USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut, Volume II > Part 3
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HON. FREDERICK JOHN KINGSBURY.
Important and extensive as were the business interests of Frederick John Kingsbury, he ever found time to cooperate in public affairs that shaped the political, civic and moral progress of the community in which he lived and figured as one of the most honored and valued citizens of Waterbury, where he was born on the 1st of January, 1823. He was a representative of one of its oldest and most distinguished families, well known in Water- bury for more than a century. The ancestral line is traced back to Henry Kingsbury, who
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Frederick thingsbury
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was at Ipswich in 1633. He was the father of Joseph Kingsbury, who in turn was the great- grandfather of Judge John Kingsbury and the last named was the grandfather of Frederick John Kingsbury. In different generations the family has played well its part in the develop- ment and upbuilding of Waterbury and of Connecticut. Joseph Kingsbury became a resident of the town of Franklin, then a part of Norwich, New London county, Connecticut. Judge John Kingsbury, who was a son of Nathaniel Kingsbury, was born December 30, 1762, at. Norwich Farms, now Franklin, Connecticut. His youthful experiences were those of the farm-bred hoy until he reached the age of seventeen years, when he began studying under the direction of his uncle, Dr. Charles Baekus, who was a prominent minister of Somers. He thus prepared for Yale College, which he entered the following year. but the school was closed at the time of the Revolutionary war and his studies were thus suspended. About that time he became a marine on board a privateer and made two cruises, during which time he assisted in taking two prizes. He afterward returned to Yale and was graduated from that institution with the class of 1786. Becoming a resident of Waterbury, he was assistant to Joseph Badger, the principal of the academy, which had been opened the previous year. Indge Kingsbury became a law student in 1788, at Litchfield, under the direction of Judge Reeve, and in 1790 was admitted to the bar. He located for practice in Waterbury in 1791 and after two years was called to public office, being made town clerk in 1793. That he made a most acceptable official is indicated in the fact that he was retained in that position during the greater part of the time until 1818. In 1796 he became justice of the peace and was the inenmbent in that office until 1830. Still higher honors were conferred upon him, however, in his election to the state legislature on seventeen different occasions and he left the impress of his individuality indelibly upon the records of the general assembly. He was called to the probate and county courts upon the death of Judge Hopkins, the former incumbent in those offices, and served from 1801. He remained as county judge until May, 1820, and acted as presiding judge during the last year of that period. He continued to serve as probate judge till disqualified by age in 1832. When death called him on the 26th of August. 1844, Dr. Henry Bronson said of him: "He acquired in an eminent degree the confidence and respect of the community in which he lived. He held many public offices and always discharged his duties faithfully and acceptably. From the death of Judge Hopkins to the time of his decease no man in the town was more honored, respected and loved. Judge Kingsbury was a popular man. but he became so in consequence of the benevolence of his character, his kindly sympathies, his agreeable manners and many excellent qualities. He never sacrificed principle or consistency. He was a good neighbor and trusty friend. Lively in his manner, easy in conversation, often facetious in his remarks, his company was sought by persons of all ages and classes. His long aquiline nose, the benevolent smile which usually played on his countenance, and his winning way, can never be forgotten by those who know him."
It was on the 6th of November, 1794, that Judge Kingsbury married Marcia Bronson, a daughter of Stephen Bronson. They became parents of four children: Charles D., Julius J. B., John S. and Sarah S. Mrs. Kingsbury died March 21, 1813.
Charles Denison Kingsbury, like his father, was one of the distinguished and honored citizens of Waterbury, where he lived for almost a century. He was born November 7, 1795, in Waterbury, and acquired his preliminary education in the schools of the town, while later he became a student in the private school of Rev. Daniel Parker, of Ellsworth. About 1812 he secured a clerkship in a store in Waterbury and thus entered upon a mercantile eareer which brought him considerable success. For a time he sold clocks and books in the south and in the winter of 1820 went to Philadelphia, where he represented the button making firm of Lewis, Griley & Lewis of Naugatuck. The following year he leased the store in which he had formerly clerked and for twenty years was a prominent figure in the mercantile circles of Waterbury, where he also became identified with manufacturing interests. Ill health, however, caused him to turn his attention to agricultural porsnits. He had purchased con- siderable property and had inherited some and, locating upon his farm, he gave to it his attention throughout his remaining days. In early life he had had delicate health and it was believed that he would be a victim of pulmonary disease but the habits of life which he followed preserved his health until he had reached the notable age of ninety-five years, remain- ing in full possession of his faculties to the last. When he passed away the Waterbury American said: "A life so quiet and inconspicuous as Mr. Kingsbury's calls for but little comment. It was full of activity, but altogether unobtrusive. He fulfilled with great fidelity the various duties of a citizen, a church member, a householder, and a neighbor, but did it in a way so unostentatious and so simple that the impression he made upon the com- munity did not serve as a measure of his ability and breadth. Not alone in his Puritan simplicity, but in his clear-headedness and intellectual strength, he was a fine representative
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of the older generations of New England men. While indifferent to many of the modern novelties and notions, he had a clear apprehension of what was really valuable in our modern life, and was prompt to place himself in sympathy with it. He did not produce upon those who talked with him the impression that he was being left behind in the movements of events; he was a man of the times. At the same time he delighted in the memories of the past. Ilis memory was good and his conversational gifts were of a high order; so that it was a real pleasure to sit beside him and look upon his vivid word pictures of the days that are no more. The lessons of such a life cannot be measured off or numbered, and they are of a kind which would gain but little heed from this busy world of ours. But we cannot but regret that there are so few today who covet that life of simplicity and quiet peace which Mr. Kingsbury through all these years has so beautifully illustrated."
Cf the First Congregational church Mr. Kingsbury became a member at the age of twenty-one years and remained a most faithful and consistent follower thereof to the time of his death. Charles D. Kingsbury was united in marriage on the 5th of March, 1821, to Miss Eliza Leavenworth, a daughter of Dr. Frederick Leavenworth. She died November 16, 1852, survived by two children, Frederick J. and Sarah Leavenworth, the wife of Franklin Carter, president of Williams College. Mr. Kingsbury. was married November 24, 1859, to Miss Rebecca Hotchkiss, a daughter of Deacon Elijah Hotchkiss, and her death occurred December 7, 1873.
The only son of Charles Denison and Eliza (Leavenworth) Kingsbury was Frederick John Kingsbury, whose name introduces this review. He was born January 1, 1823, in Waterbury. After attending the public schools he spent a year and a half in the home of his uncle, Rev. Abner J. Leavenworth, of Virginia, devoting a part of that time to study. He completed his preparation for college under the direction of Rev. Seth Fuller, who was then principal of the Waterbury Academy. Entering Yale, he was graduated with the class of 1846 and he then continned as a law student in Yale under Judge Storrs and Isaac H. Townsend. He also read law with Hon. Charles G. Loring, of Boston, and Hon. Thomas C. Perkins, of Hartford, and in 1848 was admitted to practice at the Boston bar. The follow- ing year he opened an office in Waterbury and followed his profession until 1853. when he discontinued law practice to engage in the banking business. In 1850 his fellow townsmen, appreciative of his worth and ability. called him to publie office and he represented his town in the state legislature. He was also a member of the legislatures of 1858 and 1865, in both of which he was chairman of the committee on banks. His close study of the banking busi- ness led him to concentrate his personal efforts and attention upon banking. He believed that a savings bank would be a benefit to Waterbury and its people and he secured a charter for such an institution. of which he became the treasurer. For many years he successfully managed the affairs of the bank and its success was attributable in large measure to his efforts, his close application and his keen business discernment. In 1853 he became associated with Abram Ives in organizing the Citizens' Bank, of which he remained as president for some time. This did not cover the scope of his activities, for he was a forceful and resource- ful man who extended his efforts along various lines and in all carried forward to successful completion whatever he undertook. In January, 1858, he became a director of the Scovill Manufacturing Company and was its secretary from March, 1862, until January, 1864, and was its treasurer from the former date until January, 1866. In 1868 he succeeded to the presidency of the company and remained in that office until he retired in favor of C. P. Goss. Sr. He was also the secretary of the Detroit & Lake Superior Copper Company, organized in 1867. For a number of years he was on the directorate of the New York & New England Railroad and was likewise a director of the Naugatuck Railroad.
Mr. Kingsbury was identified with various other interests of a public or semi-public character. In 1868, when the Bronson Library Fund was established, he became its treasurer and he was made a member of the board of agents of the library and chairman of its book committee. He was treasurer of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut from 1879 until his demise. In 1881 he was elected a member of the Corporation of Yale College and was reelected in 1887 and in 1893. At the time of his second reelection the Waterbury American said: "Of sixteen hundred votes he received all but about two hundred. His reelection was so generally regarded as desirable that the other nominee. a distinguished editor of Worcester, Massachusetts, made no contest and practically conceded Mr. Kingsbury's election from the start. The qualities of fitness whose recognition explains this gratifying unanimity comprise locality zeal for the college interests, intelligent appreciation of college needs and practical business judgment in the administration of college affairs. Mr. Kings- bury's election is advantageous to the university and gratifying to this community. which has so large a representation and so deep an interest in it."
It was on the 29th of April, 1851. that Mr. Kingsbury wedded Alathea Scovill, a daughter
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of William Henry Scovill. She died December 7, 1899. Their children were five in number. William Charles died in 1864. Mary Eunice, who became the wife of Dr. Charles Stedman Bull, of New York city, died October 15, 1898. Alice Eliza was the third and Edith Davies the fourth member of the family of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick J. Kingsbury. Frederick John, Jr., who married Adele Townsend, has two children: Ruth, the wife of Richard C. Sargent, of New Haven; and Frederick Kingsbury, Jr., now a member of the American ambulance service in France.
Mr. Kingsbury was ever deeply interested in genealogical research and in scientific investigation. He was elected to the presidency of the American Social Science Association in 1893 and was retained in that office by reelection for three years. He belonged to the American Antiquarian Society, the American Historical Association, the Connectiont Academy of Arts and Sciences, the New Haven County Historical Society, the Society of the Colonial Wars and the University, Graduates and Century Clubs. At the centennial celebration of Williams College, October 10, 1893. the degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him and Yale so honored him in 1899. He was usually to be found with those men who are met in the discussion of important and significant problems and at all times he kept abreast with the best thinking men of the age, so that association with him meant expansion and elevation. He was indeed a man of scholarly attainments yet thoroughly human in sympathy and interest, ever ready to extend a helping hand, and at all times his aid and influence were given on the side of progress, truth, reform and improvement
ARMOUR AND COMPANY.
Armour and Company's history in Waterbury is like the water that ran still but deep. The company has been doing a very big business in a very quiet way and is only awaiting the psychological moment to take steps that will permit it to measure up fully to the city's great possibilities. The first of these steps will be the erection of a fine new branch house as soon as building conditions get back on a basis that will justify the big expenditure which will be necessary.
Armour and Company opened an independent branch house in Waterbury, April 4, 1910. The first quarters were not impressive but business grew for all that and three years later more commodious quarters had to be secured. In the meantime, however, the company officials had been casting about for a permanent location. A desirable tract of land was purchased March 9, 1911, at Sperry and Mattatuck streets, but inability to secure rail facilities delayed building operations until the war had brought on a situation that practically precluded the possibility of building. The company is now waiting for a favorable moment to erect a home for its branch in Waterbury that will be in keeping with the city and its prospects.
Lack of suitable quarters did not keep the business from growing however. Water- bury's eighty odd thousands of people took kindly to the famous "Ham What Am" and other Armour food products and of late the big industries of the city have been purchasing heavily of Armour inedible products as for example lard oil which is used in considerable quantities by the American Brass Company and others of the big Waterbury industries. In fact, business has reached a stage where new, larger and modern quarters are greatly needed.
The branch houses of Armour and Company-there are more than four hundred of them scattered among the chief centers of the nation's population-are the predominating feature of the distributive system which has made the company the greatest food pur- veyors in the world. Armour and Company have systematized the business of moving food from the farm to the dealer and have become a most important factor on the economical side of the food problem.
The food markets of the world today would be even less stable than they are were it not for the modern systems of storing, canning, curing and otherwise preserving the products of the seasons of plenty, for the demands of the seasons when nature is not providing. Armour and Company are leading exponents of these various systems, and Armour and Company developed the refrigerator car lines which make nation wide distribu- tion of perishable foods possible.
The Waterbury branch house as part of the Armour distributive system can get the products of any or all of the scores of food purveying plants conducted by the com- pany and can get them in exactly the right condition for use. Owning their own refrigerator cars Armour and Company are practically insured against the dangers of car shortages and
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so they can, at all seasons of the year, keep up the distribution of foods. In the hottest kind of weather meats and other perishables can be transported from the coolers of the great packing plants to the refrigerators of the storekeepers without the least danger and with the food in the . same perfect condition that it was when the government inspectors passed on it at the place where it was prepared for distribution.
The economy of a business so vast is easily seen. Armour and Company doing busi- ness in practically in every state in the nation and in dozens and hundreds of cities in every state, have a bulk of sales so large that the margin of profit on the goods handled can be, and is, cut to mere fractions of pennies and still the aggregate produces fair profits on the vast sums invested. For example, Armour and Company buy beef steers from the farmer and dispose of them in the form of meat and its various by-products at a profit of less than a quarter of a cent per pound per steer. Quick turnovers on a huge volume of business make the profit. The small purveyor of food with his limited capacity, his infrequent turnover, and his small volume of business, has to charge five cents or more per pound per steer and then he often fails in business.
Summed up in a paragraph, the Armour business is to gather up the perishable foods of America, to prepare and standardize them and redistribute them to the world; to do this in a manner that will bring the most satisfactory returns to the producer and then pass the highest quality food on toward the consumer at the lowest possible cost of pre- paring and handling.
The branch house in Waterbury is one of the links in the chain between the producer and the dealer by which Armour and Company distribute millions upon millions of dollars' worth of food that would spoil in the fields if the system of distribution were less efficient or less complete.
The Waterbury branch is managed by Joseph P. Flaherty who was transferred here from Norwich, Connecticut, March 1, 1913. Mr. Flaherty has been in the employ of Armour and Company for fifteen years, and previous to coming to Waterbury was salesman at Utica, New York, and manager at Norwich, Connecticut. He is married and has two sons attending the Waterbury schools.
EDWARD CUFFIN LEWIS.
Edward Cuffin Lewis, who died October 24, 1901, was a manufacturer and financier whose business ability brought him from a most humble position in the business world to one of marked prominence where he had directing power in the control of many different manufac- turing concerns, illustrating in his life record the power of indefatigable industry and initiative. He was born at Welshpool in North Wales, September 23, 1826, a son of John and Mary Lewis, and was a little lad of but five years when his parents established the family home in Bridgeport. He attended the public schools there, but necessity forced him early into the world of work and for eight years he was employed in cotton and woolen mills. He then turned his attention to metal industries by becoming an apprentice in the Bridgeport Iron Works, of which ultimately he became one of the owners and managers. Working his way upward through the various departments, he acquired comprehensive knowledge of every phase of the foundry business. From 1847 until 1849 he was in the employ of Colburn & Bassett, well known iron founders of Birmingham, now Derby, and in the latter year he accepted the position of foreman of the Farrel Foundry & Machine Company of Ansonia. The ability which he there displayed led to his appointment as foreman of the Waterbury branch of their business and within a short time he was made the active manager of the Waterbury establishment, of which he eventually became president, continuing in that posi- tion until his demise. From the initial point of his business career he made steady progress and each forward step brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities which he eagerly and wisely utilized. His cooperation was constantly sought in the development of other manufacturing industries and almost thirty of the important and extensive manufac- turing concerns of Waterbury and the surrounding district owed their success, at least in part, to the efforts and enterprise of E. C. Lewis. He was the president of the Oakville Company and of the Capewell Horse Nail Company of Hartford. He was a director of the Benedict & Burnham, the Plume & Atwood and the Matthews & Willard Manufacturing Companies, also of Holmes, Booth & Haydens, the Hendey Machine Company and the Dime Savings Bank. So thorough was his training and so broad his experience that he found ready solution for intricate and involved business problems and his judgment concerning such was almost unerring.
On the 29th of October, 1850, Mr. Lewis was married to Miss Harriet M. Phippeny, of
6. O. Jewis
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Hartford, and to them were born seven children, of whom three survive: Ida, now the wife of William E. Fulton; Mary, the wife of William J. Schlegel; and Truman, who was born in Waterbury, September 15, 1866. He was educated in private schools, pursuing an English and classical course, and on the 11th of July, 1892, he married Marie Selina Switzer, of Tor- rington In politics he is a republican and served for four years on the board of public safety. He built a beautiful home on Woodlawn Terrace in Waterbury, the grounds cover- ing tweive acres. Every art of the landscape gardener has been exerted to add to the love- liness of this home, which land was named by his mother Edge Cliff Lawn. the initials E. C. L. being those of his father, Edward Cuffin Lewis, whose memory is thus honored.
E. C. Lewis was an ardent republican but never a politician in the sense of office seeking, `although in 1886 he allowed himself to be named as the republican candidate for congress in a district which has a strong democratic majority and received a most complimentary vote, running far ahead of the party ticket. He served as a member of the common council and as police commissioner and he was ever interested in the public welfare. In 1884 he was elected to represent his district in the state legislature, but it was as a private citizen that he preferred to do his public work through active support and cooperation of measures for the public good. He belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His fellowmen ever found him a man of liberal ideas, genial. courteous and kindly. Mr. Lewis was long a generous contributor to Trinity church and to various charitable and benevolent organizations. He cooperated in many measures and movements for the general good. . He never lost the com- mon touch. Success was never allowed to warp his nature but left him as it found him-a man of broad sympathies and broad views.
ELISHA TURNER.
Few men have displayed business enterprise and sagacity in greater measure than Elisha Turner, who contributed in notable degree to the manufacturing development of the Naugatuck valley. He readily discriminated between the essential and the nonessential and, discarding the latter, used the former in such a way that maximum results were achieved. The integrity of his business methods, too, placed him with those men to whom honor and respeet are intuitively accorded. While controlling mammoth interests, he did not make the attainment of wealth the end and aim of his life but at all times found opportunity to cooperate in movements which had to do with the upbuilding of his city and state and with the support of projects promoted for the intellectual and moral progress of the race.
He was born in New London, January 29, 1822, and his life record compassed the inter- vening years to the 14th of September, 1900, when he passed away in Torrington in the seventy-ninth year of his age. His common school education was supplemented by study in the academies at Suffield and at Colchester and he made his initial step in the business world as an employe in a dry goods store, there gaining his early commercial training and experience. Before he had attained his majority, however, he had embarked in busi- ness on his own account and successfully conducted a dry goods store for some time. During that period he also was quite largely interested in whale fishing. In the spring of 1846 he became a resident of Waterbury, where for two years he conducted a mercantile establishment and then joined Lyman W. Coe and Philander Hine in organizing the Water- bury Hook & Eve Company. From that time forward his attention was concentrated upon manufacturing interests, which not only led to the attainment of a large individual fortune but also constituted a most important clement in the commercial development and prosperity of the Naugatuck valley. In 1864 the plant of the Waterbury Hook & Eve Company was removed to Torrington and the business was later reorganized under the name of the Turner & Seymour Manufacturing Company.
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