USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 5 > Part 41
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John Cheny came into the land in the yeare 1636. He brought 4 children, Martha, Mary, John, Daniel. Sarah, his fifth child, was borne in the last month of the same yeare, 1636, called February. He removed from our church to Newbury the end of the next su'er, 1636. Mar- tha Cheny the wife of John Cheny.
Josiah (2) White, son of Josiah (1) and Hannah (Cushing) White, was born At Newbury John Cheny prospered, and his allotment of land was a large one. He had three acres granted, June May 18, 1831. He married Hannah C. Pease, of Somers, Connecticut, daughter of Azel and Hannah (Ashley) Pease, 19, 1638, at the westerly end of the great
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swamp, behind the great hill; August 25, he was granted six acres of salt marsh ; then a parcel of marsh with little islands of upland on it, about twenty acres, was assigned to him July 5, 1639. Lot No. 50 in the "new town" on Field street was granted him January 10, 1643. He did much public work; was a mem- ber of the grand jury, April 27, 1648; selectman many times ; and member of a committee formed to lay out a way to the neck, and through the neck to the marshes, on the east side of the old town, November 29, 1654. He was one of the famous ten men of Newbury who took such interest in the campaign of Governor Winthrop against Sir Harry Vane, that they made a journey of forty miles from Newbury to Cambridge, to take the free- man's oath, and were admitted May 17, 1637. He died July 28, 1666, his will, which was dated June 5, 1666, being writ- ten in his own hand. In this document, which was proved September 25, 1666, he provided liberally for his wife and children. Peter, his third son, and sixth of ten children, was born about 1640, and died in January, 1694-95. He was a mil- ler in Newbury, and married on May 14, 1663, Hannah, daughter of Deacon Nicho- las and Mary (Cutting) Noyes. Of their thirteen children Peter was the eldest. Peter (2) Cheney was born in Newbury, November 6, 1664, conducted a mill busi- ness on Falls river for many years, and served as a soldier in the block house, defending it against the attacks of the Indians in 1704. Benjamin, his young- est child, was born January 6, 1698-99, and removed to Hartford, Connecticut, eventually. On August 18, 1721, Benja- min Cheney purchased a quarter part of the upper saw mill in East Hartford, of John Pellett, and four months later, De- cember 19, purchased another quarter, the property of Thomas Olcott. He was a
man of education, prominent in the affairs of the community, and his house was located on the hill near the western end of what is now Burnside avenue, East Hartford. The mill was the upper mill on the Hockanum, where a paper mill now stands. Administration was granted to his sons, Benjamin and Timothy, June 17, 1760. Benjamin Cheney married, in Hartford, November 12, 1724, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Elmer) Long, and they had six children, among them Timothy. Timothy was the third son, and was born in East Hartford, May 10, 173I, and died September 27, 1795. His home was in the "five miles" district, which was later incorporated as Man- chester, Connecticut. He joined the East Hartford church, in 1758, and was clerk of the Orford Ecclesiastical Society in its establishment in 1792. He was cap- tain of the militia, and tradition says that he was detailed by request of General Washington to make powder-sieves for the army. Twice married, George was his third son by his first wife, Mary (O1- cott) Cheney. George Cheney was born in Orford parish, later Manchester, Con- necticut, December 20, 1771, and lived in South Manchester. He married, October 18, 1798, Electa, born January 2, 1781, died October 12, 1853, daughter of Deo- datus Woodbridge, and his wife, Esther (Wells) Woodbridge. Mr. and Mrs. George Cheney had nine children. I. George Wells, of whom further. 2. John, who died unmarried. 3. Charles, of whom further. 4. Ralph, also a member of the silk manufacturing firm. 5. Seth Wells, who was of delicate constitution and artistic temperament, and eventually became portrait painter of some note, being honored by election to associate membership of the National Academy of Design. 6. Ward, who in 1836, in asso- ciation with his brothers, Ralph Frank
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and Rush, built a small mill, known as the Mount Nebo Silk Mill; a few years earlier he began the culture of silk worms and mulberry trees on a New Jersey farm. This, however, proved to be un- profitable, so in 1841 he returned to South Manchester, and for the remainder of his life took part in the silk manufac- turing operations of the brothers Cheney at that place. 7. Rush, who in later life manifested superior mechanical genius, and invented much of the special machin- ery needed by the brothers in the process of silk manufacturing. 8. Frank, of whom further. 9. Electa Woodbridge.
George Wells Cheney, eldest son of George and Electa (Woodbridge) Cheney, and father of James Woodbridge Cheney, was born in South Manchester, Connecti- cut, October 22, 1799, and died Decem- ber 20, 1841. He held some town offices, and was justice of the peace for many years, and so just were his decisions that no appeal was ever taken in a case de- cided by him. He married Mary, daugh- ter of Calvin and Lovina (Wilson) Cheney, who bore him eight children: I. George Wells (2), who to within fifteen years of his death, in 1893, was connected with the silk business established by the brothers of his father in 1836. 2. John Sherwood, born April 14, 1827, died in 1910. 3. Mary Elizabeth, born April 24, 1829. 4. Charles Ely, born January 9, 1831, died March 9, 1853. 5. William Henry, born May 21, 1833. 6. Emily Frances, born January 23, 1836. 7. James Woodbridge, of whom further. 8. Caroline Waitstill, born February 9, 1840.
Charles Cheney, third son and child of George and Electa (Woodbridge) Cheney, and father of the late Colonel Frank Woodbridge Cheney and Knight Dexter Cheney, was born in South Manchester, Connecticut, December 26, 1804, and died there June 20, 1874. For several years
he was a merchant in Providence, Rhode Island, and later, for ten years, lived near Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1847, returning to Connecticut, and to South Manchester, to join his brothers in the manufacture of silk. He was a man of strong character, methodical and upright, and of firm con- viction on many subjects of public im- port. He was an Abolitionist, and served in the State Legislature. He married Waitstill Dexter Shaw.
Frank Cheney, youngest son of George and Electa (Woodbridge) Cheney, was born in South Manchester, Connecticut, July 5, 1817, and died February 4, 1904. He received such education as was obtain- able in South Manchester, and when eighteen years of age became interested with some of his brothers in the culture of silk and in the growth of the mulberry tree, upon the leaves of which the silk worm feeds. At this time great interest in silk culture had developed throughout the country, and in 1837 the Cheney Brothers established nurseries for raising the mulberry trees at their farm at Man- chester, Connecticut, and also at Burling- ton, New Jersey. In this work Frank Cheney took an important part, and in order to acquire a knowledge of the in- dustry and to purchase young mulberry trees, he spent some time in France. Silk culture in the United States having proved a failure, Frank Cheney joined with his brothers, Ralph, Ward, and Rush, in starting the manufacture of sew- ing silk at South Manchester, Connecti- cut, in 1838. The development of this industry, now so important, became the life work of Frank Cheney, and he lived to see the business of Cheney Brothers become one of the most important silk manufacturing plants in the United States. He was a man of great strength of character and executive ability, and com- manded to an exceptional degree the re-
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spect and confidence of all those who knew him.
He possessed a natural mechanical ability which, with his untiring energy, were important factors in the develop- ment of the business of the family. He was a man of simple tastes, with no desire for public life, was fond of music and travel, and took much interest in the scientific and material development of his country. His energy, and executive and mechanical ability proved of great value during the Civil War, when he was called to direct and manage a large armory in Boston which was established to manufacture the first successful repeat- ing rifle-the Spencer-the invention of Mr. Christopher M. Spencer, a native of Manchester, Connecticut, and an em- ployee of Cheney Brothers. To this work he gave his best, without reserve, day and night, and made a success of what might have been a failure. At this time he invented the automatic drop hammer, which has become of such importance in the production of forgings. Frank Cheney married, June 8, 1853, Susan Jarvis, born May 9, 1827, daughter of Daniel Cooke and Susan (Jarvis) Cushing, of Provi- dence, Rhode Island, the former of whom was a grandson of Governor Cooke, first governor of the State of Rhode Island. To Mr. and Mrs. Cheney were born five children: Katharine Sedgwick, born Au- gust 2, 1854, married, March 24, 1880, Gustavus Farley, Jr .; Mary, born Sep- tember 28, 1855; Alice Barrett, born Feb- ruary 1, 1857, died March 13, 1908; Frank, Jr., of whom further; and Paul How- ard, born June 28, 1867.
CHENEY, Frank Woodbridge, Manufacturer, Philanthropist.
The late Colonel Frank Woodbridge Cheney, for many years the head of the
nationally known Cheney Brothers' Silk Manufacturing Company, of South Man- chester, Connecticut, was one of the most representative of Connecticut's citizens. His national service during the Civil War kept him, to the end of his long life, an honored figure at all National gatherings of his compatriots that he attended, and his life of business achievement directly brought advantage to the Manchester sec- tion of Connecticut, and indirectly to the State. The "Hartford Courant," in an editorial immediately after his death on May 26, 1909, stated : "In his death, the State loses a man who, by common con- sent, has stood for years as the very best in Connecticut citizenship."
Colonel Frank Woodbridge Cheney was born in Providence, Rhode Island, June 5, 1832, the son of Charles and Waitstill Dexter (Shaw) Cheney, and a descendant of one of the oldest of Colonial New Eng- land pioneers. When about five years old Frank Woodbridge Cheney was taken by his parents into Ohio, when they removed from Providence in 1837. For ten years thereafter the boy lived on the paternal farm near Cincinnati, Ohio, during which he gained the rudiments of general knowledge, and at the same time, amid the healthful and wholesome surround- ings to be found in Christian homes in such places, developed a good physique and an upright, manly character. His parents, in 1847, returned with him to Providence, but shortly afterwards came into Connecticut, and located in Man- chester, and in association with others of his generation of Cheneys, his father engaged actively in the manufacture of silk, the brothers Cheney during the suc- ceeding years, after several experiments and many disappointments, firmly estab- lishing the name of Cheney in the front rank of American silk manufacturers.
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Young Frank W. Cheney, shortly after his return from Ohio, attended good pre- paratory schools, and eventually matricu- lated at Brown University. After gradu- ating therefrom, he was taken into the business of the Cheney brothers at Man- chester, but seven years later forsook, temporarily, all industrial labors to answer the national call to military serv- ice. During the Civil War, Frank Wood- bridge Cheney gave a notable service to the Union forces. During the seven years of business activity prior to the out- break of the Civil War, Frank W. Cheney had many responsibilities that were un- usual for so young a man. At the outset of his connection with the Cheney Com- pany, he apparently exhibited marked business ability, for in a short while he advanced from the minor position of a dye puncher to a seat on the board of directors of the firm. Attempts had been made to introduce silk culture into the United States, but on the experimental station established by the Cheney broth- ers, the attempt proved abortive, climatic conditions being unsuitable. The Cheney Company had therefore to resort to im- portations from China, and in 1858 com- petition among silk manufacturers in America was such that it became neces- sary for the Cheney brothers to place a representative of the firm in China. For this responsible post young Frank W. Cheney was selected, and in 1858 he departed for the East. There he remained for three years, purchasing the company's requirements of silk in China and Japan. It was a post that called for sterling qual- ities in the man undertaking it, a post of danger and uncertainty such as only a man of venturesome, courageous spirit would undertake. Frank W. Cheney was such, and he accomplished much for the firm during his period of foreign serv- ice. He was in China only a few years
after the ports of that country had been opened to foreigners, and for some time he was one of only twelve men, intrepid pioneers, of the white race in that great empire, and undoubtedly the connections he then established with Chinese and Jap- anese silk producers did much to firmly build the later great success of the Cheney firm. In 1861, while in Egypt, on his way back to America, he heard of the outbreak of the Civil War. He was eager to return, and when he did eventu- ally land in America, "threw himself heart and soul into recruiting for the Union Army." His patriotic fervor, his energy and persuasiveness, became evident in organizing the Sixteenth Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers, and was recog- nized by the State. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and with it departed for the front. National history records the part taken by that regiment in the great struggle, and Col- onel Cheney by his daring and military skill gained the admiration of his men. That was evident in later years when the Grand Army of the Republic recounted, in annual gatherings, the deeds of the sturdy ones during the dark and strenu- ous days of the war. One account regard- ing him in this connection stated "The affection of the 'boys' for him was touch- ingly evident whenever they met." At the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862, he was shot through the arm while leading his men in a charge; "dreadfully wounded," stated one account, "and the first reports had it that he was dead on the field." Upon recovering sufficiently to be able to leave the hospital, he was invalided from the service, and because of his disability was unable to take further part in military actions.
He therefore again entered industrial life, and took the executive position, that of assistant treasurer, he had held in the
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Cheney firm prior to his departure for China. In 1874, his father who was treasurer and secretary of the firm, died, and Frank W. succeeded to his offices. From that time forward the management of the huge concern devolved mainly upon him, and "to this really enormous task he brought a degree of consummate skill, judgment and tact, which have resulted in greatly increasing the vol- ume of business, and redounded to his own great credit and reputation as a business leader," stated his biographer in article included in "Representative Citizens of Connecticut" (1916), edited by Samuel Hart, D. D., D. C. L., president of the Connecticut Historical Society.
He was one of the leading silk manu- facturers of America, recognized as such by the national organizations connected with that industry. Only a year before his death, he was voted by the Silk Asso- ciation of America to constitute, with Mr. J. Huber, a committee "to urge upon Con- gress a revision of the silk tariff." And in many other lines of business activity, or interest, he was a commanding per- sonality, and came into responsible execu- tive capacities in leading organizations and corporations because of his ability to ably and honorably administer the trusts. He was on the directorates of many of the largest and most important financial and industrial institutions in the State of Connecticut. Regarding his po- litical activities, a biographer stated :
Although of a most retiring disposition and shrinking from taking public office of any kind, his extreme popularity rendered it inevitable that he should take part in the political world, even though it might be against his will and inclination. He was a strong supporter of the Republican party and its principles, and in 1892 the State organization urged upon him the nomination for Lieutenant-Governor. The year happened to be that of the "deadfall" issue, upon which the Democrats were easily victori- ous, and Colonel Cheney suffered defeat with
the rest of his party. Two years later, he was nominated by the Republicans for Governor of the State, but the Democratic star had not yet set, and once more he was defeated. He re- marked with a smile when the news was brought him that he had paid for a room at the Allyn House, together with a box of cigars and plenty of experience, and that he would now take a bath and wash off the politics. He was not able entirely to rid himself of politics even then, however, for eight years later, while trav- eling in Europe, he received a cablegram from the people of Manchester, asking him to return and act as their representative at the State Con- stitutional Convention. This he agreed to do, and returned at once from his travels.
Colonel Cheney was very popular in Manchester and Hartford, and was a member of most of the leading social organizations of the capital city. Espe- cially did he interest himself in the pro- ceedings of the Grand Army of the Re- public. It was his chief interest outside of business, and some think it came even before that with him. Certain it is that the Grand Army had interest in him. An editorial, before quoted, of the "Hartford Courant," stated: "The Colonel was one of the Connecticut heroes of the Civil War *
, and the old soldiers have ever since had in him not only a friend but a brother. The mystic bond that draws the veterans together was very strong in him. * * * A year ago, June 5, 1908, on the occasion of his becoming seventy-six years old, the sur- vivors of his regiment surprised him at his home, and presented him with a lov- ing cup." He was a member of the Con- necticut Sixteenth Regiment Association, and of Drake Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and also of the Veteran Asso- ciation of the Hartford City Guard. Fol- lowing his death, the "Hartford Courant" of May 27, 1909, stated, in part :
Colonel Frank W. Cheney died suddenly and peacefully at his home (in South Manchester, May 26, 1909). He was loved by a
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wide circle of personal friends, a circle much wider than some who knew him only slightly were aware; he was respected by everyone who knew the name of Cheney-and he had made that name known to very many who had missed the privilege of his personal acquaint- ance. His qualities alike of head and heart fitted him for the leadership which he never sought, but which invariably came to him when things were to be done. No name in his State carried greater weight than his, because every- body knew that back of it were sound judgment, unselfish purpose and high personal character. For years he was head of the famous Cheney Brothers silk manufacturing concern, and un- der his skillful management it has grown to be one of the great industries of the country. For seven eventful years he was a director of the New York, New Haven and Hartford road; he was a director in various other companies, as many as he would consent to serve, and he was constantly called on for advice and assistance by individuals. As a friend said last night: "Everybody leaned on him." At seventy-six the burden of these cares proved suddenly too heavy, and his long and useful life has ended. * * * He was a man of few words, and some people who only met him casually thought he was somewhat curt. The fact was that though his words were few they covered the situation. He had the singular gift of say- ing briefly all that was to be said, but what he said always rang true; and no man ever lived who possessed more fully the sweet gifts of sympathy and gentleness, and none was ever moved by a kindlier desire to help his fellow- man. *
* * Of the sweet and hospitable life of the Cheney home, a newspaper editorial is not the place to speak; but the many who have been privileged to enjoy it will always cherish the recollection of it as a most delight- ful part of the sunshine of their lives.
Colonel Cheney married, November 3, 1863, at Hartford, Mary Bushnell, born at Hartford, September 25, 1840, daugh- ter of the Rev. Dr. Horace Bushnell, an eminent prelate of notable Hartford rec- ord, and descendant of an early Colonial pioneer, Francis Bushnell, who was the third signer of the Guilford, Connecti- cut covenant in 1639. To Colonel Frank Woodbridge and Mary (Bushnell) Cheney were born the following children :
Emily, Charles, Horace Bushnell, John and Howell, twins; Seth Leslie, Ward, Austin, Frank Dexter, Marjory, Dorothy, twin of Marjory; and Ruth. The lives of some of these children are elsewhere reviewed in this work. Ward Cheney, the seventh child, was a graduate of Yale University, class of 1896, and at the out- break of the Spanish War volunteered and enlisted in Company G, First Regi- ment, Connecticut Volunteers. Later he received a commission and went with his regiment to the Philippines, where he was killed, January 7, 1900, in an engagement with insurgent natives at Imus.
CHENEY, Knight Dexter Silk Manufacturer.
The late Knight Dexter Cheney, presi- dent for many years of the Cheney Broth- ers' Silk Manufacturing Company, the product of which is known throughout the whole of America, was an esteemed resident of South Manchester, Connecti- cut, and valued throughout the State as one of the most substantial citizens of those who led in manufacturing activi- ties. He gave to it the whole of his years of business, years which were well occu- pied in the direction of affairs of magni- tude. He was born in Mount Pleasant, Ohio, October 9, 1837, and died at his summer home at York Harbor, Maine, August 13, 1907. His parents were Charles and Waitstill Dexter (Shaw) Cheney, and his descent connects with many Colonial New England families.
When Knight Dexter Cheney was nine years old, his parents gave up their Ohio farm, upon which possibly Charles Cheney had thought of planting mulberry trees, upon the leaves of which the silk worm best thrives, and the remainder of his life was spent mainly in South Manches- ter and Hartford. As a boy and youth
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he attended Manchester Academy, the public and high schools of Hartford, and eventually matriculated at Brown Uni- versity, where his academic education was completed. When he attained his majority in 1858, he entered the employ of the Cheney Brothers' Silk Manufactur- ing Company, being associated with his father in the Hartford plant. He was a man of intelligent initiative and consid- erable energy, and to him may be attri- buted much of the development of the business generally, and particularly of the ribbon department which he organized and brought to a high standard and im- mense volume of production. In 1878 he was given a seat on the board of directors of the firm, and eventually, on April 18, 1894, was elected to the principal execu- tive office the presidency, which from that date he held until his death in 1907. In addition to his comprehensive respon- sibilities as president, he retained per- sonal managerial control over several of the departments. He was an authority on weaving, and epscially supervised the working of the weaving department, de- veloping it from a department of very little importance in the operations of the firm to probably its most important part. After leaving the Hartford mill, he re- moved to South Manchester, where he made his home.
Although Knight Dexter Cheney did not enter very much into public affairs, being so engrossed in business matters as to have little time to engage in other work, he was well and prominently known in both business and social life in the State. His position as president of the Cheney Brothers' corporation made him a central figure in the town of Manches- ter, "and his sympathetic nature and pleasant disposition, characteristics of the Cheney family, made him the center of a large circle of friends and acquaintances. He was democratic and unassuming in
his manner, and did much to make life pleasant and comfortable for the em- ployees of the concern, and for the people of the town."
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