USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 7 > Part 22
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Ernest A. Hatheway was born in Suf- field, Connecticut, March. 18, 1873, son of Henry Safford and Mary Jane (Denslow) Hatheway. On his mother's side he is a descendant of Lord Mansfield, through his daughter, Sarah Mansfield, who came to America in the early part of the seven- teenth century. Mr. Hatheway received his early education in the public schools of his native town, and continued his edu- cation at the Connecticut Literary Insti- tute. He taught school for a year when he was seventeen years of age. The life of a scholar appealed to him, and he was well fitted for an educator by his keen mentality, and also the genial personality which won him friends wherever he went. He held several small positions until he
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was twenty years of age, then matricu- lated at Trinity College. After two years Mr. Hatheway's brother died, and this changed the whole course of his career. He discontinued his college course to assist his father in the tobacco business, and has been identified with that business ever since. He started buying and sell- ing on his own account in 1895, and while continuing in this branch of the business he later became a traveling tobacco sales- man. On January 1, 1909, he formed a partnership with Isaac J. and James H. Steane, for the broader development of the tobacco business. They produce about four hundred acres of shade-grown tobacco annually, and also buy largely from other growers. They do a very ex- tensive packing business in addition to their growing interests in Suffield and elsewhere.
Mr. Hatheway is a member of Apollo Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- sons, of Suffield, also the Chapter and Council in that town. He is a member of Washington Commandery, No. I, Knights Templar; Sphinx Temple, An- cient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Hartford; of the Hartford Lodge, No. 19, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Hartford; of the Hart- ford Club, and the Hartford Golf Club. While not a politician, he is interested in all public progress and is always identi- fied with any movement which advances the public welfare.
Mr. Hatheway married (first) Lillie M., daughter of John M. Stewart, of Boston, and they had one son, Stewart Sanford. He married (second) Mrs. Elizabeth M. Adams, daughter of Frank Stone, of Hart- ford. Mr. Hatheway is a member of the Baptist church, and Mrs. Hatheway of the Episcopal church. Their home is at No. 142 Woodland street.
Personally Mr. Hatheway is a genial,
open-hearted man, a pleasant acquaint- ance and a valued friend. He is a thor- ough business man, but reasonable and fair with his employees, and cordial with his business associates, though always standing firmly for the right. He is one of those men who contribute largely to the stability and permanence of the busi- ness life of the city.
SWENSON, Charles Karl, Florist.
There is something inspiring in the story of a young man who leaves the home of his fathers and the scenes of his childhood, and goes out into the world, seeking a better country in which to build a home for himself and his children. In sixteen hundred or in nineteen hundred, the spirit is the same-the outward look, the upward climb, the struggle and sacri- fice that the next generation may have an easier path, a more secure footing on the road to success. It is seldom the idler who strikes out in this way. There is some talent or taste that gives the young man an impulse to follow his own way, and it takes great strength of character to make the start, and in addition also undaunted courage and endless tenacity of purpose. He must turn every little good to his own gain, search out new op- portunities, in short, make his way.
Of the sturdy men who have come from Sweden and made this record in America, Charles Karl Swenson, florist and gar- dener, is a noteworthy example. Mr. Swenson was born in Sweden, June 5, 1861, and is the son of Swen Neilson and Botilda (Gustavson) Neilson. His sur- name is formed, according to the custom which has prevailed in Sweden from time immemorial, of naming the son from the father's Christian name, adding the suffix, son, to indicate the relationship. This
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rule is kept very strictly, and exceptions can be made only by special permission.
Swen Neilson, Mr. Swenson's father, was born in Tarstad, Sweden, and died about 1879, aged fifty-five. He was a prominent man in the community, highly- respected, and owned considerable prop- erty. He was a gentleman farmer, and was the father of eight children, of whom five grew to maturity. Three came to America, Neils Swenson, Charles Karl Swenson, and Anna, who married Alfred Johnson, of West Hartford.
Charles Karl Swenson was educated in the public schools of his native town, then worked in a greenhouse for a year. After that he worked with a landscape gar- dener, doing work on some very fine estates. In 1879 he came to America. At first he worked as a farm hand, as no bet- ter opportunity offered. As he became accustomed to the ways of the country and familiar with the language, he sought work in his special line, and was em- ployed in greenhouses and on private estates in a number of cities. This gave him a breadth of experience in a com- paratively short time. At length he went to work in the Pierson greenhouses in Cromwell, Connecticut. He remained there about three years. Mr. Pierson took down some small houses to make room for improvements in his immense plant, and from him Mr. Swenson bought a boiler and enough piping for one house. When the Colt greenhouses in Hartford were taken down he bought enough glass to build a house for the boiler. Thus, with materials that many would have dis- carded, he made his modest beginning and established himself in a place of his own. That was in 1887. Love of his work, thorough knowledge of it, unremitting labor, personal sacrifice, these were the foundations of his success. Keenness of judgment in anticipating the market re-
quirements, eternal vigilance in watching for the insidious dangers and enemies of plant life, and a mind alert for the best and the latest discoveries and inventions which bear on this line of business, these are the forces that have kept him steadily progressing toward the success which he now enjoys. As the business grew he added other houses, from time to time, until now he has ten thousand feet of glass. He grows mostly a general line of flowers, potted and bedding plants. Every spring he has ready a large variety of vegetable plants, tomato, cabbage, celery, etc. He does quite a considerable whole- sale as well as retail business.
Mr. Swenson married Mary Nicholson, a native of Sweden, and has six children : I. Wilbur Karl, who was killed in an automobile accident at Prescott, Arizona, in 1918; has a daughter, Lewanda, in Los Angeles, California, who was left an orphan. . 2. Lillie, who married Frank Carlson, of Hartford, and has one son, Frank J. 3. Rose, who married Alfred Messler, of Hartford, and has one son, Wilbur Lewis. 4. Esther. 5. Edward. 6. Adolph. The family are members of the Swedish Lutheran church, of which society Mr. Swenson has served as trustee.
PETERSON, Carl,
Florist.
New blood revitalizes a living organ- ism. This is true of nations as well as of individuals. Upright, industrious, self re- liant men are the very material of which the fabric of our civilization is woven. When the best men of other nations come to us and establish in our midst industries of economic stability and esthetic value, the impetus for progress is widely felt. Not only do they make good citizens, they exert a powerful influence among our
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native born young men by spurring them on to nobler ambitions and higher ideals. Coming to this country a stranger with- out influence, not even knowing the lan- guage, Carl Peterson has made for him- self an honored position among our most worthy citizens. He is one of our sub- stantial business men, and one of the im- portant men in his line. His greenhouses in West Hartford are a substantial testi- monial to his thrift and industry.
In Sweden the custom still survives of adding the suffix "son" to the father's Christian name to designate his offspring. Parish records are kept with most scru- pulous care, and special permission must be obtained before one may depart from the established custom. Thus, Mr. Peter- son's grandfather was Peter Anderson ; his father was named Hendrick, and took the cognomen Peterson; and the subject of this sketch has a brother, now a resi- dent of Hartford, who in conformity to this rule has taken for his surname Hen- drickson, his Christian name being John.
The family of whom Carl Peterson is a worthy and a representative member have been for many generations residents of Stockholm, or the suburbs of that city. His father, Hendrick Peterson, was a farmer, and lived in Stockholm all his life. He married Charlotte Lenstrom, of that city.
Carl Peterson was born in Stockholm, June 1, 1870, and educated in the public schools of his native city, after which he attended a school for training gardeners. After completing his technical studies, he went to work on the estate of Ekman, who was at that time the largest manu- facturer of cannon in Sweden. He also served the required three years in the army, his branch being the cavalry. He came to America in 1893 and located in Cromwell, Connecticut, entering the em- ploy of the A. N. Pierson Company, of
State and National reputation. Mr. Peter- son remained there three years, then entered the employ of Thomas Young, a big wholesale florist of New York City, whose greenhouses were in Jersey City. After working there for nine months, he came to West Hartford, where he was employed by Alfred A. Whiting, the pioneer florist of that section of Connec- ticut. This was a position of no slight importance, as the Whiting standard of quality was very high, and there is no industry which demands more good sound judgment or more painstaking attention to detail. He remained there in the ca- pacity of foreman until Mr. Whiting's death, then managed the place for Miss Helen Whiting for nine years. In 1916 Mr. Peterson purchased the plant, includ- ing the original Whiting residence. He has over one hundred thousand square feet of glass with up-to-date equipment, and grows a general line of flowers and bedding plants. The entire output is sold at retail at the greenhouse. Mr. Peterson is a member of the Swedish Zion Congre- gational Church, of which he has been a trustee for eighteen years.
Mr. Peterson married Anna Linney Larson, a native of Warberg, Sweden, and they have two children living, Carl Eric and Ruth Harriet.
COLTON, Frederick Marshall, Agriculturist, Tobacco Grower.
The American ancestor of Frederick M. Colton, of Granby, Connecticut, was Quar- termaster George Colton, who settled in Springfield, Massachusetts. Ephraim Col- ton, of the second American generation, settled in Hartford county, Connecticut, and from his coming that county has been the family seat of this branch ; a son of Ephraim Colton, Rev. Benjamin Col- ton, served West Hartford Congrega-
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tional Church as pastor many years, and his son, Rev. Eli Colton, contributed five Stalwart sons to the Revolutionary army ; he was pastor of the Congregational church of Granby.
(1) Quartermaster George Colton, founder of the family in New England, of which Frederick M. Colton, of Granby, Connecticut, is a twentieth century rep- resentative in the eighth generation, was born, if tradition be true, in the town of Sutton, Warwickshire, England. There seems to be no record of his early coming there, nor the place of landing, and date of arrival cannot be given. The first certain fact is that of his marriage to Deborah Gardner, of Hartford, Connecticut, and even that date is given as "about 1644." She died in Springfield, Massachusetts, September 5, 1689, and it is certain that he reached the Springfield settlement as early as 1644. He took the oath of alle- giance in 1668, was made a freeman in 1669, and in 1670 was a representative to the General Court. His home was in that part of Springfield then and now known as Longmeadow, and there many of the name are yet found. On March 20, 1672, he was appointed to lay out and establish the bounds of Suffield, and in the year 1722 fifty acres were laid out in Suffield to the assigns of George Colton, then de- ceased, in recognition of public service. Other honorable mention is made of him in the old records which indicate that he was a trusted, public-spirited member of his community. His title "Quartermas- ter" is said to have been awarded him by the Massachusetts General Court. All his nine children were born of his first mar- riage, four sons and four daughters grow- ing to years of usefulness and honor, the heads of families. The youngest child, a son, died young. The descent in this line is through the second son of the founder. Ephraim.
(11) Ephraim Colton, son of George Colton, was born in Longmeadow, Mas- sachusetts, April 9, 1648, died in Enfield, Connecticut, in 1713, eight months before the birth of his eighteenth child, Abigail, born January 13, 1714. He settled first in Longmeadow, but about 1696 moved to Enfield, where he died. He married, No- vember 17. 1670, Mary Drake, who died October 19. 1681, daughter of John Drake, who came from England before 1636, and settled in Windsor, Connecticut, with his family. They were the parents of four children. He married (second) March 26, 1685, Esther Marshfield, born Septem- ber 6, 1667, died January 14, 1704, daugh- ter of Samuel and Catherine Marshfield. They were the parents of fourteen chil- dren, their third son, Benjamin, a devoted minister of the Gospel.
(III) Rev. Benjamin Colton, son of Ephraim Colton, was born in Long- meadow, Massachusetts, in 1690, died in West Hartford, Connecticut, March 1, 1752. He was a graduate of Yale College in 1710, and on February 24, 1713, was installed the first pastor of the Con- gregational church at West Hartford. He served that society for many years, 1713-52. He married (first) December 3, 1713. Ruth Taylor, born in 1693, died May 30, 1725, daughter of Edward Taylor, of Westfield, Massachusetts. She was the mother of four children, the eldest a son, Eli, who like his father was a minister of the Gospel. He married (second) in 1726, Elizabeth Pitkin, of East Hartford, sister of Governor William Pitkin. She died October 11, 1760, leaving five children.
(IV) Rev. Eli Colton, son of Rev. Ben- jamin Colton, was born in West Hart- ford, Connecticut, August 5, 1716, died in Stafford, Connecticut, June 8, 1756. He was a graduate of Yale College, class of 1737, and a student of theology under his honored father, Rev. Benjamin Colton,
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until 1740. He settled as pastor of the Congregational church in Granby, Con- necticut, in December, 1740, but retired in November, 1742, then settled at Stafford, Connecticut. He married, May 4, 1741, Mrs. Eunice Smith, of Simsbury, Connec- ticut, born February 7, 1705. She sur- vived her husband, and married (third) Joseph Higley, and died March 12, 1797. Rev. Eli Colton had five sons, all of whom served in the Revolutionary army, Elea- zer, Ithamar, Eleakin, Lemuel, and Sam- uel. Their only daughter, Eunice, mar- ried (first) Asa Higley, (second) Joseph Higley.
(V) Lemuel Colton, fourth son of Rev. Eli and Eunice (Smith) Colton, was born in 1751, died of disease contracted through exposure while a soldier, April 29, 1789. He served in the Revolutionary army in Captain Joseph Forward's company, Eighteenth Regiment, Connecticut Mili- tia, in 1776, arriving in New York, August 24, and receiving honorable discharge, September 9, 1776. He later served from March 26 to May 5, 1776, in Captain Abel Pettibone's company, Brigadier-General Erastus Wolcott's brigade. He married, in 1781, Achsa Sheldon, of Suffield, Con- necticut, and they were the parents of two daughters and an only son, Lemuel (2), of further mention.
(VI) Lemuel (2) Colton, only son of Lemuel (1) and Achsa (Sheldon) Colton, was born in Granby, March 21, 1786, there passed his life as a farmer, and died Sep- tember 25, 1858. He married, February 15, 1815, Polly Watson, and they were the parents of nine children: Eliza Ann, Watson Lemuel, Almira Hannah, Mary- ett, died young; Polly A., Mariett H., Harmon A., Marshall A., of further men- tion ; Newton M.
(VII) Marshall A. Colton, eighth child of Lemuel (2) and Polly (Watson) Col- ton, was born in North Granby, Connec-
ticut, May 6, 1830, died May 5, 1908. He was a farmer, cultivating the old home- stead in North Granby until fifteen years prior to his death, when he moved to Granby Center. In 1885 he represented the town in the Connecticut House of Representatives, and for several years he was a selectman of Granby. He was a deacon of the Congregational church for many years, a member of St. Mark's Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; and a man highly regarded by his fellow townsmen. He married, April 8, 1862, Emma Cornelia Wilcox, born September 12, 1839, daughter of Hiram and Rhoda (Griffin) Wilcox. They were the parents of Carrie Louise, died aged three days ; Lillian Vesta, born September 9, 1865, married Edward Preston Rice, of Granby, Connecticut, May 11, 1887, and they are the parents of two children: Lloyd P., born February 3, 1889; Gladys Lillian, born February 3, 1891; Frederick Mar- shall, of further mention.
(VIII) Frederick Marshall Colton, only son of Marshall A. and Emma Cornelia (Wilcox) Colton, was born in North Granby, Connecticut, January 27, 1867. He was educated in the public schools of Granby, Wesleyan Academy at Wilbra- ham, and New Haven Business College. He grew to manhood at the home farm, and all his life has been engaged along agricultural lines, devoting ten years to apple dealing, but since 1902 engaging principally in tobacco growing and pack- ing. He harvests his own tobacco crop from fifty acres of his farm, and in addi- tion buys largely from other growers. He has been very successful in his busi- ness concerns, and has gained high stand- ing in the community in which his life has been spent. He is a director of the Sims- bury Bank, and has other business inter- ests, his chief concern, however, being his farm and tobacco dealing. In politics Mr.
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Colton is a Republican, and in 1909 rep- resented his district in the State Legisla- ture, serving on the committee on insur- ance. In 1913 he was elected State Sena- tor from the Seventh District, and in that body was a member of the committee on finance. He is a member of and a past master of St. Mark's Lodge, No. 91, Free and Accepted Masons, of Granby.
Mr. Colton married, November 22, 1892, May Louise Stults, daughter of William R. Stults, of Granby, but for- merly of Lyons, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Colton are the parents of two daughters: Mildred M., born September 10, 1900, and Caroline S., born April 14, 1903.
JOHNSON, Alfred,
Business Man.
America is the land of hope, achieve- ment and opportunity for the man born under another flag, and under Swedish rule in the beautiful town of Bergheim, on December 31, 1869. Alfred Johnson, pres- ident and manager of the Stanley-Svea Grain & Coal Company of New Britain, Connecticut, was born, the son of Johnner Johnson.
One year after attaining his majority, young Johnson came to America, locating first at North Easton, Massachusetts, where he remained for a period of about four years, during which time he was employed in gardening and factory work. In the spring of 1895 he went to Chicago and the following years were filled with many and varied experiences, the like of which do not fall to the average young man of to-day. The harvest fields of North Dakota and of Wisconsin; the lumber camps of Michigan and of the neighboring States; the railroads and saw mills were all at various times the scenes of his labors and activities. The
experience in working and knowledge of farmning and the lumber business gleaned by Mr. Johnson was very broad, and not only that, lie also was possessed of robust health and a strong physique, such as can be secured only through work and exer- cise in the great out-of-door. On April 7, 1897, Mr. Johnson returned East to New Britain, Connecticut, where he was subsequently employed in contracting work until the summer of 1904. In the latter year Mr. Johnson made a trip to his former home in Sweden, remaining for a year. Upon his return to New Bri- tain he was again engaged in contracting work. It seems but natural that after the years spent in the harvest fields gathering the grain and assisting in shipping it to the market that time should find Mr. Johnson in business as a dealer in this pro- duct. He possesses a greater knowledge of his wares than one who knows merely the retailing end of the business, and in September, 1908, Mr. Johnson became associated with the Stanley-Svea Grain and Coal Company, rising to the position of assistant manager in 1908, to manager in 1912, and upon the death of Mr. Theo- dore Stanley was elected president and general manager, which position he still holds in 1917. He is also a director of the Company. Originally it was the Svea Coal and Wood Company, and in 1907 the business of M. D. Stanley was pur- chased, the name then changing to The Stanley-Svea Grain and Coal Company. Mr. Johnson is one of the foremost busi- ness men of the city of New Britain, and takes a keen and active interest in its affairs. Fraternally he is a member of the Hundred Men Society, and the National Order of Vasa.
On April 6, 1906. Mr. Johnson married Ann Anderson, born in Sweden, daugh- ter of Andrew Anderson. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of the following
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children : Jennie V., born September 30, 1906; Allis Alfrida, September 10, 1908; Frank Alfred, August 19, 1910; Carl Eric, October 17, 1912; Anna L., March 14, 1915.
CARROLL, Patrick, Agriculturist.
The annals of the State of Connecticut have been enriched by the deeds of those of her adopted sons of Irish birth who have made homes and won substantial success within her borders. There are to be found a multitude of examples where men of strong character, sound common sense and courage have come with no other asset than a stout heart filled with a love of liberty and a strong desire to give their children the benefits of freedom, denied themselves. Such men have gained honorable standing in the com- munities in which they settled, and in many instances have become respected and influential citizens. Records of suc- cess are always interesting and they teach a useful lesson, particularly when difficul- ties of an unusual nature are overcome. No matter whether our hearts are warmed by deeds, brilliant or spectacular, or whether the battle has been won by pa- tient toil and persevering effort there is a lesson to be learned and he will be bene- fitted by a perusal of the life of Patrick Carroll, one of the gifts from the Emerald Isle to the State of Connecticut.
The Carroll family of Ireland were brought prominently into notice in this country when Charles Carroll, "of Car- rollton," affixed his signature to the im- mortal declaration, the only signer to add his place of residence. The record in that branch of the family shows descent from ancient Irish Kings of the eleventh cen- tury. The family bore arms, as follows :
Arms-Argent, two lions rampant, combatant gules, supporting a sword point upwards, proper, pommel and hilt or.
Crest-On the stump of an oak tree sprouting, a hawk rising all proper, belled or.
Motto-In fide et in bello forte.
Patrick Carroll was born in the village of Fenry, County Roscommon, Ireland, in 1822, and died at Carroll's Corners in the town of Granby, Hartford county, Connecticut, June 5, 1911. He spent his youth and minor years in the land of his birth, being there variously employed until his twenty-fourth year. He grew up strong, healthy and ambitious, deter- mined to make a name for himself in the world. The way not opening for him in Ireland he sailed for the United States in January, 1846, on the sailing vessel "R. J. Skipper," and six weeks later, after a tempestuous voyage, arrived in New Lon- don, Connecticut. He made his way from there to Rhode Island, where he was employed on a railroad. He was next em- ployed in Willimantic for several years, going from there to Bristol, always work- ing and gaining financial strength, slowly but surely. Finally, in 1857, he came to East Granby, Connecticut, where for three years he lived near the railroad sta- tion. Then he located at what became known as Carroll's Corners, where he had a small farm which he cultivated with the aid of his children, for all these years he had been a railroad employee. He con- tinued working and living at the Carroll's Corners farm and also retaining his rail- road position until 1899, when he resigned the latter after a term of service in East Granby, covering a period of forty-two years, 1857-99. His entire service as a railroad man there and elsewhere com- prised a full half century, a most remark- able record of fidelity and honorable serv- ice. After retiring from the railroad he lived at the Carroll's Corners farm until
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