USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 7 > Part 52
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In his laboratory, the Buena Vista Lab- oratory at West Hartford, Mr. Des Jar- dins has, of late years, devoted his efforts to the elucidation of many difficult prob- lems of mechanical science. Freed of the
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urgent material necessity, his days now are given more especially to the develop- ment of mechanical movements that have never before been produced, irrespective of whether they be immediately applica- ble or not, and, as hereinbefore recorded, his research has found practical utiliza- tion in mechanical lines not related to those to which he has devoted special at- tention in recent years. His computing machines demonstrate movements many leading engineers had declared impossi- ble of accomplishment. An assorting ma- chine of his invention is capable of almost unlimited extension, even though the patent drawings state its capacity defi- nitely as that of sorting 9,999 different articles. The numbered boxes of the de- vice are controlled from a keyboard, to some extent similar to that of an adding machine, and the machine, which adds greatly to the efficiency of department store accounting, has a wide range of uses, among them, to mention a few, that of sorting sales tickets, money orders and cheques, letters, et cetera.
Withal, his achievements of later life emphasize the inherent ability which in him lay, and by which he was capable of serving the world so usefully when once the first struggle had been overcome, and the diverting perplexities of poverty had been passed. But that struggle he had to fight alone, and in the outcome is evi- dent the man. A contemporary biogra- pher wrote the following, respecting Mr. Des Jardins and his work :
Mr. Des Jardins' works have practically estab- lished new eras in their respective arts. The his- tory of the development of these inventions, from their first inception at the unskilled hands of a young college student and newspaper writer to the mechanical triumph of an ingenious mind and trained hands, is but the story of many an- other inventor whose sleepless nights and persist- ent thought have at last been rewarded by seeing
the creatures of his brain move like things of life and perform the functions expected of them as though endowed with a soul.
In 1898 the Des Jardins Type Justifier Company was organized, with Mr. Wil- liam H. Rand, of Rand McNally & Com- pany, as one of the prime movers, and Mr. Des Jardins as president, the capital of which corporation was $500,000; in 1899 the Des Jardins Computing Register Company was incorporated, with a capital of $100,000, and with Mr. Des Jardins originally as vice-president, though for the last five years he has been president. From 1899 to the present, Mr. Des Jar- dins has become actively interested in many companies formed for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing his in- ventions of various kinds. Many of his devices perfected in the last few years of the nineteenth century were unfortunately placed in the hands of new companies whose promoters and controlling elements had had no experience in enterprises of this character, and as a consequence failed to properly place the devices on the mar- ket, and Mr. Des Jardins had more than one unfortunate experience owing to over- capitalization by financiers ; also the first rewards of more than one of his inven- tions were lost to him by his indiscreet surrender of control to promoters. In the case of his type justifier, Mr. Des Jardins personally found a purchaser for part of the patent rights, using the proceeds to wipe out a corporation debt of practically thirty thousand dollars, which he felt himself morally compelled to meet; and later, in the case of the typewriter-adding machine, he liquidated another debt of twelve thousand dollars, by similar pro- cedure. His experience brought him cau- tion, and he further safeguarded himself by actually entering upon the reading of law, so that he might qualify as a patent attorney, and in that way adequately en-
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sure secrecy and absolute protection to his subsequent patent interests. These precautions have of late years consider- ably increased his financial returns. In 1905, Mr. Des Jardins purchased a hand- some residence in Washington, D. C., and there, in close proximity to the Patent Office, the talented inventor has of late years pursued his research and experi- ments at his leisure and pleasure.
The true estimate of a man is best ob- tained in his home ; likewise, the full sig- nificance of an invention may be more truly gauged by the impression it pro- duces on those for whose facility it was devised. Consequently, it will be permis- sible herein to include an excerpt from the Hartford "Post" article of March 10, 1900. The excerpt reads :
The machine (Des Jardins Type Justifier) will spaec type and justify as rapidly as the most ex- pert operator ean manipulate the keys of a type- setting machine, and the work is smoother and more aeeurate than ean be done by hand. Mr. Des Jardins' invention is the first which has been produced to justify movable type. Type setting machines, of which there are many different kinds, were all lacking in this very important feature. The linotype, which easts a line from molten metal, has a justifying attachment, and is in general use in large newspaper offices. But there has always been a demand for a machine that would justify movable type automatically, and after struggling with the problem for eight- een years, Mr. Des Jardins has succeeded in per- feeting it to stand the test of usage. The process of justifying a line of type is strictly au- tomatie, and oeeupies only about ten seconds, and the justifier may be speeded high if neecs- sary, but in ordinary work the machine as ad- justed will outstrip the swiftest operator, so that by the time the second line has been set. the justifier is waiting to receive it and repeat the process.
This may be considered valuable testi- mony, constituting as it does the inde- pendent opinion of the trade directly bene- fited by the invention.
Mr. Des Jardins' home life has been
happy ; his wife has followed him through most of his adversities; she gave him her hand while he was yet a humble inventor with a doubtful future, and their apprecia- tion of each other is thereby the stronger. It was while residing at Evanston, Il- linois, in 1889, that Mr. Des Jardins mar- ried Cora Voila Snyder, daughter of Her- man and Harriet J. (Sinith) Snyder, of that city. Mrs. Des Jardins was born in McHenry, Illinois, but her father, who died in 1898, was a native of Hudson, New York; her mother, who died in 1910, in the home of her daughter and son-in-law, was born in Cambridge, Ver- mont.
Mr. and Mrs. Des Jardins have become prominent in the social life of Washing- ton, partly because of Mrs. Des Jardins' charm and skill as a musician. They also have a palatial summer residence, "Buena Vista," at West Hartford, Connecticut, where they spend many happy summer months. A pronounced fondness for the company of children has manifested itself in Mr. Des Jardins, arising, maybe, from his many years of association with the Sunday schools, later that of the West Hartford Baptist Church. Mr. Des Jar- dins was Sunday school superintendent there for many years, and his West Hart- ford summer home has often been enliv- ened by the merry laughter of many chil- dren of the village and, of course, of the Sunday school, who have gathered at his invitation at charming little "flower par- ties" and other children's entertainments Mr. and Mrs. Des Jardins have provided and themselves much enjoyed; and often while at work in Washington, Mr. Des Jardins will seek recreation from his labors by entertaining at his home, or at his "camp" along the banks of the Poto- mac, the children of his two classes of boy and girl members of Calvary Baptist Sunday school. Later under his direc-
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tion, with talented assistance from visit- ing children of former years both at Washington and at his Buena Vista play- grounds at West Hartford, he has organ- ized Woodcraft lodges and turned much of the hearty enthusiasm to systematic nature study and child development. That he is a true lover of nature, as well as of children, and that he carries within him the inspiration of the poet, will be obvious from a brief reading of some of his poems contained in a little volume he produced, entitled "Wild Flower Poems," which poetry stamps him as a man of versatile genius, and pure sentiment, and shows that his true nature has been un- spoiled by the hardening influences of money, nor embittered by the buffetings encountered during a life-long struggle in a hard world.
WEAVER, Thomas Snell,
Journalist, Superintendent of Hartford Schools.
In connection with the administration of Hartford's schools, Thomas Snell Weaver, as superintendent of the city school system, is considered far more in the light of a Hartford institution than as a municipal office-holder. The two decades of his association with educa- tional work in Hartford comprise a record of constant improvement in school equip- ment and personnel until the city ranks high among New England's highly rated municipal school systems. In a position of exacting responsibility, where his activity is under the close scrutiny of every citizen of Hartford, Mr. Weaver has done his work efficiently and well, and a higher tribute to him, personally and officially, than his wide circle of friends in the city and State, many of whom received their diplomas from his hand, could not be found. By them the
following account of his life and work will be read with real interest.
Thomas Snell Weaver was born in Willimantic, Connecticut, February 5, 1845, son of William Lawton and Lois (Snell) Weaver, and grandson of Davis and Sally (Lawton) Weaver. His mother, Lois (Snell) Weaver, was a daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Chaffee) Snell, her father of the second generation from Joseph Snell, of Union, Connecticut, who held the rank of captain in the Colonial army in the War of the Revolution. Davis Weaver, his grandfather, was born in Richmond, Rhode Island, in 1775, died aged eighty-nine years, nine months. He was a skillful maker of baskets, and Thomas Snell Weaver, accompanying him on long tramps through the woods, cutting timber and seeking basket making material, gained a love of nature and a store of her lore that has remained with him through the years.
Mr. Weaver attended the Old Stone school-house in Willimantic, and when thirteen years of age began to learn the printer's trade in the office of the Willi- mantic "Journal." For eight years he was employed on this paper, his father the editor for the greater part of that time. For a short time Mr. Weaver edited this newspaper, and in 1867 went to Worcester, Massachusetts, spending several years as a job printer before join- ing the staff of the Worcester "Daily Press," contributing local and paragraphic work. In 1878 he assumed the position of telegraph editor and paragraph writer on the New Haven "Register," and was connected with that paper for four years, during which time he made a national reputation for writing sentimental and humorous paragraphs, being more widely quoted by the newspaper press of the country than any one in the business with the exception of "Bob" Burdette.
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He also did a large share of the editorial work for the "Register." He assumed a position as a special writer on the Boston "Globe" in 1882, but remained there only a few months. Leaving the "Globe" to become editorial writer on the Hartford "Evening Post" in January, 1883, he performed valuable political and para- graphic work, the latter under the head of "Postings." After eight years he went with the Hartford "Courant" as general reporter, remaining for several years. In 1901 Mr. Weaver was chosen superin- tendent of the Hartford schools, and now (1920) occupies that office. His long term of office has witnessed his increas- ingly strong hold upon the affection, loy- alty and support of pupils, graduates, teachers, and parents, and Hartford knows him as a capable executive, blend- ing with a keen command of his duties, qualities of friendliness, public spirit, un- failing courtesy, and genial humor. Mr. Weaver is prominent in Royal Arcanum circles, has been a member of the Grand Council, and has also held the highest office in the local lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. His church is the Congregational. As a Republican, Mr. Weaver has religiously made it a point to cast his ballot at every election, city, state, and national, since his first vote, which came a few months too late to permit him to vote for Abraham Lin- coln for a second term.
Thomas Snell Weaver married, at Wil- limantic, Connecticut, June 15, 1870, Delia Ann Chipman, born February 18, 1845, daughter of John and Lydia Newell (Kingsbury) Chipman, her father a cot- ton spinner. Mrs. Weaver died March 5, 1920. Children : William Myron, born July 2, 1871, died 1906; Elbert Lawton, born December 16, 1873; Laura Adelaide, born August 12, 1876, died October, 1904;
John Nelson, born January 6, 1880; Mary Lydia, born August 28, 1885.
Note-The publishers desire to express their appreciation of valuable assistance rendered vy Mr. Weaver during the progress of this "Ency- clopedia of Connecticut Biography." Ils familiar- Ity with the history of the State and of its peo- pie, his loyalty to it and to them, and his clear Judgment, have been most advantageous in pointing to avenues of Information which would otherwise have been unexplored .- Editor.
ALLEN, Normand F.,
Business Man.
In every city there are names which have become household words, familiar in every home, spoken frequently because closely connected with the everyday necessities of life. These are men who have made themselves useful to the com- munity, as providers of the comforts of life and purveyors to the people's needs. But in this very familiarity of his name, a man's personality is forgotten-lost to the public on whose lips the name is con- stantly heard. It is the privilege and the pleasure of the biographer to present to the people the personality behind the name. In Hartford, Connecticut, one of these names is Allen ; and while the firm of Sage, Allen & Company is known to every householder for many miles around, and is a power in the business world, the man at the head of the firm, Normand F. Allen, is known only to his friends.
The origin of the name of Allen dates back to early English history, before the use of surnames became general; being derived from the root word Al, meaning mountainous, high and bright. It was first borne as a personal name by the "Bard of Britain," an uncle of Caractacus. He was descended from a long line of kings. The name came into prominence after the Conquest from the fact that the chief general of William's army at the battle of Hastings, in 1066, was Alan, Duke of Brittany. He subsequently made
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England his home, and became the third richest man in the kingdom, acquiring very extensive lands and ruling over his tenantry more as a father than as a feudal lord.
(I) Samuel Allen, the immigrant an- cestor of the family in America, is first officially recorded in the land records of Windsor, Connecticut, on January 27, 1640. when he was granted a house lot and four acres of meadow land in that township. He was industrious and thrifty, and became a prominent and highly respected citizen in the little com- munity of God-fearing people. He took great interest in public affairs, was a leader in every effort to establish the set- tlement in security and comfort, and served as a juryman, March 5, 1644. He was buried in Windsor, April 28, 1648. His widow, Ann, married (second) Wil- liam Hurlburt, and removed to Northam, Massachusetts. She died November 13, 1687.
(II) John Allen, son of Samuel and Ann Allen, with the adventurous spirit of his father strong in his heart, pushed far- ther into the new country, traversing what was then a wild and unpopulated section to settle in Deerfield, Massachu- setts. He established his home there only to be killed by the Indians while yet a young man, September 18, 1675. He mar- ried, December 16, 1669, Mary, born April 5, 1650, daughter of William and Hannah Hannum, of Northampton.
(III) John (2) Allen, son of John (1) and Mary (Hannum) Allen, was born September 30, 1670. He was left fatherless at the age of four, grew up amid the rigors of pioneer life, strong and sturdy and with the venturesome spirit of his people strong in him. About 1690 he left Deer- field, and striking south along the river, settled in Enfield, Connecticut. After liv- ing there for six years he took up his resi-
dence on the Saltonstall farm on King street, and there spent the remainder of his days, increasing in prosperity, and enjoying the respect and confidence of his fellow townsmen. He died Novem- ber 3, 1739, but was long remembered as one of the solid citizens of his day. The farm is still in possession of his descend- ants, who point with pride to many old landmarks which were the work of his hands. He married (first) May 3, 1694, Bridget Booth, born in 1670, died Septem- ber 5, 1714, daughter of Simeon and Re- becca Booth, who settled in Enfield in 1680, and were believed to have come from Wales.
(IV) Azariah Allen, son of John (2) and Bridget (Booth) Allen, was born May 2, 1701, in Enfield, and died there April 3, 1787. He spent his life on the old homestead, improving the buildings and enriching its rolling acres. He mar- ried, January I, 1727, Martha Burt, born July 8, 1707, died October 12, 1782, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, daughter of David and Martha (Hale) Burt. Mrs. Allen was a talented musician, and the genial hospitality of their home made it a center of social activity for the little vil- lage.
(V) Moses Allen, son of Azariah and Martha (Burt) Allen, was born in En- field, Connecticut, May 14, 1746, and died there September 26, 1826. He was a man of more than local prominence, a man of broad sympathies, keen insight into human nature, and a genius for ad- ministration. He had charge of supply- ing clothing for the soldiers in the Revo- lutionary service. Despite the almost insurmountable obstacles in the way of the distribution of any commodity in those days, he accomplished wonders along this line. He served in the Third Regiment of the Connecticut Line, and suffered a severe wound in action. A
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type of the sturdy manhood that laid the foundations of the greatest nation in the world, his record is one of which not alone his family but his native State may take pride. In the public life of the village he was one of the first men. With the fore- siglit of the true pioneer, he realized the importance of training the youth of the town in the principles upon which the new-born nation had taken its stand for freedom. As a member of the school board he was constantly on the alert for possibilities of development in the educa- tional system which was to mean so much to the future of the Nation. He served in other public capacities as lister, selectman and constable. He was a devout Chris- tian, a member for a number of years of the "Separate Congregational" church, in which society he served as clerk and sec- retary, finally returning to the original church, in 1825. On May 1, 1766, he married Mary, daughter of Thomas and Mary Adams; she was born in East Windsor, Connecticut, September 12, 1745, and died October 9, 1805.
(VI) George Allen, son of Moses and Mary (Adams) Allen, was born in En- field, Connecticut, October 24, 1770, and died September 1, 1833. He was still a child when the stirring scenes of the Rev- olution were enacted, and British pris- oners were kept under guard at the home in Enfield, which is now pointed out as a Revolutionary landmark, and is still well preserved. George Allen was a prosper- ous, upright citizen, highly respected in the community, and a well known figure in the social and public life of the town. He married, March 1, 1793, Betsey Rich, who was born in Hadley, Massachusetts, March 6, 1778, and died November 6, 1864.
(VII) Normand Allen, son of George and Betsey (Rich) Allen, was born in Enfield, Connecticut, October 18, 1800,
and died May 12, 1860. He spent his en- tire life in the town of Enfield. Like a heritage from his father and grandfather, the interests of the town were, in greater or less degree, throughout his life placed in his hands. He was for some years judge of the Probate Court; and was always active in the public affairs of the town and county. He was a prominent member of the church, and highly re- spected as a worker for the religious wel- fare of the people. He married, in 1820, Mary, born February 18, 1801, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, died March 9, 1859, daughter of Jacob Robinson.
(VIII) Albert Francis Allen, son of Normand and Mary (Robinson) Allen, was born August 5, 1834, in Enfield, Con- necticut, and died there, September 15, 1892. He received his education in the public schools of the town, but from child- hood was more interested in the great out-door world than in books. The an- cestral acres were a source of pride to the lad, and he grew up with an ambition to improve them, and make the farm the pride of that section. He was early inter- ested in the development of the tobacco industry in the Connecticut Valley, and grew the weed extensively, branching out soon into the business of buying and sell- ing the crops of his neighbors. From this he developed a very extensive trade, and for years was considered a discriminating judge of the product, and an authority on all branches of the business. He married, December 20, 1861, Julia Ann, daughter of William and Lucretia (Holmes) Pat- ton ; she was born April 30, 1837, in Som- ers, Connecticut, and died December 7, 1887, in Enfield.
(IX) Normand Francis Allen, the prominent Hartford merchant, was one of the four children of Albert Francis and Julia Ann (Patton) Allen. The other chil- dren were : Chester Robinson, born April
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26, 1869; William Patton, born December 17, 1882; and Mary Williams, now the wife of George E. Bardwell. As a child, Normand Francis Allen was keenly inter- ested in the world outside the farm home, and its splendid breadth of fertile soil. He was an assiduous student, but always persisted in knowing the why and the wherefore of every problem, and he formed the habit of arriving at his own conclusions regarding the things of which he read and studied. As a young man, he followed his own bent towards the world of business. In 1889, Mr. Allen formed a partnership with Jerome E. Sage, and the firm of Sage, Allen & Company began its career. From the first it was success- ful, much of the active management of the business coming to the hands of Mr. Allen. With the rapid development of the Capital city of the State, the business kept pace, growing with the city's growth, and measuring up to ideals of business integrity which have always been upheld by the merchants of Hart- ford. This first partnership was dis- solved in 1902, and Mr. Allen continued the business alone for a number of years.
Mr. Allen married, January 12, 1887, Carrie White, born in Enfield, Connecti- cut, August 6, 1863, daughter of Erastus and Aurelia (King) Olmstead. Mrs. Allen is an alumnus of Mount Holyoke College, and is a member of the Ruth Wyllys Chapter, Daughters of the Amer- ican Revolution. The children are : I. Edward Normand, born April 18, 1891; is associated with his father in business, and is an alert and able assistant in the wide- reaching activities of the store; he served with honor in the Home Guard during the World War, receiving the commis- sion of lieutenant; he was indefatigable in all the drives and public agitation tend- ing toward the final victory ; he is one of the coming men of the city, and it would
be only stating the obvious to prophesy for him a brilliant future; married Ruby, daughter of Judge Joseph Tuttle, of Hart- ford, and has one child, Jane Tuttle Al- len. 2. Carlotta May, born March 19, 1893. 3. Norma, born February 4, 1895, who at present resides at home.
SHIPMAN, Arthur Leffingwell, Lawyer, Man of Affairs.
A worthy son of an honored father and a descendant of one of the oldest and most prominent families of New England, Arthur Leffingwell Shipman was born in Hartford, Connecticut, November 19, 1864. He is a scion of a family long noted in legal circles, both on his paternal and maternal sides. His early upbringing and environment were such as to instill into him the desire for a legal career at a very early age, and which as might be expected has been one of great success.
(I) Edward Shipman, the immigrant ancestor of Mr. Shipman, is said to have come from England, sailing from Hull, in 1639. In the early records of Saybrook, Connecticut, where he first settled, his name is spelled Shipton, later being changed to Shipman, and all the family follow the latter spelling. Edward Ship- man married (first) January 16, 1651, Elizabeth Comstock, who died about the middle of July, 1659. He married (sec- ond) July 1, 1663, Mary Andrews. In October, 1667, he was admitted a freeman, and died September 15, 1697. In the will of the sachem, Uncas, February 29, 1676, Edward Shipman was one of the three legatees to whom Uncas gave three thou- sand acres of land within sight of Hart- ford.
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