USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 15
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66
Ma was also given a land grant for services in Brocstark. one pound sixteen shille fn h dian vers, consisting of fifty-six sere Il Linfield, Connecticut. Besides this a dozen or Fre si begynt additions granted to him and to his sons in Enfield aggregated several thor ens des ut wowill and services. His son and the next lineal descendant was Mentenant jones come who was born in Enfield in 1680 and died November 4, 1763. On the 4th of April grew he had married Mary Meacham. Lieutenant Jones was a man of un common ability He wanted ensign and later, lieutenant of the Enfield Train Band and developed marked mu taty power. His ability in other directions was also pronounced and he had much to do with shaping public thought and action in colonial days. He was also very prominent in the work of the church. Sixteen times he was elected to the office of schertman, was elected assessor nine times, town surveyor ten times, moderator of the town meeting fourteen times and on fourteen other occasions was chosen to minor offices His pop. Captain Israel Jones, was born in Enfield, March 18. 1715, and on the 29th of November 1144, wedded Jemimah Clark. His death occurred December 28. 1798. He, too. was a man of prominence in Enfield, where he was elected to public office continuously from 3:38 until 1768. In the later year he appears as one of the committee to manage the affair .. the Ba. khamsted land proprietors, the deed to the Jones farm being given in 1771. ' Captain .fox ttled on his farm in Barkhamsted in 1759, being the first white settler in that
Edward
1
127
WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY
locality. He was a lieutenant of the first military company of Barkhamsted, called for duty in October, 1774, and later he became captain.
The next in the line of descent to Edward P. Jones was Samuel Jones, son of Captain Israel Jones. He was born in Enfield, July 31, 1749, and passed away March 29, 1822. The three brothers of Samuel Jones-Israel, William Clark and Isaac Jones-removed to the Western Reserve of Ohio in 1799, where their descendants are now numerous. With the removal of the three sons of Captain Jones to the west they settled in what is known as New Connecticut, in Trumbull county, Ohio, and there the descendants of the Revolu- tionary ancestor have made a practice of holding a family reunion annually for many years, the thirty-third annual .reunion having been held at Hartford, Ohio, on the 30th of August, 1917.
The grandfather of Edward P. Jones was Elijah Jones, a son of Samuel Jones. He was born on the farm in Barkhamsted, May 1, 1783, and died July 7, 1850. He served for seven terms as a member of the Connecticut legislature.
Edwin Pitkin Jones, the father of Edward P. Jones, was born on the old farm March 10, 1826, and on the 14th of April 1853, wedded Mary G. Coult. His death occurred February 16th, 1908, while his wife, who was born December 31, 1830, died May 20, 1910. She was a daughter of William Coult and a granddaughter of Dr. Amherst Coult who enlisted four different times in Revolutionary service, and served as a surgeon under Wash- ington in the Revolutionary war. He also for a time commanded the naval forces at the mouth of the Connecticut river. The Coults in America are descended from Sir Peter Coult, of England, who served in the War of the Roses and who had seven horses shot from under him in one battle of that long conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster. For his services in that battle he was knighted and given, a coat of arms, having on the shield a colt's head. The ancestral line is traced down from Sir John Coult, father of Sir Peter Coult, through John (I), John (II), John (III), John (IV), to John Coult (V), who was born about 1625 in Colchester, England, and who died in Hartford, Connecticut, at the notable old age of one hundred and five years. He was the father of John Coult (VI) who was born in 1657, and died in 1750, at the age of ninety-three years, having moved to Lyme, Connecticut, and there established the Coult home. His son, Benjamin Coult, born in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1701, died in 1757. He was the father of John Coult, who was born May 27, 1725, and died May 27, 1784. The next in the line of direct descent was Dr. Amherst Coult, who was born July 27, 1759. He moved to Lyme, New Hampshire, and established the New Hampshire branch of the Coult family, and died January 25, 1830. His son, William Coult, was born June '8, 1793, and passed away December 3, 1850. He was the father of Mary Georgianna Coult, who became the wife of Edwin Pitkin Jones and thus were united two of the oldest families of Connecticut. Edwin P. Jones was a man of strong Christian character and was everywhere known as Deacon Jones. He operated the home farm and led a most active life. He and his wife were among the foremost workers and members of the Congregational church in their community for more than a half cen- tury and they did much to advance the cause of Christianity and made liberal contribution to the support of the church. Mr. Jones also represented his town for one term in the Connecticut legislature. To him and his wife were born four sons: Elisha W., a resident of Winsted; Charles P., who died at the age of two years; Frederick H., who is living in Manchester, Connecticut; and Edward P., of this review.
The last named, now prominently known as one of the foremost citizens of Winsted, was reared on the old home farm in Barkhamsted where Captain Israel Jones settled in 1759. He pursued his early education in the district schools and in 1884, graduated from the high school of Winsted. When eighteen years of age he taught a term of school in Bark- hamsted, and later pursued a two years' course in the Williston Seminary at Easthampton, Massachusetts, graduating in 1886. In the same year he took up his abode in Winsted, where he has since remained, and for several years he was a partner of his elder brother, Elisha W. Jones, in the furniture and undertaking business, but in 1896 the partnership was dissolved, E. W. Jones retaining the furniture business, while Edward P. Jones took over the undertaking department. He has since conducted the business under his own name. His establishment had its inception about 1840, being founded by Royal Weirs in the days when every undertaker was also a cabinetmaker and made all of his coffins by hand. This undertaking establishment has been in continuous existence since that period and under the control of Mr. Jones, a large and profitable business has been built up. Mr. Jones has been the secretary of the Connecticut state board of Examiners of embalmers since its organization in 1903, having been appointed to the position by all the successive governors since that time, so that every embalmer's license that has been issud in the state of Connecticut has borne the signature of Mr. Jones, as secretary. He has other important business interests,
128
WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY
for since 1897 he has been the sole owner of the Winsted Steam Laundry, and he is also president of the Waterbury Wet Wash Laundry Company. His interests have thus con- stantly broadened in scope and importance and his business affairs alone would entitle him to representation as one of the leading residents of Winsted. His laundry business in Win- sted includes an immense`plant and his patronage is drawn from a radius of about fifty miles both east and west. Mr. Jones is also one of the incorporators of the Winsted Savings Bank and vice president of the Memorial Library and is the vice president of the B. J. Harrison Son Company, a Winsted concern.
Certainly no man in Winsted has been more active in promoting the borough's welfare than Edward P. Jones, for the past twenty years. He has done everything in his power to advance its interests and his energies and efforts have been productive of most effective and valuable results. He has aided largely in bringing various important business interests to the city and thus promoted its welfare.
On the 23d of May, 1894, Mr. Jones was married to Miss Frances Isabella Bronson, of Winsted, a descendant of the Bronson, Bissell, Gaylord and Loomis families. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are parents of two living children: Roderick Bissell, who was born October 13, 1898, and is a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps of Yale University; and Edward Payson, Jr., who was born August 23, 1900. The boys are descendants of thirteen of the original settlers of Windsor, Connecticut, and can trace their ancestors back to four- teen men who served in establishing the independence of the country.
Mr. Jones is president of the Litchfield County Choral Union, a widely known musical organization that holds an annual musical festival in Norfolk, Connecticut, in June of each year. A deseription of this unique organization appears elsewhere in this work. He is also president of the Winsted Choral Union and thus figures very prominently in musical circles, doing much to promote the standards of musical tastes in this section of the state.
Mr. Jones is vice president of the East Hartland Old Residents Association and treasurer of the East Hartland Cemetery Association, an association formed to beautify and care for the cemetery in East Hartland, where many of the Jones ancestors are buried. He belongs to the Second Congregational church, and for fifteen consecutive years was a trustee thereof. He is a Knight Templar Mason, has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he is a republican, believing firmly in the principles of the party, but he has never been a candidate for politieal office. Formerly he served as chairman of the ยท board of relief of the borough of Winsted. He is perhaps most widely known through his public service.
Mr. Jones is one of the directors at large of the Litchfield County Farm Bureau and his wide experience along many lines. making him acquainted with the resources and possibilities of the state, has peculiarly fitted him for the important work which he is now doing to advance the defenses of the country through the conservation and development of its re- sources. His interests and activities are now largely concentrated upon the country's needs and he is doing everything in his power to uphold the welfare of the nation at this erisis in the world's history. He is a member of the Winsted Company of the Connecticut Home Guard and is also a member of one of the main committees of the State Council of Defense.
He was president of the Winsted Chamber of Commerce for two years and prior to that time was its vice president for two years. He served for three years as vice president of the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, and in October, 1916, was elected to the presidency, being reelected to that office October 18, 1917, at which the delegates to the annual meeting pledged sixty-two thousand dollars to the Second Liberty Loan in addition to what they had already subscribed. At the present time he is keenly interested in everything that has to do with the nation's connection with the world-wide war. During the winter of 1917 Mr. Jones saw the necessity for increasing and conserving the food products grown in Con- necticut. He ealled a conference of forty of the state officials and leading agriculturists, and laid the matter before them. They were of the unanimous opinion that the matter should receive immediate attention. Acting upon their recommendation the directors of The Connecticut Chamber of Commerce direeted Mr. Jones as President to appoint a committee of twelve men to whom was given the work of increasing and conserving the food supply of the state. Before this committee was two weeks old Governor Holcomb appointed the same men as the Connectieut Food Committee, making them practically state officials and giving them a state appropriation. Later they became a part of The Connecticut Council of Defense, and through their efforts thousands of home and community gardens throughout the state and thousands of acres of land were planted that would not have been had it not been for this committee. The Connecticut Food Committee was the first committee of its kind appointed in the United States during the war for this purpose. They
-
129
WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY
have placed Connecticut in the front rank of those states that have formed a "real food line" in support of "the fighting line." That Mr. Jones is studying deeply the questions which are of vital concern in the present hour is shown by a letter which was sent from his office to the clergy of Connecticut, signed by him as president of The Connecticut Chamber of Commerce. The letter reads:
"Expert food calculators tell us that the world is in want of food and that a crisis is confronting us. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, The Connecticut Chamber of Commerce in March appointed a committee to consider the subject of increase and conser- vation of food products. The work which this committee undertook was so broad and gave evidence of such ability that Governor Holcomb at once appointed them as 'The Connecticut Food Committee.' Later they became a part of The Connecticut State Council of Defense, which has charge of all the civilian activities connected with the war.
"We all recognize that in the growing of vegetables and cereals for food there are two sets of factors. Over one, man has entire control; he must plant; he must cultivate; he must reap. Over the other he has absolutely no control -- too much or too little sunshine, too much or too little rain, wind, hail or blight, all operate to increase or diminish the quality and the amount of the harvest.
'Back of the loaf is the snowy flour, And back of the flour is the mill; And back of the mill is the wheat and the shower, And the sun and the Father's will.'
"Our fathers believed in prayer and on all occasions of great need besought Almighty God both in their public and private devotions for those things which they felt were especially to be desired. May we not appeal to the same source of help and call upon him in this momentous time ?
"As president of The Connecticut Chamber of Commerce I am addressing you as ministers of God and leaders of the people, requesting you at your regular services on Sunday to implore the aid of Almighty God that we may have an abundant harvest this year, and also to place before your people the need and duty to so preserve and conserve the food products of the land that there may be enough for our allies as well as ourselves. Such prayer, it seems to me, should be continued each Sunday until the harvest has been gathered.
"I am causing a copy of this letter to be sent to every clergyman in the state after consultation with the heads of several different churches and with their entire approval."
Mr. Jones was the father of the movement inaugurated by The Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and The State Council of Defense resulting in the holding of a series of meetings in the interest of patriotism: One hundred speakers of state and national reputation being secured to address the meetings. These meetings were held in thirty of the largest towns and cities of the state. The idea has been highly commended throughout the United States, and in fact the example has been followed in many sections of the country. Mr. Jones is studying closely the situation with a view to giving to his country the best service possible. Back of him are several generations of ancestors who have been devoted to American interests. Their patriotic blood flows strongly through his veins and love of country seems to be the dominating force in his career at the present hour. He is putting forth every possible effort, not counting the cost to himself, seeking to avail himself of every chance to further uphold the government in its policy along all the varied lines which will contribute to success in this great world war.
GEORGE C. CASE, D. D. S.
Dr. George C. Case, an active and successful dentist of Winsted, was born on a farm in the town of Barkhamsted, Litchfield county, Connecticut. June 11, 1876, a son of Eldridge and Lois A. (Rice) Case. The father was a farmer by occupation and followed that pursuit for a number of years but for the past third of a century has lived in Winsted and for twenty years of that period held a responsible position with the New England Knitting Com- pany. He then retired to private life, spending his days in the enjoyment of rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves. He has now reached the age of seventy-seven years. His wife had passed away in Winsted in 1896, at the age of fifty-two years. In their family were two sons and a daughter: Arthur E., who is a laster by trade and
130
WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY
is now in a shoe factory at Peabody, Massachusetts; Anna L., the wife of William R. Beers, of Middletown, Connecticut; and George C., of this review.
Dr. Case has lived in Winsted from the age of eight years. He attended the public schools and was graduated from the West Winsted high school as a member of the elass of 1893. A review of the broad field of business with its varied activities led him to the determination to make the practice of dentistry his life work and with that end in view he entered the dental department of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1897. He has continuously engaged in practice in Winsted since that time, covering a period of twenty years. He completed his course in the Pennsylvania University before he had attained his majority, and while he has had two decades of successful prac- tice, he is still a comparatively young man. Throughout all the intervening period he has kept in close touch with the trend of modern professional thought, investigation and progress. He is thoroughly familiar with the most scientific methods of treating the teeth and displays notable skill in handling the delicate little instruments with which the den- tist performs his work. He is a member of the Connecticut State, the Northeastern and the National Dental Societies and in addition to his professional interests is a director of the Gale Electric Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
On the 4th of October, 1898, Dr. Case was married to Miss Sarah A. Granger, of Winsted, and they have become the parents of two children: Dorothy L., who was born August 2, 1899; and Catherine E., who was born March 11, 1912. The former is a senior in the Gilbert school.
Dr. and Mrs. Case are members of the Second Congregational church and they occupy an enviable social position, while their own attractive home is the center of a cultured society circle. Dr. Case is a Royal Arch Mason and also a member of the Council. He - likewise belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a past noble grand, also a past chief patriarch of the encampment and a past district deputy of District No. 12. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he is a stanch advocate of its principles, although he has never sought or desired office as a reward for party fealty.
JUDGE ALBERT PORTER BRADSTREET.
Judge Albert Porter Bradstreet, an attorney practicing at Waterbury, whose record also covers service as judge of the district court, was born at Thomaston, Connecticut, June 9, 1846, and was one of a family of four sons and one daughter whose parents were Thomas Jefferson and Amanda (Thomas) Bradstreet, the latter a daughter of Seth Thomas, a distinguished clock maker, whose pioneer work in that field made him known throughout the world. On both sides Judge Bradstreet is descended from English ancestors, tracing his lineage directly back to Governor Bradstreet, one of the colonial governors of Massachusetts. Among his ancestors were those who served in the Revolutionary war and love of country has led Judge Bradstreet to intelligent devotion to the work of the Sons of the American Revolution. His father, Thomas Jefferson Bradstreet, was born at Topsfield, Massachusetts, April 7, 1807, and was graduated from Yale with the class of 1834. He then entered a theological seminary at New Haven, where he completed his course with the class of 1837. He next entered the Congregational ministry, becoming pastor of the First Congregational church at Thomaston, Connecticut, where he remained for about a year, when throat trouble developed, making it necessary for him to give up the work of the ministry. He then turned his attention to farming for a while and later traveled for his father-in-law, Seth Thomas, in the interests of a large brass factory which the latter had established at Thomaston. The death of Mr. Bradstreet occurred at Thomaston, October 7, 1897, when he had reached the very advanced age of ninety years and six months.
Judge Bradstreet, reared in his native city, was prepared for college under a private tutor and entered Yale in 1867, graduating on the completion of a four years' classical course with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1871. In 1873 he was graduated from the Columbia Law School of New York city with the LL.B. degree and returned at once to Thomaston for active practice, there remaining a member of the legal profession from 1873 until 1882. While thus engaged he was called upon to represent Thomaston in the lower branch of the general assembly, in which he served in 1877-78. In 1881 he was chosen to represent the sixteenth senatorial district in the upper house, of which he remained a member for two years, and while thus connected with the state legislature gave most earnest and helpful consideration to the various questions which came up for settlement. He has never changed his residence from Thomaston, still making his home in his native city, which is
JUDGE ALBERT P. BRADSTREET
133
WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY
only ten miles from Waterbury, where he follows his profession. He was elected judge of the district court of Waterbury in 1882 and served either as judge upon the bench or as deputy judge continuously for fifteen years. In 1897 he retired from the bench and opened a law office in Waterbury, where he has now engaged in practice for two decades, at the same time maintaining a law office in his home city.
On the 4th of March, 1875, Judge Bradstreet was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Parker, of Thomaston, who also comes of an old colonial family represented in the Revolu- tionary war. Judge Bradstreet is a member of the Thomaston Club and he has membership with the Sons of the American Revolution and with the Congregational church. In politics he has always been a republican and while called upon to render legislative service, which he did because of a belief in the duty of every individual to give to his country such aid as is possible, he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his professional interests. He now belongs to the Waterbury, the New Haven County and the Connecticut State Bar Associations and he enjoys in the fullest measure the respect and esteem of his contemporaries and colleagues in the profession because of his close conformity to its highest standards.
WILLIAM HENRY DAYTON.
William Henry Dayton, deceased, was one whose contribution to the world's work was most valuable. He ranked with the leading and honored residents of Torrington, but it was not merely his home locality that benefited by his efforts. He was regarded as one of the great inventors of New England and the worth of his work is conceded and recognized by all who know aught of him. He was born in the Daytonville district, now a part of Torrington, on the 28th of October, 1840, and his life record spanned the intervening years to the 6th of March, 1916. He was a son of Arvid Dayton, who was born in Dayton- ville in 1814 and was a son of Jonah and Polly (Flint) Dayton. The father was a great lover of music and was a musician of much more than local repute. When but a boy in years he was responsible for organizing the first band of Wolcottville. In 1840 Arvid Dayton began to build pipe organs and soon after turned his attention to reed instruments and for many years was engaged in business along that line. He was the inventor of a large number of improvements which have been made on reed instruments in this country and his contribution to the world's work in that direction has been of great benefit to the art of music. He invented a new principle for tuning organs known as the "tuner's gamut," but unfortunately for him, failed to patent his invention and did not secure the financial reward which should have accrued to him as the result of his work. He was not only one of the earliest but also one of the most ingenious inventors in connection with reed organs in the entire country. The effect of his labors is felt in constantly broadening circles and constituted a forward step in the world of music. Mr. Dayton was one of the leading citizens of Torrington in connection with its public interests and his death, which occurred in 1894, when he was eighty years of age, was the occasion of deep and widespread regret.
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.