History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 77

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 77

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On the 29th of December, 1915, Mr. Barrow was married to Miss Lillian Wil- liams Sparrow, of Provincetown, Massachusetts, and they reside at 20 Chelsea lane. They have membership in St. John's church, in which Mr. Barrow is a vestryinan. He also belongs to the Hartford Rotary Club and is serving as its secretary and on its board of directors. The line of his work has enabled him to place a correct value on life, its opportunities, its responsibilities and its obligations and he has continually worked toward higher standards.

ALBERT CASE HINE.

Albert Case Hine, president of the A. C. Hine Automobile Company of Hartford, was born in New Britain, Connecticut, May 13, 1881, and is a son of Henry C. and Flora (Case) Hine, also natives of this state. The father was formerly with the Traut & Hine Manufacturing Company of New Britain, and reared in that city, the son, Albert C. Hine, attended its public schools until he had mastered the work of the various grades, when he entered his father's factory, being associated with the busi- ness until 1914. He then came to Hartford. He recognized something of what the future had in store for the automobile trade, the rapid expansion of which has been one of the commercial miracles of the age. He believed that in the sale of motor cars he might find a profitable and advantageous field and became manager for the Over- land Connecticut Company, continuing in that position for a year. In 1915 he organ- ized the A. C. Hine Company to handle the Oakland car and became president of the new organization, which has the second oldest account of the Oakland Motor Car Com- pany in New England. Mr. Hine was also the pioneer dealer on Washington street, which he opened as a business thoroughfare and which is now the home of a number of automobile dealers. All recognize the fact that it was Mr. Hine who made Wash- ington a business street, for he had to secure the signatures of a majority of the prop- erty owners to permit him to establish business on this thoroughfare. In 1920 he erected his present building at 189 Washington street-a modern structure with a thoroughly up-to-date service station, employing from ninety to one hundred people. In addition to the Oakland he also handles the Pontiac car and the Federal truck and

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ALBERT C. HINE

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his is one of the leading automobile establishments of the city. Sound judgment, thorough enterprise and reliability have been the salient features in his successful record. Associated with him is his brother, Harry C., Jr., Mr. A. C. Hine being presi- dent and treasurer of the company, with the brother as assistant treasurer. Mr. Hine was chosen chairman of the show committee for the twenty-first annual motor car exhibit, held in 1928.

On the 18th of May, 1905, Mr. Hine was united in marriage to Miss Adelaide W. Wells, of New Britain, and they are the parents of four children: Flora Case, Albert C., Jr., Eleanor Wells and Thomas Welles. The religious faith of the parents is that of the First Congregational church of New Britain. Mr. Hine is helpfully interested in all matters pertaining to the general welfare and gives his support to those projects which are a matter of civic virtue and of civic pride. He has never sought to figure prominently in public office, however, preferring to concentrate his energies and atten- tion upon his business affairs with the result that, associated with the General Motors Company since he entered the automobile business, he is now one of the leading auto- mobile dealers of New England.

CHARLES E. CURTISS (II)

Placing his dependence upon the essential qualities of industry and perseverance, Charles E. Curtiss has risen to a place of prominence in business circles of Sims- bury and is also well known owing to his activities in the field of public service. He was born in Avon, Connecticut, in 1888 and his parents were James M. and Flora A. (Hadsell) Curtiss. They removed from Avon to Simsbury and the father became one of its enterprising merchants. He was identified with the Masonic order and shaped his conduct by the teachings of the Congregational church. To Mr. and Mrs. Curtiss five children were born, two sons and three daughters.

Charles E. Curtiss was educated in the public schools of Simsbury and on Novem- ber 1, 1905, obtained work in the office of the Ensign-Bickford Company. His em- ployers soon recognized the fact that he was conscientious, trustworthy and capable and he was advanced through the various departments. In 1918 he was made traffic manager and has since filled that important office, discharging his duties with marked efficiency. The best years of his life have been devoted to the service of the company, which transacts a business of extensive proportions.

Mr. Curtiss was married October 8, 1913, in Granby, Connecticut, to Miss Mardula Green and they now have three children: Charles E. (III) who was born November 25, 1917; Jane, born April 27, 1920; and Marion Norton, born August 8, 1927. The parents are affiliated with the Congregational church and Mr. Curtiss is allied with the democratic party. He was tax collector for Simsbury from 1911 to 1914 and also during 1920-21, performing his tasks with characteristic thoroughness and fidelity. At the present time he is a member of the board of finance and is always ready to serve his community when needed. He is president of the Old Newgate Castle Associa- tion and formerly represented the Men's Club of the Congrgational church in the same capacity. Mr. Curtiss is treasurer of the Avon Country Club, belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and is a Knight Templar Mason, has attained the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite and is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is a past master of St. Marks Lodge, No. 36, A. F. & A. M. and past high priest of Columbia Chapter, No. 31, R. A. M. at Collinsville. He is a past patron of Hesper Chapter, No. 71, of the Eastern Star and his wife is also connected with that organization. Mr. Curtiss has fulfilled every obligation in life to the best of his ability and stands deservedly high in the esteem of his fellowmen.

MAJOR HARRY HARLAND SKERRETT, JR.

Major Harry Harland Skerrett, Jr., a veteran of the World war and both before and since a dealer in automobiles, being now manager of the Hartford branch of the Packard Motor Car Company, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, May 25, 1891, and is a son of Harry H. and Mary (Price) Skerrett, who were natives of Philadelphia,

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where the family has been represented for six generations. The father was a wool merchant, as was his father before him, and the family has figured prominently in business circles in that city.

Major Skerrett pursued his preparatory training in the Episcopal Academy of Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in 1909, and later he took a three years' course in the University of Pennsylvania, while for a year he gained broad and liberal culture through travel in Europe. With his return to the United States he became associated with his father in the wool business but in 1915 turned his attention to the automobile business as representative of the Packard Motor Car Company in Phila- delphia, being thus engaged until the World war.

Enlisting for service, he was commissioned a second lieutenant of cavalry and was transferred to the Quartermasters Corps for duty at Camp Meigs, where he was assigned to the task of mobilizing the mechanical repair shops for overseas work. He was next made adjustant and executive officer of Camp Meigs, where he received a commission as major, winning all these promotions within a year, showing a rapid rise for a young officer.

On his return in 1919 Major Skerrett went to New York city, where for a year he was in the automobile business, and in 1920 he came to Hartford as branch man- ager of the Packard Motor Car Company, in which connection he has since continued. His thirteen years of experience in the trade has made him well qualified for the duties which now devolve upon him and he is successfully conducting a growing business, his progressive methods finding expression in large annual sales.

On the 21st of November, 1925, Major Skerrett was married to Miss Helen K. Hogg, of Montreal, Canada, and they reside at No. 188 N. Main street in West Hartford. Their acquaintance is broad and the hospitality of many of the best homes of the city is cordially extended them, while the Major is a welcome member of the Hartford Club, the Farmington Country Club, and the Delta Kappa Epsilon Club of New York. He likewise belongs to the University Club of New York and the Un- dine Barge Club of Philadelphia. He is a member of Washington Lodge, F. & A. M., and of the military Order of Foreign Wars, and his interest in the development of his state is shown in the fact that he is serving as a director of the Connecticut Cham- ber of Commerce. He is likewise president of the State Automobile Association. Alert and enterprising, he is alive to the issues, the interests and the opportunities of the day and a spirit of advancement characterizes him in all relations.

THOMAS W. THOMSON

Thomas W. Thomson, as proprietor of the Thomson Drop Forge Company, is con- tributing in substantial measure to the industrial development and substantial growth of Plantsville, where the business was established in 1903. Connecticut numbers him among her native sons, for he was born in Orange in 1862, his parents being John and Elizabeth (Watson) Thomson, both of whom were natives of Scotland. During twenty- four years of his business career he was in the employ of the Sterling Piano Company in Derby, Connecticut, becoming associated with that business when it was conducted under the name of the Sterling Organ Company, the name of Sterling Piano Company being assumed when they began the manufacture of pianos. It was Mr. Thomson who built the first Sterling piano and for twenty years he had full charge of the manufac- ture of that high-grade instrument. It was on the 10th of June, 1903, that the Thom- son Drop Forge Company was organized for the manufacture of drop forgings of all kinds and of small tools, including screw drivers, cold chisels, ball peen machinists' hammers and double end wrenches. On the organization Mr. Thomson was made sec- retary, but while at the beginning he was associated with others, on the 26th of Sep- tember, 1912, he took over the entire business, of which he is now sole proprietor. The company has a large plant at Plantsville, thoroughly equipped with the most mod- ern machinery in its line, and the excellence of its manufactured output is such as com- mands a ready sale, the business being now one of gratifying proportions. Throughout his life Mr. Thomson has been a man of firm purpose and unfaltering energy and these qualities have been vital elements in the attainment of his present-day success.

Mr. Thomson was married in 1886 to Alice De Forrest, who died in June, 1914. In his religious faith he is an Episcopalian, and fraternally he is connected with King

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THOMAS W. THOMSON

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Hiram Lodge, No. 12, F. & A. M., and also with Housatonic Lodge, No. 6, I. O. O. F., of Derby, Connecticut. He exemplifies in his life the sterling principles of these organizations and throughout his entire career has measured up to the highest stand- ards of manhood.

SIMSBURY FREE LIBRARY

During the winter of 1872 and 1873 a social and literary club in Simsbury agi- tated the matter of a public library. For some years there had existed an organiza- tion known as the Simsbury Book Club, which offered its one hundred and twenty volumes to further such a cause. Entertainments were given to raise funds and subscriptions were sought.

It was in the summer of 1874 that the subscription paper was presented to Amos R. Eno for his consideration. The project appealed to him and he returned the paper with the offer of three thousand dollars to establish a library for the citi- zens of Simsbury. The sum was placed in the hands of a self-perpetuating board of trustees appointed by Mr. Eno. Books were purchased, the upper story of the vil- lage schoolhouse secured as a library room, and the Simsbury Free Library formally opened to the public September 23, 1874.

In 1887 Mr. Eno placed in the hands of a building committee, selected from the board of trustees, the sum of ten thousand dollars to erect an appropriate library building. M. H. Hapgood, of Hartford, was the architect engaged. Furthermore in 1890 when the building was finished Mr. Eno handed over a deed of the land and a check for five thousand dollars. Four years later he increased the book fund by ten thousand dollars.

In the fall of 1922, Mrs. Antoinette Eno Wood expressed her desire to have her name associated with her father's in connection with the library and deposited with the trustees the sum of twenty-four thousand dollars for addition and for beautifying the front of the building.

Through Columbia University the trustees have also received from the heirs of Amos F. Eno twenty-two thousand, eight hundred and seventy-eight dollars and five cents as a permanent fund to be used in maintaining the library-a gift that materially aids the town, which has contributed yearly to the support of the library.

After some fifty years of service and of growth, the Simsbury Free Library stands as one of the finest buildings of its type-an active tribute to the loyalty and generosity of the Eno family.

THOMAS H. DENNE, M. D.

Dr. Thomas H. Denne, representing the Travelers Insurance Company as super- intendent of the department of medicine and hygiene, was born in Seneca Falls, New York, September 24, 1882, and is a son of Richard and Helena V. (Tucker) Denne, the former a native of England, while the latter was born in the state of New York. In his boyhood the father came to America and settled at Seneca Falls, New York, where his remaining days were passed. During his business life he engaged in the sale of fire engines.

After attending the public schools of Seneca Falls and of Waterloo, New York, and thus laying a good foundation upon which to build up professional knowledge, T. H. Denne began the study of medicine in 1901 and was graduated from the medical department of the University of Vermont in 1905. He became a medical officer of the United States public health service aboard ships sailing to Porto Rico and along the Atlantic coast, spending one year and nine months in that service. In 1908 he located in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where he practiced for six years and then removed to West Hartford. He still carries on a limited practice in both Bloomfield and West Hartford, but in 1918 he became associated with the Travelers Insurance Company as a representative of its medical department. He developed this branch of the service, of which he is now superintendent, and this is today one of the most modern medical departments in the country, utilizing practically all of one floor of the Travelers

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building, and its equipment is unsurpassed. The Rest House at West Suffield also comes under his supervision as head of the department, and something of the immense activity under his direction is indicated in the fact that he supervises the labors of seven assistant physicians and eighteen nurses. This service extends to all branch offices over the country, and all of the medical welfare work of the Travelers Insur- ance Company is likewise under the supervision of Dr. Denne. He constantly keeps in touch with the trend of modern professional thought and progress, carrying his research and investigation into all branches of medical and surgical science. He has membership in the Hartford City, Hartford County, Connecticut State and American Medical Associations and he enjoys in high degree the respect and confidence of his colleagues and contemporaries in medical practice.

Dr. Denne was united in marriage to Miss Mildred Alice Gregory, of Waterloo, New York, and they are now the parents of five children: Mildred, Thomas, Gregory, Keith and Virginia. The family residence is at 39 North Main street in West Hart- ford.

Dr. Denne belongs to the Phi Chi fraternity and is well known in Masonic circles through his membership in Hiram Lodge, No. 98, F. & A. M., of Bloomfield; Pytha- goras Chapter, No. 28, R. A. M., of Hartford; and the Hartford Chapter of the East- ern Star. He is likewise a member of the Foresters and his name is enrolled among the representatives of the Hartford Club and the Avon Country Club. His geniality and his unfailing courtesy have won him many friends and the sterling worth of his character is attested by all who know him.

LEONARD H. ANTHONY

The welfare of a city does not depend so much on the machinery of government as upon the personal character and the efficiency of the men who hold public office, and measured by high standards of capable public service Leonard H. Anthony deserves recognition for what he has done in the position of superintendent of public buildings in Hartford. He was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, May 7, 1871, and is a son of Andrew and Alicia (Main) Anthony, the former of Welsh lineage, while the mother came of Scotch ancestors who emigrated to America in 1636 on the ship Hector. They settled in Boston, whence their descendants went to Maine, Nova Scotia and to Rhode Island. Some of the ancestors of Leonard H. Anthony were soldiers of the American army in the Revolutionary war. The family is still represented in Nova Scotia, where the father was a shipbuilder and designed and constructed fourteen full-rigged sailing vessels, which sailed all of the seas of the world. He died in Nova Scotia in 1914, at the advanced age of eighty-four years, while his wife survived him but two years. They observed their golden wedding in 1912, having reared a family of eight sons and four daughters, among whom there had not been a death for fifty years.

Leonard H. Anthony attended the schools of Nova Scotia and in his youthful days worked in his father's shipyard, being thus employed until 1890, when at the age of nineteen years he crossed the border and took up his abode in Stamford, Con- necticut. There he obtained employment in the engineering department of the lock manufacturing plant of Yale & Towne, with whom he remained until 1897, when he came to Hartford and was made plant engineer of the Electric Vehicle Company, re- maining there until 1908. He then was associated with the Royal Typewriter Com- pany from 1908 until 1917, as their plant engineer, and in 1917 he went with the Colt Patent Fire Arms Company as engineer of their plant and so continued during the World war period, his position at that time being one of large responsibility and importance. In 1922 he entered the service of the city of Hartford as superintendent of public buildings, which position he has now filled for six years, and again his record has been characterized by marked capability and loyalty.

On the 25th of February, 1896, Mr. Anthony was united in marriage to Miss Frances Mays, of Stamford, Connecticut, and they are the parents of a daughter, Evelyn Tracy. The family home is at 26 Gray street in Hartford.

Mr. Anthony is a thirty-second degree Mason and has been an active worker in the order, the basic principles of which he fully exemplifies in his relations with his fellowmen. He is a past master of Hartford Lodge, No. 88, F. & A. M .; past high priest of Pythagoras Chapter, No. 17, R. A. M .; past high priest of Wolcott Council,

(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

LEONARD H. ANTHONY

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No. 1, R. & S. M .; past sovereign of the Princes of Jerusalem; present senior warden of the Lodge of Perfection; and junior warden of the Rose Croix. Those who know Mr. Anthony esteem him highly for his sterling worth, his business capability, his progressive spirit and his loyalty to every cause which he espouses.

ROBERT G. GILLESPIE

For a period of eighteen years Robert G. Gillespie has been associated with the Case Manufacturing Company of Unionville, of which he is vice president, treasurer, secretary and general manager. He was born here in 1870, his parents being David and Agnes (Fallow) Gillespie, the latter now deceased. The father was asso- ciated with the firm of Platner & Porter as superintendent of the plant, in which he continued throughout his active business life. He, too, has passed away, dying in the faith of the Congregational church, of which his wife was also a member.

Robert G. Gillespie supplemented his grade school training by study in the high school and then, following in his father's footsteps, entered the plant of the firm of Platner & Porter, working as office boy under E. B. Ripley. He learned the paper business in principle and detail and worked his way steadily upward until he turned his attention to the job printing business in Unionville in 1907, continuing active in that field until 1910. In that year he sold out and accepted the responsible position of sales manager with the Case Manufacturing Company. Throughout the intervening period he has continued with this concern and his progress has been steady as the company has recognized his fidelity and ability. In 1918 he was advanced to the position of secretary and in 1928 was elected vice president, treasurer, secretary and general manager, his activities being a forceful element in the continued success of the enterprise. He is today thoroughly familiar with every phase of the business and is capable of wisely directing the efforts of those under him. He has also been elected to the board of directors of the company and Unionville classes him as one of her representative and valued citizens.

In 1893 Mr. Gillespie was married to Miss Lina E. Taylor, of Unionville, who passed away in 1912. She was a consistent member of the Congregational church and had many admirable qualities. Their daughter, Helena, is also deceased, and the son, Gaillard F., twenty-one years of age, is now connected with the Trumbull Electric Company. In 1919 Mr. Gillespie was again married, his second union being with Miss Clara Georgia, of Unionville, and they have one son, Robert Georgia, born in 1920. Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie hold membership in the Congregational church and take an active interest in its work. They are also well known socially and Mrs. Gillespie holds membership in the Avon Club and is prominent in the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was chairman of the reception committee and is a past worthy grand matron of the state of Connecticut. Mr. Gillespie is also identified with the Avon Club and fraternally is a Mason, holding membership with the lodge, of which he is a past master, and with the chapter and council. His political views are in accord with the teachings of the republican party and he is thoroughly informed on the questions and issues of the day, so that he is able to support his position by intelligent argument and intelligent franchise. He has never sought office as a reward for party fealty, for he gives his time and effort to business affairs and in that field has made notable progress.

JAMES A. GIFFIN

James A. Giffin, assistant agency manager and director of sales training with the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company at Hartford, was born in Boulder, Colorado, May 1, 1883, a son of Sydney A. and Louise A. (Albee) Giffin, who were natives of Vermont. The father was a lawyer and banker and during his residence in Colorado came to prominence as chairman of the board of regents of the University of Colo- rado and as lieutenant governor of the state, an office which he filled for one term.

After attending a preparatory school in Boulder, James A. Giffin became a student in the University of Colorado and was graduated from the liberal arts department in

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1904, after which he became a law student, completing the professional course in 1906. He was then admitted to practice before the Colorado bar and later in the United States district court and the United States court of appeals. For two years he practiced in Boulder and in 1908 removed to San Francisco, California, becoming sales manager for the M. T. Minney Company, real estate dealers and subdividers of property. Later he organized the Almond City Land and Development Company, of which he became vice president. He was afterward with Bancroft & Whitney, law publishers at San Francisco, acting as their representative in Oregon and Washing- ton for two years. He next became connected with the Alexander Hamilton Institute, which he represented in California for five years and on the expiration of that period went upon the lecture platform with the Shirley Parker Institute, covering all the large cities on the western coast. The company then organized a correspondence school, writing their own books and marketing through salesmen. It was through this process that Mr. Giffin came into contact with the Phoenix organization on the coast and he was brought to Hartford by the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1924, here taking up the studying of insurance. On the 1st of July, 1925, he was made manager of the sales training division and on the 1st of January, 1927, he was made assistant agency director and at the same time has charge of the educational depart- ment.

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History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 77

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