USA > Connecticut > Representative citizens of Connecticut, biographical memorial > Part 14
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
But although he was obliged reluctantly to give up the work which he
IIO
Reuel Hotchkiss Cuttle
most loved, Rev. Mr. Tuttle was not the man to allow himself to enter a' depressed retirement. On the contrary, he only pursued other tasks with the more energy, as he was obliged to drop the chief of them. He was greatly interested in the cause of education and gave generously of his time and efforts to it, and served on the board of school visitors, acting for some time as chairman, visiting all the schools of the various districts of the town, and acting on the school committee of the third district of the town of Windsor for many years. Among the various works he accomplished for the benefit of Windsor and its neighborhood was the compilation and writ- ing of the general history of Windsor for incorporation in the "History of Hartford County," in which his erudition and scholarship were displayed to advantage.
Rev. Mr. Tuttle married, May 10, 1853, in the city of Boston, Massachu- setts, Sarah Ann Crompton, a native of Holcomb, Lancashire, England, and a daughter of William and Sarah (Lowe) Crompton, old residents of that place. Mr. Crompton was an inventor and scientist of some note in Eng- land, one of his inventions being the Crompton loom for the manufacture of woolen goods, which won him a wide reputation. To Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle were born four children, as follows: 1. Annie Elizabeth, born March 13, 1854, died January 19, 1902; married, October 24, 1883, Elijah Cooper Johnson, to whom she bore three children: Margery Catherine, Crompton Tuttle and Kenneth Clark. 2. and 3. Lorine Russell and Amy Crompton, twins, both of whom died in infancy. 4. Reuel Crompton, born September 24, 1866; a graduate of Hartford high school in 1885, of Trinity College as Bachelor of Arts in 1889, receiving also the degree of Master of Arts, and he is also a graduate of the School of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts; Mr. Tuttle is an artist professionally, having opened a studio in Hartford in November, 1904, and a member of the Art Students' League of New York; his educa- tion, besides that received at the Art Students' League, has been obtained in Paris; he is unmarried, and makes his home with his mother in Windsor.
The warmth of devotion felt for the Rev. Mr. Tuttle by all those who came in contact with his gracious personality was the best of tributes to him and the surest indication of the truly Christian ideal upon which his conduct was moulded. Before all other considerations he placed that of the church and its welfare on the earth, and to the realization of its ideal he devoted his time, his energy, and his life. It would be impossible to close this sketch more fittingly than with the words of those who had come into personal contact with him, and knew at first hand of the great influence for good which he exerted in the community. From many sources came tributes of praise and appreciation of him and his work during the period just follow- ing his death, and from among these it would seem appropriate to quote from two. The first is the article which appeared in "The Hartford Times," in its issue of August 15, 1887, which, at the risk of some slight repetition, is given nearly in full. It was as follows:
The sudden death of the Rev. R. H. Tuttle, which occurred at his residence Satur- day night, has cast a sadness over Windsor. Mr. Tuttle was a man of high intellect with a broad and liberal mind. Quiet and unassuming, he had endeared himself to all. His many acts of charity and deeds of kindness will never be publicly known, but he will be
III
Reuel Hotchkiss Cuttle
severely missed by many. His loss will also be felt by the townspeople generally, but more so in the school department, especially the board of school visitors, of which he was for several years chairman. * * * Grace Church Society, of which he was the first rector, are still greater losers, and none of the members would have been more missed. His whole life seemed to have been wrapped up in the welfare of the church.
The following words are from a memorial issued at the time of his death by the rector, wardens and vestrymen of Grace Church, Windsor, where so large a part of his time was spent, and to the service of which he gave so much thought and energy:
Rev. Reuel Hotchkiss Tuttle was called to his reward on Saturday, August 13, 1887, at the age of sixty-three. He was the first resident rector of Grace Church. His pastorate was blessed with abundant success, and his holy influence was evident in the growth, prosperity and peace of the flock. A beautiful stone church was erected in 1864, owing its inception to a generous thank offering made by Mr. Tuttle for the recovery of his beloved daughter from serious illness, an offering which stimulated the people to great liberality. It was a sad affliction to both parties when he relinquished the rector- ship, and his position afterwards was one of peculiar delicacy, but the patient gentleness which he showed, and the perfect harmony between him and his three successors in office, were tokens of a Christian character highly perfected. He loved to do what he could in conducting public worship and teaching in the Sunday school, assisting the rector or supplying vacancies in the neighborhood. He was clerk of the parish and a member of the vestry. Much of his time was devoted to the oversight of public schools. He will be long remembered for his faithful services to the church and the community, and still more for his saintly example and kindness to all, his wisdom and refinement. He was such a clergyman as St. Paul describes, giving no offence in anything, that the ministry be not blamed ; but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, and by love unfeigned. We believe that when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, he shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. His afflicted family we com- mend to the God of consolation, with assurances of our affectionate sympathy.
The Rev. Mr. Tuttle lies in the ancient Palisado Cemetery, in the town he served so many years. Upon the earnest request of the people of Wind- sor in general, who wished their beloved pastor to be buried in Windsor, the family removed their burial lot and the remains of the deceased daughters from Spring Grove Cemetery, Hartford, to Windsor.
henry A. huntington
IN the death of the Hon. Henry A. Huntington, on March 7, 1912, Hartford and Windsor, Connecticut, lost one of the most distinguished citizens of the community and one whose career promised great things for the future which was not to come. His parents were Alonzo C. and Priscilla (Strick- land) Huntington, old residents of Poquonock. Connecticut, where his father was a prominent man, and represented his district in the State Legislature. The Huntington arms are as follows: Argent. Three lions rampant, purpure. Crest : Argent, a demi lion issuing from a wreath.
Henry A. Huntington was himself born in Poquonock, near Windsor, Connecticut, March 2, 1865, and there passed his childhood, attending the excellent public schools at Windsor, and later the Windsor Academy. After completing his studies in these institutions he turned his attention to teach- ing as a profession, and for a time taught in the local school in Poquonock. His interest, however, became fixed upon the law, and he determined to make it his profession if it was possible. He began reading law with Judge Griswold, and later attended the law school at Yale University, from which he was graduated with the class of 1892, and was admitted to the Connecti- cut bar in the same year. His first experience in his new profession was in the law firm of Gross, Hyde & Shipman, at that time Hyde, Gross & Hyde, of Hartford. From the outset Mr. Huntington exhibited marked ability as an attorney and it was soon possible for him to sever his connection with his associates and engage in practice on his own account. He was at once successful and quickly made an enviable reputation for himself on the score of both ability and unimpeachable integrity. His office was in the building of the Hartford Trust Company and there it remained until the time of his death.
The great popularity which Mr. Huntington enjoyed both in Hartford and his native neighborhood, and his rapid rise to the position of one of the leaders of the bar in Hartford county, drew the eyes of the local party leaders upon him as available as a candidate for the State Legislature. He had already served as town clerk for a number of years and made an excel- lent name for himself as a public officer. In 1910 he was nominated and elected to the Legislature to represent the town of Windsor, running con- siderably ahead of his party ticket at the polls. Mr. Huntington was par- ticularly well fitted for this task and very soon made himself felt as one of the leaders of the Republican group in the House, and his great legal knowl- edge proved invaluable in the discussion of legislation. It also secured for him the appointment as a member of the Judiciary Committee, in which he did splendid work during the continuance of the session. A splendid chance came to Mr. Huntington to display his qualifications as a leader in the absence of Representative E. S. Banks, of Fairfield, the chairman of the
Henry A. Huntington
untington
II3
henry a. huntington
body, whose place he took. It was in this responsible position that Mr. Huntington's great ability first began to display itself adequately, and he won praise on all sides, even from his political adversaries. His sense of jus- tice was sure, and it was his obvious purpose to work for the advantage of the community generally, and not of any faction thereof, so that it happened that he made many and warm friends among the members on the Demo- cratic side of the House, who appreciated the equitable treatment accorded to them. It is small wonder that during this term of 1911, in which he established so fine a record for himself, he should have drawn the attention of a larger section of his party, and the question of his candidacy for Con- gress should have arisen. He did not himself encourage this idea, but despite this attitude on his part there is little doubt that he would have received the nomination from the First Congressional District this year had his life been spared.
Besides his political activity Mr. Huntington was greatly interested in a private business venture, which he engaged in in association with his brother, Charles Huntington, of Poquonock. This was the raising of tobacco, in which enterprise they were extremely successful. He was a prominent figure also in the social and fraternal circles of Windsor and Hartford, and a member of the Masonic order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was not formally connected with any church, yet was the possessor of strong religious feelings, and was interested in the cause of religion, although his practice might be unorthodox.
Mr. Huntington was married, February 27, 1900, to Miss Mary M. Clark, a native of Montreal, but a resident of Windsor, Connecticut, a daughter of Horace D. and Margaret (Conor) Clark, the father a native of East Granby, Connecticut, the mother a native of Cleveland, Ohio, both now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Huntington were born three children, who, with their mother, survive Mr. Huntington. They are Clark Chester, Walter Treadway and Mary Margaret. Mr. Huntington's parents also survive him.
The life of Mr. Huntington was one well worthy to serve as a model of earnest and disinterested public service. Possessed of qualities above the ordinary, of an unusually capable and alert mind, of a winning personality, and a fine legal training, he gave the better part of his talents in the service of his community, content if he received the reward contained in a knowl- edge of his work well done. The sterling virtues of simplicity and charity, which were the essential factors in this unusual altruism, were not over- looked by his fellow citizens, however, who admired, and wished to reward him for them, so that there is little doubt that his career would have been a brilliant one, as it certainly deserved to be, had not his tragic death cut it short in the prime of his achievement. His untimely death was felt as a loss by. all those who had associated with him even casually, and cast a gloom over the entire community where his virtues and attractions were known. In the Legislature, too, there was none who did not feel a strong sense of loss, and the general sentiment was well expressed by Speaker Scott, upon learning of his colleague's death, with whose appropriate words this sketch closes :
CONN-Vol 111-8
114
henry a. Huntington
Mr. Huntington was regarded by, not only myself, but by the chairmen of the com- mittees of the last General Assembly as one of the strongest men in the House. He was conscientious in attending upon his legislative duties, always uniformly fair and broad- minded, and he brought to the treatment of the problems which developed in the last Assembly a breadth of view and a trained mind that were of great value in bringing legislative order out of chaos.
It was not a surprise to me personally that Mr. Huntington should have exercised so strong an influence upon his fellow legislators, because I had known him for twenty years and was acquainted with the choice faculties which he manifested in his legisla- tive work. The loss sustained by the town of Windsor in the death of so prominent and public-spirited a citizen is shared by the entire State.
S.M. Cafron
Samuel Mills Capron
W ITH a virile intellect that made him a power as an educator, and with a gentleness of spirit that appreciated and enjoyed the beauty of the tiniest flower, the late Samuel Mills Cap- ron, of Hartford, Connecticut, was a man who, once known, could never be forgotten. He left the impress of his splendid nature upon all with whom he came in contact and his influ- ence was a vital force in the lives of those who came under his teachings. By the very constitution of his mind he was destined to be an instructor of men. When he was called from this life the institution of learn- ing with which he was connected and the city in which he resided suffered an almost irreparable loss, which, however, came with deepest force in his home and in the circle of his intimate friends. Men of learning sought his com- panionship and found him a peer, yet he had a heart that reached out to the humblest and a ready sympathy quick in response. Those who were asso- ciated with him and came to know the full reach of his nature in its intel- lectual and spiritual development speak of him in words only of the highest praise. He was a man great and able, true and kind, and his life was as white as the sunlight.
Samuel Mills Capron was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, May 15, 1832, and died at his home in Hartford, Connecticut, January 4, 1874. He was a son of William Cargill and Chloe (Day) Capron, both born in Ux- bridge, and both descended from old New England families. Samuel Mills Capron was prepared for entrance to college at Phillips Academy, at An- dover, Massachusetts, which was at that time in charge of Dr. D. S. Taylor, an eminent educator. Mr. Capron was graduated from Yale College in the class of 1853, other members of it being Andrew D. White, later president of Cornell University ; Hon. Wayne McVeagh, of Pennsylvania; E. C. Sted- man, the poet; and the Hon. Henry C. Robinson, of Hartford. He then came to Hartford, where he was given the management of the Hopkins Grammar School, included in which was the classical department of the high school. His brother, William B. Capron, had been the principal of the latter for six years. His health having become impaired by his arduous and conscientious labors, Mr. Capron went abroad in 1863 and spent a year or more in foreign travel and study. Upon his return to Hartford in the spring of 1865 he was appointed principal of the Hartford public high school, in addition to the Hopkins Grammar School, and was the efficient incumbent of this until his lamented death. All his life he gave himself to the cause of education with a whole-hearted devotion that was as admirable as it was productive of results. As an instructor in the classical languages, Mr. Cap- ron had all the scholars who were preparing for college under his charge for at least one year, and his excellence as a teacher has been reflected in the very creditable position that numbers of them have taken in the various callings of life. Graduates and scholars alike were ready to profess a pecu- liar respect and affection for him. Pupils who came under his instruction
116
Samuel Hills Capron
received the full benefit of his ripe scholarship, and felt the inspiring influ- ence of his own interest in the work. The year after he was placed in charge of the school the graduates were three in number; in 1873 they were forty- four. Under Mr. Capron's careful supervision the reputation of the institu- tion increased until, at the time of his death, none stood higher among the preparatory schools of the country, and at Yale College it was almost invari- ably, the case that among the best scholars of each class were to be found representatives of this school.
On the occasion of his first visit to Europe, Mr. Capron was accom- panied by his wife and sister, and five other relatives, but he stayed in Europe four months longer than the other members of the party, the greater part of this time being spent in Germany, where he made a thorough study of the language of the country. He visited Europe a second time in the sum- mer of 1871, in the company of three of his pupils, when the entire time was spent in Great Britain and Ireland. His return from his first European trip was in November, 1864, in the midst of the Civil War turmoil, and at the period of the most alarming depression of the currency. His resignation had not been accepted by the board of trustees of the grammar school, but feel- ing that the funds of the school, though affording a fair salary in ante-war days, would not now give a comfortable support, and being urged to engage in the business of manufacturing he left Hartford and returned to his native town. It should be said, also, that he had brought from Europe a stock of vigorous health, which his previous experience made him disinclined to risk in the confinement of school teaching. But the subject came up again and in a new aspect. After a time he was followed to Uxbridge by a committee of the high school, who contemplated a reorganization of the school, and urged him to accept the post of principal-a post of much more than his former influence and responsibility, and now attended with an offer of nearly double his former salary. He again took the subject under consideration, and the result of his deliberations was his return to Hartford.
Mr. Capron married, in November, 1854, Eunice M. Chapin, whom he had known from early youth. Five children blessed this union, of whom the two first mentioned died in childhood: Helen Maria, Alice Louise, Clara Day, Bertha Chapin and William Cargill. Mr. Capron was a deacon in the Asylum Hill Congregational Church.
In order to give a faint idea of the high esteem in which Mr. Capron was held, it is fitting that this brief review of his life should close with a few extracts from some of the articles written at the time of his death. Mar- garet A. Blythe wrote about him as "The Man and the Teacher" as follows:
No one can write of Mr. Capron without fearing that his words will read like an ideal sketch of the perfect man. Of all the men whose lives were ever written, this is he whom his biographer would least desire to overpraise. Living, he loved the truth, and shunned applause ; the voice would be unfriendly that should affront his ashes with a eulogy misplaced. Yet words truly spoken of him, let them be guarded how they may, will seem to praise him out of reason. Nor can one action of his life be named,-far less can the sum of his work be reckoned .- unless one should speak of that matchless character which his friends would gladly leave to be its own remembrancer ; for what he did was the result of what he was, and what he was, was still the measure of what he could do. It is not always so. Many a time the teacher, the poet, the preacher, is greater than the
117
Samuel Hills Capron
man : but he, who surpassed other men in so much, was above them not least in this, that he was more real in all his qualities than they. His teaching was himself. He was not a teacher of genius, if by genius is meant a development of one faculty at the expense of others. He was great as the head of a school through the same qualities which would have made him great anywhere else. If he had been in business, he would have understood that business so much better than anyone else that he would speedily have become necessary to it. If he had been the colonel of a regiment, he would have been deeply feared, passionately loved, and intrepidly followed by his men. If he had been a prime minister, he would have been the mild, unconscious autocrat of his cabinet. *
* Those who most valued Mr. Capron wondered sometimes what it was in him that inspired his scholars with so deep a respect for his abilities. It was not scholarship, for the great mass of them never met him in the class room. His addresses to the school were remarkable only for directness and simplicity. It could not all be an impression filtering down through the senior class, always a small and exclusive body. Yet the least and last urchin of the fourth class would speak of him with awe as a smart man. So far as this estimate is to be ascribed to any one quality in him, it was doubtless due to his extraordinary executive faculty. In all the daily exigencies of the school, the thou- sand-and-one questions, involving a host of conflicting interests and remote considera- tions, all endlessly complicated with each other, which come up for the principal's deci-
sion, he was never at fault, never flurried, never uncertain. * * * To all who lived and labored with him, Mr. Capron was a power, a succor, and an inspiration. There were those to whom he was something more. No one can fully understand his relations with his teachers who does not know what he became to some of them, when out of long companionship and unbroken faith a cloudless friendship dawned, and in its sun- shine the secret sweetness of his nature unfolded leaf by leaf. *
* * These are words; too vain and vague to express the power and meaning of his life. If from his upper sphere one born of a nobler race came down and clasped us, held us a little while in converse, and departed, could we more describe him than to say of his face that it was fair, and of his voice that it was lovely? Only the speech of the immortals can rightly syllable immortal beauty. That in our friend which was but common and earthly we may reveal ; his diviner part eludes our praise.
Thomas A. Thacher, Professor in Yale College, said of the scholarship and character of Mr. Capron, in part :
If now we ask what was the cause of his success as a teacher, our answer must be, that it was in the man, in what he was, in his qualities and characteristics. It was the outworking of the man within into the sweet, and consistent and busy activities of his life, that made him the great and growing blessing to the community. The good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brought forth good things. That substratum of a strong and, at the same time, lovely character, was the essential thing. Without that his outward life could not have been what it was, or, even if it could have been, it would have wanted that intangible life giving power which has a deeper spring than is visible to the eye. * *
* Whatever he had to do he had the habit of doing judiciously. He was quick to discover what was worth while, and what was idle and useless, and thus escape the waste and annoyance to himself and to others, which come from the hesitation of a feeble judgment. He was a thorough scholar, and he made his pupils feel that no other scholarship was worthy of the name nor of any great value. * * Who that * was ever under the instruction of Mr. Capron does not still feel the influence of his per- sonal character upon himself? He was eminent for his nice scholarship, but as a man he was more. In his combination of the rare scholar and the rare man he became a model teacher.
From the obituary notices of the press we quote the following extracts: "We have never seen another person who did his work so unobtrusively. He was exceedingly modest, but he had not the false timidity of inefficiency. Here was a man who, without the least show or apparent ambition of applause or self assertion, was doing day by day a great work." "Add to all this that he was a man of eminently refined tastes, an accomplished and
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.