USA > Connecticut > Illustrated popular biography of Connecticut > Part 18
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which his fellow-citizens bear ready testimony. His important services to the borough of Williman- tic, in connection with the introduction of the sys- tem of water-works there in 1885, is a matter of history, and has placed the citizens of that thriving community under lasting obligation to him.
Mr. Wales was married October 31, 1871, to Miss Euphemia A. Tanner, daughter of Warren Tanner of Willimantic. She died August 18, 1889, leaving no children.
APOLLOS FENN, PLAINVILLE: Deputy Jailer Hartford County Jail.
Apollos Fenn was born in the town of Plymouth January 12, 1820, and was educated in the common school of Litchfield county. His early years were spent in the clock indus- try. In 1864 he repre- sented the town of Farm- ington in the general as- sembly, being elected by the republicans by one of the largest majorities ever given a representative from that town. Through the war period he held the office of provost-marshal under Marshal L. G. Goodrich, and was brought into contact in numerous ways with the APOLLOS FENN. troops at that time. After the war he removed to Hartford and was a member of the board of police commissioners in 1874. He was also a member of the council from the second ward. He has been deputy sheriff in Hartford county for thirty years and has held the position of jailer for twenty, being the senior officer in the state in that line of service. During this period he has had upwards of 1,700 prisoners under his charge. His experience as a detective extends over a period of thirty-five years, commencing with the arrest of the notorious horse thief, Herring, who was sentenced and died in State Prison. He was the successor of Colonel Henry Kennedy in the office of jailer, and retained the position until the new jail on Seyms street was completed. During the term of Sheriff O. D. Sey- mour he was displaced. The accession of Sheriff Spaulding to the shrievalty resulted in the restora- tion of Jailer Fenn to his old place, which he has since held for ten years. As a detective deputy sheriff Fenn has been entrusted with important business, being commissioned for special service by Governors Buckingham and Hubbard, Sheriffs Westell Russell and O. D. Seymour, and by L. G. Goodrich of Simsbury and Wm. Hamersley of Hartford. He was commissioned by the late Gov- ernor Chauncey F. Cleveland as the captain of an
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independent rifle company in Litchfield when a young man. Deputy Sheriff Fenn has had a family of fourteen children, six of whom are living. Among the latter is General Wallace T. Fenn of Governor Bulkeley's staff. His wife was Amelia C. Clark of Plainville. He is connected with the Congregational society at Plainville and has also been associated with the Park church in this city. At one time he resided in New Haven, but the most of his life has been spent in Farmington, Plainville, and Hartford. In each of these towns he is held in the highest esteem. A quarter of a million dollars has passed through his hands during the period in which he has been in active life and not one cent has been lost or misappropriated. Absolute personal integrity has been the watchword of his career.
LEWIS WORDEN, DANIELSONVILLE: Hotel Pro- prietor.
Lewis Worden, the veteran proprietor of the Attawaugan hotel in the borough of Danielsonville, was born in Charlestown, R. I., September 3, ISIS, where he spent his boy- hood and attended school until fifteen years of age. Since leaving Charlestown he has resided tempora- rily in several places, be- ing fourteen years in Brooklyn, two years in Plainfield, and one year in Providence, R. I. He removed to Danielsonville forty years ago, engaging in the livery business; and it is said that he has LEWIS WORDEN. owned some of the finest teams in eastern Connecticut. In IS59 he became proprietor of the Attawaugan house, the principal hotel in the borough, which he has owned and managed uninterruptedly up to the present time, a period of more than thirty-two years. He is also the owner of a fine farm a short distance outside the borough limits, to which he devotes his per- sonal attention. Mr. Worden has been twice mar- ried; first to Miss Olive S. Cox, who died nearly forty-five years ago; second to Miss Sarah Darby, whose death occurred in 1889. One son, the fruit of his first marriage, died in the military service during the late war. Mr. Worden is a member of the Westfield Congregational church of Danielson- ville, and of the republican party. He has been identified with the business and social affairs of the borough for more than a generation, and is generally esteemed as an upright and honorable citizen.
CURTIS THOMPSON, BRIDGEPORT: Attorney- at-Law.
The ancestors of Curtis Thompson were of Puri- tan stock, and among the carly settlers and planters of the old town of Stratford, Conn. He was born in Trumbull, Oct. 30, 1835, where his parents, George Thompson and Lucy A. Curtis, were temporarily residing. He was educated at the Strat- ford school and academy, and Harvard University; admitted to the bar in Fairfield County in 1864. He has since practiced law at Bridgeport, resid- ing, most of the time, in Stratford or Bridgeport. CURTIS THOMPSON. Stratford honored him by an election to the general assembly during the years 1865, '66, and '67, where he served on the judiciary, incorporation, and other committees. In 1868 and '69, and '72, he was deputy judge of the city court of Bridgeport. In 1874, '75, and '76, he was councilman and alderman. In 1879, '82, 'S6, and '87, he was city attorney, and, in IS83, town attorney. Since 1872 he has been an active trustee of the Bridgeport Savings Bank, and he is an officer or attorney of many other corporations. He is a member of the South Congregational church and society, is connected with the Seaside club, and with the masonie fraternity. He received the degree of M.A. from Yale College in 1871.
He married in 1867 M. Louise Willcox, daughter of James Willcox, then president of the Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company, and Katharine Barry of New York city; is of English, Irish, and Dutch stock. They have two living children, James Willcox Thompson, a graduate of Vale, '90, and now a member of the bar at Knoxville, Tenn., and Katharine Barry Thompson.
An early experience of four years in the probate court laid the foundation of a large and extensive practice in the settlement of estates and litigation growing out thereof. His general practice in all branches has, however, been wide, and especially in real estate, corporation, and banking law. He possesses the confidence and esteem of the best citizens, and for many years was the trusted counsellor of Hon. P. T. Barnum. He has tried many very important criminal and civil cases. Believing it to be the duty of every citizen to actively participate in the management of public affairs he has always voted, and promoted the success of the republican party. He is the friend of temperance, and is often found contending against the establish- mient of new saloons. In municipal affairs he has
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had much to do as attorney for many towns and communities. In 1888-89 he was the mover, and the chairman of the committee, in procuring the consolidation of the city and town government of Bridgeport; which great measure has resulted in giving to Bridgeport not only the most economical but also the most efficient local government in the state. It is his purpose to be always found on the right side of every moral, civil, and religious ques- tion, and to be ready to help and advance it with such means as he can command.
NATHAN DOUGLAS SEVIN, NORWICH: Phar- macist.
N. Douglas Sevin, senior member of one of the best known drug firms in New London county, was born at Bozrah, June 1, 1842. His educa- tion was obtained at public schools, with eigh- teen months in a private school at Norwich. He became identified with the drug trade as early as 1859, having in that year begun a clerkship in one of the oldest Norwich houses, with which he re- mained until the estab- lishment of the firm of Lanman & Sevin in 1865. The business was thus N. D. SEVIN. conducted until 1879, when Mr. Sevin bought his partner's interest and became sole proprietor. Later his son was taken into the business and the firm name changed to N. D. Sevin & Son. During the civil war Mr. Sevin served in the Twenty-sixth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry as hospital steward, and was with Banks's expedition to Port Hudson. He is now a prominent member of Scdgwick Post, No. I, G. A. R., the first grand army post established in this state. He has long been identified with the masonic order, and is past commander of Columbian Commandery, Knights Templar ; past high priest Franklin Chap- ter, No. 4, and has reached the thirty-third degree, Scottish rite. He is a member of and also has held the office of president of the state board of phar- macy, and for many years has been a vestryman in Trinity Church. In 1882 he was elected on the democratic ticket to represent Norwich in the state legislature, and his eminent popularity is clearly demonstrated by the fact that he was the first dem- ocratic legislator clected in Norwich since 1859.
Mr. Sevin united in marriage with Miss Anna M. Jennings of Norwich, by whom he has had one son, the young man who is now associated with him in business as a partner.
JOHN C. WEBSTER, HARTFORD: Vice-Presi- dent Ætna Life Insurance Company.
John C. Webster was born at Kingfield, Me., May 24, 1839, and received a thorough English education, completing the course at the High School in Concord, N. H. He acquired the printer's trade at Concord, and was at the head of one of the largest offices in that city before he was twen- ty-two years of age. In 1864 he became the gen- eral agent of the Ætna Life in New Hampshire, and made rapid advance- ment in that capacity, displaying from the out- set marked adaptation for the life insurance busi- J. C. WEBSTER. ness. In 1873 he was appointed superintendent of agencies for the company, and removed from Con- cord to Hartford. He was elected vice-president in July, 1879. and has since retained that position, discharging the duties of the office with excep- tional ability and success. During the past twelve years Mr. Webster has been the editor of The Ætna, a quarterly publication devoted exclusively to the interests of the Ætna Life. His writings have commanded wide attention in insurance circles, giving the paper a standing that could have been attained in no other way. Mr. Webster is also a member of the board of trustees of the Hartford Trust Company, one of the largest insti- tutions of the kind in the state. He was one of the founders of the Hartford Horticultural Society, which was organized in April, 1887, and incorpo- rated by the legislature in May, 1889, Mr. Webster being the president of the society at that time. The Horticultural Society has been an organization of great influence in Hartford county, and its ex- hibitions have not been surpassed in Connecticut for years. The work that it has accomplished is due largely to the leadership of Mr. Webster. The Gentlemen's Driving club of Hartford, an organiz- ation that comprises the names of many of Hart- ford's worthiest citizens, has borne the name of Mr. Webster on its roll of membership and list of directors for a number of years. In politics he is a republican. He is connected with the First Uni- tarian Congregational Society of Hartford, and is a member of the executive committee. With the exception of one year, 1856, which was spent at Lawrence, Mass., the active business life of Mr. Webster has been passed in Concord, N. H., and in Hartford, Conn. His home, however, is in West Hartford, being within a short distance of the city boundary. His public spirit has done a great deal
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BIOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT.
towards the development and prosperity of that town. Mr. Webster has been twice married. His first wife, who was Miss Sarah B. Norton of King- field, Me., died in 1868. The second wife, Mary E. L. Abbott, was of Concord, N. H. She is still living. There are no children. While Vice-Presi- dent Webster has steadily declined public office and position, he regards public affairs with great interest, and is one of the most patriotic and public-spirited of citizens.
DAVID GINAND, BRIDGEPORT: Cutler.
Mr. Ginand was born in Spire, Germany, October IS, 1837, where he received a public school educa- tion. For the past thirty years he has resided at Bridgeport and is one of the leading German citi- zens of that city. In 1875 he was president of the German School Corpora- tion, a society organized in Bridgeport for the pro- `motion of the study of German and took an active part in the agitation in that city for school district consolidation. In 1876 he was elected a member of the first board of educa- DAVID GINAND. tion there on a non-par- tisan ticket, and has been re-elected regularly to the office since. He is a republican in politics. Mr. Ginand is a member of the leading German societies in Bridgeport, including the Concordia and the Turner organizations. He has represented the latter in the North American Turnerbund at its biennial assemblies in Indianapolis, Newark, Davenport, Boston, Chicago, and New York. For the last ten years he has represented the Connecti- cut societies in these national gatherings of the Germans. He removed to the United States in 1851 and lived in Waterville and Naugatuck until the war broke out, when he removed to Bridgeport and engaged in the manufacture of arms. From 1864 until 1868 he was employed in the Wheeler & Wilson works. He then established himself in business and has since carried on a cutlery business. Mr. Ginand is a member of St. John's Lodge, No. 3, F. and A. M. of Bridgeport, and formerly be- longed to the German Reformed Church, but re- signed his membership on account of differences with the society. He is a man of marked inde- pendence of thought and action and thoroughly believes in the right of personal judgment. His wife, who is still living, was Miss Christiane Land- schulz prior to her marriage. There are five child- ren in the family, two of whom are sons.
CORNELIUS S. BUSHNELL, MADISON: Mer- chant, Ship Builder, Railroad Builder and Man- ager.
Cornelius S. Bushnell, vice-president of the Erics- son Coast Defense Company of New York, was born in Madison, July 18, 1828, and received a pub- lic school education. Mr. Bushnell resides in Madi- son through the winter, spending the summer in New York. He was for- merly a resident of New Haven, and represented that city in the legislature of 1862, being a member of the house. It is neces- sary in delineating the public services of Mr. Bushnell to speak at some length of the general as- sembly of 1862, in which C. S. BUSHNELL. he was a leading and distinguished figure. It con- tained many of the prominent men of the state, including Josiah M. Carter of Norwalk (who was elected speaker), John S. Rice of Farmington, Abijah Catlin of Harwinton, Thomas Clark of North Stonington, Abner L. Train of Milford, John P. Elton of Waterbury, Erastus S. Day of Colchester, Amos S. Treat of Bridgeport, Henry G. Taintor of Hampton, Bartlett Bent, Jr., of Middletown, Charles Chapman of Hartford, and Alvan P. Hyde of Tolland. Mr. Bushnell was one of the strongest supporters of the war, and when the capture of the national capital was threatened in 1862 he was identified with the best measures presented in the legislature providing for the organ- ization and equipment of troops for the front. He was the heartiest of co-operators with Governor Buckingham, one of the foremost and most pa- triotic of the New England war governors, and sus- tained his hands in every effort that was made to furnish the government with troops. The legisla- ture of 1862 held two sessions, the exigencies of the period demanding a session in December. The de- mand that the soldiers in the field should be al- lowed to vote for state and national officers became a memorable issue of the legislative year. Mr. Bushnell took an active interest in all the questions that the war forced upon public attention, and was a trusted leader on the republican side. His most important service in connection with the war, how- ever, related to the adoption of the Monitor that was designed by Ericsson, Mr. Bushnell being one of the principal colaborers with the great inventor in the effective presentation of the new and mar- velous enginery that was to revolutionize naval warfare. He is the vice-president of the noted Ericsson Coast Defense Company, and his name
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will be permanently associated with the war period. He was with C. M. Clay's battalion for the defense of Washington during the conflict, and is a member of Admiral Foote Post, G. A. R., in New Haven. Mr. Bushnell has been a prominent railroad builder and manager, and at one period was the controlling power in the Shore Line road. He has also been extensively interested in commerce, merchandise, and ship-building. He has spent most of his life in New Haven and New York. His church rela- tions are with the Dwight Place Congregational church in New Haven, and his family consists of a wife and eight children. He has been married three times, his present wife, Elizabeth Maxwell, being the widow of E. C. Ford, of Cleveland, O., at the time of her marriage. Mr. Bushnell is an honored citizen of Connecticut, deserving in every way the place which he holds in the respect and admiration of the republic.
A. WELLS CASE, MANCHESTER : Paper Manu- facturer.
A. Wells Case and A. Willard Case are twin brothers and constitute the well-known firm of Case Brothers, manufacturers of papers at Highland Park, in the town of Man- chester. They operate the Highland Mills, the Chap- lin Mills, and the Union- ville Mills. They are al- so proprietors of the fa- mous mineral springs at Highland Park, where are bottled the Rock and Tonica waters, the latter of which has acquired a deserved reputation by its successful employment for A. W. CASE. the relief and cure of many diseases of the blood. A. Wells Case, the subject of this sketch, was born in Manchester, October 30, 1840, and received his edu- cation in the public schools of that town; his vaca- tions being passed on his father's farm. At the age of seventeen he entered the employ of the then well-known firm of Messrs. W. & E. Bunce, paper manufacturers. At the age of twenty-one he left home and engaged in mercantile pursuits with suc- cess. Later on he associated himself with his brother in business, as above stated. Mr. Case is an inventor of some note, which talent he has turned to good account in his manufactories. He is a republican and represented Manchester in the legislature in 1889. He has been an influential temperance man for years, and is held in high esteem by his townsmen as an honorable and use- ful citizen.
CHARLES E. PERKINS, HARTFORD : Attorney- at-Law.
Charles E. Perkins is descended from a noted line of jurists, his father, Thomas C. Perkins, and grandfather, Enoch Perkins, being in their time among the foremost law- yers of the state. Enoch Perkins graduated from Yale College in 1781 and was afterwards a tutor in that institution. He be- came a leader of the bar in Hartford county. His death occurred in 1828. Thomas C. Perkins, the father of Charles E. Per- kins, graduated from Yale in 1818, the late Governor Henry Dutton of New C. E. PERKINS. Haven being one of his classmates. Mr. Perkins became the successor of his father, Enoch Perkins, as a leading lawyer in this city, being the foremost practitioner here for years. He died in 1870, half a century after his graduation from Yale, honored and revered by the entire community. The subject of this sketch was born in this city, March 24, 1832, and was educated at the Hartford high school and Williams College, graduating from the latter in 1853. He adopted the legal profession and has been for twenty years one of the most prominent lawyers in Northern Connec- ticut. He has devoted his attention principally to civil and patent suits and is an influential counsel, not only in the courts of Connecticut, but also in the United States supreme court at Washington. One of his two sons, Mr. Arthur Perkins, who is a graduate of Yale, is associated with him in busi- ness. The remaining son, Mr. Thomas C. Perkins, is an electrical engineer. Mr. Perkins is a republi- can in politics, but is not in the least sense of the word a politician. The only public offices which he has held have been the city attorneyship and the position of water commissioner. At no time in the city's history has the municipality received abler service than during Mr. Perkins's term as legal ad- viser and counsel concerning its interests. He is a member of the Asylum Hill Congregational church, and is held in the utmost respect and regard throughout the community. The family of Mr. Perkins consists of a wife and five children - two sons and three daughters. Mrs. Perkins, who was Miss Lucy M. Adams of Boston prior to her mar- riage, is a descendant of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Mr. Perkins is a gentle- man of exceptional modesty and reticence, both in his home and among business associates. His pro- fessional career from the outset has been character- ized by the highest personal honor and integrity.
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BIOGRAPHY OF CONNECTICUT.
EDGAR SMITH YERGASON, HARTFORD: Mer- chant.
E. S. Yergason was born in the town of Windham on the Ioth day of September, 1840. He remained in his native town in attendance upon the district school and at the Pine Grove Seminary in South Windham, until he had fully completed his educa- tion, and in 1859 went to Hartford and engaged in service as a clerk with the dry goods firm of Talcott & Post. His connection with the house continued twenty-two years, during which period he acquired a most thorough and practical knowledge of the E. S. YERGASON. business in all its branches. During the presidential campaign of 1860, Mr. Yergason was one of the thirty-six young republicans of Hartford who on the evening of March 7th, organized the original " Wide Awake" club, an organization which spread over the whole coun- try, and undoubtedly elected Abraham Lincoln President of the United States. Mr. Yergason as a young man was an ardent republican and patriot, and at the breaking out of the war of the rebellion he early enlisted and served as a private in Com- pany B, of the Twenty-second regiment, Connecti- cut Volunteers. At the expiration of his term of service he returned to the store and remained in the employ of Talcott & Post until the two partners separated in 1880, when he joined the last named gentleman in the formation of the firm of William H. Post & Company, whose extensive establishment in the line of carpets and interior house decorations, in the city of Hartford, has a reputation co-extensive with the country itself. As a professional decorator Mr. Yergason is a gentleman of excellent taste and executive ability, and he personally superin- tends this entire department of the firm's extensive business. He has made and executed contracts for the most elaborate decorations in the private resi- dences of the wealthiest citizens of Washington, New York, Brooklyn, Albany, Providence, and other metropolitan cities,-competing for the busi- ness with the most noted decorators of New York and Philadelphia. The recent decoration of the White House at Washington by the firm of Wm. H. Post & Co., under the exclusive management of Mr. Vergason, has been commended by connois- seurs at the capitol as the finest example of artistic taste in the line of interior decoration to be found on the continent. Referring to the effect produced in the " Blue Room " of the executive mansion by Mr. Vergason's treatment of it, one of the govern-
ment officials publicly states his belief that " it is to-day the most beautiful room in the world." It is no small compliment to the house of Wm. H. Post & Co. when it is selected to produce the finest possi- ble effects in the dwellings of the wealthiest citizens of the land, and the home of the chief magistrate himself.
Mr. Yergason is an attendant at the Asylum Avenue Congregational church, is a member of Robert O. Tyler Post, G. A. R., and of the Army and Navy Club of Connecticut. He married in Hartford Miss Emeline B. Moseley, third daughter of the late D. B. Moseley, who was editor, as well as proprietor and founder, of the Religious Herald, the organ of Connecticut Congregationalists. They have three children.
PATRICK H. PEARL, HAMPTON: Farmer.
Patrick Henry Pearl is a descendant of the fourth generation from Timothy Pearl, who came from Dorchester, Mass., early in the last century, and settled in Hampton, where he lived until his death in 1773. Many of his descendants are living in various parts of the country. Patrick H. Pearl was the son of Philip and Clarissa Pearl, and was born in Hamp- ton June 8, IS19, and has resided in that town dur- ing his life-time. He was educated at the common schools of his native town, and at the Connec- P. H. PEARI .. ticut Literary Institution at Suffield. Soon after at- taining his majority he was engaged in mercantile pursuits for a few years in partnership with the late Hon. Mason Cleveland, but most of his life has been spent in farming until within a few years past. He was married Oct. 25, 1853, to Deborah Williams of Pomfret, who died May 18, 1861, leaving a son, Philip Pearl, who is now a member of the firm of D. Wood & Co., merchants, of Webster, Mass. On March 15, 1866, he contracted a second marriage with Mary L. Cowles, daughter of William C. Cowles of East Hartford, who is still living. having no children. He has held various offices in the gift of his townsmen, representing his town in the legislature of 1861, and held the office of justice of the peace for more than thirty years, acting as trial justice in a majority of cases brought in his town during his term of office. At the election held on the first Monday of April, 1863, he was elected to the office of judge of probate for Hampton district, took possession of the office July 4. 1863. and held
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