USA > Connecticut > Representative citizens of Connecticut, biographical memorial > Part 59
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William Henry Pickering
He returned at once to New York, where he remained a short time, seeking some opening in business where his talents might be used to the best advantage. He began work as a machinist in Portland, Connecticut, remain- ing there for about one year, and then secured a position with the firm of Woodruff & Beach, in the great machine shops at Hartford. His skill and knowledge soon drew the favorable regard of his employers upon him and his work and he received a very rapid advancement and was put in charge of a number of important pieces of work. The more difficult the task he was set to do, the more he was able to demonstrate his talent and technical knowledge, and it was not long before he was traveling for the above com- pany and other concerns, superintending important construction operations. Not only did he work in various parts of this country, but when one of the companies that he represented contracted to erect some very large manu- facturing plants in Paris, France, Mr. Pickering was chosen to take charge of the work and despatched abroad, where he remained for a considerable period. The work in Paris led to other jobs on the continent of Europe and until these were all completed, Mr. Pickering remained to superintend their construction. Upon his return to the United States he stayed for a time in Portland and from there went to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he engaged in the manufacture of coin holders. In the year 1873 he gave up this busi- ness, however, and removed to Hartford, where he made his home during the remainder of his life. For ten years he did many kinds of work, his services being in constant demand for such work as required more than ordinary skill and experience. In the year 1883 he finally founded the machine works which were for so long associated with his name, with a number of partners under the style of W. H. Pickering & Company. The shops and offices were located at No. 110 Commerce street, Hartford, and here the large and prosperous business was developed under the masterly management of Mr. Pickering. In course of time his partners withdrew from the business, and at the time of his death he was the sole owner and operator of the plant. His reputation as a practical man had become country- wide in the meantime, and many were the offers he received from the most diverse quarters to superintend other concerns. Perhaps the most flattering of these was one from the United States government to take charge of cer- tain national works at a very attractive salary. But Mr. Pickering was firm in refusal of all these. He valued too highly the freedom and independence which he alone could enjoy in working for himself and refused to change it for anything wherein he was not completely his own master.
Mr. Pickering's interests were almost entirely wrapped up in his chosen work, and he did not even admit any kind of recreation as a rival. He was an indefatigable worker and a student who never tired, but it was all in connection with his business. He was a member of the Robert O. Tyler Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and he participated to a certain extent in the activities of this great organization, but, as a matter of fact, the only real rival that his business interests had was his family, for which he may be said to have lived.
On October 17, 1872, Mr. Pickering was united in marriage with Eliza- beth Parker Jones, of Portland, Connecticut, a daughter of Jabez B. and
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Martha (Bidwell) Jones, both members of old Connecticut families. To Mr. and Mrs. Pickering were born seven children, three of whom died of diph- theria, while four of them with Mrs. Pickering have survived their father. They are: Martha Jones, who is now Mrs. Ernest De Catur Stager, her hus- band being the present superintendent of the shop for the Pickering Machine Company ; Mr. and Mrs. Stager are residents of Hartford and the parents of three children, Elizabeth Faith, Pickering De Catur and Janette Parker. The second child of Mr. and Mrs. Pickering is Grace E., now Mrs. Howard A. Miller and the mother of one son, Howard A., Jr. The third child is also a daughter, May Ida; and the fourth is the only surviving son, Thomas Rich- ard, so named after his father's elder brother, Senator Thomas Richard Pickering, president of the Pickering-Governor Company of Portland, Con- necticut, whose death on February 22, 1895, preceded that of his brother by about seven years.
Mr. Pickering is best known to the community, and naturally enough, through the various concrete monuments to his skill and industry distrib- uted throughout this country and foreign lands. What is not so well, or at least so broadly known, is the potent influence he exercised upon all who knew him in virtue of his character as a man. Yet it may very well be ques- tioned whether such influence did not equal or even exceed in effect any that was wrought through his professional activities. In all his personal relations his conduct was of the worthiest, and the numerous friends which he had won for himself were one and all devoted to him to the day of his death, and to his memory thereafter. His fondness for his family has already been noticed, but it may be added here that his chief happiness was found in the intimate intercourse of household and home and that he contrived to spend as much of his time as possible in its enjoyment. His constant thought was the happiness and pleasure of those about him and he never ceased to devise means whereby they might be compassed. His death has been felt as a severe loss not only by the members of his immediate family and the large circle of his personal associates, not only by the world of mechanics and technical invention, but by the community at large in which his conspicuous figure stood ever as a type of good citizenship and many virtues.
1 .
Charles Leslie Barrows
L OOKING BACK OVER the past half century or so of New England achievement, perhaps the sight that strikes one with the most force is that of the gigantic strides made in the material development of the region with its growth of great industrial enterprises, the elaboration of an intricate financial system and the establishment of a vast and com- plex, yet perfectly operative network of mercantile relations binding the various parts of the wide realm together into a coherent social organism. This growth, this development, has been the result of the efforts of a very large and very brilliant group of enterprising and courageous men seconded by the honorable toil of a whole people. Of the task which they have more or less unconsciously undertaken and have brought so far upon the way of accomplishment, it may be said that in its very nature it is beyond the powers of any single man, however great his genius. Its issue, indeed, is in the future and quite beyond the range of any but prophetic vision, so that it would be inaccurate to speak of the work of any of those engaged in it as fully accomplished, but in such a labor of Hercules, mere progress is success. And of those who have had an ample share of this progress and success may be mentioned the distinguished merchant and citizen of Hart- ford, Connecticut, whose name heads this brief notice. Mr. Barrows' family was originally English, having been founded here by one John Barrows, who, born in England, sailed for the New England colonies sometime during the year 1637 and before the close of that year was recorded as one of the proprietors of the town of Salem, Massachusetts. He finally made his home in Plymouth in the same State and there died in 1692. The name Barrows was variously spelled in the past and even during the family's residence in America has assumed such different forms as Bur- roughs, Burrows, Burrow and Borow, as well as the form in which it appears here, so that the task of tracing all possible relationships even in this country would be complicated in the extreme. We know, however, that the family is a very large one and has been represented during the past by many promi- nent men, including soldiers in the American Revolution. The particular branch of the family of which the Mr. Barrows of this sketch was a member, has resided for many years in Hartford and it was there that his father, William O. Barrows, made his home.
Charles Leslie Barrows was born June 26, 1848, in Hartford and there spent his entire life, becoming most closely identified with its commercial and business interests and aiding very materially in the development of the same during that great period of their growth which introduced the splendid prosperity of to-day. In childhood he attended the South School in the city, but his parents not being in good circumstances he was obliged to leave early and engage in some employment that would contribute to the live- lihood of the family. He readily secured a position in a grocery establish- ment, and there by studious application learned the business in detail and
Charles Leslie Barrows
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Charles Leslie Barrows
became familiar with the needs and demands of the public. His thrift and industry resulted in two things, his rapid promotion by his employers and the fact that by the time he was twenty-three years of age he had saved a sufficient capital to start in business for himself. In 1872, then, he actually embarked upon this independent enterprise, establishing a grocery business at the corner of Park and Wolcott streets, in partnership with one William Falhurst. This was the humble beginning of the great house which for so many years has been associated with Mr. Barrows and is even now con- ducted under his name. At the end of three years the partnership with Mr. Falhurst was dissolved and Mr. Barrows assumed entire control of the busi- ness, which rapidly developed and increased under his wise and progressive management. Eventually, the business having outgrown its original quar- ters, Mr. Barrows purchased a large plot of land at the corner of Sisson avenue and Park street, and there erected a handsome business block which is still occupied by the concern he founded. He was a man of great business shrewdness and had made a study of the desires of people from his earliest experience as a grocery clerk, so that he was more than usually capable of meeting them successfully. His unfailing courtesy and consideration for its wants quickly made the public his friend, and the enterprise flourished accordingly. Shortly before his death Mr. Barrows felt the cares and respon- sibilities of the still increasing enterprise were becoming too great for one man to handle and it was his intention to incorporate the concern and retire somewhat from its active management, but at this juncture his death occurred. Since that event, however, his widow, who inherited his great estate, has carried out his intention and the business is now incorporated under the name of the Charles L. Barrows Company and is conducted by the men who had given him faithful service during the time of its development, who have thus reaped the fruits of their zeal and trustworthiness. Mr. Bar- rows' business interests in Hartford included more than the great com- mercial establishment which still stands as a monument to his memory, and he was a large owner of real estate in the city and a most successful investor in corporate stocks. On the Park street and Sisson property he erected a number of buildings besides the business block and among them his home which stands at No. 20 Sisson avenue and is still occupied by Mrs. Barrows. The returns from these investments were of a highly lucrative sort and he became one of the substantial figures in the business world in that vicinity. Mr. Barrows did not overstep the confines of the business world, however, to any great extent in his participation in the life of the city, finding the task of managing his great enterprise a responsibility heavy enough. He was keenly interested in politics, it is true, and was a member of the Republican party, but he had absolutely no ambition for political preferment and con- tented himself with the performance of his duty as a citizen, casting his ballot for the cause and candidate he approved. Neither did he belong to any social or fraternal organizations, although he was fond of informal social intercourse with his fellows.
Mr. Barrows was united in marriage with Miss Janet Ramsey Garvie. Mrs. Barrows, who survives her husband, is, like him, a native of Hartford and a daughter of John Black and Christina (Hunter) Garvie, of that city,
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Charles Leslie Barrows
as a representative citizen of which, her father is the subject of an extended notice in this work.
The death of Mr. Barrows in Hartford on August 13, 1902, at the early age of fifty-four years cut unduly short a brilliant career which, in the logical course of nature, would have raised to a position of influence and honor even higher than that he had attained. His character was of that sterling sort which lays a foundation of respect in the opinions of his fellows which can well withstand the ordinary shocks of fortune, and his methods, likewise, were the essence of stability, going on to work out their own inevitable results irrespective of obstacles and delays. It was wholly through his own persistence and industry that his large fortune was developed from its very humble beginning. His business policy was shrewd and able, but sound and upright and he never sought to enrich himself at the expense of others, nor did anyone ever place in him a mistaken reliance. He was a great lover of nature, and his chief recreation was found in driving about the country, which in the neighborhood of his home possesses a great natural charm and contains many points of historical interest. A typical New Englander, in whom were blent a rare union of practical common sense and idealism, he was one of whom it could truly be said that the community was better for his having lived in it.
John Black Garnie
John Black Barbie
T HE WORLD POSSESSES few more romantic regions than that of Perthshire, Scotland, and few of wilder beauty, situ- ated as it is on the line between the Lowlands and Highlands with the beauties of both these regions well nigh at their best there, such giants as Ben Lawers and Ben More, rock- bound and heather clad dominating the country, broad lakes and noble rivers and the more fertile tracts such as which surrounds the fair city of Perth itself. And added to these a past brimful of history and tradition, such as we find in the novels of Scott, in a thousand ballads and lays, to say nothing of the homely legends of the people them- selves who have their own versions of every worthy event of the years gone by as well as many not so worthy and some which common sense sug- gests were not even events. However this may be the region itself possesses an unsurpassed charm for whoever has the requisite sensitiveness of nature to feel it. At a casual glance it may impress one as strange that such a region should have produced a race so practical and "canny" as the Scotch have proved themselves in all their dealings and in every part of the world. But this is really not strange at all, there is nothing really at strife between the romantic and the practical, between imagination and hard common sense, for in order that a man should work his best it is needful that he see with especial clearness the object for which he labors, and this our ancestors, with more wisdom than ourselves, spoke of the man of imagination as a "vision- ary"-one who sees. Certain it is that those races who have possessed this quality of seeing, of perceiving the true and the beautiful in their many forms have also proved themselves the most capable in the world of material achievement, as, for example, the Hebrews, the Greeks and the men of Scot- land themselves.
It was of this strong and dominant stock that John Black Garvie, whose career forms the subject-matter of this brief sketch, was sprung, it was in this lovely region that he was born sometime about the year 1826, and it was here that he passed his childhood and youth and received his early training. After completing his education in the good local schools, he was apprenticed to a carpenter and builder and there learned the trade that he was to employ with such good results in a far distant country. He was a youth of strong and enterprising nature and listened with ready belief to the accounts in circulation of the great opportunities awaiting such sturdy lads as he in the vast domain in the western hemisphere. Accordingly, in the year 1847, upon reaching his majority, Mr. Garvie set out for the United States and, settling in Hartford, Connecticut, secured work in his trade. In the new land he dis- covered himself among a race of people possessing many points in common with his own kith and kin, for in the New Englanders is to be found the same union of idealism and practicality already remarked in the Scotch. How- ever this may be, Mr. Garvie soon felt himself very much at home in his adopted country and was speedily identified with its customs and life. His
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native thrift and industry soon placed him in a position where he was able to engage in business on his own account, and he thereupon established himself as a building contractor and prospered from the outset. His astuteness as a business man at once made itself apparent and his success and reputation grew hand in hand until he was one of the best known builders in the State of Connecticut. He was intrusted with many important contracts and his work included some of the finest buildings in the region. Among the build- ings erected by him may be mentioned the Theological Seminary in Hart- ford, the Memorial to Colonel Samuel Colt in Colt Park, the handsome resi- dence of Mark Twain on Farmington avenue, and the Holbrook mansion opposite, for many years a landmark in Hartford and now about to be removed. Many other buildings of an equally substantial and ornamental character were erected by him. For many years he was in partnership with the late John H. Hills, but the association was finally discontinued and Mr. Garvie conducted the business alone up to the time of his death. His honor and integrity were universally recognized and he enjoyed the distinction of being the first building inspector under the city government.
Mr. Garvie was a man of wide sympathies and great public spirit and he was ever active in the attempt to advance the interests of his adopted com- munity. His work, however, took the form of private benefactions and assistance as a general thing, as he did not ally himself to institutions of any kind, although he heartily approved of those movements which had as an object the general welfare.
Mr. Garvie was united in marriage with Miss Christina Hunter. Like himself, Mrs. Garvie was a native of Scotland, and a daughter of James and Janet (Ramsey) Hunter, of that country. To them was born one daughter, Janet Ramsey Garvie, who became the wife of the late Charles Leslie Bar- rows, of Hartford, a biography of whom forms an important part of this work.
ames Church Pratt
A CAREER AS diversified as that of Captain James Church Pratt, one of the most prominent and highly honored citizens of Hartford, Connecticut, holds an intrinsic interest in itself without regard to the question of the lesson to be learned from it. The experiences of one who has lived in so many different environments, who has taken part in so many different kinds of activity and has witnessed so many stir- ring and important events, cannot but make interesting reading, but in the present case there is another reason for the setting down of these experiences in the form of a clear record, and that is that through them all there is evident to the dullest insight a thread of moral purpose which binds them to- gether as parts in the growth and development of a strong and worthy char- acter and exhibits them as factors in the formation of a virtuous manhood.
Captain Pratt is a member of one of the oldest Hartford families, the founders of the family in this country being John and Elizabeth Pratt, natives of England, who were of the party which first settled on the site of the present city and gave it its name. The party was under the leadership of Thomas Hooker and contained the progenitors of many of the families now prominent in the city. In an old map of the colony dated 1640, there appears a list of the land owners of that time with the location of their hold- ings, and among these is the name of John Pratt set down as a farmer. Indeed, from his day down to wellnigh the present, his descendants have followed in his foosteps and been the owners of large tracts of land which they have cultivated as farms.
James C. Pratt is of the eighth generation from the progenitor, the line of descent being through John (2), John (3), William, Joseph (1), Joseph (2), and Joseph (3), who was Captain Pratt's father. His grandfather, Joseph (2) Pratt, was a man of wealth and prominence in the community. He married Fannie Wadsworth, and after her death her sister, Charlotte Wadsworth. He was a staunch Democrat in politics. He died in Opelousas, Louisiana, in 1852. His son, the third Joseph, was also a prominent member of the community, taking an active part in its affairs. The father had owned farms in locations as much developed as Asylum street, Windsor road and Albany avenue, which were then rural enough, but which began to be more thickly settled in the younger man's day with the result of greatly increas- ing the value of his holdings. He gave up farming about 1846 and engaged in the lumber business which necessitated his remaining away from home much of the time. He was an active participant in the work of the volunteer fire department of Hartford, being the foreman of the fourth company for some time and later holding the office of chief engineer of the whole depart- ment. He gave up actual business a number of years before his death, which occurred March 24, 1890, and spent the remainder of his life with his son. He was married to Abigail Prior Church, a daughter of James Church, of Hartford. Mr. Church was a maker of ropes and carried on his business on the site of the present freight yards of the New York, New Haven & Hart-
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James Church Dratt
ford railroad, situated on Morgan and Pleasant streets. His five sons all followed the same trade as their father and later went into business in various parts of the United States, two of them settling in Cleveland, Ohio, one in Toledo in the same State, one in Springfield, Massachusetts, and one in Rochester, New York.
James Church Pratt was the only son of Joseph and Abigail Prior (Church) Pratt, and was born on a farm belonging to his father, March 17, 1838. This old place was then a full mile and a half out of the city limits, but since then it has developed and the situation is on Windsor avenue in the city. Here he dwelt until his father removed to Hartford and entered the lumber business. He was eight years of age at the time, and began to attend the public schools in the city. His education was cut short, however, by the failure of his health when sixteen years of age, which obliged him to give up studies and all kinds of confining occupations. It was considered wise to send him to visit an uncle who was engaged in farming on a large scale in Wisconsin, with the idea that an active, outdoor life in that salubrious climate would restore his health. He remained for a year in the West, but returned after that period apparently no better, and he was at once sent off to the South to spend the winter which was then approaching, with his grandmother who made her home in Louisiana. At the close of the severe weather he returned to Wisconsin, but did not remain there a great while but traveled back to his father's home in Hartford. However the doctor would not hear of his remaining there and he was once more dispatched to Louisiana, this time to make it his home for a number of years. Here he was still living at the outbreak of the Civil War, his health having improved greatly by that time. His sympathies being enlisted entirely on the south- ern side of the controversy, and being of an active and adventurous disposi- tion, he at once busied himself in the formation of a company of volunteers, and with them entered the Confederate service. His body of recruits became Company F, of the Eighth Regiment of Louisiana Volunteer Infantry, and he became captain thereof, serving under Colonel Francis T. Nicholls, who later became the Governor of Louisiana. After about eighteen months of active service, Captain Pratt was taken prisoner in the fall of 1863 and was confined a prisoner of war in New Orleans. However, in the following March, he was liberated on parole and returned to Hartford and took up his abode with his parents. One year later, with the surrender of General Lee, the war was brought to a close, but Captain Pratt remained in Hartford, where he had in the meantime been married. He was the owner of very valuable property in the city which he had inherited from his forbears, and proceeded to take care of and develop his holdings. In 1871 he formed a partnership with a Mr. Baldwin, of Hartford, and the two young men engaged in a mercantile business, which they continued to operate with a high degree of success for about ten years. The care of his great property interests growing greater as time passed, he then retired from the mer- cantile house and devoted himself to the former occupation. One of his valuable holdings is a business block situated on Asylum street, which makes him very satisfactory returns, and in 1886 he bought ten acres of land on Farmington avenue in the West Hartford district which he turned into the splendid estate upon which his present residence is at No. 726. He is now
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