USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 62
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64
(IV) Job Hoyt, son of Joshua (2) and Mary (Pickett) Hoyt, was born January 22, 1703-04, and died October 13, 1754. He was admitted to the New Canaan church, September 7, 1735. He married Elizabeth Lockwood, born May 15, 1708, grandson of Matthias Millspaugh. The
444
adelbert arthur feel
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Millspaugh family were early settled in Montgomery, Orange county, New York, having left their home in Holland because of religious persecution. There were four families who came together in 1730, namely, Sinsbough, Miltzpach, Book- staver and Youngblood. Their first win- ter was spent in a dugout, and the fol- lowing spring they built a log church, where they worshipped for many years. These families purchased over a thousand acres of land in the town, and part of this same land is now in the possession of their descendants.
SKEEL, Adelbert Arthur,
Lawyer, Veteran of Spanish-American War.
The Skeel family has a long and hon- ored ancestry in Connecticut, whence branches have spread to neighboring States and throughout the country. This outline begins with John Skeel, who mar- ried Hannah Terrill, daughter of Roger Terrill, and removed from South Britain, Connecticut, to Woodbury, in this State. John Skeel died October 5, 1721 ; his wife died November 11, 1730. They were the parents of John, of whom further; Han- nah, Thomas, Elizabeth, Abigail, and Ephraim.
John (2) Skeel, son of John and Han- nah (Terrill) Skeel, was born in Novem- ber, 1679, and died May 25, 1727. He was of Woodbury in 1702. He and his wife, Sarah, were the parents of: Thomas; Miriam; John, who, with his sons, Eliab, Gideon, Adoniram, and Benjamin, and a daughter Mabel, settled in Durham, Al- bany county, New York; Ephraim; Abi- gail; Jonathan ; Samuel, of whom further ; Sarah; and Hannah.
Samuel Skeel, son of John (2) and Sarah Skeel, married Lydia Belden, and they had children: Belden; Truman, of
whom further ; Samuel, Anna, and Simeon.
Truman Skeel, son of Samuel and Lydia (Belden) Skeel, was a soldier in the American army in the Revolutionary War, serving as a corporal in the 5th Company, 7th Regiment, from South Britain, Connecticut (Lineage Book of the Daughters of the American Revolu- tion, No. 9455). He married, June 2, 1779, Chloe Hill, and among their chil- dren were Arad, and Sarah, who married Abijah Bradley. Arad Skeel, son of Tru- man Skeel, married Sarah Lake, and had a son, Orrin (also spelled Oren). Abiram Skeel, of whom an account follows, had a son Truman and also a son Oren. Many of the two families settled in New York, and all of the circumstances lead to the conclusion that Abiram was a brother of Arad and son of Truman.
Rev. Abiram Skeel was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, and became a preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church. Sterling, Cayuga county, New York, became his home, and there, where his death occurred, he and his wife are buried. Rev. Abiram Skeel married Dr. Lydia Prentice, a woman of strong per- sonality and mentality, who practiced medicine and who was so prominent in church affairs as to gain the title of "the petticoat bishop." She was of the family of General Prentice, of Revolutionary War fame, and a cousin of George D. Prentice. Among their sons were Oren, of whom further ; Truman, Alanson ; and Rev. Harlow, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Oren Skeel, son of Rev. Abiram and Lydia (Prentice ) Skeel, was born in New York State, and became an early settler in Illinois, locating in the town of Dixon about 1838 and engaging in farming oper- ations. He married Caroline Maria
445
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Douglas, daughter of Warner and Charity (Remington) Douglas, her father of Scotch-Irish ancestry and a native of Ire- land, where his father owned a consider- able estate. Warner Douglas was taken in his youth by two elder half-brothers to Liverpool at a period prior to the Revolu- tionary War and was bound in service to the captain of a ship sailing out of that port. The lad escaped from the vessel, and by good fortune was befriended by a clergyman in Boston, Massacusetts, who took him into his family and reared him. In manhood, Warner Douglas moved to Wolcott, Wayne county, New York. His wife was a native of Massachusetts. Car- oline Maria Douglas was an early advo, cate of prohibition, militant in her ardor for the cause, and led a mob in a raid upon the first saloon in Lena, Illinois.
James D. Skeel, son of Oren and Caro- line Maria (Douglas) Skeel, was born in Stephenson county, Illinois, in 1850. He was educated in the township schools and, learning the trade of carpenter in his youth, followed it for a time, also engag- ing in agricultural operations. Subse- quently, he became a pattern-maker, was for a time a stationary engineer, and after- ward superintendent of the Stover Man- ufacturing Company at Freeport, Illinois. For several years he has been retired from active life, enjoying a well-earned leisure. He married Elizabeth Schadell, daughter of Samuel Schadell. Children : Cora, mar- ried William M. Schlott, of Freeport, Illinois; Alvah, of Freeport, Illinois; Theron, deceased; Adelbert Arthur, of whom further; Pearl, married Daniel MacNeill, of Freeport, Illinois ; Maurice, a resident of Freeport; Ethel, married Albert Albright, of Dakota, Illinois.
Adelbert Arthur Skeel, son of James D. and Elizabeth (Schadell) Skeel, was born in Lena, Stephenson county, Illinois, May
15, 1878, and after attending the public schools of Freeport, Illinois, became a student in the Northwestern Academy at Evanston. For a time he was a student at the noted Cheshire Military Academy at Cheshire, Connecticut, proceeding to the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University and being graduated in 1904 with the degree of Ph. B. In 1907 he graduated from the Yale Law School, with the degree of LL. B., was admitted to the bar in the same year, and until 1911 pursued professional practice in New Haven. In that year Mr. Skeel came to Stamford and formed an association with Cummings & Lockwood that endured for three years, since which time he has prac- ticed independently. Early in his Stam- ford residence he was called into the pub- lic service and he has filled the office of corporation counsel of the city of Stam- ford for five terms with conspicuous suc- cess. He is a Republican in political sym- pathy, has acted as moderator of town meetings, and has been a delegate to sev- eral party conventions.
Mr. Skeel enlisted in Chicago, Illinois, in Company B, 3rd Mississippi Regiment, United States Volunteers, and served dur- ing the Spanish-American War, and is now a member of the United Spanish War Veterans. During the World War he held the rank of sergeant in the State Guard. Mr. Skeel is a member of Puri- tan Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Union Lodge, Independent Or- der of Mechanics, and of the Suburban Club.
Mr. Skeel married Helen Louise Peck, daughter of Benjamin Hall Peck, of Che- shire, Connecticut, and they are the par- ents of one daughter, Esther, born April 22, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Skeel are mem- bers of St. John's Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Skeel is auditor.
446
-ـ
Ruepla L. White his -
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
WHITE, Ralph Lewis,
Physician, Served in World War.
There is no profession more noble than the profession of medicine. It offers to the young man a career of ability and use- fulness, and it is such a career that Dr. Ralph Lewis White, of New Canaan, Con- necticut, is creating for himself. He was born in Sloatsburg, Rockland county, New York, June 14, 1889, son of James L. and Frances (Becraft) White, and grand- son of David White.
Dr. White was educated at Trinity School, New York City, and at the Central University. In 1910 he graduated from the University of California, with the de- gree of M. D. For one and one-half years following, Dr. White was with the Good Samaritan Hospital of New York City, and also spent six months at the Lying-In Hospital. Until 1913 he was located in Eddy county, New Mexico, where he practiced for two years, and in the latter year located in New Canaan, Connecticut. There he was successfully practicing until the World War, which brought its great demand for trained men in their profes- sions.
On August II, 1917, Dr. White was commissioned first lieutenant, Medical Reserve Corps, and was called to the army school at Washington, District of Colum- bia, where he remained about two weeks. From Hoboken, New Jersey, Dr. White sailed for England and was stationed at Blackpool, R. A. M. C. headquarters, for six weeks, where he took special training. Thence he went to Boulogne, France, and there he was brigaded with the 148th Field Hospital, and was senior officer in charge of that for a while. After the offensive was started, the hospital was broken up and the men were placed with battalions. Dr. White was with the 188th Brigade, 63rd Naval Division, until Au-
gust 27th, on which date he was knocked down by the concussion of a high explo- sive shell that caused three pulmonary hemorrhages and he was sent back to America, where he was discharged, Sep- tember 23, 1918. It was the spring of the following year before Dr. White at- tempted to resume his practice, which he has since continued in New Canaan. He is a member of the staff of the Stamford Hospital ; also a member of the Stamford, Fairfield County and Connecticut Medical societies.
Outside of his professional work, Dr. White finds needed recreation in his hob- bies of farming and raising race horses. He is the owner of a farm in Newburgh, Orange county, New York. Among his horses are Princess Eva, a Chimes mare by Beau Ideal ; she has a mark of 2:231/2 ; also Lentala, by Walnut Hall, who has a mark of 2:0812; another mare is Mary Skinner, by Lacopia, by Bingen, and she has a mark of 2:031/4, at three years old.
Dr. White's fraternal affiliations are as follows: Member of Tau Epsilon; Alpha Sigma; Harmony Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons; Washington Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Clinton Command- ery, Knights Templar, of Norwalk; La- fayette Consistory, and Pyramid Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport ; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Nor- walk; and the Suburban Club of Stam- ford.
Dr. White married Olive F. McCready, daughter of Robert W. McCready, of Tuxedo, New York. The McCready line will be found in connection with the sketch of Mrs. White's brother, Dr. R. H. McCready, which appears in this volume. Dr. White and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of New Canaan.
447
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
BORG, Henry L., A. B., Ph. G., Ph. D., State Chemist.
All lines of honest effort bear relative importance to the public welfare, but many a man has made his chosen work broadly significant for good by tireless energy, a capacity for exhaustive research and precise conclusions, and the practical application of his knowledge to everyday problems. In such a relation to the com- munity stands Henry L. Borg, of Stam- ford, Connecticut.
The name of Borg is of peculiarly in- teresting origin. In Sweden it is custom- ary to give certain surnames to men who have given military service. These sur- names are retained after leaving the army, and it is considered a great honor to be permitted to bear them. As an inher- itance handed down from father to son, they are borne proudly, showing as they do the military record of the family. The nam of Borg is of such derivation.
Dr. Borg's grandfather was a manufac- turer of piano wire, and had the reputa- tion of producing the finest bass strings on the market in his day. He was a man of more than local note in Sweden, and was interested in public progress as well as in the business in which he attained success. He controlled the local newspa- per, and was instrumental in forwarding the interests of his community, his fear- lessness and sound common sense giving him an influential position in the province. When the telephone was first introduced into Sweden he defrayed the expense from his personal means of erecting a tele- phone line from Stockholm in order that he might give his readers the latest news while it was still vitally fresh and im- portant in the great centers of population. He was one of the burgomasters of the town in which his family had been large land-owners for generations.
Of the next generation, Albert Borg, the present Dr. Borg's father, was born in the Province of Wwemmerberg, Swe- den. At the age of twelve years he came to America with his parents. The family settled in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where the young lad began his education in the public schools of the town. Mentally he was generously endowed, and his splendid inheritance of physical health carried him through the period of his education, when his studious tastes would have been very trying to one less robust. He was a great student of history, delighting in the great deeds of men of all times and all nations. Later his parents removed to Hartford, Connecticut, where he continued his edu- cation in the Hartford public high school. Later he studied law, but while he found great satisfaction in the knowledge thereby gained, he never practiced. The field of merchandising appealed to him more strongly, and here his training in broad and varied interests gave him an appreciable advantage. He became in- terested in a chain of grocery stores oper- ating in many Eastern cities, including Hartford, New Britain, and Bridgeport, having as an allied interest the importa- tion of high grade liquors. These stores were uniformly successful. He was associated with this company for about twenty years, then withdrew, but re- tained the Bridgeport interests, which he continued to operate until the time of his death. Like his father, he was public- spirited and a thoroughly progressive man, and was prominent in the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows.
His wife, Christine Borg, was a daugh- ter of Axel Johnson. They were the par- ents of ten children, among whom seven lived to mature years : Henry L., of whom we give more extended mention; Hilda, who married Harry Benedict, of Bridge- port ; Eva, Edith, Frederick, Sidney, and
448
Aucy Borg
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Ferris. The family are members of the Episcopal church.
Henry L. Borg was born in Bristol, Connecticut, June 13, 1882, and is the eldest son of Albert and Christine (John- son) Borg. He received his early edu- cation in the public schools of that town, but showed such capacity for diligent and precise work that his parents gave him opportunities broader than any to be found in a small town to prepare for a future of usefulness. When he was twelve years old he was sent abroad, and enjoyed a year and a half of study at Upsula, a school connected with the Uni- versity of Gottenberg. Later, when the family resided in Bridgeport, he attended school in that city, and was graduated from the Bridgeport public high school. For a year he attended Yale University, then entered the University of New York, from which he was graduated in 1900 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Through the formative years of his life, he showed great decision of character and steadfast- ness of purpose. So it was as a man, with his life work before him, that he entered Columbia University School of Pharmacy the following autumn. Here two years' work gave him the degree of Graduate Pharmacist, and in 1904 he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. His the- sis, "The Superphosphates," gave evi- dence of careful research.
The young man then took up post-grad- uate work in Bacteriology at the South- ern University, Baltimore, Maryland. This institution is a department of the Johns Hopkins University, world-famous in this branch of science. In this connec- tion, Mr. Borg also covered the regular medical course. This was not with the intention of practicing medicine, but to fit himself for every branch of chemical work, including autopsies.
With this broadly comprehensive pre- Conn-8-29
paration, he came to Stamford and estab- lished the Borg Laboratories. Here he keeps well abreast of the times, and has done much work of real significance. He now has nine men in his employ. Not long after this important beginning, he pur- chased a drug store, which has since been successfully conducted under the name of Borg Brothers. In April, 1919, The Borg Products Company was organized, with Dr. Borg as president and manager. This company manufactures a general line of baker's supplies, including shortening, extracts, flavors, etc. The company em- ploys about thirty-five people. In this eminently practical way, Dr. Borg ap- plies the knowledge he has won through the years of study, giving, it need hardly be said, the most painstaking attention to every detail which will perfect the qual- ity of his products. The buildings are equipped with every modern device adapted to this line of production, and special attention is given to sanitation through every process of production. The buildings occupied are those formerly used by the Mianus Motor Works.
It was inevitable that a man of this calibre, with training which has made for such wide usefulness, should be called to public service. Dr. Borg has been State Chemist for some years. In 1916 he opened a laboratory in Bridgeport. The principal work done there is clinical, and five men are employed under his direction. Socially he has not been allowed to for- get his position in the public eye. He is a member of Phi Chi at Columbia ; Kappa Phi at Johns Hopkins; and the Alumni Association of both universities. He is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Stamford; Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons; Washington Council, Royal and Select Masters; Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar, of South Norwalk;
449
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Lafayette Consistory, of Bridgeport ; Pyr- amid Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Stamford; Excelsior Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Stamford. He is also a member of the Stamford His- torical Society, and the Stamford Subur- ban Club and Yacht Club. In political affiliation, Dr. Borg is a Republican. He was chairman of the Stamford Board of Health for two years; was chairman of the Board of Finance for two years; and for two years was member of the Com- mon Council. In all his public life he exemplifies the same high ideals which have made his scientific work a success.
Dr. Borg married Julia Bjorklund, daughter of Charles A. Bjorklund, of Bridgeport, and they have one daughter, Margaret. The family are members of St. John's Episcopal Church of Stamford and actively interested in the social life of the church.
WEED, William Maury, Banker, Soldier, Public Official.
As banker, soldier, and man of affairs, Mr. Weed has been for many years much in the public eye, but has now withdrawn from the turmoil of the arena to lead the life of a country gentleman on his beau- tiful estate on the shore of Long Island Sound, his post office addrss being Noro- ton, Connecticut. Mr. Weed is a rep- resentative of one of the oldest Colonial families of the State of Connecticut.
The venerable home of this ancient race is still standing on the Boston Post Road in Darien, Connecticut. It is the old- styled structure of about two hundred years ago and was built to replace the first house built by Jonas Weed, which was destroyed by fire. The original chimney escaped the general demolition and the house now standing was built
around it, thus preserving it as the center of this dwelling.
Henry Davis Weed, born August 30, 1803, died February 1, 1875, grandfather of William Maury Weed, and a son of "Gentleman" John Weed, went to Savan- nah, Georgia, when a boy, making the greater part of the journey on foot, for that was long before the days of railroads, and at the time of his departure there was, probably, no vessel bound for the port to which he desired to go. In 1812, in association with his brother, Nathaniel B. Weed, he established a hardware busi- ness in Savannah under the firm name of N. B. Weed & Company. This business, which is still carried on by descendants, is the oldest hardware concern in the United States. In the course of time Mr. Weed became the head of the firm, the name being changed to H. D. Weed & Company. In its beginning the business was retail, but its character was changed from time to time in conformity to vary- ing conditions and in order to improve new or larger opportunities. For some years the business was largely wholesale, reaching out into neighboring States and supplying the country stores. When the Civil War broke out there was no money in the South and Mr. Weed was not able to make his collections, it being custom- ary then for merchants to carry their patrons on their books until such time as crops were marketed. Mr. Weed ac- cepted cotton in payment of his accounts and stored it in a building in Savannah. When General Sherman's army entered the city the cotton was destroyed. It had always been Mr. Weed's custom to spend his summers in the family's old home town of Darien and he made no excep- tion during the war, for he ran the block- ade no fewer than eight times. He put in a claim against the United States Govern- ment for the cotton destroyed, and re-
450
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ceived in compensation the sum of ninety thousand dollars. With this money he built the brick Weed house, now standing in Noroton, Connecticut. Immediately after the return of peace, Mr. Weed as- sisted in the establishment of the Freed- men's Bank, but the Southern whites were not yet ready to support such an institu- tion and the venture had to be abandoned. In this unsuccessful undertaking Mr. Weed lost many thousands of dollars. The episode serves to indicate the fine spirit of the man and also his far-reaching business instinct, for his plans and pur- poses were essentially wise, failing merely because they were too far in advance of the time.
Mr. Weed married Sarah M. Dunning, December 10, 1835, daughter of Shelden C. and Gertrude (Russel) Dunning, of Wilton, Connecticut, a representative of an old New England family. Gertrude (Russel) Dunning died August 16, 1865. The children of Henry Davis and Sarah M. (Dunning) Weed were: Joseph Dun- ning, mentioned below ; Edwin G., Protes- tant Episcopal Bishop of Florida; and Gertrude, who died at the age of sixteen. The family were members of the Christian church, a denomination sometimes known as the Campbellites. The death of Henry D. Weed occurred February 1, 1875, in Savannah, Georgia. He was a man of much ability and great force of character, the architect of his own fortune and, to a certain extent, of the fortune of his de- scendants.
Joseph Dunning Weed, son of Henry D. and Sarah M. (Dunning) Weed, was born March 15, 1839, in Savannah, Georgia, and as he grew up was initiated in the business by his father. He spent his summers in Connecticut and his win- ters in the South, and in 1860 graduated at Harvard University. At the time of the Civil War he enlisted in the Georgia
Hussars, and his two brothers also served in the Confederate army, participating in some of the heaviest fighting. At the close of the war Mr. Weed's father took him into the business, to the leadership of which he succeeded upon the death of Mr. Weed, Sr. For many years Mr. Weed was president of the Savannah Bank and Trust Company, and also of the Middle Georgia & Atlantic Railroad Com- pany. He was the builder of this road, and served as president of the Augusta & Savannah Railroad Company. These two roads later became a part of the Cen- tral Railroad of Georgia, which eventu- ally passed into the hands of a receiver. The Augusta & Savannah railroad was earning good dividends, which during the reorganization were used to make up the deficit in the earnings of the other road. The bondholders of the Augusta & Sa- vannah railroad appealed to the courts for redress or relief and the courts ordered a president elected to represent the bond- holders of the Augusta & Savannah. Mr. Weed was honored by election to that office, which he held during the remainder of his life. The fact that he was the choice of the company furnished the most conclusive proof of the esteem and con- fidence in which he was held by all who knew him. For a long period he was chairman of the bond commission of the city of Savannah. His religious member- ship was in Christ Church, Savannah, in which for many years he held the office of warden.
Mr. Weed married, June 20, 1867, Sarah Fanny Maury, whose ancestral record is appended to this biography, and they be- came the parents of the following chil- dren: Gertrude, married Robert Billing- ton, of Savannah; William Maury, men- tioned below; Henry D., of Savannah ; and Josephine D., who married John Morris, of Savannah. Joseph Dunning
45I
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Weed passed away February II, 1906. It is difficult, in this necessarily limited space, to do justice to the character of such a man, combining as it does the varied qualifications which fitted him to play the important part which was his at a time of unprecedented crisis in our na- tional history, embracing the Civil War and the momentous period which fol- lowed it. Essentially progressive, he pos- sessed, also, the ability to read the future and to discern what was necessary for the rebuilding and restoration of a land recently at war and reunited under condi- tions which had no place in its history. Few men of his time accomplished as much as he for the development of the New South in the State of Georgia.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.