History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 36

Author: Burpee, Charles W. (Charles Winslow), b. 1859
Publication date: 1928
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1390

USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III > Part 36

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Walter Hamilton Cowles, son of Lemuel and Esther Cowles, was born at West Avon, Connecticut, December 15, 1803. At a country fair he exhibited a working model of a railroad train which aroused great curiosity. For a time he followed farming and later he and his son Samuel began the manufacture of soap, eventually developing an important industry of that kind. He afterward carried on a real estate business in Hartford. He was one of the founders of the Windsor Avenue Congregational church, of which he served as deacon for many years. On the 10th of July, 1822, he married Azuba Steadman and they reared a family of several children. He passed away February 7, 1888, while his wife died October 22, 1872.

They were the parents of Samuel W. Cowles, who was born in Avon, Hartford , county, Connecticut, November 10, 1826. He was always his father's partner in busi- ness and they held all things in common. He belonged to the Connecticut Historical Society, was one of the founders of the Windsor Avenue Congregational church, a member of St. John's Lodge, A. F. and A. M., the Sons of the American Revolution and an honorary member of Putnam Phalanx. One of his prized possessions was the Peregrine White Bible. On the 31st of December, 1851, he married Harriet Sophia Goodman, who was born in West Hartford, June 20, 1829, a daughter of Childs and Sarah (Porter) Goodman and a descendant of Richard Goodman, who founded the family in America about 1640. He was a builder and contractor and among other structures built the first jail in Hartford. He afterward removed to South Hadley Falls, Massachusetts, where he was captain of a local military company which defended the town. One day when outside the town limits he was ambushed and killed by the Indians. It was his descendant, Harriet S. Goodman, who became the wife of Samuel W. Cowles. She died April 24, 1896, while Mr. Cowles passed away February 14, 1900.

Their son, Walter Goodman Cowles, was but two years of age when his parents removed from Farmington to Hartford, where he has now resided for more than sixty- eight years. He began his education in the public schools of this city, afterward attended the Connecticut Literary Institute at Suffield and then entered Yale for the study of law, being graduated with the class of 1879. He was admitted to the bar in 1878 and again in 1879. For two years thereafter he acted as secretary to J. G. Batterson of the Travelers Insurance Company and in July, 1884, he became actively associated with the company as its attorney, having charge of the investments of that corporation. In May, 1885, he was sent west to look after mortgage interests of the company in Kansas and Colorado and spent nearly ten years in those two states, supervising the Travelers investments and litigated interests of that section. In December, 1894, he returned to the home office in Hartford and organized the liability claim department as the attorney in charge, being made secretary of this department on the 2d of January, 1904. Eight years later, or on the 24th of January, 1912, he was chosen a vice president of the Travelers Insurance Company and thus is occupying an important executive connection with a corporation which he has represented for forty-four years. His work as secretary to Mr. Batterson, his service as attorney and as representative of the company in the West, his work as organizer of the liability claim department all have qualified him for the position which he now fills. His initiative, his powers of organization, his marked enterprise have all figured in notable measure in the development of the business of the company and the expansion of its interests.

On the 9th of June, 1886, Mr. Cowles was married in Cambridge, Illinois, to Miss Nellie Francis, who was there born April 10, 1862, a daughter of Morrison and Mary C. (Moor) Francis. She died October 12, 1905, and of her three children only one is now living, Francis Walter, who was a war aviator. One son, Donald Buford, also an

388

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

aviator, died in the hospital near Liverpool, England, October 2, 1918, while a third son, Richard Goodman, had passed away October 7, 1905. On the 2d of November, 1907, Mr. Cowles was again married, Mrs. Elgitha (Wyckoff) Mills, widow of Hiram R. Mills of Hartford, becoming his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Cowles are members of the Church of the Good Shepherd and they reside at 30 Farmington avenue in Hartford, having also a country place at West Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Always appreciative of the social amenities of life, Mr. Cowles is identified with the Hartford Club, the Farmington Country Club and various other organizations of similar character. He is likewise a member of the Masonic fraternity, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, and is a member of Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs to the Yale Alumni Association and to the Yale Law School Association and to the Casualty Actuarial Society of America and the Casualty and Surety Club of New York. He is a member of the Get-Together Club of Hart- ford, the Institute of Radio Engineers and the American Radio Relay League. All this indicates the nature and breadth of his interests. He is a man of the present- alert, wide-awake, progressive-keeping in touch with the trend of thought and action and of modern-day advancement. This is manifest in all of his relations as well as in his business, and thus it is that Walter Goodman Cowles is not only a notable execu- tive but also one of the most valued citizens of Hartford, his cooperation being accounted an important asset to any organization with which he becomes identified.

FRANK WARREN WHITON

Frank Warren Whiton, an architect practicing successfully as senior partner of the firm of Whiton & McMahon, with offices at 805 Main street, his liberal patronage fully attesting his ability, was born in Hartford, January 31, 1872, and is a descendant in the ninth generation of James and Mary (Beal) Whiton, who settled in Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1646, coming from Hingham, England. His parents were Andrew and Ann Jane (McAllister) Whiton, the former a native of East Hartford and the latter of Westford, Connecticut. The father devoted his active business life to electrical work.

The son, educated in the district and high schools of Hartford, studied architec- ture in the offices of Melvin H. Hapgood, John J. Dwyer, William C. Brocklesby and Isaac A. Allen, Jr., and in 1901 began practicing his profession independently, since which time his course has been marked by consecutive progress. In 1911 he formed a partnership with Major John J. McMahon, under the firm style of Whiton & McMahon, and through the intervening period they have designed numerous resi- dences, schools, churches, armories and commercial and public buildings. On two occasions they were associated with Ralph Adams Cram and Alexander B. Trow- bridge. Some of the buildings designed by Mr. Whiton and his firm are the Pallotti and Andretta bank buildings of Hartford and New Haven; school buildings for the Second North District of East Hartford, the Northeast School District, the Wash- ington School District, the Hartford South School District and Arsenal School District of Hartford; St. James' school of Manchester; St. Augustine's school of Hartford; St. Peter's school of Hartford; the Outdoor school of the city of Hartford; the Ungraded school of the city of Hartford; schools for the town of Windsor and Windsor Locks and the Arsenal School Gymnasium; the Bolton town hall; the fire department machine shop building in Hartford; Engine Company No. 3, Hartford fire department; an addition to the Municipal Hospital and Nursery; the heating plant and laundry building of the Municipal Hospital; the Public Market in the city of Hartford; the bath house in Pope Park; additions to St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport; the State Armory at Willimantic; alterations to the State Armories at New Britain, Bridgeport, Danielson and Hartford; the tannery at Rome, Georgia; and a sub-station of the Hartford Electric Light Company. The firm of Whiton & McMahon has also designed churches for St. Brendan's of New Haven, St. Rose of New Haven, St. John of Bridgeport, St. Paul's of West Haven, St. Bernard's of Sharon, St. Gabriel's of Windsor, St. Mary's of Clinton, St. Thomas of West Hart- ford, St. Monica's of Hartford and St. John's of Middlebury. Messrs. Whiton & McMahon, moreover, have designed convents and rectories for St. Augustine's Rectory of Hartford, St. Bernard's Convent of Rockville, St. James Convent of Manchester

FRANK W. WHITON

391

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

and St. Francis Rectory of Middletown, together with the infirmary building of the Odd Fellows' Home at Groton, Connecticut, and alterations and additions to Christ Church Cathedral, St. Peter's church, St. Augustine's church and St. Justin's church, all of Hartford, and St. Peter's of Danbury. The firm has likewise designed resi- dences for Claire S. Hutchinson, Levi Drake, Howard J. Pratt, J. M. Morse, Harry S. Bond, Mrs. F. W. Davis, Dr. J. H. Standish, J. C. Watt, G. J. Wall, M. F. Owens, L. Schumaker, Mrs. M. L. Fleischer, Foster E. Harvey, Grant U. Kierstead, George L. Risley, Morris Older, William Costello, Miss Alice N. Fowler, F. Duane Rockwell, H. W. Woodford, T. N. Wester, F. W. Bartlett, Arthur F. Crampton and Dr. E. J. Turbert. For a number of years Mr. Whiton was instructor of architectural drawing at Hillyer Institute and he has membership in the New Haven Architectural Club and the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers.

On the 20th of June, 1900, Mr. Whiton was married to Miss Elizabeth Sarah Carter, a daughter of Stephen and Nancy (Lanphere) Carter, the wedding ceremony being performed in Christ church of Hartford by the Rev. L. W. Saltonstall and Rev. J. P. Faucon. They have two sons, the elder being Dr. Stephen Carter Whiton, a graduate of Hartford's district and high schools and of the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri. He married Miss Dorothy Celeste Corder of Shelbina, Mis- souri, and they reside in Hartford, where the Doctor is engaged in practice. The younger son, Warren Carter, is a pupil in the Weaver high school.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Whiton are active members of Christ church, in which he was baptized March 17, 1873, and confirmed June 17, 1892. He became a legal voter in the church in 1893. He was elected to the vestry in 1913, during the rectorship of Dr. James Goodwin, and was elected secretary to the Cathedral Chapter when the parish church became the cathedral of the diocese. He was also elected to member- ship in the chapter and was appointed by Bishop Brewster a member of the executive committee and chairman of the committee on buildings and grounds. He is also a past president of the Laymen's Association and he has taken part in several of the important financial drives and membership campaigns, while in census and pre-war work he took active part, being chairman of his ward organization. His wife is active in organizations at Christ Church Cathedral, being a past president and treas- urer of the Women's Guild.

In fraternal circles Mr. Whiton is prominently known. He joined Connecticut Lodge, No. 93, I. O. O. F., on April 2, 1896, and received his degrees under the guidance of his father, a past grand of the lodge. Mr. Whiton was Noble Grand of his lodge in 1899, which year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the estab- lishment of the lodge, and he served as toastmaster on the occasion of the celebration of its fiftieth anniversary in 1924. He joined Midian Encampment, No. 7, I. O. O. F., September 20, 1899, was elected a trustee of Connecticut Lodge, June 24, 1903, and has served as chairman for the past twenty years. He was elected Associate Cor- porator of the Odd Fellows' Home and became a life corporator by virtue of ten years' service. He was appointed Grand Herald of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut in 1914, serving through the several stations and becoming grand master in May, 1920. The following year he was elected representative to the Sovereign Grand Lodge for a one-year term, was again elected in 1925 for a two-year term, and reelected in 1927. He joined Miriam Rebekah Lodge, No. 18, April 1, 1916, and Portland Canton, P. M., of Portland, Oregon, in 1925. He was elected Supreme Prince of the Ancient, Mystic Order of Samaritans of the United States and Canada at Richmond, Virginia, in 1926, and Supreme Counsellor at Toronto, Ontario, in 1927, having served on the constitution and by-laws committee and as a delegate to the Supreme Body from Korom Sanctorum, No. 195, of Hartford, for several years, being a Past Grand Monarch of Korom. His wife is also associated with him in the Rebekah Lodge and is identified with the auxiliary Masonic organizations, having membership in the Order of the Eastern Star, Order of Amaranth and the White Shrine of Jerusalem. She likewise has membership in the Order of Rainbow Girls. Mr. Whiton's identifica- tion with Masonry dates from 1911, when he joined LaFayette Lodge, No. 100, F. & A. M., and he holds membership in Syria Grotto, M. O. V. P. E. R. He belongs to Pythagoras Chapter, No. 17, R. A. M .; Wolcott Council, No. 1, R. & S. M .; Wash- ington Commandery, No. 1, K. T .; Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection; Hartford Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Cyrus Goodell Chapter, Rose Croix; and Connecticut Consistory, S. P. R. S. He is a Past Patron of Hartford Chapter, No. 64, O. E. S., and secretary and treasurer of the Past Matrons' and Past Patrons' Association, as well as chair-

392

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

man of trustees of the chapter. He is a Past Royal Patron of Floral Court, Order of Amaranth, a member of Vashti Shrine, No. 2, Order of White Shrine of Jerusalem, and a member of the advisory board of the Order of Rainbow Girls.

In matters of civic importance Mr. Whiton is also deeply interested and his cooperation has made for progress along many lines. On the 3d of April, 1905, he was elected to the court of common council in Hartford, serving through reelection for three years, and during that period was helpfully interested in the development of Mount Pleasant cemetery and other city cemeteries, which at that time were under the supervision of an aldermanic and council committee. On the 7th of April, 1908, he was elected alderman for two years, holding the chairmanship of bathhouse and railroads committees. He was also appointed chairman of a special committee on the east side intercepting sewer and the committee on equalization of school taxes by Mayor Hooker. He has served as a member of the republican town committee and as chairman of the third ward committee for twelve years. In 1917 he was elected by the court of common council to membership on the board of education to fill a vacancy caused by the death of James J. Peard and in 1918 was nominated and elected for a three-year term but declined a renomination in 1921. He feels that his professional activities and other interests make full demand upon his time and energies and in the field of his chosen life work he has rendered important service to his fellow townsmen. His name is on the membership rolls of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, the City Club of Hartford, the Kiwanis Club of Hartford, the Putnam Phalanx and the Republican Club of Hartford. He is president of the Whiton Association of America and is architectural examiner for merit badges for Boy Scouts.

WILLIAM SHURTLEFF INGRAHAM

Among the pioneer industries of Bristol none is better known than that of the E. Ingraham Company, clock makers for over a century. Four generations of the family have contributed toward the upbuilding of the business and in its manage- ment William S. Ingraham brings to bear the keen sagacity and executive force which he inherited from his father and grandfather. He was born April 25, 1857, in this city, his parents being Edward and Jane (Beach) Ingraham.

Edward Ingraham was a son of Elias Ingraham, who founded this industry. The latter was born in Marlborough, Connecticut, in 1805 and there learned the trade of cabinetmaking. In 1824 he came to Bristol, which was then known as a clock- making center, and obtained a start by furnishing clock cases under contract to Lawson and Chauncey Ives and later to others. In 1835 Elias Ingraham bought a shop with water privileges and began his independent career as a clock-maker. He remained alone until 1843, when he formed a partnership with his brother Andrew Ingraham and Elisha C. Brewster. They organized the firm of Brewster & In- grahams, which enjoyed a prosperous existence, and in 1848 E. & A. Ingraham acquired control of the business, which they continued until 1855, when their plant was entirely destroyed by fire. It is interesting to note that at this time they had New York connections with Edmund Clarence Stedman, the banker poet, with whom they were associated under the name of Ingrahams & Stedman. In 1857 Elias Ingraham rented a shop and two years later admitted his son Edward to a partner- ship. This relationship was maintained until 1881, when a joint stock company was formed under the name of E. Ingraham and Company, later being changed to The E. Ingraham Company.

Elias Ingraham was a man of many superior qualities, and also of an inventive turn of mind. Seeking a wider market for his clocks, he went to Caracas, Venezuela, as a passenger on a sailing vessel and on the long return voyage whittled out of a block of mahogany, with his jackknife, the design for a clock case which was the original "Sharp Gothic," destined to play so large a part in the history of Yankee clocks. On his return to Bristol, he put his clock on the market and it soon gained popularity. As he did not protect his design by patent, it was extensively copied, and it is believed to have been the best seller of any distinctively American design for clocks previous to the Civil war. It may also be stated that many popular designs for clock cases in use in the United States prior to 1885 were originated by

----

-------

(Photograph by Fleit Studio)

WILLIAM S. INGRAHAM

395

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

Elias Ingraham. A master craftsman, he left the indelible impress of his individu- ality upon his work. His death in 1885 deprived Bristol of one of its foremost citizens. His son Edward Ingraham was also endowed with creative power and conceived and originated the manufacture of the black enameled wood case, which for many years was the standard finish for high grade mantel clocks.

William S. Ingraham acquired his early education in the public schools and later attended Cornell University, being a member of the class of 1878. Prior to this he had become connected with the Ingraham Clock Corporation in March, 1876, and assiduously applied himself to his duties, soon mastering the technicalities of the business, and he has been treasurer and general manager since 1892, formulating well devised plans for the expansion of the industry, which ranks with the largest of the kind in the country. Since the day of Elias Ingraham this company has always been at the front in respect to the excellence of its designs as well as in manufacturing facilities and methods. The firm began the making of standard alarm clocks about 1898; the manufacture of low-priced watches in 1913, and the production of eight-day alarm clocks in 1915. The plant is a model institution and a great asset to Bristol. Governed by time-honored ideals, the finished product of the corporation is the result of years of striving for perfection. Mr. Ingraham is vice president of the Bristol Savings Bank and the North Side Trust Company and in addition represents the American Silver Company and the Bristol Brass Corpora- tion as director and is also a director of the Bristol National Bank and the American Trust Company.

On the 31st of October, 1881, Mr. Ingraham was married in Bristol to Miss Grace Seymour, who died April 24, 1925, and to them were born a daughter and two sons namely: Faith, Edward and Dudley. The sons are now officers of the E. In- graham Company, and a detailed account of their lives is published elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Ingraham was again married June 16, 1928, his second wife being Mrs. Edith (Mather) Tuttle, of Hartford.

MADISON DANA CHAPMAN

Madison Dana Chapman, cashier of the branch office of the Travelers Insurance Company in Hartford, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, February 13, 1891, and is a son of George Edwin and Nellie E. (Hagarty) Chapman, the former a native of Nashua, New Hampshire, while the mother was born near Cork, Ireland. Both are still living and now make their home with their son Madison in Wethersfield. The father early learned the tool maker's and machinist's trades and for a number of years was employed as a tool maker in the United States armory at Springfield, Mas- sachusetts. He was also with the Smith & Wesson Gun Company when that concern had the contract for making guns for Russia.

In the schools of his native city Madison D. Chapman pursued his education and in 1911, when a young man of twenty years, turned his attention to the insurance business by becoming connected with the Herbert E. Huie Agency of Springfield. On the 19th of May, 1913, he became a representative of the Travelers Insurance Com- pany. He passed through the training school and in the fall of 1913 was sent to the branch office at Atlanta, Georgia, where he acted as cashier until May, 1914. At that date he was transferred to the branch office at Rochester, New York, as cashier and later in the same year was assigned to duty as cashier in the branch office at Wor- cester, Massachusetts. On the 1st of April, 1917, he was called to the Hartford branch office as assistant cashier and on the 1st of August of the same year was made cashier, which position he has since filled. When he assumed his duties here it was a comparatively small office but today is one of the largest in the country and his responsibilities have accordingly increased, for the office now serves all the contract agents and brokers in the city of Hartford and vicinity, while the territorial division covers all of Rhode Island with the execption of Providence and also western Massa- chusetts.

On the 26th of May, 1915, Mr. Chapman was married to Miss Fern E. Patterson, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and they have become parents of three children: Shir- ley Eleanor, Janet Elizabeth and Eileen Patterson. The family resides at 115 Church street in Wethersfield and the parents hold membership in the Congregational church

396

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

there. Mr. Chapman is also a member of the Masonic lodge in his native city and of the Wethersfield Country Club. His interests and activities, however, center in his business and his thoroughness and efficiency are characterized by the continuous ad- vance he has made since starting out in the business world.

DON CERVANTES PECK

As a realtor and manufacturer Don Cervantes Peck has strongly influenced Plainville's development and although seventy-eight years of age he remains an active factor in the world's work. The exercise of effort has kept him alert, and a busy, useful life has brought him contentment as well as prosperity. A son of Don E. and Mary J. Peck, he was born January 22, 1849, and is a native of Burlington, Connecticut. There he received his early education and completed his studies in the public schools of Bristol. Entering his father's plant at Whigville, Connecticut, he mastered the details of the wood-turning industry and afterward became a com- mercial traveler. For several years he was thus engaged and in 1903 opened a real estate office in Plainville. The venture proved a success and for fourteen years he conducted the business, doing much to increase the value of property in this locality. In 1917 he began the manufacture of helical and hair springs in partnership with his sons, Donald Kingsley and P. Lester, and in 1920 the business was incorporated, at which time the present style of the Peck Spring Company was adopted. Don C. Peck has since been treasurer and president of the firm, of which P. L. Peck is secretary and general manager, and the rapid growth of the industry is proof of the wisdom and ability of the men who control it. The plant is advantageously located and up-to-date equipment facilitates the work of production.

At Tolland, Massachusetts, Don C. Peck was married January 27, 1870, to Miss Frances Marshall, a daughter of Lester and Nancy (Williams) Marshall. To Mr. and Mrs. Peck were born three children, the eldest of whom, Theona C., is the wife of William J. Harris. The son, Donald Kingsley, married Miss Bertha Cippel and passed away in September, 1925, leaving two children, Kenneth H. and Don Allen. P. Lester married Miss Alice Brown, and they have one child, Donald Burdette.

Mr. Peck is devoted to his grandchildren and in their society he renews his youth. He has witnessed notable changes as the work of progress and improvement has been carried forward in this region, and his conversation is replete with interest- ing reminiscences of the past. His life has been rightly lived and the years have strengthened his position in public esteem.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 36

Author: Burpee, Charles W. (Charles Winslow), b. 1859 Publication date: 1928 Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Number of Pages: 1390

Author: Burpee, Charles W. (Charles Winslow), b. 1859
Publication date: 1928
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1390