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 34

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 34

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ISRAEL F. BROWN received his schooling in Nor- wich, in the common schools, having been left with a brother in that city when his parents went South, in 1823. . Two years later, on Dec. 31, 1825, he and his brother followed, and in 1828 he was engaged with Samuel Griswold in the manufacture of cotton gins at Clinton, Ga. After spending three years in that employment, he returned to Macon, whence he went to Girard, Ala., across the river from Columbus, Ga., where he was engaged for

some years in the same industry. Then ith Dr. E. T. Taylor, of Columbus, Ga., he fried the firm of E. T. Taylor & Co., and (fied on a successful business, manufacturing cotto fins at Columbus, Ga., for the ensuing eight year In 1858 Mr. Brown returned to Connecticut anges- tablished a cotton gin factory in New Londo the firm being known as W. G. Clemons, Brown . L.o. until 1861. About this time Mr. Brown begar ffak- ing these machines for New York firms in hi name. The war of the Rebellion put an em ago on the trade in the South, but he soon found a Edy market for his machines in Brazil and other Lun- ish-American countries, until after peace wagte- clared. In April, 1869, he formed a stock con fay, the Brown Cotton Gin Company, of which has made president, in which capacity he continue til his death, which occurred March 24, 19.1 in New London.

In 1882 the Brown Cotton Gin Company chased the Dawson property on Pequot avenu Ind erected a new and commodious brick structure fc- essary for its rapidly growing business. This funt has been still further enlarged from time to ti: [by numerous new buildings, large additions to tl bid ones, by the replacing of old machines with ones and by the introduction of the most moder and labor-saving tools, until today it has one che largest and best equipped shops of the kind i Jis country. Mr. Brown invented many machir in connection with the gin, among which may be en- tioned especially a machine for filing the textof saws, used in gins. He was active until his och. The original capital of the company was $20,0 to which has been added a very substantial sulis. One of the leading industries of its kind in the si- ted States, the business gives employment t p- ward of 500 hands, and has turned out as ma as 1,800 cotton gins in one year, ranging in price m $180 to $250 each. In addition to the manufa re of cotton ginning machinery they run general fod- ry and machine shops.

Mr. Brown was an interested member of thera- sonic organization, being enrolled as a memb of the Columbus (Ga.) Lodge, and he was also a nl- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellow at Columbus, Ga. In political belief he favore- Democratic party, and took an active interest ts affairs, and he served as councilman in New n- don. He was well-read, and was possessed of s- ually good judgment. In disposition he was jet and retiring. His religious belief was that che Universalist Church, to which he was an adheit.

Israel F. Brown was married (first), :fut 1835, to Maria L. Martin, of Jones county, Ga .. lived but a year afterward. On Dec. 26, 183 +1e was again united in marriage, this time to Miss Smith, of Macon, Ga., daughter of William und Elizabeth Smith. She passed away Jan. 12, 18 in New London, in her forty-sixth year, the moth- of five children, as follows: (1) Edward Tracy 35

1810 Teruel F. Brown 1900

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

00 July 20, 1839. (2) William Rodney, born :h 25, 1843, died young. (3) Sarah Angeline, April 18, 1846, married George Colfax, of London, who died in 1903, in New London. (4| George Chalmers, born May 3, 1849, was em- old Yc d by the American Bank Note Co., of New , some ten years, and then went to Georgia to :ak charge of "Brown's Hotel" in Macon, where he lie in 1886, in the very prime of life. He married Ka F. Shorter, of Columbus, Ga., daughter of Run S. Shorter, and they had three children, Kile, George C. and Edward L. (5) Charles Wise, March 24, 1852, died young.

n May 17, 1866, Mr. Brown married for his wife Miss Emma Conant Albertson, daughter illiam Albertson, of New London. By this

thi of there were no children.

dward T. Brown attended school in Columbus,

Ga intil about fifteen years of age, and then went o virk with his father in the cotton gin business. A itt later on he became the "Co." in the firm of tson, Flynn & Co., furniture manufacturers, quing there for two years, and learning the usess. He then went to Albany, N. Y., and took LC vhi rse in Bryant & Stratton's Business College, . he left in May, 1858. In August of that year ne to New London and entered the shop with 1e 1 lis .ther, remaining there for a time, and finally eching secretary of the Albertson & Douglass VIa :on ine Co. He left this position in 1865 to be- secretary and treasurer of the Wilson Manu- act ing Co., with which he continued for four

'ea: until 1869. In that year, on the formation of he równ Cotton Gin Co., he was made secretary und reasurer, and continued to serve in that ca- ›ac: until the death of his father, when he was nad president and treasurer. His son was then nac secretary and assistant treasurer, which ar-

an; nent still continues. Edward T. Brown is a lireor of the Union Bank of New London and of he ceum Theater Company, of which latter he is ecrltry and treasurer.

aternally Mr. Brown is a prominent Mason, ein a member of Brainard Lodge, No. 102, F. & A. . ; Union Chapter, No. 7, R. A. M .; Cushing il, No. 4, R. & S. M., and Palestine Com- nan ry, No. 6, Knights Templar, of New London. Ie also vice-president of the Brainard Lodge Ma- oni Corporation, of which he is also one of the rus®

s. His social connections also include mem- ers ) in the Thames Club, of New London, of vhic he has served as treasurer for a number of ear iona

Brov

He is an attendant of the First Congrega- Church, of New London. In politics Mr. is a Democrat. He has served as city clerk v London, and represented the town in the Legislature in 1873, during his term serving Finance committee. He has also been coun-

Stat

n tl ilm: of the city. In 1887 he was elected a member f tl board of Water Commissioners and served

until October, 1902. He was secretary of the board from 1893 until his retirement.

Mr. Brown was married, April 24, 1866, to Sarah A. Lee, daughter of Daniel Lee, of New Lon- don, and they have had two children: (I) George T. attended the schools of New London, and later studied for two years in Germany. He married Gertrude V. Shepard, daughter of the late Julius T. Shepard, of New London, and they have one daugh- ter, Patricia. (2) Nancy Lee married George C. Morgan, a practicing attorney of New London, and has one child, Adelaide Matilda.

CAPT. SAMUEL GREENE (deceased) was one of the best known and most highly esteemed whaling captains of New London. His parentage on both sides was of old New England stock, his mother being a direct descendant of Gov. William Bradford, of Plymouth, who came over on the "Mayflower," and his father being of the eighth generation in direct line from Robert Greene (or Green, as the name was sometimes spelled) of Not- tingham, England, whose descendants were among the earliest settlers in New England.

The Green or Greene families of Waterford and Montville, are descended from (III) John Green, of Warwick, Rhode Island, son of (II) Richard, and grandson of (I) Robert Green, of Nottingham, England. (III) John Green was born about 1597, at Bowridge Hall, Gillingham, Dorsetshire, England, and was a surgeon in Salisbury, where he married his first wife, Joan Tattersall, Nov. 4, 1619. On April 6, 1635, John Green, his wife, Joan, and their children, sailed from Southhampton, in the ship "James," arriving at Boston, June 3d, of the same year. For a time they lived in Salem, Mass., but in August, 1637, John Green appeared in Prov- idence, R. I. He was one of the twelve persons to whom Roger Williams, Oct. 8, 1638, deeded land which had been purchased of Canonicus and Mian- tonomi, chiefs of the Narragansetts, and was also one of the twelve original members of the first Baptist Church in Rhode Island. On the death of his wife Joan he married (second) Alice Daniels, a widow, and (third) Phyllis , who died March 10, 1688. John Green died in 1658. His seven chil- dren, all by his wife, Joan, were born in England, between the years 1620 and 1633, and baptized in St. Thomas Church, Salisbury. They were as fol- lows: John, Peter, Richard (who died young), James, Thomas, Joan and Mary.

(IV) John Green (2), eldest son of John and Joan (Tattersall) Green, was born in England about 1620, and married Ann Almy, born in 1627, daugh- ter of William Almy. He was quite a public man, holding many offices in the town of Warwick, R. I., and in the colony. He was commissioner from 1652 to 1663, recorder for three years, general solicitor in 1655, attorney-general from 1657 to 1660, and as- sistant and deputy of the colony. He was one of

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

several who sent a letter of congratulation to Will- iam and Mary on their accession to the English throne, and Dec. 22, 1686, received his appointment by Gov. Andros, as a member of his council. On June 27, 1691, he was voted ten shillings by the As- sembly for drawing up an address to their majesties. He died Nov. 27, 1708, and his wife May 17th, of the following year. Their children, all born in War- wick, R. I., between the years 1649 and 1671, were as follows: Deborah, John, William, Peter, Job, Philip, Richard, Anne, Catherine, Audrey and Samuel.

(V) Samuel Greene, youngest son of John (2) and Ann ( Almy) Green, was born Jan. 30, 1671, in Warwick, R. I., married Mary Gorton, and had one son, Benjamin.

(VI) Benjamin Greene, son of Samuel and Mary (Gorton) Greene, was born in Warwick, about 1702, and about 1730 married (first) Almy Angel, daughter of James Angel. She died about 1740, and he married (second) Margaret, daughter of Peter Strickland. His children were all born in Warwick, between the years 1732 and 1757, and were, by his first wife, Mary, Christopher, Delight, Stephen and Almy ; and by his second wife, Benja- min, Samuel, Margaret and Anne.

(VII) Benjamin Greene (2), eldest son of Ben- jamin and Margaret (Strickland) Greene, was born April 7, 1752, and married, Jan. II, 1776, Abigail Dodge, born Aug. 18, 1759. He settled at Quaker Hill, Waterford, Conn., where he engaged in farm- ing. His wife died Sept. 9, 1834, and he passed away Aug. 14, 1839. Their children were as fol- lows: (I) Sarah, born Sept. 2, 1777, who married Elkanah Comstock; (2) Margaret, born July 27, 1779, who married Zebediah Bolles; (3) Nancy, born March 5, 1783, who married Alexander Rog- ers ; (4) Samuel, born Dec. 30, 1784, who married Betsey Holmes; (5) Stephen, born Feb. 1, 1794, who married Sarah Bolles; and (6) Frances, born Sept. 9, 1796, who married (first) Malcomb Cul- pepper, and (second) Christopher Greene.

(VIII) Samuel Greene, eldest son of Benjamin (2) and Abigail (Dodge) Greene, and father of Samuel, of this sketch, was born in Waterford, Dec. 30, 1784, and died Jan. 17, 1860, in Montville. In 18II he married Betsey Holmes, who was born in 1787, and died April 28, 1827. She was a daughter of Dr. Seth Wyman and Mary ( Bradford ) Holmes, of Boston, Mass., and later of Montville, Conn., the latter a direct descendant of Gov. William Brad- ford. Samuel Greene spent his life as a farmer in Montville and that vicinity, where he enjoyed the honor and respect of the entire community. His children were as follows: (I) William Henry, born in Montville, July 8, 1812, who died in his native town, unmarried ; (2) John, born Aug. 21, 1813, in Montville, who died there, unmarried; (3) Samuel, born Nov. 1I, 1815, who is mentioned below; (4) Mary Holmes, born Jan. 20, 1817, who married Benjamin G. Rogers, of Montville, where she died

June 8, 1896; (5) Isaac, born Feb. 4, 1810 cho died at the age of nineteen ; (6) Abby Annforn March 19, 1820, who married John P. Hempead ; (7) Harriet, born May 4, 1821, who died in unt- ville, unmarried ; (8) Louisa L., born Aug. 7 22, who married Nicholas C. Stebbins, of Mor alle ; and (9) Orrin, born Feb. 20, 1827, who died sea at the age of seventeen.

(IX) Samuel Greene (2), third son of S quel and Betsey (Holmes) Greene, was born in Wer- ford, Conn., Nov. 11, 1815. He remained at me on the farm, and attended school until he was tur- teen, when, preferring a seafaring life to tha ff a farmer, he went to New London, at that tir [the headquarters of the whaling industry. The he shipped under Thomas W. Williams, for alial- ing voyage on the ship "Neptune," Capt. Nat hiel Richards, master, a thorough sailor and an 1for- able and upright man. Whaling voyages in ose days often covered a period of several year the route being around the Cape of Good Hope, ir [the Indian Ocean, and frequently into the. Arctic ( fan, as the whales there were double the size of fose found in lower latitudes. Some idea of the for- mous size of these whales may be formed whet. is understood that the tongue alone sometimes aro- duced twenty-five barrels of oil, and 2500 pour, of bone might be taken from the head. Three the large whales captured by Capt. Greene when the ship "Morrison" yielded about 800 barrels.

Capt. Greene made seven voyages under der- ent sailing masters, before he became master, a ship. He sailed twice in the "Julius Cæsar," ler Capt. Frank Smith, and Capt. Hobron ; twice the "Flora," under Capt. Richard Smith, and Apt. Sylvester Keeney ; twice in the "Neptune," th fac- ond time under Capt. Warren Andrews; and .de a year's voyage in the famous "Tuscarora.", latter was the vessel which figured so prominer the political speeches of the late John Bishop,

he in :en he alluded to the prosperity of New London days when that gallant ship came sailing up the bor filled with oil. When he was twenty-three ars of age Capt. Greene sailed as master of the 'p- tune," having worked his way up from the pla of helmsman to be second, and then first, mateind finally captain. After three voyages as captaf.of the "Neptune," he sailed in the "Morrison," c| he longest voyage of his experience, being gone years and seven months. On his return fron nis voyage he had his first glimpse of his eldest pn, Orrin, then a child of three years and three mo IS. The "Morrison" was the finest vessel that er sailed from the port of New London, the latest with the exception of the "Atlantic," owne by Lawrence & Co. Her timbers were of live oak-nd she was built for the East India trade by old Ste en Girard-the last ship which he built.

Capt. Greene's first season in the "Morrison as the most unfortunate that he ever knew. After st- ening to a whale, and killing him according the

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1110 approved method, when everything was ready to t: him to the ship, he would suddenly sink, and in dler to prevent the small boat from going down wit

him, it was necessary to cut the line. This mez wha the complete loss of the whale, for while a that sinks in water of thirty fathoms will usuly rise after thirty-six hours, in deep water the tim: ressure keeps him down. Capt. Greene es- d that during the first season he lost fully 200 barrels of oil in this manner. The remainder of t voyage was more fortunate, the "Morrison" brir ng home 4300 barrels of oil-Capt. Greene's largit catch. The largest amount of oil ever brott into New London port was 4800 barrels, in Bel commanded by Capt. Lorenzo Baker, of Gro 1. The next voyage made by Capt. Greene was was the ship "Catherine," whose principal owner homas Fitch, who fitted her out for the trip. This ing, age prac self brou

oyage, of which Mr. Fitch never tired of tell- as very successful. It was during this voy- at a monster whale, into which the captain's ed hand had hurled the harpoon, raised him- raight into the air, overturned the boat, and it his gigantic head down upon it with such forc

hat no piece large enough to pick up was ever four. All the men, fortunately, were rescued, by anot r small boat sent out from the ship. ( ot. Greene sailed next in the "George and Mar

owned by Capt. Lyman Allyn, of New Lon- nd after that in the "Neptune," which was

don then the Sandwich Islands, fitting out for the Arc- tic C an. His next voyage was in the "Ockmulgee," own by Abram Osborn, of Martha's Vineyard. He then Swif last. doah She and teen ando the v

ailed from New Bedford, in the "Nassau," & Perry, owners. This vessel was one of the ctims of the Confederate privateer "Shenan- and was the only ship lost by Capt. Greene. iled from New Bedford in December, 1864, June, 1865, was off the coast of Siberia, fif- les east of Cape East. Suddenly the "Shen- appeared upon the scene, and captured all alers in the vicinity, taking the clothing and mone of the crews, and burning the whalers, many of th

1 laden with oil. The sailors were crowded 70 vessels, one of them the "Nile" of New , and carried to San Francisco. Capt. Greene the "Nile," and from San Francisco came y way of Panama. It was such acts of re- s this of the "Shenandoah," the "Alabama," and Alaba

onto Lond was home prisa.

ier Confederate privateers, that led to the a claims. After this adventure Capt. Greene sailedfor the Arctic Ocean from the Sandwich slan in the ship "Jairy Perry," owned by Swift & Pe: , of New Bedford. His next, and last, voy- nge ailin Capt. rush nce ; in the "Trident," Swift & Perry, owners, from the Sandwich Islands. On this voyage freene had a miraculous escape from being by ice-bergs, and the horror of this experi- 1 him to abandon whaling. Nothing could duc houg

him to tempt the Arctic waters again, al- Swift & Perry offered to build him a new

vessel and let him sail on his own terms. He re- turned home from San Francisco by the Union Fa- cific railroad, then newly completed, and remained in New London until his death, May 6, 1898. He had made altogether eighteen voyages, eleven of them as captain, and, with short intervals of rest, had been on the high seas over forty years.

On April 22, 1839, Capt. Greene married Mary Ann Crandall, born May 23, 1821, in New London, daughter of Lewis and Bathsheba (Crandall) Cran- dall. The children of this union were as follows : (I) Orrin, born March 25, 1845, in New London, died Oct. 13, 1890, in New York, unmarried. He was connected with the Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company for a number of years. (2) Alice, born Jan. 5, 1854, in New London, married Herbert L. Crandall, of the same place. (3) Frank Stanton, born Nov. 2, 1862, in New London, married Laura Doane, of that place, and has children, Samuel Stan- ton, Clark Doane and Alice Crandall. He is con- nected with the New London City National Bank. Capt. Greene was independent in politics, voting for the man whom he considered best qualified for the office. A quiet, unostentatious man, he never sought nor cared for office, nor for the activity of public life, preferring the quiet of his own home, to which he was greatly devoted. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of New London, to which he was a liberal contributor.

HON. GEORGE WILLIAMS, in his lifetime prominent in affairs of state, and one of the useful public-spirited citizens of New London, was a son of Edward and Jane (George) Williams, the former one of the Queen's Guards, and was born in Buck- ingham Palace, London, May 25, 1814. The greater part of his life was spent in New London, Conn., and his death occurred there Aug. 10, 1902.

Edward Williams saw service in the battle of Waterloo under Wellington. Two of his brothers, George and John, were also in the Queen's Guard, all three being men of fine physique and over six feet tall. Edward Williams died when his son George was only seven years old, and he left three other children, viz .: Joseph, a sea-faring man who em- barked on a whaling vessel and was heard from again in California ; Thomas, born Dec. 8, 1819; and Jane Ann, who married a Mr. Chandler, of Leaming- ton, England. Thomas Williams settled in New York, on first reaching America, but later went to Meriden, Conn., then to Tarrytown, N. Y., and Westerly, R. I., in all the places following his trade as a baker. He married Miss Frances Sweet, of New Haven, but no children were born to them. Mr. Williams died May 30, 1895, and was buried in Meriden, Connecticut.

George Williams first visited America in 1837, and was so favorably impressed with all that he saw that he determined to make it his permanent abode. He returned to England, however, as he had origi- nally intended, married, and did not come back with

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his wife to make their home here till 1840. They settled first in New York, and remained in that city till 1845, when Mr. Williams removed to New Lon- don, and started anew there, with no capital save his hands and brain. He had learned the baker's trade in England, and for three years after his advent in New London he worked at that as a journeyman. At the end of that time his employer failed and he managed to secure the possession of the remnant of the business. He made a success where his prede- cessors had failed, and as his trade steadily increased Mr. Williams, in 1856, transferred his plant to the corner of Greene and Golden streets, where he made his business headquarters for forty years. When his son, George C., returned from the war he was given an interest in the concern, and the firm was known as G. Williams & Son until a few years ago, when they disposed of their business to John O'Hea.

George Williams married Miss Comfort Byett, who was born in Gloucester, England, July 3, 1804. Mrs. Williams died March 1, 1893. She was the mother of four children, viz. : George Cornelius, born Dec. 8, 1839; Ellen, Sept. 18, 1841 ; Jane A., wife of Joseph Robert Hammond, of New London, who has one daughter, Ellen, married to Henry M. Dunham, a professor of music in the New England Conserva- tory, and organist at Shawmut Church; Josiah Charles, Sept. 1, 1848, who died Dec. 26, 1887.

Mr. Williams never in the slightest degree sought official preferment, but so apparent were his qualifications for political life, as a representative of his fellow citizens, that he was repeatedly chosen for positions of trust and responsibility. For more than twenty years he occupied a seat in the common coun- cil and the aldermen's board. In 1877, 1885, 1886, 1888 and 1889 he was elected to the State Legisla- ture, and during three of these years he was on the committee on Military Affairs, while he also served on the State's Prison committee. In the fall of 1890, although he was opposed by an exceptionally strong candidate, Mr. Williams was chosen mayor of New London ; this office he resigned because of dissatis- faction with some of his party associates in the coun- cil. The fire department is yet another field in which Mr. Williams' ability was displayed; he acted as chief engineer, and also as chairman of the commit- tee on that Department, and it was entirely due to his instrumentality that steam fire engines were in- troduced into New London at the time they were. He belonged to the Veteran Firemen's Association, and served as its president from the time of its or- ganization. Mr. Williams was also chairman of the committee on Police, and prepared many of the rules which now govern the force.

In social organizations also Mr. Williams did his part, and took an active interest in the two fraternal bodies to which he belonged, Union Lodge, F. & A. M., and the Palestine Commandery, of New London. In church work, too, he was prominent, serving for many years as senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church.

It is evident that Mr. Williams' life was an ceptionally busy one, and one with an unusually de connection with the municipal welfare. Time, h ever, dealt gently with him, and not till almost very end of his life did he show the burden off; ninety years. His sturdy physique and strong n tality illustrate forcibly the value of a temperate well spent life. He was a man of strong convicti and was ever faithful to them, while his keen ceaseless interest in the home of his adoption sulted in a constant giving of himself to the pr welfare, a proof of the truest citizenship.

GEORGE CORNELIUS WILLIAMS, eldest son Hon. George, was born in Gloucester, England, was only an infant when his parents came to Ar ica. He was educated in New London, but as was taken out of school when only thirteen, his ( cation was necessarily a limited one. He went his father's bakery to learn the trade, and was 1 there until the war broke out. On July 16, 1861 enlisted in Company F, 14th Conn. V. I., under ( Stone, the second man to enlist in that regim That company was known as the "fighting 14. and as such earned a wide-spread reputation. Williams was detailed as quartermaster's clerk, in 1861 promoted to quartermaster-sergeant. was under fire in all the battles in which the regina was engaged, and an active participant in that Gaines' Mills, where he was given a medal of ho for brilliant service, an honor recommended by i captains. Mr. Williams was one of the bravest r in line, and was offered a commission as second li tenant if he would remain in the regular service. was mustered out July 16, 1864, having never mis a day with his regiment.

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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 34

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