USA > Connecticut > Representative citizens of Connecticut, biographical memorial > Part 19
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Charles H. Smith was born October 27, 1828, in East Lyme, on the old family farm, at that time operated by his father. The first fourteen years of his life he resided there, attending the local public school, where he gained the preliminaries of his education, and doing light farm work. When he reached the age of fourteen years, he was sent to Westfield, Massachusetts, to live with his brother, the Rev. William Angus Smith, whose home was in that town. This brother was nearly twenty years older than Mr. Smith, and sent the lad to Westfield Academy, where it was intended that he should receive a liberal education. It was unfortunate, particularly in view of the excellent standing which he won as a student, that pecuniary condi- tions were such that he had to be withdrawn at the end of his second year and started at work. He came at once to Hartford, where another brother, John Gorton Smith, had been successfully engaged in the dry goods busi- ness from the year 1838. His establishment was located on Main street, not far from Pearl street, and was familiarly known as the "Long Brick Store," and it was here that many of the well known merchants of the city in later days passed the days of their apprenticeship in business. Such was the case with our subject, who in 1844, was given a clerkship in his brother's estab- lishment. He was a youth sixteen years of age at that time, and from then until his death was closely identified with the growth of the business, financial and industrial interests of the city. His bright, alert mind and his strong purpose to succeed, which gave him a well-nigh unlimited capacity for hard work, recommended him to his brother, who steadily advanced him
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in rank, until by dint of economy he was able to save up a considerable sum of money, which he hoarded away against the opportunity which he felt sure would some day arise. Nor was he mistaken. In 1851 John G. Smith removed from Hartford to New York City, and the younger man bought his dry goods business and continued to conduct it with a very high degree of suc- cess for upwards of twenty years. Under his most capable management the business grew to very large proportions and Mr. Smith himself assumed a very important place in the business world, and by degrees became asso- ciated with many of the largest and most important industrial and financial concerns in the city. In 1871, after twenty years of the closest personal attention to the conduct of his own personal enterprise and of almost equal effort on behalf of the others he was connected with, Mr. Smith's health gave out and he was obliged to retire from active life temporarily. He sold his dry goods trade to the firm of Brown, Thompson & Company, the prede- cessors of the present concern of that name. Mr. Smith was at that time a trustee of the Connecticut Trust and Safe Deposit Company, and had been since the time of its incorporation, and a director of the Phoenix Insurance Company. He had also been one of the founders of the Smyth Manufactur- ing Company and was a director at this time. All these connections he retained, but gave up for a time all active participation in their manage- ment. It was not until 1877, six years after his retirement that Mr. Smith once more returned to active business life. He now formed a partnership with Mr. Edwin D. Tiffany, and his son, Charles Howell Smith, the firm engaging in a general brokerage business in which they handled both local and western securities. In the year 1894, Mr. Smith, Jr., died, and in the same year the elder man finally retired from active business life. He resigned his directorship in the Smyth Manufacturing Company at the last annual meeting of directors before his death, but his connection with the other institutions he continued to the end.
It was not alone in the business world, by any means, that Mr. Smith occupied a prominent place in the life of the city. Though never taking an active part in politics, he had very strong opinions and beliefs in regard to the issues and questions of public import with which the country was at that time confronted, and exerted not a little influence purely in the capacity of private citizen. He was a staunch member of the Republican party, and a supporter of its principles and policies. He was a conspicuous figure in the social and philanthropic life of Hartford, and was a member of many of the most important clubs and societies, among others, the Connecticut Histori- cal Society and the Hartford Club. During the years of his life that Mr. Smith gave up to leisure, for reasons of health or otherwise, he did much travelling, especially in Europe and made many keen observations on the customs and manners of the men of other climes.
Mr. Smith was a constant attendant of the South Congregational Church of Hartford for fully sixty years, and was a very prominent and active member of the congregation and a generous supporter of the philan- thropic and other work connected therewith. He was for many years a close personal friend of the pastor, the Rev. Dr. Edwin Pond Parker.
Mr. Smith was twice married, the first time in the year 1852, to Harriet
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E. Hills, a daughter of Howell R. Hills, a wholesale dealer in boots and shoes in Hartford. There was one son born to this union, and Mrs. Smith died in 1855. In the year 1861 Mr. Smith was married, on August 22, to Jane T. Hills, a daughter of Ellery Hills, who for over fifty years was a prominent merchant in Hartford. Mrs. Smith is a sister of the distinguished numis- matist and collector, Jonas Coolidge Hills, a sketch of whom appears else- where in this work. Mr. Smith's son by his first marriage, Charles Howell Smith, who has already been mentioned in this article, was born in 1853, and died at the age of forty-one years. Besides his partnership with his father in the brokerage business, he was secretary and treasurer of the Valley rail- road. He was married to Kate Kemble, of Paw Paw, Michigan, and by her had one child, Robert Kemble Smith, who with his mother and Mrs. Smith, Sr., resides in the handsome dwelling purchased by Mr. Smith at No. 593 Farmington avenue, Hartford, in 1896. Robert Kemble Smith attended the Hotchkiss School at Lakeville, Connecticut, and Williams College, and is now connected with the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, of Hartford, Connecticut.
From the year 1844, when Mr. Smith first came to Hartford, a youth of sixteen, he has been closely identified with the industrial and financial growth of the city. He was, at the time of his death, one of the oldest citi- zens, and his memory was a repository of much of the local history and tra- dition of the city, during his life and earlier. It was, indeed, but a town when he first made his home there, and he was often heard to observe that he had watched its growth from a population of nine to eighty thousand inhabitants. But it was as more than a mere observer, however close and affectionate, that Mr. Smith was associated with this growth. It was rather as one of the most active participants therein, whose efforts were primarily directed towards the advancement of the community of which he was a member. He was possessed of unyielding will and purpose, and he brought these strong traits to bear upon those enterprises in which he en- gaged with the inevitable result that they prospered greatly. His unim- peachable integrity, and rare sense of justice soon won for him an enviable reputation, both as a business man and in the more personal relations of life, and there were few men living in the city so highly honored and respected as was he. The religion he professed he practiced also, the church life which he adhered to so faithful for so many years, was of practical signifi- cance to him, and its experiences to be translated into the terms of conduct for the guidance of every-day life. He lived to a good old age, and death, when it overtook him, came only in the due course of nature, yet it was felt as a personal loss, not merely by his immediate family and the large circle of friends which his unassuming personality had won him from every walk in life, but by the community generally, which had as a whole benefited so greatly as a result of his life and labors.
Charles Seth Creadmay
IN THE DEATH of Charles Seth Treadway, on January 27, 1905, the town of Bristol, Hartford county, Connecticut, lost one of its most prominent and public spirited citizens, and one who has been in the highest degree identified with the great development of that place during the past three decades. His parents, Charles and Emily (Candee) Tread- way, were residents of Bristol and there Mr. Treadway was born on January 24, 1848.
He continued to live there and attended the local public schools until he had reached the age of twelve when his parents removed to Winsted, Con- necticut. From there they later removed to Waterbury, Connecticut, where the youth attended the high school. It was in Waterbury that he entered upon the business career, which was to make him a prominent figure in the Connecticut financial and industrial world. The first few years of this career were marked by a number of beginnings in several different lines, suc- cessively made, and each leading to something of greater promise. Having completed his schooling at the age of fifteen years, he entered the employ- ment of The Waterbury Clock Company, with which his father was con- nected, to learn the trade of clockmaker. He did not remain there more than a few months, leaving to accept an offer of a clerical position in the Waterbury post office. It was due to A. S. Chase, at that time president of the Waterbury National Bank, that Mr. Treadway finally entered the busi- ness which, more than any other, was to form his life work. This gentle- man on his visits to the post office had observed the youth and been im- pressed with his air of alert industry. It is reported that approaching him one day, he asked him if he would like to learn the banking business. The young man replied promptly that he would, whereupon the offer of position of office boy in Mr. Chase's institution was made and at once accepted. And now, as before, his keen intellect and willingness to work hard impressed Mr. Chase, and he was rapidly promoted, through a number of intermediate positions, to that of teller, he being at the time of his appointment, one of the youngest men to hold that responsible position in the State of Connec- ticut. Mr. Treadway had in the meantime made the acquaintance of the late Andrew Terry, founder of the Andrew Terry Company, of Terryville, Connecticut, manufacturers of malleable iron. Mr. Terry was impressed with the young man's ability and invited him to join him in a western enter- prise which he had under consideration. Mr. Treadway at once agreed to the proposition and together with Mr. Terry went to the town of Lawrence, Kansas, which was at that time feeling the effects of the great boom enjoyed by that section of the country. In this promising environment a bank was opened of which Mr. Terry was the president and Mr. Treadway the secre- tary and teller. The enterprise prospered and Mr. Treadway remained in the Kansas town for four years in the capacity mentioned above. In the year 1875 the Bristol National Bank was organized by John Humphrey Sessions and a number of his associates. To these gentlemen the name of
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Mr. Treadway was mentioned as that of one eminently fitted to take charge of the cashier's department of the new institution, and they accordingly wrote him in the west and made him the offer of the position of cashier. Mr. Treadway at once accepted and returned to his native place to assume his new duties after an absence of about thirteen years. Though he thus renewed his residence and associations with Bristol, he never forgot his friendships in Waterbury, nor lost his affection for the place itself, and that the converse of this is also true may be seen in the notices which appeared in the Water- bury papers on the occasion of his death. Mr. Treadway continued to act as cashier of the Bristol bank until the year 1899, when, upon the death of Mr. Sessions, he was elected president, an office which he held until his own demise sixteen years later. Under his capable management, the bank con- tinued its successful development until it became one of the prominent institutions in financial Connecticut.
The business operations of Mr. Treadway were not actuated solely by personal considerations and many of his most characteristic successes were achieved with the general development of the community quite as much in mind as his private interests. Ten years of banking in Bristol had given Mr. Treadway a conspicuous position in that town and it was as a man of influence that he started in the year 1883, a definite movement toward the improvement of conditions there. In spite of his unselfishness and broad conception of public welfare his plans met with considerable opposition on the part of the extreme conservatists in the community. Mr. Treadway and his associates were not the men, however, to be deterred by obstacles, and they proceeded surely towards their goal. Their plan was the estab- lishment of an adequate public water supply and to this end the Bristol Water Company was organized with John H. Sessions at its head. The plant which was finally constructed is one of the most modern and effective in the State of Connecticut, and to its final success Mr. Treadway devoted his great energies, mastering its construction and operation in the greatest detail. At the death of Mr. Sessions, Mr. Treadway succeeded him as president of the water company and served in that capacity until the end of his life. His next movement in the interest of the town was towards the installing of electric lights, and in this matter also his efforts were crowned with success and the year following the establishment of the Bristol Water Company saw that of the Bristol Electric Light Company, with Mr. Sessions again at the head. The lighting company was, however, absorbed ten years later by the Bristol and Plainville Tramway Company, also the product of Mr. Treadway's enterprise, and which carried on a successful transportation and lighting business. At the death of Mr. Sessions, Mr. Treadway succeeded to the presidency of these companies and held the office until within a few months of his death, when ill health obliged him to give up the manifold duties connected with their management. It was largely due to his skill and judgment that the various public utilities were so successful and that the operating companies were placed upon such sound financial basis.
Mr. Treadway's interests were not confined to enterprises of this semi- public type, however, for he has played an equally important part in the industrial development of the town. One of the largest concerns with which he was connected was the New Departure Manufacturing Company. The
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company was organized in 1887, and a few years later Mr. Treadway became a stockholder, and in 1900 was elected its president to succeed W. A. Gra- ham. The business at once felt the stimulus of his progressive management and grew rapidly until it attained enormous size and an international activity. It possesses at the present time a market for its products, such as bells, brakes for bicycles, ball bearings, steel balls, and many other devices in all parts of the world. A branch factory was established in Germany some time before Mr. Treadway's death. The association of Mr. Treadway with Everett Horton was also the cause of a large concern known as the Horton Manufacturing Company. Mr. Horton was the inventor of a steel fishing rod which he had patented and Mr. Treadway and a number of asso- ciates organized a company for the manufacture of this article. Of this C. F. Pope of New York (a close personal friend of Mr. Treadway's) was chosen president, but Mr. Treadway was the treasurer and upon him devolved the control of the business. He was also the vice-president of the Bristol Brass Company, and held the same office in the Bristol Manufacturing Company. He was a director of many important concerns, notably the Blakesley Novelty Company, the Bristol Press Publishing Company, the Southington National Bank, and for a period of the Waterbury American.
A man so closely and prominently identified with large and semi-public undertakings, as was Mr. Treadway, would find it out of the question to remain aloof in matters of more formal public concern. To this result, too, was contributary a keen interest in public issues generally, particularly those of local application. It was practically inevitable, therefore, that he should become connected with local politics, and that, becoming thus connected, he would exert a profound influence on the conduct of public affairs. Not- withstanding this Mr. Treadway endeavored to the best of his ability to avoid public office without, however, complete success. He was elected a representative from Bristol to the Connecticut General Assembly in 1882. He was treasurer of the town of Bristol from 1888 to 1900 inclusive, and treasurer of the borough from its incorporation in 1894 to 1901 inclusive. He also served on the board of directors of the Free Public Library from its organization in 1892 until his death, and was at one time treasurer of the first school district. It would seem that the duties and obligations involved in the many offices public and private, enumerated above would have proved as great a burden as any man could successfully bear, yet Mr. Treadway found time and energy to devote to social life, and was included in the membership of many clubs and orders. He belonged to the Townsend Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Waterbury, and to Reliance Council, Royal Arcanum of Bristol. He was a director of the Farmington Country Club and a member of the board of governors, and at one time vice-president of the club. He was also a member of the Waterbury Club, the Bristol Golf Club, and the Bristol Business Men's Association.
Mr. Treadway was married, December 22, 1873, to Margaret Terry, of Lawrence, Kansas, a daughter of Andrew Terry, of that place. To them two children were born, as follows: Susan Emily, who died when but four years old, and Charles Terry, now a resident of Bristol and treasurer of The New Departure Manufacturing Company. Mrs. Treadway's death occurred in 1880. On January 24, 1884, Mr. Treadway was again married, this time to
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Lucy Hurlburt Townsend, of Waterbury, a daughter of George L. Town- send, a resident of that place. To them four children were born: Townsend Gillette, Morton Candee, Lucy Margaret, and Harry, who died in infancy. The three others with their mother survive Mr. Treadway.
Of the influence of Mr. Treadway upon the community, and of the regard which the community held him in, it is perhaps more appropriate to let those who directly felt these things speak. And of such words we have no lack. The "Bristol Press" on the occasion of his death concluded a long commemorative article as follows :
Mistakes were rare indeed in his career. He studied problems coming to him for solution, with conservatism born of bank training, yet with the progressiveness of a promoter of large successes. No man was ever truer to the trust of his fellow men, none more worthy of reputation for unfailing honesty and fairness in all dealing.
His opinions were carefully formed, firmly held, even against opposition that would have overwhelmed most men. Once he saw a course to be right, he held to it with that remarkable tenacity of will that makes men masters and leaders.
His mental capacity was large, carrying the details of affairs in which he was inter- ested, without confusion of facts.
In his home and with his friends, his devotion was sweet. In dealing with the public he always tried to meet men on a level, always tried to be fair and if perchance he felt that he had not been just, his effort was prompt to make amends. Outspoken at all times, deception had no place in his ethics of conduct.
Mr. Treadway's life has gone into the structure of the community. His death marks the sacrifice of a personality that was eminently valuable, and a loss, the apprecia- tion of which will be better estimated with every day that passes.
Not only the Bristol papers, but those of Waterbury, joined in the chorus of praise and sorrow over the sad event, but perhaps the most appro- priate ending to this sketch is the resolutions passed at this time by the directors of the Bristol National Bank, an act in which this institution was joined by the many other concerns with which Mr. Treadway was asso- ciated. Those of the bank read :
At a meeting of the directors of the Bristol National Bank, held Monday, January 30, 1905, it was voted that the following be spread upon the records of the bank :
The members of this board have learned with profound sorrow of the death on the 27th inst. of their late esteemed president, Charles S. Treadway, and desire to express their high appreciation of him as a valuable citizen in this community, having been iden- tified with so many of its manufacturing and industrial enterprises. It is largely due to his wisdom as a financier and to his superior business qualities that these have been successful and thus contributed to the prosperity of the town.
We feel that in all these years his connection with the various industries has been one of credit to himself and of lasting benefit to the town.
He was connected with this bank from its organization in 1875, acting as cashier until 1899, when upon the death of Mr. John H. Sessions, he succeeded to the presidency, holding these positions to the satisfaction of both officers and patrons of the bank.
We, as directors of this bank, fully realize that in the death of Mr. Treadway we have lost a trusted manager, a wise counsellor and one in whose judgment in matters pertaining to this institution we have had implicit confidence that he has always acted from the best motives of what he thought was right and just. We shall miss him at our board meetings where he has always been ready in a cheerful manner to impart any information asked for pertaining to the bank. He has passed away universally respected and mourned.
To his family we tender our heartfelt sympathy in their bereavement.
Voted, that the bank be closed from I o'clock Monday the 30th until 12 o'clock Tuesday the 31st, and that the members of this board shall attend the funeral in a body. Voted, that a copy of the above be sent to his family and published in the Bristol Press.
Otto Frederick Strunz
I N THAT GROUP of capable and talented men whose efforts have given Bristol, Connecticut, the place it holds in the industrial world, must be included the name of Otto Fred- erick Strunz, who, though a foreigner by birth, was identified all his life with the development of his adopted city and in whose death that city suffered a real loss. Mr. Strunz was a member of a race which has contributed a great and im- portant element to the composite American population and leavened it with its strong virtues of indefatigable industry, thrift and unwavering pursuit of its objective. He was a son of William Strunz, a native of the city of Crimmitzschau, Saxony, where he was a cloth weaver by trade. Like so many of his fellow countrymen, he left his native land during the years which followed the revolutionary movement of 1848-49, when much of the best blood of the Fatherland was obliged to seek haven in the New World, and like them came over to the United States. William Strunz married Louisa Diesner, a native of his own town, who became the mother of his nine children, several of whom were born before their migration to the new home in the west. Among these was Otto Frederick, who was born in Saxony on December 14, 1850. In 1854 his parents and their five children settled in Broad Brook, Connecticut, where the father secured the position of inspector of the product of the woolen mills of the community, holding the same until his final retirement from active business. Of his five children who came with him to this country, as well as the four that were born here, all continued residents of the United States, and most of them remained in Connecticut, though two went so far afield as San Francisco, California, and one settled in Palatka, Florida.
Otto Frederick Strunz passed the years of his childhood and early youth in Broad Brook, where his father had settled upon coming to this country, and there received his education, attending the local public schools until six- teen years of age. There also he began his career in the world of business, though the beginning would scarcely suggest how successful it was to be- come. He was apprenticed to an establishment to learn the trade of wool dyeing, and there remained about three years, mastering in the meantime all the detail of the work. Abandoning this work, however, he took up car- pentry, and was employed at his new task for three years by Ralph Belknap, of Broad Brook. He had a desire, however, which grew as time went on, to go to a larger place where he might find a larger sphere of activity, and accordingly, in the year 1871, he moved to Bristol, and there was employed by Elbert Case for four years as a joiner, and later by other contracting firms remaining in this employment until 1879. During this period Mr. Strunz displayed in a preëminent degree those qualities which so distinguish his race, industry and thrift, and was in consequence, at the close of it able to purchase a coal business and embark upon an enterprise of his own. The business which he purchased was that of A. C. Hendee, already well estab-
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