History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 91

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 91

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

1006

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

of Colonial Wars and St. Mark's Lodge, No. 36, F. & A. M. In politics he is a repub- lican and during 1917-18 was treasurer of the organization in charge of the local united war work campaign. Mr. Chandler is a broad-gauged man whose career has been crowned with success, and an upright, well spent life has won for him the esteem and respect of all who have been brought within the sphere of his influence.

GOODWIN BATTERSON BEACH

Goodwin Batterson Beach, the founder of one of the large and well known invest- ment banking houses of Hartford, was born in this city October 2, 1885. His parents, Charles Coffing and Mary Elizabeth (Batterson) Beach, were also natives of Hartford and the father became one of its leading physicians. The mother was a daughter of James G. Batterson, founder of the Travelers Insurance Company and one of Hart- ford's foremost business men.

Goodwin B. Beach attended the local schools, completing his high school course in 1903, and continued his studies in Harvard University, which awarded him the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1907. After his graduation he entered the employ of the Travel- ers Insurance Company and remained with the corporation for about five years, as an underwriter in the accident department. In 1912 he embarked in the investment busi- ness in Hartford as a member of the firm of Beach & Austin. In 1917 the name was changed to Goodwin Beach & Company. On the admission of Edward S. Goodwin, of East Hartford, to partnership in 1919, the name became Goodwin-Beach & Company. This firm occupies a suite of offices on the second floor of the old Connecticut General building at No. 64 Pearl street, specializing in insurance and bank stocks. Mr. Beach is a director of the General Reinsurance Company and of the New York Casualty Company.

In London, England, Mr. Beach was married September 8, 1908, to Miss Ethel Gertrude Curry and they became the parents of three daughters: Annabel Gertrude, Mary Goodwin and Carol Coffing. Mr. Beach was married to Miss Edith A. Durrant in New York city on January 26, 1927.

Mr. Beach is a trustee of the Watkinson School and one of the governors of the Connecticut Investment Bankers Association, of which he was formerly president. He is also a director of the State Chamber of Commerce. His name is on the membership rolls of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, the Hartford Stock Exchange, the Art Society of Hartford, the New York Zoological Society, the Audubon Society, the American Museum of Natural History, the Connecticut Historical Society, the Sons of the Amer- ican Revolution, the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Association Against the Prohibi- tion Amendment. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and belongs to the University Clubs of New York and Hartford, the Harvard Clubs of Connecticut and New York, the Hartford Gun Club and to both the Hartford and Wampanoag Golf Clubs. For recreation he turns to horseback riding and hunting expeditions in the west. He also enjoys traveling and has made several trips abroad.

COLONEL JAMES W. GILSON

Colonel James W. Gilson, assistant adjutant general of the state of Connecticut and an outstanding figure in military circles for many years, was born in St. Albans, Vermont, July 7, 1871, his parents being Darwin King and Susan (Safford) Gilson, who were natives of Vermont and Massachusetts, respectively. The father served for three years and nine months in the Civil war, being commissioned a first lieutenant of the Tenth Vermont Infantry, and following the close of that conflict he was for many years in the United States customs service. He died in the Green Mountain state in 1904, while his wife, who was a descendant of General Gates of Revolutionary war fame, passed away in 1906.

Colonel Gilson acquired his early education in public schools and in his youth was employed in the St. Albans branch of the R. F. Hawkins Iron Works. In 1896 he came to Hartford, where he was associated with the Hartford Rubber Works until 1907, during which period he became a director and the sales manager of the com-

(Photograph by Pirie MacDonald)

GOODWIN B. BEACH

1009

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

pany. In April, 1907, he went to Racine, Wisconsin, as sales manager and director of the Mitchell Motor Company, with which he was thus associated until 1912, when he became identified with the Lewis Motor Company as a director and sales manager, thus continuing until 1915, when the company went out of business.

During his residence in the west Colonel Gilson became a member of the Wis- consin National Guard and in June, 1916, he enlisted and was commissioned a first lieutenant, being sent with his command to the Mexican border. He was subsequently on recruiting duty in the Wisconsin National Guard and recruited Battery F of the First Wisconsin Field Artillery, with which he was made captain. The command mobilized at Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, July 2, 1917, and Battery F was the first Wisconsin unit to be sent to Camp McArthur in Waco, Texas, this being in August, 1917, and was the first outfit of the Thirty-second Division to arrive at that camp. This honor was given Colonel Gilson for the excellence of his previous work and the general efficiency of his battery. In September, 1917, on the complete formation of the Thirty-second Division, he was ordered to report to the headquarters of the Fifty- seventh Artillery Brigade, a part of the Thirty-second Division, as adjutant and served in that capacity until the return of the division to the United States from France in April, 1919, having gone with his command overseas in February, 1918. After his arrival in France he went into the artillery training camp in Brittany and on the 1st of June, 1918, went into the line at Alsace-Lorraine. The Thirty-second Division went into line in May, 1918, and from that time on had no rest periods. It is the one division that has a very inadequate picture drawn of its service by its battle participation dates. For the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Infantry, these are: Centre sector (Alsace), May 18-July 23; Aisne-Marne offensive, July 27-August 8; Oise-Aisne offensive, August 18-September 6; Meuse-Argonne offensive, September 26-November 11. Battle honors under G. O. 16 are listed as: Alsace, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne. Under the analysis system, one gets a much clearer view of what the division accomplished, these honors becoming: Alsace, Ourcq, Vesle, Champagne, Merval, Juvigny, Montfaucon Romagne, Cunel, Buzancy, Dun, Foret-de- Woevre. Something of the nature of Colonel Gilson's service is indicated in a letter which read: "There is forwarded herewith by registered mail a Croix de Guerre with gilt star citation certificate and translation of the same, awarded to you by the French government. It is requested that you furnish this office with a receipt for the Croix de Guerre and citation, using inclosed blank. By order of the Secretary of War. W. E. Cole, Adjutant General."

On the 18th of April, 1919, C. P. Summerall, major general commanding the Ninth Army Corps, A. E. F., wrote as follows:

"Upon the relief of the Fifty-seventh Field Artillery Brigade from the Ninth Army Corps, in compliance with orders from higher authority, the corps commander desires to convey to the officers and soldiers of this brigade his appreciation and commendation of the services rendered by the command, not only during its presence with the corps, but throughout its participation in the campaigns of the American Expeditionary Forces. The review of this brigade for the corps commander, which was held on April 7th, presented an excellent appearance and gave abundant testi- mony of the high morale and soldierly spirit that now animates the command.

"The brigade is composed of the One Hundred and Nineteenth, One Hundred and Twentieth, One Hundred and Twenty-first and One Hundred and Forty-seventh Field Artillery Regiments. The records show that the brigade arrived in France during March, 1918, and trained at Camp Coetquidan. Firing batteries from this brigade were furnished to the artillery training camps at Saumur and at Montigny-sur-Aube during the succeeding year. The One Hundred and Nineteenth and One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiments served in the Toul sector from June 5th to June 22, 1918, in support of the Twenty-sixth Division. The entire brigade served in the Haute Alsace sector from June 12th to July 22d, supporting the Thirty-second Division. It participated in the Aisne-Marne offensive from August 1st to August 25th, supporting the Thirty-second, the Twenty-eighth and the Seventy-seventh Divisions, and advanced against resistance twenty kilometers. Without rest, it made a forced march to the Oise-Aisne offensive and supported the Thirty-second American Division and the First Moroccan Division from August 28th to September 6th. It participated in the capture of Juvigny and Terny Sorny, advancing eight kilometers. After five days' rest at Wassy, the brigade marched to the Meuse-Argonne offensive, where it supported the Seventy-ninth, the Third, the Thirty-second and the Eighty-ninth Divisions, serving

33-VOL. 3

1010

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

continuously, without relief, from September 26th to November 8th. During this period, it advanced twenty-six kilometers and suffered severely from the campaign. It was then withdrawn to a rest area, where it served with the Fortieth Division at Revigny, and later with the Eighty-eighth Division in the Gondrecourt area.

"Not only has the brigade performed its full share of duty in the Thirty-second Division, to which it originally belonged, but it has contributed by its efforts and its sacrifices to the success of other divisions of the American army. The work of the training batteries at the centers for artillery instruction has been no less valuable in contributing to the success of our arms than that of the batteries engaged in combat, and they are entitled to a full share of the credit which is due the command.

"Every officer and soldier may well cherish with pride the privilege of having participated in the momentous events of the campaigns with this brigade, and its history will be a lasting inheritance to the army and to the American people. The good wishes and the abiding interest of the corps commander will remain with the members of the brigade in their future careers."

Colonel Gilson was recommended by Major General William G. Haan, command- ing the Thirty-second Division, the award of Distinguished Service Medal. In the fall of 1919 he returned to Hartford and engaged in the insurance brokerage business, so continuing until 1925, when he was appointed by Governor Trumbull to the posi- tion of assistant adjutant general of the state of Connecticut. That Colonel Gilson enjoyed the highest regard and confidence of his fellow officers and those who were his superiors in rank was indicated in many ways, proof of which is found in a letter which read: "It is a pleasure to learn that your loyalty to the Field Artillery has caused you to consider the possibility of a brigade command of that arm with the National Guard of your state. Your service as executive of the Fifty-seventh Field Artillery Brigade during the late war, especially the five months of actual service at the front, together with the experience you have had yearly since then in Reserve and National Guard training camps, should, in my opinion, eminently qualify you to perform the duties of a brigade commander. I do not have to tell you how greatly I valued your service under me during the war and the high regard in which I hold you. Sincerely your friend, G. LeR. Irwin, Brigadier General, U. S. A."

In April, 1900, Colonel Gilson was married to Miss Florence Ingraham, of Hart- ford, who passed away February 3, 1926, leaving a daughter, Virginia, now the wife of Philip W. Scheide, of Hartford, and the mother of one child, Philip Cornell Scheide. That Colonel Gilson finds pleasure on the links is indicated in his membership in the Hartford Golf Club. He also belongs to the Exchange Club of Hartford and the Hartford Chapter of National Sojourners. He has taken the degrees of both the York and Scottish rites in Masonry and is a member of Tripoli Temple of the Mystic Shrine. Descended from forebears who fought for American independence, it is nat- ural that he should be connected with the Sons of the American Revolution and he also belongs to the Military Order of Foreign Wars. His entire record expresses intense loyalty, marked capability and unfaltering fidelity to duty, and his is recog- nized as of the highest type of military service in relation to both state and national organizations.

NATHANIEL J. SCOTT.

Nathaniel J. Scott, manager of the Connecticut Company of Hartford, to which position he has worked upward step by step, overcoming obstacles and difficulties by determined purpose, was born in Scottsmore, Quebec, Canada, April 23, 1876, his par- ents being George L. and Julia L. (Scoville) Scott, who were natives of Vermont and Canada, respectively. The father devoted his early life to farming and afterward was associated with the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

Having attended the public and high schools, Nathaniel J. Scott passed the exami- nation required for entrance to Gill University but did not resume his studies there. Instead he went to a French settlement in order to acquaint himself with the French language and subsequently removed to Boston. The year 1896 witnessed his arrival in Hartford, to which city he came a stranger. He at once sought employment, which he secured as a shipping clerk in the wholesale twine and paper house of P. Garvan & Company, but after a brief period he entered the employ of the Connecticut Company

(Photograph by Dunne's Studio)

NATHANIEL J. SCOTT

1013

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

in July of the same year as a street car conductor, serving in that connection for five or six years. In 1901, when the Wethersfield car house was built, he was assigned to duty there as car house foreman but a little later was transferred to the State street office, doing similar work and also crew dispatching. In 1906 he was promoted to chief dispatcher, which position he filled for several years, and was then made assist- ant superintendent, while later he was advanced to the more responsible position of superintendent of transportation. April, 1921, brought him appointment to the office of manager and he has been notably capable and efficient in this responsible position. Having worked his way upward, he is thoroughly familiar with each branch of the business, understands the requirements and is able to so direct forces as to produce the most desired results.

In August, 1901, Mr. Scott was married to Miss Grace L. Gallivan, of Hartford, and with their daughter, Dorothy A., an only child, they reside at 20 Somerset street, Wolcott Hill, Wethersfield. Mr. Scott is a member of the Rotary Club, is a director of the Connecticut State Fair Association and a member of the City Club. He also belongs to St. John's Lodge No. 4, F. & A. M., of which he is a past master, has at- tained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and is a member of Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is likewise a past noble grand of the Hartford Lodge of Odd Fellows and loyally adheres to the underlying principles which constitute the basis of these organizations. In a review of his business career all must feel that his success and advancement are well merited, for he started out without friends or influence to aid him and by sheer force of character and unremitting industry has reached the creditable place which he now fills.

ISIDORE WISE

The name of Isidore Wise is widely known in Hartford because of his prominent connection with mercantile interests as founder and president of Wise, Smith & Com- pany, Incorporated, owners of one of the largest, most attractive and most successful mercantile establishments of this city. He was born in Hartford, November 19, 1865, and while spending his youthful days in the home of his parents, Leopold and Rosalie (Engel) Wise, he pursued a public school education. In the business world he has proven a forceful factor, ready to meet any emergency or contingency and readily discriminating between the essential and non-essential in the conduct of his interests. Laudable ambition has carried him steadily forward, and utilizing his opportunities to good advantage, he became founder of Wise, Smith & Company, Incorporated, and as president of this concern is directing a business which from the beginning has enjoyed steady growth and is now one of the chief features in the commercial life of Hartford. He is likewise the vice president of the Hartford Morris Plan Bank, as well as one of its directors, and is also a representative of the directorate of the Hartford-Connecticut Trust Company, the Mechanics Savings Bank and the Hartford Electric Light Company, all of which profit by his cooperation and sound judgment. His accomplishments in the field of business would alone entitle him to distinction, but in the field of public service his labors have been equally comprehensive and valuable. He was a director of the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce and is now a director of the Connecticut State Prison and the Hartford Meadows Development Commission and a member of the New England Council. In fact his interest and activities have touched many lines where his labors have had a wide measure of influence. His broad humanitarianism is frequently shown and is manifest in his service as vice president of the Newington Home for Crippled Children. He was one of the incorporators of the Hartford Public Library and during the World war he served as a member of the United States Food Administration, of the Hartford Food Administration and of the Connecticut State Council of Defense.

His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and he has rendered valuable service as councilman, as alderman and as police commissioner of Hartford. He was one of the founders of the first Mckinley Club in the country and his opinions have been a valuable force in directing party activities in this city and state. In the discharge of his public duties he has ever placed the general welfare before personal aggrandizement and his efforts have been far-reaching and beneficial.

On the 11th of June, 1890, Mr. Wise married Miss Selma V. Stern, of Westerly,

1014

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

Rhode Island, and they have two children: Rosalind V., the wife of Louis A. Samuels; and Adelle S., the wife of Edward A. Hart. They reside at 810 Prospect avenue in Hartford and have membership in Temple Beth Israel, of which Mr. Wise is president and of which his grandfather, David Engel, was one of the founders in 1839. Mr. Wise has also rendered valuable aid as first president of the United Jewish Charities of Hartford and he is likewise a past president of the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association, the Hartford Business Mens' Association and the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Bnai B'rith and belenes to Putnam Phalanx, to the Tumble Brook Country Club, the Republican Club and the Allah Club. The foregoing indicates clearly that in all of his varied business, civic, fraternal and social relations he has been called upon for official service and in each has made a splendid executive, his labors covering a broad scope and proving a determining factor for progress and success, and few occupy a more enviable position as a valued and substantial citizen of Hartford than Isidore Wise.

MAJOR BERTRAM N. CARVALHO

A strong executive with keen busines insight and clear vision, Major Bertram N. Carvalho, a resident of Hartford, has gained a notable position in insurance circles of Connecticut, maintaining an office at 115 Broad street. For a quarter of a century he has been actively identified with insurance interests and his course has been char- acterized by a steady progress, each forward step bringing him a broader outlook and wider opportunities.

Major Carvalho was born in New York city, May 27, 1878, his parents being David N. and Anna N. (Grams) Carvalho, the former a native of Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania, and the latter of New Orleans, Louisiana. He is descended from Spanish and English ancestry, although the family has been represented in America through twelve generations. After attending the public schools in the metropolis he entered the Packard Business College, in which he completed his studies in 1896, and imme- diately afterward he made his initial step in the business world by becoming an em- ploye in the Massasoit Woolen Mills at Huntington. He was further identified with the textile industry at Monson, Massachusetts, and from 1899 until 1904 filled the office of secretary of the company. In the latter year, however, he directed his efforts into the insurance field, in which he has since operated, becoming a partner in the insurance brokerage firm of William C. Scheide & Company of New York, which after- ward became King, Scheide & Company. This organization conducted an agency busi- ness and Major Carvalho devoted his attention to special field work, while later he assumed the direction of a newly established reinsurance department. His activities have constantly broadened in scope and importance and several of the large insur- ance companies have profited by his wisely directed efforts and executive ability. In 1920 he became president of the Fire Reassurance Company of New York and in the same year was elected to the vice presidency of the American Reserve Insurance Com- pany of New York. This followed his advancement in the previous year to the vice presidency of the Rossia Insurance Company of America, in which connection he has since continued, his identification with that corporation dating from 1908 and covering a service as secretary prior to his advancement to the vice presidency. He serves on the board of directors of these three companies and also represents the directorate of the Lincoln Fire Insurance Company of New York and the First Reinsurance Com- pany of Hartford. His cooperation is considered a valuable asset in shaping the policy and directing the development of these various corporations. In 1911 he was made manager in the United States for the Fire Reassurance Company of Paris, which merged with the Fire Reassurance Company of New York in 1920. He is thus a man of broad experience in his chosen field and there is no phase of the business with which he is not thoroughly familiar, so that he is able to speak with authority upon any question relative to the organization and development of insurance interests.

In 1903 Major Carvalho married Miss Jesselyn E. Pierce and they have become parents of four sons and a daughter: John Bertram Carvalho, Curtis Bolton Pierce Carvalho, Adelaide Halleck Pierce Carvalho, David Nunes Carvalha, 2d, and Bertram Nunes Carvalho, Jr.

- - -

(Photograph by Blank & Stoller)

MAJOR BERTRAM N. CORWALHO

1017

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT

On outstanding chapter in the life record of Major Carvalho covers his service in the World war. Enlisting on the 1st of June, 1917, he reported to New York as assist- ant to the superintendent of army transport service and later was transferred to Hoboken, New Yorsey, as paymaster on the army piers. After serving there for a time he was returned to New York as executive officer to the chief disbursing officer and later, ordered to France, he sailed for the old world on the 3d of October, 1917, land- ing at Liverpool, whence he proceeded to Paris, which at that time was headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force. He was about to be ordered to the motor transport service when he was assigned to the insurance division, which had just been organized, acting as assistant to Captain Wolfe. His duties then included lecturing on the bene- fits of insurance to service men and upon this subject he was heard throughout England and France, his connection with this department continuing until March 1, 1918. When the bombardment of Paris began he was transferred to Tours, handling the transportation of the S. O. S. On the 1st of March, 1918, he was ordered to duty with the general staff, with which he remained until May, 1918, as deputy assistant chief of staff. At that date he was assigned to the salvage service, with which he continued throughout the remainder of the war. In September, 1918, he was advanced to the rank of major and later was commissioned a lieutenant colonel but did not receive his commission on account of the close of the war. He was mustered out at Camp Dix on the 13th of March, 1919, having arrived in America two days preceding.

It is said that every man has a hobby and Major Carvalho's is perhaps stamp collecting. His interests and activities, however, outside of business are broad and varied. He has membership in a number of the leading clubs of the east, including the Bankers, Lotus, Army and Navy, Drug and Chemical of New York, Chicago Union League, Wampanoag, Hartford, Country Club of Farmington, Connecticut, Hartford Golf and others. When one sees a thoroughly successful business man, widely recog- nized as an able executive, it is difficult to picture him as a youth of limited resources and to envision his gradual but steady rise to prominence. Such, however, is the record of Major Cavalho, who, starting out in a comparatively minor position in con- nection with the textile industry, is now an outstanding figure in insurance circles in the east. What he has accomplished represents the fit utilization of his innate powers and talents and of the opportunities which are always before the ambitious and deter- mined young business man.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 91

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