USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v.2 > Part 14
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member of good old New England fam- ilies, his parents, Henry T. and Maria E. (Taylor) Allen, both being natives of Massachusetts, the former of Westfield and the latter of the little village of Shootsbury.
George B. Allen himself was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, February 16, 1864, but did not remain in his native place more than the first ten years of his life, his father removing to New Jersey in 1876, and settling in the little town of Vineland. It was here that a large por- tion of Mr. Allen's childhood was spent, and it was here that he obtained his edu- cation, attending the local public schools and graduating from the high school. Shortly after his graduation the family again changed its place of residence to the town of Adams, Massachusetts, and Mr. Allen entered the employ of the L. L. Brown Paper Company of that place, it being his intention to learn this business. This, indeed, was the beginning of Mr. Allen's most successful career, for besides the business itself he became an expert upon the subject of paper manufacturing and the machinery and equipment neces- sary for that process. During the next few years he gained a wide reputation in this connection and when, in the year 1904, the great Berkshire Paper Company decided to erect the now famous Berk- shire Mills, Mr. Allen was one of the ex- perts engaged upon that work. His work in this undertaking did much to still fur- ther increase his reputation, and in 1906 he received an offer from the American Paper Company to take the superintend- ency of the branch establishment at Unionville, Connecticut. This offer he at once accepted and moved to that city, where from that time up to the present he has continued to make his home. The mill at Unionville manufactures a very high grade of official business bond paper
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and to the extension of its market as well as to the detail of the operation itself, Mr. Allen has devoted himself. How marked has been his success is to be seen in the tremendous activity of the factory to-day, it being necessary to employ more than one shift of labor and keep it running both night and day. This great business has been built up as the result of Mr. Allen's indefatigable efforts and he is still at work there with even more energy and effect than before.
Mr. Allen is a conspicuous figure in the general life of the community and there are but few movements undertaken for the advance of the common weal that he is not a supporter of, provided, of course. that they appeal to his sense of what is worthy and appropriate. He takes an active part in the social life of the place and is a member of Unionville Lodge. Free and Accepted Masons. In the mat- ter of his religious belief Mr. Allen is an Episcopalian and attends Christ's Church of that denomination in Unionville. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Auto Club of Hartford.
In spite of his many activities, which lead him much into semi-public and social life, Mr. Allen is essentially a domestic man. It is the ties of the family, the household, the home that bind him most closely and his greatest pleasure is found in the hours spent by his own hearth stone. He is a faithful friend and a de- voted companion and greatly enjoys the society of his intimates. The trustworthi- ness of his character, and the absolute in- tegrity of all his dealings with his fel- lows, begets the same in those who come into business relation with him. His sense of justice is extremely developed and his attitude towards his fellows tol- erant and unassuming, truly democratic, so that all men, the highest as well as the most humble, feel at home in their inter-
course with him. He is one of the most popular figures in the city and it requires but little power of prophecy to predict that, with his great abilities and talents, the future will witness an even more noteworthy achievement than has the past.
Mr. Allen married in Pittsfield, Massa- chusetts, in 1891, Caroline Thomson, daughter of Edward Thomson, of Brain- ard, New York.
JOHNSON, Edwin Hine,
Physician.
The entire plan of life which Dr. John- son had mapped out for himself was sud- denly changed in early life, when, instead of entering the Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, for which he had pre- pared, he entered the medical department of the University of Vermont and devoted his life to the practice of medicine and surgery. Since 1893 he has been a gen- eral practitioner in Naugatuck, Connecti- cut, but as the years have progressed he has devoted himself more and more to the practice of surgery, a branch of medical science in which he has attained almost the eminence of a specialist.
Dr. Johnson is a son of Albert and Eliza (Tuttle) Johnson, of Ansonia, Connecti- cut, his father a contractor and builder of Ansonia until his death in 1905, at the age of sixty-seven. He was born in Con- necticut and early in life settled in Ansonia and there ever resided. Eliza (Tuttle) Johnson was born in Prospect, Connecti- cut, and died in Ansonia, in 1908, aged sixty-eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were the parents of four children : Edwin Hine, of further mention; Alice Tuttle, residing with her brother in Naugatuck; two children, who died in infancy. Albert Johnson was a son of Beecher Johnson, a farmer of Bethany, Connecticut, the
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Johnsons and Tuttles both prominent early Colonial families.
Dr. Edwin Hine Johnson was born in Ansonia, Connecticut, November 11, 1869. He prepared in the public schools of An- sonia, graduating from the high school, class of 1885, intending to enter Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University. But the "divinity which shapes our ends" de- creed otherwise, and he entered the Uni- versity of Vermont as a student in the medical department and the medical pro- fession gained a shining light at the ex- pense of another profession. He was graduated Doctor of Medicine, class of 1888, and at once began practice, locating at Morrisville, Vermont. Ile remained in practice at Morrisville until August, 1893. then located in Naugatuck, Connecticut, practicing there continuously and suc- cessfully until the present. He has ever devoted himself with special interest to the practice of surgery, and at present is surgeon to Waterbury Hospital, and spe- cializing as far as possible in that science. He has a large and well established prac- tice, is highly regarded, professionally and socially, and ranks with the skillful and honorable members of his profession. He is a member of all the national and State bodies of medical societies, keeps thoroughly well informed in all that per- tains to the advance in medical and sur- gical science, preventative and curative. He is a member of the Masonic order, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In religious faith he is an Epis- copalian, and in political preference a Re- publican, but not active.
Dr. Johnson married, in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, June 1I, 1891, Cora I. Collins, of Hillsborough, daughter of David and Elizabeth Collins, both de- ceased. Dr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of four children : Harold Albert,
class of 1918, Yale, now with his com- mand, the First Regiment, Vermont Na- tional Guard, on the Mexican border, ranking as corporal; Kenneth Edwin, class of 1918, Trinity College ; Ruth Eliza, graduate of Naugatuck High School, class of 1916, and member of class of 1920, Wellesley College; Marion Elizabeth, a high school student.
HYNES, James Alfred, Real Estate and Insurance Factor.
Success is in itself interesting almost without reference to the direction in which it be achieved, even if it be of a nature which we heartily disapprove and in the way of which we would place every possible obstacle, still if it be actu- ally accomplished, it excites the imagina- tion and interest in a high degree. Of course, when we highly approve of the matter as well as the manner of the suc- cess, our interest is doubly aroused and we feel an added pleasure in the thought, often purely subconscious, of our own effort to imitate it. It is for this reason. among others, that the setting down of the records of successful men, successful in legitimate enterprise, that is, is at once of so much value and meets with so much popular approval. Especially is this true to-day when the achievements to be chronicled are those of the business man, the financier, the merchant, who are, without doubt, the popular figures of the age, and whose careers we all feel there is a possibility of our imitating. Such a career, for instance, as that of James Al- fred Hynes, the prominent business man of Waterbury, Connecticut, still happily at its height, which may well excite our interest in the mere manner of its accom- plishment and stimulate our wholesome ambition to imitate a thing so worthy.
James Alfred Hynes is not a native of
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Waterbury, nor of any part of New Eng- land, though he exhibits in his character the finest traits of their best type of suc- cessful men. He was born in New York City, December 10, 1856, of Irish descent, his family having lived for a considerable period in County Westmeath, Ireland. His paternal grandparents were James and Ann (Grady) Hynes, who lived and died in that region. His maternal grand- parents, on the contrary, Patrick and Dinorah (Coughlan) Sheahan by name, left the old home and embarked upon the voyage to the "New World," there to try their fortunes. Mr. Hynes' father, also James Hynes, was born in County West- meath and passed his childhood and early youth there, but came to the United States in early manhood and located in New York City. He was a veterinary surgeon and was employed for a long period by the old Knickerbocker Stage Line. He met Mary Sheahan, a daughter of Patrick Sheahan, already mentioned, and was married to her in New York whither she had been brought by her parents in early youth. They had five children, the only one of whom that survives is the Mr. Hynes of this sketch. Mr. Hynes, Sr., died in New York City, December 4, 1871, and his wife in 1864.
Mr. Hynes passed the first fifteen years of his life in New York, leaving there in 1872, a year after his father's death, and coming to Waterbury, where his maternal grandparents were living. He had re- ceived his education at the Manhattan Academy in New York, and after com- pleting his studies at that institution se- cured employment with a real estate firm there. Upon coming to Waterbury he entered the employ of the Waterbury Clock Company and there remained ten years, winning the favorable notice of his employers and a rapid promotion. At the end of this period he was still a young man, but by dint of hard work and rigid
economy he had saved up some money and found himself in a position to gratify his ambition to embark in business on his own account. His first venture was the Waterbury One Price Clothing Company which he established in 1882 and which was extremely successful. One thing his early business training had shown him, however, and that was that real estate in a grow- ing place like Waterbury was, if handled with any degree of prudence and foresight, one of the best investments in the world. Accordingly in 1895 he established the present general insurance and real estate business which, during the past twenty- one years, has steadily and rapidly grown in size and importance until it is one of the largest concerns of its kind in the region. He is at present assisted by a son and a daughter in the carrying on of his operations. Mr. Hynes is now one of the most important figures in the business world of Waterbury and is generally rec- ognized as a leader in many of the most prominent movements undertaken in the city.
And it is not alone in the realm of busi- ness that he thus figures. In many other departments of the community's life he is equally active and especially is this the case in politics in which he is keenly in- terested. Hs is a staunch member of the Democratic party and has made himself very valuable to his party locally. He is at present treasurer of the town Demo- cratic committee and has been a member of the central State committee for many years. He has held a number of public offices also and all with great efficiency. He has at different times held the offices of water commissioner and fire commis- sioner, and has also been registrar of voters several times. At present he is deputy sheriff of the county, in which post he serves to the entire satisfaction of the community generally.
He is extremely prominent in social and
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fraternal circles, and belongs to many orders and similar organizations and has held high office in the majority of them. He is a charter member of Sheridan Coun- cil, No. 24, Knights of Columbus ; the An- cient Order of Hibernians; the Independ- ent Order of Foresters since its founding, and is high secretary of the State since the inception of high court in 1902; a charter member of Waterbury Lodge, No. 265, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and also a charter member of Court Hancock, Foresters of America. In each and everyone of these he has held the highest office at different times. He is also a member of the Patrick Sarfield Club of Waterbury. In religious belief Mr. Hynes is a Catholic and is a faithful member of the Church of the Immacu- late Conception, having been a communi- cant there for the term of fifty years.
Mr. Hynes was married at Waterbury on November 24, 1876, to Sarah S. Hen- inger, a native of that city and a daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Schlegel) Heninger. The father was the founder of the first brewery in Waterbury and was killed in the Civil War in the engagement at Fort Fisher. He was of German descent, and his wife was born in that country and died in Waterbury a number of years ago. To Mr. and Mrs. Hynes seven children have been born, three of whom, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, are deceased. The four that are alive are as follows: George A .; James A., Jr., who was married to Alice Burke; Sadie K .; and Edward A., who married Loretta Truden. They are all residents of Waterbury, and it is his eld- est son, George A. Hynes, and Sadie K. Hynes, that are associated with their father in the conduct of his large real estate and insurance business.
PLATT, Lewis Alfred,
Business Man, Financier.
The name of Platt has been associated for many years with the building up of
the business world of Connecticut, more especially of the region about the city of Waterbury, where for four generations members of the family have held a high place in the regard of their fellow citizens and identified themselves with the up- building of the community. Nor was it only in the matter of the business inter- ests that this activity lay on the part of the Platts, but they were also promi- nently associated with the conduct of public affairs and the political issues that have been vital. Of this distinguished family the present representative, Lewis Alfred Platt, of Waterbury, deserves especial mention because of the honorable place he occupies in the community, which besides many local honors has re- sulted in his being chosen to represent the State of Connecticut in the State Sen- ate.
Lewis Alfred Platt was born May 31, 1854, in the city of Waterbury, Connecti- cut, son of Clark Murray and Amelia M. (Lewis) Platt, and a grandson of Alfred and Irene (Blackman) Platt, all of Waterbury. Alfred Platt was a native of Newtown, Connecticut, born in 1789, but came to Waterbury in 1795, making that city his home until his death in 1873. Here his six children were born, all of whom are now deceased. The Platt fam- ily is one of the oldest in Connecticut, having come to the town of Milford as early as the year 1640, and ever there- after maintaining an honorable position in the community. Clark Murray Platt was the fourth of six sons, the others being, in the order of their age: Nirom, Charles, William, Legrand and Seabury. Clark M. Platt was born January 1, 1824, in Waterbury, and made that city his home until his death, December 20, 1900. He and his father, Alfred Platt, were the founders of the firm of A. & C. M. Platt, afterwards A. Platt & Sons, which, under the name of The Platt Brothers & Company, is still doing
Conn -- 2-7
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a large business in Waterbury. He was prominent in many ways in the city and served as alderman in the seventies. His wife, who before her marriage to him was Amelia M. Lewis, and whose death oc- curred at Waterbury, April 1, 1916, was also a member of an old and distinguished Connecticut family, a daughter of Selden and Lockey (Spencer) Lewis, of Nauga- tuck, of whose three children one, Ed- ward Lewis, is still living, retired in Waterbury, where for many years he was employed as a foreman in the Platt con- cern. Mrs. Platt, Sr., was born January 3, 1826, at Naugatuck, but after her mar- riage to Mr. Platt went to Waterbury to live. They had three children: Bertha L., now the wife of J. H. Hart, of Water- bury; Lewis Alfred, with whose career we are especially concerned ; and Edward Legrand, born April 17, 1857, died 1862, when but five years of age.
Lewis Alfred Platt received his early education in the public schools of his na- tive city, after which he went to East Hampton, Massachusetts, where he at- tended Williston Seminary, preparing himself for the college course that it was at once his parents' and his own desire that he should take. It was here that he proved himself to be the apt and intelli- gent student that he was, and began to display some of the talent for practical affairs that has marked him throughout his business career. In 1874 he graduated from the seminary, and the following year entered Yale University, taking the regular academic course. Here he con- tinued his successful career as a student and attracted the favorable regard of his masters and instructors, as well as the friendship of his undergraduate comrades. He graduated with the class of 1879, and at once engaged in business, associating himself with the great Platt concern, which by that time had come to bear the
name of The Platt Brothers & Company. His business talent quickly made itself felt in these surroundings and he rapidly rose to a position of control, which he has since maintained. Of recent years, under the capable management it has en- joyed, the concern has continued to grow so that it is now one of the most impor- tant factors in the business world of Waterbury, with a reputation such as it has always possessed from the outset, for unsurpassed integrity and straightforward dealing. As president of The Platt Brothers & Company, Mr. Platt would in any case occupy a very prominent place in the industrial and commercial circles of Waterbury, but in addition to this he is associated with several of the financial and business institutions of the city, so that he occupies a position of great con- trol there and is regarded as one of the most important men of the place. He is a director of the Colonial Trust Company and vice-president of the West Side Sav- ings Institution, as well as many other local concerns.
But it is not only in the business world that Mr. Platt is conspicuous. On the contrary he is keenly interested in almost every aspect of the community's life and a leader in every important movement for the betterment of the city. Especially is this true in the case of politics, in which he has always had an active interest, and has gradually become known outside the immediate locality until he has gained a State-wide prominence and popularity. He has held a number of local offices such as membership on the Board of Education and in each has given invaluable service to the community. He is a member of the Republican party, and in 1910 was hon- ored thereby with the offer of its nomina- tion to the Connecticut Senate. This Mr. Platt accepted and was duly elected, serv- ing in that body during the years 19II
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and 1912. Mr. Platt has always been deeply interested in the cause of educa- tion, and has been for more than thirty years secretary of the Bronson Library Association, and has done much to ex- tend the usefulness of that organization. He is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and has done much for the de- velopment of the club life in Waterbury, being a charter member of the Water- bury, the Home and the Waterbury Coun- try clubs of that city. In his religious affili- ations Mr. Platt is a Congregationalist, and has for many years been a member of the Second Congregational Church of Waterbury and very active in its work, supporting especially its philanthropic activities most liberally.
Mr. Platt married, June 20, 1882, at New Haven, Ellen Brainard, of that city, daughter of Sidney and Ellen (Clark) Brainard. both long deceased.
BOSTWICK, Frederick, Librarian and Curator.
The Bostwick family is of Saxon origin and can trace their descent to the time of Edward the Confessor, who preceded Harold, the last of the Saxon kings, upon the throne of England. Like all ancient names it has undergone some mutations in more than seven centuries, and has even been materially changed since the time when Arthur Bostwick (Bostock) first transplanted it into the wilderness of America.
Arthur Bostwick, above mentioned, emigrant ancestor of the branch of the family herein followed, was baptized at Tarporley. County Cheshire, Eng- land, December 22, 1603. He emigrated to this country in 1641-42, and locat- ed at Stratford, Connecticut, being one of the first seventeen settlers of that town. He married Jane Whittel. Their
son, John Bostwick, was baptized in St. Helen's Church, Tarporley, England, Oc- tober 18, 1638, died in 1688. He married Mary Brinsmead. Their son, John (2) Bostwick, was born in Stratford, Connec- ticut, May 14, 1667. He removed to New Milford, Connecticut, in 1707, and was the second settler of that town, his death occurring there when he was upwards of eighty years of age. He married Abigail Walker. Their son, Daniel Bostwick, was born in New Milford, Connecticut, in 1708, and was the first white male child born in that town; he spent his entire life there, was prominent in town affairs, lieutenant in the militia, and died July 31, 1792. He married Hannah Hitch- cock. Their son, Amos Bostwick, was born in New Milford, Connecticut, in 1743, died in Unadilla, New York, No- vember 19, 1829. He was an active par- ticipant in the Revolutionary War. He married (first) Sarah Grant, (second) Sarah Hayes. His son, Charles Bostwick, was born in New Milford, Connecticut, October 9, 1772, died in New Haven, Con- necticut, October 17, 1850. Upon attain- ing his majority he engaged in the sad- dlery business in New Haven, which grew to large proportions, and is still conducted by his great-grandson, Leon- ard Bostwick, being one of the few con- cerns in the United States that have been owned in the same family for a full cen- tury. He married Sarah Trowbridge. Their son, Frederick Levi Bostwick, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, July 9, 1818, died there, March 8, 1898. He mar- ried (first) Caroline Atwater Rowland, and (second) Elizabeth Jones Rowland, sister of his first wife. They were fifth in descent from Thomas Fitch, of Norwalk, Governor of Connecticut from 1754 to 1766. One of their brothers. Thomas Fitch Rowland, built the famous ironclad, "Monitor," under contract with Ericsson.
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Frederick Levi Bostwick and his second wife were the parents of Frederick Bost- wick of this review.
Frederick Bostwick was born in New Haven, Connecticut, September 10, 1852. He attended private schools until he en- tered the New Haven High School in 1866, intending to prepare for Yale Col- lege, but upon the withdrawal of the classical course from the curriculum of the high school he abandoned his inten- tions of a higher education and entered the Yale College printing office, where he remained for thirty-five years. In 1906 he was appointed librarian and cura- tor of the New Haven Colony Historical Society, of which he had long been a life member. This society possesses a rare collection of books, portraits and other articles relating to the colonial history of New Haven. Mr. Bostwick is a member of the Connecticut Historical Society, the Connecticut Library Association, the Na- tional Genealogical Society ; also of the Order of Founders and Patriots of Amer- ica, and is State Registrar of the Connec- ticut Society, Sons of the American Revo- lution.
He married, October 4, 1876, Ida May Boone, daughter of Jacob S. and Mary A. (Cox), of Pennsylvania. They have three sons: Charles R., Frederick B. and Lawrence E., all graduates of Yale Uni- versity. Three other children died in early life.
PECK, Henry Hart,
Merchant, Financier, Legislator.
The name of this family is of great an- tiquity. It is found in Belton, Yorkshire, England, at an early date, from there scattering not only over England, but in every civilized country in the world. A branch settled in Hesden and Wakefield, Yorkshire, whose descendants moved to
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