Genealogical and biographical record of New London County, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the early settled families, Part 19

Author:
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1568

USA > Connecticut > New London County > Genealogical and biographical record of New London County, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the early settled families > Part 19

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In studying the lives and characters of prominent and prosperous men we are naturally led to inquire into the secret of their success and the motives which have prompted their action. Success is a question of genius, as held by many, but is it not, rather, a matter of experience and sound judgment? For when we trace the career of those who stand highest in public esteem we find, in nearly every case, that they are those who have risen gradually, fighting their own way in the face of all opposition. Self- reliance, conscientiousness, energy, honesty, these are the traits of character that ensure the highest emoluments and the greatest success. To these may be attributed the business success of Daniel F. Pack- er, whose name is known the world over. He was a conservative man, honest and upright in all his dealings, and was held in the highest esteem by all who knew him. His death was widely mourned in the community with which he had so long been iden- tified.

ASHBEL WOODWARD, M. D. The death of Ashbel Woodward, M. D., of Franklin, Conn., Dec. 20, 1885, closed a long, laborious and eminently use- ful career. He was born June 26, 1804, in Willing- ton, Conn., the ancestral farm lying on the border line, partly in that town and partly in Ashford. He was in the seventh generation in descent from Rich- ard Woodward, who embarked in the ship "Eliza- beth" at Ipswich, England, April 10, 1634, and whose name is on the earliest list of proprietors of Water- town, Massachusetts.

Graduating at the Medical Department of Bow- doin College in May, 1829, Dr. Woodward settled two months later in Franklin, where he continued to reside till the end. As a physician he was noted for

quickness and accuracy of perception. In the s room nothing escaped his attention. He was es; cially successful in desperate cases, detecting w the rapidity of intuition the slightest change in condition of the patient, and anticipating every em gency. The estimation in which he was held medical brethren is shown by the trusts confided him, and the distinctions conferred upon him. I sides filling many other positions he was, from 18 to 1861, president of the Connecticut Medical S ciety. His annual addresses on "Life," "Medi Ethics" and "An Historical Sketch" of the Socie attracted much attention at the time, and are still membered. He was also from its formation an act: and deeply interested member of the American Me cal Association, and an honorary member of seve State societies.

In the early days of the Rebellion he was a pointed by Governor Buckingham one of the boa to examine surgeons for the volunteer regiments the State. Into the conflict for the preservation the union he threw his feelings and efforts with t ardor which characterized all his undertakings. the drain upon the resources of the country becal more pronounced, he decided to go to the front hin self, and as surgeon of the 26th Connecticut, shar in the siege and capture of Port Hudson. He w then nearly sixty years of age, and his friends : tempted to discourage the purpose on the ground th he was too old to bear the privations and hardshi of life in camp. Indeed the warnings nearly prov true, for on his return home, after serving out t term of enlistment, he was long and dangerously with malarial fever.

Although driven with professional work, I Woodward in some way found time to accomplii much with the pen. In addition to the addresses a ready referred to, he contributed numerous pape which are preserved in the "Proceedings" annual published by the Connecticut Medical Society. the request of the family of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, prepared for the Union a biography of that ear martyr, whose skill as a soldier was not less conspi uous than his devotion as a patriot. He had prev ously written a memoir of Col. Thomas Knowlton, grand-uncle of Gen. Lyon on the maternal side. C Knowlton commanded the Continentals stationed b hind the rail fence at Bunker Hill, and was killed battle at Harlem Heights, Sept. 16, 1776. Joel Mu sell, of Albany, in 1878, published a small volun written by Dr. Woodward, upon "Wampum"- subject to which he had given long attention. As member of the committee of arrangements, he tor an active part in the celebration of the two hundred anniversary of the settlement of the town of No wich, Sept. 7 and 8, 1859, and for the book contai: ing the records of that event, furnished the paper ( the "Early Physicians of Norwich."

On Oct. 14, 1868, the Congregational Church Franklin celebrated the one hundred and fiftieth a niversary of its organization, when Dr. Woodwar

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

dy vered the historical address. This was after- v ds expanded into a "History of Franklin."

Dr. Woodword had great fondness for local his- to cal, and especially for genealogical, investiga- ti s. His knowledge of the lineages of old New Erland families was extensive, and at instant com- n id. His writings on this class of subjects are to b e ound in the "New England Historical and Gen- gical Register," and in other publications. In imulating a library he made a specialty of town a p county histories, and of monographs on im- ant events. He was one of the most thorough a C1 a reliable New England antiquaries, and had ac- ulated a vast fund of information upon family local history, particularly of his native State, Ich he was always ready to communicate to those W e1 aged in investigating these subjects. He took mih interest in the New England Historic Genea- lc cal Society, of which he was elected a corre- SĮ fading member in 1853. He manifested his in- test in the "Register" by subscribing for two cop- ie of the work, and contributed many valuable piers for its pages. He was a collector of rare boks, pamphlets, coins, Indian relics, and auto- hs.

in the early autumn of 1879 the neighbors of Dr. Wodward, on a sudden impulse, improvised a social ering to celebrate the semi-centennial anniver- of his settlement among them. Informal verbal ations were passed from one to another to meet s residence on the afternoon of Sept. 5th. Short "as the notice, people came in throngs from near far till the house was filled, while the overflow ar gled in conversation on the lawns and beneath the tris without. Some drove fifteen miles and more.

T inclosures, swarming with vehicles and ani- ed groups, presented an appearance as pictur- 'e as it was unusual. The day proved to be one of beauty, cool for the season, coming and going in cl dless splendor. Floral testimonials decorated the ta ·s, including several of rare flowers and of elab-

or arrangement. As the shadows from the western hi began to fall across the valley Rev. C. F. Jones, the front steps, in the presence of the guests, fr essed Dr. Woodward in a few sentences ex- ac pr sive of the esteem and affection of the com- m ity.

I have been commissioned to the pleasant duty aking the presentation address to you. You have ved nearly all who began practice with you as

ot yc contemporaries. To have lived long is a dis- tir tir F( ion, but to have lived well is a still greater dis- ion, and that distinction we regard as yours. occupations afford more opportunities for doing gọ sir su than that of a physician. We recognize your rity, integrity and professional enthusiasm. In ner and winter, sunshine and storm, by night an by day, you have gone over these hills and thiligh these valleys, seeking to relieve distress, pro- lou ng many lives and affording much happiness. Fal ful, true and self-sacrificing, you have endeared

yourself to many, and it is with thanks that we gather here to-day. We desire to recognize your services in public affairs, educational, civil and re- ligious. Through your writings, professional skill and reputation, you have honored this community. It is with sentiments of this kind that I am commis- sioned to present to you this testimonial of our affec- tion, esteem and enduring friendship. May it be an emblem of the strong, unbending attachment of those gathered here."

Dr. Woodward was then presented with an ele- gant gold-headed ebony cane. On it was engraved :

1829. Presented to ASHBEL WOODWARD, M. D., as a memorial of 50 years of professional service. 1879.

In accepting the gift, the recipient with much feeling made a few personal remarks, substantially as follows :

"I came here fifty years ago with an uncertain fu- ture before me, but I desired success only on the con- dition that I should be fully qualified for the prac- tice of my profession, and should so discharge its duties as to entitle me to the favor of my employers. I posted no bills ; I had no runners ; I did not adver- tise. I procured a shingle, but did not put it out. I never sought business. The favors which came were spontaneous. But I do not stand here to boast. My career with you has been a living epistle to be read by all. And now I desire to thank you most sin- cerely for the gift which you have placed in my hands. Nothing could be more appropriate for an antediluvian to lean upon than a trusty staff. I shall esteem it a precious reminder of your favor."

Hon. La Fayette S. Foster, a native of Franklin and ex-United States Senator, then added a few words appropriate to the occasion, after which re- freshments were served.

During the active career of Dr. Woodward great changes were effected in the distribution of the in- tellectual and social energies of New England. In relative importance and prosperity the country towns steadily declined. Early in the century divines of conspicuous ability labored contentedly in rural par- ishes, while physicians of eminent skill found ample scope for ambition in serving the scattered popula- tion around them. Meanwhile the development of manufactures and the construction of railways have accomplished a revolution. Shadowed by growing cities, rural communities must now struggle to avoid palpable retrogression. So preponderant are the cen- trifugal forces, that from many the old family names, with their traditions and pride, have well nigh dis- appeared. Dr. Woodward preferred rural scenes. Located in a quadrangular valley of remarkable beauty, amid orchards and vines of his own plant- ing, devoted to his profession and to his home, he

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

could heartily quote the remark often repeated by the venerable Samuel Nott, D. D., whose residence crowned the neighboring hill, and whose pastorate in Franklin, beginning in 1782, covered a period of sixty-five years, "Our lines are cast in pleasant places."

There are solid reasons for believing that the for- tunes of our country towns will ere long experience a marked and permanent revival. Indeed, at various points the improvement has already made substantial headway. The West, which has remorselessly drained us of our youth, is filling up. She no longer offers boundless areas of virgin soil to tempt immi- gration. At home the financial extravagance dis- played in the government of cities, enhancing both directly and indirectly the cost of living, will more and more direct attention to the fair fields and limpid brooks once threatened with desertion. What is lost in the heroic virtues by the withdrawal of the hard conditions of the past, will be made up by the growing cultivation of the beautiful. Gardens will bloom, art will be pursued, homes will be made lovely, the surroundings of life will become attrac- tive, where communities now find difficulty in keep- ing alive the religious and educational institutions established by the fathers.

From early manhood Dr. Woodward was a mem- ber of the Congregational Church of Franklin, and never wearied in efforts to sustain and strengthen it. He was not only a devout but also an unquestioning believer in the teachings of Christianity. His last Sunday on earth found him in his accustomed place, officiating as deacon.

During his long term of active service Dr. Wood- ward ministered in sickness to at least six succes- sive generations, and from the beginning to the end commanded the unqualified confidence of his clien- tage. Often appealed to for counsel and guidance, he was never known to discuss or even mention a matter that came to his knowledge in the sacredness of professional intercourse. Scrupulous in perform- ing the work of each day, thorough in all undertak- ings, intolerant of sham and pretense, direct in aims and methods, he pursued uncompromisingly the paths marked out by his conceptions of duty. In some respects he seemed to belong more to a former age than to the present. On the maternal side inher- iting from a clerical ancestry the stern theological opinions of early New England, Dr. Woodward him- self in beliefs, sympathies and character was a marked survival of the Puritans.

His wife, Emeline Bicknell, to whom he was married in May, 1832, with two sons, survived him. -["New England Historical and Genealogical Reg- ister," for April, 1886.]

GEN. WILLIAM APPLETON AIKEN, born April 18, 1833, in Manchester, Vt., married in Norwich, Conn., Aug. 28, 1861, Eliza Coit Buck- ingham, born Dec. 7, 1838, daughter of Gov. (and afterward United States Senator) William A.

Buckingham, of Norwich. Their children w as follows: (I) Eliza B., born May 21, 1862, n ried Prof. Benjamin W. Bacon, D. D., of Y Divinity School, and has two children, Dorce Buckingham (born Nov. 13, 1886) and Benjar Selden (born April 6, 1888). (2) William born Jan. 24, 1864, is mentioned below. (3) M A. was born April 5, 1866. (4) Jane McG. born Aug. 4, 1867. (5) Alfred L., born July 1870, graduated from Yale in 1891, and is now sistant cashier of the State National Bank at Bost Mass. He married Elizabeth Peck Hopkins, dau ter of Col. W. S. B. Hopkins, of Worcester, M: (6) John, born Nov. 3, 1871, is mentioned bel (7) Edith M., born April 5, 1873, married Cha. H. Palmer, Esq., of Milwaukee, Wis., had daughter, Gertrude Buckingham, and died May 1898.

During the Civil war Gen. Aiken served f as paymaster in the United States Navy, and la until the close of the war as quartermaster gene on the staff of Gov. Buckingham, and he is s to have been one of the first to reach the seat government at Washington with dispatches fr the North after hostilities were under way, a when the capital was beset with enemies and avenues of approach were all obstructed. He A Norwich, Conn., for Washington, April 22, 18 Since the war Gen. Aiken has been a manufactu in Norwich. He is now president of the Norw Nickel & Brass Company, also president of board of trustees of the Otis Library, chairman trustees of Broadway Congregational Church, cc. mander of Sedgwick Post, No. I, G. A. R., a co) panion of the Military Order of the Loyal Leg of the United States, a member of the Army a Navy Club of Connecticut, of the Sons of the Am ican Revolution, of the Executive Council of . National Civil Service Reform League, and : other organizations.

WILLIAM BUCKINGHAM AIKEN was born Norwich, Jan. 24, 1864. In 1878 he entered Free Academy, and in 1882 he entered Amhe College, where he became a member of the Upsilon fraternity. At his graduation in 1886, took a prize of $60 awarded for the highest i; provement of the college course. He was much ! loved by all at college, and made there many fi friendships which lasted through life; and he v secretary and treasurer of his class at Amherst af his graduation. On the completion of his colle course he returned to Norwich, and af studying law, with the late Jeremiah Halsey a Willis A. Briscoe, was admitted to the Bar D 8, 1888. He practiced law in the office with W. Allis until 1893, when, upon the death of his broth John, he took his place in the Norwich Nickel Brass Company, afterward becoming its secreta which position he held at the time of his death. was made one of the corporators of the Norw Free Academy, in which institution he always to.

GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tl leep and reverent interest of an alumnus. For sce time he was president of the Young People's Ton of the Broadway Congregational Church, a member of the Church, and for about two s taught a class of young men in the Sunday S 0: bol. He was a companion of the second class le Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.ed States. He was a member of the Arcanum Co) at one time, and was a member of the Norwich Co at the time of his death.

OHN AIKEN, the youngest son, was born in Nwich, in 1871, and was educated at the Free A demy and the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- negy. In 1892 he entered the employ of his faer in the Norwich Nickel & Brass Company, W Ich position he held at the time of his death in Fruary, 1893.

V. A. Aiken was descended from a New Hamp- sle family, his descent being as follows :

I) Edward Aiken came to Londonderry, New Hampshire, in 1718, from Londonderry, Ireland, tc hich his ancestors had emigrated one hundred ve's previously from Lanarkshire, Scotland. His W was Barbara Edwards.

II) Nathaniel Aiken married Margaret Coch- ra He lived on his father's farm which remained in he possession of the family for more than a ury.

III) John Aiken removed from Londonderry, : Hampshire, to Bedford, that State. His wife

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(IV) Phineas Aiken was a soldier of the Revo- lu n, in Capt. Jonas Kidder's Company, Colonel Mes Nichol's Regiment, New Hampshire Militia. H was a prominent man, and held offices in State, to 1 and Church. His wife was Elizabeth Pat- telon.

V) John Aiken was twice married. His sec- of wife was Mary Means Appleton, eldest daugh- tefof Jesse Appleton, D. D., President of Bowdoin C ege. He was graduated at Dartmouth College, st ied law, and became principal of Burr Semi- na , Manchester, Vt. Upon the establishment of th city of Lowell, Mass., he became agent succes- Si y of the Suffolk, Tremont, and Lawrence Man- 1) turing Corporations, and later treasurer of the C neco and Salmon Falls Manufacturing Com- pa es. He was a prominent member and officer of

Congregational Churches of Lowell and Ando- V Mass .; president of the board of trustees of A over Phillips Academy and Theological Semi- ; also for many years a prominent member of

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Prudential Committee of the American Board

ommissioners for Foreign Missions, and a mem-

of of the Executive Council of Gov. George N. B gs, of Massachusetts.

THURSTON TUCKER, who passed away at a1 1vanced age, after a busy and well spent life, was 01 of the most highly esteemed citizens of Lebanon, of hich town, he was a resident for nearly forty-five

years. The Tucker family is a very old and numer- ous one in Rhode Island.

Augustus Tucker, father of Thurston, was born in South Kingston, R. I., where he followed the oc- cupation of farmer, until he moved to Connecticut and located at Lebanon, on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Edgar J. Tucker. At a later date he re- moved to Columbia, Conn., where he resided for a number of years, and then returned to Lebanon, where he lived for a time on Cook Hill and still later on Liberty Hill. His old age was spent in the home of his son, Ira Tucker, where he died at the age of eighty-six years. He was buried at Willimantic. He was twice married, first to Mercie Johnson, who was the mother of all his children, born as follows : Azel, a sailor, was lost at sea in young manhood; Ira, a farmer married Elizabeth Brown, and died in Leb- anon ; Augustus, who engaged in farming, married Annie Tucker, and died in Lebanon, and one of his sons, Elisha Tucker, still resides there; Ezekiel, also a farmer, married Mary Brown, and died in Leb- anon, leaving two sons, Edgar J. and Alfred L .; Thurston, born April 6, 1818; and Mercie married Joseph Tucker, a farmer, and resided at Lebanon.

Thurston Tucker was born at South Kingston, R. I., and was reared there. While still a small boy he became a sailor in the coasting trade between Providence and New York, and followed the sea for some years. At the age of eighteen years he went to Dutchess county, N. Y., accompanied by his brothers Ira and Ezekiel, and they all were engaged there for three years in farm work, all returning then to South Kingston, where Thurston Tucker en- gaged in a fishing business, in which he continued until he removed to Columbia, Conn. There he rented a farm on Pine street and remained upon it for seven years. In 1858 he came to Lebanon, and purchased from Amos Babcock, the Dr. Comstock place, a tract of twenty-two acres, where he erected new buildings, made many improvements of a sub- stantial character and brought the land to a high state of cultivation. He was enthusiastic in the pro- ducing of fine fruit, and was eminently successful in his efforts. Mr. Tucker continued active in the man- agement of his farm until about 1887, when his son, Orlando C., assumed its operation, and from that time until his death, Mr. Tucker remained retired. After a decline of six months and an illness of a few weeks, he passed away July 30, 1902. He was a self- made man whose industry and frugality in youth were rewarded in age by a comfortable competency. In politics Mr. Tucker belonged to that class of Whigs, who adopted the principles of the Republican party on its formation. He never sought or de- sired public office. Both he and wife united with the Baptist Church at South Kingston, and the latter transferred by letter to the Lebanon Church.

On Jan. 4, 1841, in South Kingston, R. I., Mr. Tucker married Amy P. Tucker, born April 28, 1820, a native of South Kingston, a daughter of Nathan and Fanny (Champlain) Tucker, the latter of whom

GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

died Oct. 6, 1884, in Lebanon. They had the fol- lowing children born to them: Phebe C., born Jan. 17, 1842, married Dec. II, 1862, George Irish, a farmer residing in Lebanon; Mercie F., born Jan. II, 1844, is the wife of Judge Isaac Gillette, of Leb- anon ; Azel T., born Feb. 25, 1846, married Mary G. Fowler, and was a farmer residing in Goshen So- ciety of Lebanon, where he died Oct. 4, 1877; Or- lando C., born Aug. 25, 1860, married Dec. 29, 1881, in Amherst, Mass., Minnie C. Bronson born Sept. 14, 1859, a daughter of Rev. Asa C. and Catherine (Congdon) Bronson the former of whom was a Baptist clergyman, and their children are: Hattie Maud (born Nov. 14, 1882), Ella Mercie (born Sept. 12, 1886) and Fannie May (born June 10, 1888).

WILLIAM REED GAY was one of the leading and substantial citizens of Lebanon, at which place his death occurred March 21, 1900.

Asahel Gay, grandfather of William Reed, was a distiller and farmer by occupation, and settled in Lebanon, where he lived until his death, March 24, 1843, in his eighty-eighth year. Temperance, his wife, died Sept. 27, 1843, in her eighty-eighth year. Their daughter, also Temperance, died Feb. 17, 1864, aged eighty-two years.

Asahel Gay, Jr., son of Asahel and father of William R., was born in Connecticut. He married Mary Reed, and had two sons, Francis La Fayette, who died young; and William Reed. By occupa- tion the father was a merchant. His death occurred Nov. 30, 1828, aged thirty-eight years and two months. His wife died Nov. 24, 1827, aged twenty- nine years, and both are buried at Whitesboro, New York.

William Reed Gay was born in Floyd, N. Y., June 17, 1827, and as his mother died when he was only five months old, and his father when he was seventeen months of age, he was left to the tender care and sympathy of his paternal grandparents, and his Aunt Temperance, who was always a mother to him, and whose memory he cherished as long as he lived.

After attending the common schools of his neighborhood, Mr. Gay received the further advan- tage of one term at the academy at Westfield, Mass. Being brought to Lebanon when only two years old, he spent his life upon his grandfather's farm. The house now standing thereon, was erected by him in 1858, and in 1859 he made other important and necessary improvements. During a long and suc- cessful career, he conducted his farm and became one of the most prosperous farmers of the place, and for many years he served as president of the Lebanon Creamery. In politics Mr. Gay was a stanch Republi- can, but he never aspired to office. Both he and his wife were consistent members of the Congregational Church, in which he served as clerk until his death. In appearance he was a man of medium height, of light complexion, and he possessed a modest and retiring disposition, and industrious and frugal hab-

its. For his many virtues he was beloved by ft who knew him.

On May 24, 1853, Mr. Gay married Cathe Wetmore, born April 14, 1831, a daughter of Aus! tus and Sarah (Hinckley) Wetmore ; she died IN 16, 1902, at the house of her daughter, Mrs. Ed L. Danielson of Lebanon. The children born of union were: Emma Frances, who married Dr. win L. Danielson, of Lebanon; Mary Reed, 1 married William A. Mason, of Franklin, Conn .; Sarah Jane, who died when two years old.

HON. WALLACE S. ALLIS, lawyer of N wich, president of the Uncas National Bank of t city, and a former Senator from the Tenth Distr while not a native of Connecticut, is by educati business and professional training and achievemer full-fledged citizen of the State, and of the city his adoption.

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Genealogical and biographical record of New London County, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the early settled families, Part 19

Author: Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1568

Author:
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1568