Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8, Part 7

Author:
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 802

USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 7

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Mr. Raymond married (first) Eliza- abeth A. Tolles, who died in 1893, leaving three children : I. Martha P., wife of M. D. Randall, and mother of a daughter, Elizabeth. 2. L. May, formerly the wife of Charles D. Burnes, of Stamford, Con- necticut, and mother of two sons, Dudley E. and Raymond. 3. Elsie, wife of David Albrecht, of Stamford, Connecticut. Other children of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond died in infancy. Mr. Raymond married (second) Carolyn Van Cleft, daughter of the Rev. Asa Jessup Van Cleft, D. D., of the Wyo- ming Conference, at Oneonta, New York, and Elizabeth Gore (Wood) Van Cleft, who was a daughter of John B. Wood, one

of the first settlers of Wilkes-Barre, Penn- sylvania. Mrs. Raymond is a descendant of the judges, Obidiah Gore, of Massachu- setts, and Christopher Gore, who was sent by this country to Europe as a diplomat, and was a friend of General Lafayette.

Once when asked what his particular hobby was, Mr. Raymond replied : "Any- thing I undertake." On another occasion he said : "The poorest boy if honest and industrious can achieve his ambition." These remarks furnish the keynote to Mr. Raymond's success in life, a success which rested upon a secure foundation, upright character, ability to concentrate, and inde- fatigable industry. Although for half a century his working days averaged from fifteen to eighteen hours, in his seventy- third year he exhibited a physical and mental alertness which a man twenty- five years younger might envy. His friends were legion and he held the esteem and confidence of all who knew him.

Such was the life and work of Thomas I. Raymond, every page of his book of life an open one, every act one of justice and right. The work of a community con- tinues despite the changes and vicissi- tudes that come to smaller groups, but men in all walks of life paused to mark with respect and honor the passing of an associate who had lived long and worthily among them, and the loss of his compan- ionship and counsel will long persist. Among the numerous resolutions passed by the organizations with which Mr. Ray- mond was identified were the following :

WHEREAS, Our associate, co-worker and di- rector, Mr. Thomas I. Raymond, for whom we entertained profound feelings of regard, respect and affection, has been taken from us and called to a higher life, and,

WHEREAS, We shall cherish the influence and example of his life through the coming years, and,

WHEREAS, His going will create a deep void, not only in the board but in the entire commu- nity ; now, therefore,

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Be it Resolved, That in his death we have all experienced an irreparable loss; that we sincerely value the memory of his loyal spirit and his un- tiring efforts to promote all enterprises which in- ured to the public good; that we prize the knowl- edge of having been so closely associated with a man of his courage, sound judgment, broad vis- ion, civic pride, and one whose standard of busi- ness life can well be followed by all those who consider honest and upright dealings the only foundation of enduring success in life, and,

Be it Further Resolved, That this resolution be incorporated in the minutes of this meeting and that a copy of the same be sent to Mrs. Raymond. THE NORWALK REALTY & IMPROVEMENT CO., WILLIAM L. YOUNG, Secretary.

The following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted by the Board of the South Norwalk Trust Company at a regular meeting held May 13, 1920:

Thomas I. Raymond, Esq., a lifetime resident of this city, died at his home on the 8th inst. Mr. Raymond has been identified with this company since its organization as stockholder, director and member of the executive committee, and his judg- ment on real estate values and general banking matters has been of material assistance in the com- pany's progress. In recognition, thereof, and of his sterling qualities, be it therefore

Resolved, That we hereby express our appre- ciation of his identification with us, of the serv- ices he has rendered the company, the loss we have suffered through his death, and extend our sincere sympathy to his family in their bereave- ment, and

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to his widow.

RICHARD H. GOLDEN, JOSEPH R. TAYLOR,

EDWIN O. KEELER, DAVID H. MILLER,

CHARLES E. HOYT, MATTHEW CARBUTT.

The following resolutions were passed by the directors of The Mianus Manufac- turing Company :

WHEREAS, It has pleased God to remove the burdens of this life from our President and friend, Mr. Thomas I. Raymond, and grant him a life eternal in the Heavenly Kingdom, be it

Resolved, That we extend our sincere sympathy to the family who has lost husband, father and protector; that we mourn his loss as that of an intimate friend and counsellor, who endeared him-

self to each of us through the kindness, cour- tesy and manly qualities exhibited by him during our long association with him in business life.

Resolved, That these resolutions be signed by the surviving directors and forwarded to the be- reaved family, and that a copy of same be spread upon the records of this company.

MINER D. RANDALL, FRED A. SPRINGER, N. P. BISHOP, EDWIN O. KEELER.

JOSEPH BRUSH, HENRY J. WARREN.

At a meeting of the Governing Board of the Norwalk Country Club the following resolution was passed :

Resolved, That in the death of Thomas I. Ray- mond, our vice-president and associate, this Board feels a sense of great loss. It will miss the ben- efit of his keen insight, sound judgment and in- terest in the welfare of this Club.

The Secretary is instructed to spread this res- olution on the Minutes of the Club and send a copy to Mrs. Raymond.

SEYMOUR CURTIS, Secretary.

At a meeting of the directors of the Norwalk Manufacturing Company the following resolutions were adopted :

IN MEMORIAM.

INASMUCH, As it has pleased the Almighty God to summon home that good man and faithful Christian, Thomas I. Raymond,

WHEREAS, His high business ideals, his judg- ment in deciding matters of importance, his cour- age in helping to develop The Norwalk Mfg. Co., and his ever readiness to do all he could for the Company, are a cherished memory, and an ever- lasting inspiration to the directors of The Nor- walk Mfg. Co.

WHEREAS, During our association with him as treasurer of The Norwalk Mfg. Co., he implanted in the organization the principles of dealing justly to all with whom we do business, and whereas this principle of his life stands to-day a memorial of the work to which he devoted his energy and his manhood, be it

Resolved, That the directors of The Norwalk Mfg. Co. do hereby express our loving regard for the memory of Thomas I. Raymond, and our sor- row at his illness and death.

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That this action be placed upon the minutes of the Company, and that a copy be sent to his be- reaved family.

CHARLES E. DUNNEBACK, Secretary.

At a regular monthly meeting of the board of directors of the Norwalk Lock Company, held. on May 12, 1920, the fol- lowing resolutions were unanimously adopted :

RESOLVED, That in the removal by death of Mr. Raymond, who has been associated with this com- pany as director since 1904, we have lost a wise counsellor and loyal friend, and one who always manifested a deep interest in its affairs.

Resolved, That these resolutions be incorpor- ated in the minutes of this meeting, and the Sec- retary be directed to send the family of Mr. Ray- mond a copy thereof. GEORGE R. BARNUM, Secretary.

At a meeting of the Official Board of the South Norwalk Methodist Episcopal Church, held May 18, 1920, the following resolutions were drawn and adopted :

Resolved, That it is with great sorrow that we are called upon to record the death of such a val- uable member of our Official Board as Brother Thomas I. Raymond. Few men have attained the record that Brother Raymond has for more than fifty years. He was ever ready to bear the burdens of the positions he held. For many years he was Superintendent of our Sunday School; served long and faithfully as a Trustee of the Church and on most of the Church's important Committees. With wisdom and steadfastness of purpose he was always ready to bear his full share of responsibility. His devotion to the South Nor- walk Methodist Episcopal Church was very sin- cere and very marked in his daily life and char- acter, and his death causes a great loss to our Church. We wish to convey to the family of our deceased brother our deep feeling of sadness and sympathy in this hour of their bereavement- and be it further

Resolved, That the foregoing resolution .be en- tered upon the records of the Church, and a copy of the same transmitted to the family of our de- ceased brother.

CHARLES F. TRISTRAM, CHARLES E. HOYT, JOHN L. ALLEN,

Committee.

TOWNE, Henry Robinson,

Engineer, Manufacturer.

In the history of Connecticut indus- tries, the name of Henry R. Towne will ever hold a foremost place. Locating his plant in Stamford long before that place became a city and manufacturing center, he did more perhaps than any other man of his time to give the town a world-wide reputation. During His residence there Mr. Towne was a leader in all movements to improve the material, moral and spir- itual phases of the city's life. He has proven himself a worthy scion of one of New England's pioneer families, and by his own achievements has added fresh luster to an honored family name.

Towne is one of the oldest of English surnames. The most common derivation of family names is from places of resi- dence. This is well illustrated by the name of William de la Towne, who in the year 1274 was a resident of the village of Alvely in Shropshire. In course of time the preposition and article were dropped, and the name, used in a descriptive way at first, became finally a patronymic. A town originally signified a collection of houses inclosed by a hedge, palisade or wall for safety.

(I) William Towne, the founder of the family in America, was born (according to a family record that has been pre- served) in 1600, and came to America from Bristol, England, in 1630. His age is further attested by his testimony in a case tried in the Salem Court in 1660 that he was three-score years old. On March 25, 1620, he married Joanna Blessing, in the Church of St. Nicholas, in the town of Yarmouth, England, and their first six children were baptized there. He is first found on record in Salem, Massachusetts, in connection with a grant of land in 1640. He was referred to as "Goodman" Towne

Harry R. Jowww.

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in a court judgment given in his favor the same year. In 1651 he purchased land and a house in Topsfield, Massachusetts, and the following year sold his property in Salem and bought more land in Tops- field. There he died in 1672, his widow surviving him until 1682.

(II) Edmund Towne, son of William Towne, was baptized June 28, 1628, in the Church of St. Nicholas. He was a member of a committee from the town of Topsfield, who during King Philip's War petitioned the General Court to form mil- itary companies to protect the inhabit- ants from the Indians while at work. His estate was inventoried, May 3, 1678. His widow's will was proved, December 16, 1717, and in it she said she was very aged.

(III) Joseph Towne, son of Edmund Towne, was born in Topsfield, Massachu- setts, September 2, 1661. On August 10, 1687, he married Eamy (sometimes Ru- hama) Smith, born August 16, 1668, and died February 22, 1756, daughter of Rob- ert Smith.

(IV) Nathan Towne, son of Joseph and Eamy (Smith) Towne, was born in 1693. He married Phoebe Curtis and re- sided for a time in Boxford, Massachu- setts, from whence he removed to An- dover. There his wife died January 5, 1762, and he survived her but a short time.

(V) Nathan (2) Towne, son of Na- than (1) and Phoebe (Curtis) Towne, was born April 25, 1720. He married Mary Poole, in Boxford, Massachusetts, and died in Andover.

(VI) Benjamin Towne, son of Nathan (2) and Mary (Poole) Towne, was born February 28, 1747. He married (first) Mehitable Chandler, born August 9, 1744, and died January 23, 1788, daughter of Josiah and Sarah (Parker) Chandler. She was of the sixth generation in descent from William Chandler, who with his wife

Annis and four children settled in Rox- bury, Massachusetts, in 1637. Benjamin Towne died in Methuen, Massachusetts, in 1825.

(VII) John Towne, son of Benjamin and Mehitable (Chandler) Towne, was born April 3, 1787. Thus far the family had been small farmers and millers, but he departed from the vocation of his an- cestors. In many ways John Towne was a remarkable man. He had great energy and perseverance combined with rare in- genuity, refined tastes and a brilliant in- tellect. He left home early to seek a fortune and he succeeded. He became a teacher of penmanship, following that profession in various places. In Balti- more, Maryland, he met Henry Robinson, an Englishman whose sister he married. These men formed a partnership and continued in business together for a few years. Mr. Towne later withdrew from the firm and went to Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania. There he bought land, built a large house and started a large fruit farm. Soon after he also embarked in the trans- portation business, owning several river steamboats which plied between Pitts- burgh and New Orleans. At the same time he engaged in the sugar and cotton commission business. During his activi- ties in these ventures, his wife superin- tended the cultivation of the farm. In 1833 his brother-in-law. Henry Robinson, who was then owner of the gas works in Boston, Massachusetts, offered Mr. Towne the position of superintendent. Accepting the offer, he removed to that city and re- sided there until 1840. Having accumu- lated considerable wealth, he retired from business and became a resident of Phil- adelphia, Pennsylvania. Nine years later he purchased a beautiful home near that city, where he died July 24, 1851. In his later years he was able to indulge his love of art by purchasing many fine paintings,

Conn-9-4

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largely the work of well known American artists, many of whom were numbered among his personal friends. He married Sarah Robinson, a native of Coventry, England.

(VIII) John Henry Towne, son of John and Sarah (Robinson) Towne, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 20, 1818. He was educated in Boston, Massachusetts, and early evinced great natural talent for mechanics. When yet a young man, he formed a partnership with S. V. Merrick (later the first presi- dent of the Pennsylvania Railroad), and under the firm name of Merrick & Towne they established in Philadelphia what be- came in its day one of the largest and best known engineering plants in the country. The business is still carried on under the name of the Southwark Foun- dry. Among the notable work done by that firm was the building of the engines, designed by Captain John Ericcson, for the United States steamship, "Prince- ton," which was the first war vessel to be equipped with a screw propeller. In 1848 Mr. Towne withdrew from the firm and engaged in business as a consulting engi- neer. He built gas works in New Bed- ford, Massachusetts, and Savannah, Geor- gia. He also became active in the man- agement of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad. He helped to organize and build the North Pennsylvania Railroad, of which he became vice-president. In 1861 he formed a partnership with I. P. Morris under the firm name of I. P. Morris, Towne & Company, which owned and operated the Port Richmond Iron Works. Later that plant became part of the pres- ent Cramp shipyards. During the Civil War the firm built the engines for many large war vessels and monitors. Like his father, he was a great lover of nature, music and art. He left a large bequest to the University of Pennsylvania for its

scientific department, which thereupon was named the "Towne Scientific School" in his honor. His death occurred April 7, 1875.

Mr. Towne married Maria Rebecca Tevis, born May 30, 1822, daughter of Joshua and Rebecca Risteau (Carman) Tevis. Joshua Tevis was a prominent Philadelphia merchant. Rebecca Risteau Carman was born in 1784, daughter of Robert North Carman, who was born in 1756. He was a grandson of Captain Robert and Katherine (Risteau) North. The latter was born in 1708, and was a granddaughter of John Risteau, a Hu- guenot refugee who settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he became high sheriff. John Henry and Maria Rebecca (Tevis) Towne became the parents of two sons, one of whom died in infancy, and the other, Henry Robinson Towne, is the subject of this sketch, and of two daugh- ters.

(IX) Henry Robinson Towne, son of John Henry and Maria Rebecca (Tevis) Towne, was born in Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, August 28, 1844. He was pre- pared for college at private schools, and matriculated at the University of Penn- sylvania, which later conferred on him the degree of Master of Arts. At the close of the college year in 1862, Mr. Towne went into the drafting-room of the Port Richmond Iron Works. There the me- chanical bent of his mind soon became apparent, and after less than two years at the drafting table he was placed in charge of government work in the shops engaged in repairing the gunboat "Mas- sachusetts." That was in 1863. The fol- lowing year, Mr. Towne, though only about twenty years of age, was sent to the navy yard in Charlestown, Massa- chusetts, to assemble and erect the en- gines which the Port Richmond Iron Works had built for the monitor "Mon-

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adnock." From there he went to the navy yard in Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire, to superintend the erecting and testing of the machinery of the monitor "Agamenticus" (whose name was later changed to "Terror"), and from there he was sent to the Philadelphia navy yard to do similar work in connection with the cruiser "Pushmataha." These were great responsibilities for one so young, but they served to develop his mechanical and ex- ecutive abilities. Mr. Towne was only twenty-one when, as acting superintend- ent, he was placed in general charge of the shops of the Port Richmond Iron Works. All this practical experience emphasized to Mr. Towne's mind the fun- damental necessity of a thorough train- ing in engineering science, a department of learning that had not in those days received anything like the attention now given to it. Accordingly, soon after peace was declared, Mr. Towne resumed the study of engineering under the tuition of Robert Briggs, a noted civil engineer of Philadelphia, whom he accompanied later on an engineering trip to Great Britain, Belgium and France. Mr. Towne re- mained in Paris to pursue a special course in physics at the Sorbonne. Upon his return to the United States, Mr. Towne resumed his association with Mr. Briggs and for another year engaged in study and experimental work. During this time he carried out a series of experiments in connection with leather belting, the re- sults of which were accepted as standard authority for the following twenty years. He next entered the shops of William Sellers & Company, manufacturers of the Giffard injector, where he still further broadened his mechanical knowledge and experience.

In July, 1868, Mr. Towne became ac- quainted with Linus Yale, Jr., and thus in an almost casual way was born a busi-

ness that was to make the names of both men known the world over, and to be- come one of Connecticut's principal in- dustries, contributing greatly to the mate- rial up-building of the State. Mr. Yale was a talented and ingenious inventor, who had originated many designs for locks that were a radical departure from any then in use. He was conducting his business in Shelburne Falls, Massachu- setts, where about thirty-five men were employed. At that time the principal product was bank locks. Mr. Towne fore- saw the wonderful possibilities in Mr. Yale's invention of the "cylinder" lock, and suggested a partnership, in which he should assume charge of the manufac- turing end of the business, thus leaving Mr. Yale free to do further experimental work and inventing. Accordingly, The Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company was organized, in October, 1868, with Mr. Yale as president, and the business was removed to Stamford, Connecticut. This association, which in a brief time had de- veloped into a warm friendship, was sud- denly brought to an end by the untimely death of Linus Yale, Jr., December 25, 1868. He was succeeded in the presi- dency by Mr. Towne. Trained as an en- gineer, endowed with a natural aptitude for organization, and for executive man- agement, broad of vision, ambitious, with a determination that brooked no obstacle, and blessed with splendid mental and physical poise, Mr. Towne assumed a task before which most men would quail. His natural mechanical instinct, backed by his technical and practical training, led him to plan and build for the large and per- manent future which he saw was possible to the business, and to lay a broad and deep foundation of scientific manufactur- ing methods.

For the following ten years, Mr. Towne devoted himself with indefatigable indus-

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try to broadening the company's line of products, to the design of machine tools especially adapted to manufacture the unique Yale lock, to working out the most efficient and effective factory methods and processes, to a wider application of the principles introduced by Mr. Yale, and to make improvements in the design and mechanical excellence of the com- pany's product. Besides doing all this, the management of the executive and selling departments in the early days of the business devolved upon Mr. Towne. With him there was never any question of policy-there was only one path to pursue, namely, to make every product mechanically right for its intended use, and to sell it at a price which permitted of the maintenance of this quality. The path thus chosen led to open and square dealing without variation, regardless of all exigencies. The business prospered. Beginning in 1868 with about thirty-five employees and a plant that, including brass foundry and power-house, com- prised only fifteen thousand feet of floor space, the plant has grown until it now occupies an area of twenty-four acres, with about five acres of ground in re- serve to meet the requirements of future development. The combined floor areas of buildings in 1918 exceeded twenty-five acres. The value of the plant and equip- ment is indicated by the amount of in- surance carried, $6,000,000, which also covers materials on hand, the total in- vested capital exceeding $15,000,000. The number of employees is normally about 4,000, and during the War years, 1917-19, exceeded 6,500. Their welfare is looked after by a department known as the Industrial Relations Department, which neglects no detail that will promote their safety, sanitation, health and comfort.

Mr. Towne was one of the pioneer man- ufacturers of the country in thus looking

after the welfare of employees, his efforts along this line beginning in 1869, when the first plant was completed. In 1911-12, a subsidiary company was organized in Canada to manufacture Yale products for that market. That plant, though of course very much smaller than the one in Stamford, was built and is operated along the same lines. Fifty years ago the organization of a manufacturing plant was of the simplest and most elementary character, but in this direction, as in ev- erything else, Mr. Towne's ideas kept pace with the development of the busi- ness and of the times, and it is safe to say that no industrial enterprise in this coun- try is more thoroughly and efficiently or- ganized. Mr. Towne is a splendid judge of men, and as the needs of the business grew he selected men with the requisite knowledge and natural qualifications for the positions to be filled. It is said that The Yale & Towne Manufacturing Com- pany is the largest producer in the world of locks, bank locks, night latches, fine padlocks, and chain-blocks, and one of the largest producers of builders hard- ware, door-closers, electric hoists, and electric industrial trucks. The items in its catalogs number 45,000.

Mr. Towne became a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engi- neers when that organization was yet young, and for many years participated enthusiastically in its proceedings. He was elected president of the Society in 1888, and the following year was chosen chairman of the large delegation from the three great engineering societies who went to Europe as the guests of the In- stitution of Civil Engineers of Great Brit- ain and of the Societé des Ingenieurs Civ- ils of France. Mr. Towne, while not a voluminous writer, is the author of a number of papers which won wide recog- nition as valuable contributions to tech-

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nical literature. Perhaps the most nota- ble was a paper read before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1886 entitled "The Engineer as an Economist." It has been said that this was the first published article advocating the recogni- tion of works management as a modern science. In 1921 he was elected an hon- orary member of the Society.

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Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8, Part 7

Author: Publication date: 1923 Publisher: American Historical Society Number of Pages: 802

Author:
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 802