croix; of the Connecticut Consistory, Supreme Princes of the Royal Secret, and the Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of Charter Oak Lodge, No. 2, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of G. Fred Barnes Encamp- ment, No. 8, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Very soon after graduation, Dr. Russe- gue married Caroline Storer Wheel- wright, who passed to the higher life many years ago. She was the youngest daughter of the Hon. Joseph S. Wheel- wright, of Bangor, Maine. Of this mar- riage there were born two daughters, viz .: Susan Thaxter and Ellen Wheel- wright, the last and youngest of whom, Mrs. Ellen Wheelwright (nee Russegue) Bird, is now living, and to her have been born four children, viz .: Storer Wheel- wright, Eleanor Thaxter, Carolyn Wheel- wright and Virginia Russegue Bird. The grandson, Storer Wheelwright Bird, has passed to the higher life, but the three granddaughters are all living.
In 1896 Dr. Russegue married (sec- ond) Mrs. Helen Lane Palmer, widow of Joshua S. Palmer, a prominent lawyer and postmaster of Portland, Maine. A woman endowed with great intellectual ability and a brilliant mind. A woman of much travel and wide experience. A woman who for over four years gave her services to her country during the War of the Rebellion, who was at the battle of Bull Run and continued at the front for the duration of the war, serving as
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a nurse and on special occasions as a bearer of dispatches. A woman having a peculiar or intuitive insight into dis- ease and full of magnetic influence for its relief, whose hand had many times been outstretched to help the sick and suffering, and who was the means of sav- ing many a soldier's life and limb during the war. And after the war she materi- ally assisted in the upbuilding of the Maine General Hospital at Portland, Maine, and served on the Board of Vis- iting Ladies to that institution for many years. All of this experience conspired to make her a real helpmate, and for twenty years and more she worked hand in hand with Dr. Russegue in his profes- sion.
The prophesy of Dr. Russegue's col- lege acquaintances and friends proved true and he has met with remarkable suc- cess in his profession and holds a high place in the esteem of his contemporaries in Hartford, where he has been honored many times with responsibilities and trusts. He has all his professional life followed unswervingly the highest ideals in his noble profession, and now is reap- ing the rich fruition of a life spent in serv- ice to his fellow-men.
Dr. Russegue is of French and English ancestry, the names of his parents being Alpheus Alonzo and Mary (Walker) Russegue, both of whom were born in the State of Vermont, but on marrying removed to Massachusetts, settling in the town of Franklin, where they lived for nearly forty years. Dr. Russegue's father became one of the most prominent busi- ness men in that community, holding many offices of trust and responsibility in the affairs of the town, serving as town clerk and town treasurer for over twenty years, and he also was elected to repre- sent the town in the House of Represen- tatives of the Massachusetts State Legis-
lature. And when he passed into the great beyond, in his obituary, which was written by the pastor of his church, he was referred to as the good man for he was a friend to the poor as well as to the rich and a peacemaker having had, and availed himself of, many opportunities for manifesting that characteristic through his being a justice of the peace and a trial justice, thus influencing many to ad- just their differences without taking them into Court. Four sons were born of this wedlock, viz .: Francis Alonzo, Henry Elmore, George Meeker and William Alpheus, of whom Henry E. and George M. are the only survivors.
Dr. Russegue's father was a descendant of Alexander Resseguie, (the spelling of the naine Resseguie having been changed by Dr. Russegue's father from the origi- nal to the way he and his family spelled it in his early business life with a view to making the correct spelling of the name more easily accomplished. But for the most part the original way of spelling the name has been retained by other descend- ants of the settler in Norwalk, Con- necticut, in 1709, and tradition has it that he was the younger son of Alexander Resseguie, a Huguenot refugee from France. But as no complete genealogy of the family is available to the writer, he is unable to connect the American family with its French progenitor.
MCLAUGHLIN, Lewis,
Editor, Publisher.
Lewis Mclaughlin, editor and owner of "The Press," of Stafford Springs, Con- necticut, and an esteemed resident of that town, was born in Palmer, Massachu- setts, August 14, 1864, the son of James and Ellen Josephine (Atwood) McLaugh- lin, the former a journalist at that time connected with "The Journal," of Palmer.
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James McLaughlin, the father of Lewis Mclaughlin, lived in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, from 1866 until his death in 1895. He was born in North Windsor, New York, in 1838, passed his boyhood in Fallsburg, of that State, and received the more important part of his education at the Walkill Academy of Middletown. His inclinations were literary, and he early resolved to take up literary occupa- tions. In 1857, he went to Palmer, Mas- sachusetts, to learn the printing trade. As an apprentice he entered the office of "The Journal," the publishers of which Palmer paper at that time were Messrs. Fisk and Goff, who published an edition of their paper for circulation in Stafford Springs under the name of the "Stafford News Letter." In 1862, James McLaugh- lin purchased the interest of Mr. Goff in the Palmer establishment, and four years later, in 1866, sold his interest in the Palmer Journal and removed to Stafford Springs, having become sole owner of the "Stafford News Letter," with his brother, H. C. Mclaughlin, whom he took into partnership. The "Stafford News Letter" was at that time the only publication in Tolland county, through- out which it circulated, and to make it more representative of its field, the name of the paper was changed in 1867 to the "Tolland County Press," another change being made in 1883, the paper being then changed to "The Press." As "The Press" the paper has since remained, and as its standards and general policies were then, so it has been continued through almost four decades to the present. A press notice regarding "The Press," as it was under the editorial direction of Mr. James McLaughlin, stated : "'The Press' has always been characterized by a policy at once conservative and liberal,-con- servative, in that it has shunned sensa- tionalism, persistently declining to attract
readers by lurid appeals to morbid tastes, or the unnecessary treatment of unhealth- ful subjects, liberal, in that it has dealt with all public questions, alike reporteri- ally and editorially, in the spirit of justice and fairness. Its devotion to local inter- ests, has from the first, been marked, and its record of local happenings, full and accurate." The same is true of the paper to-day, and has been since the advent to editorial control of its present editor and owner, Lewis Mclaughlin. In 1872, James McLaughlin again became sole owner of "The Press," and continued in independent ownership until 1885, when his son, Lewis, was admitted to partner- ship. The publishing house then became McLaughlin & Son, the son taking charge of the job printing and business depart- ment, thus giving the elder Mr. Mc- Laughlin more time to devote to editorial and public work. The influence of Mr. McLaughlin, and of his journal, was evi- dent in the affairs of Stafford Springs, and his pen was ever at the service of the community to further and emphasize any project that gave promise of betterment to the town. And he came into State rec- ords in more than one public capacity. In 1880, he sat in the State Legislature, or General Assembly, as the representa- tive of Stafford. One notable appoint- ment he held was membership in the committee appointed by the State Board of Agriculture, to secure the establish- ment of a State experimental station, the first of its kind in the United States. In 1800, James McLaughlin was census su- pervisor for the five eastern counties of Connecticut. He was director of the Stafford Savings Bank, and of the Agri- cultural Society, and also of the State Prison. He died August 2, 1895. His wife, whom he married in June, 1863, was Ellen J. Atwood, of Belchertown, Massa- chusetts.
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Their son, Lewis Mclaughlin, was only two years old when they removed to Stafford Springs, Connecticut, from Palmer, Massachusetts, where he was born. For primary instruction he at- tended the public schools of Stafford Springs, and was later sent to the Mon- son Academy, in Massachusetts. He be- came the junior partner of Mclaughlin & Son, publishers of "The Press," in 1885, and soon became familiar with the print- ing and publishing business in all the phases covered by "The Press" com- pany. Particularly, during the early years of the business partnership with his father, he devoted his time to the job printing and business departments of the firm, but upon the death of his father, August 2, 1895, he became the sole owner of "The Press."
In addition to the assistance Mr. Mc- Laughlin's journal gives to all worthy projects in the district, he has taken offi- cial part in much organization work in Stafford Springs; he was one of the in- corporators of the Stafford Library Asso- ciation, and the Stafford Springs Agricul- tural Society. He has also been an active member of the Stafford Business Men's Association. Politically he is a Republi- can, and was a member of the State Leg- islature for the session of 1909, the voters of the Stafford Springs district having elected him to that place of honor and responsibility by a good majority in the previous November. During 1914-15, Mr. Mclaughlin was a member of the Board of Selectmen of Stafford Springs. He is a supporter of the First Congrega- tional church, and has been clerk of the Ecclesiastical Society of the Congrega- tional Church of Stafford Springs since 1895. Fraternally Mr. McLaughlin be- longs to the Masonic and Odd Fellows Orders ; and on the social side he belongs to the Stafford Business Men's Associa- tion and to the Stafford Country Club.
Mr. Mclaughlin married, October 7, 1891, Carrie B., daughter of William L. and Jennie P. (Atwood) Bishop, of Hol- yoke, Massachusetts. They have no chil- dren.
ALLYN, Robert Joseph,
Hotel Proprietor.
For nearly a century the name of Allyn has been identified with the hotel busi- ness in Hartford. The family has been resident in New England from a very early period, and has been traced in Eng- land prior to the settlement of New Eng- land. Richard Allen or Allyn was born in Braunton, Devonshire, England, and died in 1662. His will was dated Novem- ber 29, 1647, and proved May 10, 1662. He married Margaret Wyatt.
Their fourth son, Matthew Allyn, was baptized in April, 1604, at Braunton, and came with the original Braintree com- pany in 1632 to Charlestown, Massachu- setts, where he had forty-five acres of land in 1633, and subsequently owned many other parcels, including five houses on the original town plot of Cambridge, made in 1635. He resided near the meet- ing house, and was the largest landholder in Cambridge, a freeman of the Massa- chusetts Colony, March 4, 1635, and rep- resentative to the General Court in the following year. In 1637 he removed to Hartford, where he was one of the orig- inal proprietors, and had a house lot on what is now Windsor street, and one hun- dred and ten acres of planting land. He owned the first mill in Hartford, which was at the foot of the present West Pearl street ; was a proprietor of Windsor, Con- necticut, in 1640; a large owner in Kill- ingworth and Simsbury, Connecticut, and a member of Rev. Thomas Hooker's church of Hartford. Before 1648 he removed to Windsor, which town he rep- resented in the General Court from 1648
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to 1658, with the exception of 1653; was a magistrate from 1657 to 1667, inclu- sive, and a commissioner of the United Colonies, 1660-64. He served on many important committees, among them one to treat with the Dutch envoys, one to settle the government of Long Island towns, one to settle the boundry between Massachusetts and Rhode Island colon- ies, and on a committee empowered to levy troops. He died at Windsor, Febru- ary 1, 1671. His wife Margaret was made executrix of his will.
They were the parents of Captain Thomas Allyn, who inherited the pater- nal homestead at Windsor, was a free- man in 1668, and a trooper in the town militia ; died February 14, 1696. He mar- ried, October 21, 1658, Abigail, daughter of Rev. John Warham, first minister of Windsor, and his wife, Jane. She was bap- tized May 27, 1638, and was a member of the Windsor church.
Their third son was Lieutenant Thomas Allyn, born March II, 1663, in Windsor, died there April 6, 1709. His estate was valued at £258, 10s. and 8d. He married, January 6, 1686, Martha Wolcott, born May 17, 1664, died September 8, 1687, daughter of Simon and Martha (Pitkin) Wolcott.
They were the parents of Benjamin Allyn, born October 14, 1686, died Decem- ber 14, 1713. He married, December 18, 1707, Ann Watson, born 1686, daughter of Nathaniel and Dorothy (Bissell) Wat- son, granddaughter of Robert Watson, who came from London, England, and his wife, Mary, daughter of John Rock- well, of Windsor.
Captain Benjamin Allyn, son of Benja- min and Ann (Watson) Allyn, was born April 8, 1711, in Windsor, where he died March 18, 1776. He commanded a com- pany in the Crown Point Expedition of 1755. He married, August 9, 1733, Abi-
gail Loomis, born April 10, 1714, died May 29, 1795. daughter of Ensign Job and Abigail (Filley) Loomis, descendant of Joseph Loomis, one of the first set- tlers of Windsor.
Their fifth son and tenth child was Col- onel Job Allyn, born November 24. 1753, who married, May 16, 1777, Abigail Mather, born September 20, 1757, daugh- ter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Allen) Mather, died June 17, 1843.
Their sixth son and eleventh child was Timothy Mather Allyn, who was born September 7, 1800, in Windsor, baptized there June 7, 1801, and died August 25, 1882, in Hartford. He was reared on the paternal farm in Windsor, and received some education in the local public schools. At at early age he was accustomed to assist in the operation of a brick kiln, operated in connection with the farm. The youth was accustomed to cut wood and mix and bake bricks, and in one year himself produced one hundred and twenty thousand bricks, which were sold in Hart- ford at the rate of four and a half dollars per thousand. At the age of twenty-five years he left his native home and traveled west as far as the State of Ohio. At the end of two years he returned east, and was located in New York City for three years, connected with the wholesale dry goods business. At the age of thirty years he settled in Hartford, and in asso- ciation with his brother established a store on Asylum street. The venture was successful, and Timothy M. Allyn con- tinued to be associated with it until 1848, when he retired from mercantile business, and devoted himself to the care of his large real estate interests. While still a young man he had shrewly fore- seen the growth of Hartford, and, with more than usual business judgment, sought to enhance his own fortune by extensive investment in real estate in
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those sections where he anticipated the greatest development. His judgment was eminently confirmed by results, and the rapid development of real estate values enabled him to extend his operations by building. In 1860 he built the well-known hotel, the Allyn House, and he subse- quently constructed the Charter Oak Bank Building, The Allyn Hall, now the Majestic Theatre, and several other large and important business structures. The great development of his fortune did not create in him a selfish spirit, and he was ever ready to serve the public interests, which he was often called upon to do. For several terms he was elected an alder- inan of the city, served as mayor of Hart- ford, and in 1858 became a member of the water commission, serving for a per- iod of three years. A staunch Republican in principle, he was elected on the ticket of that party in 1843 as a representative in the State Legislature, where his serv- ices were conspicuous. He was ever ready to promote the development and progress of his home city, and was esteemed as a public-spirited and useful citizen. At one time he offered to the city the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, on condition that an equal sum be raised by the public for founding an industrial school for boys. Subsequently he offered the Allyn Hall Building and forty thousand dollars in cash for a library for the Young Men's Institute, but he was ahead of his time, and neither of these offers was accepted by the city. Mr. Allyn entertained liberal religious views ; was for many years a member of the Unitarian church ; was a staunch and practical Christian, and after his death a suitable memorial was erected in the shape of Allyn Chapel, in Spring Grove Cemetery. His memory will always be honored in the city where he exercised such a strong and lasting influence. He
married Susan Ann, daughter of Joseph Pratt, and they were the parents of seven children.
The Pratt family was a very ancient one in England, where records are found before the year 1200, indicating that it was of Norman origin. John Pratt or de Pratel- lis or de Pratis, as then generally spelled, held the Manor of Patrickborne (Merton Bridge and Pelham Hundred) in 1200. Four brothers, John, William, Engebraw and Peter de Pratellis, figured prom- inently in the reign of Richard I., all liv- ing in 1201. John was a favorite minis- ter. In 1211 William and Peter both made a gallant record in the Crusade. John Pratt was in Parliament from Bev- erly in 1298 and 1305. Before the year 1300 the family was well known and widely scattered through England, and the shortened form of the name, Prat, was the common spelling. The other forms, Pratte, Pradt, Praed, Prete, Prate, Praer, Prayers, are also found. The sur- name means meadow, and was a place name before it was a surname. Thomas Pratt died at Baldock in Hertfordshire in February, 1539. He was the father of Thomas Pratt, who was born there, and whose son, Rev. William Pratt, was bap- tized October, 1562, at Baldock. He be- came rector of the parish of Stevenage, near Hertfordshire, December 6, 1598, and continued until his death in 1629. His wife's name was Elizabeth. Their second son, John Prat, was baptized No- vomber 9, 1620, at Stevenage, probably an adult, and was in Cambridge, Massa- chusetts, as early as 1633, and received a grant of land of two acres there in the following year. In 1635 he owned a house on the north side of the present Mt. Auburn street, between Brighton street and Brattle square ; was made free- man, May 14, 1634. In 1636 he accom- panied Rev. Thomas Hooker to Hart-
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ford, and was one of the landed proprie- tors of that town, elected representative, January 14, 1640, and served on many important committees. He was a car- penter by trade, purchased two house lots on Main street, north of Asylum street, and the present Pratt street was named in his honor. His wife, Elizabeth, is supposed to have been a Spencer. Their eldest child, John Pratt, born about 1635, was made freeman, February 26, 1656, served in various offices in the town. and died November 23, 1689. He married Hepsibah, daughter of John Wyatt, and after his death she married, March 10, 1691, John Sadd. Her eldest son, John Pratt, born May 17, 1661, in Hartford, lived in that town and died early in 1744. He served as constable, selectman and in various important capacities, and pos- sessed some of the lands owned by his grandfather. He married Hannah, daugh- ter of Robert Sanford, granddaughter of Robert and Anne (Adams) Sanford, the latter a daughter of Jeremiah Adams, of Hartford. Their second son, William Pratt, was born 1691, and lived on the Main street in front of the State House square. He was buried in the Center Church Yard, January 19, 1753. He married Amy Pinney, born October 6, 1704, daughter of Nathaniel and Martha (Thrall) Pin- ney, buried in the Center Church Yard, June 10, 1772. Her youngest child, Joseph Pratt, was baptized June 6, 1742, and died October 18, 1814. He married, Septem- ber 15, 1768, Susanna Caldwell, born in January, 1744, died September 17, 1831. Her youngest child, Joseph Pratt, born June 6, 1779, was a highly esteemed citi- zen of Hartford, where he served for some time as postmaster, and died at Opelousas, Louisana, March 6, 1852. He married (first) December 11, 1802, at Christ Church, Hartford, Frances Wads- worth, born 1782, died February 14, 1838,
daughter of Roger and Anne (Prior) Wadsworth, a descendant of William Wadsworth, who came in the ship "Lion," landing in Boston, September 16, 1832, and through his son, Joseph Wadsworth, immortalized in history by his exploit in hiding the colonial charter in the char- ter oak. He married (second) December 6, 1839, her sister, Charlotte Wadsworth. The eldest child of the first marriage was Susan Anne Pratt, born October 9, 1803. who became the wife of Timothy M. Allyn, as above noted.
Robert Allyn, youngest son of Timothy M. and Susan A. (Pratt) Allyn, was born March 8, 1849, in the city of Hartford, and there continued to reside until his death, which occurred February 2, 1896. His education was supplied by the pub- lic institutions of Hartford, and upon leaving school his attention was imme- diately absorbed in the management of his estate. It had early acquired great value during the life of his father, and the natural increase of values added much thereto during the lifetime of Robert Allyn. About 1889 he took charge of the Allyn House, which had been under the direction of a cousin, R. J. Allyn, up to that time. He had previously taken an interest in the management of the prop- erty, but his name was never publicly associated with the management of the hotel. He became one of the wealthiest men in the community, and paid taxes on property valued at nearly a million dol- lars. Like his honored father he was a man of public spirit and active in the pro- motion of many movements for the advancement of the community. He was a keen and intelligent observer of politi- cal matters, very active with the Repub- lican party in general affairs, but was not a partisan in the management of the city's concerns. His character and career were such as to gain respect and recogni-
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tion in all quarters. Of social nature and genial spirit, his companionship was much sought after. Possessed of all the domestic virtues, his greatest happiness was found in his own household, but his death was felt as a loss throughout the community. He was married, January 30, 1877, to Alice Belle Main, of Brook- lyn, Connecticut, a daughter of Elias H. and Sarah S. (Dorrance) Main, of that town. They were the parents of three children: Robert Joseph, Leonora, and Dorothy Belle.
Robert Joseph Allyn, only son of Rob- ert and Alice Belle (Main) Allyn, was born October 21, 1877, in Hartford, and succeeded to the management of the large estate which came down from his grandfather. His education was largely supplied by private schools, and before attaining his majority he became asso- ciated with his father in the conduct of the Allyn House. This popular hostelry, many years known as the leading hotel of Hartford, has continued under his management to the present time, and has fully maintained its standards and reputa- tion. He takes an interest in Hart- ford and its institutions; is a director of the Phoenix Insurance Company and of Spring Grove Cemetery ; a member of the Connecticut Society, Sons of the American Revolution; Hart- ford Club, Hartford Golf Club, Country Club of Farmington, Automobile Club of Hartford, Gun Club, and Automobile Club of America. He married Louise, daughter of Francis Gordon and Mary Royal (McCurry) Graham, born in Louisville, Kentucky, granddaughter of the late Judge Duncan Graham, of Car- lisle, Pennsylvania, of Scottish antece- dents, a kinsman of the present Duke of Montrose, who for some twenty-five years has been Lord Clerk Registrar of Scot- land and present chief of Clan Graham.
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