History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 41

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 41

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Arcanum and to the Knights of Columbus, but the major part of his time and atten- tion is given to his duties in connection with the office that has been run by the family since 1887. He is systematic, thorough, prompt and efficient and his work has occa- sioned uniform satisfaction.

WILLIAM FRANCIS POWELL

William Francis Powell, treasurer of the Parkville Coal Company, is not only well known through his commercial activity in Hartford but also by reason of a progressive citizenship that has prompted him to render efficient service to his community as fire commissioner of Hartford. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, December 14, 1876, and is a son of Thomas and Mary Ann (Sutherly) Powell, both of whom were natives of England, where they resided until after their marriage. Almost immediately they bade adieu to friends and home in their native land and came to the new world, settling in Columbus, Ohio, where the father engaged in business as a merchant tailor. Subsequently he removed to New Haven, Connecticut, where he passed away in 1915 and where his widow still resides. They had a family of four children who are yet living: Bessie, now the widow of Dawson E. Beebe, of Los Angeles, California; William Francis; Albert H .; and Thomas E. The last two are business men of New Haven.

The educational advantages of William F. Powell were limited, for he left school and has earned his own living from the age of twelve years. He was with the New York, New Haven & Hartford and also with the Central New England Railway Companies for sixteen years, filling various positions and gradually work- ing his way upward. He was first employed as a water boy with the New Haven Railway and continued to act in various capacities until he had become assistant station master. He was also a conductor on the road and became night agent at the Grand Central station in New York. Further promotion called him to the position of assistant manager of the Central New England Railway Company and shortly fol- lowed the acquirement of the property by the New Haven Road, and as a representa- tive of that corporation he came to Hartford in 1904. He remained in that connec- tion for four years, when he retired from the railway service, in which he had made a splendid record, his excellent achievement being manifest in his continuous advance- ment and increased responsibilities. Subsequently he turned his attention to the wholesale coal business in association with a large coal producing company, enter- ing that employ as a salesman and retiring in 1921 from the responsible position of sales manager for New England. He next engaged in business on his own account as a wholesale and retail dealer in coal, with headquarters at 116 Ann street, and from the outset he has been very successful, building up a business the substantial proportions of which have brought him a very desirable competence. He has also become interested in other business enterprises and is now treasurer of the Con- necticut State Fair Association and a director of the Capitol National Bank & Trust Company.

On the 21st of November, 1899, Mr. Powell was married to Miss Bella Melius, of Kingston, New York, and they have four children: Albert E., Ruth F., Grace M. and Robert H. They occupy an enviable social position and Mrs. Powell presides graciously over their hospitable home. Mr. Powell is a well known and popular member of the Hartford Club, the City Club, the Lions Club, Jobs Sahara Club of Middletown and many other social organizations. He likewise belongs to the State and the Hartford Chambers of Commerce. Fraternally he is a thirty-second degree Mason and his wife is a very active and prominent member of the Eastern Star, of which she was grand matron in 1923. Mr. Powell has been very active in the Mystic Shrine, in which he has held several offices, and he is also identified with numerous other orders based upon the spirit of fraternity and exemplifying in their activities an appreciation for the high standards of manhood and citizenship. In 1926 Mr. Powell was appointed fire commissioner of Hartford and is filling that office at the present time. He may truly be called a self-made man. Whatever he has accom- plished has been the direct outcome of his strong personal qualities and his appreci- ation for the privileges before him. Fidelity to duty has ever been one of the out- standing features in his career and he possesses, too, initiative and keen discern-

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(Photograph by The Blackmore Studio)

WILLIAM F. POWELL

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ment which have enabled him not only to perform the task assigned him but to per- form it in the most efficient manner. He thus gradually won recognition that resulted in promotion and he is today prominent in the commercial circles of Hart- ford, while the story of his life-the story of honest industry and thrift-should well serve to inspire and encourage others.

JAMES M. LINTON

James M. Linton, who for nine years was vice president and advertising manager of the Hartford Times, is well known in journalistic circles not only in the east but also through the middle west. He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, August 16, 1873, and is a son of James M. and Anna (Weir) Linton. He attended the public and high schools of Clinton, Massachusetts, and there was little foreshadowing of what he was to accomplish when he started out to work as an office boy with the Goodyear Shoe Machine Company of Boston, the predecessor of the United Shoe Machinery Company. He won promotion, became clerk and was with that corporation until 1899. In the latter year he became a reporter and solicitor with Bradstreet Com- pany, for whom he traveled through the east, his connection with the firm continuing through a period of eight years. In 1909 he entered the journalistic field by becom- ing an employe of the Trenton Times of Trenton, New Jersey, which he represented as advertising manager through a period of two and one-half years. Chicago became the field of his labor in 1911, when he accepted the position of western manager of the Chicago office of the Kelly-Smith Company, newspaper representatives, and eight years were passed in that city. In 1919 he returned to New England to become vice president and advertising manager of the Hartford Times and continued in this con- nection until February 1, 1928, at which time he and his associates sold the Times to the present owners.

On the 14th of October, 1900, Mr. Linton was married to Miss Bessie Tripp, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who died December 14, 1920. Their children are: Eliza- beth Louise, who was born April 4, 1903; and Robert F., born March 4, 1908. On the 14th of June, 1924, Mr. Linton married Kathleen Ewing, of Enfield, Massachu- setts, and they have one child, Marjorie-Ann, born June 11, 1925.

Mr. Linton belongs to the Hartford Club and that he finds recreation and pleas- ure on the links is indicated in his membership connection with the Hartford Golf Club and the Farmington Country Club. He takes a helpful interest in religious activity, being a member and vestryman of St. John's church, and he is also a director of the Charity Organization Society. He was recently elected president of the Hart- ford Better Business Bureau. He resides in West Hartford and was a member of the first town council of that place, filling the office from 1921 until 1924. During the same period he served on the school board and for one year was its chairman. The cause of education has ever found in him a stalwart champion and in this and other connections he has labored earnestly, effectively and resultantly for the public wel- fare.

SAMUEL RUSSELL MINK

Possessing an analytical, well trained mind and the capacity for sustained effort, Samuel Russell Mink has risen rapidly in a most exacting profession and is well known in legal circles of Bristol owing to his judicial service and his ability as an advocate and counselor. He is a son of Samuel H. and Harriet (Bull) Mink and was born August 28, 1891, in Forestville, Connecticut. There he received his early in- struction and was next a pupil in the public schools of Bristol. In 1913 he completed a course in the academic department of Yale University and in 1915 was awarded the degree of LL. B. by that institution of learning. For four years he was connected with the firm of Kirkham & Cooper, well known lawyers of New Britain, and in 1920 opened an office in Bristol, where he has since followed his profession. He is well versed in the minutiæ of the law and enjoys a large practice, in addition to which he has business interests. It was in January, 1903, that Mr. Mink began his

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career as a public servant, assuming the duties of probate judge, and in 1916 was appointed deputy judge of the police court. In 1917 he was elected judge of that tribunal, over which he presided for two years, meeting every requirement of the office, and from 1919 until 1922 again served as deputy.

On July 7, 1917, Judge Mink married Miss Edith Ramage, a daughter of Samuel M. and Annie (Sloan) Ramage. The children of this union are Samuel R., Jr., who was born April 15, 1919; and Eve, born June 26, 1923.

The Judge is a strong adherent of the republican party and chairman of the fourth voting district. During the World war he served on the draft boards of Bristol and New Britain and devoted much of his time to work of a patriotic nature. He is a member of the Chippanee Country Club, the Bristol Club, and the Yale Club of Hartford, while his fraternal affiliations are with the Masons and the Elks. A young man of earnest purpose and high principles, Judge Mink has won the respect of all with whom he has been associated, and his industry and ability insure his con- tinued progress in his profession.

ARTHUR N. MANROSS

Throughout his life Arthur N. Manross has been identified with manufacturing interests and ably directs the operations of one of the pioneer industries of Forest- ville. He has also found time for civic affairs. He is a member of one of the oldest and most prominent families of the county, his great-great-grandfather in the pater- nal line having been the first selectman of the town of Bristol and a man of much influence in his community. The grandparents of Arthur N. Manross were Elijah and Ellen (Woodruff) Manross. The former became one of the local leaders of the republican party, served in the state legislature and was also a member of the town constabulary.

Frederick N. Manross, the father of Arthur N. Manross, was born in Forestville in 1857 and became well known as a manufacturer of hair springs for watches, de- veloping a large industry. He gave his political allegiance to the republican party and figured conspicuously in public affairs, serving as first selectman at the time Bristol was changed from a borough to a city and afterward became one of its coun- cilmen. For two terms he represented his district in the state legislature and also was vice president of the fish and game commission of Connecticut. In Masonry he attained the thirty-second degree and was connected with the Improved Order of Red Men and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His was a strong and service- able life and in June, 1923, he was called to his final rest. He had married Sylvia E. Smith and they were the parents of two sons, Arthur N. and Robert H.

Arthur N. Manross was born March 27, 1878, in New Haven, Connecticut, and during his infancy was brought to Forestville. He acquired his education in Bristol, completing his high school course in 1896. In January, 1901, he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and worked for a year for the Winton Automobile Company. Returning to Hartford, Connecticut, he aided in designing one of the first automobiles which was equipped with a gasoline engine and sold to the Electric Vehicle Company. Mr. Man- ross' mechanical skill won for him the position of chief engineer and designer of the plant of the Corbin Motor Vehicle Company, a New Britain firm, with which he was connected for eight years. At the end of that time the business was discontinued and in 1911 he returned to Forestville as general manager of F. N. Manross & Sons. After the father's death he took over the business and has since been the president of the company, closely adhering to the high standard of service established by its founder. The plant is completely equipped and under his expert administration the industry is constantly expanding. He is a director of the Bristol Trust Company and vice president of the National Marine Lamp Company.

At Bristol, May 16, 1900, Mr. Manross married Miss Della Tuttle and they have one son, Frederick, who was born in December, 1901, and graduated from West Point in 1923. He is now associated with his father in the business. During the World war Mr. Manross had charge of the local department of registration and performed his duties with characteristic thoroughness and fidelity. A strong republican, he takes a keen interest in politics and from 1912 until 1923 was registrar of voters. He was a councilman for one year and a member of the school committee for

(Photograph by Burrill) ARTHUR N. MANROSS

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eighteen years, working at all times for the best interests of the city. Along fra- ternal lines he is identified with the Masonic order, in which he holds the thirty- second degree, and endeavors to fulfill in his life its beneficent teachings. He belongs to the Bristol Club and is a charter member of the Society of American Automobile Engineers. A student and a worker, Mr. Manross has progressed in his profession and his record reflects credit upon an honored family name.

RAYMOND HARPIN FRENCH

Raymond Harpin French, examiner of abstracts with the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company of Hartford, was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, May 17, 1888, and is a son of William S. and Nellie (Norton) French, who were also born in this state. The father, now in his seventy-fifth year, is with the Waterbury Clock Company.

In the schools of his native city Raymond H. French pursued his early education and afterward took a correspondence course with the Minneapolis (Minn.) Business Institute. Starting out in the business world, he was employed in the paymaster's department by the Benedict & Burnham Company, now a branch of the American Brass Company, with which he remained for five years. In February, 1910, he came to Hartford and has since been in the employ of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insur- ance Company. No higher testimonial of capability and faithfulness could be given than the fact that he has remained with this corporation for eighteen consecutive years.

Mr. French has also figured prominently in the political activities of the city. In 1924 he was elected alderman for the fourth ward by the board to fill out an un- expired term, at which time the board consisted of only twenty members. In April, 1925, he was elected to the office by the people and in 1927 he was reelected for an- other term of two years which will expire in November, 1929. In 1925 what was originally the fourth ward became the twelfth ward of the city. His reelections stand in incontrovertible evidence of his trustworthiness and his loyalty to the duties that devolve upon him. He served on the ordinance committee and as chairman of the claims committee for two years, as a member of the amusement committee for three years, as chairman of the railways committee for one year and as a member of the printing and telephone committee. He was instrumental in securing a new city ambulance in connection with the police department, although this project had been turned down by two former committees after rejection of reports. Alderman French, however, brought the subject back again and the act was passed. This gave the people of Hartford good service and Mr. French deserves much credit for what was accomplished. He was also instrumental in getting the main trunk sewer through the Blue Hills district west of Blue Hills avenue, this being a valuable project, as the trunk line takes care of all sewage in the district. His second proposition was the paving of Blue Hills avenue and the third was the accomplishment of Fire House No. 16 on Blue Hills avenue with an appropriation of one hundred and ten thousand dollars. He had the honor of turning over Keney park to the city, after which a resolution of acceptance was passed, and he has proposed a plan for a north-end subway which will be a pedestrian walk. His activities have thus been far-reaching, practical in character and beneficial in results, and his labors have brought to him the hearty endorsement of many. He has devoted much time and energy to the good of his ward and the city in general and it is the consensus of opinion that he has accomplished more than any other alderman on the board. He was elected chair- man of the Northwest school district in June, 1928.

On the 23rd of August, 1910, Mr. French was married to Miss Clarissa May Painter, of Waterbury, Connecticut, and they have become parents of seven children, Wesley, who died in July, 1916, at the age of four years; Eunice, Ruth, Paul, Jane, John and Betty, five of whom are pupils in the Holcomb school.

Mr. French has a military chapter in his life record inasmuch as he became a member of Company A of the Connecticut State Guard in 1915. He was one of the first men drafted in Hartford after America entered the World war but was excused from service. He was, however, in the State Guard for two and one-half years, Com- pany A being converted to a transportation company for that period. He is a mem-

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ber of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Lafayette Lodge, No. 100, A. F. & A. M., of which he was master in 1923, and he also has membership in Pythagoras Chapter, No. 17, R. A. M .; Wolcott Council, No. 1, R. & S. M .; and Syria Grotto, M. O. V. P. E. R. He likewise has membership in the Republican Club. His has been an active life fraught with substantial results both in business and in his political activity, and the worth of his work is widely acknowledged.

JAMES F. HOLDEN

Among the pioneer citizens of Forestville, none is better known than James F. Holden, who has devoted much of his life to public service and for many years has ably discharged the duties of postmaster. A son of Felix and Jane (Farly) Holden, he was born July 20, 1857, and is a native of Plymouth, Connecticut. When he was a child of two the family moved to Bristol and in its public schools he recieved an education. For four and a half years he worked in the Sessions clock factory, gain- ing valuable experience, and then became associated with the Bristol Brass & Clock Company. His worth was recognized and he was promoted to the position of fore- man, which he held for eleven years. In 1885 he was chosen postmaster of Forest- ville by President Cleveland and at the end of four years tendered his resignation. Reentering the employ of the Bristol Brass Company, Mr. Holden was assigned to duty in the lamp department and was thus engaged for five years. In 1893 he was re- appointed postmaster of Forestville, which was then an office of the fourth class and is now in the second. For thirty-nine years Mr. Holden has been retained in this capacity, establishing a record of public service equaled by few, and in conjunction with the office conducted a store for a considerable period.

On May 15, 1884, Mr. Holden was married in Bristol, Connecticut, to Miss Mar- garet Gilleran, and they became the parents of a son, William C., who was graduated from Yale University, receiving the degree of LL. B. Endowed with a keen intellect, he rose to a high position of prominence in his profession and was chosen to draw up the charter which transformed Bristol from a borough into a city. He was its first city attorney and established an enviable reputation as a public prosecutor. His uncle, Ben Holden, of Hartford, with whom he formed a partnership, also achieved distinction in the profession and was regarded as one of the foremost lawyers of New England. William C. Holden was esteemed and respected by all who knew him and his death on February 19, 1916, was deeply regretted. His father is a stanch demo- crat and was one of the committeemen of the Forestville school district. In all mat- ters of citizenship he is loyal, progressive and public-spirited, and his worth to the community is uniformly conceded.

JAMES LESTER GOODWIN

Among the men whose labors have been vital forces in the material development and substantial upbuilding of Hartford and this section of the state is James Lester Goodwin, who is now president and treasurer of the Whitlock Coil Pipe Company, having its plant at Elmwood, just outside the capital. The greater part of his life has here been passed, his birth date being January 12, 1880. He is a son of Lester H. and Esther (Campbell) Goodwin, the father having for many years been a well known druggist of Hartford, where he died in May, 1904.

After leaving the high school of this city James L. Goodwin enrolled as a Yale student and won his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1902. Following the completion of his course he became a salesman for the American Brass Company of Waterbury, Connecticut, at its branch office in Providence, Rhode Island, and continued to fill that position until 1904, when he came to Hartford and took charge of his father's drug business, which he incorporated under the name of the Goodwin Drug Company. He remained as manager of the enterprise until 1906. It was in that year that Mr. Goodwin became associated with the Whitlock Coil Pipe Company in the automobile department, which has since been discontinued. His association with the corpora- tion has since been maintained, covering a period of twenty-two years. He won suc-

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(Photograph by Bachrach)

JAMES L. GOODWIN

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cessive promotions and with each advancement came added responsibilities, but also enlarged opportunities, and he has never neglected a chance to make legitimate progress. In the course of years he was called to official service and in January, 1925, became president and treasurer of the company, which is today one of the old and important industrial interests of Hartford county, having an extensive and well equipped plant just outside the city at Elmwood, where the lines manufactured include feed water heaters, instantaneous heaters, storage heaters, oil heaters, super heaters and special heat exchangers for heating and cooling all kinds of liquids and gases, air and ammonia receivers, coils and bends of copper, brass, iron and steel pipe and tubing. The foremost architects and engineers of the country in their construction work specify their desire to use the Whitlock products, which are today shipped throughout the length and breadth of the land and which at all times measure up to the highest requirements and the most advanced standards in their particular field. Mr. Goodwin is not only president and a director of this company but is also a director of the Phoenix State Bank & Trust Company, Mechanics Savings Bank and the Standard Fire Insurance Company.

There are few fields of activity which have to do with the social, philanthropic and moral interests of Hartford with which Mr. Goodwin is not closely and helpfully associated. He has always voted with the republican party. He has strong friend- ships in the various clubs with which he is identified and which include the Hartford and Hartford Golf clubs, the Country Club of Farmington, the University Club of New York, the University Club of Hartford, the Graduates Club of New Haven, and the Hartford Community Chest. He is likewise president and one of the directors of the Newington Home for Crippled Children and is a director of the American School for the Deaf in Hartford. Any project which has for its object the ameliora- tion of hard conditions of life for the unfortunate finds in him a champion and a supporter. In scientific fields he is also known through his membership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and in the Manufacturers Association of Hartford County, of which he was president from 1924 until 1926 inclusive. His life work has been so carefully directed that prosperity has attended his efforts in gratifying measure and has given him the opportunity for helpfulness in important service for the public.

NELSON CASE TAINTOR

Life insurance in Hartford finds a worthy representative in Nelson Case Taintor, who is carrying on his operations in an office at 75 Pearl street. He was born in this city February 5, 1887, and is a son of James Ulysses and Isabelle (Spencer) Taintor. The father, who was a native of Colchester, Connecticut, was connected with the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company for a number of years and was later with the Orient Insurance Company as its secretary to the time of his death on April 13, 1907. His widow, who was born in Hartford, is still living in this city at 862 Asylum avenue.

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History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 41

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