History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 7

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 7

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Arthur P. Day completed a course of study in the Hartford high school by gradu- ation with the class of 1886 and four years later received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, while in 1892 the degree of LL. B. was conferred upon him by Yale Law School. Though admitted to the bar, he has never engaged in law practice. He received his initial experience in the business world in the service of the Spencer Turbine Company, with which he continued until 1898, when he became mort- gage loan clerk with the Connecticut Trust & Safe Deposit Company. In 1906 he was made secretary of that institution and in the following year became vice presi- dent and a trustee. With the merger of the Connecticut Trust & Safe Deposit Com- pany and the Hartford Trust Company in 1919 Mr. Day became a vice president of the new institution. On the 31st of December, 1924, he was chosen vice chairman of the board of trustees of the Hartford-Connecticut Trust Company, thus serving until he succeeded the late Meigs H. Whaples as chairman.

The aid and cooperation of Mr. Day have been sought in the successful conduct of various important corporate interests. He is a trustee of the Mechanics Savings Bank and a director of the Aetna (Fire) Insurance Company and the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company. He is a director also in the Donchian Rug Company, E. G. Whittlesey & Company, Inc., Russell Manufacturing Company, Smith-Worth- ington Company, Spencer Turbine Company, Plimpton Manufacturing Company and the Arrow-Hart & Hegeman Manufacturing Company. He is also a trustee and treasurer of the Berkeley Divinity School and a trustee of Donations and Bequests for Church Purposes, of the Hartford Grammar School, Hartford Hospital, Loomis Institute, Wadsworth Athenaeum, Scottish Union Insurance Company and the Con- necticut River Bridge Commission. He is treasurer, moreover, of the Connecticut Historical Society and is vestryman of Trinity church. His appreciation for the social amenities of life is indicated in his membership connection with the Hartford Club, the Hartford Golf Club, the University Club, the Shuttle Meadow Club, the Wam- panoag Club, the Twentieth Century Club, the Monday Evening Club, the Graduates Club of New Haven and the Yale Club of New York, Skull and Bones society and the Greek letter fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon.

On the 24th of September, 1904, Mr. Day was united in marriage to Lucy B. Bunce, of Hartford. They are the parents of three sons: Pomeroy, a graduate of Yale University; Marvin, a Yale student; and Lucien, who is attending school.

WILLIAM S. TODD

William S. Todd was richly endowed with all those qualities which develop character and raise the individual to a high plane among his fellows. Reliable and capable in business, steadfast in his devotion to the advancement of civic standards and loyalty itself to his family and to his church, he commanded to an unusual degree the respect, confidence and warm friendship of those with whom he was brought in contact. He was born in Durham, England, July 15, 1873, and spent the period of his boyhood, youth and early manhood in his native country, there acquiring his education and receiving his initial business training, but when in the twenty-seventh year of his age he decided to try his fortune in America, believing that he might

(Photograph by Blank & Stoller)

ARTHUR P. DAY

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

have better business opportunities in the new world. Hartford became the scene of his activities and through a period of more than a quarter of a century he was associated with the optical department of Brown, Thomson & Company. He devel- oped a high degree of efficiency and scientific skill in his chosen field and for many years was an active member of the American Optometric Association, his high standing being evidenced in the fact that he was elected to the presidency of that association in 1922, while previously, in 1919, he had been commissioned by the organization to act as its representative in Europe, where he spent some time doing preliminary work in connection with the formation of a world-wide optimetric affiliation. The national association made him its chairman of the department of education and he likewise served as president of the International Association of State Boards of Examination in Optometry. For several years he was a member of the Connecticut state board and at all times he kept thoroughly abreast with the latest researches and discoveries having to do with the science of optometry, which he made his life work. He was regarded as the peer of the ablest in this field and he made the department of Brown, Thomson & Company one of the strong paying elements of their business.

Mr. Todd was united in marriage in 1900 to Miss Lucy Irons and they became the parents of a daughter, Margaret D. His devotion to the welfare of his family was one of his outstanding characteristics. His wife was in ill health for some time and his great anxiety over her condition was undoubtedly the immediate cause of his own demise, which occurred very suddenly on the 6th of November, 1927. He was long a consistent and devoted member of the First Methodist church, served on its official board and took active part in many phases of the church work. When he was called to the home beyond his pastor paid a beautiful and fitting tribute to him in the following: "In attempting to say a few appreciative words of our departed friend we would begin by emphasizing his marked devotion as a husband. He was always considerate and chivalrous; but did you ever see more tender and constant devotion than this man has showed for his suffering wife during all these trying months. Over against the matrimonial infelicities and infidelities which so often fill our news columns, giving the impression of the failure of marriage, are many quiet and unselfish love ministries, such as we have seen in this home, which redeem the marriage relation and give us ground for optimism. But now Mr. Todd's long love- watch over his dear wife is ended. And while his going is not without its tinge of tragedy as well as mystery, yet we thank God for the memory and after-glow of his unfailing chivalrous devotion in the family circle.

"And this quality shown in the family circle was but one expression of a quality of heart which Mr. Todd showed outside his home, among all who really knew him. As a single illustration, recall how he used his car. Rarely have you seen Mr. Todd riding alone. Going daily to and from business, he always had some person along with him to whom he was showing a good turn. Almost never would he go directly home from any church gathering, but would take many a detour to carry others first to their homes. If ever there was a consecrated Cadillac it was Mr. Todd's car. And the best of all was that he enjoyed doing all such thoughtful, unselfish things.

"Mr. Todd was a self-made man, and should be rated among that goodly company for which America is noted and who have made America, who have come up from comparative obscurity to recognized positions in their respective callings by dint of hard work, faithful and honest efforts, making the most of their opportunities, and by genuine worth gaining the recognition and admiration of their fellows.

"All these achievements required much time and strength, but Mr. Todd never made this an excuse to relaxing his religious duties. On the contrary, he gave unstintedly of himself and his substance in the service of the church. No man among us has done more, or could be called upon to do more than Mr. Todd. And, over and above all his activity as a church official, and in committee work, no one was more regular at the Sunday church service, morning and evening. As the head usher he was always at his place at the church door with the glad hand which assured a welcome to all who came here for divine worship.

"Most men today have some definite diversions which give them their pleasures and relaxations from business. Mr. Todd did not seem to have any sport to which he was particularly attached. Perhaps it would have been better if he had. In music, however, he found great delight and diversion, also in the radio. But seldom

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

have I seen a man who found so much genuine pleasure in his church and in the practice of the Christian spirit as William S. Todd. Greatly did he feel his indebted- ness to the church; and never did he feel he could do enough to pay that debt. And his Christianity was not confined to church attendance. His Christian friendliness was shown not only in his hospitality as usher at church, but in his interest in the newcomer, in young people away from home, in his quiet inquiry as to their religious life, and in countless kindnesses to all, ever pointing them into the higher and better ways of life. So, let us thank God for the Christianity we have seen incarnated in William S. Todd."

The floral tributes included offerings from the official board of the First Metho- dist church, the Sunday school, the Hipple Bible class of the school, the Oxford Bible class, the Men's Club of the church, the Young People's Society of the church, the Woman's Auxiliary, George A. Gay and Mr. and Mrs. Harry B. Strong of the firm of Brown, Thomson & Company; employes of Mr. Todd in the optical department; employes of Brown, Thomson & Company; state board of examiners in optometry; Hartford County Optometric Association; Hartford County Optometric Society and Hartford Opticians; Connecticut State Optometric Society; the American Optical Company of Hartford; G. M. Smith Optical Company of Boston; Bausch & Lomb Optical Company of Boston; the Harvey & Lewis Company; the Oxford School Association; the Hartford Woman's Christian Temperance Union; the Hartford Young Men's Christian Association; the Hartford Kiwanis Club.

APPLETON ROBBINS HILLYER

It is the province of the historian to pay merited tribute to those who have shaped the history and left their impress upon the development and progress of city and state, and in this connection mention should be made of Appleton Robbins Hillyer, who ranked as one of the outstanding financiers of Hartford and whose broad philanthropy made his life a blessing to mankind. For almost sixty years he was associated with the Aetna National Bank, death severing that connection on the 21st of April, 1915. He had passed the eighty-first milestone on life's journey, for he was born on the 2d of September, 1833, at East Granby, Connecticut, a son of General Charles Tudor and Catharine (Robbins) Hillyer. His father's military title was won by service in the state militia.

Reared in Connecticut, Appleton R. Hillyer spent his entire life within the borders of the state and was a youth of only nineteen years when he established his home in Hartford in 1852 and entered upon a clerkship in the city post office under Ezra Hamil- ton, who was then postmaster. On leaving that position he initiated his career as a banker by becoming a clerk in the State Bank of Hartford. After a brief period he became associated with the Charter Oak Bank, of which his father was then president. His early experience and training constituted a broad foundation upon which to build future success. That he gave demonstration of his capability and powers is indicated in the fact that at their first meeting the directors of the Aetna National Bank, then known as the Aetna Bank, elected Mr. Hillyer to the position of cashier. This was on the 9th of September, 1857, and from that date until his death Mr. Hillyer was closely associated with the work of formulating the policy and directing the activities of this strong financial institution, of which both he and his father had become stock- holders at the organization. Mr. Hillyer retained the cashiership during the presidency of Judge Eliphalet A. Bulkeley, its first chief executive, and of his suc- cessor, Oliver G. Terry. He was also cashier under William R. Cone, who remained as president until March 31, 1887. On that date Mr. Hillyer was elected to the office, which he continuously filled until April 1, 1891, when he resigned. However, he continued as one of the directors of the bank and on the 7th of May, 1897, was again prevailed upon to take office, being made vice president, in which connection he con- tinued until his death. On the 9th of September, 1907, the bank celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its founding and in recognition of Mr. Hillyer's faithful service to the institution he was tendered a reception at the Hartford Club by the most prominent men of the city and state. He was then the oldest banker in Hartford in point of service and had been largely instrumental in placing the Aetna Bank on the roll of honor among the most important financial institutions of Connecticut, being one of the

APPLETON R. HILLYER

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

few banks in the country with a surplus equal to its capital. On this occasion Mr. Hillyer's associates in the bank presented him with a magnificent silver loving cup in token of the high esteem in which he was uniformly held. He did not confine his efforts entirely to the bank, for through many years he served as a director of the Aetna Life Insurance Company and was also on the board of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company. In 1861 he became a trustee for the Society for Savings and in 1871 was made auditor which position he resigned December 22, 1893.

In 1879 Mr. Hillyer was united in marriage to Miss Dotha Bushnell, a daughter of the distinguished divine, Rev. Horace Bushnell, who was pastor of the North Con- gregational church and whom Hartford honored by giving his name to Bushnell Park. He is mentioned at length on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Hillyer became the parents of three children: Mary, Catharine and Lucy.

Mr. Hillyer was a most active and earnest member of the Windsor Avenue Con- gregational church and a most generous contributor thereto. He and his sister, Miss Clara E. Hillyer, gave to the church its parsonage and Miss Hillyer donated the organ to the church, afterward the parish house, and gave twenty-five thousand dollars as a permanent fund, the interest on which was to be used for church music. Hillyer Hall, the large room on the second floor of the parish house, was named in her honor. Mary and Lucy Hillyer, daughters of A. R. Hillyer, gave largely to the equipment of the gymnasium. Another point at which Mr. Hillyer's interest centered was the Young Men's Christian Association. He did much to further the work of the organiza- tion and to give it adequate housing facilities. His activity was prompted by the previous interest of his father, General Hillyer, who gave the site on which the building was erected-a property valued at that time at forty thousand dollars, while toward the erection of the building he contributed an additional fifteen thousand dollars. Appleton R. Hillyer and his sister, Clara E., in memory of their father, General Hillyer, gave to the association an endowment fund of fifty thousand dollars for the establishment of an educational department to be known as the Hillyer Institute, and later this sum was increased by a second fifty thousand dollars through the will of Miss Hillyer. When, early in 1913, the board of trustees of the Young Men's Christian Association decided to inaugurate a campaign to raise three hundred thousand dollars for the erection of a large addition, Mr. Hillyer donated one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of this amount. As soon as the news of his demise was received the flags on the Y. M. C. A. building were placed at halfmast, as was that on the Aetna Life Insurance Company. The association prepared resolutions telling of the loss felt for their benefactor and expressing sincere regret, at the same time attesting the value of his service as a public benefactor and his worth as a man. For many years he had resided at 91 Elm street, his hospitable home being ever open for the reception of his many friends. His generosity was an expression of his kindly feeling toward his fellowmen against whom he never said an unkind word and whom he was every ready to serve in no matter how humble a capacity. Quiet and unassuming, he went his way but with interest responsive to all about him. His keen power of observation added to his enjoyment of nature and from his boyhood to old age he studied and loved the trees and flowers in the country about him. As the age of man is reckoned, he had traveled far on life's journey and his record is one rich in service in a material way, as a business man, in benefactions and exceedingly rich in those substantial qualities of character which brought him the love of all who knew him and which causes his memory to be an inspiration to all who were in any way associated with him.

BERTRAND ARCHER PAGE

Bertrand Archer Page, insurance underwriter, is now vice president of The Travelers Insurance Company and financially interested in other enterprises. He was born in Yalesville, Connecticut, a son of George Washington and Mary Jane (Smith) Page. He has two brothers: DeWitt Page, vice president and director of General Motors Corporation, and Ralph E. Page, retired business man of Hartford.

When he had mastered the elementary branches of learning, Bertrand A. Page continued his education in the Wethersfield Academy and the Hartford high school. In May, 1888, he sought employment with The Travelers Insurance Company and was assigned to work in the ticket department. From then until the present time,

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

covering a period of forty years, he has been with this corporation, which numbers him as one of its valued executives. Industry and thoroughness brought him promo- tion from time to time until in 1894 he was placed in charge of the audit department, and in 1901 was made assistant secretary of the accident department, while in 1904 he became department secretary. For eight years he continued in that position, and in January, 1912, at the age of thirty-eight, was elected to a vice presidency in a corporation which has contributed much toward making Hartford the insurance center of the country.

For years he traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada in the interests of The Travelers and was probably better known in insurance circles throughout the country than in his adopted city. He is a director of The Travelers Bank and Trust Company. His judgment is regarded as most sound by his colleagues and contemporaries in insurance circles.

On the 27th of October, 1898, Mr. Page was united in marriage to Miss Cecile Somerset Whitney, a daughter of George and Mary Jane (Jones) Whitney, of Ham- ilton, Bermuda, and Snow Hill, Maryland. Their two children are: Nelson Whitney, born October 9, 1899, and Janet Hotchkiss, June 14, 1908.

The activities of Mr. Page have been devoted almost exclusively to the interests of the business in which he is engaged. He has had little time for outside affairs. He is a member of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church and the Connecticut His- torical Society, also a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society of America. He is a member of the Farmington Country Club, the Hartford Club, the Hartford Golf Club, and the Wampanoag Country Club. He is a republican in politics.

JOHN RANSOM BUCK

High on the roll of eminent lawyers whose records have reflected credit and honor upon the history of the Hartford bar appears the name of John Ransom Buck, who as lawyer and lawmaker rendered valuable service to his community and to the commonwealth. His entire record was in keeping with that of his ancestors, who from an early period in colonial times fully upheld their part in shaping the develop- ment and promoting the progress of Connecticut. One of his ancestors, John Hollis- ter, was the first settler of Glastonbury, while another, Lieutenant John Hollister, probably coming from Weymouth, England, reached the new world about 1642, was admitted a freeman at the general court in Boston, May 10, 1643, and early became a resident of Wethersfield, Connecticut, which he represented in the general court in 1644, 1654 and 1656. He was a member of the militia and died in 1665. His wife was Joanna Treat, daughter of Richard and Joanna Treat, early settlers of Wethers- field. John Hollister, son of John and Joanna Hollister, was born about 1644, prob- ably in Wethersfield, and was a prominent resident there until his death, November 24, 1711. On the 20th of November, 1667, he married Sarah Goodrich, born in Weth- ersfield, August 8, 1649, and their second son was Thomas Hollister, who was born in Wethersfield, January 4, 1672, and spent much of his life in Glastonbury as a weaver and as deacon of his church. He married Dorothy Hills, daughter of Joseph Hills, of Glastonbury. She was born in 1677 and died October 5, 1741, while her husband, Thomas Hollister, survived her only seven days. Their fourth son, who also bore the name of Thomas, was born January 13, 1707, in Glastonbury, and settled on a farm in Eastbury parish of that town, where he died September 17, 1784. His wife, Abigail Talcott, whom he married January 1, 1734, was born in Glastonbury in 1717 and died March 31, 1812. Their eldest son, again named Thomas Hollister, was born September 23, 1738, in Eastbury, where he followed farming and died January 27, 1813. He was married February 19, 1767, to Jemima Goodrich, who was born in Glastonbury, September 16, 1741, and their second daughter, Lucretia Hol- lister, born about 1772, became the wife of Benoni Buck, who was born between 1768 and 1770, a descendant of the Buck family that for generations had lived in Wethers- field. The second son of Benoni and Lucretia (Hollister) Buck was Halsey Buck, born in East Glastonbury, August 28, 1793. He followed farming and was married September 15, 1814, to Sarah Ann Wood, daughter of Alexander Wood.

This worthy couple were the parents of John Ranson Buck, born in Glastonbury, December 6, 1835. His youthful experiences were those of the farm-bred boy and

(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

under the direction of his mother, a lady of intelligence and broad culture, he devel- oped a taste for good reading that made him early acquainted with the best in litera- ture and in history. His preliminary studies were supplemented by a course in the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and by a year's study in the Wes- leyan University, which in 1877 conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. He early turned his attention to teaching, becoming principal of the graded schools at East Haddam and later teaching in high schools and academies, but his desire to become a member of the bar led him to take up the study of law in 1859 in the office of Wells & Strong, of Hartford, the members of that firm directing his reading until his admission to practice in the Connecticut courts in 1862. He afterwards formed a partnership with Hon. Julius L. Strong, one of his former preceptors and member of congress from the Hartford district. The firm of Strong & Buck held prominent place at the Hartford bar until the death of the senior partner September 7, 1872, after which Mr. Buck practiced alone until April 1, 1883, when he was joined by Arthur F. Eggleston, then states attorney for Hartford county, under the style of Buck & Eggleston. They were soon accorded a large clientele that brought them much corporation law work and the partnership was maintained until Mr. Eggleston retired from active business July 1, 1908. During the period of the Spanish-American war Mr. Buck was legal adviser to Governor Lorrin A. Cooke. On July 1, 1908, he was joined in practice by his son, John Halsey Buck, under the firm style of Buck & Buck, and their name is found in the records of many of the notable cases tried in the courts that convene in the capital city. Long did John Ransom Buck occupy an honored and exalted position at the Hartford bar and he also became associated with many financial activities in this city, serving as a director of the State Bank and Trust Company, the Hartford County Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the National Fire Insurance Company of Hartford.

Aside from his prominent association with law practice Mr. Buck became widely known through his legislative service. He was always a stalwart republican and in 1864 was appointed assistant clerk of the house of representatives and became a clerk thereof in 1865. The following year he was elected clerk of the state senate and thus he became familiar with legislative procedure-a knowledge that stood him in good stead in later years. In 1868 he filled the office of president of the Hartford Court of Common Council and from 1871 until 1873 was city attorney, while from 1863 until 1881 he was the able treasurer of Hartford county. Still higher honors awaited him, however, and in 1879 he was elected to the state senate, wherein he gave most thoughtful and earnest consideration to the vital questions which came up for settlement and did much important committee work, acting as chairman of the corporations committee and of the committee on constitutional amendments. He reported the 'amendment providing for the appointment of judges to the supreme court of errors, and of the superior court by the general assembly upon nomination by the governor. This amendment was adopted largely as a result of Mr. Buck's untiring efforts. He conducted the hearings before the committee of the general assembly of 1869 that reported in favor of establishing the court of common pleas in Hartford and New Haven counties. This report was adopted and the court established, and no one was more active in securing the passage of this measure than Mr. Buck. He was also largely instrumental in securing the passage, in 1880, of the joint stock law, and was chairman of the committee on corporations that had this measure in charge. He was indefatigable in his efforts on behalf of the law that was passed making Hartford the sole capital of the state, and providing for the construction of the new state house. That Mr. Buck made an equally credit- able record in congress is shown by the fact that his election of 1880 was followed by reelection in 1884 and thus he aided in shaping the national policy, serving on the committees on Indian affairs, on revision of laws and on naval affairs. While he did not again hold public office after the conclusion of his service in congress, he never ceased to feel the deepest interest in the vital problems and issues of the day and kept abreast with the best thinking men of the age. The community welfare also was a matter of vital interest and the cause of education never found a more stalwart friend than Mr. Buck, who for many years was a trustee of the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and for several years a member of the Hartford board of education.

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History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 7

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