History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 49

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 49

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On the approach of the World war he studied the subject of the state's resources and on his initiative and largely under his guidance, the war census was taken by volunteer workers, showing in detail the resources in soldiery, in finance, in indus-

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trials, in medicine and nursing and in capacity for material of every sort, a model which later by adopted by other states and the federal government. The results are preserved in the State Library, a monument to Connecticut thoroughness. He also was member of the State Council of Defense and manager of the supply division of the Emergency Fleet Corporation.

As senior of the living descendants of James Goodwin, he does his part in main- taining their traditional interest in various organizations, public and private. He is president and trustee of the State Savings Bank, and director in the Aetna Insur- ance Company, the Phoenix State Bank and Trust Company, the Holyoke Water Power Company and the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company. In the church he is a member of the chapter of Christ Church Cathedral, chairman of the Metropolitan District Commission, a trustee of the Bishop's Fund. He also is a trustee of the Colt bequest. His familiarity with the history and public value of the Wadsworth Atheneum and its associated institutions has fitted him for trustee- ship in the Atheneum, the Watkinson Library and the Hartford Public Library, and he holds the responsible position of president of the Atheneum on this eve of the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of the town when there is still keener appreciation of what these institutions mean for Hartford and the state and when another epoch for them is developing. With this he is chairman of the recently established Metropolitan District Commission, upon which devolves grave duties in shaping the history of a widening community.

Mr. Goodwin married, on June 29, 1912, Ruth, daughter of Colonel Frank W. Cheney of South Manchester. They have five children. His chief pleasure diversion is yachting. He is a member of Eastern Yacht Club and the Beverly Yacht Club of Marion, Massachusetts, and has served as commodore of the Hartford Yacht Club. He is one of the promoters of the Dauntless Yacht Club with its historic clubhouse at Essex, which takes its name from the famous yacht of Caldwell Colt, and at Essex, in spare moments, he is interested in the fashioning and building of swift and grace- ful craft. Other clubs and societies of which he is a member are the Hartford Club, the Harvard Club of Connecticut, the Republican Club, the Twilight Club, the New England Society of New York, the Society of Colonial Wars, the National Council of the National Economic League, the University Club of New York and the Graduates Club of New Haven.

CHARLES HUMPHREY BISSELL

A history of Southington would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there fail- ure to make reference to the history of Charles Humphrey Bissell, who for many years was actively and prominently connected with its mercantile interests and who, more- over, was widely known in the realms of science as a botanist and for his contribution to botanical literature. Connecticut has ever been proud to number him among her native sons, he having been born at East Windsor in 1857. He completed his preliminary education by a high school course in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and after- ward attended the Massachusetts Agricultural College, subsequent to which time he came to Southington, establishing his home here in 1886. In that year he opened a dry goods store and in 1888 he removed his business to the corner of Main and Center streets, where he purchased a lot and continued in the dry goods trade for many years, building up a business of substantial proportions. In addition to his other interests he organized the Southington Building & Loan Association, of which he became manager, so continuing until his demise.

On the 12th of September, 1882, Mr. Bissell was united in marriage to Miss Eva V. Matoon of Massachusetts. In community affairs Mr. Bissell was ever deeply, actively and helpfully interested. He became commander of Trumbull Camp of the Sons of Veterans at Southington upon its organization and he also served at one time as commander of the Connecticut Division of the Sons of Veterans. He was likewise junior vice-commander-in-chief of the national organization and was a most prominent and well known representative of that order.

Keenly interested in botany, he devoted much time to the study of plants and found great pleasure in pursuing that quest. He was elected to the presidency of the Connecticut Botanical Society and he prepared for publication the "Flora of Con-

(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

CHARLES H. BISSELL

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necticut," which was published by the state as "Bulletin 14 of the Connecticut Natural History Survey." For three years he occupied the presidency of the American Fern Society and he also held membership in the New England Botanical Club and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was likewise connected with a number of other scientific societies and he derived the keenest joy from the acquisition of knowledge, particularly as related to botanical subjects. Mr. Bissell was connected with the Southington public library, of which he served as a director for fifteen years, and he also held various town and borough offices. For two terms he represented Southington in the general assembly and gave thoughtful and earnest consideration to all the questions which came up for settlement, lending earnest support to any measure which he believed to be of vital moment to the community or the common- wealth. He was conscientious in the performance of every duty, loyal to every trust, faithful to every friendship, and he left behind him a memory that is cherished in the hearts of all who knew him and remains as a benediction and an inspiration to those with whom he was associated in the active affairs of life.

HERBERT KNOX SMITH

Herbert Knox Smith, whose identification with various corporate interests and with the bar has made him a contributing factor to the steady development and progress of Connecticut and who has figured in connection with the political and military history of the state, is now general counsel, secretary and treasurer and one of the directors of the Hartford Empire Company. His plans are ever well defined and promptly executed and his broad vision has enabled him to recognize opportunities which have been at once beneficial to himseif and to the community at large. A native of Massachusetts, he was born at Chester, November 17, 1869, and is a son of Rev. Alfred and Melissa (Knox) Smith, who in 1874 removed with their family to Farmington, Connecticut, where the father was pastor of the Congrega- tional church until 1888. He was a graduate of Yale of the class of 1856 and for a number of years was a member of the Yale Corporation.

In 1886 and 1887 Herbert K. Smith pursued a college preparatory course in Law- renceville, New Jersey, and in the fall of the latter year matriculated in the Yale academic department, from which he was graduated with the class of 1891. He afterward devoted two years to postgraduate work and in 1893 he entered the Yale Law School, from which he was graduated in 1895, becoming a member of the Hart- ford county bar in July, 1895, his family having previously become residents of the Capitol City. He entered upon the practice of law in the office of H. R. Mills and from the outset of his career not only closely applied himself to his professional duties but also took a deep interest in political affairs and from 1900 until 1902 acted as chairman of the republican committee of the sixth ward. In 1903-1904 he was chairman of the republican town committee of Hartford and in the former year was called upon to represent Hartford in the lower house of the general assembly. In July, 1903, President Roosevelt appointed him deputy commissioner of corporations at Washington and in 1907 he became commissioner of corporations, holding that position until July, 1912, when he resigned from the government service to support Colonel Roosevelt, then the presidential candidate in the progressive campaign. Mr. Smith became the progressive candidate for governor in 1912 and for senator in 1916. In the latter year he became probate judge at Farmington, serving on the bench until 1918, when he resigned to become a major in the army, receiving his appointment in September. He was in command of the Port Storage at Philadelphia until the signing of the armistice and was honorably discharged from the govern- ment's service July 30, 1919.

It was in August of the same year that Mr. Smith entered into active connection with the Hartford-Fairmont Company, later the Hartford-Empire Company, as gen- eral counsel at Hartford. This association has since been maintained and he is now not only general counsel but also secretary and treasurer of the company and likewise one of its directors. He is also director and vice president of the Farmington Savings Bank, vice president and director of the Hartford Special Machinery Company, director of the Guernsey-Westbrook Company and the Smith-Pearsall Company, all of Hartford. His knowledge of law, his broad experience in the various walks of life

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and his executive ability all serve to render him a capable official of these various organizations.

On September 29, 1908, Mr. Smith married Miss Gertrude E. Dietrich, of Hastings, Nebraska, whose father, Charles H. Dietrich, was United States senator from that state. Mr. and Mrs. Smith reside in Farmington and he is a member of the Country Club there, also of the Hartford Golf Club, the University Club of Hartford, the Yale Club of New York and the Metropolitan Club of Washington. His activity in the political field and in business circles has brought him a wide acquaintance and by reason of his efficiency and capability he is favorably known, public opinion classing him with the representative and honored residents of Hartford.

CARLOS SANFORD HOLCOMB

Carlos Sanford Holcomb, a World War veteran and an attorney at law of Hart- ford, where he has practiced since 1920, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, August 14, 1889, a son of Walter and Edith A. (Sanford) Holcomb, of that city. The father, too, is a member of the legal profession and was practicing in St. Paul at the time of the birth of his son Carlos but shortly afterward came to Connecticut, settling at Tor- rington, where he has since followed his profession and is now filling the office of states attorney.

Carlos S. Holcomb pursued his early education in the public and high schools of Torrington, while later he enrolled as a pupil in the Taft School of Watertown, Con- necticut, from which he was graduated in 1908. His collegiate course was pursued in Yale University and in Trinity College, which conferred upon him the Bachelor of Science degree at his graduation with the class of 1912. He next attended the Har- vard Law School and the Suffolk Law School and gained his LL. B. degree in 1917, being admitted to the bar the same year. Immediately afterward he began practice in Torrington in association with his father and so continued until April 15, 1918, when he enlisted in the ordnance department of the United States army and was commissioned a second lieutenant August 15, 1918, being stationed at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, until honorably discharged on the 18th of December of that year.

When mustered out of the service Mr. Holcomb returned to Torrington and resumed practice with his father. Through the intervening period, covering a decade, he has continued in the active work of his profession. On the 1st of July, 1920, he was appointed assistant tax commissioner, occupying the office until August 1, 1925, when he resigned in order to devote his entire attention to his duties as an attorney. He is a member of the University Club and of the Alpha Chi Rho, a college fraternity, and also belongs to the Masonic order. In politics he is a republican. He has mem- bership in both the Hartford County Bar Association and the Litchfield County Bar Association.

CHARLES McLEAN SMITH

Charles McLean Smith, born in Hartford, July 6, 1886, died at Bazoilles-sur- Meuse (Vosges), France, October 4, 1918, giving his life for his country in a cause for which the representative young manhood of America enlisted. His remains rest today in the cemetery at Wethersfield where have been interred so many of his ancestors, who were among the earliest settlers of the town. His paternal grand- parents were George and Lucy Robbins (Griswold) Smith and his father was Frank George Smith, mentioned elsewhere in this work. His mother is a daughter of Wil- liam and Mary (Eaton) Cutler and a descendant of Captain Seth Pierce, who served in the Revolutionary war, whereby she has membership in Ruth Wyllys Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Charles McLean Smith was graduated at the age of twelve from the South school and was a youth of but sixteen when he completed a course in the Hartford high school. In 1904 he entered Yale University, from which he was graduated in 1908, and then devoted two years to study in the Massachusetts School of Technology. He initiated his business career July 1, 1910, by entering an engineering office of the

(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

CARLOS S. HOLCOMB

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HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

General Electric Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and later he became associated with his father in the insurance business under the style of Frank G. Smith & Son. He held membership in the First Church of Christ in Hartford, the University Club, the Wethersfield Country Club and the Alpha Sigma Phi of Yale.

His military experience began when he became a member of Company C of the First Regiment of the Connecticut State Guard, from which he was honorably dis- charged on the 27th of February, 1918, when he entered the federal service as a soldier of the World war. He was first stationed at Camp Devens, Ayers, Massa- chusetts. In March, 1918, he was transferred to the Headquarters Company of the Heavy Field Artillery, Camp Upton, Yaphank, Long Island. A few days later he was transferred to Company G, Three Hundred and Eighth Infantry, Seventy-seventh Division, and with that regiment sailed for France from Hoboken, New Jersey, April 6, 1918. After numerous weeks of active service at the front, participating in the engagements in the Oise-Aisne, and Meuse-Argonne defensive sector, Sep- tember 29, 1918, during the last drive in the Argonne Forest, he received a gunshot wound in the middle of his right thigh and was slightly gassed. It was when this engagement was over that General Pershing went to the headquarters of the men in the German dugouts and told the commanding officer that the Seventy-seventh Division had earned the gratitude and appreciation of the whole American army ;- the Three Hundred and Eighth will be immortal for the stand made by its troops. He was first taken to Red Cross Hospital No. 110, and on the 30th of September was removed to Base Hospital No. 116, Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, where he died October 4, 1918, from the wound received in action. On Sunday afternoon he was given a military funeral, the services being conducted by the chaplain, Dr. Edward Arthur Dodd, of St. John's Episcopal Parish, Staten Island. The burial was in the nearby military cemetery, just beyond the little village outside which the hospital was located. On May 31, 1921, his remains were brought back to this country, funeral services were held at 1:30 at his home-27 Concord street, West Hartford, Connecti- cut, and conducted by the Rev. Dr. Rockwell Harmon Potter, of the First Church of Christ in Hartford, Connecticut. The Tempo quartet sang. He now rests with his ancestors in the cemetery at Wethersfield, Connecticut.

Among the five hundred members of the University Club of Hartford, one hun- dred and sixty-five saw service and eight made the supreme sacrifice, of which Charles McLean Smith was the first, and he was the only member of the Yale class of 1908 who died in France. At a dinner held by his class in 1919, a silent standing toast was drunk in his memory and on that occasion his classmates bore fitting testimony of his worth. One said: "Always a quiet, unassuming fellow, he was 'on the job' when the time came, and his death in the country's service has put his name on our class record in undying colors. Brave, thoughtful and considerate, he met with cheerful devotion the fullest tests of service." Another voiced this sentiment: "Charles was a boy of reserve in nature, quiet in ways, but of sterling worth, much admired by all of us, whose smile will be missed greatly at our reunions, and whose life will be a constant inspiration to those of us who knew him and loved him. He made the supreme sacrifice for God, for Country and for Yale."

The United States government gave to his family a medal for his service in Oise-Aisne and in the Meuse-Argonne defensive sector. His parents on May 22, 1922, presented to the Hayes-Velhage Post, No. 96, of the town of West Hartford, the government flag that accompanied his remains from Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, Vosges, France, to their last resting place.

The certificate from the war department bears this inscription: "Charles McLean Smith, Co. G, 308th Inf. Served with Honor in the World War and Died in the Service of his Country." (Signed) Woodrow Wilson.

From the department of war records in the State Library we copy the follow- ing: "This certifies that Charles McLean Smith served with the United States Forces in the World War and that his loyal services are acknowledged and will ever be held in grateful remembrance by the State of Connecticut." (Signed) Marcus H. Holcomb, Governor, George S. Godard, Chairman Dept. of War Records.

The certificate from the United States Army bears this inscription: "In Memory of Charles M. Smith, Co. G, 308th Inf. who died October 4, 1918. He bravely laid ' down his life for the cause of his country. His name will ever remain fresh in the hearts of his friends and comrades. The records of his Honorable Service will be

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preserved in the archives of the AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES." (Signed) John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief.

The Memorial Certificate from France is inscribed: "To the Memory of CHARLES M. SMITH, Co. G, 308th Infantry of the United States of America, who died for Liberty during the Great War, The Homage of France, The President of the Republic, R. Poincare. For those who devoutly died for their country it is right that the people come and pray at their tombs."

His name appears on seven tablets-that of the Hartford public high school, of the First Church of Christ in Hartford, on the marble memorial at Yale University, on the stone memorial in the main lobby of the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology, on the bronze tablet of the Travelers Insurance Company and on a bronze tablet in the Wethersfield cemetery, which in addition to name and military record bears the words: "He sought not glory but his country's good." In his honor a Memorial Tree, No. 173, was planted at Colts Park, Hartford, on which is the follow- ing inscription: "The American Legion Honors The Memory of Charles McLean Smith, Pvt. Co. G, 308th Inf., 77 Division. Wounded at Binarville, Sept. 27, 1918. Died Oct. 4, 1918. 173."

Thus is perpetuated the memory of one who gave his life for the high principles for which the World war was fought, but not on bronze or stone but upon the hearts of those who knew him is his name most deeply inscribed.

JAMES EDWARD BRESLIN

A notable military record, together with excellent service rendered to the public as a member of the bar, well entitles James Edward Breslin to mention in the history of Hartford county. While yet a young man, he occupies a high place in public regard. He was born in Boston, August 23, 1895, his parents being John J. and Sarah Ann (Elliott) Breslin, who were residents of that city, but both have passed away. Having obtained his preliminary education in the public and high schools of Malden, Massachusetts, he next entered the Phillips Exeter Academy at Exeter, New Hampshire, and later was graduated from Trinity College at Hartford, which conferred upon him the Bachelor of Science degree in 1920. His desire to become a member of the bar led him to enter the Yale Law School, from which he was grad- uated in 1923 with the LL. B. degree. The same year he was admitted to practice, which he at once began in Hartford, where he has since continued. The passing years have chronicled his continued progress. He realized from the beginning that success depends largely upon thorough and careful preparation of cases, as well as of clear and cogent presentation of a cause before the courts, and, moreover, he has always shown the utmost loyalty to the interests of his clients.

Mr. Breslin's military record alone would entitle him to mention among the honored and valued residents of Hartford. In May, 1917, he enlisted in the United States army and in August of that year was commissioned a second lieutenant at Plattsburg, New York, after which he was stationed at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, and from there was sent overseas with the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Infantry of the Forty-second Division, remaining on foreign soil for nineteen months. While with the army of occupation on the Rhine in Germany in March, 1919, he was pro- moted to the rank of first lieutenant. He rendered important service in the front line and was twice wounded in action in France-once in Chateau Thierry, where the American forces first proved their great strength and valor in independent action, and again in the Argonne. Something of the nature of his service is indicated in the fact that he was accorded the Distinguished Service Cross by the United States and was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by France, receiving the Croix de Guerre with palms. His connection therewith came as a result of the action in which he, with only fifteen men left, was suddenly attacked during an advance by a large force of Germans in the Champagne sector in July, 1918. Undaunted, he cut through the German line, and cleaned out the machine gun nests that had been holding up the advance. Not satisfied, he captured fifty prisoners and brought them back to the American lines. He reported to his major the way the German lines were consolidated and because of this information, the advance was continued. Lieutenant Breslin and Colonel J. L. Howard, vice president of the Travelers Insurance Company, are the

(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

JAMES E. BRESLIN

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only men in Hartford to whom the cross of the Legion of Honor was awarded. Lieutenant Breslin maintains pleasant relations with his army comrades through his membership in the American Legion, of which he is a past commander, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and La Societe des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux. He was appointed on a committee for the erection of a World war memorial for Hartford. He also has membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Colum- bus, while his fraternity connection is with the Delta Kappa Epsilon and he likewise belongs to the Hartford County Bar Association. In his political views he has always been a republican. His service as clerk of the Hartford city police court dates from 1923 and he is regarded as a very popular and able young attorney whose past record is a foreshadowing of future progress and greatness.

FRED GILBERT BLAKESLEE

Fred Gilbert Blakeslee, of 53 Bretton road, West Hartford, Connecticut, is a descendant of Henry Wolcott, who settled in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1636, and of Lieutenant Walter Fyler, whose house is now occupied by the Windsor Historical Society. Born June 17, 1868, at Hartford, he is a son of Captain Henry E. Blakeslee, 76th Regiment, U. S. C. I., and of Helen E. Butler Blakeslee. He obtained a public school education and has been with the Aetna Insurance Company since 1888. He served nine years in the Connecticut National Guard (sergeant-major 1st Infantry), five years in Governor's Foot Guard (post quartermaster-sergeant) and two years as captain on staff of Governor's Horse Guards. He is past captain of Camp No. 6, Sons of Union Civil War Veterans. For fifteen years he was military instructor of the West Middle school district of Hartford. He served in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American war. He has made a study of the history of fencing and the development of the sword, and is an authority on army uniforms of all countries and the dress of soldiers of the past. He is the author of "Sword-Play for Actors" and "Army Uniforms of the World," and of signed articles on fencing, the sword, and military insignia of rank in the "Encyclopedia Americana." He is a mem- ber of Armor and Arms Clubs (New York), Authors' Club (London), Spanish War Veterans, Sons of the American Revolution and Sons of Union Civil War Veterans. His recreation is found in reading, the theatre and travel.

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History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 49

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