USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 9 > Part 32
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He married, October 28, 1903, Janette Freebairn Mackie, who was born at Windsor Mills, Canada, daughter of Rob- ert and Isabella (Brand) Mackie, natives, respectively, of Scotland and Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Sprague are the parents of a daughter, Mary Isabelle, born March 29, 1905, in Hartford, Connecticut.
JOHNSON, August,
Retired Business Man.
The native American may well take lessons in industry, thrift and persever-
ance from many of our citziens of foreign birth. Most of the latter begin their ex- periences in this country with many han- dicaps, such as knowledge of only a for- eign language; new environment; and many new customs and theories to learn. In this class belongs August Johnson, who has earned and secured a place among leading business men of Middle- town. He was born January 26, 1862, in Haslos, Thramo, Sweden, a son of John A. and Magdalena (Samuelson) Johnson, who reared a family of fifteen children. After the son became established in this country he sent for his aged parents, who ended their days in quiet contentment in Middletown. Matthias, father of John A. Johnson, was a soldier, and bore the military name "Klaar," adopted from the place of his residence.
August Johnson remained at home un- til eleven years of age, and received in- struction from his mother, a very intelli- gent woman. The demands of a large family of limited means prevented the son from attendance at school for any ex- tended period. At the age of eleven he went away from home to earn his liveli- hood, and he had no schooling at all after arriving at the age of fifteen years. At the age of nineteen, he came to America, and at once found employment with the National Ice Company in Dutchess county, New York, where he continued nearly a year. Having acquired some knowledge of our language, and a small store of cash with which to help himself, he came to Middletown in April, 1882, following which he was employed five months by the Brainard, Shailer & Hall Quarry Company, of Portland. For two years, from 1882 to 1884, he worked at the fertilizer works of Rogers & Hubbard, in Portland. For two years he was an em- ployee of the National Hotel in Middle- town, and for over seventeen years oper-
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ated a similar establishment on Main street, Middletown. Since 1903 he has been engaged in real estate operations, and has improved and sold many resi- dences and other property. He is the present owner of a business block on Main street, a short distance above the post office, and his cosy and handsome home on Prospect street, which he erected in 1917. Mr. Johnson is actively associ- ated with several useful societies of the city, and has taken some part in its gov- ernment. He is a member of the Church of the Holy Trinity ; of the Linna Soci- ety ; of Court No. 14, Order of Vasa ; the Knights of Pythias ; and the Kronan Mu- tual Benefit Society. For seventeen years he was associated with the Im- proved Order of Red Men. A Republican in principle, he has served as a member of the City Council, and was for six years a member of the town Board of Relief, where he rendered very useful service in securing equitable adjustments of taxa- tion.
August Johnson married, in 1885, Chris- tina Swanson, a native of Harlan, Swe- den. The children of Mr. and Mrs. John- son are: Jennie Matilda, now the wife of Charles H. Brewster; and Morris Herbert, who was an ensign in the United States navy during the World War, and is now an electrical engineer in the em- ploy of the New England Power Com- pany, of Worcester, Massachusetts. A daughter died at the age of three years.
GILLETTE, Charles Howard,
Founder of Automobile Blue Book.
There is something extremely gratify- ing in noting in the genealogical annals of New England, the perseverance from generation to generation within a family of certain staunch virtues and qualities of character, the possession of which entitles
its members to a high place in the regard of the community. An example of this truth is found in the old and honorable Connecticut family of Gillette.
(I) Jonathan Gillett, the American an- cestor of the family, came in the ship "Mary and John," March 20, 1630, in com- pany with several hundred Puritans. On May 30th following they landed at Nan- tasket, and later settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts. There Jonathan Gillett was admitted a freeman, May 6, 1635, and the following year he accompanied the Rev. John Warham, with other asso- ciates, to Windsor, Connecticut, where he was granted land and became one of the esteemed settlers. He died August 23, 1677, and was survived for seven years by his wife, Mary, whose death occurred January 5, 1685.
(II) Jonathan (2) Gillett, second son of Jonathan (1) and Mary Gillett, was born in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1634-35, and the part of town in which he resided was later set off as Simsbury. He engaged in agricultural pursuits, and married, De- cember 14, 1676, Miriam Dibble, born February 19, 1645, daughter of Thomas Dibble, a first settler of both the towns of Dorchester, Massachusetts, and Wind- sor, Connecticut.
(III) Thomas Gillett, son of Jonathan (2) and Miriam (Dibble) Gillett, was born May 31, 1678, and died June II, 1708. On February 26, 1704, he married Hannah Clark, born August 15, 1686, died February 20, 1709, daughter of John and Mary (Crow) Clark. She was also a granddaughter of Daniel Clark, one of the prominent early settlers of Windsor, Connecticut, and the holder of several offices.
(IV) Jonah Gillett, son of Thomas and Hannah (Clark) Gillett, was born Octo- ber 18, 1708, in Simsbury, Connecticut, and lived in that part of the town called
Conn-10-15
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Wintonbury, which is now the town of Bloomfield ; he held the office of sergeant of militia. His wife, Elizabeth Hoskins, was born 1708-09, and died May 28, 1758.
(V) Captain Jonah (2) Gillett, eldest child of Jonah (1) and Elizabeth (Hos- kins) Gillett, was born about 1728-29, in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where he died March 14, 1792. He served in the Revo- lutionary War, and was in command of the Second Company of the Second Com- mand, Colonel Gay's regiment, raised to reinforce General Washington's army at New York, and participated in the move- ments on Long Island and at White Plains. On November 9, 1752, Captain Gillett married Sarah Goodrich, born October 31, 1733, at Windsor, daughter of Jacob and Benedicta (Goodwin) Good- rich, a descendant of William Goodrich, an early settler of the town of Wethers- field, Connecticut.
(VI) Jonah (3) Gillette, son of Captain Jonah (2) and Sarah (Goodrich) Gillett, was the first generation to add the "e," now universally used in the spelling of the name. He was baptized April 17, 1757, in Wintonbury, Connecticut, and was a drummer boy in the Revolutionary War, enlisting July 6, 1775, and serving until December 8th following. He was drummer of the Fourth Company, which was in command of Captain Elihu Hum- phrey, Eighth Regiment, Connecticut Militia, colonel, Jedediah Huntington. Jonah (3) Gillette died September 18, 1825, in Bloomfield, and his wife, Eliza- beth, born in 1764, died December 30, 1825.
(VII) Justus Gillette, son of Jonah (3) and Elizabeth Gillette, was born Septem- ber 28, 1783, in Bloomfield, Connecticut, baptized October 10, 1793, and died Octo- ber 17, 1825. He married Sylvia Hub- bard, born June 14, 1787, baptized Sep- tember 28, 1788, daughter of Oliver and
Sylvia (Pennoyer) Hubbard, and a de- scendant of George Hubbard.
(VIII) Norman Hubbard Gillette, son of Justus and Sylvia (Hubbard) Gillette, was born December 24, 1808, and was baptized September 3, 1815. As a boy he went to Hartford, Connecticut, to reside and in his early business life was a mer- chant there. In 1831 he was located in Russia, New York, and was a member of the mercantile firm of Stanton & Gillette for three years. Following this he was a merchant miller at Odgensburg, New York, doing business as Norman H. Gil- lette & Company. A few years later he was engaged in similar business in Brook- lyn, New York, and after five years there, disposed of his interests to locate in Syra- cuse, New York, where he kept an hotel for five years. On returning to Hartford, Mr. Gillette was engaged in the real estate business there, and in the summer of 1859 conducted the Fairfield House, at Fairfield, Connecticut. On July 10, 1861, he was appointed inspector of customs at New York City, continuing until 1876, in which year he was forced to retire, owing to ill health. His death occurred in Hart- ford, July 5, 1881. On April 28, 1831, he married Jane Shepard, born August 24, 1808, daughter of Phineas and Mary (Webster) Shepard, a descendant of Ed- ward Shepard, an early settler of Cam- bridge, Massachusetts.
(IX) Charles Stanton Gillette, the sec- ond son of Norman H. and Jane (Shep- ard) Gillette, was born at Ogdensburg, New York, and died at Hartford, Janu- ary 10, 1887. His education was obtained in the schools of Hartford, and for one year he attended the Hartford High School. When he was but seventeen years of age he was selected to fill a posi- tion in the Merchants' and Manufacturers' Bank at Hartford, and this institution later became the First National Bank.
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Geo. Rope
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After twelve years his faithfulness to duty was rewarded by his appointment to the office of cashier. In 1883 he was ap- pointed president of the bank and had the distinction of being the youngest bank president in the city. His very promising career was shortened by his untimely death at the age of forty-four years. He made many friends among his business acquaintances, and was active in various forms of church work also. He was a member of the South Congregational Church, and was a junior deacon there.
Mr. Gillette married, October 10, 1867, Emma Frances Tiffany, born December 31, 1845, at Hartford, daughter of Edwin D. and Julia (Camp) Tiffany, and she died January 13, 1887. They were the parents of the following children : 1. Har- riet, born April 27, 1869, resides in Hart- ford. 2. Edwin T., deceased. 3. Lucy, deceased. 4. Charles Howard, of extended mention below. 5. Norman. 6. Henry Camp. 7. Emma Tiffany, now Mrs. Mal- colm Moore.
(X) Charles Howard Gillette, son of Charles Stanton and Emma F. (Tiffany) Gillette, was born at Hartford, Connecti- cut, December 17, 1875, and died in that city January 4, 1914. He was educated in the public schools of Hartford, and a boys' school at Great Barrington, and for one year was a student at Yale Univer- sity. His first business experience was with Dwight, Skinner & Company, and from there he went to the Pope Manufac- turing Company. He later owned a sport- ing goods store in Hartford, under the name of Gillette Brothers. Later he went to New York in the interest of the Pope Manufacturing Company, and from there he started the Columbia Lubricants Com- pany. Afterwards he left the Columbia Lubricants Company to start the Auto- mobile Blue Book, of which he was the organizer and founder. His activities were not confined to the realm of busi-
ness, however, and he participated in many other departments of the commu- nity's life. His untimely death, coming as it did in his thirty-ninth year, cut short a useful life, and was felt as a real loss, not alone by the members of his family, but by a host of friends and his fellow- townsmen generally. He was a Repub- lican in politics, but not a seeker of office. His fraternal connection was with the Founders and Patriots Society of Amer- ica, and he was one of the founders of the Automobile Club of Hartford, and served as secretary of the American Automobile Association. Mr. Gillette was a member of the South Congregational Church of Hartford, and was active in various com- mittee work connected with this church.
Mr. Gillette married, December 18, 1896, at Hartford, Connecticut, Marion Pope, born at Boston, Massachusetts, De- cember 18, 1874, daughter of Colonel George and Annie Atwood (Rich) Pope (see Pope line). They were the parents of a daughter and four sons: I. Dorothy Pope, born October 18, 1898, married H. Holbrook Hyde, of Hartford. 2. George Pope. born November 19, 1900. 3. Charles Howard, Jr., born December 17, 1901. 4. John Pope, born September 16, 1909. 5. William Pope, born February 17, 191I.
Mr. Gillette found recreation mainly in hunting, of which sport he was extremely fond, and he was the owner of several of the finest hunting dogs in the East. He was also fond of golf and camping. In connection with the latter pastime, he took considerable interest in photography, and made many excellent outdoor pic- tures. On several occasions Mr. Gillette was the official starter of the Vanderbilt auto races and the Ormond auto races at Florida.
(The Pope Line).
Colonel George Pope, father of Mrs. Marion (Pope) Gillette, was one of the pioneers in bicycle and automobile manu-
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facturing, and on five different occasions served as president of the National Asso- ciation of Manufacturers. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, January 9, 1844, son of William and Mary Pope ; his father was engaged in the importing of china.
As a boy Colonel Pope attended the public schools of Brookline, Massachu- setts, and very soon after completing his education, enlisted in the Civil War, and was commissioned a captain of Lieuten- ant-Colonel Shaw's Fifty-fourth Regi- ment, made up of colored men, but offi- cered by whites. In one of the most famous engagements of the war, the attack on Fort Wagner, Colonel Pope was wounded. Colonel George Pope went to war at the age of eighteen and became lieutenant-colonel at the age of twenty- one.
Upon his return to civil life he became interested in the export lumber business in Montreal, but in 1890 came to Hartford and became president of the Hartford Cycle Company, and five years later was made treasurer of the Pope Manufactur- ing Company. Other business connec- tions of Colonel Pope included: Vice- presidency of the Walker & Barkman Manufacturing Company ; honorary presi- dent of the Connecticut State Manufac- turers' Association ; treasurer of the Na- tional Automobile Chamber of Commerce.
Among several distinguished honors tendered to him were the election to the Albany Burgess Corps, which is made up of world celebrities. Admiral Dewey was a member, as is ex-President Taft, and the latest chosen is General Joffre. At the close of the mammoth automobile meeting in New York City, Colonel Pope was pre- sented, January 9, 1914, with a handsome hall clock, the gift of 1,000 personal friends who had each contributed one dol- lar towards the purchase, each donor
writing a personal letter, and the thou- sand letters were bound in a giant leather volume.
Colonel Pope was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution; the Found- ers and Patriots of America; and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, being a shriner.
Colonel Pope married, November 24, 1873, Annie Atwood Rich, of Watertown, Massachusetts, and their only child, Marion, became the wife of Charles How- ard Gillette, of Hartford (see Gillette X). Colonel Pope died at his home in Hart- ford, Connecticut, April 19, 1918. In accordance with the order of the National Association of Manufacturers of the United States of America, of which Colo- nel Pope was a member, in convention assembled, a memorial service was held in the convention hall, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, on the evening of Tuesday, May 21, 1918, at eight o'clock.
OWEN, Major Charles Hunter,
Lawyer, Litterateur, Civil War Soldier.
Described by the title "veteran" in his relation to many spheres of the life of his time, Major Charles Hunter Owen, in the spring of 1922, left the scenes that had known him for so long and in which he had labored in distinction and honor. He was not only a veteran of the Civil War, in which he won his rank through gallant bravery on the field, but he was one of Yale's oldest alumni, one of the deans of the legal profession in the State, an author and journalist with a record reaching sev- eral decades into the past, and a scholar whose ripeness of years and wisdom won for his interpretation of world events the attentive consideration of savants and scholars. When length of years are attended by such vigor of mind and rich-
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Major Charles h. Dwen
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ness of spirit as were his, the failure of the body to bear their weight brings a regret that such shackles have their power. Major Owen, at eighty-five years, could have wielded his influence of half that sum of years had his physical strength been equal to the task, and when he joined the "innumerable caravan" it was still as one of Connecticut's distin- guished sons.
Major Owen was a descendant of John Owen, one of the early settlers of Wind- sor, and was born in Hartford, March 15, 1838, son of Elijah Hunter and Susannah (Boardman) Owen, his mother a daugh- ter of Thomas Danforth Boardman. His parents had the following children : George W., deceased ; Edward T .; Henry Elijah, died in 1912; and Charles H., of whom further.
Charles H. Owen began his education in the Hartford public schools, and was one of the eight graduates of the high school in the class of 1856, being the last survivor of the eight. Entering Yale Uni- versity, he there compiled a brilliant rec- ord both in scholarship and athletics, win- ning the third prize in English composi- tion and the second prize in declamation during his sophomore year, the third dis- pute appointment in his junior year, and the senior colloquy and a Townsend premium in his final year at Yale. While at college he captained the varsity crew and had among his classmates in the class of 1860: Professor Alonzo B. Ball, Pro- fessor George Louis Beers, Dr. Francis Delafield, Charles Cleveland Dodge, Win- field Scott Keys, Marcus Perrin Knowl- ton, who became chief justice of Massa- chusetts, William Walter Phelps, and many others of note. Major Owen was graduated from Yale University a year after the late Rev. Dr. Joseph Hopkins Twichell, long pastor of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, Dr.
Twichell, who was graduated in 1859, being a senior when Major Owen was a junior, and their friendship lasted until the death of Dr. Twichell, a few years later. Major Owen loved to recall the college achievements of Dr. Twichell, who was also a noted Yale oarsman. Major Owen won election to the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and to the celebrated society, Skull and Bones.
Receiving his A. B. in 1860, Major Owen was awarded his Master's degree in 1863, in that year also receiving the de- gree of LL. B. from Harvard Law School, having previously read law for one year in Hartford. After admission to the bar he became a member of the law firm of Towle & Owen, and subsequently prac- ticed in Connecticut and New York. His professional work was interrupted by his enlistment in the Union army in the Civil War, when he became first lieutenant in Company C, First Connecticut Heavy Artillery. For one month he was at Fort Ward and was then appointed aide-de- camp to Major-General Robert O. Tyler, at Fairfax Court House, Virginia, later being transferred to the Fourth Division of the Second Army Corps. His com- mand was in action in the battles of Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor, and he was severely wounded in the latter en- gagement, suffering throughout the re- mainder of his life from the effect of his wounds. He was promoted to captain's rank for gallant conduct and to major for bravery on the field at Spottsylvania, and after his honorable discharge from the army he resumed legal practice.
Major Owen was one of the original members of the Hartford City Guard, and in his later years he was prominent in the activities of the Veteran Association of this organization which held annual meetings, and served as president of the association. During the World War his
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ardent patriotism caused him to chafe against the restrictions of his age, but although he could not enter active service, many of the boys in khaki and blue found inspiration from his writings on loyalty and devotion to country. During the final Liberty Loan campaign he took part in a spectacular parade in Hartford and car- ried the flag which was a replica of the original form of the American flag of the present day, the flag with its circle of stars.
For many years Major Owen was lit- erary editor of the Hartford "Courant," and until a few weeks prior to his death it was his regular practice to send to the office of that journal timely articles of analysis on national and international topics. He was an omnivorous reader of newspapers and was always a newspaper man. One of his last published works was a poem printed in the "Courant" a few weeks before his death, a strong en- dorsement of the Salvation Army, of which he was an earnest supporter. Major Owen was a Republican in political faith, served in the State Legislature, and filled the chairmanship of three commit- tees of the State House of Representa- tives. Major Owen possessed what can best be described as an international mind, which viewed the effort and destiny of his country in its relation to the world- at-large, which he had seen grow into almost a unit through the influence of modern invention. During recent years he had closely followed events in Russia and China, had predicted some of the most important developments of the con- ference on the limitation of armaments, and believed that, although at present outside of the diplomatic breastworks, Russia would, in the near future, play its part in world affairs. During the year preceding his death he had spent much time in the study of developments in
China. He was always ready to help natives of that country and on one occa- sion expressed his desire to receive the members of the Kuo Min Tang, the local branch of the Chinese Nationalist Party, in consequence of which a number of members spent several hours with him in his home. He offered them several books from his library, and strongly advised that they work for the modernization of China through greater cooperation with the world powers, his advice going far toward rekindling the enthusiasm of the Chinese Nationalist Party in the State.
Major Owen was deeply interested in the work of the Connecticut Humane Society and was at one time its vice- president. He was in earlier life a breeder of Jersey cattle and was instrumental in the introduction of a fine Jersey strain among the dairymen of the State. He was one of the originators of correspond- ence resulting in the adoption at the Cen- tennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 of a rule now in force in milk and butter competitions, also being a member of the American Jersey Cattle Club. Gar- dening and fishing were his principal recreations and he was an expert in fly fishing for trout. He was formerly owner of a considerable part of Roaring Brook, a fine trout stream in Manchester and Glastonbury, fishing it frequently in sea- son, while in recent years he spent the summer at the family camp at Columbia Reservoir, devoting most of his time with rod and reel. His religious beliefs were those of a liberal Christian and were transplanted into good works in his every day life.
Mr. Owen married, October 18, 1866, Esther Sargent Dixwell, born September 19, 1843, daughter of Epes Sargent Dix- well, born December 27, 1803, died De- cember 1, 1899, and Mary (Bowditch) Dixwell. They were the parents of: I.
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Arria Dixwell, born May 18, 1868. 2. Esther Boardman, born March 12, 1872. 3. Katherine Bowditch, born July 4, 1875; married Arthur Brewer, son of William H. Brewer, of New Haven, and they are the parents of three daughters. 4. Elijah Hunter, born February 13, 1877 ; married Nina LeVerne Durstine, daughter of Dr. Frank Durstine, of Cleveland, Ohio, and they have three daughters.
Major Charles Hunter Owen died April 21, 1922. His writings, which include "The Justice of the Mexican War," pub- lished in 1905, remain to give a part of his scholarship and intellectuality to those who follow him. The generations who, as young and older men, were his associates in professional, journalistic, and civic affairs, have as their remem- brance of him the thought of a man of rare talents, of a student and scholar whose mind was stored with a wealth of knowledge, of a logical, keen thinker whose spoken and written words carried conviction and sincerity. His literary work had as its source a well-spring of familiarity with the best in the world's literature and in inexhaustible historical information, the peerless background of authorship. He graced his time, received from it high recognition and honor, and left behind him a record of rare influence in many avenues of endeavor.
OWENS, William Thomas, Physician, Officer in World War.
There is something inspiring in the life of a successful man, particularly a suc- successful professional man, and one who has achieved a leading place in his chosen field of endeavor is William T. Owens, prominent physician of Hartford, Con- necticut, where he is now engaged in gen- eral practice of his profession. The factors of his success are to be found not
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