USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 5
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On the 20th of April, 1908, Mr. Waterman was united in marriage to Miss Lola Senior, of Torrington, and they have one daughter, Barbara, born December 20, 1911. Mr. Waterman is a member of the Episcopal church and also has membership with the Masons, the Elks and the Odd Fellows, exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit upon which these orders have been founded. Diligence and determination may be counted the keystone of his character. Since starting out for himself at the age of sixteen years he has fully realized that advancement, if honorable, must depend upon persistent effort in- telligently directed and supplemented by faithfulness in every responsibility. Along these lines he has advanced step by step and today is one of the officers of a leading com- pany of Torrington that today is well known throughout this section of the country.
STEPHEN T. CRANE.
Stephen T. Crane, secretary of the Filley & Crane Company, conducting a furniture and undertaking business in Waterbury, was born in Woodbury, Connecticut, September 15, 1872, a son of George Platt and Susan C. (Root) Crane, the father a native of New Mil- ford and the mother of Woodbury. He was a farmer and stock dealer and both he and his wife have now passed away.
Reared at the place of his nativity, Stephen T. Crane there completed his education with a high school course and started in the business world in the office of a hat manu- facturer in Bethel, Connecticut. He came to Waterbury in 1895 and was employed by the Steele & Johnson Manufacturing Company until 1902. In that year he became con- nected with the furniture house of J. M. Burrall & Company and in 1908, in association with Homer G. Filley, purchased the Burrall interests in the business, which they reorganized under the present firm style, Mr. Filley becoming president and Mr. Crane secretary of the company. Theirs is the oldest business in Waterbury continuously occupying one
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building and is one of the oldest retail establishments of Connecticut. They carry a large and attractive line of furniture and have won a liberal patronage, ever recognizing the fact that satisfied patrons are the best advertisement.
On the 14th of September, 1905, Mr. Crane was married to Miss Sara M. Curtis, of Woodbury, a daughter of Edward J. Curtis. They lost their firstborn, Edward, in infancy. They now have a son, Homer Curtis, eight years of age. They are members of the Second Congregational church and Mr. Crane belongs also to the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges and to the Country Club. His political endorsement is given to the republican party. He is classed with that vast number of substantial citizens who have not been favored by the influences of birth or fortune, but as self-made men have developed this great America, each doing his share for her civic and material upbuilding.
CHARLES HOTCHKISS.
For more than three-fourths of a century the Hotchkiss family has figured promi- nently in connection with the development of Torrington. Charles Hotchkiss, a son of Dyer Hotchkiss, of Naugatuck, was born February 23, 1811, and arrived in Torrington in June, 1841. He purchased water privileges, erected a sawmill and two dwelling houses at the place known for many years as Hotchkiss Mill and more recently as Drake's Mill, about two miles north of Torrington Hollow, and was there actively identified with busi- ness interests. In 1851 he removed to Wolcottville and in 1857 sold the mill property above Torrington Hollow and purchased the old Wilson Mill property in the village, establishing what is now the plant of the Hotchkiss Brothers Company. During that time a large pro- portion of the buildings in Wolcottville were erected by Charles Hotchkiss and the firm with which he was connected. He was a very substantial citizen, an enterprising busi- ness man and one who at all times commanded and received the respect and confidence of his fellowmen. For sixteen years he was a deacon in the Congregational church and was ever one of its most consistent and faithful members. He married Electa Susannah Brace, a daughter of Harlan Brace, the wedding being celebrated in February, 1833. They became the parents of seven children: Edward C., who died September 5, 1903; Lucia E., who was born November 25, 1835, and became the wife of Henry Wilmot, her death occurring February 28, 1863; Chauncey C., who was born in November, 1838, and died in 1843; Henry E., who was born February 5, 1841, and died June 10, 1917; Albert G., who was born August 4, 1844, lived in New York and is deceased; Fidelia, who was born August 21, 1846, and on the 14th of June, 1868, became the wife of Hiram Clemons, by whom she had two children; and Eugene, who was born May 18, 1854, and died in Tor- rington.
The death of Charles Hotchkiss occurred November 4, 1897, and his wife passed away September 3, 1884. He had been a very prominent and valued citizen and represented Torrington in the state legislature at one time. He was best known, however, perhaps through his business connections. When the business which he established began to increase he admitted his eldest son, Edward C. Hotchkiss, to a partnership and in 1867 Henry E. Hotchkiss was admitted to the firm under the style of Charles Hotchkiss & Sons, and when Charles Hotchkiss, the founder, retired in the early '80s the firm name was changed to Hotchkiss Brothers and so remained until 1887, when Edward H. Hotchkiss was given a share in the business and the firm became Hotchkiss Brothers & Company. It is today known as the Hotchkiss Brothers Company and remains as a monument to its founder and promoter.
EDWARD C. HOTCHKISS.
Edward C. Hotchkiss, who for many years was regarded as one of the ablest busi- ness men of Torrington, was the eldest son of Charles and Electa (Brace) Hotchkiss. He was born in Naugatuck, November 5, 1833, and came to Torrington with his parents in 1841. Here he attended the public schools and afterward worked as a foreman under his father and was admitted to a partnership. He remained in active connection with the business throughout the remainder of his life, bending his energies to administrative direction and executive control. His thorough understanding of every feature of the busi-
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ness, his wise management, his keen sagacity and his quick discernment were features which made of the enterprise one of the most important business concerns of Torrington.
On the 9th of April, 1856, Edward C. Hotchkiss was married to Miss Amelia Briggs, of Saratoga, New York, and to them were born three children: Edward H., who is mentioned elsewhere in this work; Minnie, the wife of Hon. C. H. Dougal, of Torrington; and Jose- phine, the wife of Harlow Pease. The wife and mother passed away in 1881, at the age of forty-seven years, and Mr. Hotchkiss afterward wedded Mrs. H. P. Fellows, of Torrington, a daughter of Emory Coe.
In his political views Mr. Hotchkiss was a republican and he served for two years as selectman of Torrington. He was also a member of the state legislature from 1871 until 1875 and gave careful consideration to all the vital questions which came up for settlement, casting the weight of his influence on the side of progress, reform and im- provement. He belonged to Seneca Lodge, No. 55, F. & A. M .; to Cyrus Chapter, R. A. M., of Torrington; to Clark Commandery, K. T., of Waterbury; to Pyramid Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Bridgeport; and thus connected with various branches of Masonry, he was a loyal follower of the craft. He attended the Congregational church and was ever interested in those plans and projects which worked for the welfare and upbuilding of city and state. He died September 5, 1903, mourned by all who knew him because of his up- right life and his many sterling traits of character. His was a retiring nature and he never sought to figure before the public in any relation save that of a business man and good citizen, but all who knew him honor his memory for what he accomplished.
FRANCIS NEWMAN HOLLEY.
Among those who were pioneers in promoting the industrial development and manu- facturing interests of Torrington was Francis Newman Holley, who for many years was one of the owners and active in the management of the business conducted under the name of the Union Manufacturing Company. He was actuated in all that he did by a most progressive spirit that prompted his ready utilization of opportunities which others passed heedlessly by. While many years have come and gone since he passed away, he left the impress of his individuality and ability in marked measure upon the history of Torring- ton during the nineteenth century and the worth of his work is yet acknowledged by all who knew aught of his history.
Mr. Holley was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, May 13, 1807, a son of Newman and Sarah (Stiles) Holley and a grandson of Luther Holley of Lakeville. In 1837 he became a resident of Wolcottville, now Torrington, and was here connected with woolen mill manufacturing until the mill was destroyed by fire in 1844. In February, 1845, he be- came associated with John Hungerford in organizing the Union Manufacturing Company with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars, which was afterward increased to fifty thou- sand dollars. They purchased the brick building used as a finishing house and the water privileges of the old woolen mill company, which had been organized in 1813 as Torring- ton's first manufacturing concern and continued in existence until 1844, when fire de- stroyed this initial effort at manufacturing in Torrington. The enterprise had been financed for a time by Governor Oliver Wolcott, in whose honor the village of Wolcott- ville was named. The Union Manufacturing Company began the manufacture of doe skin cloths, in which they continued with great success, but in 1849 their mill was also burned to the ground. There were no fire insurance companies in those days and fire mneant, therefore, a heavy loss, but the proprietors of the business, with unfaltering courage, planned the erection of a larger mill and William R. Slade became associated with Franeis Holley as a stockholder. In 1856 again a disastrous fire leveled the plant to the ground. Undismayed and with great determination the managers immediately began the con- struction of a new and still larger plant and the business was carried on with marked energy and skill, a substantial measure of prosperity attending their efforts. In 1859 Jesse B. Rose, Samuel Workman and Ransome Holley became stockholders in the under- taking, and for a time John Brown of historic fame was wool buyer for the company and was often entertained at the Holley home. Francis N. Holley continued in active connection with the business, contributing much to its success, until 1873, when he retired. He was also identified with other business enterprises of importance to the community. In 1848 he was associated with other prominent men of the valley in subscribing seventy-five thou- sand dollars to insure the success of the Naugatuck Valley Railroad. In 1868 he became one of the organizers of the Wolcottville Savings Bank, of which he was made the presi-
FRANCIS N. HOLLEY
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dent, continuing to occupy that position until his death in 1878: At different periods he was called to various positions of public honor and trust and from 1844 until 1850 served as town clerk of Torrington, while in 1860 he represented Torrington in the general assembly of Connecticut. In the moral progress of the community he was also deeply and helpfully interested. He was long a devoted attendant of the Congregational church and contributed generously to its support, giving seven thousand dollars to the erection of the new church building.
Francis Newman Holley was married twice. On the 27th of May, 1846, he wedded Eliza A. Hotchkiss, who was born May 29, 1824, and died in May, 1866. For his second wife Mr. Holley chose Mrs. Lucinda (Bronson) Hayden, a daughter of Charles Bronson, of Waterbury. They were married December 12, 1869. By the first marriage there were four children. Edward . H. Holley, the eldest, was born July 17, 1848, in Torrington, and entered Amherst College from Williston Seminary, after which he was connected with mercantile interests in Torrington and in Bridgeport. On the 4th of May, 1876, he wedded Nellie Wheeler, of Wolcottville, a daughter of Amos and Martha (Chidsey) Wheeler, of Avon, Connecticut, who was a prominent citizen and died in Torrington in 1882. On her mother's side Mrs. Edward H. Holley is descended from Ephraim Baldwin, who was the only survivor of 'the seven men from Branford who fought in the Revolutionary war. She was educated in Avon and in the New Britain Normal School and afterward taught school in Torrington. After his marriage E. H. Holley engaged in agricultural pursuits, being the fifth owner from William Penn of the well known Allerton Farm of West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he conducted a large creamery. After his father died he returned to Torrington and invested in a knife factory but ill health forced him to give up active labor. He died September 14, 1899, while his wife passed away June 18, 1908. They were the parents of five children, the eldest being Francis Newman, who is now living in Water- bury and who married Mrs. Homer Wheeler, of Torrington. The second was Lillian Wheeler, who became the wife of Cecil Sherman Baker, a paymaster in the United States navy and a grandnephew of General William T. Sherman. Their children are: Eleanor Holley, who was born at the United States naval station in Culebra, Virgin Islands; and Cecil Sherman, who was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Lawrence Hinckley, the third child of Edward H. Holley, is now in Sierra City, California, where he is engaged in merchan- dising and mining. He is married and has three children: Sarah, Francis and Lawrence Irving B., the fourth member of the family of Edward H. Holley, is mentioned else- where in this work. Horace Holley is the fifth member of the family.
Francis A. Holley, who was the second son of Francis Newman Holley, was born August 29, 1851, and died September 9, 1853. Harriet, the next of the family, was born May 31, 1857, and died on the 17th of June of that year. Horace, who was born April 17, 1860, when sixteen years of age met with a very serious aceident which left him crippled for life. He traveled a great deal and collected about him an excellent library. His high courage. patience and cheer were truly remarkable and examples to all his friends. He died January 15, 1903.
Francis N. Holley was a man of sterling integrity, of great energy and possessed of sound judgment. He filled the full measure of his days with much usefulness to his family and friends and the community in which he lived.
HOWARD J. CASTLE.
Howard J. Castle, who for ten years has been treasurer of the Torrington Building Company of Torrington, was born in the town of Litchfield, November 22, 1877, a son of Dwight J. Castle, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. He was reared upon a farm in the town of Harwinton but has lived in Torrington since attaining his majority. His education included a public school course and a course in a business college of Torrington. In 1900 he entered the employ of the Hotchkiss Brothers Company in the capacity of bookkeeper and in 1902 he became one of the incorporators of the Torrington Building Company, of which he has been the treasurer for the past ten years. This is one of the leading contracting firms in heavy construction work in stone, brick and steel in New England, operating extensively over the New England states and also in New York and New Jersey. Mr. Castle is also treasurer of the Berlin Brick Company, of Berlin, Con- necticut, and secretary of the Litchfield County Realty and Insurance Company.
Mr. Castle was married on the 20th of June, 1906, to Miss Mary Stuart, of Norwich, Connecticut, and they have one daughter, Faith Louise, who was born August 10, 1912.
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. Mr. Castle is a popular member of the Torrington Club and of the Elks Club. He is also a leading factor in republican politics in Torrington and is now serving on the board of burgesses, to which position he was elected in March, 1916. He is keenly interested in the questions and issues of the day, on which he keeps well informed and is thus able to present an intelligent argument for the faith which is given him. He puts forth every effort in his power, whether in office or out of it, to promote the welfare of the community in which he lives and stands at all times for those interests which are a matter of civic virtuè and of civic pride.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM E. BESSE.
There is scarcely a phase of Torrington's development with which Captain William E. Besse has not been closely associated. He has figured prominently in its manufacturing circles, in connection with its military affairs and its moral development. He now occupies a most responsible position as superintendent of the Coe branch of the American Brass Company of Torrington. At the same time he has been a most active factor in the military training of young men and in their moral progress, doing most effective and active work as a member of the Young Men's Christian Association. The young men of Torrington call him friend and go to him for counsel as to a father. Captain Besse was born in Switzerland, October, 6, 1866. His father, August Besse, was a farmer and live stock man, and the parents never came to the new world.
Captain Besse was reared and educated in the land of the Alps, where he attended school until he reached the age of sixteen years. During the last three years at school he was apprenticed to the harness maker's trade, which he mastered while not in school. The following year he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, making the voyage alone, although an older brother, Julius E. Besse, had come to the new world two years previously and was a farmer of the town of Goshen, near Torrington, Connecticut. Captain Besse was employed as a farm hand in the town of Goshen for a year and a half and in 1885 gave up agricultural pursuits and took up his abode in Torrington, where for a short period he worked as a laborer for the Torrington Water Company. In the fall of 1885, however, he entered the service of the Coe Brass Works, now the Coe branch of the American Brass Company, with which he has since been connected, covering a period of thirty-two years. He began in a very humble capacity-merely that of a common laborer, being at the time a youth of nineteen years. His first wage was a dollar and thirty-five cents per day. He was diligent, industrious and trustworthy, qualities which soon won him recognition, and the value of his service gained him promotion, so that he was steadily advanced from time to time, ultimately reaching the position of assistant superintendent, while four years ago, or in 1913, he was made superintendent of the great factory known as the Coe Brass Works, the Torrington branch of the American Brass Company.
Captain Besse has also been very prominent in military affairs for many years. He had become acquainted with military tactics in Switzerland in his youth and he after- ward acquired further knowledge of military affairs as a member of the Uniformed Rank of the Knights of Pythias, which order he joined in Torrington when twenty-one years of age. In 1903 he organized Company M of the Second Connecticut Infantry and enlisted in the company as a private, preferring to be such. However, he was made its captain, receiving every vote of the company except his own. Company M, which he organized and commanded, is now a part of the One Hundred and Second Infantry, U. S. A., and is training for service in France. Captain Besse resigned the captaincy in 1906. Captain Besse was from 1907 until 1917 the recruiting officer for his district. In June, 1916, Company M of Torrington was the first company in Connecticut to report with full quota of one hundred and fifty-four men for the Mexican border trouble of that year. This was due to Captain Besse's efficiency. In 1906 he was a member of the Second Regiment rifle team and in the brigade match won the Colt medal, which is the first prize for rapid shooting with the regulation army revolver. He takes great interest in pistol and rifle shooting and instructs the Home Guard in practice. Upon the beginning of the war with Germany in April, 1917, he was appointed by Governor Holcomb as one of the two mustering officers at Torrington, the other being Major John N. Brooks. Captain Besse was com- missioned a major by the military emergency board, with the approval of the governor. He proceeded to muster in the Torrington battalion, which was organized into three com. panies of infantry, embracing two hundred and ten rifles, Model 1898; a machine gun company of fifty men with four machine guns; a transport company of fifty men, with
CAPTAIN WILLIAM E. BESSE
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transports capable of moving the entire Torrington contingent at a moment's notice; and also a complete hospital unit. In May, 1917, Captain Besse was appointed a member of the State Council of Defense by Governor Holcomb and is now serving as a member of the county committee from Litchfield county. Captain Besse was one of the organizers of the Torrington Young Men's Christian Association and is now its vice president. He is a member of the Torrington Club and is identified with the Elks and Knights of Pythias. He is a past grand officer in the latter order. Also ex-captain of Harmony Company, No. 14, U. R., K. P., of which he was a charter member, and served as colonel on the brigade staff. He also belongs to the Center Congregational church. Those who read between the lines may readily discern the principles which have governed his life and made him a man among men. He has a membership in the Torrington Chamber of Commerce, being deeply inter- ested in every project for the public welfare, for the extension of the business relations of his city and for the upholding of its civic standards. He figures in financial and com- mercial circles as a director of the Torrington Trust Company, also of the Torrington Ice Company, and the Nicola Valley Pine Lumber Company, of British Columbia.
On the 14th of December, 1892, Captain Besse was united in marriage to Miss Emma Weed, of Torrington, where both are widely and favorably known, the hospitality of the best homes of the borough being freely accorded them. At the outbreak of the present war Captain Besse faced an unusual situation. He was commissioned a major and made a mustering officer, but he prefers the title of captain, by which he has been known for so many years. The dominant trait in his character is his love for young men and his desire to assist and benefit them in every possible way. It was this trait of his char. acter that led to his activities in connection with the Torrington Young Men's Christian Association and the same trait induced him to organize Company M in 1903 and later to accept its captaincy. The same quality paved the way to his steady rise in the great institution of which he is now superintendent. His deep interest in the welfare of the hundreds of young men employes at the Coe Brass Works has caused a friendship and comradeship to spring up between him and them that can only be likened to the relation between father and children. He is their friend and they recognize that fact. When the United States entered into the present war Captain Besse was in a peculiar position. By training, instinct and by reason of his great patriotism Captain Besse would have pre- ferred to do active military service. In this feeling he was actuated by the highest motives, not a desire to obtain rank, although this would have undoubtedly come to him, nor a desire to win financial recompense, for he was already in a position much more lucrative, but was actuated by a genuine love of his adopted country. No man could have done more or given more generously of his time, his experience and his knowledge than Captain Besse has, not only for the benefit of the National Guard but also for the drafted men and the Home Guard. He has labored faithfully to promote knowledge of military tactics, disciplinc and regulation among them and is still doing this. But if the important position occupied by him with the American Brass Company was left vacant, it would mean a notable loss to the country in another way. He would have gladly accepted military service in any capacity but the company with which he is associated manufactures many products in use by the government, and first of all the nation must be supplied with those things necessary for the prosecution of the war. As superintendent of the plant Captain Besse is now per- forming a very important service and much pressure was brought to bear upon him that he remain in his present capacity rather than follow his desire and natural inclination for military service at this hour. As yet a solution of this problem has not presented itself and Captain Besse is living in the hope that such a solution will give him an opportunity to serve his country on the battlefields of Europe. In the meantime he is doing his part, at the same time putting forth every effort to assist young men who are preparing for the war and to uphold in his community those high civic standards which must be the basis of patriotic and military service.
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