USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > West Hartford > West Hartford, Connecticut > Part 14
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
WEST HARTFORD MEMORIAL DAY ASSOCIATION
This association was organized in May, 1913, by patriotic citizens of the town, for the purpose of assisting in the proper observance of Memorial Day, and to foster and promote the spirit of patriotism in the community. The officers were Prof. Curtis M. Geer, President, and Clarence R. Root, Secretary. Various committees have been appointed from year to year. Mr. Root has continued to serve as secretary, and has devoted a large amount of time and effort to the promotion of the work of the Association, keeping the records, preserving the Memorial Day programs, etc. On each Memorial Day the people assemble in the forenoon at the Town Hall, form a procession, and under the leadership of bands of music and carrying flags, march to the cemetery, where brief exercises are held, including an address. The decoration of the graves of veterans concludes the day's program. The following lists contain the names of all West Hartford Veterans who are thus remembered and honored.
Veterans of the War of the Revolution
Ebenezer Faxon James Seymour
Abijah Flagg
Capt. John Seymour
Moses Goodman
Noah Webster
Richard Goodman
Bazey Wells
Ebenezer Steele
Nathan H. Whiting
Capt. Charles Seymour
Capt. Samuel Whitman
Veterans of the Civil War in North Cemetery
Gilbert B. Foster
William F. Mitchell
Arthur D. N. Talcott
George M. Wells
Capt. Richard K. Woodruff
Orlando A. Palmer
Julius W. Deming
Francis G. Butler
Wilbur S. Churchill
Charles H. Flagg
Richard M. Hills
Amos Hurlburt
Frederick J. Butler
Major F. A. Seymour
Watson G. Palmer
Abel Griswold
Edgar A. Wells
Clinton B. Elmer
George W. Gilbert
Moses G. Griswold
George W. Roberts
G. W. Seymour
George Cadwell
David Hadden Hiram B. Elmer
Chester Goodman
Hugh S. Montgomery
Edward B. Cone
Edward H. Cadwell
Seymour L. Steele
Charles E. Malona
Lanson P. Wells John Pratt Cadwell
Col. William E. Cone
Veterans of the Civil War in Fairview Cemetery John Sternberg Carl H. Conrads
James R. Soper
Albert M. Cadwell
Edward A. Flagg
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
John Braxton Robinson
William H. Yates
John K. Whitney
William Morrison
Capt. E. Buell Root L. Davids
George S. Merritt Eugene D. Ames
In the North Cemetery a tablet provided by the State of Connecticut records the names of the following West Hartford men who died in service during the Civil War and whose burial places are not in the West Hartford cemeteries. This tablet is decorated on Memorial Day.
Theron D. Millard Henry N. Sperry Thomas B. Foster
Edward Deming
Charles M. Sternberg
John Noland
Henry Kimberly
Mortimer H. Cadwell
Uriah T. Wells William Althrop
John McCarty
Veterans of the World War
Raymond C. Mitchell Lt. William Cheney Brown, Jr.
Julius A. Steele
Paul Theo. Loescher
J. Benjamin Tremble
Miss Marion H. White
Waldo C. Hayes Randolf Thayer Burnham
The duty and privilege of honoring in a more substantial and enduring memorial those citizens of West Hartford who in successive generations have given their lives in defense of our country still remains unaccomplished. Patriotic citizens from time to time have suggested such memorials as bronze tablets, statues, monuments, and public buildings devoted to patriotic uses, but as yet no suggestion or plan has been adopted and no movement started with prospect of successful issue.
THE WORLD WAR BUREAU
The people of West Hartford were patriotic in spirit and action during the World War Period. They organized a World War Bureau at a meeting held on the evening of Tuesday, November 20, 1917, held in the hall of the Noah Webster Library. The following officers were elected: Chairman, C. Edward Beach; Secretary, Mrs. Mary Buckland; Treasurer, Rev. Thomas M. Hodgdon. At a meeting held on the evening of November 27 the following committees were appointed: Executive Committee, C. Edward Beach, C. C. Cook, Frank Cadwell, F. E. Duffy, Mrs. F. E. Duffy, A. C. Sternberg, Mrs. G. W. Wright, George W. Staples; Finance Committee, Oliver R. Beckwith, F. E. Duffy, Rev. T. M. Hodgdon; Relief Committee, Mrs. G. W. Wright, Mrs. F. E. Duffy, Mrs. William Hoye; Labor Committee, A. C. Sternberg, Frank Cadwell, Rev. John F. Ryan; Publicity Com- mittee, Mrs. R. S. Cruttenden, Mrs. H. A. Newlands, Rev. E.
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
W. Darrow; Foreign Born Committee, Rev. John F. Ryan, F. E. Duffy, Rev. J. W. Bradin; Information and Research, Frank Cadwell, W. W. Thomson, Miss Addie S. Arnold. The Bureau at once entered upon active work and regular meetings were held which were well attended. Reports of the committees were pre- sented and plans made for future activities.
The ladies connected with the Bureau and their associates were busily engaged in providing knitted garments, surgical sup- plies, comfort kits, etc. They provided complete outfits for one hundred and forty-eight West Hartford young men who had entered the service, and were diligent in providing for the com- fort and needs of the families of those who had enlisted. The Bureau was successful in raising funds for the cause and in se- curing large subscriptions for Liberty loans far exceeding the quota assigned to it.
It heartily and efficiently fostered the Home Gardens move- ment in which a large number of West Hartford people cooperated heartily and effectively.
The committee on the preparation of an honor roll, Miss Addie S. Arnold, Chairman, secured the erection of a board near the Town Hall on which the names of all who had entered the service were recorded.
On May 21, 1919, the Bureau held a meeting which was attended by representatives of the various organizations of the town, for the purpose of planning a public reception, a welcome home for all who had been in Service during the World War, and for all Civil War and Spanish War veterans. The following pro- gram was arranged, the reception to be held on Flag Day, June fourteenth.
On Goodman Park at 5 P. M .: Music by Colt's Band, solo by Miss Grace Gilmore, address by Lieut. Albert H. Simons, dances by pupils of Helen Way Linder.
In Town Hall at 6:30 P.M .: Supper for all West Hartford men and women who served in the World War, with Civil War and Spanish War Veterans as guests. Music by Colt's Band.
There was a large attendance on that occasion.
Mrs. Mary Buckland, Secretary, has preserved in a port- folio the complete, finely kept records of the Bureau. It con- stitutes a valuable historical document.
THE HAYES-VELHAGE POST AMERICAN LEGION OF WEST HARTFORD NO. 96
This Post was organized July 14, 1921. The first meeting was held on the front steps of the Old Town Hall. Herbert G. Bissell was instrumental in securing its organization. The Post was named in honor of two West Hartford boys who were in
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
the Army and Navy during the World War. One of these was Waldo S. Hayes, son of W. E. Hayes of Farmington Avenue, and the other was Francis Velhage, son of Frank Velhage of Levesque Avenue. Waldo Hayes was killed "over there," and Francis Velhage died while on duty in the Navy. This name for the the Post was suggested by Mrs. Herbert G. Bissell. The Charter members of the Post were as follows:
Leonard H. F. Wessell
James F. Cosgrave
Earl W. Goodell
O. Edwin Gustafson
H. E. Swenson
Frank O. Hatch
W. D. Pond
H. Jos. Taylor
L. N. S. Johnson
Carl F. Montlas
Herbert G. Bissell
Jay Pinckney
Wilson S. Falls
Clifford E. Kelsey
Sydney N. Kibby
Stanley B. Ellingsworth
Frank H. Smith
Richard J. Hughes
Clarence C. Scarborough
William H. Bulkeley
A. W. Hillery
Carl N. Gustafson
Thomas S. Shaffer
Francis E. Sterns
James K. Holden
A. Carl Sternberg III
Leon E. Vannais
Henry G. Wessel
Jesse R. Colpitts
Cyrus T. Steven
James N. James
J. Fay Newton
L. D. Fisk, Jr.
D. Gordon Hunter
Victor J. Dauphinais
Leslie L. Merrill
Joseph P. Cosgrave H. L. Perkins
S. Earl Livingston John C. Taylor
Frank H. Smith was the first Commander of the Post and Charles Dorman his Adjutant. In the autumn of the first year, the Post was allowed to use the hall of the Noah Webster Library for its meetings. The membership at that time was 34, with an available list of 353 candidates. In 1922, Leonard W. Wessell was elected Commander and Charles Doran, Adjutant. The Post was very active at that time in building up its membership. Herbert G. Bissell was appointed first Service Officer, whose duties were to look after the disabled soldiers and their families. The post cooperated with Mr. Benjamin Miller, who was inter- ested in getting a new floor for the Town Hall. The year 1922 was the first time that the Post sold poppies on Memorial Day and participated in the exercises.
In 1923 Colonel Frank Harden was elected Commander, but soon after left town and Richard J. Hughes was elected to that position. He served for two terms. Charles Doran was elected Adjutant Commander and served for one term. Lewis B. Codding was his second. The Auxiliary was organized in 1923. During Commander Hughes' terms of service, public exercises were held on Memorial Day for the school children of the town, in the form of dancing and outdoor exercises. Also during that
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period the Post was very active in trying to secure a suitable room in the Town Hall for holding its meetings.
In 1925 Edward D. Gustafson was elected Commander, with Earl Panzer as Adjutant. During his term of service, the Post was interested in securing an endowment fund for the children of needy ex-soldiers, in connection with a National movement. Five million dollars was raised by the American Legion for the purpose of caring for all disabled ex-soldiers and their families.
The Legion's first annual fair was held in the Town Hall in December, 1924. Leonard D. Fisk was elected Commander, with Earl Panzer as his Adjutant. The Post at this time attained a membership of 100, and efforts were made to purchase the port- able school building which was then on the Fern Street school site, but without success. They assisted in sponsoring a Boy Scout Troop. The next Commander, elected in 1927, was Reuben T. Bassett, with Earl Panzer as Adjutant. During this year the Post bought two building lots on Seyms Street and planned a drive to raise funds for the erection of a building. Frederick D. Chamberlin was elected Commander, with Leonard D. Fisk as his Adjutant for 1928. The drive for securing funds was started and quite a sum was raised. The membership of the Post increased to 161 members. The Post organized Boy Scout Troop No. 64 in connection with the Fern Street School.
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HAYES-VELHAGE MEMORIAL HALL
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
The welfare work in behalf of those needing assistance has been in charge of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard D. Fisk, Jr. In 1829 the plan of awarding medals to Junior High School pupils for the writing of papers on patriotic subjects was inaugurated under the direction of Mrs. Earl Rogers, president of the Auxiliary.
In 1929 R. Melvin Merrill was elected Commander and David Hastings, Adjutant, but on account of his removal from town soon after, the duties of that position were performed by H. G. Bissell. On May 24, 1929, ground was broken on Seyms Street for a building to be devoted to the uses of the Post. The corner stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies June 15, 1929, in the presence of a large company of people. The princi- pal address was delivered by Lieut. Col. Clarence C. Scarborough. The building was dedicated October 25, 1929, Commander Merrill presiding. The exercises were as follows: Prayer by Rev. Walter H. Gray; reading of names of men who died in the World War service, by Herbert G. Bissell; a floral tribute pre- sented by members of the West Hartford Boy and Girl Scout troops, each one depositing a flower; brief addresses by Henry W. Burrill, Civil War Veteran; W. H. Hall, Supt. Emeritus of Public Schools; Benjamin I. Miller, Chairman of Board of Trust- ees; P. A. Seaton, State Commander; and Anson T. McCook, Honorary Post Commander, whose address was the principal one of the occasion. Mrs. Ethel Panzer, Mrs. Agnes C. Welles, and Earl Panzer also made brief addresses as representatives of organizations and committees. Reuben T. Bassett, the Chair- man of the Building Committee, turned over the building to Commander M. L. Merrill, who formally dedicated it to the purposes for which it had been erected.
The provisions of the deed of the property are such that whenever it ceases to be used by The Hayes-Velhage Post it is to become the property of the Town of West Hartford for use in patriotic community interests.
The following is a list of the young men of West Hartford who died in the World war: F. Beccaccini, T. W. Birmingham, W. C. Brown, Jr., E. E. Carpenter, D. B. Cowles, W. F. Dear, F. S. Echols, P. Giovannio, W. P. Grennan, Jr., E. W. Gustafson, W. C. Hayes, J. H. Johnson, P. T. Loescher, J. S. Lynch, V. C. Maloney, R. E. Mitchell, L. H. Moody, C. C. Robinson, C. McLean Smith, J. A. Steele, F. B. Velhage, W. R. Walton, T. Wester.
INDUSTRY AND ENTERPRISE IN MORE RECENT TIMES
I. DAIRYING, MARKET GARDENING, ETC.
Dairying. As early as 1860 some of the West Hartford farmers had abandoned the practice of producing butter for the Hartford market and were delivering milk daily to Hartford
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
families. This marked a decided change in the farm life from the somewhat leisurely practice of delivering butter on weekly market days, and the neighborly meetings and greetings at the stores, to the daily early morning rising, the driving to the city in all sorts of weather over roads that were not always in good condition, and the going from house to house, here and there, on different streets, and usually in different sections of the city, and pouring the milk from a tin can with a spout into pails, pitchers, basins, bowls, and other receptacles which had been placed by the housewives on the back porches or steps, each receptacle containing a ticket or tickets indicating the quantity of milk desired. This delivery of milk to customers usually occupied the entire forenoon. One milkman, D. D. Monroe, who delivered milk from Sunset Farm, which was located near Reservoir No. 1 in the western part of the town, had an after- noon route which he continued successfully for twenty-eight years. In addition to those farmers who delivered milk from their own dairies, other men who had milk routes purchased their supply from farmers in different parts of the town or other towns, in some cases towns to the westward over the Talcott Mountain range.
Some of the milkmen made a remarkable record with re- spect to the length of time in which they were engaged in the business, as well as in regard to the regularity with which they conducted it. One of these was Willis M. Flagg, whose farm was near the west end of Flagg Road in the northern part of the town. He delivered milk in Hartford for thirty years, seldom missing a day. Another milkman was John Ellsworth, whose farm was on Mountain Road north of Footes' Corner. He also conducted the business for thirty years, losing on account of illness or ab- sence from home an average of only one day a year for each of the thirty years. So regular was he in his habits and service that he did not vary from day to day in the time of his passing any one point on his way to Hartford in the morning or on his return to his home.
Most of the milkmen at first used high open wagons and consequently were exposed to storms and the severe cold of the winters. Later, covered wagons came into use and finally low- down, covered wagons, which were much more convenient and comfortable, but even then the life of a milkman was one of cruel exposure.
While the business of delivering milk to Hartford families by West Hartford milkmen continued for many years and is still continued in a limited way, there was a period beginning about forty years ago when the dairying interests of the com- munity centered to a considerable extent in the establishment and maintenance of two creameries. One of these was on the Vine Hill Farm property on the west side of South Quaker Lane
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AN OLD-TIME MILK-CART
near the former site of the Talcott Woolen Mill. This was owned and operated by the Vine Hill Farm Corporation under the general management of Mr. Frank H. Stadtmueller. The other was called the Highland Creamery. The building was located on the west side of Mountain Road just south of Albany Turn- pike, and is still standing, although used for other purposes. This creamery was supplied to a large measure from the farms in that section of the town from which in the earlier years many Hartford families had been supplied with butter of a superior quality. The principal proprietors and patrons of this creamery were Timothy Sedgwick, Emerson A. Whiting, Franklin Sisson, Morgan Goodwin. A successful business was carried on for several years under their direction.
The Wales L. Andrews Market Gardens at Elmwood. In 1817 Wales L. Andrews, who owned and occupied the house and adjoining land on the south side of New Britain Avenue at the corner of Grove Street which had been known as the Samuel Talcott place, started the market garden business in a compara- tively small way. Four years later he built a small greenhouse on the premises. In 1884, when the business had increased greatly, he built three additional greenhouses. He conducted the business until his death in 1908. His daughter, Mrs. Grace
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Andrews Henry, then took charge, enlarging the greenhouse equipment and employing twelve workmen. In connection with the cultivation on a large scale of other vegetables, a specialty was made of cucumbers grown under glass. Mrs. Henry dis- posed of the business and retired a few years ago, and it is now conducted by R. N. Andrews, who devotes attention mainly to the production and marketing of flowers.
The Whiting Nurseries and Greenhouses. About 1844 Emer- son A. Whiting and his brother Alfred, sons of Allen Whiting, started a nursery for the cultivation and sale of trees and shrubs. It was located on Albany Turnpike in the northwestern section of West Hartford. They were accustomed to make journeys to Canada each year for purchase of stock.
About 1851, Alfred Whiting removed to the eastern part of the town and purchased a tract of land on the south side of Farm- ington Turnpike some distance east of Quaker Lane, for the pur- pose of establishing a nursery business there. He built a house quite a distance south of Farmington Turnpike, and he and his neighbors on the east, the Arnold Brothers, opened a driveway or lane from Farmington Avenue to the house. This road now forms a part of the street known as Whiting Lane. Here he established a prosperous nursery business. He furnished fruit trees for many of the farms in this section of the State, and shade or ornamental trees for the private grounds of residents of the city and its suburbs. Many large and beautiful trees still stand- ing on private grounds and on the sides of the streets were planted by him.
In 1852 he built a small greenhouse for floriculture, thus establishing a new line which increased from year to year, re- quiring additional greenhouses until he had about two acres under glass, and his establishment became one of the largest of its kind in this region. Mr. Whiting was in reality a pioneer in the florist profession in New England, widely known and highly esteemed for his sterling character and his business integrity as well as for the products of his greenhouses. During his career he had in his employ a number of young men who under his tutelage acquired skill in the business and afterwards conducted a flourishing business of their own. Among those who thus graduated under him were D. A. Spear and John Coombs, well known florists of Hartford. Mr. Whiting's daughter, Miss Helen F. Whiting, was deeply interested in her father's business and of great assistance to him during the later years of his life.
Mr. Whiting was a generous-hearted man, greatly interested in the progress and development of the town, and although never seeking public office or position, a truly public spirited progres- sive citizen.
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In 1898 Mr. Carl Peterson entered Mr. Whiting's employ as foreman. Mr. Peterson is a graduate of Rosedahl College in Sweden and learned the florist business in Sweden before coming to this country. He continued to serve as foreman until Mr. Whiting's death, manifesting a deep interest in the business and rendering efficient service. After Mr. Whiting's death he leased the greenhouses and business of Miss Whiting and conducted it successfully until 1919, retaining the name Whiting Greenhouses in honor of the founder of the business, and maintaining its well established reputation. In 1919, he purchased the property and business of Miss Whiting. At that time it consisted of nine acres of land and buildings. The greenhouses cover a large part of this. He admitted his son Carl Eric Peterson as a partner in the business, which is still conducted under its former name, with increasing prosperity and success.
The Paul Thomson Market Gardens. In 1871 Paul Thomson, a native of Scotland, came to West Hartford, and for a year in the employ of Joseph W. Davenport, an extensive farmer and fruit grower whose farm was on New Britain Avenue at the corner of the old road to Newington, just west of the Sarah Whitman Hooker home. In 1872 Mr. Thomson purchased of James B. Powell, a Hartford banker, a farm at the corner of West Hartford Main Street and Park Road, which had formerly been the property of Dr. Warren S. Crane. At first Mr. Thomson devoted his attention to the cultivation of tobacco and vegetables but soon developed an extensive market garden business, supply- ing vegetables for the wholesale trade of Hartford. He conducted this business in an efficient, successful manner until 1899, when he built a greenhouse and turned his attention to the cultivation of flowers, making a specialty of English violets and laying the foundation for the business which has since been carried on in a larger way by his sons.
Mr. Thomson was an active citizen of the town, public spirited and deeply interested in its welfare and growth. He was particularly interested in the West Hartford Congregational Church and the West Hartford Grange, being an active worker in both.
The W. W. Thomson Company. The W. W. Thomson Co., now one of the largest and most progressive industries in the town, dates back to July, 1914, in actual existence as a corpora- tion, but much further in reality as a business.
It was an outgrowth of two greenhouse establishments which were owned by W. W. Thomson at 78 Meadowbrook Road (formerly Vera St.) and Paul Thomson, his father, at 142 South
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Main Street. The history of the Main Street property up to the time of Paul Thomson's death in 1909 appears elsewhere. After that time it was run as an estate for several months under the direct management of one of the sons, R. Roy Thomson. It was then merged with the business already started by W. Wal- lace Thomson at Meadowbrook Road and run under his name till 1914, when a corporation was formed with W. Wallace Thom- son as president and treasurer, R. Roy Thomson vice-president, and H. J. Miller secretary.
The business at Meadowbrook Road dates back to 1904, at which time Mr. W. W. Thomson started a greenhouse at that location for the purpose of raising violets. Other houses were added from time to time and other varieties of flowers added to the list at both places, so that at the present time there are at Meadowbrook Road six houses and at Main Street eleven houses. The total area of glass in all these greenhouses is fully one hun- dred thousand square feet. The company now raises a general line of plants and cut flowers. Their principal crops, however, are sweet peas and carnations, for which a large wholesale trade has been developed.
In addition to this wholesale trade, the company has a grow- ing retail business at its South Main Street place, and eventually this branch of the business will probably utilize all the flowers produced. In the cultivation, production, and sale of the flowers a force of twenty-five to thirty persons is employed.
The Trout Brook Ice and Feed Company. More than a hun- dred years ago there was a water privilege and millsite at the foot of the hill east of West Hartford Center on the bank of the Noyes River. In 1827 Thomas Brace and Lory Brace, adminis- trators of the estate of Lory Brace, sold to Lucius Nichols for $600, twelve rods of land with a gristmill and other appurte- nances thereon. This property was bounded on the east by the brook, on the south by the highway, on the west by land belong- ing to the heirs of Nathaniel Smith, and on the north by land of Betsey Colton. At a later period, about 1850, a sawmill was in operation in connection with the gristmill. Mr. Thomas Brace once told me that the Stanleys and Norths at one time wished to buy the water privilege and establish their shops there. The price put upon the property was so high, however, that they did not purchase it but located later in New Britain.
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