USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 7 > Part 50
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Dr. Elliott was born January 12, 1879, in Hartleton, Union county, Pennsyl- vania, and it was in this place that his childhood and early youth were passed.
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It was there also that he attended school and was graduated from the grammar school, after leaving an excellent reputa- tion for good scholarship. He then at- tended Bucknell University Academy, where he was prepared for college and immediately thereafter matriculated at Bucknell University. In these institu- tions he continued the excellent record which he had already established, and was graduated from the latter with the class of 1902, having taken the degree of B. S. He stood high in his class, par- ticularly in scientific subjects, having in- herited a taste and talent for them from his father, and received on this account a scholarship. He had in the meantime de- cided definitely upon medicine as his pro- fession in life, and accordingly entered the Medico-Chirurgical College, of Phil- adelphia, which is now a department of the University of Pennsylvania. From this he was graduated with the class of 1905 and the degree of Doctor of Medi- cine. For the practical experience which is so necessary as a supplement to theo- retical training, especially in the profes- sion of medicine, he entered the hospital associated with his college and there re- mained as an interne for the period of a year, and this he followed up by a year as physician to the State Hospital for the Insane at Harrisburg. He also held the position of pathologist of the institution. He began his general practice in Fayette county, his native State, and remained there for a period of some six years, dur- ing which he was highly successful and established an enviable reputation. Not satisfied, however, with the opportunities and outlook of that position, he went abroad, where he continued his medical studies at a number of famous European clinics, including those at Heidelberg, Munich, Vienna, Berlin, London and Edinburgh. In 1914, he returned to this
country and established himself in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, since which time he has met with a high degree of success. He is at the present time on the staff of the Hartford Hospital as visiting obstetrician and gynecologist, on the staff of the Hartford Dispensary as gyn- ecologist, and also at the Woman's Aid Home. He takes an active part in the general interests and affairs of his pro- fession, and is a member of the Hart- ford Medical Society, the Hartford County Medical Society, the Connecticut Medical Society, and the American Medi- cal Association. He is also a member of the Phi Kappa Psi, University Club, and the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. During his residence in Pennsylvania, he was for three years a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard in which he held the rank of sergeant in Company A, Twelfth Regiment. While a member of this organization, he served in the fa- mous coal strike of 1902 for three months. Dr. Elliott chose Hartford as the scene of his labors upon the suggestion of Dr. O. T. Smith, a well-known surgeon, who introduced him to the medical profession here.
Dr. Elliott was united in marriage with Nellie Dunkle, of Lewisburg, Pennsyl- vania, a daughter of Frank Dunkle, of that city. They are the parents of one child, Marie Louise.
Dr. Elliott is a man in whom the pub- lic and private virtues are admirably bal- anced. He is regarded in the profes- sional world and in all his public rela- tions as one whose principles are above reproach and whose strict ideals of honor and justice are applied to every detail of his professional conduct. It is not only in his associations with his patients that these characteristics are displayed, but with all those with whom he comes in contact in his professional career and in
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every other department of life. His courtesy and unfailing concern for the welfare of all makes him a highly popular figure in every circle, and has established the esteem in which he is held upon the firmnest kind of basis. In his private life these virtues have their analogues. A quiet and retiring character makes him a great lover of home and the domestic ties, and his never failing geniality endears him to the members of his family and to the friends of whom he possesses so many.
MCINTYRE, John James, Master Mechanic.
John James McIntyre, proprietor of the McIntyre Machine Works of Hartford, is a splendid example of a man who has won a place for himself in his community, both in business and social life, by virtue of his own inherent ability and ambition. Without the aid of influential friends, or through any favor of fortune, he has made his own way, steadily and consistently working upward. He naturally possesses those qualities which make for success. Mr. McIntyre was born September I, 1871, in Bally-Castle, County Antrim, Ireland, son of John and Hannah (Burns) McIntyre.
The name of McIntyre is a very old one, and it has been the theme of many old songs and traditions. The following is quoted from an old song, illustrating the prominence this family has long held in the martial affairs of Ireland and Scot- land :
From sweet Temple More On the high burning shore Came the family of John McIntyre So fearless and bold, in Ireland of old Their valorous deeds were oft told.
In Gaelic the surname of McIntyre is "Mac-an-t-sair," and signifies the car-
penter's son. The traditional history of the family states that they are a sept of the MacDonalds of Sleat, Skye, and this is substantiated by the fact that the fam- ily use the same badge, the heather. The legend follows :
On one occasion, the chief's galley sprung a leak. The hole was discovered and a clansman forcing his thumb into it, cut off lus thumb and left it there, so that he might be at liberty tu assist in the work of sailing the galley. By so doing he saved the crew from drowning and was ever afterwards called "Saor na h-ordaig"-"The Thumb Carpenter." Some time afterwards a son of this carpenter, who was known as Mac-an-t- saoir-The Carpenter's Son-leaving Sleat in his galley resolved to seek his fortune elsewhere, taking a white cow with him and vowing that wherever the cow would first lie down to rest after landing he would settle there. This she did at Glenoe. It is a well known fact that the McIntyres of Glenoe occupied these lands as early as 1306, and were firmly established there until 1806. For many generations a strong col- ony of McIntyres were resident at the village of Cladich, and there they carried on an extensive weaving industry. In 1745, there were members of this family fighting under the banner of the Stewarts of Appin.
The family of McIntyre of which John J. McIntyre is a scion were resident in County Antrim for many generations, and there John McIntyre, his father, was born. His early years were spent in the English navy, and learning the trade of machinist he followed this occupation for many years as a journeyman. In 1883 he came to America, desiring to take ad- vantage of the larger and wider oppor- tunities available there. Locating in Hartford, he was for many years actively identified with the interests of that city, and was a skilled and valued workman of the Colt Armory. He married Hannah Burns, who died in January, 1916, at the age of seventy-five years. Mr. McIntyre survived his wife three months, dying in March of that year, aged seventy-eight years. They were the parents of three
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sons, John James, Edward and William, and two daughters, Elizabeth, became the wife of Philip Carroll, and resides in Burnside, Connecticut; Hannah, the youngest daughter, remains at home.
John James McIntyre, eldest child of John and Hannah (Burns) McIntyre, came to America with his parents, being at that time eleven years of age. He attended St. Peter's Parochial School of Hartford, graduating in due course of time. Mr. McIntyre early displayed a natural talent for things of a mechanical nature, and upon finishing his schooling he applied himself to the mastering of the machinist's trade and tool making. His adaptability and inventive mind soon made him adept in his calling, and for a' period of ten years he held a responsible position with the Colt Manufacturing Company. In 1898 he resigned to accept the position of engineer with the Hart- ford Fire Department, remaining with that institution for nine years.
Throughout these intervening years, Mr. McIntyre had always cherished the ambition to engage in business on his own account. Through his industry, thrift and strict attention to business mat- ters, he was in a position to achieve his desire in 1907, in which year his present business was started. At first it was con- ducted on a small scale, but under the capable, judicious management of Mr. McIntyre it has steadily and consistently grown to its present proportions. There are now about seventy men employed engaged in general machinist's work, tool making and the manufacture of steel ball bearings. The determination and force of his nature have been important factors in his success. He has molded together those marked characteristics and has used them to good advantage in his busi- ness. The fraternal affiliations of Mr. McIntyre are with the following orders :
Hartford Lodge, No. 19, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Court Ericson, Foresters of America. His genial nature and kindness of manner make him a wel- come visitor in these social organiza- tions and he enjoys well-deserved esteem. An adherent of the principles of the Dem- ocratic party, Mr. McIntyre is always in- terested in its welfare. Forward move- ments of any kind for the general welfare also receive his attention ; however, he is not in any sense of the word a politician. He is a member of the Hartford Board of Fire Commissioners.
Mr. McIntyre married Mary M. Far- rell, daughter of Maurice Farrell, of Hart- ford.
BALF, Edward,
Business Man.
Edward Balf, president and general manager of the Edward Balf Company, general contractors and dealers in trap rock, in Hartford, Connecticut, son of Michael and Mary (Katten) Balf, was born in Durham, Connecticut, August II, 1866. His father was a native of Kil- dare, Ireland, where he was born in 1822. Michael Balf came to America shortly before his marriage and located in Dur- ham, where he engaged in farming. He died in 1870, at the age of forty-eight years. Of the five children of Michael and Mary (Katten) Balf who survive Edward Balf is the eldest.
When he was still quite young, Mr. Balf's parents moved to Suffield, and there he attended the public school. Un- able to pursue his studies further than the elementary course, he left school and went to work on the farm of O. H. Eas- ton in Suffield. Realizing the narrow out- look upon success which farming, except on a large and independent scale, offers, he left the employ of Mr. Easton and pur-
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chased a pair of horses. With these he started in business for himself, doing drayage work for the Weed Sewing Ma- chine Company. Mr. Balf worked inde- fatigably for the success of this venture, and beside the business which he con- ducted in the daytime, he did work for other companies at night. His business grew gradually, assuming a prosperous and successful working basis. Mr. Balf was careful to meet all obligations, and became known for his justice and fair- ness of dealing. He gradually worked into the paving business, and about five years ago incorporated all his different, though related, lines of business into one company, The Edward Balf Company. This firm does paving of all kinds and specializes on asphalt paving. Twelve years ago Mr. Balf bought the Southern New England Paving Company, whose asphalt plant was the first of its kind in Connecticut. He now employs an average total of two hundred and seventy- five men, and uses in his work one hun- dred and eighty to two hundred head of horses. The business operates all over the State of Connecticut. About ten years ago Mr. Balf bought a quarry at Terryville, and immediately started to operate it. Since that time he has pur- chased two other quarries. These pro- duce the highest quality of trap rock. In 1915, the company sold eighty-seven thousand tons, which it shipped to all parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. The entire business in all its different branches, is conducted with the utmost precautions for the health and safety of its employees. The most mod- ern and efficient methods of work which have been devolved are applied here, and the plant is one of the most progressive in New England, easily ranking among the first in that section. Its success has been almost entirely due to the tireless
and ingenious efforts of its founder, Mr. Balf. He is one of the oldest members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Hartford. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, of Hartford, and of the Hartford Landlords' Associa- tion. He has been sergeant of the Put- nam Phalanx for several years.
Mr. Balf married Rose Welch, daugh- ter of John Welch, of Suffickl. The Welch family is an old one in Suffield. Mr. and Mrs. Balf have two children : Edward, born in 1909, and Barbara, born in 1912.
ANDERSON, Eric J.,
Pattern Maker.
Among the people of many countries who came to our shores seeking homes in the new world there are no finer inen, no better citizens, than those of Northern Europe. Trained in thrift and industry, sturdy and wholesome physically, mor- ally and mentally, these qualities inher- ited and inbred from generations of right living, they bring with them and trans- plant them in our civilization. They come, not as fortune hunters, not seeking adventure, they come to build homes for themselves and their children. Eric J. Anderson came to America from Sweden, knowing nothing of our language nor customs, but overcame all obstacles by his own energy and ambition. He estab- lished himself, after a time, in a neces- sary line of production, and by the excel- lence of his product has placed himself among the leaders in that line.
Mr. Anderson was born in the parish of Bolstad, Dalsland, Sweden, May 27, 1881, and is a son of Carl and Stina Greta (An- derson) Anderson. His parents were both born in the Province of Dalsland, the father on December 27, 1839, died in 1918. He engaged in general farming, as
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did his ancestors. His wife was a daugh- ter of Andreas Anderson. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were the parents of the follow- ing children: I. Hilma Kattarina, who married David Stromberg, now of Hart- ford, Connecticut. 2. Sarah Augusta, who married Alfred Walquist; now re- sides in Waterford, New York. 3. Anna Gravilda, who married Axel Anderson, remaining in Sweden. 4. Wendela Eliz- abeth, who married Emil Larson, also remaining in Sweden. 5. Andrew Gus- tav, of Hartford. 6. Eric Jr., of whom further. 7. Ellen Gustava, who married Anders Larson, and remains in Sweden. The family are all members of the Luth- eran church.
Eric J. Anderson was educated in the public schools, and came to Hartford at the age of sixteen, entering the employ of the late James R. Topping. He re- mained there five years, by patient appli- cation to detail and thorough study of the wide range of possibilities in the trade learning pattern and model making. Then he spent six months on a visit to his home in Sweden. Returning to this country, he entered the employ of The Hartford Pattern and Model Company, where he worked for three years as a journeyman. Then he spent another six months visiting in Sweden. Returning once more to Hartford he started in busi- ness for himself in a small shop on Hicks street, in partnership with Bert Andrus, under the name of Anderson & Andrus. Starting in a small way, they did their own work, but by turning out only the best they built up a good trade. After two years Mr. Anderson bought out his partner's interest and has since carried on the business alone. By carrying out the policy of the firm in his own manage- ment, his business gradually increased as he established himself in the confidence and good will of his patrons. Having
purchased the site of his present plant, he enlarged the small building already upon it, and moved into his new quarters in July, 1916. He now employs on an average fifteen men, and enjoys the pa- tronage of some of the largest concerns in the country. The character of his work is shown by the fact that he has made some very notable patterns, among them being the valves for the new water works of New York City, the patterns for the propeller on the Gatun Dam of the Panama Canal, also he makes patterns for all kinds of work for the largest auto- mobile concerns in the country.
Mr. Anderson married Minnie Sophia, daughter of John August Josephson, who was born in North Dakota, of Swedish parentage. They have one child, Carl Evert, born June 17, 1917. They are members of the Swedish Lutheran church.
ALCORN, Thomas Grant,
Physician, Legislator.
Thomas Grant Alcorn, one of the most successful and popular physicians of En- field, Connecticut, and the region sur- rounding that flourishing town, is a mem- ber of a very old and distinguished fam- ily, a family that has its representatives in several different parts of the country, and especially in Pennsylvania, where there are a number of branches. In Con- necticut, also, there are many of the name, which in origin is Irish, the Al- corns having been seated in Donegal in times past. Thomas Grant Alcorn is a son of John and Barbara (Hamilton) Al- corn, old and highly respected residents of Thompsonville, Connecticut, where Mr. Alcorn, Sr., followed the occupation of machinist for many years. He and his wife were the parents of a large number of children, as follows: I. Thomas Grant,
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with whose career we are here especially concerned. 2. John S., who now resides at Waltham, Massachusetts, where he is a salesman. 3. William H., deceased. 4. Matthew W., deceased. 5. Charles, who died in infancy. 6. Eliza, who became the wife of Charles S. Morrison, of Thomp- sonville, Connecticut. 7. Isabella L. 8. Mary, who became the wife of James Patterson, of Thompsonville, Connecti- cut. 9. Emma.
Born September 21, 1867, at Thomp- sonville, Connecticut, Thomas Grant Al- corn passed the early years of his life in his native town. There he gained his education, or the early portion of it, and then attended the Connecticut Literary Institute at Suffield, Connecticut, and here he was prepared for college. In the mean- time, however, the young man had de- cided to follow medicine as his career in life, and with this end in view matricu- lated at the Medical School connected with the Columbian University of Wash- ington, D. C. Here he was graduated, taking the degree of M. D. In the year 1897, he came to Enfield, Hartford county, and has been practicing in this region ever since. From the outset he was highly successful, and built up a very large and high-class practice here. He is recognized among his professional col- leagues as a most skilled and capable phy- sician and surgeon, and a leader of his profession in this region, and he is not less well thought of by the community-at- large.
While the demand made upon his time and energies by his professional duties has been great, Dr. Alcorn has not found it impossible to devote considerable at- tention to other more general aspects of the affairs of his adopted community. He has indeed, from early years, always been keenly interested in political questions and issues, and has been a strong sup-
porter of the principles and policies of the Republican party. It has been in connection with the local organization of this party that Dr. Alcorn has been so active since his coming to Enfield. In- deed, lie soon made himself felt as a leader in this region, and in the years from 1911 to 1914, was a member of the State Legislature from the town. In 1915 he was elected State Senator from the Seventh Senatorial District and con- tinues to hold this responsible post at the present time. Dr. Alcorn is also a prom- inent figure in the social and fraternal circles of the region, and is affiliated with the local lodges of the Masonic Order, the Order of Modern Woodmen, and other similar organizations. He is also a member of County, State and National Medical societies. In his religious belief, Dr. Alcorn is a Presbyterian. He is un- married.
HALL, John Henry,
Man of Affairs.
The life of John Henry Hall is a good illustration of all those sterling qualities of mind and character which have made the naine of a New Englander a proud possession. Energetic and ambitious, he united hard common sense with that imaginative faculty which sees an oppor- tunity in a rather unpromising opening, and persevering and progressive, he adapted his method of attack to the na- ture of the problem before him. Success- ful in business, he was generous of his time and of his means to the community of which he felt himself a part, and cheer- fully fulfilled the duties as well as accept- ed the privileges of citizenship. He was an exemplar of all that was worthy and fine in the American business man, and left a memory that will always be held in reverent esteem. In Portland, where he
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resided for ten years, and in Hartford, in which he spent the latter part of his life, there was no name in business circles that carried greater weight for ability and uprightness than that of John Henry Hall.
He came of the best New England stock, and himself represented the ninth generation of that god-fearing, progres- sive, and intelligent race which has done so much to imprint its own character upon American institutions. The first of the family in this country was John Hall, who was born in County Kent, England, in 1584, and came to Massachusetts, set- tling in Roxbury, in 1633. In the fall of that year, he was one of a party who ex- plored the Connecticut river and the neighboring region, and their report, dated January 20, 1834, led to the migra- tions from Dorchester to Wethersfield and from Cambridge to Hartford. The records give his name as having been made a "freeman" in Boston in 1635. He went in 1636 with the Hooker and Stone colony to Hartford, and three years later brought his family to the place. He cleared and built a homestead on a tract of six acres west of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, and now known as the Sigourney (or Catlin) place. The grandson of this man, Samuel Hall, of the third American generation, moved in 1719 to Middletown (afterwards known as Chatham, and still later as Portland) and ever since that time the family has been identified with that city.
Alfred Hall, the father of John Henry Hall, was a descendant of this pioneer, and was one of the first students to enter Washington College (now known under the name of Trinity College), and his eld- est son, Samuel Hall, was the first son of a graduate to enter the same college. Al- fred Hall studied law in the Harvard Law School, completing the course, but at his father's request he entered upon work in
the management of the brown stone quarry in which the latter was interested, which bore the name of the Shaler & Hall Quarry Company, which had been organ- ized during the Revolution by Nathaniel Shaler and Joel Hall, the latter being the grandfather of Alfred Hall. Alfred Hall later succeeded his father in the presi- dency of the company, and died Septem- ber II, 1873.
Alfred Hall married, September 10, 1833, Maria Lydia, daughter of Seth and Maria (Ransom) Whiting, of Hartford, and granddaughter of Amos Ransom, a Revolutionary soldier. To them were born eight children, of whom the young- est son was John Henry, of the present biographical notice.
John Henry Hall was born March 24, 1849, in Portland, Connecticut, and as a young boy went to the local public schools. He was then sent to Chase's famous school, in Middletown, and later finished his school work at the Epis- copal Academy at Cheshire, Connecticut. Deciding to enter a business life, he entered the employ of Sturgis, Bennett & Company, of New York, at that time one of the largest importers of tea and coffee in the country. Here he re- mained for five years and did good work, achieving promotions which put him at the age of nineteen at the head of the foreign and insurance depart- ments. In December, 1877, he returned to Portland, having purchased a share in the Pickering governor business. He saw the possibilities in the business which went under the firm name of T. R. Pickering & Company, although to a less shrewd eye they were not so evident. Into this venture Mr. Hall put his customary energy and his keen executive ability, with the result that it was soon in a more than prosperous condition. In the five years of his first association with the firm
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