USA > Connecticut > Representative citizens of Connecticut, biographical memorial > Part 56
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Mr. Canty was married February 25, 1873, to Miss Mary I. Slater, a native of Torrington, and a daughter of Thomas and Hanra (Sexton) Slater, of that place. Mrs. Canty and the five children born to her, survive Mr. Canty, and she still resides in the handsome home which he left her on Spring street, Winsted. The five children are as follows: I. Nellie, now Mrs. James Reliham, of Winsted. 2. William L., now a practicing attorney of Bristol, Connecticut. 3. Jennie, now Mrs. T. F. Casey, of Torrington, Connecticut. 4. Anthony, of Norwalk. 5. Leo, now a resident of Winsted.
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Besides his immediate family, Mr. Canty is also survived by a sister, Mrs. Dennis Haggerty, of Bridgeport.
Mr. Canty was a man the memory of whom will long live in Winsted. And this is not due save in a minor degree to the prominent position he held in the business world of that community, nor upon the wealth of which he was the possessor. It is something deeper than that, and has to do with the fundamental traits of his character which men instinctively felt to be sound and wholesome, so that they were drawn to him and spontaneously believed him to be one in whom they might with safety repose their trust and confidence. Nor was this feeling ever betrayed in all the many years of his life in Winsted. An unimpeachable integrity, a keen sense of justice, and a frank and open bearing, the fruit of a democratic outlook upon nature and life, were the dominant traits of the man, than which it would be difficult to find a combination more potent to win the affections of one's fellows. Easy of approach, with a kindly word and a smile for all who made the essay, whether high or low, rich or poor, he made the lowliest feel quickly at home, and, as his heart was large and full of charity for all, it was not often that those who approached him went away dissatisfied. He was a man of the widest sympathies and interests and a strong sense of public duty, and it was rare for him to refuse material aid to any movement which he felt really advantageous to the town. It is no wonder then that his death was a loss not only to his immediate family and his large circle of personal friends, but to the community at large, since there were but few members thereof who were not directly or indirectly the beneficiaries of his wide generosity and public spirit.
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: death Torrington, Connecticut, lished citizens, although not an me so completely identified with : "New World," during his life, spent in this country, that he n feelings and sympathies, and e by side with the foremost of an. Mr. Hendey was a member he Colonial period of American e complex fabric of American id whose blood still forms the eloping nationality. The coat-
Argent, a bend vert, cotised oting forth new leaves, proper. England, December 29, 1844, of his birth, accompanying his ated to America in 1848. The .s in Waterbury, Connecticut, ; his education at the excellent Mr. Hendey, at the age of 1 removed to Torrington, in
. Face it continued to make his home, and which was the scene of his
busy, active life. He took up his abode in Torrington in 1865, and at once secured employment with the Turner & Seymour Company, engaged in the manufacture of machinery, in the capacity of machinist. Naturally of an alert mind, Mr. Hendey here learned with great rapidity all the ins and outs of his trade and soon mastered his subject in all its details in a manner which drew upon him the favorable regard of his employers, and served him well in his later career. Industrious and frugal, he applied himself to his task with so much energy, and accompanied it with such strict economy in his life, that, at the end of five years, he found himself in a position to embark on an enterprise of his own. In July, 1870, Mr. Hendey, in partner- ship with his brother Arthur, established the humble beginnings of the present great concern. The two young men built their own shop on Litch- field street, a small place eighteen by twenty-four feet in dimensions, and practically equipped it themselves with the products of their own skill and labor. The power for the mill was furnished by a small three horse-power rotary engine built by the brothers themselves for amusement on long New England winter evenings. This engine is now carefully preserved by the firm as a souvenir of its humble origin in the past. Here in this small place the two brothers began their business of making and repairing machinery. At first the brothers themselves did all the work in the shop, but the venture prospered from the outset, and at the end of a few months, while the brothers did not cease themselves to do manual labor, a man and a boy were
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Besides his immediate family, M Dennis Haggerty, of Bridgeport.
Mr. Canty was a man the m And this is not due save in a minc in the business world of that con was the possessor. It is someth the fundamental traits of his ch sound and wholesome, so that tl believed him to be one in whom and confidence. Nor was this fe his life in Winsted. An unimpea a frank and open bearing, the and life, were the dominant trait to find a combination more po1 Easy of approach, with a kind' essay, whether high or low, ricl at home, and, as his heart was often that those who approached of the widest sympathies and ini it was rare for him to refuse n really advantageous to the tow a loss not only to his immedi friends, but to the community thereof who were not directly generosity and public spirit.
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henry J. hendey
H ENRY J. HENDEY, in whose death Torrington, Connecticut, lost one of its most distinguished citizens, although not an American by birth, had become so completely identified with the ways and manners of the "New World," during his life, practically all of which was spent in this country, that he was the best of Americans in feelings and sympathies, and made for himself a place side by side with the foremost of Torrington's native sons as a citizen and a man. Mr. Hendey was a member of that strong and dominant race which, in the Colonial period of American history, laid the base upon which the whole complex fabric of American citizenship has since been built in safety, and whose blood still forms the most important factor in the veins of our developing nationality. The coat- of-arms of the Hendey family is as follows: Argent, a bend vert, cotised gules. Crest : The stump of a holly bush, shooting forth new leaves, proper.
Henry J. Hendey was born in London, England, December 29, 1844, but only remained a short time in the land of his birth, accompanying his father four years later, when the latter emigrated to America in 1848. The first home of the Hendeys in this country was in Waterbury, Connecticut, and there the child grew to manhood, receiving his education at the excellent local schools. Having completed his studies, Mr. Hendey, at the age of twenty-one years, left the parental roof and removed to Torrington, in which place he continued to make his home, and which was the scene of his busy, active life. He took up his abode in Torrington in 1865, and at once secured employment with the Turner & Seymour Company, engaged in the manufacture of machinery, in the capacity of machinist. Naturally of an alert mind, Mr. Hendey here learned with great rapidity all the ins and outs of his trade and soon mastered his subject in all its details in a manner which drew upon him the favorable regard of his employers, and served him well in his later career. Industrious and frugal, he applied himself to his task with so much energy, and accompanied it with such strict economy in his life, that, at the end of five years, he found himself in a position to embark on an enterprise of his own. In July, 1870, Mr. Hendey, in partner- ship with his brother Arthur, established the humble beginnings of the present great concern. The two young men built their own shop on Litch- field street, a small place eighteen by twenty-four feet in dimensions, and practically equipped it themselves with the products of their own skill and labor. The power for the mill was furnished by a small three horse-power rotary engine built by the brothers themselves for amusement on long New England winter evenings. This engine is now carefully preserved by the firm as a souvenir of its humble origin in the past. Here in this small place the two brothers began their business of making and repairing machinery. At first the brothers themselves did all the work in the shop, but the venture prospered from the outset, and at the end of a few months, while the brothers did not cease themselves to do manual labor, a man and a boy were
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added to the working force. From this time on, because of the excellent management of the two brothers and the sterling quality of the work turned out by them, there was never a moment's doubt of the ultimate success of the enterprise, which began a steady growth which finally led to the huge result to be seen to-day. Before the year was out, or, to be exact, on April I, 1871, the work had already outgrown the accommodations offered by the little shop and an arrangement was made to have a part of the factory known as the East Branch Spoon Shop. The proprietors of this establish- ment, noting the fine business methods and success of the brothers, were very willing to listen to a proposition made them a little later by Mr. Hendey, that they should join with his brother and he in the organization of a stock company which should carry on the already well established business. It thus happened that on August 22, 1874, the Hendey Machine Company was organized with a capital stock of sixteen thousand dollars and the present great establishment was fairly launched.
After the organization of the company the next step was to provide adequate room and accommodations for the operations which were increas- ing in magnitude continually, and accordingly a new factory was erected on a site a little south of the large works of the Coe Brass Company, and there a much more complete equipment was installed than anything which had been at their disposal before. A new twenty horse-power steam engine increased in a great measure the capacity of the plant and rendered them able to accept and finish more work than had before been possible. But the plant as thus described, though the nucleus of the present mill, gives but a small idea of what occupies the same property. Indeed the site is about all that remains the same. As the business grew and modern improvements in equipment came into vogue, additions and alterations have taken place which have left but little of the original aspect. The motive power is changed and electricity has replaced steam, every wonderful modern device has been installed in use in a machine shop, and the plant to-day gives employment to six hundred men in its various departments. The capital stock of this great concern, rightly considered one of the most important industrial enterprises in the region, has increased from sixteen thousand to three hundred thousand dollars, and a business is carried on which affects the industrial world and supplies a market which is country-wide. Later Mr. Hendey became the president of the Hendey Machine Company, and held that office until his death, and it is to his masterly management that the great development of the business is largely due.
But great as were his labors in building up this large industry, they did not prevent Mr. Hendey from taking part in the general life of the com- munity, nor cause him to forget his public spirit and the demands of his fellow-men. While not actively engaged in politics, he was an interested observer of the political movements and issues of his day. Nothing was further from his mind than the desire for public office, occupied as he was with his own semi-public schemes, but when there developed a popular demand for his candidacy, he would not refuse. He was the first warden of Torrington, after that community became a borough, and he later served as a burgess. In the year 1903 he was elected a member of the State Legis-
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lature for Torrington, and served his district faithfully and well for one term, being a member of the legislative committee on manufactures. His religious affiliations were with the Episcopal church, and he was a lifelong member of Trinity Parish of Torrington, and for many years its senior warden. Mr. Hendey was also a very prominent member of the Masonic order and was a past master of Seneca Lodge, No. 55, Free and Accepted Masons.
Mr. and Mrs. Hendey, both of whom are now deceased, were the parents of two daughters, Mrs. Charles H. Alvord, and Mrs. Charles Palmer.
The character of Henry J. Hendey was what might have been expected of a man who from such small beginnings accomplished so much. To the fundamental virtues of a strong purpose, a keen sense and an unimpeachable integrity, he added that quality, perhaps even rarer, of a genial, tolerant and democratic attitude towards his fellow-men, which made friends of his admirers, and bound all those who associated with him in bonds of real affection. His death, while still in the possession of his faculties, was a great blow, not only to his immediate family and his many devoted friends, but to the whole community which had benefited so highly through his efforts and achievements.
CONN-Vol III-31
Moses Williams Beckley
IN HIS DRAMA of Coriolanus Shakespeare has given us two characters who deserve a much wider popularity than they enjoy. These are the two tribunes, stalwart champions of the people, from whose lips often drop expressions which we, in our provincialism, are apt to regard as only to apply to modern democracy. Thus in reply to some scornful state- ment of Coriolanus himself to the effect that the rights of the people must bend before those of the State, one of these sturdy democrats gives voice to the dogma, in diametrical opposition to that which the "Grande Monarque" has made famous, and exclaims, "The people are the State." It is in this fact, that the people are the State, that the greatness of New England consists. She has, it is true, produced many great men, many wonderful men, poets, philosophers, jurists, statesmen and soldiers, but it is not so much because of these that we think of her as great as because her average citizen is virtuous, as because the man we meet on the street holds his honor above his interest and, while a practical man of the world, is an idealist withal. At least we can say so much for the generations that are past and passing, of that which is growing up to-day it is perhaps too early to judge whether a certain levity typical of the age has touched them also, but for their fathers we can answer that they preserved the early virtues of the race, the qualities of perseverance and thrift, a wholesome ambition coupled with a no less wholesome content with the simple joys common to all men. The record of a life exemplifying these facts is to be found in the case of Moses Williams Beckley, whose death at Southington, Connecticut, deprived that place of one of its foremost citizens.
Moses Williams Beckley was born June 8, 1828, at New Britain, Con- necticut, a son of Moses W. and Mary W. (Cornwall) Beckley, old and respected residents of Hartford county. With New Britain he had no child- hood associations, however, since when he was but two years of age his parents removed to Southington, where he grew to manhood and which, indeed, was his home for the remainder of his life. He gained his education in the excellent schools of the neighborhood and the Lewis Academy, from which institution he graduated. His business life was connected with but one concern which he entered as a clerk at the age of nineteen years and was still associated with at the time of his death. This was the Peck-Smith Company, manufacturers of hardware on a large scale, by which he was employed as a bookkeeper in 1847. For five years he held this position and then for eight years longer served as first accountant for the concern which had become incorporated under the name of the Peck-Smith Manufacturing Company. In 1860 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the company and in 1869, when the concern became the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company, he was confirmed in the office of treasurer, holding the same until his death. The business of the concern had steadily grown during the years of his connection with it and became in time one of the largest manufacturers of
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hardware in the New England States. The care and remarkable business qualifications of Mr. Beckley were amply shown in his conduct of the various positions held by him during his connection with the company. Accuracy was one of his chief characteristics in his work and neither as a bookkeeper nor later, when as treasurer of the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company he dis- bursed from eighty to one hundred thousand dollars a month, did his accounts ever fail by the smallest margin of a perfect balance. The services rendered by him to those associated with him in business were of a very high order and his death was a severe loss to the concern.
Though a man who by no means sought to thrust himself into the lime- light of public notice, Mr. Beckley was not in the least averse to taking an active part in the general life of the community and was a prominent figure in many departments of activity in connection therewith. Politically he was a strong supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and was keenly interested in questions of public policy, although he never allied him- self with the local organization. He was a member of the Masonic order of high standing, having reached the thirty-third degree, and was a member of Friendship Lodge, No. 33, Free and Accepted Masons, and of Triune Chapter, No. 40, Royal Arch Masons. In the matter of religion Mr. Beckley was not a formal member of any church and never made a public declaration of faith, but this did not in any way imply a lack of religious belief nor of the higher feelings that we associate with such belief. On the contrary, he possessed rather more than most men fundamental religious faith, and those who knew him best and had discussed such questions most intimately with him were aware that his opinions were not out of harmony with the tenets of the Evangelical church.
On June 2, 1865, Mr. Beckley was united in marriage with Elizabeth Platt, a native of Middlebury, Connecticut, born November 13, 1837, a daughter of Joseph P. and Hettie Ann (Thompson) Platt, of Middlebury and Southington. Born to Mr. and Mrs. Beckley were four children, as follows: Grace E .; Charles W .; Alice L., who became Mrs. Paul C. Wood- ruff; and Bertha T. Mrs. Beckley survives her husband and is still a resident of Southington.
The character of Mr. Beckley has been in a measure indicated in the above brief account of his career. Quiet and self-possessed, neither a notoriety seeker nor yet unduly shrinking from notice, industrious, patient, thrifty, neither hasty nor intolerant, yet definite and firm in his own views, and above all things honest and outspoken with himself and the whole world, he was a splendid specimen of that best type of New Englander, a type that has made this country known and respected around the world.
James Morris harris
J AMES MORRIS HARRIS was a splendid example of the best
type of Englishman, the type which has brought to this country from the earliest Colonial times down to the present, the virtues characteristic of that strong and dominant race and laid the foundation of our American character and insti- tutions. For more than forty years he made his home in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, identifying himself promi- nently with its business and mercantile interests, so that his death there on January 5, 1913, was felt as a loss by a very large circle of friends and asso- ciates. He was a son of Thomas and Mary (Lynch) Harris, residents of London, England, in which city his father died while he was still a boy.
He was himself born in London, January 14, 1848, the only child of his parents, and there gained his education in the schools of the city, and was still engaged in that task at the time of his father's death. Sometime after that event, in the year 1864, his mother determined to emigrate to the United States and join her brothers who were at that time residing in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. She set sail in that same year and reaching this country without adventure, made her way to Windsor Locks and settled there. She brought with her her only child, James, then a youth of sixteen years, and he being strong and a lad of quick intelligence quickly found work in the woolen mills of the district. Sometime later they removed to Hartford and there the young man learned the steam-fitting and plumbing trade and worked at his craft for some time. Eventually, by dint of hard work and frugal living he was able to set out in business of the same kind on his own account. This enterprise prospered from the outset and he, in course of time, developed a plumbing business which ranked among the largest in the city. He finally took his two sons, John and James, into partnership with himself, who, since their father's death are continuing the establishment with a high degree of success. He had been thus engaged for twenty years at the time of his death and during that time had had his office and shop at No. 548 Asylum street. During the latter part of the time, from the entrance of his sons as partners, the business was conducted under the firm name of James M. Harris & Sons, and no house in the city had a better reputation for good workmanship, first class material and general reliability.
Besides his activity in the business world Mr. Harris was a prominent figure in the social and fraternal circles of the city and held membership in many of the organizations there. Among these may be mentioned the Master Plumbers' Association, and the Fourth Division, Ancient Order of Hibernians, of which he was the treasurer for many years. He was also a member of the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Benefit League. Though he never took an active part in local politics nor identified himself very closely with any of the party organi- zations in the city, and though still less did he seek political preferment or public office, yet Mr. Harris was interested keenly in the problems of policy
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which confronted his newly adopted country, from the time of his coming here. He gave his allegiance to the principles of the Democratic party, and though entirely unswayed by partisan considerations, was always sincerely attached to its policies and candidates. In religious faith he was a Catholic and during all the years of his residence in Hartford was a member of St. Michael's Church, a strong supporter of its work in the city and of its chari- table work among the poor, and a faithful attendant at divine service in St. Michael's Church. He has handed on his faith to his children.
Mr. Harris was married October 27, 1870, to Miss Ann McGeny, a native of Ireland and a daughter of James and Mary McGeny who lived and died in that country. Mrs. Harris came to this country while a mere girl with the rest of her family, which upon the parents' death, emigrated in a body to this country. To Mr. and Mrs. Harris were born six children, three boys and three girls, as follows: John, who is now at the head of the plumbing business built up by his father; Thomas; Mary, now Mrs. Simon King, of Hartford, and the mother of one child, Gerard; Elsie; Theresa; James, now a partner in the plumbing business. The six children and their mother survive Mr. Harris, and are all residents of Hartford.
Mr. Harris was of that most valuable type of citizen who by faithful and capable attention to the simple duties of private life, wins, not only success and wealth for himself, but increases that of the community gener- ally, while by his example he emphasizes to all his associates the power that the fundamental virtues of integrity and industry possess even in the purely material world of business endeavor. In short, who demonstrates the truth of that wise old saw that honesty is the best policy, a truth that only too many are prone to forget in the stress of modern competition. While he rather shrank from than sought public activity, he was never backward in doing all that he could to aid the advancement of the community, and was always ready to join any worthy movement to that end in a private capacity. He possessed in a large measure those domestic instincts and feelings which are essential to the true and permanent development of family life, and thus rest at the foundation of society. He was sincerely and deeply attached to his home and all its associations, and this devotion was extended to those of his friends who by their worth had truly won that title. His death was a real loss, not only to those of his immediate household, but to a very large circle including all his associates, even the most casual.
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