History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 90

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 90

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BENEDICT D. FLYNN

As the word Chicago at once suggests the meat packing industry and that of Detroit at once brings to mind automobile manufacturing, so the name of Hartford is synonymous with insurance, this city having become the center of the manifold de- partments of the business which have been developed. One of the strong organizations of this character is the Travelers Insurance Company, of which Benedict D. Flynn is the secretary, and his efficiency in this field is well known. He was born in Hartford, July 6, 1880, and is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Devine) Flynn, also natives of this state. The father came to Hartford in his youth and here engaged in the grocery business, remaining a factor in the commercial circles of the city for an extended period, but both he and his wife have now passed away.

Benedict D. Flynn pursued his early education in the public schools and afterward attended Trinity College of Hartford, class of 1905. In June, 1913, his alma mater conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts. His activity in the insur- ance field dates from 1902, when he entered the employ of the Travelers Insurance Company in the actuarial department. In 1907 he was appointed assistant actuary and in 1911 was advanced to actuary casualty departments. In January, 1913, he was made assistant secretary of the company and in January, 1922, was elected secretary of this corporation, his position being one of large responsibility because of the magni- tude of the business carried on by the Travelers. Mr. Flynn is widely known in insur- ance circles, being a fellow of the Actuarial Society of America, a fellow and former president of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the Institute of the Actuaries of Great Britain.

On the 3d of July, 1917, Mr. Flynn was united in marriage to Miss Genevieve M.

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(Photograph by Stedman Berkeley)

BENEDICT D. FLYNN

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Brady, of New Britain, Connecticut. They are the parents of four children, namely: Benedict D., Jr., George B., Norbert B. and Jean Elizabeth.

Mr. and Mrs. Flynn have a large circle of warm friends in Hartford, where he is also well known through his membership connection with the Hartford Club, the Hart- ford Golf Club, the Wampanoag Country Club and the Twentieth Century Club. He belongs also to Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. No special advantages or opportuni- ties were his but by determination and force of character he has worked upward to success. His actuarial training combined with his experience in the many branches of insurance written by the Travelers has given him an unusually broad and valuable knowledge of the many phases of the insurance business.

CHARLES WILLIAM RILEY

Charles William Riley, who through the present decade has figured in the financial circles of Hartford as a member of the investment brokerage firm of Goodwin-Beach & Company, was born in Burnside, Hartford county, Connecticut, March 20, 1898, a son of William A. and Grace (Olmstead) Riley, who are also natives of this state. The father is now secretary of the P. Garvan Company of Hartford.

After attending the public schools of this city Charles W. Riley entered the Wes- leyan College and was graduated with the class of 1918, at which time the Bachelor of Arts degree was conferred upon him. The country was then involved in the World war and he enlisted for service in the navy aviation branch of the army, being stationed at the flying field at Key West, Florida, where he remained until the signing of the armistice. When the war was over he became associated with the National City Com- pany of New York as its representative in Connecticut and thus continued for about eighteen months. In September, 1920, he resigned to become a member of the firm of Goodwin-Beach & Company, investment brokers, and through the intervening period of eight years has contributed to the growing success of the business. He is also a director in the East Hartford Company and a director of the Insurance Shares Man- agement Corporation of New York and is becoming continuously more and more active and influential in financial circles. He belongs to the Hartford Stock Exchange.

On the 21st of June, 1921, Mr. Riley was married to Miss Mary Kernan, of Waterbury, Connecticut, and they now reside at 804 Farmington avenue in West- Hartford. Mr. Riley finds his recreation largely in golf and his social activities are expressed through his membership in the University Club of Hartford, the Wam- panoag Club of West Hartford and the Wethersfield Country Club. He is a Mason, with membership in Orient Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of East Hartford, and his spirit of loyalty to the craft is manifest in equal fidelity in other relations of life.

ELWOOD S. ELA

Through the columns of the Manchester Herald, of which he was founder and publisher, Elwood S. Ela exerted a widely felt influence over his community, standing ever for progress and improvement, for advancement and successful achievement. Although born in Decatur, Illinois, on the 2d of July, 1859, Mr. Ela was descended from New England ancestry. His father, the Rev. Walter Ela, was a native of Maine but went to what was then the far west as a circuit rider of the Methodist church and the family home was maintained for a time at Decatur, Illinois, but soon after the birth of her son Elwood the mother died and the father returned to New England, in which section of the country the boy was reared and educated. He pursued a course of study at the Wilbraham Academy and also in Wesleyan University, but before com- pleting his college work he entered the newspaper field, serving an apprenticeship on daily papers through a period of two years. In December, 1881, he established the Manchester Herald, which he converted into a semi-weekly paper in October, 1893. He continued as its owner and publisher until his demise, making it one of the leading journals of this section and always advocating through its columns progress and advancement in community affairs and civic interests.

On the 21st of December, 1882, Mr. Ela was united in marriage to Miss Jennie

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Chapman, a daughter of Maro S. Chapman, of Manchester. They had two daughters, Jeanette and Lucy.

Mr. Ela was connected with the Connecticut Editorial Association from its organ- ization, served as its secretary and treasurer and was also honored by election to the presidency. He held membership in the Masonic fraternity and in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was loyal to the teachings and purposes of this organization. He had many sterling traits of character which were recognized by all who knew him and his friends were legion, so that when he passed away in 1924 deep and widespread regret was felt by those who had been associated with him in the active affairs of life.

LEWIS ALBERT SEXTON, M. D.

Dr. Lewis Albert Sexton, a progressive representative of the medical profession in Hartford, where he has identification with the Hartford Hospital as its superin- tendent, was born in Tennessee, March 25, 1876, and is a son of William Robert and Mary (Sparkman) Sexton. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded him. He was a student in both the academical and pharmaceutical departments of Vanderbilt University at Nashville, Tennessee, covering the period from 1899 until 1901, and then having determined upon the practice of medicine and surgery as a life work, he matriculated as a medical student in Vanderbilt, which conferred upon him his pro- fessional degree in 1906. In the meantime he had initiated his business career by becoming assistant chemist of the Spurlock-Neal Company at Nashville, with which he remained from 1901 until 1902. Having completed his course of medical study, he was made interne in the Nashville City Hospital, where he put his theoretical knowledge to the practical test, serving in 1906-07. In the latter year he was called to duty in the Riverside Hospital of New York, where he remained for a year, after which he was appointed resident physician of the Willard Parker Hospital of New York, with which he was thus associated from 1908 until 1914. He then accepted an appointment as assistant superintendent of the Johns Hopkins Hospital at Baltimore, Maryland, where he continued from 1914 until 1917, and since the latter year he has been superintendent of the Hartford Hospital, where he is rendering valuable service in the upbuilding of an institution that is qualified in every particular to meet the most exacting demands of surgical practice and hospital care.

On the 19th of April, 1916, Dr. Sexton was married to Miss Henrietta Stenz, of New York city. That the social activities of life receive merited attention from him is indicated in the fact that he belongs to the Farmington Country, Twentieth Cenury and Hartford Gun clubs. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church and his political views are in accord with the principles of the republican party. His interest in historical matters is evidenced in his association with the Sons of the American Revolution and the Connecticut Historical Society. He is likewise a mem- ber of the Camp-Fire Club of America, of the Phi Kappa Psi and the Phi Chi. After all, however, his professional interests claim the major part of his time and attention and he keeps abreast with current thought and progress through his membership in the American, New England and Connecticut Hospital Associations and in the Hart- ford, Hartford County, Connecticut and American Medical Associations.

ROBERT K. ANDERSON

Robert K. Anderson, second vice president of Watkins Brothers, Inc., is thus identified with a business enterprise that has featured in the development and prog- ress of South Manchester for many years. The company has long conducted a suc- cessful and progressive furniture and undertaking establishment, which is today capitalized for four hundred thousand dollars and which is housed in one of the substantial business structures of the city. Mr. Anderson was born in Manchester, Hartford county, Connecticut, in 1874, the year which witnessed the founding of the business with which he is now so closely associated. He acquired a public school education and then started out in the business world in 1899 as a bookkeeper in the employ of Watkins Brothers. In an account of this business a contemporary writer

(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

DR. LEWIS A. SEXTON

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has said: "Because they were craftsmen, men who knew woods, and who loved to use keen tools, the early Watkins men passed on to the original Watkins Brothers a love and appreciation of good workmanship. This was of immense help in starting them right in the furniture business. For fifty years their quest has been for quality. No one appreciated more a handsome piece of wood or a finely turned chair leg, or a clever piece of cabinet work. L. Bruce Watkins, the father, came to Manchester from Ashford, Connecticut, to take charge of the Joslyn Sash and Blind Company, which fifty years ago operated a big shop on South Main street and turned out very fine work. Bruce Watkins lost his life as a result of exposure in the historic Manchester flood of 1869, and his widow was left with three small boys to provide for. The eldest, Clarence G., left school and went to work to take his father's place in the Joslyn shop. It was only a short time, however, before the opportunity came for the boys to go into business for themselves. With their mother's endorsement of a note for fifteen hundred dollars, they bought out the only undertaking business in the south end of the town. All caskets were made to order in those days and the young brothers vied with each other in turning out the finest coffin. In fact, they were so industrious that they began to make them up ahead and thus instituted the custom of ready-made caskets. At one time they did quite a wholesale business delivering coffins by the wagon load to the Hartford undertakers. A very good one in rosewood, beautifully finished and polished, could be bought for about eight dollars. There were no hearses in those days but friends of the deceased would carry the casket to the cemetery on their shoulders. The first place of business was in a little house at the end of Wells street which still stands, the last house on the right, where they had a com- bination work shop and show room. In a short few months they discovered that the undertaking business was not sufficient to keep them busy and they opened a cigar and candy store in the old Knox Hotel building where the high school is now on Main street. However, the Watkins boys were not built to sell penny articles, and when the opportunity came to buy out the furniture department of William H. Cheney & Sons, they were quick to accept it. William H. Cheney & Sons conducted a general store at the corner of Charter Oak and Main streets, which has since burned down and been replaced by a smaller building. Mr. Cheney's entire stock of merchandise was purchased for six thousand dollars. As the present stock of merchandise is over three hundred thousand dollars, some idea of the growth in fifty years may be ob- tained. The furniture business they found exactly to their liking and were successful from the start. In 1890 more space became imperative and they built their first build- ing at the corner of Main and School streets. This served them as a home for thirty years, when the present large plant was constructed. Meantime, they had added one line after another, the most important being pianos, soon after they opened the School street store. From a very small part of their business, the piano department ex- panded until it extended far beyond the borders of the town. In 1905 the piano busi- ness of Woods & McCann, of Hartford, was purchased, followed soon after by the purchase of the talking machine department of Ludlow Barker & Company and William Wander & Sons' business and building, including the agency for the world's greatest piano, the Steinway. For seven or eight years a branch store was maintained in Willimantic, but the possibilities of development proved to be too small and it was discontinued.

"The wise man said, 'A good name is more to be desired than riches.' Watkins Brothers have always had a good name. During the fifty years of their business career, no act of any member of the firm has brought the name into disrepute and they have kept free from questionable methods of advertising or merchandising. On the other hand, few business men have been more farsighted or more progressive. They have always been quick to make use of modern improvements which showed any warrant for belief in their permanency. They were the first retail business in town to make use of the telephone. They were the first to use motor driven delivery trucks, the first to introduce a motor driven hearse, their vehicle being one of the first three used in Connecticut. They were the first concern in town to advertise con- sistently and today are the only concern which has had an advertisement in every issue of the Manchester Herald since it was founded forty-two years ago. Watkins Brothers published the first furniture house organ issued by any furniture dealer in the United States. They were among the first in the country to introduce an em- ployes' profit-sharing plan. A majority of the employes at the present time are stockholders. Watkins Brothers were among the first retail companies to give their

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employes free insurance. The statement has been made many times by furniture traveling men that more fine furniture is sold by Watkins Brothers than by any other concern in a town of equal size in the country. Whether this is true or not, it is certain that the people of Manchester have been educated to an appreciation of good furniture which is much ahead of that found in the usual town. There have been many contributing causes for this, but the chief reason is, without doubt, the fact that Watkins Brothers have continually shown in their show windows and on their floors, and advertised through the newspapers the better made and better designed pieces. For many years now the store has been a style authority in this vicinity."

The business was incorporated in 1912 and the capital has been increased to four hundred thousand dollars. The company today operates two stores, the Hartford store selling only musical merchandise, occupying a five-story brick building at 241 Asylum street which is owned by the firm, as are all of the buildings in Manchester, in which the company sells an extensive line of house furnishings, including furniture, floor coverings, electrical goods and musical merchandise, while in an entirely separate suite of rooms they conduct the undertaking business. Their store in Manchester has been voted in a nation-wide poll the most beautiful furniture store in a small town in the United States. They furnish employment to fifty-five people in Manchester and have twenty representatives in Hartford. They issue a monthly magazine for the benefit of the trade and the most progressive methods are at all times followed. The present officers of the company are: F. Ernest Watkins, president; Emil C. Wan- der, first vice president and director; R. K. Anderson, second vice president and director; Frank Limbacher, third vice president and director; C. Elmore Watkins, a son of Clarence G. Watkins, one of the original proprietors, treasurer and manager of the South Manchester establishment; William Rush, secretary and director and manager of the Hartford store. Mr. Anderson also fills the position of assistant man- ager of the Hartford store. Mr. Anderson also fills the position of assistant manager of the South Manchester establishment and is in charge of the undertaking and funeral directing departments. Theirs is the oldest undertaking business in Man- chester and their position has always been one of leadership. Since entering into active connection with the Watkins Brothers in 1899, Mr. Anderson has worked his way upward through the various departments and with them learned the undertaking and embalming business, since which time he has been in charge of this branch. They use motor equipment entirely, having a large display room, and Mr. Anderson has an assistant.

In 1905 Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Carrie A. Kauffmann, of Manchester, a daughter of Charles G. and Mary F. (Thomas) Kauffmann, of East Lexington, Massachusetts, the former now deceased. Prior to her marriage she was for nine years a teacher of music in the high school. She is vice president of the Cosmopolitan Club of Manchester and secretary of the Garden Club, and she takes a very active interest in the work of the Second Congregational church, to which both she and her husband belong, Mrs. Anderson having served as organist of the church for thirty-five years. In his political views Mr. Anderson is a stalwart republican and keeps well informed on the vital questions and issues of the day. He is interested in civic affairs and loyally supports all plans and projects that have to do with the welfare and upbuilding of the community. For three years he was chairman of the American Red Cross here and he belongs to the Kiwanis Club. That he has been a most capable and faithful representative of the Watkins interests is indicated in the fact that he has been with the house for almost three decades, enjoying the un- qualified confidence of those whom he represents. He is highly esteemed wherever known and most of all where he is best known.

WOODS CHANDLER

Important business and financial interests claim the attention and profit by the broad experience and keen sagacity of Woods Chandler, whose life has been so varied in its activity, so honorable in purpose and so far-reaching and beneficial in its effect that it has become an integral part of the history of Simsbury. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, March 23, 1874, and is a worthy scion of old and illustrious fami- lies of New England. His father, William E. Chandler, a descendant of Miles Standish,

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(Photograph by Bachrach)

WOODS CHANDLER

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was born September 5, 1839, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and became a teacher of music. In 1872 he went to New Haven, Connecticut, as organist of the Church of the Redeemer and for many years was an outstanding figure in musical circles of that city. There he spent the remainder of his life, passing away November 20, 1912, at the age of seventy-three years. On November 24, 1868, he had married Miss Mary Pierce Woods, a descendant of Joshua Belcher, one of the early governors of Massachusetts. Mrs. Chandler was born in Enfield, that state, November 25, 1837, and died March 22, 1903, in New Haven.

Woods Chandler was reared in his native city and in 1892 completed a course in the Hopkins grammar school, which was established in 1660 and is the oldest in this country with the exception of the Roxbury Latin School and the Boston Latin School. His higher education was acquired in Yale University, from which he won the degree of A. B. in 1896 and that of Mus. B. in 1901. He became a teacher of music in the Westminster School at Simsbury in 1903 and remained with the institution for five years, ranking with its most competent instructors. In 1908 he accepted the post of financial secretary to Ralph H. Ensign and after the latter's death was retained in the same capacity by his son, Joseph R. Ensign, president of The Ensign-Bickford Company and by his daughter, Mrs. Julia W. Ensign Darling. Mr. Chandler organ- ized the Simsbury Bank & Trust Company and on December 1, 1917, the institution was opened for business with a capital of twenty-five thousand dollars and a surplus of twelve thousand, five hundred dollars. The capitalization was changed to fifty thou- sand dollars in 1921 and a surplus fund of eighteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars was accumulated. In 1927 the capital stock was raised to seventy-five thou- sand dollars and on April 2, 1928, it was increased to one hundred thousand dollars. The bank now has a surplus of seventy-five thousand dollars, undivided profits of twenty-five thousand dollars, and the deposits amount to over one and a half million dollars. A year and eight months after its organization the bank paid a two per cent dividend and six months later inaugurated the plan of paying a quarterly dividend of two per cent, which has since been continued. The duties of president are discharged by Mr. Chandler, while George E. Pattison is secretary and treasurer of the bank. Its methods are founded upon a broad policy of cooperation and the rapid growth of the institution testifies to the wisdom and ability of its executive head as well as the qual- ity of service rendered by the bank. An expert financier, Mr. Chandler has made his bank a vital element in the development of this locality and is also recognized as a sagacious, farsighted business man. He is sole owner of the grist mill operated by Woods Chandler & Company, secretary and one of the directors of the Simsbury Electric Company, and president of the insurance firm of Chandler Pattison & Hall, incorporated in 1927. Resourceful, energetic, farsighted and well poised, he is always prepared for an emergency and his associates have the utmost confidence in his judg- ment and probity.

Mr. Chandler was married April 10, 1912, in Hartford to Miss Kathryn Root Richards, who was a daughter of Alfred T. and Laura (Root) Richards and passed away March 23, 1918. On May 14, 1925, Mr. Chandler was united in marriage to Miss Helen Clarissa Gross, a daughter of Charles E. and Ellen (Spencer) Gross and a member of one of the prominent families of Hartford. In 1905 Mrs. Chandler was graduated from Smith College and served as president of her class. She has been connected with the alumni counsel of the college, and is one of the woman's board of Hartford Seminary. She is a member of the Hartford Golf Club, the Memnon Club, and The Friday Club, The Town and County Club, The Musical Club of Hartford, The College Club and the Smith College Club, The Art Society of Hartford, The Historical Society of Simsburg, the societies of Colonial Dames and Daughters of the American Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. Chandler are members of the Mayflower Society of Con- necticut. They adhere to the Congregational faith, and both are members of the First Church of Christ, Simsbury. Mr. Chandler is organist of the church, director of its choir and treasurer of the First Ecclesiastical Society, manifesting a deep interest in religious work. He is president of the Simsbury Aid, Connecticut Junior Republic and is affiliated with the Graduates Club of New Haven, the Yale Club of New York city, the Yale Alumni Association of Hartford, the University Club of Hartford, the Wam- panoog Country Club, the Farmington Country Club, the Hartford Golf Club, the Memnon Club and the Community Club of Simsbury, the Twentieth Century Club, the Musical Club of Hartford, Automobile Club of Hartford, and the Historical Society of Simsbury. His name also appears on the membership rolls of the Connecticut Society

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History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 90

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