USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 9 > Part 50
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in 1895 and 1896, was a member of the Knights of Pythias, and was a Civil War veteran. He married, April 26, 1860, Clara Wallingford Tasker, who was born September 13, 1838, in Milton, New Hampshire, daughter of Charles Tasker, and died July 27, 1891.
Albert Arthur Hurd was born Novem- ber 19, 1879, in Somersworth, New Hampshire, and was reared in Berwick. He had good educational opportunities, attending the Sullivan High School until his sophomore year, when the family re- moved to Alfred, Maine. There he spent one year in the high school, and subse- quently, pursued his business training at a business college in Portland, and in Bryant & Stratton's Business School, of Boston. Having become thoroughly equipped for office work, he took a posi- tion as bookkeeper with John P. Squire & Company, the great Boston meat dealer. After two years in this service, he was employed in the coal office of the John Morrison Company of East Boston, for one year. For nearly two years he was bookkeeper in the New Hampshire Club, in Boston, and aided in organizing the Maine Club, in whose office he remained one year. Later he was an auditor for the Sperry & Hutchinson Company, the originators of the trading stamp idea. In August, 1909, he took a position with the W. H. Chapman Company of Middle- ' town, where he continued two and a half years, and in 1914, was secretary of the Board of Water Commissioners of the city of Middletown, where he continued two years. In the election of 1913, he was elected town treasurer of Middletown, serving two years, and then became office manager of the Arrigoni Coal Company, where he continued until January 1, 1920, when he assumed the duties of town clerk, having been elected the previous October. In the election of 1921, he was
reëlected with more than six hundred majority, thus evidencing his popularity and capability. His genial nature and affable manners have made him many friends in the town.
He is a member of Central Lodge, No. 12, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Middletown, in which he has filled all the principal chairs, and is a member of Pris- cilla Rebekah Lodge, No. 12, of the same order. He is affiliated with St. John's Lodge, No. 2, Free and Accepted Masons ; Washington Chapter, No. 6, Royal Arch Masons; Columbia Council, No. 9, Royal and Select Masters ; Cyrene Commandery, No. 8, Knights Templar of Middletown ; of Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection ; of Hartford Council, Princes of Jerusalem ; Cyrus Goodell Chapter, Rose Croix ; of the Connecticut Consistory, and Sphinx Tem- ple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Hartford. He is a past commander of Cyrene Commandery, and is a member of Middletown Lodge, No. 771, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Politically he has always been a steadfast Republican, and enjoys the es- teem of his contemporaries and all parties.
Mr. Hurd married, December 27, 1910, Gertrude Ellen Blatchley, born July 14, 1879, in Middletown, daughter of Thomas and Eunice (Tryon) Blatchley. They are the parents of a son, Thomas Blatch- ley Hurd, born March 21, 1913.
STROUD, William Edwin,
Business Man.
Esteemed as a progressive and public- spirited citizen, Mr. Stroud has earned and secured the respect of his contem- poraries. He is descended from worthy ancestors.
(I) Captain Richard Stroud, his great- great-grandfather, was born in 1745, prob- ably in Europe, and died June 18, 1819.
Conn-10-23
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He married Elizabeth Billings. Mrs. Stroud was a very brave and courageous woman, and it is related that at the time of the burning of New London in 1781, Captain Richard Stroud was at sea. His wife undaunted by her lone position, threw the silver into the well, and with her babe in her arms, accompanied by five other children, walked from New Lon- don to Stafford, Connecticut, and there they settled in their new home.
(II) Richard Billings Stroud, eldest son, of Captain Richard and Elizabeth (Billings) Stroud, was born about 1775. He married Rhoda Harvey, and they were the parents of William Stroud.
(III) William Stroud, son of Richard Billings and Rhoda (Harvey) Stroud, was born November 22, 1802, in Stafford ; died in Middletown, Connecticut, October 8, 1874. His father owned a fulling mill and there the boy worked until the re- moval of the family to Middletown. Wil- liam Stroud established a foundry there, on a small scale at first, gradually extend- ing the scope of his business until he was in a position to purchase the business of R. & E. Johnson. He subsequently be- came one of the best known of Middle- town's business men. He married, July 24, 1827, at Stafford, Priscilla Elvira Bod- well, born December 9, 1808; died July 31, 1849. In politics, he was first a Whig and later a Republican. He served as alderman and also held the office of first selectman. Socially, he was a member of Central Lodge, No. 12, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and with his fam- ily attended the Universalist church, of which he was a deacon. Mr. and Mrs. Stroud were the parents of fifteen chil- dren. The tenth child of this family was Edwin Stroud.
(IV) Edwin Stroud, son of William and Priscilla E. (Bodwell) Stroud, was born June 25, 1841, in Middletown.
Practically his entire life was spent there and he was one of the leading business men for many years. He attended the public schools of his native city, and sub- sequently entered the foundry of his father, where he learned the trade of ma- chinist. Later he became bookkeeper of the plant. He continued thus employed until the call of his country in 1861. On the seventh day of May he enlisted in Company A, Second Regiment, Connecti- cut Volunteers, for three months, and was discharged August 7, 1861. He re- enlisted in Company B, Fourteenth Regi- ment, Connecticut Volunteers, for a term of three years. On February 9, 1863, he was promoted to corporal, and on Novem- ber 20th following, to sergeant, and after- wards held that rank in the Veteran Re- serve Corps. With his regiment he took part in some of the most severe battles of the Civil War, including Antietam, Fred- ericksburg, Gettysburg, and the Wilder- ness. In the engagement at Poe river, May 10, 1864, he received a gunshot wound in the left foot which crippled him, and he was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, February 5, 1865, in which he con- tinued in the performance of his duties until discharged from service, July 3, 1865.
Mr. Stroud then returned to Middle- town, and with the exception of six years spent in Texas, was a resident there dur- ing his lifetime. The years he spent in Texas were an experiment in the cotton business. On his return to Middletown, Mr. Stroud was for a time employed at the Douglas Pump Works. In March, 1885, he purchased the laundry, of E. R. Davis, and continued to carry on this business until 1906, at the original place, on Court street, at which time he and his son built the present commodious plant, across the street from his first location. In the same year the business was incor- porated, as the Middletown Laundry
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Company, and is to-day among the lead- ing industries of Middletown. Edwin Stroud died March 5, 1919, at his home in the town where he was born.
On December 7, 1865, he married Au- gusta Eliza Atwell, daughter of George and Eliza (Camp) Atwell, of Durham, born May 30, 1840. In 1915, they cele- brated their golden wedding. Mr. and Mrs. Stroud were the parents of a son, William Edwin, of further mention; and two daughters: Fanny A., is the wife of William H. Hahn, of Middletown, and the mother of Edwin J., and Philip Leroy Hahn; Gertrude E., married H. B. Har- rison, of New Britain, and they are the parents of a daughter, Alice A. Harrison and two sons, Harold and Burton. The family attended the Methodist church. Mrs. Stroud survives her husband. On Decoration Day, 1916, she assisted in serving rations to the veterans at the Grand Army of the Republic Hall, and is active in her eighty-first year, especially interested in the church, and the Woman's Relief Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic.
(V) William Edwin Stroud, the only son of Edwin and Augusta E. (Atwell) Stroud, was born November 6, 1872, in Middletown. He attended the schools of that city and a business college. Sub- sequently he read law for some time under the preceptorship of Judge Charles M. Robinson. After travelling extensively through the United States, he became associated with his father in the laundry business, and after the death of the lat- ter, became president of the corporation. He is also president of the City Savings Bank of Middletown. Mr. Stroud is an active, up-to-date business man, and has succeeded in increasing the volume of his business to a very appreciable extent. He is keenly alert to all new innovations whereby production can be increased, and
is considerate of his employees, number- ing forty or more. He realizes that satis- faction among them is conducive to better working results. Four trucks are now maintained in the delivery service, and the work is branching into the suburban towns surrounding Middletown.
Mr. Stroud makes his home in Crom- well, Connecticut, where he has built a beautiful residence in Dutch-Colonial style, which overlooks the Connecticut river. The greater portions of his time is given to the care of his business, but he has ever been ready to do his share in public service, and has been for many years a director of the Chamber of Com- merce. He is a Republican, and has served as alderman and councilman. Fraternally, he is a member of Middle- town Lodge, No. 771, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of Apollo Lodge, No. 33, Knights of Pythias, and is a past exalted ruler of the first society.
Mr. Stroud married, March 4, 1916, Margaret Louise Joyce, daughter of Wil- liam H. and Annie (McAuliffe) Joyce, of Portland, Connecticut.
GILBERT, Thomas,
Farmer.
A lineal descendant of one of the early Middletown residents, Mr. Gilbert has lived through many changes and develop- ments in the town. He was born Febru- ary 6, 1840, in a house standing on the site of his present home. The name Gil- bert is of Saxon origin, and signifies bright or brave. On the roll of Battle Abbey, it is spelled "Gilbard." It appears under various spellings, one of which is Gislebert, pronounced as the name is at present. The earls of Claire and of Pem- broke were of this lineage and many other prominent people in England. The name appears very often in the records of that
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country from the time of William the Conqueror forward. The founder in this country was Jonathan Gilbert, who was born about 1618, and appears to have been in Hartford earlier than 1645, for in the following year he was appointed in- terpreter to the Indians, indicating a resi- dence of considerable period, during which he became familiar with their dialects. He was very prominent in Hartford, and was often sent to mediate with the Indians. He became a large landholder, receiving several important grants. He married, in 1645, Mary White, daughter of Elder John White, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, later of Hartford. She died about 1650, and he died in 1682.
Jonathan Gilbert, son of Jonathan and Mary . (White) Gilbert, born May II, 1648, in Hartford, received, by the will of his father, half of the latter's lands in Haddam. He settled in Middletown, where he died February 1, 1698. He mar- ried, June 22, 1679, Dorothy Stowe, born August 1, 1659, died July 14, 1699, daugh- ter of Rev. Samuel and Hope (Fletcher) Stowe. Rev. Samuel Stowe was the first minister at Middletown, but because of differences concerning baptism was soon dismissed, and founded churches in other towns ; was long a pastor in Simsbury.
Nathaniel Gilbert, fourth son of Jona- than and Dorothy (Stowe) Gilbert, was born December 27, 1689, in Middletown, was known as Lieutenant Nathaniel Gil- bert, and died April 19, 1756. He married (second), December 4, 1726, Elizabeth Prout, probably a daughter of Timothy and Lydia (Savage) Prout, granddaugh- ter of Dr. Ebenezer Prout, the first of the name in Middletown.
Ebenezer Gilbert, third son and young- est child of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Prout) Gilbert, was born June 16, 1731, in Middletown, and owned the farm on which Thomas Gilbert now resides, on
which he lived until his death, May 12, 1812. He built what was considered in its time a very fine residence with six large fireplaces. This stood until 1867. He had an extensive tract of land reach- ing across the Newfield district of Mid- dletown, and extending a considerable distance into the Westfield district, and was a man of much influence. He mar- ried, September 26, 1754, Hannah Miller, who was born November 16, 1734, and died in 1802, daughter of Benjamin, Jr., and Hannah (Robinson) Miller, grand- daughter of Benjamin and Mary Miller, great-granddaughter of Thomas and Sarah (Nettleton) Miller.
Benjamin Gilbert, second son of Eben- ezer and Hannah (Miller) Gilbert, was born July 29, 1760, on the paternal home- stead in Newfield, where he continued to reside until his death, May II, 1846. He enlisted in the Revolutionary army at the age of nineteen, and served three years. He was an extensive farmer, and erected a handsome mansion on the site of the present home of Thomas Gilbert. In early life he was affiliated with the Con- gregational church, but later became a Baptist. He married, December 16, 1784, Mary Hamlin, who was born in 1760, in Middletown, and died June 23, 1826, daughter of Captain Nathaniel and Lucretia (Ranney) Hamlin, granddaugh- ter of Captain Richard and Martha (Smith) Hamlin, great-granddaughter of William and Susanna (Collins) Hamlin, great-great-granddaughter of Giles Ham- lin, of Middletown, patriarch of a very numerous family. Benjamin Gilbert and his wife were buried in the Indian Hill Cemetery.
Orrin Gilbert, second son of Benjamin and Mary (Hamlin) Gilbert, was born April 9, 1793, in Newfield, where he was reared on the farm and received such edu- cation as the district school of the time
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afforded. He began agriculture on an eighty acre tract of his father's land, and after the death of his parents, purchased the rights of his fellow-heirs and thus be- came possessed of over two hundred acres-the paternal homestead. An in- dustrious and prosperous farmer, aided by an energetic wife, he accumulated con- siderable property. He affiliated with the Baptist church, was a Democrat in poli- tics, but did not care for political prefer- ment. He married, June 6, 1832, Mary Bacon, daughter of Benjamin C. and Abiah (Cornwall) Bacon, born May 8, 1806; died October 10, 1881. She was a member of the First Church of Middle- town. She survived her husband exactly fifteen years. He died October 10, 1866, and was buried in Washington Street Cemtery. The Bacon family, from which Mrs. Gilbert was descended, is described at considerable length elsewhere (see Bacon, Charles E.).
Thomas Gilbert, eldest child of Orrin and Mary (Bacon) Gilbert, attended the district schools of his neighborhood, and was three terms a pupil at the cele- brated school of Daniel H. Chase, where he won three prizes for general average in standing. He continued on the home farm until he attained his majority, when he went to Hartford and was employed for a time in Sharp's Armory. Return- ing to the home farm, he continued with his father until 1867, when he built his present home on the west side of New- field street, opposite the paternal resi- dence. Here he did considerable fruit growing, and for over thirty years was engaged in the sale of agricultural imple- ments. He also engaged to some extent in dairying. For over fifty years he has been a member of the First Church of Middletown, and since 1885 has been a deacon. He is a member of Mattabes- sett Grange, of Middletown, was its first
treasurer, and so continued for many years. He was also treasurer of Central Pomona Grange, in which his wife was lecturer. He is a member of the State Pomological Association. Politically, he is a sincere Republican, but has stead- fastly refused to accept office, except in a minor capacity. He did much to im- prove the roads of the vicinity, having charge of that work.
Mr. Gilbert married, January 1, 1867, Rosilla D. Tucker, who was born Septem- ber 6, 1846, in Durham, daughter of Henry and Rosilla (Ridell) Tucker, of that town. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert were the parents of four children : Jessie, died, less than two months old; Clifford Curtis, born Decem- ber 5, 1870, graduated at Wesleyan Uni- versity, in 1893, at Yale Law School with the degree of LL. B. in 1896, received the degree of Master of Laws from the same institution in 1897, and is now practicing law in New Haven; Norman Everett, re- ceives further mention below; Mabel Ridell, born August 3, 1878, graduated from Mount Holyoke Seminary, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1901, and is the wife of Edwin Henry Schutt, of Yonkers, New York. Mr. Schutt is a graduate of Wesleyan University, was fifteen years associated with the Gorham Company, silversmiths, of New York, and is now connected with New York Uni- versity.
Norman Everett Gilbert was born De- cember 15, 1874, in Newfield, and gradu- ated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, at Wesleyan, in 1895, receiving his Master of Art degree in 1896. In February, 1901, he graduated Ph. D. at Johns Hopkins University, and in September of the same year, became professor of physics, of Ho- bart College. In 1901 he was sent by Johns Hopkins on an expedition to Suma- tra, for astronomical observations. From 1896 to 1898, he was engaged in teaching ;
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
was two years a member of the faculty of Hobart College, and in 1903 became assistant professor of physics, of Dart- mouth College, continuing until 1916, when he became associate professor, and since 1918 has been the principal occupant of the chair of physics. He is identified with numerous associations, being a fel- low of the American Association of Ad- vanced Science, of the American Physi- cal Society, and the Astronomical Society of America. He is an assistant astron- omer of the United States Naval Observ- atory, and attended the solar eclipse ex- pedition to North Carolina in 1900, to Algeria in 1905, and as previously re- lated, to Sumatra in 1901. In 1902 he was temporary assistant in physics at the Smithsonian Institution, of Washington. In 1910 he pursued investigation and studies at Cambridge University, Eng- land. He is a deacon of the Congrega- tional church of Hanover, New Hamp- shire.
He married, September 15, 1908, Alice McMahan, of New York, daughter of Thomas J. McMahan, a druggist of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert are the par- ents of three children : Norman Everett, Jr., Dorothy Elizabeth, and Richard Thomas.
GILBERT, Henry,
Farmer.
The late Henry Gilbert was one of the substantial, enterprising and intelligent farmers of the Westfield section of Mid- dletown, a son of Orrin and Mary (Bacon) Gilbert, who receive extended mention above (see Gilbert, Thomas). He was born March 27, 1842, on Newfield street, and was reared upon the paternal homestead in that section. His father was a large landholder, and the second son, Henry, received as an inheritance
the western portion of his farm, which lies in the Westfield section of the town of Middletown. As a youth Henry Gil- bert attended the district schools of the neighborhood, and spent some winters in Daniel H. Chase's School in the city of Middletown. At the age of about nine- teen years, in association with his brother, he engaged in the management of the paternal homestead, and after the death of his father, built a house near a spring on the eastern road of the West- field district and continued in its cultiva- tion until his death, August 20, 1919, at the age of seventy-seven years. The present handsome and commodious man- sion was built in 1871, and in the same year he erected a large barn, to which subsequent extensions were made. The buildings upon this farm are models of convenience, and testify to the excellent character and management of their owner. Mr. Gilbert engaged in general farming, was industrious, and his farm was noted as among the models of the section. His character was distinguished by firmness, cheerfulness, and a straightforward con- duct. He would not listen to gossip or idle conversation, but was always ready to converse intelligently on topics of human interest. For many years he was treasurer of the Westfield Grange, was more than fifty years a member of the North Church of Middletown. Politi- cally, a Republican, he sustained his prin- ciples with vote and influence, but would not consent to be a candidate for any office. His nature was quiet and his tastes domestic, finding his greatest enjoyment in his home surroundings. His death was mourned by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
He married (first), in 1869, Lucy Rob- erts Griswold, who died within a few years, leaving one son, Robbins Henry Gilbert, of whom see in the following
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MR. AND MRS. HENRY GILBERT, SONS AND DAUGHTER AND DESCENDANTS
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
sketch. He married (second), in No- vember, 1874, Miranda Wilcox, who was born January 10, 1851, in Westfield, daughter of Joseph Alston and Lucy Ann (Bacon) Wilcox, granddaughter of Heze- kiah and Rena or Rene (Roberts) Wilcox, of whom extended mention appears else- where (see Wilcox, William H.).
Joseph Alston Wilcox, son of Heze- kiah and Rena or Rene (Roberts) Wil- cox, was born in Westfield, October 15, 1817, died April 14, 1887, and married, December 19, 1839, Lucy Ann Bacon, who was born September 11, 1818, died April 23, 1872, daughter of Benjamin C. and Lucy (Warner) Bacon, of West- field. Benjamin C. Bacon, born June 25, 1791, was a son of Benjamin and Abiah (Cornwall) Bacon, elsewhere mentioned (see Bacon, Charles E.). Miranda Wil- cox, daughter of Joseph Alston and Lucy Ann (Bacon) Wilcox, became the wife of Henry Gilbert, as previously noted. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert have two children : Alston Wilcox, who resides in the house built by his father in 1871, and cultivates that portion of the paternal homestead lying on the west side of the road; and Lucy Mary, now the wife of Charles A. Condon, who was married January I, 1901, residing near her birthplace on the opposite side of the road, and has a son, Frederick Gilbert, born February 15, 1903, and a daughter, Mary Lucy, born Febru- ary 14, 1910.
GILBERT, Robbins Henry,
Farmer.
The eldest child of the late Henry Gil- bert (q. v.) was born May 6, 1873, on the paternal farm, and now occupies the eastern half of that farm, which became his by inheritance. His mother, Lucy Roberts (Griswold) Gilbert, born August 4, 1848, in Rocky Hill, died May 12, 1873,
second daughter of Wait R. and Pieral (Roberts) Griswold, descended from Michael Griswold, who was born in Eng- land, was a mason by trade, and was in Wethersfield, Connecticut, as early as 1640, in which year he owned land there. His residence was in Black Lane. He held various important offices in the pioneer town, and died September 26, 1684, leaving an estate whose value was placed at six hundred twenty-eight pounds, one shilling. He was survived by his wife, Anne, who was made execu- trix of his will.
Jacob Griswold, fourth son of Michael and Anne Griswold, born April 15, 1660, in Wethersfield, was probably the first to settle at what is now called Griswoldville, where he inherited land from his father and also acquired by purchase. He died July 22, 1737, and the inventory of his estate placed its value at two hundred sixty-eight pounds, seventeen shillings and ninepence, including land in Newing- ton Society. He married, December 10, 1685, Mary Wright, born in 1664, died April 25, 1735, daughter of Deacon Jo- seph and Mary (Stoddard) Wright.
Major Josiah Griswold, fifth son of Jacob and Mary (Wright) Griswold, born January 4, 1701, was major of cavalry in several campaigns against the Indians. He lived in what was known as the Broad- bent House, of which he is supposed to have been the builder, and died May 24, 1769. He married, August 17, 1727, Mabel Belden, born February 9, 1708, died De- cember 13, 1789, daughter of Josiah and Mabel (Wright) Belden, descended from one of the Wethersfield pioneers.
Osias Griswold, fourth son of Major Josiah and Mabel (Belden) Griswold, was born January 16, 1736, and died Decem- ber 4, 1815. He married, December II, 1766, Anna Stanley, born in 1742, died July 26, 1825, daughter of Thomas and
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Mary (Francis) Stanley, of the Stanley Quarter in New Britain.
James Griswold, seventh son of Osias and Anna (Stanley) Griswold, born Au- gust 2, 1784, lived in Rocky Hill, where he married, January 22, 1812, Lucy Rob- bins, born January 13, 1783, fourth daughter of Captain Wait and Hannah (Robbins) Robbins, the latter the daugh- ter of Captain Jonathan Robbins.
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