History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 75

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 75

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VALERIAN F. CIESZYNSKI

Forceful, resourceful and capable, Valerian F. Cieszynski is successfully man- aging one of the large furniture establishments of New Britain and worthily follows in the business footsteps of his father. He was born in this city in 1901 and is a son of Antoni and Frances Cieszynski, natives of Poland. The father came to the United States in 1889 and in 1893 the mother joined him in New Britain, Connecticut. In 1903 he became a furniture dealer, opening a store on Lafayette street, and soon made his influence felt in local trade circles. Through honest dealing and judicious management he built up one of the large mercantile institutions of the city and is still the executive head of the business although not active in its conduct. He formed the Polish Loan & Investment Association and was one of the organizers of the Commercial Trust Company, being a director of both. In politics he is a strong republican and has long been an outstanding figure in municipal affairs. For a num- ber of years he was a councilman, also becoming a justice of the peace, and is now a member of the city planning commission. He has never used politics as a means of personal aggrandizement and has been faithful to every trust reposed in him. In reli- gious faith he is a Catholic, being a communicant of Holy Cross church, and is con- nected with the Knights of Columbus and the Polish Business Men's Association. His interest in the public welfare has been manifest in tangible efforts for the general good and his influence upon the life of his community has been of the highest order. To Mr. and Mrs. Cieszynski were born nine children: Wanda, Alexandra, Henry, Valerian F., Helen, Jean, Joseph, Emily and Donald.

Valerian F. Cieszynski attended parochial and public schools of New Britain and was graduated from the Metropolitan Business College, completing a course in accountancy. In 1919 he became a bookkeeper in his father's store and also took charge of the buying. In association with his brother Joseph, he conducts the estab- lishment, discharging the duties of general manager, and has virtually grown up in the business, which is now located at No. 515 Main street in an imposing building five stories in height. This is a store for all the people, distinguished by its friendly atmosphere and courteous service as well as the quality of its merchandise, and a large and constantly increasing patronage is proof of the confidence reposed in the firm.

Valerian F. Cieszynski gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is a devout member of Holy Cross church. He is treasurer of the P. K. Association of Boston and is also connected with the American Furniture Syndicate, the Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce. In business affairs he manifests administrative power and keen discernment and in matters of citizenship he is loyal and public- spirited. Mr. Cieszynski is a young man of earnest purpose and marked enterprise, actuated at all times by worthy motives, and is highly esteemed in the city in which his life has been spent.

DANIEL JOHNSON GLAZIER

The outstanding insurance corporations of Connecticut have been upbuilded through the activities of a personnel thoroughly acquainted with the business and forceful in directing their efforts along lines which make for progress and advancement. In this connection mention should be accorded Daniel. Johnson Glazier, the financial vice president of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, with which he has been connected for more than a third of a century. He was born in this city January 20, 1865, and is a son of Isaac and Clara Safford (Mather) Glazier, the former a native of Willing- ton, Connecticut, the latter of Suffield, this state. For some years the father was a prominent dealer in oil paintings, his art store being located where the Hartford- Connecticut Trust Company building now stands.

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The Glazier family is of English origin and was established on American soil at an early period in the settlement of this country. The first representative of the name in America was John Glazier, who was born in England about 1600 and was one of the first settlers of Lancaster, Massachusetts. His wife was Elizabeth George, daughter of John George, one of the founders of the Baptist church in Boston, who was likewise one of the original settlers of Lancaster, Massachusetts. In the maternal line Daniel J. Glazier traces his ancestry directly back to the Rev. Richard Mather, noted divine of Lowton, Winwick Parish, Lancashire, England, who was born in 1596 and sailed for New England in 1635, settling at Dorchester, Massachusetts. The noted Cotton Mather was also of this line. The Glazier family was represented in the Revolutionary war by Silas Glazier, great-great-grandfather of Daniel J. Glazier, who responded to the Lexington alarm as a Minute Man and marched to the relief of Boston. Mr. Glazier also has ancestral connection with the Norton, Porter, Hatha- way, Safford, Lawrence, Burnham and Chandler families, all of whom came from England between 1631 and 1641 and settled in New England. Another of his Revo- lutionary war ancestors was Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Safford, who while in com- mand of Colonel Warren's regiment brought his men in a forced march to the second battle of Bennington, and thus through his aid the battle was won.

Daniel Johnson Glazier was accorded the educational opportunities offered in the public schools, and mastering the work of consecutive grades, advanced to the high school. On putting aside his textbooks he became associated with the Phoenix Fire Insurance Company and on leaving that employ was made secretary of the Schuyler Electric Light Company of Middletown. His identification with the Hartford Fire Insurance Company began on the 1st of December, 1895, and the readiness with which he has always responded to a call for service and the efficiency with which he has discharged his duties have led to his various promotions. At a meeting of the board of directors on the 7th of June, 1910, he was elected recording secretary, the office having been created at that time. Ten years later, or on February 11, 1920, he was chosen secretary-treasurer and was filling that position when elected financial vice president. He is financial vice president and treasurer of the Hartford Accident & Indemnity Company and is treasurer of the New York Underwriters Insurance Com- pany and the Hartford Live Stock Insurance Company. He is also a director of the Arrow Electric Company, the Arrow-Hart & Hegeman Company and is a trustee of the Bankers Trust Company.

On the 19th of December, 1889, Mr. Glazier was married to Miss Maude Josephine Coles, of Middletown, Connecticut. He is a member of the Sons of the American Revo- lution, which is indicative of the fact that his ancestral line is one of long connection with American history. As successive generations have borne their part in shaping the development of their respective communities, so Mr. Glazier is doing his share in advancing the material development and the general good in Hartford.

MAJOR THOMAS WHITLOCK CAMPBELL

The development of the automobile trade has offered a wide field for the success- ful conduct of business, and taking advantage of this opportunity, Major Thomas Whitlock Campbell is now president of the L. & H. Motor Company of Hartford, doing business at 98 High street. He renders a sales service adequate to modern demands and is enjoying a constantly increasing patronage. He is one of the citizens that the south has furnished to Connecticut, having been born in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 1, 1884, his parents being Captain Thomas Watkins and Emma Hite (Smith) Campbell, who were natives of Bardstown, Kentucky, but removed to New Orleans, where the father became general manager for a large cotton compress company. Later he was a captain on Mississippi river steamboats plying between New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee, and at the present writing (1928) is clerk of the house of representatives of Louisiana. He was for some time assistant conservation commis- sioner of that state and he was the vice-commodore of the Southern Yacht Club, which is the second oldest club of this character in the United States. He still maintains his home in the Crescent city.

Major Campbell was educated in the public schools of New Orleans, completing his course by graduation from the high school in 1901. After his textbooks were put

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(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

MAJOR THOMAS W. CAMPBELL

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HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

aside he entered the employ of the A. Baldwin Hardware Company of that city and subsequently he became an engineer on motor boats, while later he was pilot and also captain of large yachts. He turned his attention to the automobile trade in 1909 as traveling representative of the Ford interests in New Orleans, remaining there for some years. He next went to California, where he was associated with the Locomobile Company, and afterward at Houston, Texas, he was manager of a garage. In 1915 he came to Hartford for the Locomobile Sales Company and was thus engaged until 1917, when he enlisted for service in the World war, joining the Signal Corps attached to the Twenty-eighth Division. He went overseas in December, 1917, and was with the Fourth French Army until June, 1918, when he was transferred to the aviation section of the American Expeditionary Forces as executive officer of the First Air Depot at Colombey les Belles, France, there remaining until June, 1919. He received his commission as major at Washington, D. C., after having been on duty in the train- ing camp at Camp Hancock, before he was sent to France. He received his discharge at Fort McHenry in Baltimore in April, 1920, after a ten months' period of illness at that point.

With his return to Hartford, Major Campbell again engaged in the automobile business. In September, 1919, the L. & H. Motor Company was incorporated and he became vice president, while in 1922 he succeeded to the presidency. The company is represented by forty or more dealers and controls the sale of cars in seven counties in Connecticut. Major Campbell is also secretary and assistant treasurer of the L. & H. Aircraft Company.

On the 10th of March, 1927, Major Campbell was married to Miss Madeline Peeples, of Hartford. His association with Masonry covers the various bodies of the York and Scottish Rites, including Washington Commandery, K. T., and Sphinx Tem- ple of the Mystic Shrine. He is one of the directors of Sphinx Temple and he is a director of the State Fair. He likewise has membership in the Hartford Club and is well known in this city, where he has made his home since 1915 and where steady progress has marked his business career, while a constantly broadening circle of friends is indicative of his social standing.

ROBERT PORTEUS

Robert Porteus, of the well known Porteus-Walker Company, contractors and builders at 13 Forest street in Hartford, was born July 11, 1860, on the street in which he now maintains his office, his parents being James and Mary (Montgomery) Porteus, who were natives of the North of Ireland. There reared and married, they emigrated to the United States in 1847, taking up their abode on Forest street in Hartford when there were but few houses on that thoroughfare. The father managed the Old Nook Farm for Gillette & Hooker, this farm comprising all of the territory around Forest street and containing many acres. For forty-five years Mr. Porteus continuously filled that position in a most acceptable manner and then retired from active business life, passing away in April, 1919, at the very venerable age of ninety- six years and four months. He was a remarkable man, widely known to all the early settlers, who respected him for his genuine worth of character. His wife lived to be eighty-four years of age and the two grandmothers of Robert Porteus reached the ages of one hundred and one hundred and two years, so that he can well claim to come from a family noted for longevity.

After attending . the public schools of Hartford, Robert Porteus began learning the carpenter's trade under the direction of Porter Whiton, and that he proved a capable workman is indicated in the fact that in course of time he was admitted to a partnership. In 1884 he established business on his own account at his present loca- tion and has remained here continuously for about forty-four years. In 1917 the present firm was organized under the name of the Porteus-Walker Company and in- corporation papers were taken out naming Robert Porteus as president, Ernest Walker as vice president, Edward F. Porteus as vice president, James Porteus as treasurer and R. W. Porteus as secretary. Extensive and important contracts have been ac- corded this firm. They built the American School for the Deaf, the Children's Vil- lage of the Hartford Orphan Asylum, the Hartford Club, the Hartford Golf Club and the residences of Colonel William C. Skinner, Professor M. W. Jacobus, Francis R.

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Cooley, C. F. T. Seaverns and Walter Goodwin, besides many other beautiful and attractive homes of this city. They were also the builders of Emanuel Synagogue, the Second Church of Christ Scientist, the Majestic theatre and many of the large factories of Hartford, and they are accounted among the leading builders and con- tractors of the east. Every phase of modern construction, with its outstanding features of utility, convenience and beauty, as well as artistic design, is known to them and the importance of their work indicates their high standing in building circles.

On the 22d of July, 1884, Mr. Porteus was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Ann Ellison, of Hartford, who was born in England and came to America with her parents when a child. Mr. and Mrs. Porteus have a daughter and three sons, namely: Mary Elizabeth, the wife of William F. Middlemass; James; Robert W .; and Edward F.

Mr. Porteus has membership in the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He belongs to Putnam Phalanx and to Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine and is a consistent follower of the teachings and high purposes of the craft. He not only ranks as one of the leading contractors and builders of Hartford but as the architect of his own fortunes has likewise builded wisely and well, being today numbered among the men of affluence in this city as the result of his diligence, industry and capable management.

ROBERT BREWER NEWELL

Robert Brewer Newell was born in Hartford on the 11th of September, 1879, and is a son of William H. and Ellen Louise (Brewer) Newell. The father, who was secre- tary of the Aetna Life Insurance Company, died June 8, 1924. Robert B. Newell was educated in the public and high schools of Hartford and won his Bachelor of Arts degree in the Wesleyan University of Middletown, Connecticut, as a member of the class of 1902. He was associated with the State Bank, now the Phoenix National Bank of Hartford, from 1903 until 1907, and in the latter year he entered the employ of the State Savings Bank and there remained until 1917, when he became one of the officials of the Fidelity Trust Company, having been elected to the vice presidency and later to the board of directors. In 1923 this institution was merged with the United States Security Trust Company, of which corporation he became vice president, becoming its president in 1926. When this bank consolidated with the Hartford-Aetna National Bank and became the Hartford National Bank & Trust Company, he continued as presi- dent of the new organization. The combined resources of the new institution are approximately forty-four million dollars. Aside from his association with the Hartford National Bank & Trust Company, Mr. Newell is a director of the Bankers Trust Com- pany of Hartford, a trustee of the Society for Savings and a director of the Standard Fire Insurance Company and of the Kellogg & Bulkeley Company.

On the 17th of December, 1907, Mr. Newell was married to Miss Helen C. Lincoln. a daughter of Charles G. and Ida (Belden) Lincoln, of Hartford. They have become the parents of three children: Katharine L., Elizabeth and Robert Lincoln.

Mr. Newell belongs to the Hartford Club, the Hartford Golf Club, the University Club and the Hartford Yacht Club. In politics he is a republican and at the present writing is serving as a member of the finance board of Hartford. He is now a trustee of the American School for the Deaf, of the Hartford Social Settlement and the Con- necticut Children's Aid Society. Mr. Newell belongs to the First Methodist Episcopal church, which numbers him among its consistent members and its trustees.

JAMES WYPER

James Wyper, vice president of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company and actuated by a laudable ambition in his efforts to develop and promote the interests under his control, was born in Dumfries, Scotland, January 26, 1864, his parents being Robert and Jessie (Wright) Wyper, who were also natives of that country. The father became a naval constructor at Liverpool, England, and traveled all over the world in the interests of the business with which he was associated.

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BACHRACH

ROBERT B. NEWELL

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James Wyper attended the primary schools and the Liverpool Institute at Liver- pool, England, from which he was graduated with the class of 1879. He then went to New Zealand, where he engaged in the hardware business, remaining for eight years in that country. In 1888 he came to the United States, settling first in New York city, where he was connected with the London & Lancashire Fire Insurance Company, remaining with that corporation in various capacities for about a quarter of a century. He became the manager for the London & Lancashire and the Orient Insurance Company of Hartford, in charge of the Pacific department, with head- quarters at San Francisco. In 1913 he came to Hartford in response to a request from Mr. Bissell, of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, and was at once elected to the vice presidency of this corporation, since which time he has served continuously in the office, bending his efforts to administrative direction and executive control. He has become thoroughly conversant with insurance matters in a broad sense, mas- tering all of its various phases, and is today not only identified with the Hartford Fire Insurance Company but is also vice president of the Hartford Accident & Indem- nity Company, vice president of the Hartford Live Stock Insurance Company, vice president of the Citizens Insurance Company of St. Louis, a director of the Under- writers Salvage Company and vice president of the National Board of Underwriters. His opinions concerning insurance matters have largely come to be accepted as authority in this field, and step by step he has progressed until his position is one of prominence and influence.

Mr. Wyper has been twice married. On the 9th of October, 1889, he married Emma H. Thomson, of Dunedin, New Zealand, who passed away in 1911, leaving four daughters, namely: Margaret H., the wife of Raymond H. Dexter, of Rocky Hill, Connecticut; Marion J., the wife of Richard H. Phillips, of Farmington; Jean, who is the wife of J. R. Roberts, of Toronto, Ontario; and Emma W., the wife of James W. Gage, of Reading, Pennsylvania. On the 19th of January, 1915, Mr. Wyper was again married, his second union being with Anna Stuurman, of Brooklyn, New York, by whom he has three children-James, Jr., John S. and Ann, all of whom are attend- ing school. The family resides at No. 59 Highland street in West Hartford. Mr. Wyper finds interest and recreation in photography. He is a member of the Hart- ford Golf Club and of the Farmington Country Club and shows appreciation of the social amenities of life, while with the passing years his circle of friends in Hartford has constantly increased as the circle of his acquaintance has broadened.

BOLESLAUS J. MONKIEWICZ

Boleslaus J. Monkiewicz is engaged in the practice of law in New Britain, and studiousness, combined with the habit of thoroughness, has brought him to the front in his profession. He was born in Syracuse, New York, August 18, 1898. His par- ents, Albert and Constance Monkiewicz, natives of Poland, came to America about 1891, locating in Syracuse, New York and in 1899 removed to New Britain. The father obtained work in a factory and owing to his ability was promoted to the posi- tion of assistant foreman. In 1915 he retired and he passed away in 1926. Mrs. Monkiewicz still resides in New Britain and is affiliated with the Sacred Heart church, in the work of which her husband took an active part. He is survived by two sons, Zigmund, who is a member of the clerical force of the Corbin Screw Corporation; and Boleslaus J.

The older son attended the public schools of New Britain and his higher education was obtained in the Fordham Law School of New York city, from which he was grad- uated in 1921. While a law student he responded to the call of his country, enlisting in a naval unit in September, 1918, and was honorably discharged on December 23 of that year. In 1923, while living in the Empire state, he was admitted to the bar and began practice in New York city with the New York Title & Mortgage Company. He opened an office in that city in 1924, specializing in real estate law, and in 1925 chose New Britain as the scene of his professional activities. In the intervening period he has built up a lucrative practice. He is well versed in legal science and displays marked skill in its exposition.

Mr. Monkiewicz was married March 19, 1921, in Brookyn, New York, to Miss

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Lottie Sienkowiski and they now have two daughters, Dorothy and Florence, aged respectively six and two years. The parents adhere to the Catholic faith and are affiliated with Holy Cross church. Mr. Monkiewicz belongs to the Lawyers Club of New Britain, which he aided in organizing, and is also a member of the Kiwanis and Republican Clubs, the Hartford County Bar Association, the Polish New England Federation and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is serving on the board of compensation and assessment and exerts his talents as readily for the general good as for his own aggrandizement. Holding to high standards in the field of profes- sional service, he has steadily advanced and is esteemed and respected by his fellow practitioners and the general public.

ADRIAN JAMES MUZZY

In connection with mercantile activity in Bristol and in association with the public affairs of city and state Adrian James Muzzy long held a prominent position. He met every requirement of modern-day civilization, measuring up to the high standards of manhood and citizenship, and his achievements chronicled not only advancement in material things but also great good in the field of public service. Moreover, wherever he went he made friends to whom the news of his passing brought a sense of personal bereavement.

Mr. Muzzy was born in Bristol, January 24, 1851, a son of Henry Isaac and Mary Elizabeth (Beach) Muzzy.

Family records set forth the fact that (I) Robert Muzzy, who was a freeman at Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1634, had probably come to the new world with his brothers, John and Abraham, on the ship "Mary and John." To him and his wife, Bridget, were born the following named: Joseph, Robert, Benjamin, Mary and Ellen.

The third son, (II) Benjamin Muzzy, was born at Malden, Massachusetts, in 1630 and removed to Cambridge Farms, now Lexington, Massachusetts. He married Alice Dexter and his name appears on the records of the early proprietors of Boston in con- nection with various land transactions in that locality.

His son, (III) Benjamin Muzzy, was born April 16, 1657, and died in May, 1732. The signatures of Benjamin Muzzy and John Hancock appear as witnesses to a will now seen in the Lexington Museum. Benjamin Muzzy contributed to the erection of the first meeting-house in Lexington and was on the committee to purchase land for the support of the ministry. He was constable in 1694, assessor in 1700 and tything- man in 1716. From him the town purchased in 1711 the public Common to which he contributed largely and upon which the battle of Lexington was fought April 19, 1775. His great-grandson, Isaac Muzzy, was one of the eight men killed in that battle, his name appearing on the Lexington monument. Three other of his descendants were also in that engagement.

(IV) John Muzzy, the second child and eldest son of Benjamin and Sarah Muzzy, was born in 1685-86 and was married three times, his first wife being Elizabeth Bradshaw.

They were parents of Deacon (V) John Muzzy, who was born at Lexington, May 12, 1714, and became a resident of Spencer, Massachusetts, in 1738-39. He married Abigail Reed, who was born March 30, 1720, at Lexington, and died in February, 1756. Her family numbered fifteen children, all of whom reached adult age. Deacon John Muzzy married a second time.

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History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 75

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