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Full text of "History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut"

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sity of Connecticut 
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, 7 



HISTORY OF 



WATERBURY 



AND THE 



NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

CONNECTICUT 



ILLUSTRATED 



VOLUME 111 



CHICAGO NEW YORK 

THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

1918 




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ZA StrucHI^ Orange. N J 



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BIOGRAPHICAL 



HON. JAMES GILBERT WOODRUFF. 

Hon. James Gilbert Woodrufl', now president of tlie William L. Gilbert Clock Company 
of Winsted, started out in the business world when a lad of but nine years in the em- 
ploy of the company of which he is now the chief executive. His vacation periods were 
devoted to work in that connection until his school days were over, when he concentrated 
his entire time and attention upon the b\isiness. Thus gradually advancing step by step, 
an orderly progression has brought him to the presidency of one of the most important 
manufacturing interests of this section of the state. He was born in the village of North- 
field, in the town of Litchfield, Litchfield county, Connecticut. August 27, 1842, but has 
been a resident of Winsted from the age of nine years or since 1851. Matthew Woodrufi', 
at native of England, became the founder of the family in the new world. He settled 
first at Hartford, Connecticut, and in 1640-41 removed to Farmington, where he passed 
away about 1682. He was one of the eighty-four proprietors of Farmington in 1672 and 
was a freeman in 1657. His wife, Mrs. Hannah Woodruff, was admitted to the Farming- 
ton church April 2, 1654. 

Their second son, Matthew Woodruff (H). was born in Farmington in 1646 and died 
in November, 1691. For a time he resided in Milford but afterward returned to Farming- 
ton. On the 16th of June, 1668, he wedded Mary Plum, who was born in 1645, a daughter of 
Robert and Mary (Baldwin) Plum, the latter a daughter of Sylvester and Sarah (Bryant) 
Baldwin. For his second Avife Matthew Woodriift" married Sarah North, daughter of John 
North, and her death occurred in 1692. 

Matthew Woodruff (III), the eldest child of Matthew Woodruff' (II), was born in 
Milford, Connecticut, February 8, 1669, and died in 1751. He was captain of the military 
company at Farmington. On the 15th of September, 1694, he married Elizabeth Bald- 
win, who was born March 29, 1673, a daughter of Sylvanus and Mildred (Prudden) Bald- 
Avin, the former a son of Richard and Elizabeth (Alsopp) Baldwin and a grandson of 
Sylvester and Sarah (Bryant) Baldwin. Mildred (Prudden) Baldwin was a daughter of 
the Rev. Peter Prudden. They lived at Farmington and she there passed away February 
5, 1729. Matthew Woodruff (III) was married June 10, 1730. to Mrs. Martha North, widow 
of Thomas North, and her death occurred in 1763. 

The line of descent comes down through Matthew Woodruff (IV), who was born 
October 1, 1597, and resided at Farmington but in 1732 bought land in Waterbury. In 
1739 Matthew Woodruff and his wife, Elizabeth, became owners of land in Farmington. 

Isaac Woodruff, a son or nephew of Matthew Woodruff (IV), probably secured the land 
from Matthew and settled in Waterbury. He served in the Revolutionary war, becoming 
a member of Captain Noadiah Hooker's company in 1775. He died in Waterbury, March 
31, 1782, at the age of thirty-six years. His wife bore the maiden name of Sarah Newton. 

Isaac Woodruff (II), son of Isaac Woodruff (I), was born in Waterbury, October 10, 
1773, and died November 29, 1815, spending his life in Watertown, formerly Waterbury. 
His wife, Mrs. Lodina Woodruff, Avho was born in 1775, dietl October 12, 1863. 

Isaac N. Woodruff, son of Isaac and Lodina Woodruff, was born in September, 1793, in 
WatertoAvn, and died November 17, 1875. He Avas a farmer and after spending the greater 
part of his life in WatertoAvn passed his last days in the home of his son, Isaac B. Wood- 
ruff, in Winsted. but Avas buried in WatertoAvn. His Avife, Elizabeth. Avho Avas born in 
1797, AA'as a daughter of Abram Scott and died December 19, 1863. 

Isaac Benjamin Woodruff, son of Isaac N. Woodruff, Avas born in WatertoAvn, August 
11, 1818, and departed this life in Winsted, April 27, 1900. After completing a common 
school education he Avas apprenticed in a factory at Litchfield, Connecticut, to learn 
the art of making flutes, clarinets and other musical instruments, and later he became 
connected Avith the William L. Gilbert Clock Company. In 1866 the business was incorporated 
\inder the name of the Gilbert Manufacturing Company and Mr. Woodruff became a 
director, the secretary and the treasurer. With the death of Mr. Gilbert in 1890 he sue- 



6 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

ceeded to the presidency and remained as president and treasurer to the time of his 
demise. He was also a director of the First National Bank of Winsted and of the Hurl- 
but National Bank. His political allegiance was given to the republican party and he was 
called upon to fill various important public positions. He served as selectman of the town and 
for one term represented his district in the Connecticut legislature. His religious faith 
was that of the Episcopal church and for many years he served as church treasurer and 
warden. On the 16th of October, 1841, Isaac Benjamin Woodruff was married to Sarah 
Ann Gilbert, a sister of William L. Gilbert, the founder of the Gilbert Manufacturing 
Company. She was born in Litchfield, July 16, 1819, a daughter of James and Abigail 
(Kenney) Gilbert. She was a woman of much intellectual force and had many admirable 
traits of character and her death, which occurred September 12, 1886, was the occasion of 
deep and widespread regret not only to her immediate family but to all who knew her. 
By her marriage she became the mother of two children: James Gilbert; and William 
Wallace, Avho was born May 20, 1844, and died December 4, 1909. The latter married 
Eleanora L. Smith. 

The former, James Gilbert Woodruff, as previously stated, became a resident of 
Winsted at the age of nine years as an employe of the William L. Gilbert Clock Company. 
While still attending school he would work in the clock shop on Saturdays and in the 
mornings and evenings. After reaching the age of eighteen years he devoted all of his 
time to the clock shop except three months during the Civil war, when he served as a 
member of Company F of the Second Connecticut Infantry. His connection with the 
clock works covers sixty-six years and he has filled practically every position in the fac- 
tory from the humblest to the highest, and as an officer has steadily advanced until in 
1900 he was elected to the presidency as the successor of his father, who for ten years 
had filled that position and who was the successor of William L. Gilbert, the founder of 
the business and the maternal uncle of the present president. William L. Gilbert so ably 
and wisely conducted the business that he became a millionaire and ranked for many 
years as Winsted's foremost philanthropist. He gave freely to benevolent pj-ojects and 
was the founder of the Gilbert School and the Gilbert Home for Children, leaving to those 
two institutions alone a million dollars for their further svipport. Under the management 
of James Gilbert Woodruff the business has continued to grow and expand and during 
the past decade a number of new brick buildings have been added to the plant, while 
its output is shipped to all parts of the world. Branch offices are maintained in New York, 
Chicago, Boston. London, Australia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in many other places, and 
something of the volume of business is indicated in the fact that the company now em- 
ploys about six hundred operatives in the factory and produces goods annually to the 
value of a million dollars. Other business interests have also profited by the cooperation, 
sound judgment and enterprise of Mr. Woodruff, who is a director of the First National 
Bank and of the Hurlbut National Bank. 

On the 10th of May, 1864, Mr. Woodruff was married to Miss Abbie Elizabeth Osborn, 
who was born at Roxbury, Connecticut, a daughter of George S. and Edna A. Osborn. 
Mrs. Woodruff comes of English ancestry in the paternal line, which is traced back to 
Richard Osborn, who sailed from London on the ship Hopewell in 1634 and in 1635 became 
a resident of Hingham, Massachusetts, whence he removed to New Haven, Connecticut, 
in 1639. He was a valiant soldier in King Philip's war and in recognition of tlie aid 
Avhich he rendered the settlers received a land warrant for land near the center of 
Fairfield, where he took up his abode about 1650, there living until November, 1682, when 
he removed to Westchester. William Osborn, who was probably a brother of Richard, 
settled at Hingham and was a proprietor there in 1635. He removed to Braintree to 
become clerk of the iron works and in 1652 settled in Boston. John Osborn, probably a 
brother of William and Richard, established his home at Weymouth, Massachusetts, and 
also lived at Braintree. 

John Osborn, son of John Osborn (I), was born at Weymouth, February 2, 1639, and 
appears to have settled in Connecticut. John Osborn (III), son of John (II), was born 
about 1680 and on the 14th of July, 1709, married Prudence Blagge. For his second wife 
he married Mrs. Hannah Gilbert, a widow. Nathan Osborn, son of John Osborn (III), 
was born at Stratford, November 15, 1719, and married Sarah Sherman. He was a 
farmer of Stratford and probably in later life of Woodbury, Connecticut. 

Isaac Osborn, son of Nathan Osborn, was born Augvist 29, 1760, in Woodbury, and 
died at Avon, Connecticut, in October, 1853. He was a soldier of the Revolutionary 
war, engaged in active duty at the fort in New London, Connecticut, and in later life 
was a Revolutionary war pensioner. In 1781 he married Sarah Clark Woodruff. Their 
second child. Isaac Osborn (II), was born in 1786, and died April 15, 1866. He devoted 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 7 

his life to the occupation of farming and during his later years he gave his political 
support to the republican party. He married Laurin Stoddard and their eldest child 
was George S. Osborn, who was born May 10, 1818. He, too, became a farmer and in 
politics was a republican, while in religious faith he was a Congregationalist. He 
married Edna A. Young, of Roxbury, Connecticut, and died January 13, 1876. Thej' were 
the parents of four children: Abbie Elizabeth, Albert, Nellie A. and ^Mary E. The first 
two were twins and the daughter became the wife of James Gilbert Woodruff. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff have been born three living children. The eldest, George 
Benjamin Woodruff, born September 18, 1866, is a piano manufacturer of Ivoryton, Con- 
necticut. He was married July 3, 1889, to Agnes H. Mints and for his second wife chose 
Nellie Jones. Following her death he married Harriet Saul. By the first marriage there 
was one daughter, Marguerite, and by the second marriage a daughter, Zola L., while of 
the third marriage there is also a daughter, Mera. Edna Louise AVoodruft', born Sep- 
tember 26, 1870, became the wife of Allen Hubbard, September 23, 1896, and they reside 
in Newton Center, Massachusetts, with their two children, Allen and Gilbert. Florence 
Gilbert Woodruff", the youngest member of the family, was born February 15, 1872, and 
on the 19th of April, 1899, became the wife of Everett W. Farmer, who is living near 
Boston, Massachusetts. They have become the parents of three children: Florence Vir- 
ginia; James Woodruff; and Jefferson, who was born January 4, 1912. 

The Woodruff family has long figaired prominently in the social circles of the city 
and with the material, intellectual, moral and political progress of the community Mr. 
Woodruff' has also been closely associated. He is a member and a vestryman of the 
St. James Episcopal church. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and 
he served for one term as a member of the state legislature. He is a trustee of the 
Gilbert School and of the Gilbert Home for Children and he cooperates in many well 
defined jjlans and measures that take cognizance of the needs of the unfortunate or which 
look toward the benefit of the community at large. In a word he stands for all that is 
most progressive and beneficial. Honored and respected by all, there is no man who 
occupies a more enviable position in Winsted than James Gilbert Woodruff, not alone bj^ 
reason of the success he has achieved but also owing to the straightforward business policy 
which he has ever followed and to his recogiiition of his duties and obligations to his 
fellowmen. 



CHARLES S. PHINNEY. 



Charles S. Phinney is the treasurer of the Naugatuek Manufacturing Company, engaged 
in the manufacture of copper float balls for various purposes, this being one of the tAvo manu- 
facturing enterprises of the character in the United States. Mr. Phinney has been identified 
with the business since 1897. He was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1858. and is a 
son of Franklin S. and Margaret S. Phinney. He attended private school and entered busi- 
ness life as an employe of a subsidiary company of the Standard Oil Company, with which 
he continued for twenty-one years, a fact indicative of his fidelity and steady progress. In 
1897 he came to Naugatuek and purchased an interest in the Naugatuek Manufacturing 
Company, which had been established three years before. Since becoming an officer of this 
eom])any he has given his entire attention to the management and control of the business 
in association with W. T. Rodenbach, who became president, while C. P. Rodenbach is now 
the secretary. For a time Mr. Phinney served as both secretary and treasurer, but the 
duties of the office have been divided and his official connection is now that of treasurer. 

In 1905 Mr. Phinney was married and has two children. la politics he is a republican, 
while his religious belief is that of the Congregational church. 



RUBBER REGENERATING COMPANY. 

The growth and development of manufacturing and commercial interests in New England 
within the past quarter of a century has seemed almost magical, so rapidly has the work 
been carried forward. Prominent among the important interests centering in this district is 
the Rubber Regenerating Company, Avhich is engaged in reclaiming scrap rubber, and its 
juoducts are sold throughout the entire world to manufacturers. Something of the extent 
of the business is indicated in the fact that six hundred people are now employed. In addition 



8 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

to the Naugatuck establishment the company also has factories at Manchester, England, 
at Montreal, Canada, and in Mishawaka, Indiana. This is the largest concern of the kind 
in the world and the Naugatuck plant equals in size that of any other in the United States. 
The company buys used rubber from all over the world. This is again reduced to a liquid 
condition, purified and used in manufacturing. The plant covers eight acres and includes three 
main manufacturing buildings, two stories and basement in height. These are of mill con- 
strnction and are supplied with sprinkler systems. The plant is equipped with electric and 
steam power, liaving three thousand horse power in all. The officers of the company are: 
R. B. Price, president and treasurer; E. A. Andersen, vice president and general manager; 
J. D. Carberry. of New York, secretary, Gordon James, assistant secretary: and C. M. \'an 
Kleeck, assistant treasurer. These officers have been with the company for the past four 
years. 

Mr. Andersen is a native of Chicago and acquired his education there. In that city he 
entered the rubber regenerating business, in which he won success, and later he established 
a large factory in ]\Iiehigan. In 1913 he came to Naugatuck and bought the factory of 
which he is now general manager in connection with Mr. Price of New York and others. The 
business has grown very rapidly under the able management and wise control of Mr. Ander- 
sen and his associates and it is today one of the big institutions of the Naugatuck valley. 
Tlie business is most carefully managed and directed. Tlie work has been thoroughly sys- 
tematized in every department, each of which is under the control of a capable superintendent. 
The officers have been able to surround tliemselves with a most efficient corps of assistants 
and as vice president and general manager E. A. Andersen has contributed in marked measiu^e 
to the snccess attending the Rubber Regenerating Company. 



REV. REINHARD BARDECK. 

Rev. Reinhard Bardeck, pastor of St. Cecelia's German Catholic church of Water- 
bury, was born in Bitburg, Germany, in 1867. His father, Philip Bardeck, a carpenter, 
died in Germany when liis son Reinhard was but six years of age, and the latter in 1881, 
when a youth of thirteen, came with his widowed mother, his younger brother, Philip, 
and sister Theresa, who was four years his senior, to the United States, the family home 
being established in New Britain, Connecticut. The mother, whose maiden name was 
Mary Adams, died in New Britain in 1888. Another brother Joseph Bardeck, two years 
the senior of Rev. Bardeck, had come to the United States in 1879 and is now^ living in 
New Britain, while both Philip and Theresa still make their home there. The latter is the 
widow of Martin HoUfelder and both the brothers are business men of New Britain. 

Rev. Bardeck had attended school in Germany before coming to the United States 
and between the ages of thirteen and twenty years was employed in a lock factory in 
New Britain, thus providing for his own support when a very young lad. Determining 
to devote his life to the church, he studied for the priesthood at St. Vincent's Benedictine 
College of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, near Latrobe. There he remained for 
seven years, devoting his time to the study of philosophy, the classics and the sciences, 
after which he studied theology in St. John's Seminary of Brighton, Massachusetts, for 
three years and three months. 

Rev. Bardeck was ordained to the priesthood in Hartford, Connecticut, in December, 
1900, and served as assistant priest to Rev. Luke Fitzsimons of the Immaculate Con- 
ception Catholic church at Waterbury for nearly three years. From 1903 until 1911 he 
was pastor of the Sacred Heart German Catholic church at Hartford and since 1912 has 
been pastor of St. Cecelia's German Catholic church in Waterbury, where he is doing 
excellent work among his parishioners in the upbuilding of the Catholic faith. Twice since 
leaving his native land he has returned to Germany for a visit, ffi-st in 1889 and again 
in 1910. 



GEORGE H. ATKINS. 



George H. Atkins, a well known citizen of Torrington, where he has resided for more 
than half a centiuy. is now secretary of the Employers' Association of Litchfield County, 
with offices in the Chamber of Commerce building. He has been a lifelong resident of 
Connecticut, his birth luiving occurred in Meriden, March 28, 1852. He is the only child 




REV. REIN HARD BARDECK 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 11 

of Henry G. and Mary A. (Evans) Atkins, the former a native of Meriden and the latter 
of Wallingford, Connecticut. The father served as a soldier in the Civil war, becoming 
a private of Comfjany F. Fifteenth Connecticut Regiment. He w^as wounded in battle and 
for many months was confined in the New Haven Hospital. After the war he held a 
responsible position with the International Silver Company of Meriden, where he passed 
away a few months after the war closed. His widow married for her second husband, 
Solon G. Dunbar and they moved to Torrington, where she resided until her death, January 
21, 1907. 

George H. Atkins has resided continuously in Torrington since 1866, and is therefore, 
familiar with its history for a period of more than half a century. He acquired a good 
grammar school education, continuing his studies to the age of fourteen, when he entered 
the employ of the Turner & Seymour Manufacturing Company, one of the city's leading 
industrial enterprises. He entered the service of that concern on the 1st of December, 
1866, and completed a fifty years connection with the company on the 1st of December, 
1916. Beginning as a mere laborer when a youth of fourteen, he early reached the position 
of foreman of a department and still later that of superintendent of the factory, holding 
this position for sixteen years. He later served as purchasing agent for six years, but 
resigned on the 1st of December 1916, to become secretary of the Employers' Association 
of Litchfield county, which was formed to foster among its members a spirit of cooperation, 
friendliness and progress; to assist its members in securing efficient and desirable em- 
ployes; to operate a free employment office, where worthy workers may secure employ- 
ment; to encourage a feeling of confidence and goodwill between employee and employer, 
assuring each that their interests will be protected; to improve transportation facilities, 
housing arrangements, and working conditions; and by concentrated cooperation to 
make Litchfield county an industrial center that will encourage increased manufacture 
and will attract labor. 

At Torrington, when twenty-one years of age, Mr. Atkins was united in marriage 
to Miss Mary E. Glazier and they became parents of two children; Alice E., now the 
wife of Major John N. Brooks; and Merritt S. Atkins, a toolmaker of the Turner & 
Seymour Manufacturing Company. The parents hold membership in the Trinity Episcopal 
church and Mr. Atkins has been quite prominent in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
being a past noble grand of the local lodge. He also belongs to the Torrington Club and 
is eligible to membership with the Sons of Veterans and the Sons of the American 
Revolution, being descended on the paternal side from Revolutionary war ancestry. 
He is identified with the Chamber of Commerce and is a well known factor in local 
political circles. He is serving at the present time on the board of assessors for 
both the town and borough of Torrington and lias been a member of the board for 
eleven consecutive years. He was a member of the Connecticut legislature, session 1909- 
1910, and introduced and was successful in getting passed the personal tax law. He stands 
at all times for progress and improvement in public affairs and for reform and advance- 
ment, holds to high ideals and at all times has manifested a public-spirited citizenship. 



FRANCIS P. BANNON. 



Francis P. Bannon is proprietor of a store which has been in existence at its present 
location at 631 Main street in Winsted for a half century and he now ranks with the 
representative druggists of the city. He was born in Winsted, September 22, 1872, a son 
of the late Timothy Bannon and Catharine (Gerraghty) Bannon. The mother is still 
living, but the father has passed away. The parents were both natives of the county 
of Westmeath, Ireland, and were acquainted while residing there but were married in 
Winsted, Connecticut, prior to the Civil war. They became the parents of eight children, 
six of whom still survive, as follows: William F., who is a resident of Winsted; James P., 
also living in Winsted; Rev. Timothy F., who is pastor of St. Joseph's church at Willi- 
mantic, Connecticut; Mary, the widow of Patrick Regan; Rose, Avho is the wife of Egbert 
G. Mahan, of HoAvick, Canada; and Francis P., of this review. 

The last named attended St. Anthony's parochial school and also the public schools 
of Winsted and afterward spent two years in the New York College of Pharmacy, from 
which he was graduated with the class of 1895. Returning to Winsted, he resumed a 
position as clerk in the Apothecaries Hall drug store, where he had been employed for 
three years before entering college, having become connected with that position when a 
youth of seventeen. He remained in the store until 1903. when he purchased his present 



12 WATEEBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

drug store at No. 631 Main street, buying out D. and W. B. Phelps, who had owned 
and conducted the business for forty years. The store, therefore, has had an existence 
of more than a half century and throughout the entire period has been at its present 
location. 

On the 7th of November, 1900, Mr. Bannon was married to Miss Katherine Hickey, 
of Sheffield, Massachusetts, who is of Irish descent, her parents, James and Margaret 
(Delaney) Hickey, both being natives of the Emerald isle. Mrs. Bannon was one of a 
family of ten children, nine of whom are yet living, and by her marriage she has become 
the mother of three children; Timothy Francis, James Hickey and Joseph Edward. 
The last two are twins and are now fifteen years of age, while Timothy is a youth of 
sixteen. All three are students in the Gilbert school, Timothy being a senior in that 
institution, while the twins are freshmen. 

The family are communicants of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church and Mr. Bannon 
holds membership with the Modern Woodmen, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks 
and of the latter is a past exalted ruler. His political endorsement is given to the 
republican party and for three years he served as burgess. He is now a member of the 
finance committee of the town of Winchester. For one year he was a member of the 
school board and he has ever been deeply interested in all that pertains to the welfare and 
upbuilding of the community in which he makes his home. He turns to hunting as his 
chief recreation and when leisure permits indulges in that sport. As a business man 
he is alert, energetic and progressive and his well defined plans have been stimulated 
by a laudable ambition and have been carried forward to successful completion. 



GEORGE L. FANCHER. 



George L. Fancher is proprietor of the Apothecaries Hall, the oldest drug store of 
Winsted. The business was established in 1847, has had a continuous existence and has 
been the property of Mr. Fancher since 1907. It is located at 667 Main street and Mr. 
Fancher's identification with it as clerk and proprietor covers almost forty years. A 
native of New York, he was born at Camillus, October, 8, 1853, a son of Harry and Harriet 
(Phillips) Fancher, both of whom are now deceased. The father was a farmer by occupa- 
tion, devoting his entire life to the work of tilling the soil. He was born in Saratoga 
county, New York, and passed away in Syracuse, that state, at the venerable age of 
eighty-eight years, while his wife departed this life when but sixty-three years of age. The 
only surviving members of the family are George L. and his sister, Delotia A., who is now 
the wife of Clarence F. Saflford, of Camillus, New York. 

George L. Fancher was reared in the city of his nativity and acquired a public school 
education, but when still comparatively young his textbooks were put aside and he began 
working in a local drug store. He was employed nights and mornings in the drug store before 
leaving school and after reaching the age of eighteen he concentrated his entire attention 
upon business activity. He then went to New York city, where he served a three years' 
apprenticeship in a drug store which was situated at the corner of Eighth avenue and 
Forty-third street. He remained there from 1871 until 1873 inclusive, after which he 
removed to Plantsville, Connecticut, and managed a drug store for about three years. In 
1875 he became a resident of Waterbury, Connecticut, where he clerked in the drug store 
of R. S. Woodruff on Bank street for nearly two years. Late in the year 1877 he went to 
Woodbury, Connecticut, where he spent several months closing out a drug stock. In 
May, 1878, he came to Winsted, where he entered the Apothecaries Hall as a clerk. The 
business had been established in 1847 and in 1876 George W. Lee became the owner. For 
a time he was associated with a partner, W. L. Mix, under the firm style of Lee & 
Mix, but that association was discontinued when Mr. Fancher entered the store in 1878. 
He continued to serve as a clerk until Mr. Lee's death more than twenty years later. He 
afterward conducted the store for Mr. Lee's widow until her demise a few years subse- 
quent to her husband's death. At that time Mr. Fancher purchased the store from the 
son of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Lee and has been sole proprietor since 1907. 

On the 3d of December, 1874, Mr. Fancher was united in marriage to Miss Emma J. 
Fergus, of Camillus, New York, who was a schoolmate of his boyhood. She passed away 
leading two children, namely: Grace L., of Hartford, Connecticut; and William D., who is 
connected with the Hurlbut National Bank of Winsted. Mr. Fancher belongs to the 
Improved Order of Red Men, also to the Winsted Club and the Winsted Chamber of 
Commerce. He likewise has membership with the Connecticut Retail Druggists Associa- 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 13 

tion. In politics he has ever maintained an independent course, nor Avould he ever consent 
to become a candidate for office, but in all matters of citizenship he stands for improve- 
ment and progressiveness. 



IRVING B. HOLLEY. 



Irving B. Holley, of Torrington, is a member of the firm of Mascetti & HoUey, general 
contractors, Avhose business extends throughout the state and has become one of large 
and important proportions. Mr. Holley is a member of one of the old families of Torring- 
ton. His father, the late Edward Hotchkiss Holley, was also born in Torrington, where he 
was favorably known. A record of Francis Newman Holley, the grandfather, and Edward 
H. Holley, the father, appears elsewhere in this volume. 

Irving B. Holley was born June 3, 1883, in Torrington, and passed through consecu- 
tive grades in the public schools until graduated from the local high school. Still latei 
he attended the Hotchkiss school at Lakeville, Connecticut. In 1908 he made a trip abroad 
with his brother Horace, visiting England and Scotland, and after his return home he 
devoted two years to the development of Holley Place. This is a complete street in Tor- 
rington of which he was the promoter and which was named in honor of the family. Since 
1910 Mr. Holley has been the partner of Joseph Mascetti, conducting business under the firm 
name of Mascetti & Holley, general contractors and also owners of the Torrington Garage 
and Service Station at No. 561 South Main street. As general contractors the firm is today 
known all over the New England states. They accept and execute contracts for the building 
of modern streets and public roads, which are mainly of concrete construction, and no firm is 
better known in this connection in the state of Connecticut, while its patronage comes from 
various other states as well. Its construction equipment consists of the most modern 
machinery now used in road building, including a portable steam dinkey railroad with five 
miles of track. Aside from his connection with the contracting business and the garage busi- 
ness he is a director of the Torrington Trust Company and is likewise a director at large 
of the Litchfield County Farm Bureau. 

On the 24th of November, 1913, Mr. Holley was united in marriage to Miss Mary 
Lewis Sharp, of Norfolk, Virginia, a member of an old family of that state and a 
daughter of Walter Sharp, who was a Confederate veteran. To Mr. and Mrs. Holley has 
been born a daughter, Mary Sharp, whose birth occurred Janviary 24, 1915. Mr. Holley 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Torrington Club. He represents old 
Connecticut families, is descended from Revolutionary war ancestry in both the paternal 
and maternal lines, a«d the spirit of loyalty in citizenship is a feature of his own 
career. 



MARCENE BREVET DUNBAR. 

Marcene Brevet Dunbar, who is now engaged in the real estate business in Winsted, 
was formerly also associated with the manufacturing interests of both Torrington and 
Winsted. In a word he is a business man of enterprise Avhose plans are well formulated and 
promptly executed, with the result that public prosperity as well as individual success 
is promoted. Mr. Dunbar was born in Torrington, April 17, 1850, a son of Lyman and 
Minerva (King) Dunbar, both of whom have passed away. The father, who Avas born 
in Litchfield county, Connecticut, was a contractor and builder and died at the age of 
sixty-five years. His wife, a native of Massachusetts, passed away at the very early age 
of tw^enty-three. Mr. Dunbar afterward wedded Catherine King, a sister of his first wife. 

Marcene B. Dunbar resided in Torrington until 1895, when he removed to Winsted. He 
Avas associated with the Union Hardware Company of Torrington for twenty-two years 
and was treasurer of the company for several years. Upon taking up his abode in Win- 
sted in 1895 he became secretary and treasurer of the L. M. Jones Company, a manu- 
facturing concern, with which he so continued until business Avas suspended. For the 
past fifteen years he has been dealing in real estate, mortgage loans and investment se- 
curities, with office at No. 677 Main street in Winsted. He has built up a large clientage 
in this connection and has made himself thoroughly familiar not only Avith realty values 
but also Avith the Avorth of commercial paper, so that he can Avisely advise his clients as to 
investments. 



U WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Mr. Dunbar was married at the age of twenty-four years to Miss Helen Diana Smith, 
of Torrington, who, however, is a native of Milton, Connecticut. They have become the 
parents of three children.* Clarence Smith, now of Fairfield, Connecticut; Helena Minerva; 
and Gladys Catherine, who is a teacher in the Winsted public schools. The son is a 
graduate of Yale of the class of 1896 and the daughters are graduates of the Gilbert 
school of Winsted, while Gladys is also a graduate of the New Britain Normal School. 
Mr. Dunbar has given his children excellent educational opportunities, which they have 
wisely improved. He stands as a champion of education and of all things that relate to 
public welfare and progress. He belongs to the Winsted Club and is the treasurer of 
the Clifton Club. He is likewise a member and one of the vestrymen of St. James Episco- 
pal church. Fraternally he is a Master Mason and an Odd Fellow and in the latter 
organization is a past noble grand. He likewise belongs to the Sons of the American Revo- 
lution. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and for several years 
he served on the Torrington board of relief and was also auditor of the town of Torring- 
ton. In the Royal Arcanum he is prominent and is a past grand regent of the order in 
the state of Connecticut. He likewise belongs to the Independent Order of Heptasophs 
and to the New England Order of Protection and he stands ever for the high ideals which 
are back of these organizations. His life has been actuated by high and honorable prin- 
ciples and in business affairs his efforts have been directed along lines that have brought 
to him honorable success. 



ISABELLA COWAN, M. D. 



Dr. Isabella Cowan, physician and surgeon of Waterbury, with office at 79 North Main 
street, was born at Irvington on the Hudson, New York, November 17, 1865. She was the 
fourth of ten children (two sons and eight daughters), of William and Jane (English) 
Oowan, both of whom were of Scotch-Irish ancestry. The family removed to Connecticut 
in 1877, has resided in Waterbury since 1892., and has been prominent in the educational 
system of the city since 1885, all of the sisters having been teachers in our public schools. 

Dr. Cowan enjoyed the educational opportunities accorded by the public schools and 
was graduated from the Waterbury high school with the class of 1883. For several years 
thereafter she successfully taught in the public schools of the city, becoming principal 
of the Long Hill school, but abandoned that profession in 1892 to take up the study 
of medicine, and was graduated from the Woman's Medical College of the New York In- 
firmary in 1895. She afterward spent a year in the Johns Hopkins Hospital of Baltimore 
and served as interne in the Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia. In 1896, she entered upon 
the active practice of medicine and surgery with office in the Castle block on North 
Main street, in Waterbury, where she has since remained. She belongs to the Waterbury, 
the New Haven County, the Connecticut State, and the American Medical Associations 
and is a non-resident member of the Woman's Medical Association of New York City. She 
also has membership in the First Methodist Episcopal church. 



THEODORE ARNOLD RACHETER. 

Theodore Arnold Racheter is the junior partner in the firm of Kirsch & Racheter, 
prominent architects and builders of Torrington. He was born in Switzerland, July 28, 
1873, a son of Jean and Elizabeth (Maurer) Racheter. The father, who was a rope 
manufacturer, died in Switzerland when his son Theodore Avas but five years of age. The 
mother afterward came to the United States in 1889 and has since lived in Torrington, 
where she yet makes her home. 

Theodore Arnold Racheter was the eleventh in order of birth in a family of thirteen 
children, ten of whom are yet living, eight being residents of the United States, while 
two are still in Switzerland. It was in 1890 that he crossed the Atlantic to the new world, 
being then a youth of seventeen years. He had already served a four years' apprenticeship 
to the carpenter's and builder's trade in the land of the Alps, beginning work along that 
line when a youth of thirteen. He had not completed his apprenticeship when his mother 
crossed the Atlantic and thus he remained until the following year. On reaching New 
York city he at once started for Torrington, where the family home had been estab- 
lished, and here he has since resided, although while still acting as a journeyman he 




THEODORE A. RACHETER 



WATERBURV AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 17 

occasionally did work in the west and in the south. In those earlier years lie worked 
hard and studied hard, his studies including architecture and designing. He is now not 
only a master carpenter and builder but is also most capable in the field of architecture 
and designing and has made the plans for many of the finest buildings in Torrington, 
including the new Chamber of Commerce, the T. M. Burns residence and the home of 
W. A. Gleeson. About twenty years ago he formed a partnership with Charles P. Kirsch 
and since then the firm of Kirsch & Racheter has operated extensively not only in Tor- 
rington but in many other towns in Connecticut, so that the firm's name is widely known 
throughout the state. They have erected several hundred buildings in Torrington and 
surrounding towns and give employment to forty workmen. Their activities measure up 
to the highest standards in connection with building operations and the nature of the 
buildings which they have designed and erected is proof of their marked efliciency 
and capability in their chosen field. 

In 1906 Mr. Racheter Avas married to ]VIiss May Gangell, who is of Welsh descent 
but was born in Southfield, Massachusetts. By her marriage she has become the mother 
of two children: George Richard, born November 13, 1907; and Merle Ruth, born June 
25, 1915. Mr. Racheter is a man of liberal education who fluently speaks English, 
French and German. In his fraternal relations Mr. Racheter is an Elk and is also connected 
with the Foresters of America. He is a director of the Torrington Trust Company and lias 
led a most busy life. Close application, indefatigable energy and unfaltering effort have 
been crowning points in his career. His life has been one of intense business activity 
which, intelligently directed, has brought to him a gratifying measure of prosperity. 



GEORGE E. BOYD. 



George E. Boyd is a member of the insurance firm of Root & Boyd, with offices at 
No. 110 Bank street. This is the oldest insurance agency of Waterbury, having been es- 
tablished in 1853, and while Mr. Root has passed away the old firm style is still main- 
tained, Mr. Boyd carrying on the business under that name. He was born in Bangor, 
Maine, a son of Archibald L. and Martha J. (Eustis) Boyd. He came to Waterbury in 
1885 as a clerk for Smith & Root and was admitted to the firm of Root & Boyd on the 
1st of June, 1895. Mr. Smith having retired from active connection w-ith the firm of 
Smith & Root in 1894. This well known agency was established under the firm style of 
Hall & Smith in 1853. It became Smith & Root in 1878 and was changed to Root &, Boyd 
in 1895. The history of the agency is quite unique in insurance annals in Connecticut. In 
1853 Samuel W. Hall and John W. Smith were appointed agents for the Aetna Fire and 
many other insurance companies under the name of Hall & Smith. Mr. Hall retired on the 
1st of January, 1863, after which the business was carried on alone by John W. Smith 
until January 1, 1878, when he admitted Edward T. Root to a partnership under the firm 
style of Smith & Root, the latter having been in Mr. Smith's employ from January 31, 1859. 
After the retirement of Mr. Smith in 1894 Mr. Root continued alone until George E. Boyd 
joined Mr. Root under the firm style of Root & Boyd. Mr. Boyd came to Waterbury in 
October, 1885, after severing his connection with the leading insurance agency of Bangor, 
Maine, where he had been employed for nearly three years. His active experience in the 
business therefore covers about thirty-six years. The agency has ever enjoyed an exten- 
sive clientage and that the methods and principles of the firm are such as will bear the 
closest investigation and scrutiny is indicated in the fact that the business has con- 
tinuously and substantially grown. They are always just to competitors, fair and honor- 
able in their treatment of clients and a great volume of business is annually transacted 
over their counters. Aside from being the head of this important insurance agency at 
the present time Mr. Boyd is also a director of the Waterbury National Bank, auditor of 
the Waterbury Savings Bank and secretary of the Waterbury Hotel Corporation, which owns 
the Elton hotel. The death of Mr. Root occurred October 7, 1910, and the responsibilities of 
the business devolve entirely vipon Mr. Boyd, who has since been alone. 

It was on the 17tli of September, 1890, that Mr. Boyd was united in marriao-e to 
Miss Mercy Middlebrook, of Wilton, Connecticut, a graduate of St. Margaret's School 
of the class of 1887. They have one daughter, Mercy, who attended St. Margaret's School 
and the Westover School and is not at home. Their only son, Frederic, is a student in The 
Taft School, at Watertown. Connecticut. 

The parents are members of Trinity Episcopal church and Mr. Boyd is a thirty-second 
degree and a Knight Templar ]\Iason, while with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine he has 



18 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

crossed the sands of the desert. He belongs to the Waterbury Chib and to the Waterbury 
Country Club and is prominent and popular socially as well as in a business way. His 
life has been characterized by a persistency of purpose that has constituted the basis of 
steady progress and his interests are now extensive and important. Representing one of 
the oldest insurance agencies in the state, he fully maintains the irreproachable reputa- 
tion ever borne by the firm. 



OLIVER G. CAMP. 



Oliver G. Camp, of Waterbury, is now living retired but was for many years a prominent 
figure in the industrial circles of the city, being one of the two owners of the Piatt Milling 
Company, which had a storage capacity of sixty thousand bushels and did the largest 
business in its line in the city. A native of Connecticut, he was born in Roxbury, August 
24, 1839, and is a son of Sheldon and Lucy (Gaylord) Camp, both descended from fine 
old Connecticut families. 

The early education of Oliver G. Camp was received in Roxbury, but he later attended 
high school at South Britain. He was reared upon the home farm and received an excellent 
New England training, with its strong emphasis upon industry, thrift and strict honesty. 
In 1873 he became a resident of Waterbury and in that year became connected with the 
Piatt Milling Company, a stock company. Eventually he and Alfred S. Piatt purchased 
all the stock of the concern but continued to operate under the old name. The business 
of the company showed a steady growth and the volume of its trade was larger that than 
of any of its competitors. Its plant was erected on Benedict street and the capacity of its 
warehouses was sixty thousand bushels. In 1906 the building was destroyed by fire and 
Mr. Camp then retired from active life after almost thirty-five years' connection with the 
milling business. He Avon recognition as an authority upon milling and as a business man 
of unusual acumen and enterprise and gained financial independence. 

Mr. Camp was united in marriage on the 10th of October, 1871, to Miss Laura E. 
Warner, who is a daughter of J. Z. Warner, of Roxbury. Mr. and Mrs. Camp have become 
the parents of four children, as follows: George E. was born September 21, 1876, and is 
now general manager of the Waterbury Castings Company. He married Laura M. Mitchell 
and they have two children, Merwin and Nelson. Mabel 0., who was born August, 4, 1883, 
is the wife of Aaron A. Benedict, of Waterbury. Ruth E., who was born January 6, 1888, 
and Olive G., whose birth occurred March 11, 1890, are both at home with their parents. 

In matters of citizenship Mr. Camp has always been progressive, actuated by a spirit 
of loyalty and patriotism. In 1862 he enlisted at Naugatuck in the Fifteenth Connecticut 
Volunteer Infantry, and while in training at Washington was stricken with typhoid fever. 
Upon his recovery he was detailed to the hospital department and served throughout the 
war. He participated in the battle of Fredericksburg and at the close of hostilities received 
.an honorable discharge at Newbern, North Carolina. Mr. Camp votes the republican ticket 
but has never taken any other part in public afi'airs. He holds membership in the First 
Congregational church and gives his financial and moral support to its work. His life 
has been guided by the highest moral standards and his genuine worth has gained him a high 
place in the regard of all who have been intimately associated with him. 



HENRY J. PIERRE. 



Henry J. Pierre, who has been a resident of W^insted since 1882, was born in New 
Britain, Connecticut, November 2, 1855, and is the only child of Henry B. and Sarah J. 
(Parmalee) Pierre, both of whom were natives of Connecticut but have now passed away. 
The father Avas born in New Britain, February 4, 1834, and was a mechanic. During the 
Civil war he was a gun manufacturer at Manchester, New Hampshire, making guns for the 
use of the Union army. He died in Harwinton, Connecticut, April 3, 1916, in the eighty- 
third year of his age. He was a son of Paul and Maria Jeannette (Jacobus) Pierre, both 
of whom were of Holland Dutch descent. The former spelled the surname Peer. He was 
a native of Paterson, New Jersey, and was a son of Bernard and Jane (Rutan) Peer. The 
latter Avas a daughter of Paul Rutan, Avho Avas a noted scout of the Revolutionary Avar, serv- 
ing for several years Avith the Colonial army, and at the end of his military experience 
carried seven bullets in his body. He, too, Avas of Holland Dutch descent. The family 




OLIVER G. CAINIP 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 21 

has ever been characterized by patriotic devotion to the welfare of the country. In every 
generation representatives of the name have stood stanchly for what they believed to be 
the best interests of the nation and the government. 

When the Civil war broke out Henry B. Pierre was a toolmaker in the Providence (R. I.) 
Tool Works. A master mechanic of much skill, he was placed in charge of the Amoskeag 
Gun Works at ^Manchester, New Hampshire, and with two hundred men under him manu- 
factured guns for the Union troops. After the war ended he went to New Britain, Con- 
necticut, where for many years he was employed as a mechanic. He was twice married, 
Sarah Jane Parmalee becoming his second wife, while his first wife was Mariette Parmalee, 
the two being sisters. No children were born of the first marriage and Henry J. Pierre 
is the only child of the second marriage. Tlie sisters were descended from Abraham 
Pierson, who came from England in 1640. Among the representatives of the family in 
America was Abram Pierson, the first president of Yale College. 

It will thus be seen that Henry J. Pierre is a representative of two of the oldest New 
England families — families that have had much to do with shaping the history and develop- 
ment of this section of the country. He was graduated from the New Britain high school 
with the class of 1872, after which he took up the profession of teaching, to which he 
devoted five years. Prior to this time, however, he had spent one year at sea. In 1882 
he came to Winsted and for four years he was a member of the Dowd Printing Company. Dis- 
posing of his interest in that business in 1886, he has since conducted one of the most im- 
portant fire insurance agencies in Winsted. -Throughout the intervening period, cover- 
ing thirty- one years, he has occupied his present office in the Baird block at No. 72 Main 
street. There is no feature of fire insurance with which he is not thoroughly familiar and 
he has built up a business of extensive proportions, his clientage being now very large and 
gratifying. He is also one of the incorporators of the ^Mechanics Savings Bank. 

On the 22d of February, 1883, Mr. Pierre was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude 
Estella Eoberts and they have become parents of a son and a daughter: Nina Minette, 
who for many years has been a successful teacher in the public schools of Montclair, New 
Jersey, and Reid Vernon Peer, who has restored the original spelling of the name. He 
is now battalion sergeant-major of the Three Hundred and Fourth United States Infantry, 
at present at Camp Devens. Aver, Massachusetts, and a staff officer to Major Elihu Root, Jr., 
of the same regiment. He was born in January, 1895, and is a graduate of the Gilbert School 
Business College, while the daughter is a graduate of -the Willimantic Normal School. 

In politics Mr. Pierre is a republican but has always declined to become a candidate 
for office. However, he served for twelve years on the school committee for the first dis- 
trict of the town of Winchester. He belongs to the Royal Arcanum and to the Ancient 
Order of United Workmen and he is also a member of the Winsted Club of the Chamber of 
Commerce, associations that indicate much of the nature of his activities and interests 
outside of business. He is very fond of hunting and fishing and devotes much time to these 
sports when opportunity offers. For several years he has made it a rule to spend a vacation 
in the Catskill mountains, fishing for trout. He also does much bird hunting in the open 
seasons and keeps a fine setter dog. He is authority on game and fish in this section of 
the country and is never happier than when with rod and gun he can spend some time in 
the open. His friends, and thej^ are many, speak of him in terms of warm regard, and 
while there has been nothing spectacular in his career, he has made for himself a sub- 
stantial and creditable position in business circles. 



CARL BERTHOLD P. EKVALL. 

Carl Berthold P. Ekvall, clerk of the borough of Torriiigton, was born in Stockholm, 
Sweden, June 22, 1877, and there spent the period of his boyhood and youth. His early 
education included a course in technology, mechanical engineering and drafting. He came 
to the United States at the age of nineteen years, or in 1896, and after spending several 
months in Brooklyn. New York, and five months in Winsted, Connecticut, he removed to 
Torrington, where he arrived in March, 1897, so that his residence here covers a period of 
twenty years. 

Mr. Ekvall was first employed as a machinist by the Hendey Machine Company and for 
two years was with the Excelsior Needle Company, after which he spent five years as a 
draftsman with the Torrington Manufacturing Company. In 1908 he was called to the 
position of borough engineer to serve for a two years' term and since March, 1912, has 
been clerk of the borough. In public office he maintains the same fidelity to duty which 



22 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

characterized his business record. He ever exercises his official prerogatives to advance the 
general good and his course has won for him high commendation. He is a republican 
in his political views, has served as a member of the republican town central committee 
and does everytliing in his power to promote the growth of his party and ensure its success. 

On the 23d of December, 1903, Mr. Ekvall was married to Miss Nancy Emilia Andrie, 
who is of Swiss descent and was born in the land of the Alps. She came to the United 
States with her mother in 1896 and located in Torrington. It was in the same month, 
April, 1896, that Mr. Ekvall crossed the Atlantic, landing in New York city on the 18th 
of April, while Mrs. Ekvall landed the folowing day. They did not become acquainted, 
however, until 1901, when they met in Torrington and two years later were married. 

Mr. Ekvall is well known in fraternal circles. He has taken many degrees in Masonry, 
being a member of the chapter and the council and a charter member of the Eastern Star 
of Torrington. His membership is now in Seneca Lodge, No. 55, F. & A. M.; Cyrus Chapter, 
No. 45, R. A. M.; Litchfield Council, R. & S. M.; and Pierpont Chapter, O. E. S. He also 
belongs to the Foresters of America and its auxiliarj^ called the Companions of Foresters, 
his name being found on the membership roll of Court Washington, No. 67, Foresters of 
America, and of Washington Pride Circle, No. 318, of the Companions of Foresters. He 
served for eight years with the volunteer fire department and has ever been most actively 
and helpfully interested in ])rojects and measures that relate to the welfare and upbuilding 
of his adopted city. 



THE BEACON FALLS RUBBER SHOE COMPANY. 

The Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Company was established in 1898 and is now splendidly 
housed. The main buildings are three hundred by sixty feet and three stories in height 
with attic and basement. The main storehouse is sixty by one hundred and forty feet and 
four stories in height with basement. There are also two other storehouses, one eighty by 
one hundred and twenty feet, two stories in height, and the other two hundred by 
one hundred and forty feet, also of two stories. In addition there are several otlier buildings, 
which go to make up the entire plant. Both water and steam power are used in the operation 
of the factory and there is electric connection for emergencies. That the business is today 
one of the most important and extensive industrial enterprises not only of Beacon Falls 
but of the Naugatuek valley is indicated in the fact that the company today employs 
fifteen hundred people, fifty-five per cent being male. They manufacture rubber boots 
and shoes and outing footwear. The plant has a capacity of twenty thousand pairs 
of rubber shoes per day. At various points they have established branch houses which 
sell to retailers and thus facilitate the trade, avoiding long waits in the delivery of 
goods. Their product is sold all over the United States and also in Europe and the company 
has offices in Boston, Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, Kansas City and San Francisco. They 
are represented upon the road by one hundred and ten traveling salesmen, who travel from 
their own branch offices. This is the main industry at Beacon Falls. The officers are: 
Tracy S. Lewis, president and treasurer; L. C. Warner, vice president and secretary; and 
J. T. Crowley, superintendent, with R. L. Fisher as general manager and E. S. Andrews as 
assistant treasurer, while C. E. Little is general sales manager. The history of this organi- 
zation is largely the history of Beacon Falls, for no other business enterprise has con- 
tributed in more extensive and substantial measure to the growth and commercial develop- 
ment of the city. 



JOHN D. FRENEY, M. D. 



Dr. John D. Freney, an able physician specializing in the treatment of diseases of tlie 
eye, ear, nose and throat, has practiced in Waterbury since 1893, entering upon the active 
work of the profession when not yet twenty-three years of age. He was born in this 
city October 29, 1870. His father, James Freney, was born in Greenfield, Massachu.setts, 
and in early manhood removed to Waterbury, after which he became passenger conductor 
on the old Hartford, Providence & Fishkill Railroad. He afterward engaged in business 
as a grocer and here passed away in 1878. It was in Waterbury that he wedded Mary 
Allman, who is now in her seventy-sixth year, still strong and vigorous. She has lived in 
Waterbury since a little girl of twelve years. She was born in County Kerry, Ireland, 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 23 

July 4, 1842, and in 1852 crossed the ocean with her parents, Timothy and Johanna (Slattery) 
Allman, becoming a resident of Waterbury when her parents established their home in this 
city in 1854. By her marriage she has four children, three sons and a daughter: Thomas 
M., an architect of Waterbury; James, living in Hartford, Connecticut; and Catharine and 
John D., both of Waterbury. 

The last named was graduated from the Waterbury high school when but fifteen years 
of age, after completing a four years' course there. His mother was ambitious that he 
ehould have good educational opportunities, so bent every effort toward giving her 
children the best opportunities. She therefore "kept them at their books" steadily and 
Dr. Freney, displaying special aptitude in his studies, completed the high school course at 
that early age. He afterward spent three years in the Niagara University and in 1890 
entered the Long Island College Hospital of Brooklyn, from which he was graduated with 
the M. D. degree in 1893. He at once entered upon the general practice of medicine in 
Waterbury and followed the profession there for eight years. In the meantime he had 
become interested in the study of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat with the intention, 
as soon as he had become fully prepared along that line, to give up general practice. 
At intervals from 1901 until 1903 he acted as assistant surgeon in the Metropolitan Throat 
Hospital of New York city and during a portion of the year 1901 he was assistant surgeon 
at the Bellevue Hospital of New York. He abandoned general practice in 1901 and the 
following year concentrated his efforts upon treatment of diseases of the ear, nose and 
throat, devoting his attention to those lines for several years. Subsequently he took up 
the study of the eye and did considerable post graduate work in New York city to lit 
himself for practice in that field, studying in the Harlem Hospital, the Manhattan Eye 
and Ear Hospital, the New York Post Graduate Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospital, all 
of New York city. Since 1912 he has included the treatment of the eye in his practice and 
has won more than local distinction as oculist, aurist, rhinologist and laryngologist. In 1916 
his alma mater, Niagara University, conferred upon him tlie honorary LL. D. degree. 

On the 17th of November, 1909, Dr. Freney v/as married to Miss Margaret Barry, of 
New York city, and they have three living children: John D., Mary Elizabeth and 
Margaret Mary. The family attend St. Margaret's Catholic church. Dr. Freney also 
belongs to the Waterbviry and Connecticut State Medical Societies and the American 
Medical Association and through meetings of those organizations as well as through 
private study keeps in touch with the onward trend of. professional thought and activity. 
He has no club associations, making his home his club, and he finds his greatest happiness 
in providing for the welfare and comfort of his wife and children. 



CYRUS T. GRAY. 



Cyrus T. Gray, the president of the Metal Specialties Company, engaged in the manu- 
facture of snap buttons, burnishing and bearing balls, special rivets and metal specialties, 
has been one of the most active factors in the development of this business, which within 
five years has come to the front as one of the foremost industries of its line. He was 
born in Southbury, Connecticut, May 18, 1858, and is a son of Frederick H. and Harriett E. 
(Tuttle) Gray, the latter a representative of one of the old families of Southbury. The 
father was a farmer by occupation and Cyrus T. Gray was reared amid the environment 
of farm life. He acquired a public school education and devoted his attention to general 
agricultural pursuits until the 1st of April. 1912, after which he took a year's vacation. He 
then became an active factor in the management and control of the Metal Specialties 
Company, of which he had been one of the organizers in June, 1912. In February, 1914, 
he was elected to the presidency of tlie company, of which H. H. Heminway is now the 
secretary and treasurer. The business was begun at No. 23 Jefferson street, where they 
occupied small quarters, having space in a room on the third floor. Later they secured two 
rooms and in January, 1916, occupied the entire building, but the continued growth of their 
undertaking led to the erection of a new building on East Aurora street, one hundred 
and twenty by one hundred and ninety feet with an addition thirty by forty feet. The 
building is of mill construction and its equipment is thoroughly modern. It is supplied 
with sprinkler system and equipped with electric power and the company largely maiui- 
factures goods of its own invention and development, employment being now furnished 
to from sixty to seventy-five operatives. Since Mr. Gray became an active factor in the 
control of the undertaking the business has steadily grown. 

On the 13th of November. 1879. Mr. Gray was united in marriage to ]\Iiss Ella M. Wilffus. 



24 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

a native of Ohio, and they liave a daughter, Clara, who is the Avife of Clark Lewis, who 
is with the Warren L. Hall Company. In politics Mr. Gray is a democrat and while living 
upon the farm held several local offices. He belongs to the Pequot Club, fraternally is 
associated with the Modern Woodmen of America and in religious faith is connected with 
the Methodist chvu'ch 



REV. EDWARD J. BRENNAN. 

Rev. Edward J. Brennan, pastor of St. Margaret's Roman Catholic church of Water- 
bury, was born in Xew Haven, Septembef -28, 1867, a son of Michael and Margarfet (Quinn) 
Brennan, who were natives of Ireland. The former was born in County Sligo and passed 
away in 1878. Tlie latter was born in County Clare and long survived her husband, 
departing this life in 1908. Mr. ^ftrennan came to the United States in 1852 and in 1858 
wedded Margaret Quinn, who had crossed the Atlantic in 1854. In their family were 
seven children, two sons and five daughters, of whom five are yet living: Annie, a 
resident of New Haven; Mary of Waterbury; Hannah, also living in jSTew Haven; Michael 
F., of New Haven, and Edward J. Winifred died Jime 8, 1917. Nellie, the wife of 
William Killian of New Haven, died in 1885. 

Rev. Brennan completed his high school course st New Haven in 1883 and in September 
of that year entered St. Charles College near Baltimore, Maryland, where he spent six 
years in the study of the classics, being there graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree 
in 18S9. He afterward spent five years and a half in St. Mary's Seminary of Baltimore, 
where he studied philosophy and theology, winning the degrees of A. M. and S. T. B. On 
the 23d of December, 1894, he was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal James Gibbons 
in Baltimore and was assigned to the position of assistant priest at St. Francis Roman 
Catholic church in Torrington, Connecticut, where he continued for six years. From 1901 
imtil 1909 he was a chaplain in the United States navy but resigned that position in 
the latter year and has since been pastor of St. Margaret's church, being the first and 
only resident priest who has officiated in this parish. The property of the parish includes 
in addition to the church edifice a splendid rectory and a school, and all have been erected 
during the past seven years, the church having been built in 1910, the rectory in 1911 and 
the school in 1915. The property holdings of the parish represent an investment of one 
hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The church is situated on Willow and Ludlow streets 
and all the property is the visible evidence of the efi"orts and devotion of Father Brennan, 
who has been most earnest and faithful in his labors here. In periods of vacation he has 
twice visited Europe and in Rome met both Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius X. 



FRANK W. EATON. 



Frank W. Eaton, a Harvard man who has figured prominently in educational circles 
since 1895 and has been superintendent of the schools of Naugatuck since 1900, was born in 
Natick, Massachusetts in 1871, a son of Simon K. and Sophia (Stewart) Eaton, both of 
whom were natives of Nova Scotia. They became residents of Massachusetts in 1870 and the 
father engaged in business as a harness dealer. 

Frank W. Eaton acquired a public school education and afterward entered 
Harvard, pursuing a classical course which he completed in 1894, winning the Bachelor 
of Arts degree. He afterward pursued one year's post graduate work at Harvard 
and received the Master of Arts degree in 1895. He then became principal of 
the Wallingford (Conn.) high school in September of that year and there remained 
until January, 1899, when he accepted the position of principal of the high school 
of N^augatuck. In June of the following year he was made superintendent of the 
Naugatuck schools and has since continued in that position, his service being thor- 
oughly efficient in the upbuilding and promotion of the schools and in the improvement of 
the educational system here followed. He has inspired teachers and pupils under him 
with much of his own zeal and interest in the work and he holds to the highest educational 
standards. Much advancement has been made during his superintendency and the schools 
have grown very materially. Three new school buildings have been added and two others 
have been enlarged, 

In June, 1896, Mr. Eaton was married to Miss Amy Hardy, of Natick, Massachusetts, 



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REV. EDWARD J. BRENNAN 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 27 

and they have one child, Margaret, born in 1901. Mr. Eaton is a member of Shepherds 
Lodge, No. 78 F. & A. M. He attends the Congregational church and has served as a director 
of the Young" Men's Christian Association for many years. In a word he is interested in 
all that pertains to the intellectual and moral progress of the individual and in all of those 
uplifting forces which make for character development. In his educational work he is ever 
striving to make the activities of the schoolroom a thorough preparation for life's duties and 
responsibilities, being in thorovigh accord with President Eliot, who said: "What is needed 
is continuous education which lasts all through life." 



LOUIS E. FITZSIMONS. 



Louis E. Fitzsimons, Avho passed away August 22, 1917. was long well known as a 
leading business man of Waterbury, and metal manufacturing in the city found in him a 
worthy representative. He was the president and treasurer of the Novelty Manufacturing 
Company and from the time when he became an officer of the company in July, 1892, he 
bent his energies to administrative direction and executive control of the business, which 
under his guidance steadily grew and developed. A native son of Waterbury, he was 
born October 9, 1868. His great-great-great-grandfather Hubert Fitzsimons, was a soldier 
of the English army and won distinction in the Napoleonic wars in service under the Duke 
of Wellington. His grandfather, Thomas Fitzsimons, brought the family to the United 
States about 1847 and located in Waterbury, where he passed away. His son, Thomas 
Fitzsimons, born in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, April 3, 1838, started out in the 
business world when a little lad of but twelve years as an employe of the firm of Steele 
& Johnson, there continuing until 1869. He afterward became assistant superintendent of 
the City Button Works of Newark, New Jersey, and later was advanced to the position 
of superintendent. He returned to Waterbury, however, in 1872 to organize the Novelty 
Manufacturing Company, a small factory being opened at No. 125 Maple street, the first 
officers being William H. Blake, president; Thomas Fitzsimons, Sr., secretary; and Edwin 
H. Putnam, treasurer. Mr. Fitzsimons served as treasurer from 1886 until 1889 and the 
following year he purchased the interest of Mr. Putnam and became president as well 
as treasurer. The business passed into the possession of the Fitzsimons family entii*ely 
in 1892, at which time Louis E. Fitzsimons became secretary. Thomas Fitzsimons, his 
grandfather, died in 1911 and Thomas Fitzsimons, the father, served as president from 1910 
until his death in October, 1912. During that period Louis E. Fitzsimons was secretary and 
treasurer. With the purchase of the interest of Thomas Fitzsimons by C. L. Holmes, new 
officers were chosen. Louis E. Fitzsimons becoming president and treasurer January 23, 
1913, with C. L. Holmes as vice president and 0. H. Gage secretary. 

Thomas Fitzsimons was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Amaryllis Essex, of Danielson, 
Connecticut, and they became the parents of six children: Joseph, of San Antonio, Texas; 
Louis E.; Mary Louise, the wife of Emery Gilsort, of Schenectady, New York; Oscar, of 
W^oodbury; Grace, who died in 1905; and Alice, who died in infancy. 

Louis E. Fitzsimons pursued his education in the Waterbury public schools and in 
Miss Mary Abbott's private school. Following his graduation from the high school he 
entered into business connections with his father in 1888 and, as previously stated, was 
called to official service in July, 1892, when he became secretary of the company. He 
succeeded his father in the presidency and until his death remained the chief executive 
head of a business which has become an important element in the manufacturing interests 
of Waterbury. He was also a director of the Waterbury Trust Company. 

In 1892 Mr. Fitzsimons was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Ensign, a native of 
Morris, Connecticut, and a daughter of William and Julia A. Ensign. Mr. Fitzsimons 
was a member of the Second Congregational church, to which his widow yet belongs, 
and he was identified with the Ecclesiastical Society of that church. He also held men;iber- 
' ship in the Young ]\Ien's Christian Association and was on the site committee for the new 
Association building. For four years he served on the board of charities and at all times took 
an active and helpful part in promoting those interests whieh ameliorate the hard condi- 
tions of life for the unfortunate and all the activities which work for the uplift of the 
individual and the betterment of the community. In politics he Avas a republican and, not 
unmindful of the duties and obligations of citizenship, he served for four years on the 
board of aldermen from the third ward. Fraternally he was connected with the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows as a member of Nosahogan Lodge. A prominent representative of the 
Chamber of Commerce, he served as one of its directors and was a trustee of its perraa- 
voi. ni— 2 



28 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

nent fund. He belonged to the Waterbury and the Waterbury Country Clubs and was well 
known on most of the golf links and on the motor routes, which he visited from motives 
of pleasure and health seeking. He was a good player on the links and in his younger 
days was an athlete of power and skill in gymnasium work. A lifelong resident of Water- 
bury, he was widely known, and that his career was ever an honorable and upright one 
is indicated in the high regard which was so uniformly accorded him. One of the local papers 
said of him: "He was a hard worker and was good at play when he took a holiday. He 
was a loyal citizen, a faithful friend and kind neighbor. Those who knew him in busi- 
ness, worked with him in politics, or were associated with him in club and social life, 
will miss him and regret the end of fellowship with his friendly nature." The board of 
directors of the Novelty Manufacturing Company passed the following resolutions: 

"Resolved: That the board of directors of the Novelty Manufacturing Company hereby 
wish to write into the records of the corporation an appreciation of the deep and lasting loss 
occasioned by the death of our beloved president. It would be inadequate and unfit 
for us to attempt to here define the sense of loss sustained by the corporation by the removal 
of the officer, who has, by his wise administration, so completely written his own history 
into all the affairs of the Novelty Manufacturing Company. But we consider it a great 
privilege to speak here of those qualities of mind and heart which endeared him to us. As 
chairman of this board, as a friend, as a companion and as a citizen, each in its own way 
he was unfailing in courtesy, kindliness, thoughtfulness, loyalty and interest in the affairs of 
others. He was truly modest, being singularly free from any desire for approbation, but 
he was very keen to wish his friends to receive due credit for their best endeavors. 

"To his widow, Mrs. Fitzsimons, we offer our heartfelt sympathy with the hope that 
these sincere words may find a permanent place in the valuable memories of her beloved 
husband." 



WILLIAM E. HUNT. 



William E. Hunt, an architect of Torrington, where many fine buildings stand as 
monuments to his skill and ability along professional lines, was born in Florence, a suburb 
of Northampton, Massachusetts, April 14, 1873. His father, James H. Hunt, was a black- 
smith by trade and in later years became a machinist. In 1886 he established his home 
in Connecticut, spending his remaining days in Waterbury. He was born in Cummington, 
Massachusetts, in September, 1847, and his life record covered the intervening years to the 
24th of December, 1910, at which time he had reached the age of sixty-three. His wife, 
who bore the maiden name of Mary Elizabeth Tower, was born in Cummington, Massa- 
chusetts, August 10, 1846, and still survives, making her home in Torrington, Connecticut 
Williain E. Hunt is their only living child. In both the paternal and maternal lines he 
comes of Revolutionary war ancestry. His mother belongs to the distinguished Tower 
family of New England that has furnished many prominent men to the country, including 
Charlemagne Tower. 

William E. Hunt was a lad of thirteen years when the family removed to Waterbury, 
Connecticut, where he attended the high school and also a private school, pursuing a prepara- 
tory course. At sixteen years of age he began the study of arcliitecture under D. H. 
Meloy, a well known architect of Waterbury, with whom he served a four years' appren- 
ticeship. While his course under Mr. Meloy was most thorough lie afterward, in order to 
promote his knowledge to a still higher point, completed a full course in architecture and 
designing in Columbia University of New York city. When twenty years of age he went 
to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he was employed for a year by A. B. and D. H. Tower, 
a prominent firm of architects, inventors and engineers, who employed a large office force of 
thirty-five men. The members of the firm were cousins of his mother. In 1895 he returned 
to Waterbury and became associated with Wilfred E. Griggs, an architect with whom he 
continued for five years, becoming his partner in 1900, under the firm name of Griggs & 
Hvmt. This association was maintained until 1914, when Mr. Hunt sold his interest in 
the business to his partner and removed to Torrington to become consulting architect 
for the Torrington Building Company, the largest firm of building contractors in Torrington 
and one of the foremost firms of the state. This firm erects large structures, such as 
office buildings, public buildings, school buildings, etc., throughout Connecticut and the New 
England states. Mr. Hunt is in the employ of this firm at a. liandsonie salary and in addi- 
tion he carries on his professional labors independently. He does all the designing for the 
Torrington Building Company and during his present connection he has made tlie designs 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 29 

for the New Wetinore school, also the Riverside school of Torrington and a number of 
other prominent buildings. While a member of the firm of Griggs & Hunt his firm 
designed many of the best buildings in Waterbury, including the Hotel Elton, the Lilley 
building, the Waterbury courthouse, the Reid and Hughes building and many others, 
together with some of the leading factories of that city. Evidences of his skill and handi- 
work are also found in various Massachusetts cities and in Nova Scotia. He is a member 
of the American Institute of Architects and of its Connecticut chapter is a past president. 

In his fraternal relations ^Ir. Hunt is an Elk. while politically he is a republican. 
He keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but he does not seek nor 
desire public office, preferring to concentrate his energies vipon his professional interests, 
and step by step he has advanced to a most creditable place in professional ranks. He 
attends the Congregational church and he is identified with various prominent clubs, includ- 
ing the Automobile. Waterbury, Elks and Waterbury Country Clubs. He was for three 
years a director of the Connecticut State Automobile Association. 

On the 11th of October, 1899, Mr. Hunt was united in marriage to Miss Anna Bradley 
Warner, of Watertown. Connecticut. His professional and social activities have made him 
widely known and liis salient characteristics are such as make for personal popularity. 



WILLIAM E. KENNEDY. 



William E. Kennedy, superintendent of streets and sewers at Waterbury, was born 
September 10, 1875, in the city Avhere he still resides, and is tlie eldest son of Matthew 
and Nora (O'Brien) Kennedy, both of whom were natives of County Tipperary, Ireland, 
but became acquainted after arriving in Waterbury. The father, wlio was a coal merchant, 
died about twenty years ago, but the mother is still living. 

William E. Kennedy is the eldest of the five living children of the family, the other 
four being: Josepli, now principal of tlie Waterbury liigli school; Mrs. Margaret Joyce, 
of Passaic. New Jersey; Sadie; and Henry. After acquiring a high school education in 
Waterbury. William E. Kennedy entered Mount St. Mary's College at Emmitsburg, Mary- 
land, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in June, 1897. Two 
years afterward his alma mater conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. In the 
fall of 1897 he entered the Catholic University of WashiTigton. D. C, where he spent 
tliree years in pursuing an electrical engineering course, which he completed by graduation 
with the E. E. degree in June, 1900. He was employed for a year by the Edison Company 
of New York city and subsequently spent one year with the Waterbury Clock Company 
and two years with the Waterbury Battery Company. In 1902 he entered the service 
of the city of Waterbury as a clerk in the office of the superintendent of the water depart- 
ment and there continued luitil 1906, when he was advanced to the superintendency and 
occupied that position for four years. He later spent two years as traveling representative 
of the Gamon Meter Company of Newark, New Jersey, and since January, 1912, he has 
been superintendent of streets and sewers of Waterbury. having been appointed by the 
board of public works and reappointed at the close of his first term of two years. 

Mr. Kennedy is a member of St. Patrick's Catholic church. His political allegiance is 
given to the democratic party and fraternally he is connected with the Elks and with the 
Woodmen of the World. His business experience and college training have Avell qualified 
him for the work in which he is now engaged. 



FRED L. GARRIGUES. 



Fred L. Garrigues. treasurer of the Standard Engineering Company, through the steps 
of an orderly progression in business connections reached his present position. He is an 
alumnus of Maine University, there having received his technical training. He was born in 
Waterbury, September 26, 1878, a son of Lewis and Eunice (Walton) Garrigues, who were 
natives of Morristown. New -lersey, and of Waterbury respectively, the latter being a 
representative in the ninth generation of one of the oldest American families. Lewis 
Garrigues was a wood worker and designer of wood- working machinery and also engaged 
in the irianufacture of musical instruments. He passed away in the year 1907 but his 
widow still survives. 

After completing a high school course in Waterbury. Fred L. Garrigues entered the 



30 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

University of Maine, where he pursued the study of electrical engineering and was gradu- 
ated with the class of 1899. He entered the employ of the telephone company, spending 
about eleven years in that connection, his time being divided between Waterbury and 
New York. He was afterward witli the Standard Electric Time Company and in 1909 
he organized the Standard Engineering Company, Avhich was incorporated in 1911, with 
Mr. Garrigues as the president and Ernest E. Kilburn secretary and treasurer. The present 
officers are: George L. Riggs. president; Francis T. Reeves, secretary; and F. L. Garrigues, 
treasurer. Their plant is located on Center street, where they engage in the electrical 
construction and supply business, specializing in furnishing power and electrical equip- 
ment for factories. They employ about forty people. The business has steadily grown 
during the eight years of its existence and has long since become one of the profitable 
industries of the city. 

In 1905 Mr. Garrigues was married to Miss Sarah W. Hayward, of Waterbury, a 
daughter of Edwin E. Hayward, and they new have one child. Eunice Welton. Mr. Gar- 
rigues exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican 
party. He belongs to the Rotary Club, is a representative of the Masonic and Odd Fellows 
lodges and has membership in St. John's Episcopal church, in which he served for three 
years as vestryman, retiring from that position at Easter in 1917. He is interested in all 
those forces which Avork for righteousness and truth and his life has ever been guided by 
the most admirable principles. 



FREMONT W. TOLLES. 



Fremont W. Tolles, president of the Naugatuck National Bank, has been identified with 
this institution since its organization more than a third of a century ago and from the begin- 
ning has been one of its officers. He was born in Bethany, Connecticut, September 5, 
1849. a son of Isaac B. and Maria W. (Buckingham) Tolles, who removed to Naugatuck 
in 1851. The father was a merchant here for many years. The officers of the bank at 
present are in addition to Mr. Tolles: H. B. Tuttle, vice president; A. H. Dayton, cashier; 
G. M. Rumney and B. A. Wilmot, assistant cashiers; and II. V. Parker, teller. 



GEORGE WEIGOLD. 



George Weigold, as proprietor of the Torrington Oieamery, is at the head of the leading 
business of its kind in Torrington and is conducting an enterprise which is second to 
none of the kind in the Naugatuck valley. His trade embraces probably one-half af the 
patronage in his line in Torrington. This enterprise he has developed from a small 
beginning and his close application, progressive methods and unfaltering diligence have been 
the means of winning for him the substantial success which he now enjoys. He was born 
in Torrington, May 7, 1871, a son of Andrew and Catharine (Stumpf ) Weigold, both of 
whom were natives of Germany. They came, however, to America when young people, 
first became acquainted in Connecticut and were married in this state. About 1860 they 
removed to Torrington, where their remaining days were passed, the father devoting 
his attention to the development and improvement of a farm in the town of Torrington. 
He passed away in 1889, while his wife died in 1907. They were the parents of five 
children, of whom George is the youngest. The others are: Mrs. Mary Peck, of Tor- 
rington, Connecticut; Mrs. Delphine Elmore, who makes her home in Ilion, New York; 
Louis C, a resident of New Lebanon, New Y'ork; and Andre v,', of Winsted, Connecticut. 

George Weigold has spent his entire life in Torrington and is indebted to its public 
school system for his educational opportunities. He left the high school at the age of 
sixteen years to enter business. He had. been reared on his father's farm near Tor- 
rington and there remained until he reached the age of twenty- five, for following his 
father's death in 1889 he took charge of the farm, which he operated for his mother for a 
number of years. While thus engaged he turned his attention to the milk business in a 
small way but soon built up a good trade, so that after a short time he ceased to engage 
in general farming, sold his herd of Guernsey cows and concentrated his attention upon 
his milk routes and the demands of his customers. He purchased milk from the farmers 
in the vicinity of Torrington and steadily his business increased, for his patrons foiuid him 
thoroughly reliable not only in the quality of milk which he carried but in the business 




GEORGE WEIGOLD 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 33 

methods which he pursued. He lias since continued in tlie creamery business and his milk 
routes now embrace perhaps more than one-half of the city of Torrington. He handles 
six thousand quarts of milk per day and in the conduct of his business he employs four 
motor trucks and a number of horse-drawn wagons. He has developed a large Avholesale 
trade, shipping both milk and ice cream to various cities and towns of the Naugatuck 
valley from Winsted to Derby. About 1902 he purchased the Torrington Creamery on 
Riverside avenue, which was then manufacturing a small quantity of butter per day — 
from four hundred to five hundred pounds. Mr. Weigold still makes about the same 
amount of butter but has greatly increased the business of the creamery by the develop- 
ment of a large ice cream trade and now makes and sells both at wholesale and retail, 
handling from two hundred to three hundred gallons of ice cream per day. The Tor- 
rington Creamery is thoroughly modern and up-to-date in every respect. It is fully 
equipped with the latest improved machinery for pasteurizing and clarifying the milk. 
There is a complete cold storage plant, with its refrigerating machinery recently installed 
at a cost of many thousands of dollars and all of the most modern type. Its cooling 
equipment and its machinery and apparatus for the making of ice cream, which is now its 
chief line, are also modern and complete to the smallest detail. The plant is fully sup- 
plied Avith machinery for washing, steaming, cleaning and rinsing, and the milk delivered 
to the customers of the Torrington Creamery is as pure as it can be made, having first been 
pasteurized and clarified. This kills possible germs and removes all natural impurities. 
]Mr. Weigold has built up a most enviable reputation through the manufacture of ice 
cream of the highest quality and such is the excellence of the output that his patronage 
has steadily increased and his sales often reach three hundred gallons per day. 

Mr. Weigold has been married twice. In 1889 he wedded Kitty Northrup, who died 
in 1890, leaving a son who was then an infant of but a week old. This was Artlmr 
Weigold, who was born December 2S, 1890, and is now in partnership with his father. 
In 1895 Mr. Weigold wedded Miss May Northrup, the younger sister of his first wdfe, 
and there is one daughter of this marriage, Katharine, who was born March 17, 1899, and 
is now a young lady of eighteen years employed in her father's office. The son, Arthur 
(4eorge Weigold, now twenty-seven years of age, is a splendid specimen of physical man- 
hood, being six feet and two inches in height and w'eighing tv/o hundred and ten pounds. 
He was married May 14, 1912, to Miss Heppie Miles, of Goshen, Connecticut, and they 
have become parents of three children: George Woodrow, born March 4, 1913; Bernice 
Virginia, born September 17, 1914; and Hildreth Alma, born August 13, 1916. 

Not by leaps and bounds but by steady progression has Mr. Weigold reached the 
prominent position which he occupies in the business circles of Torrington. His efforts 
have been always wisely directed and with close study of business conditions he has made 
steady advancement. He is a member of the First Congregational church and is well 
known as a Master Mason and as an Elk, being most loyal to the teachings of these organi- 
zations, so that he enjoys in fullest measure the regard of his brethren of the fraternities. 



THOMAS M. FRENEY. 



Thomas M. Freney, an architect who since the fall of 1900 has practiced his profession 
in Waterbury, Avhere he has won many clients, was born in this city in 1866, a son of 
James and Mary (Allman) Freney, who were natives of Massachusetts and of Ireland 
respectively. In the paternal line he also comes of Irish lineage, for his grandfather, 
James Freney, Sr., was a native of the Emerald isle. Having crossed the Atlantic to the 
new Avorld, he settled at Deerfield, Massachusetts, in 1835 and there took up the occupa- 
tion of farming. His son James was a railroad man and is now deceased. His widow, 
however, yet resides in Waterbury. 

After becoming a high school pupil in Waterbury, Thomas M. Freney started out in 
the business Avorld with the firm of Gaffney & Martin, contractors, with whom he remained 
for ten years. Desirous of further technical training along the line in which he was 
directing his energies, he then entered the Drexel Institute of Architecture in Philadelphia, 
from which he Avas graduated in 1900. In the fall of that year he opened an office in 
Waterbury and in March, 1902, he was joined by Fred Jackson, Avho, however, is not active 
in the firm. ]\Ir. Freney does architectural work of all kinds. He has been employed 
in his professional capacity for the Russell school and rebuilt the Mulcahy school. He 
also erected an eight room addition to the Maloney school and made the plans for and 
supervised the construction of the Sprague school of Waterville, the Bunker Hill sciiool. 



34 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

the Mary Abbott school, the Begnal school and the new high school building of Waterbury, 
which was erected at a cost of six hundred thousand dollars. He was the architect of the 
Kilbride, Bolan and Alma apartments and of many residences and business blocks, also 
of the J. E. Smith Company mill and the Alhambra theatre. There has been constant 
demand made upon him for professional activity and his long experience and technical 
training have placed him in the foremost ranks of the architects of the city. Mr. Freney 
is an Elk and his political allegiance is given to the democratic party, but he has neither 
time nor inclination for public office, his attention being fully occupied with his professional 
activities. 



REV. FRANCIS J. LALLY. 



Rev. Francis J. Lally, pastor of St. Thomas Roman Catholic church, situated at the 
corner of Crown and Beacon streets in Waterbury, entered the priesthood in 1886 and 
has since devoted his attention to the work of his holy calling in Connecticut. He was 
born in Stratford, this state, June 10, 1862, a son of John and Ann (Lynch) Lally, both 
of whom were natives of Ireland. The parents were married in Stratford in 1861. The 
father was a landscape gardener and thus provided for the support of his family of nine 
children, eight sons and a daughter, all of whom are yet living. The mother passed 
away, however, on the 12th of June, 1914, while the death of the father occurred August 5, 
1915. 

Rev. Lally was the eldest of their family. He was graduated from the high school at 
Bridgeport in 1878 and in further pursuit of his education attended the St. Bonaventure 
College at Allegany, New York, for four years. He was there graduated Avith the Bachelor 
of Arts degree in 1882 and later spent four years in St. Bonaventure's Seminary, con- 
ducted by the Franciscan fathers at Allegany. There he studied philosophy and theology 
in preparation for the priesthood and took holy orders in 1886, being ordained at Hartford 
by Bishop McMahon. He served as assistant priest at St. Mary's church in East Hartford 
for seven years and for seven years was assistant at St. Peter's in Hartford. In 1900 
he was appointed priest of St. Joseph's church in Windsor, Connecticut, where he remained 
for eleven years, and since 1911 he has been continuously pastor of St. Thomas church, 
doing faithful work for his parish in the promotion of its material and spiritual interests. 



JOHN E. TACKABERRY. 



Jolin E. Tackaberry, assistant secretary and treasurer of the Williams Sealing 
Corporation of Waterbury, has been interested in the manufacture of the bottle cap known as 
Kork-N-Seal from the inception of the business. He was a college chum and friend of 
George A. Williams, the inventor of the cap, and was the first man to whom Mr. Williams 
mentioned the sealing device. He was born in New York citj% July 4, 1876, a son of 
John A. and Jane (Halsted) Tackaberry, His paternal and maternal families, Tiemann, 
Halsted, Coutant and Van Dyne were all colonial settlers in New York city. His father 
was vice president and general manager of the John Stephenson Car Company and was 
the inventor of most of the features of the modern street car. 

John A. Tackaberry of this review acquired a public school education in New York 
and afterward attended the Wilbraham Academy of Massachusetts. He was graduated 
from the Wesleyan LTniversity in 1899 and afterward spent two years in the employ of the 
Western Electric Company of New York. He then learned the business of systematizing 
with Hev/itt & Hahn of New York and afterward was with Hewitt & McCall. In 190!) 
tlie firm became Hewitt & Tackaberry, business systematizers. Both the partners traveled 
extensively over the central west, installing business systems for sucli firms as the Curtis 
Publishing Company, the National Cash Register Company, the H. J. Heinz Company and 
many others. Mr. Tackaberry continued in that line until 1914. when he became associated 
with the Williams Sealing Corporation of Waterbury as assistant secretary and treasurer. 
He was with Mr. Williams on a boating trip on the Hudson Avhen the latter cut his hand 
in trying to open a bottle of ginger ale. Mr. Williams began the study of some method 
to cap bottles where such an accident would be prevented and mentioned the subject to 
Mr. Tackaberry. Evolving his plan. Mi. Williams interested various well known business 
men in the undertaking and was joiiied by his friend, Mr. Tackaberry. Tlie latter has 




RE^'. FRANCIS J. LALLY 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 37 

since been an active factor in the Williams Sealing Corporation, which is engaged in the 
manufacture of bottle caps and in the manufacture of automatic machines for applying these 
caps. The business has steadily grown until the employes of the company now number 
one hundred and twenty-five. 

In politics ]Mr. Tackaberry is connected with the progressive wing of the republican 
party and is a strong Roosevelt man. Mr. Tackaberry is a member of the Masonic 
fraternity, of the Psi Upsilon fraternity, of the Psi Upsilon Club of New York and of 
the Waterbury Country Club. 



FRED H. POTTER. 



Rapid development and almost revolutionary changes in business methods have led to 
the establishment of many new lines of activity. One of these is the manufacture of 
rubber tires and even this business has undergone a marked change since the first solid 
rubber tires were placed upon horse-drawn vehicles. Today the automobile has practically 
supplanted the horse for commercial as well as pleasure uses and there has been built 
up a mammoth industry in connection with the manufacture and sale of motor car tires. 
It is in this field that Fred H. Potter, of Waterbury, is found as secretary of the Todd 
Rubber Company, A^hich lias its head office in New Haven and which established a branch in 
Waterbury in April. 1912. He was born in New Haven in 1885, a son of Frederick L. and 
Caroline S. Potter. After obtaining a public school education he learned the toolmaker's 
trade and was employed for a time by the Peerless Motor Car Company of Cleveland, Ohio. 
He was afterward with Julian F. Dennison for more than a year in experimental work on 
gasoline engines. At one time he Avas connected with the W. & E. T. Fitch Company 
of New Haven, manufacturers of saddlery hardware, and it was after this that he became 
connected with Mr. Dennison. For a period he was with the Buick agency of New Haven 
and in 1912 he became connected with the Todd Rubber Company, opening the Waterbury 
branch of the business. He has been more or less closely connected with the automobile 
industry for a decade or more. He is now secretary of the Todd Rubber Company, which 
established business in W^aterbury at No. 27 Abbott avenue, but removed to No. 150 
Grand street in .January, 1916. The company handles automobile tires and accessories and 
does vulcanizing. They are the exclusive Connecticut agents foi- the Kelley Springfield 
tires. They handle a general line of rubber goods, shoes, footwear and garden hose, as 
well as automobile accessories of all kinds, and they have a splendidly equipped vulcanizing 
shop, in which they employ five people. 

On the 4th of August, 1911, Mr. Potter was married to Miss Helen Johnson of New 
Haven, Connecticut, and they have one child, Florence. Mr. Potter has attained high rank 
in Masonr}', having become a Knight Templar, a thirty-second degree Consistory Mason 
and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He also has membership with the Rotary Club and the 
United Commercial Travelers, while in politics he maintains an independent course, voting 
for men and measures rather than for party. 



HARRY KINGSLEY HINE. M. D. 

Dr. Harry Kingsley Hine is well known as one of the younger representatives of the 
medical profession in Waterbury, where he has practiced since 1909. He was born in 
Bristol. Connecticut, July 22, 1884, and is the only child of Frank Hobart and Louise 
(Saul) Hine. The father, a clockmaker by trade, was born at Harwinton, Connecticut, 
July 9, 1855, and died at Thomaston, February 10, 1911. His widow still survives and 
is living at New Haven. In the paternal line Dr. Hine comes of English ancestry, while 
on his mother's side he is of German descent. The Hine family is a most ancient one in 
Connecticut and was represented in the Revolutionary war. Numerous members of the 
family are residing at Milford. 

Dr. Hine attended the public and high schools of Thomaston and also pursued his 
studies under a private tutor. He thus qualified for his professional course, which was 
pursiied in the Maryland Medical College of Baltimore, where he was graduated on the 
2d of June, 1908, winning the M. D. degree. He then spent one year in the Franklin 
Square Hospital of Baltimore, gaining broad, varied and valuable experience such as hospi- 
tal service brings. He was thus well qualified to enter upon the private practice of medi- 



38 WATEEBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

cine and surgery when in 1909 he came to Waterbury and opened an office. He has a 
large practice and enjoys the high regard of his professional brethren and of the general 
public. 

In 1908 Dr. Hine was married to Miss Rhoda Mae Mance of Albany, New York. He is 
a Master Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias. His political endorsement 
is given the republican party and his religious faith is that of the Trinity Episcopal 
church. He belongs to the New Haven County and Connecticut State Medical Societies 
and the American Medical Association and by reason of wide study, close application and 
conscientious performance of professional duties he has come to rank with the successful 
physicians of Waterbury. 



WILLIAM B. WATERMAN. 



William B. Waterman, secretary of the Torrington Bviilding Company, has through the 
steps of an orderly progression reached his present enviable and commendable position in 
connection with the building operations of Torrington and of New England. He was 
born September 20, 1880, in the city where he still makes his home, and is the only son 
and now the only living child of Charles and Sarah (Barber) Waterman. The father, now 
deceased, was a machinist by trade and was with the Hendey Machine Company for several 
years prior to his death, which occurred in 1892. His widow is still a resident of Tor- 
rington. 

William B. Waterman has lived in Torrington throughout his entire life and in its 
public schools received his education, putting aside his textbooks, however, at the age 
of sixteen years in order to enter the office of the Coe Brass Company. He there re- 
mained for seven years, filling various positions in the office, but at length resigned in 
1904. He was then employed in other ways for a brief period, after which he entered the 
office of the Torrington Building Company in the capacity of bookkeeper and general 
helper. Later he became one of the stockholders of the company and still later was 
elected a director. This was followed by his election to the position of secretary, in 
which he is now serving. The company operates extensively throughout New England 
and also in New York and New Jersey in heavy construction work in stone, brick and 
steel. They have executed many large and important contracts and their ability has 
placed them in the front rank among the builders of this section of the country. 

On the 20th of April, 1908, Mr. Waterman was united in marriage to Miss Lola Senior, 
of Torrington, and they have one daughter, Barbara, born December 20, 1911. Mr. 
Waterman is a member of the Episcopal church and also has membership with the 
Masons, the Elks and the Odd Fellows, exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit upon 
which these orders have been founded. Diligence and determination may be counted the 
keystone of his character. Since starting out for himself at the age of sixteen years he 
has fully realized that advancement, if honorable, must depend upon persistent eflfort in- 
telligently directed and supplemented by faithfulness in every responsibility. Along 
these lines he has advanced step by step and today is one of the officers of a leading com- 
pany of Torrington that today is well known throughout this section of the country. 



STEPHEN T. CRANE. 



Stephen T. Crane, secretary of the Filley & Crane Company, conducting a furniture and 
undertaking business in Waterbury, was born in Woodbury, Connecticut, September 15, 
1872, a son of George Piatt and Susan C. (Root) Crane, the father a native of New Mil- 
ford and the mother of Woodbury. He was a farmer and- stock dealer and both he and his 
wife have now passed away. 

Reared at the place of his nativity, Stephen T. Crane there completed his education 
with a high school course and started in the business world in the office of a hat manu- 
facturer in Bethel, Connecticut. He came to Waterbury in 1895 and was employed by 
the Steele & Johnson Manufacturing Company until 1902. In that year he became con- 
nected with the furniture house of J. M. Burrall & Company and in 1908, in association 
with Homer G. Filley, purchased the Burrall interests in the business, which they reorganized 
under the present firm style, Mr. Filley becoming president and Mr. Crane secretary of 
the company. Theirs is the oldest business in Waterbury continuously occupying one 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 39 

building and is one of the oldest retail establishments of Connecticut. They carry a large 
and attractive line of furniture and have won a liberal patronage, ever recognizing the fact 
that satisfied patrons are the best advertisement. 

On the 14th of September, 1905, Mr. Crane was married to Miss Sara M. Curtis, of 
Woodbury, a daughter of Edward J. Curtis. They lost their firstborn, Edward, in infancy. 
They now have a son, Homer Curtis, eight years of age. They are members of the 
Second Congregational church and Mr. Crane belongs also to the Masonic and Odd Fellows 
lodges and to the Country Club. His political endorsement is given to the republican 
party. He is classed with that vast number of substantial citizens who have not been 
favored by the influences of birth or fortune, but as self-made men have developed this 
great America, each doing his share for her civic and material upbuilding. 



CHARLES HOTCHKISS. 



For more than three-fourths of a century the Hotchkiss family has figured promi- 
nently in connection with the development of Torrington. Charles Hotchkiss, a son of 
Dyer Hotchkiss, of Naugatuck, was born February 23, 1811, and arrived in Torrington in 
June, 1841. He purchased water privileges, erected a sawmill and two dwelling houses 
at the place known for many years as Hotchkiss Mill and more recently as Drake's Mill, 
about two miles north of Torrington Hollow, and was there actively identified with busi- 
ness interests. In 1851 he removed to Wolcottville and in 1857 sold the mill property above 
Torrington Hollow and purchased the old Wilson Mill property in the village, establishing 
what is now the plant of the Hotchkiss Brothers Company. During that time a large pro- 
portion of the buildings in Wolcottville were erected by Charles Hotchkiss and the firm 
with which he was connected. He was a very sabstantial citizen, an enterprising busi- 
ness man and one who at all times commanded and received the respect and confidence of 
his fellowmen. For sixteen years he was a deacon in the Congregational church and was 
ever one of its most consistent and faithful members. He married Electa Susannah Brace, 
a daughter of Harlan Brace, the wedding being celebrated in February, 1833. They 
became the parents of seven children : Edward C, who died September 5, 1903 ; Lucia E., 
who was born November 25, 1835, and became the wife of Henry Wilmot, her death 
occurring February 28, 1863; Chauncey C, who was born in November, 1838, and died in 
1843; Henry E., who was born February 5, 1841, and died June 10, 1917; Albert G., who 
was born August 4, 1844, lived in New York and is deceased; Fidelia, who was born 
August 21, 1846, and on the 14th of June, 1868, became the wife of Hiram demons, by 
whom she had two children; and Eugene, who was born May 18, 1854, and died in Tor- 
rington. 

The death of Charles Hotchkiss occurred November 4, 1897, and his wife passed away 
September 3, 1884. He had been a very prominent and valued citizen and represented 
Torrington in the state legislature at one time. He was best known, however, perhaps 
through his business connections. When the business which he established began to increase 
he admitted his eldest son, Edward C. Hotchkiss, to a partnership and in 1867 Henry E. 
Hotchkiss was admitted to the firm under the style of Charles Hotchkiss & Sons, and 
when Charles Hotchkiss, the founder, retired in the early '80s the firm name was changed 
to Hotchkiss Brothers and so remained until 1887, when Edward H. Hotchkiss was given 
a share in the business and the firm became Hotchkiss Brothers & Company. It is today 
known as the Hotchkiss Brothers Company and remains as a monument to its founder 
and promoter. 



EDWARD C. HOTCHI^ISS. 



Edward C. Hotchkiss. who for many years was regarded as one of the ablest busi- 
ness men of Torrington, was the eldest son of Charles and Electa (Brace) Hotchkiss. 
He was born in Naugatuck, November 5, 1833, and came to Torrington with his parents in 
1841. Here he attended the public schools and afterward worked as a foreman under 
his father and was admitted to a partnership. He remained in active connection with the 
business throughout the remainder of his life, bending his energies to administrative 
direction and executive control. His thorough understanding of every feature of the busi- 



40 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

ness, his wise management, his keen sagacity and his quick discernment were features which 
made of the enterprise one of the most important business concerns of Torrington. 

On the 9th of April, 1856, Edward C. Hotchkiss was married to Miss Amelia Briggs, of 
Saratoga, New York, and to them were born three children: Edward H., who is mentioned 
elsewhere in this work; Minnie, the wife of Hon. C. H. Dougal, of Torrington; and Jose- 
phine, the wife of Harlow Pease. The wife and mother passed away in 1881, at the 
age of forty-seven years, and Mr. Hotchkiss afterward wedded Mrs. H. P. Fellows, of 
Torrington, a daughter of Emory Coe. 

In his political views Mr. Hotchkiss was a republican and he served for two years 
as selectman of Torrington. He was also a member of the state legislature from 1871 
until 1875 and gave careful consideration to all the vital questions which came up for 
settlement, casting the weight of his influence on the side of progress, reform and im- 
provement. He belonged to Seneca Lodge, No. 55, F. & A. M.; to Cyrus Chapter, R. A. M., 
of Torrington; to Clark Commandery. K. T., of Waterbury; to Pyramid Temple, 
A. A. 0. N. M. S., of Bridgeport; and thus connected with various branches of Masonry, he 
was a loyal follower of the craft. He attended the Congregational church and was ever 
interested in those plans and projects which worked for the welfare and upbuilding of city 
and state. He died September 5, 1903, mourned by all who knew him because of his up- 
right life and his many sterling traits of character. His was a retiring nature and he 
never sought to figure before the public in any relation save that of a business man and 
good citizen, but all who knew him honor his memory for what he accomplished. 



FRANCIS NEWMAN HOLLEY. 

Among those who were pioneers in promoting the industrial development and manu- 
facturing interests of Torrington was Francis Newman HoUey, who for many years was 
one of the owners and active in the management of the business conducted under the 
name of the Union Maiuifacturing Company. He was actuated in all that he did by a most 
progressive spirit that prompted his ready utilization of opportunities which others passed 
heedlessly by. Wliile many years have come and gone since he passed away, he left the 
impress of his individuality and ability in marked measure upon the history of Torring- 
ton during the nineteenth century and the worth of his work is yet acknowledged by all 
who knew aught of his history. 

Mr. Holley was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, May 13, 1807, a son of Newman and 
Sarah (Stiles) Holley and a grandson of Luther Holley of Lakeville. In 1837 he became 
a resident of Wolcottville, now Torrington, and was here connected with woolen mill 
manufacturing until the mill was destroyed by fire in 1844. In February, 1845, he be- 
came associated with John Hungerford in organizing the Union Manufacturing Company 
with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars, which was afterward increased to fifty thou- 
sand dollars. They purchased the brick building used as a finisliing house and the water 
privileges of the old woolen mill company, which had been organized in 1813 as Torring- 
ton's first manufacturing concern and continued in existence until 1844, when fire de- 
stroyed this initial effort at manufacturing jn Torrington. The enterprise had been 
financed for a time by Governor Oliver Wolcott, in whose honor the village of Wolcott- 
ville was named. The Union Manufacturing Company began the manufacture of doe skin 
cloths, in which they continued with great success, but in 1849 their mill was also burned 
to the ground. There were no fire insurance companies in those days and fire meant, 
therefore, a heavy loss, but the proprietors of the business, with unfaltering courage, 
planned the erection of a larger mill and William R. Slade became associated with Francis 
Holley as a stockholder. In 1856 again a disastrous fire leveled the plant to tlie ground. 
Undismayed and with great determination the managers immediately began the con- 
struction of a new and still larger plant and the business was carried on with marked 
energy and skill, a substantial measure of prosperity attending their efforts. In 1859 
Jesse B. Rose, Samuel Workman and Ransome Holley became stockholders in the under- 
taking, and for a time John Brown of historic fame was wool buyer for the company and 
was often entertained at the Holley home. Francis N. Holley continued in active connection 
with the business, contributing much to its success, until 1873, when he retired. He was 
also identified with other business enterprises of importance to the community. Jn 1848 he 
was associated with other prominent men of the valley in subscribing seventy-five thou- 
sand dollars to insure the sviccess of the Naugatuck Valley Railroad. In 1868 he became 
one of the organizers of the Wolcottville Savings Bank, of which he was made the presi- 




FRANCIS N. HOLLEY 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 43 

dent, foutiimino- to occupy that position until his death in 1878. At different periods he 
was called to various positions of public honor and trust and from 1844 until 1850 served 
as town clerk of Torrington. while in 1860 he represented Torrington in the general 
assembly of Connecticut. In the moral progress of the community he was also deeply and 
helpfully interested. He was long a devoted attendant of the Congregational church and 
contributed generously to its support, giving seven thousand dollars to the erection of 
the new church building. 

Francis Newman Holley was married twice. On the 27th of May, 1846, he wedded 
Eliza A. Hotchkiss, who was born May 29, 1824, and died in May, 1866. For his second 
wife Mr. Holley chose Mrs. Lucinda (Bronson) Hayden, a daughter of Charles Bronson, 
of Waterbury. They were married December 12, 1869. Bj^ the first marriage there were 
four children. Edward H. Holley, the eldest, was born July 17, 1848, in Torrington, and 
entered Amherst College from Williston Seminary, after which he was connected with 
mercantile interests in Torrington and in Bridgeport. On the 4th of May, 1876, he wedded 
Nellie Wlieeler, of Wolcottville, a daughter of Amos and Martha (Chidsey) Wheeler, of 
Avon, Connecticut, who was a prominent citizen and died in Torrington in 1882. On her 
mother's side Mrs. Edward H. Holley is descended from Ephraim Baldwin, wlio was the 
only survivor of the seven men from Branford who fought in the Revolutionary war. 
She was educated in Avon and in the New Britain Normal School and afterward taught 
school in Torrington. After his marriage E. H. Holley engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
being the fifth owner from William Penn of the well known Allerton Farm of West Chester., 
Pennsylvania, whore he conducted a large creamery. After his father died he returned to 
Torrington and invested in a knife factory but ill health forced him to give up active 
labor. He died September 14. 1899. while his wife passed away June 18, 1908. They were 
the parents of five children, the eldest being Francis Newman, who is now living in W^ater- 
bury and Avho married ^Mrs. Homer Wheeler, of Torrington. The second was Lillian 
Wheeler, who became the wife of Cecil Sherman Baker, a paymaster in the United States 
navy and a grandnephew of General William T. Sherman. Their children are: Eleanor 
Holley, Avho was born at the United States naval station in Culebra. Virgin Islands; and 
Cecil Sherman, who was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Lawrence Hinckley, the third child 
of Edward H. Holley, is now in Sierra City, California, where he is engaged in merchan- 
dising and mining. He is married and has three children: Sarah, Francis and Lawrence 
Irving B., the fourth member of the family of Edward H. Holley, is mentioned else- 
where in this work. Horace Holley is the fifth member of the family. 

Francis A. Holley, who was the second son of Francis Newman Holley, was born 
August 29, 18.51, and died September 9, 1853. Harriet, the next of the family, was born 
May 31. 1857, and died on the 17th of June of that year. Horace, who was born April 
17, 1860, when sixteen years of age met with a very serious accident which left him 
crippled for life. He traveled a great deal and collected about him an excellent library. 
His high courage, patience and cheer were truly remarkable and examples to all his 
friends. He died January 15, 1903. 

Francis N. Holley was a man of sterling integrity, of great energy and possessed of 
sound judgment. He filled the full measvu-e of his days with much usefulness to his 
family and friends and the community in which he lived. 



HOWARD J. CASTLE, 



Howard J. Castle, who for ten years has been treasurer of the Torrington Building 
Company of Torrington, Avas born in the town of Litchfield, November 22, 1877, a son of 
Dwight J, Castle, avIio is mentioned elseAvhere in this work. He was reared upon a farm 
in the town of Harwinton but has lived in Torrington since attaining his majority. His 
education included a public school coiu'se and a course in a business college of Torrington. 
In 1900 lie entered the employ of the Hotchkiss Brothers Company in the capacity of 
bookkeeper and in 1902 he became one of the incorporators of the Torrington Building 
Company, of which he has been the treasurer for the past ten years. This is one of the 
leading contracting firms in heavy construction work in stone, brick and steel in New 
England, operating extensively over the New England states and also in New York and 
New Jersey. Mr. Castle is also treasurer of the Berlin Brick Company, of Berlin, Con- 
necticut, and secretary of the Litchfield County Realty and Insurance Company. 

Mr. Castle was mairied on the 20th of June, 1906, to Miss Mary Stuart, of Norwich, 
Connecticut, and they have one daughter, Faith Louise, who was born August 10, 1912, 



44 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Mr. Castle is a popular member of the Torrington Club and of the Elks Club. He is also 
a leading factor in republican politics in Torrington and is now serving on the board of 
burgesses, to which position he was elected in March, 1916. He is keenly interested in the 
questions and issues of the day, on which he keeps well informed and is thus able to present 
an intelligent argument for the faith which is given him. He puts forth every effort in 
his power, whether in office or out of it, to promote the welfare of the communitv in 
which he lives and stands at all times for those interests which are a matter of civic 
virtue and of civic pride. 



CAPTAIN WILLIAM E. BESSE. 

There is scarcely a phase of Torrington's development with which Captain William 
E. Besse has not been closely associated. He has figured prominently in its manufacturing 
circles, in connection with its military affairs and its moral development. He now occupies 
a most lesponsible position as superintendent of the Coe branch of the American Brass 
Company of Torrington. At the same time he has been a most active factor in the 
military training of young men and in their moral progress, doing most effective and 
active work as a member of the Young Men's Christian Association. The young men of 
Torrington call him friend and go to him for counsel as to a father. Captain Besse was 
born in Switzerland, October, 6, 1866. His father, August Besse, was a farmer and live stock 
man, and the parents never came to the new world. 

Captain Besse was reared and educated in the land of the Alps, where he attended 
school until he reached the age of sixteen years. During the last three years at school he 
was apprenticed to the harness maker's trade, which he mastered w"hile not in school. 
The folloAving year he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, making the voyage alone, 
although an older brother, Julius E. Besse, had come to the new world two years previously 
and was a farmer of the town of Goshen, near Torrington, Connecticut. Captain Besse was 
employed as a farm hand in the town of Goshen for a year and a half and in 1885 gave up 
agricultural pursuits and took up his abode in Torrington, where for a short period he Avorked 
as a laborer for the Torrington Water Company. In the fall of 1885, however, he entered 
the service of the Coe Brass Works, now the Coe branch of the American Brass Company, 
with which he has since been connected, covering a period of thirty-two years. He began 
in a very humble capacity — merely that of a common laborer, being at the time a youth 
of nineteen years. His first wage was a dollar and thirty-five cents per day. He was 
diligent, industrious and trustworthy, qualities which soon won him recognition, and the 
value of his service gained him promotion, so that he was steadily advanced from time 
to time, ultimately reaching the position of assistant superintendent, while four years ago, 
or in 1913, he was made superintendent of the great factory known as the Coe Brass 
Works, the Torrington branch of the American Brass Company. 

Captain Besse has also been very prominent in military affairs for many years. He 
had become acquainted with military tactics in Switzerland in his youth and he after- 
ward acquired further knowledge of military affairs as a member of the Uniformed Rank 
of the Knights of Pythias, w^hich order he joined in Torrington when twenty-one years 
of age. In 1903 he organized Company M of the Second Connecticut Infantry and enlisted 
in the company as a private, preferring to be such. However, he was made its captain, 
receiving every vote of the company except his own. Company M, which he organized 
and commanded, is now a part of the One Hundred and Second Infantry, U. S. A., and is 
training for service in France. Captain Besse resigned the captaincy in 1906. Captain 
Besse was from 1907 until 1917 tlie recruiting officer for his district. In June, 1916, 
Company M of Torrington was the first company in Connecticut to report with full 
quota of one hundred and fifty-four men for the Mexican border trouble of that year. 
This was due to Captain Besse's efficiency. In 1906 he was a member of the Second Regiment 
rifle team and in the brigade match won the Colt medal, which is the first prize for rapid 
shooting with the regulation army revolver. He takes great interest in pistol and rifle 
shooting and instructs the Home Guard in practice. Upon the beginning of the war with 
Germany in April, 1917, he was appointed by Governor Holcomb as one of the two mustering 
officers at Torrington, the other being Major John N. Brooks. Captain Besse was com- 
missioned a Tuajor by the military emergency board, with the approval of the governor. 
He proceeded to muster in the Torrington battalion, which was organized into three com- 
panies of infantry, embracing two hundred and ten rifles. Model 1898; a machine gun 
company of fifty men with four machine guns; a transport company of fifty men, with 




CAPTAIN ^^'ILLIAM E. BESSE 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 47 

transports capable of moving the entire Torrington contingent at a moment's notice; and 
also a complete hospital unit. In May, 1917, Captain Besse was appointed a member 
of the State Council of Defense by Governor Holcomb and is now seiving as a member 
of the county committee from Litchfield county. Captain Besse was one of the organizers 
of the Torrington Young Men's Christian Association and is now its vice president. He is 
a member of the Torrington Club and is identified with the Elks and Knights of Pj'^thias 
He is a past grand officer in the latter order. Also ex-captain of Harmony Company, No. 14. 
U. R., K. P., of Avhich he was a charter member, and served as colonel on the brigade staff. 
He also belongs to the Center Congregational church. Those who read between the lines 
may readily discern the principles which have governed his life and made him a man among 
men. He has a membership in the Torrington Chamber of Commerce, being deeply inter- 
ested in every project for the public welfare, for the extension of the business relations 
of his city and for the upholding of its civic standards. He figures in financial and com- 
mercial circles as a director of the Torrington Trust Company, also of the Torrington Ice 
Company, and the Nicola Valley Pine Lumber Company, of British Columbia. 

On the 14th of December, 1892, Captain Besse was united in marriage to Miss Emma 
Weed, of Torrington, where both are widely and favorably known, the hospitality of the 
best homes of the borovigh being freely accorded them. At the outbreak of the present 
war Captain Besse faced an unusual situation. He was commissioned a major and made 
a mustering officer, but he prefeis the title of captain, by which he has been known for 
so many years. The dominant trait in his character is his love for young men and his 
desire to assist and benefit them in every possible way. It was this trait of his char- 
acter that led to his activities in connection with the Torrington Young Men's Cliristian 
Association and the same trait induced him to organize Company M in 1903 and later 
to accept its captaincy. The same quality paved the way to his steady rise in the great 
institution of which he is now superintendent. His deep interest in the welfare of the 
hundreds of young men employes at the Coe Brass Works has caused a friendship and 
comradeship to spring up between him and them that can only be likened to the relation 
between father and children. He is their friend and they recognize that fact. Wlien the 
L^nited States entered into the present war Captain Besse was in a peculiar position. By 
training, instinct and by reason of his great patriotism Captain Besse would have pre- 
ferred to do active military service. In this feeling he was actuated by the highest motives, 
not a desire to obtain rank, although this would have undoubtedly come to him, nor a 
desire to win financial recompense, for he was already in a position much more lucrative, but 
was actuated by a genuine love of his adopted coimtry. No man could have done more 
or given more generously of his time, his experience and his knowledge than Captain Besse 
has, not only for the benefit of the National Guard but also for the drafted men and the 
Home Guard. He has labored faithfully to promote knowledge of military tactics, discipline 
and regulation among them and is still doing this. But if the important position occupied 
by him with the American Brass Company was left vacant, it would mean a notable loss 
to the country in another way. He would have gladly accepted military service in any 
capacity but the company with which he is associated manufactures many products in use 
by the government, and first of all the nation must be supplied with those things necessary 
for the prosecution of the war. As superintendent of the plant Captain Besse is now per- 
forming a very important service and much pressure was brought to bear upon him that 
he remain in his present capacity rather than follow his desire and natural inclination 
for military service at this hour. As yet a solution of this problem has not presented 
itself and Captain Besse is living in the hope that such a solution will give him an 
opportunity to serve his country on the battlefields of Europe. In the meantime he is doing 
his part, at the same time putting forth every effort to assist young men who are preparing 
for the war and to uphold in his community those high civic standards which must be the 
basis of patriotic and military service. 



RICHARD S. BURNAP. 



Richard S. Burnap. the treasurer of the Waterbury Sand & Gravel Company, is a 
native of the neighboring state of Massachusetts, his birth having occurred in Fitchburg 
on the 12th of September, 1884. ]\Iention of the family is made in connection with the 
sketch of George H. Burnap on another page of this work. He obtained a public school 
education and afterward matriculated in Williams College^ where he completed the aca- 
demic course by graduation with the class of 1906. Thus equipped for life's practical 



48 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

duties, he became connected with the American Road Machine Company as erecting engi- 
neer and served in that capacity for six years. Upon the organization of the Waterbury 
Sand & Gravel Company he became identified with the business and is its treasurer. In 
this conhection a large business has been developed, making heavy demand upon the 
enterprise and efforts of the officers. Mr. Burnap is fully adequate to these demands, 
however, and is contributing much to the success of the undertaking. 

On the 16th of October, 1915, Mr. Burnap was married to Miss Lillian V. Burtiss, of 
North Egremont, Massachusetts, and they are well known socially in Waterbury, where 
they have a large circle of warm friends. They attend the Second Congregational church 
and in politics ]\Ir. Burnap is a progressive republican. He is yet a young man and has 
already made for himself a position in the business world which many a one of twice 
his years might well envy. 



JAMES P. JOHNSTONE. 



James P. Johnstone, who has tlie largest dry goods and millinery establishment in 
Seymour, was born in Scotland, January 3, 1873, a son of James and Agnes (MacLean) 
Johnstone, both of whom were natives of Scotland. The mother died when but twenty-one 
years of age and the father afterward went to Japan, wliere he was married again, to a 
Japanese lady. By that marriage there were several children and the family have been the 
guests of James P. Johnstone in Seymour. The fatlier was manager for the Japan Steam- 
ship Company for twenty years and resided in Japan altogether for thirty-four years, 
dying on his way from Scotland to Japan in 1906. 

James P. Johnstone and his sister Elizabeth, who were the only children of the first 
marriage, were reared in Scotland, but tlie sistei went to Japan when twenty-three years 
of age and there she became the wife of James Robertson, a Scotchman living in Japan. 
They afterward removed to Australia, where tliey now reside. 

James P. .Johnstone, reared in the land of hills and lieather, there acquired his educa- 
tion in the public schools. In his youth he became employed in a dry goods business but 
afterward started to prepare for a career as electrical engineer. Clianging his plans, 
however, he returned to the A\'holesale dry goods trade and acquainted himself with 
both the wholesale and retail phases of tlie dry goods business. He came to the United 
States in 1896, settling in Ansonia, Connecticut, where he was employed by the John 
R. Murray Company. In 1900 he removed to Seymour, where he opened a dry goods and 
millinery store, his first location being on Bank street. In 1913 he removed to 147 Main 
.street, occupying a store twenty-five by eighty-five feet, to which he built an extension 
upon his removal. He now employs two clerks and his wife is also an active assistant 
in the establishment. He has the largest store of the kind in Seymour and is accorded a well 
deserved patronage. 

Mr. .Johnstone married Miss Ellen Elliott, of Ansonia. a daughter of .John and Ellen 
Elliott, both of whom were of Scotch birth. Mr. Johnstone belongs to George Washing- 
ton Lodge, F. & A. M., of Ansonia, and is a charter member of Evening Star Chapter, 
R. A. M., of Seymour. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias. His religious 
faith is that of the Congregational church and in politics Tie is an independent republi- 
can. He keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day and is thus able 
to support his position by intelligent argument. In all matters of citizenship he stands 
for progress and improvement, while in business affairs his course has been such as indicates 
what may be accomplished by determined and persistent effort, as he has worked his 
way upward entirely through individual activity and has won a creditable place in business 
circles. 



JOHN J. HOWARD. 



•John J. Ploward, clerk of the probate court of Waterbury. was born in Waterbury, 
December 31, 1876, a son of Edward and Hannah (McDonald) Howard. He was educated 
in the Waterbury public school until graduated from the high school witli the class of 
1895. In the same year he secured the position of timekeeper with John W. Gaffney, who 
was then constructing the dam of the Wigwam reservoir. He was called to public service 
in 1896, when he secured a clerksliip in the street department, there remaining for abotit 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 49 

two years. In 1898 he became connected with the shipping department of the Waterbnry 
Manufacturing Company, continuing in that position for a year. From 1900 until 1910 he 
was a clerlv in the water department of the city and in the latter year he spent eight 
months in the employ of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. From 1911 until 
1914 he filled the position of clerk of the probate court and during 1915 and 1916 was 
audit clerk in the comptroller's office. On the 1st of January, 1917, he again became 
clerk of the probate court and is now serving under Judge D. J. Slavin. 

In 1907 Mr. Howard was married to INIiss Kathcrine E. Sullivan of Waterbury, and 
they have four living children : Edmund J.. Mary, Margaret J. and Donald. They also 
lost one son, John, who died in infancy. The parents are members of the Immaculate 
Conception Catholic church and Mr. Howard is identified with the Fraternal Order of Eagles, 
with the Ancient Order of Hibernians and with the Patrick Sarsfield Club. In polities he 
is a democrat, actively working for the interests of the party. That he has always made 
an excellent record in public office is manifest in the fact that he has almost continuously 
served in positions of public trust for two decades. He is systematic, methodical, accurate 
and thoroughly reliable and his" efforts have brought good results. 



J. LEROY MINTIE. 

J. LeRoy Mintie, secretary of the Hampson, Mintie & Abbott Company, is well known 
in commercial circles of Waterbiiry, for in his present connection he is one of the officers 
in control of one of the most important furniture houses of the state. He has been 
associated therewith for eight years and brought to the business much valuable knowledge 
gained in experience along other lines. He was born in Waterbury, October 24, 1877, a 
son of Alexander C. and Emma L. (White) Mintie. The father was born in Thompson- 
ville, Connecticut, while the mother, a native of Hartford, was a daughter of LeRoy S. 
White, Avho Avas distinguished as an inventor. In the maternal line the ancestry of J. LeRoy 
Mintie is traced back tlirough ten generations to Elder John White, one of the first settlers 
of Cambridge, Massachusetts. His great-grandparents were Preserved and Lucinda (Rice) 
White. LeRoy S. White was born in Springfield. Massachusetts, May 14. 1828, and losing 
liis father at the age of four years, was bound out to a farmer until he was nine. He 
afterward returned home and was employed as bobbin boy in a cotton factory in Chicopee, 
Massachusetts. He inherited mechanical talent from his father and in the factory he 
made use of every leisure moment in using the tools which were at hand, displaying 
marked ingenuity in carving out of hardwood or ivory many curious articles. He also early 
fainiliarized himself with the use of chemicals and spent much time in experimenting. 
It is said that he would become so absorbed in his tasks that he would be found working 
in the factory when breakfast was called the next morning. In the cotton mill he won 
steady advancement to the position of loom superintendent. In 1852 he married Sarah 
Jane DeLancey, of >iew Market, New Hampshire, and soon afterward secured a position as 
machinist and die cutter at Hartford with the Hartford Manufacturing Company. While 
thus engaged he invented his first successful machine for burnishing silver plated fiatware, 
selling a patent to the company. The firm of Rogers & Brother was soon afterward 
organized, establishing business in Waterbury, and for seventeen years Mr. White was 
superintendent and master mechanic and a part of the time was secretary of the com- 
pany. His inventive genius further expressed itself in several new burnishing machines 
still in use. Severing his connection with Rogers & Brother in 1874, he superintended the 
establishment of a plant for the manufacture of flatware for Brown & Brothers and while 
with them invented machinery for making seamless tube kitchen boilers. He continued the 
work of invention and manufacture after leaving Brown & Brothers and he left his 
impress indelibly upon the industrial history of Connecticut. 

The paternal grandfatlier of J. LeRoy Mintie was James H. Mintie. who was born in 
Scotland and in early manhood came to the United States. He had previously learned the 
trade of carpet making and established a factory in Thompsonville, Connecticut, where he 
engaged in the manufacture of fringes and canopy tops. Later in life he removed to 
Waterbury. Alexander C. Mintie was identified with the manufacturing interests of this 
city as assistant treasurer of the Waterbury Button Company and remained active in 
business until his death, which occurred January 22, 1916. His widow still survives. Mr. 
Mintie was very prominent as a factor in promoting intellectual and moral progress in 
the city and in disseminating high civic standards. He was one of the organizers of the 



50 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Boys Club and was active in organizing the Italian Congregational church of the city. His 
membership was in the First Congregational church, in which he served as deacon. 

J. LeEoy Mintie, after attending the Watcrbury high school, continued his education 
in the Connecticut Literary Institution and started in the business world as a member of 
the firm of Mintie & Connor, dealers in bicycles on Bank street. Theirs was one of the 
first enterjirises of the kind in the city. Later he turned his attention to the automobile 
trade as a member of the firm of Mintie & Benedict, continuing in that line for about 
twelve years. His next step brought him into the furniture business and in connection 
with R. William Hampson who was elected treasurer, and Dr. Edmund Janes Abbott, who 
Avas elected president, a corporation was formed in May, 1910, under the title of The 
Hampson-Mintie Furniture Company, Mr. Mintie being elected secretary. On January 
1, 1914, Dr. Abbott gave up his dental practice to take an active part in the furniture 
business and the firm name was then changed to Hampson, Mintie & Abbott, Incorporated, 
with the officers continuing as before. It is today considered one of the leading house 
furnishing establishments in the state, occupying the entire Hampson building, which 
faces the green and is one of the handsomest pieces of architecture in the city. 

On the 21st of October, 1903, Mr. Mintie was married to Miss Bertha E. Shader, of 
Meriden, a daughter of De Witt Shader, and they have one child, Dorothy. Mr. Mintie is 
a Mason of high rank, having taken the advanced degrees in the order. In politics he 
is a republican and he holds to the faith of his fathers, being identified with the First 
Congregational church. His life record is, moreover, in harmony with that of his fore- 
bears in business connections. The same spirit of enterprise which made one of his grand- 
fathers a successful inventor and the other a successful manufacturer and placed his 
father in an important position in the business circles of Waterbury is manifest in his 
career, bringing him to a position as one of Connecticut's best known furniture dealers. 



DANIEL T. FARRINGTON. 



Daniel T. Farrington, who, active in business, is concentrating his efforts on real estate 
and insurance, witli offices in the Lilley building, Avas born in Birmingham, England, June 30. 
1868, a son of Patrick and Anna (Vardin) Farrington. The mother died in England 
thirty-five years ago, after which the father came to the new world and settled in Waterbury, 
where he passed away twenty-four years ago. 

Daniel T. Farrington arrived in the LTnited States in January, 1887, when a youth of 
eighteen years, and entering the employ of the Scovill Manufacturing Company, occupied 
a position as foreman with that corporation for eighteen years, becoming prominently known 
in industrial circles of the city. Long before giving up his position there, however, he had 
begun operating in the field of real estate and insurance as a side line and, at length resigning 
with the Scovill Company, he has since devoted his entire time to his present business and 
to official duties, but in March, 1917, he resigned from the board of assessors although 
he had still two years to serve. He is today one of the foremost builders in Waterbury, 
having erected forty residences and two eight family apartment houses in the last few years. 
He has done much to improve property values in the neighborhood of Hamilton Park, 
having built many residences there. He is now building on and near Columbia boulevard, 
which is one of the exclusive residence streets of the city. He has copied many of the latest 
residences on Long Island so as to be able to give prospective builders all his as well as 
other builders' ideas and is always willing to accept suggestions for improvements on his 
plans. All that he undertakes is characterized by thoroughness, his efforts are systematic, 
and he is ever ready to meet any emergency with the confidence that comes from a right 
conception of things and a regard for all that is just and all that is progressive.. 

A happy married life covering twenty-four years constitutes one of the features which 
has made the character of Daniel T. Farrington one of even balance. He wedded Mary 
Barrett and they became the parents of four children: Anna. Daniel T.. Edward and Thomas. 
Theirs is one of the most beautiful and attractive homes of Waterbury, also celebrated for its 
warm-hearted hospitality. 

Mr. Farrington is a member of the Catholic church and has membership witli the Knights 
of Columbus and tlie Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In politics he is a democrat and 
for two years served on the board of aldermen from the fifth ward and during that period 
was made president of the board. He was a member of the board of assessors for four years 
and of the board of finance for two years. His intense activity, intelligently directed, has 
been fraught witli substantial and admirable results. He is a most busy man and, moreover, 





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WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 53 

is a big, broad-minded man in every sense of the term. He studies closely and with dis- 
crimination questions afl'ecting not only his business but the public welfare, and his cham- 
pionship of any measure is an indication of his belief in its efficacy as a factor in good 
government. 



CHARLES NEH^SON DENISON, M. D. 

The standards of medical practice are being continually advanced, the courses of in- 
struction are broader and the demands more rigorous. The successful physician must 
keep abreast with the latest scientific discoveries and must be familiar with the most 
improved processes of practice. Meeting all requirements, Dr. Charles Neilson Denison 
is now numbered among the successful physicians and surgeons of Waterbury, with office 
at No. 299 West Main street. He was born in Stillwater, Xew York, July 9, 1870. His 
father. Albert Gallup Denison, also a native of the Empire state, was descended from 
Captain George Denison, who came from England in the seventeenth century and located 
in Connecticut. Albert G. Denison engaged for many years in the manufacture of knit goods 
antl passed away at Stillwater, New York, in 1883 at the age of fifty-two years. His 
wife, who bore the maiden name of Maria Neilson, died in 1909 at the age of seventy-five. She 
Avas a daughter of Charles Neilson, whose name she gave to her son. 

On both sides, Dr. Denison is descended from ancestors who served in the Revolutionary 
war. He was reared in Stillwater, New York, and obtained his early education there in 
the public schools. At the age of fourteen, however, he went to Brooklyn, New York, to 
live with an older brother, Di\ Rial Newland Denison, t'hen a practicing physician of Brook- 
lyn, with whom he remained for ten years, attending school during part of that period 
He spent two years as a student in the Polytechnic Institute at Brookljai, New York, after 
which he was for one year a clerk in the office of a Wall street broker, but having deter- 
mined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he entered the Long Island College 
Hospital at Brooklyn, in which he pursued his studies for three years, being graduated in 
1893. He afterward spent one year, 1893-94, as interne in the Wards Island Metropolitan 
Hospital of New York and for six months in 1894 he practiced at White River Junction, 
Vermont. Since that time he has resided and practiced at Cheshire, Connecticut, ten 
miles from Waterbury, and in May, 1916, he also opened an office in WateTbury, where he 
can be found from two until nine o'clock every day. He is now medical examiner and 
liealth officer of Cheshire. 

On the 23d of January, 1895, Dr. Denison was married to Miss Minnie Louise Conkey, 
of Troy, New York. Fraternally Dr. Denison is a Royal Arch Mason and is a past master 
of Temple Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M., of Clieshire. His religious faith is that of the 
Baptist churcli and his political belief that of the republican party. For seven years 
he served as a member of the Second Company of the Governor's Foot Guard of New 
Haven, one of America's oldest military organizations, being the oldest in America in con- 
tinuous existence. For a year and a half he was a private of that command and later was 
made assistant surgeon with the rank of lieutenant. Later he became surgeon with the 
rank of captain, in which capacity he remained until honorably discharged. 



CHARLES A. MANNING. 



Charles A. Manning, as a member of the firm of Manning Brothers, is one of the 
proprietors of the Walk-Over Boot Shop of Waterbury, which business was established 
in 1911. He has since concentrated his energies upon the development and extension of 
the trade and the house now enjoys a very liberal patronage. He was born in Worcester, 
^lassachusetts, a son of Theodore and Caroline (Woods) Manning and a grandson of David 
^Manning, who was a boot and shoe manufacturer of Worcester, Massachusetts. Theodore 
^Manning engaged in the wholesale shoe business in Worcester and in Boston and passed 
away iii the year 1898. In the fall of that year the family removed to Newton, Massachu- 
setts. In the family were eight children: Frederick Theodore, of the firm of Manning 
Brothers at Meriden; Charles A., of this review; Grace W. and Florence E., at home; 
David Ralph, who is managing the Reading (Pa.) branch of the business of Manning Broth- 
ers; Robert H., who died at the age of seventeen years; Harold G.. who is in the patent 
office in Washington, D. C, and wlio is a graduate of (lie Massachusetts Institute of Tech- 

Vol. Ill— 3 



54 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

nology at Boston; and Clarence W., a Harvard graduate, who is now in the Eeserve Officers' 
Training Camp. 

Charles A. Manning acquired a jjublic school education in Worcester and entered into 
active connection witli the shoe business at the age of eighteen years. He has since 
remained active in this field and with his brother, Frederick Theodore Manning, he en- 
tered into active connection with the wholesale shoe trade at Boston, traveling upon the 
road for two years. They next entered the retail shoe business in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 
1904 and there successfully conducted a store for seven years, during which time they 
also opened a store in Newark, Ohio. In 1911 they founded their Waterbury establish- 
ment and sold the Bucyrus store but further extended their interest's by opening a branch 
house at Reading, Pennsylvania, purchasing the business there in 1913. They now con- 
tinue the stores at Reading, at Newark, Ohio, and at Waterbury and in 1917 they bought 
a fourth establishment in Meriden. The partners in the business are Frederick T., Charles A. 
and David R. Manning. The Reading store is managed by David R. Manning and the New- 
ark establishment by Earl F. Woodward as manager, while the store in Meriden is under 
the direct supervision of Frederick T. Manning as manager, with Charles A. Manning in charge 
of the Waterbury establishment. All these carry the Walk-Over shoes. The Waterbury store 
was opened at 53 Bank street, where they have a space sixteen by sixty feet. They carry 
both men's and women's shoes, specializing in the Walk-Over, for which they find a ready 
sale. 

Mr. Manning is a member of the Waterbury Country Club. He attends the Second 
Congregational church and belongs to the Young Men's Cliristian Association. In politics 
he is a republican of the progressive type and in matters of citizenship always stands for 
advancement, ever upholding those interests which are a matter of civic virtue and civic 
pride. He is, however, without ambition for public office, preferring to concentrate his 
energies upon his business affairs, which have been managed with notable success. Three 
generations of the family have been connected with tlie shoe trade and eft'ort intelligerfEly 
directed in this field has brought success. 



WILLIAM TOMPKINS RODENBACH. 

William Tompkins Rodenbach is a Naugatuck manufacturer, identified with various 
concerns which have contributed to the business upbuilding and development of the 
Naugatuck valley. He was born in New York city, September 19, 1854, a son of Philip 
and ]\Iary (Hammer) Rodenbach. His early education was acquired in the public schools 
of New York, after which he had the benefit of instruction in the College of the City of 
New Y'ork, where he won his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1874. In that year he took up 
the profession of teaching and in 1877 he became principal of the Schofield Normal and 
Industrial School at Aiken, South Carolina. There he remained until 1886, at which time 
he entered into active connection with the rubber manufacturing interests of Connecticut. 
In that year he took charge of tlie office of the Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe Company at 
Naugatuck, was aft'erward made secretary and in 1895 was elected to the dual position of 
secretary and treasurer. He is now treasurer of tlie Goodyear Metallic Shoe Company, also 
of the Goodyear India Rubber Glove Company and served as treasurer of the Naugatuck 
Chemical Company for several years, wliile at the present time lie is filling the office of vice 
president. Recognizing the opportunity for successful business activity, he became one 
of the organizers of the Naugatuck Manufacturing Company and since 1894 has con- 
tinuously served as its president. He is also a trustee and the vice president of the Nauga- 
tuck Savings Bank. 

On the 20th of September, 1882, Mr. Rodenbach was married to Miss Mary S. Phinney, 
a daughter of Franklin S. and Margaret Phinney, and tliey have become parents of three 
children : Katrina M., who is the wife of Theodore W. Reed, a resident of Auburndale, 
Massachusetts; Charles P., who is the secretary of the Naugatuck Manufacturing Company; 
and Margaret P., at home. 

Mr. Rodenbach is a well known Mason, having attained the Knight Templar degree of 
the York Rite and the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, and he is a past master 
of Sliepherds Lodge, No. 78, F. & A. M. He is identified with several clubs, including the 
Rubber Club of America, the Graduates Club of New Haven and the Rubber Reclaimers 
Club of New Yoik and is also a member of Delta Upsilon, a college fraternity. He belongs 
to the Congregational cliurch and liis political support is given to tJie republican party. 
In 1905 he was elected warden or mayor of Naugatuck, was reelected in 1906 and declined 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 55 

the same oiHce in 1907 but was again elected and accepted tlie office for 1908. While in 
the south he was called to the position of president of the Teachers Institute and Asso- 
ciation of South Carolina and from 1888 until 1908, a period of twenty years, he was the 
president of tlie Xaugatuck board of education. 



EMIL HUMMEL. 



Emil Hummel, of the law tirni of Hummel & Hummel of Waterbury, was born in 
Germany on the 11th of February, 1877, and in 1891, when a youth of fourteen years, 
was brought by his parents to the United States. However, he was a lad of but five years 
when they left Germany, removing thence to Austria, while later they became residents of 
Hungary. Upon reaching the ne^v world in 1891 they took up their abode in Waterbury. 

Emil Hummel pursued his education in the University of Wisconsin and in the Uni- 
versity of Indianapolis, being graduated on the completion of the law course in the latter 
institution in 1906. He has since practiced his profession in Waterbury and was assistant 
corporation counsel from the 1st of July until the 31st of December, 1911. He is now clerk, 
of the city court of Waterbury, having held the position since Maj' 1, 1915. 

Mr. Hummel gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He belongs to several 
fraternal and social organizations, including the Concordia Singing Society and the German 
Tuiiiverein Vorwaerts of Waterbury. He holds membership with the local and state bar 
associations and concentrates his attention upon his professional interests and official 
duties. 



HENRY MERRIMAN. 



The name of Merriman figures conspicuously on the pages of Connecticut's history 
and at times lias been written Merrian and Merian. The branch of t'he family of which 
Henry ^lerriman was a representative traced tht line down from Captain Nathaniel Merri- 
man. who became one of the original settlers of Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1670. His 
children were: .John born September 26, 1651; Hannah, born May 5, 1653; Abigail, April 
18, 165-t; Mamre. .July 12. 1657; John, February 28, 1659; Samuel, September 29, 1662; 
Caleb, May 16, 1665; Moses, in 1667; and Elizabeth, September 14, 1669. 

Of t'his family Caleb Merriman wedded Mary Preston and at his death, which occurred 
July 9, 1703, left an estate valued at four hundred and thirty-nine pounds sterling. His 
children, born at Wallingford. were Moses, Elizabeth, Eliasaph, Phebe, Hannah, Phebe 
and Lydia. 

The second son. Eliasaph Merriman. was born May 21, 1695, and died August 14, 
1758. His wife who bore the maiden name of Abigail Hall, was killed by the Indians, 
together with her daughter Abigail. August 4, 1758. The children of Ihis family, all 
born at Wallingford, were: Eunice, who died in early life; Eunice; Sarah; Titus; Caleb; 
Amasa; Elizabeth; Esther and Abigail. 

Amasa ^lerriman, the ancestor of Henry ^lerriman in the fourth generation, was 
born at Wallingford in 1730 and to him and his wife Sarah there was born a son, Charles, 
on the 20th of August, 1762, at^ Wallingford. He served as a soldier of the Revolutionary 
war, enlisting as a drummer in 1776 and becoming a drum major. He was married to Anna 
Punderson, of New Haven, Connecticut, who died April 1, 1844, at the age of eighty 
years. Settling in Watertown, Charles Merriman there commenced business as a tailor, 
but ill health compelled him to abandon that work and he "rode post" from New Haven to 
Suffield for four years. He afterward went on a voyage to the West Indies and later he 
encased in business as a merchant of Watertown until his death, which occurred Ausust 
26, 1829. He was of a genial nature and was also distinguished for his decision of char- 
acter and for his sterling integrity. His children were: Cliarles P., who died in 1794: 
Betsey, who became the wife of Dr. Samuel Elton, of Watertown; William H.. who was 
born September 27, 1788; Nancy, who was born in 1792 and died in early childhood; 
Nancy, born August 8, 1796; Charles P., Avho was born August 7, 1798, and died July 
10, 1835; Anna, who was born July 7, 1801, and died in Alabama, November 1, 1836; 
William Punderson, who was born September 6, 1805, and became a merchant of Augusta. 
Georgia: and George F.. born August 5, 1808. 

William H. Merriman, of the above mentioned family, was born September 27, 1788. ami 



56 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

married Sarah Buckingham, who was born February 16, 1790, a daughter of David and 
Chloe (Merrill) Buckingham. William H. Merriman was an enterprising merchant and 
leading citizen of Watertown, Connecticut, whence he afterward removed to Waterbury. 
His children, born in Watertown, were: Charles Buckingham, born October 9, 1809; Sarah 
A., who was born September 27, 1811, and became the wife of Thomas Morton and after 
his death wedded James Mitchell Lamson Scovill, who is mentioned elsewhere in this 
work; Joseph P., Avho was born September 34, 1813, and was married in 1840 to Julia 
Judd; David, who was born May 37, 1816, and died March 28, 1834; and Henry, who was 
born March 25, 1820. 

The last named, a native of Watertown, completed his education as a student in the 
Waterbury Academy and entered business circles as a representative of the Benedict & 
Burnham Manufacturing Company, with which he became a salesman. He aft'erward 
entered the real estate field, however, as a partner in the firm of Hotchkiss & Merriman, 
which was later succeeded by Benedict, Merriman & Company. He afterward became the 
business associate of Edwin S. Hoyt in the real estate field under the firm name of Hoyt 
& Merriman and in that connection Avon a substantial measure of prosperit}\ He was 
resourceful in planning and determined in the execution of his purposes. Honesty char- 
acterized his business transactions in an unusual measure and the qualities which he 
displayed at all times commanded the respect and regard of t'hose with whom he had dealings. 

Mr. Merriman was ever a stanch and faithful member of St. John's Episcopal church 
and passed aAvay in that faith January 16, 188S, at which time his remains Avere interred 
in Riverside cemetery. His passing took from Waterbury a citizen long known and uni- 
formly honored. Kindness was one of his marked characteristics and courtesy Avas numbered 
among the Anrtues Avhich he early displayed. He added generosity to firmness and tempered 
justice with mercy and it Avas said of him that he had not a single enemy. 

Mr. Merriman Avas married in WatertoAvn to Miss Mary A. HemiuAvay, a daughter of the 
late General Merrit Heminway, and she resides on Academy Hill in WatertoAvn, actively 
interested in everything that' pertains to the Avelfare of the district and tlie county in 
which she has lived for so many years. She, too, is a devoted member of the Episcopal 
church and her life is an exemplification of many Christian virtues. I\Ir. and Mrs. Merriman 
became the parents of three children. Merritt, Avho pursued his education in Waterbury 
and in Yale College, is now a practicing .physician, located on Fort'y-seeond street, NeAv 
York. He Avedded Sally Betts and has three children, Henry, HemiuAvay J. and Ellen. 
Annie Merriman became the Avife of George A. Driggs, president and treasurer of the 
American Pin Company, Avith offices at Thomaston, Connecticut, Avhile their home is in 
Waterbury. H. INIorton Merriman, Avho Avas born in Waterbury and attended its public 
schools, later studied in Europe. On account of his health he spent much time in travel in 
both Europe and on the American continent, passing the summer months in Canada. He 
is now connected wit'h a silk manufacturing industry in Watertown Avhich was founded 
by his grandfather, General Merrit HemiuAvay, being president and treasurer of the 
M. HeminAvay & Sons Silk Company. He married Maude Jackson, of New York, and they 
have three children, Harry, John and Maude. Since war has been declared against Germany 
by the United States he has offered his services to the government and is now in the naval 
service, stationed at NeAvport. 



FREDERICIv L. BRAMAN. 



It is a far step from the position of office boy to the vice presidency of such an 
institution as the Coe branch of the American Brass Company, but this step Frederick L. 
Braman has achieved. TAventy-five years of connection Avith the business have brought him 
through various stages of promotion and advancement to the place Avhich he noAV occupies 
as first executive in Torrington. He Avas born in Springfield, Massachusetts, February 2, 
1876, a son of Alonzo and Harriet A. (Vadakin) Braman, the former of English and the 
latter of Holland Dutch descent. In the paternal line the ancestry is traced back to Daniel 
Braman, Avho served in the Revolutionary Avar. The grandfather, Amasa Braman, Avas a 
soldier of the Union army under General Benjamin Butler. Alonzo Braman, formerly of 
Torrington, is noAv deceased, but the mother still lives in this city. 

Frederick L. Braman was a lad of ten years when his parents removed to Torrington, 
Avhere he attended the graded and high schools, putting aside his textbooks at the age of 
seventeen in order to provide for his oAvn support. It Avas at that date that he entered 
the large manufacturing establishment of Avhich he is noAV the vice president and Avith 





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FREDERICK L. BRAMAN 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 59 

which lie has been eontinnously connected since 1893 or foi' a period of a quarter of a century. 
He began as office boy at a very modest wage and has always been identified with the office 
interests of the business. He became a stenographer and in 1912 lie was advanced to the 
position of assistant manager. In October, 1916, he was promoted to the vice presidency 
to succeed Elisha J. Steele. Mr. Braman is a director and vice president of the Litchfield 
County Realty & Insurance Company and also a director of the Torrington Trust Company. 

On the 19th of October, 1898, Mr. Braman was united in marriage to Miss Mary B. 
Jackson, who was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, and they have one son, Harold Frederick, 
who was born August 28, 1899, and is a graduate of the Torrington higli school of the class 
of 1917. He is now a student in Dartmouth College. 

Mr. and Mrs. Braman are members of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Torrington 
and Mr. Braman is superintendent of its Sunday school and a most active worker in behalf 
of the variovis interests of the church. He is also a member of the board of corporators of 
the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. His political allegiance is given to the republican party 
but he has never been an office seeker. He has membership with the Sons of Veterans, 
the Torrington Club and the Hardware Club of New York. His influence is ever given on the 
side of progress and improvement both for the individual and for the community at large. 
What he has accomplished represents the fit utilization of his innate powers and talents, and 
persistent energy and capability have carried him steadily forward to the important place 
which he now occupies in the manufacturing circles of his city. 



EDSON W. HITCHCOCK. 



Edson W. Hitchcock, secretary of the W. L. Hall Company and thus actively connected 
with one of the most important' of the commercial interests of Waterbury, was born in 
Cheshire, Connecticut, February 2, 1869, a son of Elmer W. and Emma (Hall) Hitchcock, 
the former a son of Benjamin Truman Hitchcock and a representative of one of the old 
families of the state connected with the history of Connecticut through many generations. 
Elmer W. Hitchcock devoted his enei'gies to general agricultural pursuits. 

While spending his youthful days under the parental roof Edson W. Hitchcock acquired 
a public school education and then turned his attention to the teaming business, in which 
lie won a good patronage, making his undertaking a profitable one. He continued in that 
line until April 13, 1896, when he sold out and purchased an interest in the wholesale 
grocery business of W. L. Hall. Tlie business was incorporated in November of that year 
under the name of the AV. L. Hall Company and Mr. Hitchcock has continuously served 
as secretary throughout the intervening years, and his close application, his indefatigable 
energy and his earnest purpose have been substantial factors in the continued growth 
and success of the undertaking. 

On the 14tli of October, 1896, Mr. Hitchcock was married to Miss Eleanor Eunice 
■Beckwith of Waterbury, a daughter of Sydney and Eliza (Atkins) Beckwith of Bristol, 
Connecticut. On the 3d of May, 1917, Mrs. Hitchcock passed away, leaving two children, 
Eunice Eleanor, born September 19, 1902, and Edson Beckwith, born July 10, 1905. 

Fraternally Mr. Hitchcock is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows: 
in the work of which he has taken an active part. He is a past grand of Townsend 
Lodge, No. 8'9, and he is also connected with the encampment and with the aid associa'tion. 
His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Second Congregational church. 
In politics he is a republican and he was a member of the board of aldermen from the 
second ward during the Hotchkiss administration and served through the second term as 
a member of the board of works. He is interested in all that pertains to public progress 
and improvement' and has cooperated lieartily in many movements for the general good, 
standing at ali times for those interests which are a matter of civic virtue and civic 
pride. 



MICHAEL V. BLANSFIELD. 



Michael V. Blansfield, numbered among the active and successful members of the 
Waterbury bar, was admitted to practice in 1907 and began the active work of his pro- 
fession in New York but in the fall of 1908 returned to Waterbury, his native city. 
He was born here November 16, 1884, a sen of Michael Blansfield, Avho passed away April 



60 WATERBURY AND THE XAUGATUCK VALLEY 

6, 1886. The mother bore the maiden name of Kate McCarty and still remains a resident of 
Waterbiiry. Both parents were natives of Ireland, the father born in County Cork and 
the mother in County Kerry. Mr. Blansfield, Sr., came to the United St'ates in 1860 and 
soon aft'erward took up his abode in Waterbury, where he continued to reside throughout 
his remaining days. During the Civil war he responded to the country's call for troops, 
enlisting in t'he Union army as a member of a New York regiment. It was subsequent to 
this time that he removed to Waterbury, where in the early '70s he wedded Kate McCarty, 
who had come to the United States in 1867. She is now nearly three score and ten years and 
enjoys excellent health. 

Michael V. Blansfield, their only living child, has spent most of his life in Waterbury. 
He was graduated from the high school with the class of 1901 and was a popular member 
thereof, playing on the high school football, baseball and basket ball teams and taking 
an active part in all school athletics. In the fall of 1901 he entered Vanderbilt University 
at Nashville, Tennessee, and was graduated from both its academic and legal departments, 
('aking his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1905 and his LL. B. degree in the same year. In the 
fall of 1906 he entered tlie Yale Law School and was graduated therefrom in 1907. While 
there he had charge of the business end of the class book. He was admitted to the bar in 
Tennessee in June, 1905, and to the Connecticut bar in June, 1907. He was also admitted 
to practice in the courts of New York in that year and followed his profession in New York 
city until 1908. In the fall of 1908, however, he returned to Waterbury, where he has won 
a place among the able and successful attorneys of the city. 

Mr. Blansfield is well known as an active worker in democratic circles. He served 
on the town central comniitt'ee for several years, has been a delegate to a number of 
the state conventions and was a delegate to the democratic national convention held in 
Kansas Citj^ in 1908. His religious faith is indicated in his membership in St. Patrick's 
Roman Cat'holic church and he belongs to the Knights of Columbus and to the Benevolent 
Protective Order of Elks. Along strictly professional lines he has membership in the New 
Haven Countv and the State Bar Associations and is well known as a lawyer of ability. 



LOUIS LONGHI. 



Louis Longhi is a member of the firm of Louis Longhi & Brother, general contractors 
of Torrington, and as such occupies a prominent position in business circles of the city. 
Moreover, he is an active factor in republican politics and has reached a point of leadership 
among Italian residents of the borough. He was born in the province of Como, Italy, 
October 4, 1868. At the age of thirteen years he bade adieu to his parents and leaving 
his Italian home went to France, where he spent two years. He afterward went to Switzer- 
land, Avhere he remained for four years, and throughout the entire period he was engaged 
in learning the stone and brick mason's trade. During the six years thus passed he 
thoroughly mastered the business and also learned the trade of plastering. He began to 
provide for his own support when a lad of but twelve years by carrying mortar and doing 
other light work in connection with construction jobs. When a youth of nineteen he returned 
to Italy and spent one year upon a farm, his father, Dominico Longhi, who was also a mason 
by trade, passing away about that time. 

At the age of twenty years, or in 1888, Mr. Longhi again left Italy and went to 
Montevideo, South America, where he spent three years working at his trade as a journey- 
man. He then returned to Italy on a visit to his mother and brothers, remaining for seven 
months, and in 1892 he came to the United States, landing in New York. He then went to 
Boston but after ten days proceeded to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where he spent four 
years as a journeyman mason. He afterward came to Torrington, Connecticut, where he 
arrived in April, 1896, twenty-one years ago. He worked during one summer as a journey- 
man and in 1897 formed a partnership with his brother. Charles Longhi. to conduct a general 
contracting business under the firm name of Louis Longhi & Brother. This firm not only 
erects brick and stone buildings but also builds streets and roads and has done much work 
in the cities and towns adjacent to Torrington. The tirni had the contract for building the 
South school, the East school and the Riverside school, all of Torrington, and all fine fireproof 
buildings. They were also builders of the Southwest school, the Alhambra Theater, the 
Thomas W. Bryant residence, the (ieorge D. Lyford residence, the Torrington Electric Light 
buildings, the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic church, the plant of the Union Hardware 
Company, the Hendey Machine Company and the Turner & Seymour ^Manufacturing Company. 
Tlie lirm has erected some of the best modern residences in Litchfield, Connecticut. In addition 



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LOUIS LONGHI 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 63 

to his other interests Mr. Longhi is the president of the Eastern Auto Parts Company of 
Torrington, the president of the Italian Labor Cooperative Society of Torrington, and was 
one of the organizers and is a director of the Torrington Trust Company. 

On the 4th of January, 1896, Mr. Longhi was united in marriage to Miss Mary Riche, a 
native of Alsace-Lorraine and of French parentage. She came to the United States with a 
brother in 1891. To this marriage have been born three children: Marguerite Mary, a 
graduate of the Torrington high school of the class of 1916; Paul J., a high school senior; 
and Dorothy Julia, Avho completes the family. 

Mr. Longhi is an Odd Fellow and member of tlie Torrington Club and belongs to the 
Italian Mutual Labor Society, the Italian Aid Society and other organizations of a similar 
nature, being ever ready to extend a helping hand to his fellow countrymen and also as well 
to people of other nationalities. He is a thorough republican in politics and has held the 
oiRce of assessor for the town and borough of Torrington for nine consecutive years, or 
for three trems. He has risen to a position of prominence in Torrington's affairs and is a 
recognized leader of the borough's large citizenship of Italian birth or descent. He has 
accomplished much since starting out to provide for his own support at the age of twelve 
years. Actuated by a laudable ambition, he has never faltered no matter how great the 
task before him, but by persistent energy he has accomplished what he has undertaken. 
He thoroughly mastered every phase of building operations, has kept in touch with the trend 
of progress along this line and is today at the head of one of the leading contracting firms 
in the Naugatuck valley. 



EDWARD ELY WILSON. 



Edward Ely Wilson, vice president of the Tracy Brothers Company, prominent con- 
tractors, builders and lumber dealers of Waterbury, was born in Chicopee, Massachusetts, 
April 9, 1865, a son of Daniel and Jane (Wright) Wilson, who were natives of Boston 
and of South Hadley, Massachusetts, respectively. The paternal grandfather came from 
Scotland, while the mother was descended from the Elys, one of the earliest colonial 
families. In 1868 Daniel Wilson removed with his family to New Britain, Connecticut, 
where he conducted business as a blacksmith and machinist. 

Edward E. Wilson obtained a public school education, beginning his studies in New 
Britain and later studying in Florida, for in 1874 the father took his family to that state, 
where he became interested in orange growing. After a few years he returned and Edward 
E. Wilson continued his education in the high school at New Britain. In early youth 
he learned the carpenter's trade, at which he first worked in Florida, while later he was 
employed along that line in Brooklyn, Long Island City and at other points, gaining the 
skill and efficiency which e.nabled him at length to take up business as a contractor. In 
1888 he came t'o Waterbury and became foreman of the shop of the Tracy Brothers Com- 
pany. His ability won him immediate advancement and led to his admission to a partner- 
ship. Upon the incorporation of the business he was chosen vice president and so 
continues. 

Mr. Wilson was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Ella Bridge, a daughter of William 
Bridge, postmaster of Long Island City, New York. Their children arc William Edward 
and Ernest Bridge. In politics Mr. Wilson is a republican and keeps well informed on t'he 
political situation of the day but has no desire for office, preferring to concentrate his 
energies and attention upon his business affairs, which are wisely directed. He is today an 
officer in one of the foremost contracting firms of t'he city with a patronage that makes 
its business one of large volume and importance. 



HERMAN J. WEISMAN. 



Herman J. Weisman, for eight years actively engaged in the practice of law in Water- 
bury and now associated with Judge A. P. Bradstreet, Hon. A. P. Hayes and Judge John 
F. McGrath. has made a creditable record for one of his years and is recognized as one 
who is thoroughly conscientious in his professional service. He was born in Hart'ford, 
Connecticut, November 18, 1888, and is the oldest child of John and Clara (Greenburg) 
Weisman, who are still residents of Waterbury, having removed t'o this city from Nauga- 
tuck, where they had resided for fifteen years after living in Hartford until 1902. The 



64 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

father is filling t'he position of deputy sheriff of New Haven county. Their family numbered 
four sons and two daughters and the circle yet remains unbroken by the hand of death. In 
addition to Herman J. Weisman the children are: Elizabeth H., now a teacher in the 
schools of Madison, Connecticut; Anna W., the wife of Benjamin Blick, of Waterbury; 
Marcus H., who is a senior in the law department' of the University of Pennsylvania; A. 
Henry, a junior in the law department of New York University; and J. Stanton, wlio is a 
student in the Driggs School of Waterbury. 

Herman J. Weisman was graduated from the Naugatuck high school with the class 
of 1906. In the fall of that' year he began preparation for the bar as a law student at 
Yale and was there graduated in 1909 with the LL. B. degree when in the twentieth year of 
Ms age. He therefore could not be admitted to the bar until he had attained his 
majority, which occurred six months later. Since that time he has been actively engaged 
in practice in Waterbury. For six years he was a partner in the law firm of O'Neill, O'Neill 
& Weisman and since August 1, 1916, has been associated in practice Avith Judge A. P. 
Bradstreet, Hon. Abner P. Hayes and Judge John F. McGrath, with offices in the Lilley 
building at No. Ill West Main street. It is well knoAvn that' advancement at the bar 
is dependent upon individvial merit and ability and Mr. Weisman is closely applying himself 
to the further mastery of the principles of jurisprudence and the correct application of these 
principles to the points in litigation as he presents his cases before the courts. 

On the 22d of February, 1911, ]\Ir. Weisman was married to Miss Ethel T. Schwed, of 
New Haven, and they have one daughter, Norma, who was born December 26, 1915, and 
one son, born June 25, 1917. Mr. Weisman is of the Hebrew faith, a republican in his 
political views and an Elk in his fraternal relations. Professionally he is connected with 
the Waterbury and Connecticut State Bar Associations. He enjoys all manly outdoor 
sports, playing tennis, basket ball and baseball, and is also fond of boating and motoring, 
while many a pleasant hour is spent in his library, where reading gives to liim the intel- 
lectual stimulus that' perhaps constitutes life's greatest joy. 



WENDELL PHILLIPS NORTON. 

Wendell Phillips Norton, connected with the Hendey Machine Company since 1886, 
was for twenty-five years superintendent and is now works manager, being thus actively 
and prominently identified with industrial development in this section of the Naugatuck 
valley. 

He was born in Plainville, Hartford county, Connecticut, May 14, 1861. His father. 
John Norton, was born in Boston in the shadow of Bunker Hill and died in Plainville 
at the advanced age of ninety years. He was descended from the Rev. William Norton, 
the clergyman who came from England in the seventeenth century and settled at Salem, 
Massachusetts. John Norton was one of a family of nine children, six boys and three 
girls, four of the brothers becoming mechanical engineers of prominence in the silk and 
clock industry of Connecticut. John Norton married Harriet Hotchkiss, a member of 
the family which gave the world the invention known as the Hotchkiss gun. Another 
member of the Hotchkiss family and a cousin of Harriet (Hotchkiss) Norton's was one of 
the early clock makers of Connecticut and later of New York city, being one of the 
original makers of tower clocks in the United States. In his shop was manufactured the 
famous clock v/hich for years did service in the tower of the old city hall in New York 
and was only recently destroyed by fire, while being illuminated in honor of the Engli.sh 
and French war commissions. 

John and Harriet (Hotchkiss) Norton reared a family of two sons, the elder being 
Charles Norton, of Worcester, Massachusetts, and founder of the Norton Grinding Com- 
pany of that city. The younger son and the subject of this sketch, Wendell Phillips 
Norton, was educated in the schools of Plainville and his early opportunities in that 
direction were limited, due to a physical disability, and his ill health caused him to 
remain at home much of the time of his boyhood. Later, however, he attended Professor 
Camp's school in New Britain and at the age of seventeen he went to Thomaston, Con- 
necticut, entering the employ of the Seth Thomas Clock Company, where he served 
an apprenticeship to the engineering and machinist trade under his uncle, Noah Norton, 
who was one of the most prominent and best known of the early mechanical engineers 
in the clock industry of the Naugatuck valley. 

After completing his apprenticeship, Wendell Norton went to Bristol, Connecticut, 




WEXDELL P. NORTON 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 67 

where lie opened a small shop on his own account. After two years, he sold this and 
removed to Hartford, where he took charge of the Dwight Slate Machine Company, 
remaining there two years, when for a brief period he returned to and travelled for the 
Seth Thcmas Clock Company. 

In 1886, he came to Torrington to accept the position as draftsman with the Hendey 
Machine Company, with which he has since been, save for a period of three years in the 
early '90s, during which time he was a draftsman with the Garvin Machine Company of 
New York city. While there he invented the Norton lathe which is known the world 
over under the name of the Hendey-Norton lathe and is universally considered the standard 
of perfection in the lathe making industry, as is evidenced by the fact that since the 
expiration of the patents more or less direct copies of its special features have been 
made by nearly every maker of lathes, both in this country and in Europe. 

In 1892, Mr. Norton was induced by the late Henry J. Hendey to return to the 
Hendey Machine Company, with which he is still associated, and to begin at once the 
manufacture of his patented lathe, and in its manufacture the Hendey Machine Company 
has become one of the most prominent and widely known industries in its line. 

On Christmas Day, 1884, Mr. Norton was united in marriage to Matilda Myers, of 
Thomaston. They have become the parents of five children: Wendell Phillips, Jr.; Helen, 
now the wife of George Rollason, who is identified with the United States shipping board; 
Ruth and Dorothy at home; and John Richard, who is with the Norton Grinding Com- 
pany of Worcester, Massachusetts. Wendell Phillips Norton, Jr., for nine years held a 
responsible position with the Hendey Machine Company, but is now a member of the 
firm of Quinion & Norton, coal dealers of Bristol, Connecticut. 

In politics, Mr. Norton is a republican in principles but votes for the man whom he 
considers best qualified for office. He has served as chairman of the board of education 
and has also filled the office of burgess. He is a member of the Congregational church 
and his life has ever been the expression of his high and honorable principles. 

His residence is on Prospect street, Torrington, and he has a country home at High- 
land Lake near Winsted, Connecticut, where he and his family spend their summers, 
Mr. Norton making daily trips to and from his home in his motor car. He is an enthusiastic 
motorist and was one of the first citizens to own a motor car. 



EDWARD J. BALTHAZAR. 



EdAvard J. Balthazar, a native son of Waterbury, where he is now engaged in the 
practice of law, was born at No. 8 Oak street on the 8th of March, 1890, and is of French 
descent. His father, Joseph A. Balthazar, was born in Rhode Island of French parentage. 
After arriving at years of maturity he wedded Rose Roch, also of French lineage. They 
are now well known residents of Waterbury. 

Edward J. Balthazar, their eldest son, obtained his primary education in St. Ann's 
parochial school and afterward spent two years as a student in the Waterbury high 
school. He afterward attended St. Hyacinth preparatory school near Montreal, Canada, 
and in 1908 matriculated in the academic department of Laval University of Montreal, 
from which he was graduated with the B. A. degree in 1913. In the fall of that year 
he became a law student at Yale and won his professional LL. B. degree in 1915. He 
was admitted to the bar in June of that year and in September entered upon active 
practice. 

On the 30th of November, 1916, Mr. Balthazar was united in marriage to Miss IMade- 
line Ritchie, of Norwich, Connecticut. While one of the younger representatives of the 
jn-ofession, Mr. Balthazar is making for himself a creditable jsosition in legal circles. 



EDWARD L. SEERY. 



Edward L. Seery, an attorney of Waterbury. was born Februarj' 28, 1869. in the 
city in which he still makes his home, the second of the three sons of Thomas H. and 
Mary Seery, both natives of Ireland. They were acquainted in that land but it was not 
until after their emigration to the new world tliat tiiey were married, the wedding cere- 
mony being performed in Waterbury in 1858. Thomas H. Seerj' was born in 1825 and 



68 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

came to the United States with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Seery, in 1844. Not 
long afterward the family home was established in Waterbury, where Thomas H. Seery 
spent his remaining days. For fifty years he held a responsible position with the Water- 
bury Brass Company and during much of that period was superintendent of the plant. 
He died October 21, 1896, but his widow survives, remaining a resident of Waterljury. She 
was born in 1842 and came to the United States in 1858 to become the bride of Thomas 
H. Seery. There were seven children born of their union, of whom Edward L. was the 
fifth in order of birth. One of the number died in infancy, while the surviving members 
of the family are: Peter H., of Newark, New Jersey, a manufacturer and inventor; 
Ellen E., the widow of Thomas H. Hayes, of Waterbury; Maria C, the widow of Joseph 
Bolan, of Waterbury; Kate, who is instructor in art and drawing in the Waterbury 
public schools; and Frank J., a member of the faculty of Cornell University. 

Edward L. Seery acquired his early education in the public schools of Waterbury 
and in 1895 was graduated with tlie LL. B. degree from the Yale Law School. The same 
year he was admitted to the bar, since which time he has continuously practiced in Water- 
bury and, working his way steadily upward, he now occupies a high position in the ranks 
of the legal fraternity. He belongs to the New Haven County and State Bar Associations 
and enjoys the high regard and goodwill of his professional brethren. 

In religious faith Mr. Seery is a Catholic and fraternally he is an Elk. In politics 
he maintains an independent course and has never been a candidate for political office, 
although he served for one term on the board of public safety. Interested in community 
affairs to the extent of giving active and hearty cooperation to measures for the public 
good he has become a member of the Waterbury Chamber of Commerce. He is a man of 
broad and liberal ciilture. having traveled extensively both for business and pleasure and 
is thoroughly familiar with his own country, with Canada and with Mexico and has been 
abroad seven times, in 1891, 1897, 1899, 1905, 1907, 1910 and 1913. He has not only visited 
the British Isles but all of the western countries of Europe and has brought back many 
interesting reminiscences and memories of his trips abroad. 



BRONSON BEECHER TUTTLE. 

Bronson Beecher Tuttle, whose grasp of affairs and whose activity in the field of manu- 
facturing made him a prominent citizen of Naugatuck, where he remained to the time of 
his demise, was born in New Haven county, December 28, 1835, his birthplace being Prospect. 
His parents were Eben Clark and Temperance (Beecher) Tuttle, the former a son of Obed 
and Lucretia (Clark) Tuttle, while the latter was a daughter of Hezekiah Beecher. His 
boyhood days were spent in the town of Prospect, where he attended school. He was a 
student in the well known institute conducted by Daniel Chase at Middletown, Connecticut, 
and afterward he became a student in the Naugatuck high school, then imder the supervision 
of Professor Laurence. He afterward entered the manufacturing establishment of his father 
and acquainted himself with the business in principle and detail. The institution as 
it then stood was the nucleus of what afterward became the extensive Tuttle interests of 
many parts of the country. In 1857 the company was largely engaged in the manufacture 
of hoes, rakes and small agricultvu'al implements and the malleable iron department was 
a very small concern, regarded simply as a side interest to the remainder of the plant. That 
year the entire plant was destroyed by fire, including the agricultural works, and Eben 
Clark Tuttle and several others who were interested witli him in the Tuttle Hoe Manu- 
facturing Company decided to turn the entire malleable iron industry over to Bronson 
Beecher Tuttle and John H. Whittemore, two yovuig men. each then about twenty-one 
years of age. They resolutely took up the task and rebuilt the malleable iron plant on 
the same site. From that point a high degree of success was achieved. Their partnership 
continued with mutual pleasure and profit until 1894, when a stock company was formed. 
Afterward the two partners were associated together in business and lield many common 
interests in various lines, though not in the relationshij) of partners. In the manufacture of 
agricultural implements the business was carried on under the firm style of Tuttle & 
Whittemore, with a plant located at Union City. 

In addition to his activities in that direction Mr. Tuttle was also president of the Pratt 
Manufacturing Company, makers of railway track supplies, with office on Broadway in 
New York. Mr. Tuttle also became identified witli the National Malleable Iron Company 
and with many other industrial concerns whicli contributed much to the material upbuilding 
and development of Connecticut and of all New England. In this way lie became widely 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 71 

known in business circles and his cooperation was sought in connection with financial 
interests. He became a factor in the Naugatuck National Bank and Savings Bank and he 
was also greatly interested in Chicago real estate. His activities and his investments were 
largely of a character that contributed to the upbuilding and progress of his city as well 
as to the advancement of his individual fortune. One of the valuable bequests made by him 
to Naugatuck was that of a tract of land situated in the immediate neighborhood for 
cemetery purposes and which was converted into Grove cemetery and is now under the 
management of the Grove Cemetery Association. It was there that Mrs. Tuttle afterward 
erected a mortuary chapel in loving memory of her husband. He died at his summer home 
in Middlebury, Connecticut, September 12, 1903, and was laid to rest in Grove cemetery of 
Naugatuck, where the beautiful memorial chapel was erected, being dedicated on the 
2d of November, 1907. 

Mr. Tuttle was widely known and highly respected. He was a true Christian gentle- 
man, honorable in all his dealings and in all his relations. He was greatly devoted to the 
welfare of his family and counted no personal sacrifice or effort on his part too great if it 
would promote the welfare and happiness of his wife and son. In politics he was a stanch 
republican, believing firmly in the principles of the party. His religious faith was that of the 
Congregational church and to its teachings he was most loyal. He was a man of the strictest 
honesty and of liigh moral charcter and his entire career was worthy of emulation. To 
know him was to esteem and honor him and there was no phase of his life that was not 
worthy of regard and everywhere he was spoken of in terms of praise and respect. 

On the 12th of October, 1859. Mr. Tuttle was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. 
Wilcox, who is a native of Madison, Connecticut, and a daughter of Rodney Wilcox of that 
place. She still resides in Naugatuck, occupying a beautiful home on Church street. She 
has been a devoted wife and mother and a true Christian woman, holding membership in the 
Congregational church. By her marriage she has one child, Howard Beecher Tuttle, who was 
born in Naugatuck, October 25, 1863. He was educated in private schools and in the military 
school at Ossining, New York, and also attended school in Waterbury, for three years. Later 
he became a student in the Williston Seminary at Easthampton, Massachusetts, for two years 
and subsequently spent two years in travel and study abroad. After returning to his native 
land he entered upon a scientific course in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University 
and upon his graduation as a member of the class of 1887 received the degree of Bachelor of 
Philosophy. After completing his education he entered the employ of the Naugatuck 
Malleable Iron Company, with which he spent one year and then resigned. Later he 
traveled through Europe for a year and upon returning to Naugatuck became associated 
with George C. Ham. a brother-in-law, in civil engineering, with offices in Naugatuck, where 
he spent five years. He then gave up that profession and has since concentrated his attention 
upon the care of his farming interests and is very much interested in dairying and in raising 
thoroughbred cattle. He is also a director of the Naugatuck National Bank and was one of 
the incorporators of the Naugatuck Savings Bank. He is likewise a director of the 
Exeter Railway & Lighting Company of Massachusetts. 

On the 24th of October, 1888, in Naugatiick, he was married to Miss Jeannette Seymour, 
of Naugatuck, a daughter of Zera Seymour, of New Haven county, and they have three 
children: Donald Seymour, Muriel Seymour and Ruby Seymour. In religious faith Mr. 
Tuttle is a Congregationalist, while his political belief is that of the republican party. He 
represents a prominent old family of Connecticut and is fortunate in that his lines of life 
have been cast in harmony with the ancestral record. Sound judgment characterizes his 
business management, and his diligence and progressiveness are leading to the further 
development of the important interests under his care. 



CLAYTON L. KLEIN. 



Clayton L. Klein, attorney at law of Waterbury, was born March 7, 1885. in the city 
where he is now successfully piacticing his profession. He is the only son of Joseph and 
Katherine (Fallon) Klein whose family, howevei-, also numbered two daughters: Minnie, 
t'he wife of William H. Wood, of Waterbury; and Blanche, the wife of Walter Grover 
Parker, of Meriden, Connecticut. The parents reside in Naugatuck, where they have made 
their home for more tlian thirty years. The father was born in Germany, April 16, 1853, 
and in young manhood came to the LTnited States, establishing his home in Massachusetts 
in 1869. On the loth of September, 1875, he married Katherine Fallon of Hancock, 
Massachusetts, and soon afterward they removed to Connecticut. For a brief period they 



72 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

were residents of Waterbury and then took up their abode in Naugatuck, where they have 
since remained. 

Clayton L. Klein has practically been a lifelong resident of Naugatuck, for he was one 
year old when his parents removed with their family to that place. In the attainment 
of his education he was graduated from the Naugatuck high school with the class of 1900 
very soon af(«r he had reached the fifteenth milestone on life's journej^ having displayed 
notable aptitude in his studies. At the age of twenty-one years he entered the Yale 
Law School, matriculating in 1906. He completed a three years' course there, being 
graduated in 1909 with the LL. B. degree, and soon "afterward Avas admitted to the 
bar of Connecticut, after which he at once entered upon active practice in Waterbur}\ In 
June, 1910, he also opened a law office in Naugatuck aiid has since maintained both offices. 
He enjoys a splendid practice and is regarded as one of the rising young att'orneys of New 
Haven countj'. His comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practices of juris- 
prudence enables him to base his arguments upon irrefutable precedent, and his mind, 
naturally logical and inductive, attains as result, a clear presentation of his cause. He 
belongs to both the local and state bar associations. 

Mr. Klein is married and has a son, Clayton L., Jr., who was born May 25, 1905. In 
politics Mr. Klein is a democrat and he served for six years as prosecutor for the borough 
of Naugatuck. He belongs to the Naugatuck Country Club and fraternally is a Royal 
Arch Mason and an Elk. He is widely known in this part of the state and has social 
qualities which render him very popular, Avhile his close conformity to a high standard 
of professional ethics lias gained him the warm regard of his colleagues at the bar. 



REV. THEODORE ZIMMERMANN. 

Among the representatives of the Catholic ministry in Waterbury is the Rev. 
Theodore Zimmermann, who in 1914 was assigned to duty in the parish of St. Stanislaus 
church on East Farm street in Waterbury. He was born in that part of Germany which 
formerly belonged to Poland, the place of his nativity being the town of Bischofsburg and 
the date the 7th of February, 1861. His education was pursued in schools and colleges 
of Germany, Italy and Switzerland, and he was ordained to the priesthood in the last 
named country, November 30, 1904. 

Since 1906 he has resided on this side of the Atlantic and has served St. Stanislaus church 
of Waterbury since August 15, 1914. Previous to that time he had done pastoral work, 
being first connected with St. Adalbert's Polish church at Elmhurst, Long Island, but 
was transferred to St. Michael's Polish church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in February, 
1907, and to Sacred Heart Polish church in New Britain, July 13, 1907. From November 1, 
1909, until August 15, 1914, he was curate at SS. Cyril and Methodius Polish church in 
Hartford, and then came to Waterbury as pastor of St. Stanislaus church. In 1915 the 
parish under his leadership laid the foundation of a splendid new church edifice, upon which 
already more than fourteen thousand dollars has been expended. The basement has been 
sufficiently completed to admit of its use for church services. 

Father Zimmermann is the third pastor of St. Stanislaus church, the parish being a 
comparatively new one. It was established in 1912, when Rev. Father Ignatius Maciejewski 
became the first pastor. He is now serving a church in Norwich, Connecticut. The second 
pastor was Rev. Paul Piechochi, who in turn was succeeded bj^ Father Zimmermann. This is 
a Polish congregation and the present pastor is doing excellent work among his parishioners. 



JAMES L. MORIARTY, M. D. 



Dr. James L. Moriarty, orthopedic surgeon, well versed in his branch of the profession 
having qualified by thorough study in this country and abroad, was born in Norwich, 
Connecticut, August 18, 1871. His father, James Moriarty, was a shoe merchant, who 
was born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, whence he came to the United States with his 
parents when a lad of seven years. He died in the year 1908. His Avife, Avho bore 
the maiden name of Mary Leary, was born in Norwich, Avhere she still resides. 

Dr. Moriarty, their only child, Avas reared in Norwich and was graduated from the 
NorAvich Academy Avith the class of 1891. He prepared for his profession in Harvard 
Medical College and won his M. D. degree upon graduation Avith the class of 1896. For 




REV. THEODORE ZIMMERMANN 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 75 

a year thereafter he was interne in the Carney Hospital of Boston and in 1897 he came to 
Waterbury, where he lias since been engaged in the practice of medicine, specializing 
in orthopedic surgery. He has taken various post graduate courses in orthopedic surgery 
in New York and Boston and has twice been abroad for post graduate work in London, 
Paris, Berlin and Vienna, where he has had the benefit of instruction and clinical practice 
under some of the most eminent orthopedic surgeons of the old world. Three years ago he 
gave up general practice and has since devoted his entire attention to his specialty. He is 
orthopedic surgeon on the staff's of both the Waterbury and St. Mary's Hospitals and he 
is also radiographer in St. Mary's Hospital. He has been a frequent contributor to medical 
journals and his opinions are largely accepted as authority, especially in the field in wliich 
he specializes. Quite recently Dr. Moriarty has enlisted offering his services and his 
knowledge to his government and country. 

On the 8th of Maj, 1901, Dr. Moriarty was married to Miss Mary Donahue, of Water- 
bury, and they have one son, James Thomas, who was born August 3, 1902. Dr. Moriarty 
belongs to the Catholic church and has membership with the Benevolent Protective 
Order of Elks. He votes with the democratic party but is not a politician in the generally 
accepted sense of the word. His professional duties are undertaken with seriousness and 
manifest devotion to his work. 



DAVID B. NETH. 



David B. Xeth is chief engineer of the United Electric Light & Water Company of 
Waterbury. His training has been that of the school of experience and he is now familiar 
with every practical phase of the business and t'he scientific principles which underlie his 
work. He was born in Winchester, Connecticut, August 8, 1867, and is a son of John Neth. 
In the acquirement of his education he passed through consecutive grades in the public 
school, ultimately becoming a high school pupil at Hartford, and he made his initial 
step in the business world as an employe in the Hartford Automatic Machine Screw 
Company. He was afterward with Colt's Armory for a year and a half and subsequently 
devoted two years to farming. When he withdrew from active connection with general 
agricultural pursuits he came to Waterbury in 1888 and entered the employ of the Standard 
Electric Time Company. Through the intervening period, covering three decades, he has 
been a resident of this city. He afterward became a partner in the firm of George M. 
Chapman & Company, that association continuing from 1891 until 1898. He was later with 
the Waterbury Clock Company for but a brief period and subsequently he became con- 
nected with the New England Engineering Company. The following year, however, he 
entered the employ of the Connecticut Light & Power Company, with which he has since 
been identified, being advanced to the position of general engineer in May, 1914. 

The United Electric Light & Water Company was organized under its present form 
January 1, 1912, succeeding tlie Housatonic Power Company, the name under which the 
New Haven Railroad Company operated the property after acquiring it in 1907. It had 
previously been the Connecticut Railway & Lighting Company, which was organized about 
1902, its predecessor being the Connecticut Light & Power Company, which succeeded 
the Waterbury Traction Company that, in turn, was the successor of the Connecticut 
Electric Company. The last named was a combined lighting and contracting concern. The 
New England Engineering Company was an offshoot of this business, taking the contracting 
end. When the Waterbury Traction Company was organized the street car and the ligliting 
systems were combined, at which time the line was transformed from a hoise car to a 
trolley system, and the company also took over the New Britain Railway. When the 
Connecticut Lighting & Power Company was organized its business was extended to include 
Greenwich and Norwalk, t'o both of which towns they furnished the electric lighting systems. 
With the organization of the Connecticut Railway & Lighting Company in 1902 it took 
over the business of the Bridgeport Traction Company, and in 1907 tlie New Haven 
Railway Company took over the property but' operated the trolley line separately, while the 
Housatonic Power Company was organized to have charge of the power and lighting end 
of the business. The further development of these interests is indicated in the fact that 
in 193 2 the United Electric Light & Water Company was formed. They leased all the 
lighting and power end of the business from the New Haven Railway Company, which they 
leased from the Connecticut Railway & Lighting Company. Beside the Waterbury plant 
the company furnishes power and light to New Britain, Newington, Berlin, Plainville, 



76 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Southington, Milldale and Norwalk, and the territory included in New Canaan, George- 
town, East Norwalk. Ronton and Greenwich. Also the territory included in East Port 
Chester to the state line, while the Waterbury district includes Waterbury, Watertown and 
Cheshire. In June, 1900 the Waterbury power station was located at No. 571 Bank street, 
furnishing commercial lighting and power, municipal street lighting and trolley power. 
The plant formerly had two 450 hp. and one 225 hp. Corliss engines for lighting and 
power, and two 350 hp. Corliss engines for trolley. The boiler plant contains five 500 hp. 
Babcock & Wilcox electric generators; two 150 kw., four 60 kw. Edisons, one 150 and one 
100 kw. for 5,000 hp.; two 75 kw. 1100 v. single phase alternating current and fourteen 
small T. H. generating machines for street lighting; two 300 kw. 550 v. for trolley. That 
same year one 450 hp. engine with 300 kw. three p. 2300 v. generator and two 150 kw. 
three p. 2300 v. generators were installed, displacing the old 1100 v. single phase alternating 
current generator, and the whole alternating current system was raised from 1100 v. to 
2300 V. and changed from 125 cycles to 60. The Naugat'uck generating station was also 
closed and the whole Naugatuck load was taken by this new machinery. The following 
year a 1,200 hp. engine with 800 kw. generator was installed for the trolley and a 200 kw. 
generator for lighting, and one of the old 300 kw. trolley generators converted to lighting. 
To get the steam for the new apparatus a new boiler house was erected and two 600 hp. 
boilers were installed. In 1904 the substation at West End in the rear of the car barns 
and at field street were completed and started operation with 3,000 kw. capacity for 
lighting and power and 2,000 kw. for trolley at No. 1, and 1,200 kw. for lighting at Field 
street. In 1910 a new steam generating station was started with eight 500 hp. boiler? 
and two 1,500 kw. Turbo generators; in 1911 a 3,000 kw. Turbo generator was added and in 
1912 four 500 hp. boilers and a 400 kw. Turbo generator were added. Further equipment was 
secured in 1916 with the installation of two 500 hp. boilers and a 10,000 kw. Turbo 
generator. The company employs about three hundred and seventy-five people, of whom 
one hundred and twenty are in the Waterbury district. At Norwalk the company has a 
gas business in addition to the electric lighting, and since 1912 they have taken over 
the Seymour, Connecticut, business, furnishing light and power there. The company has 
a complete hydraulic electric plant on the Housatonic river at Bull's Bridge with a 
capacity of 6,000 kw. in addition to the new steam plant in Waterbui'y. Mr. Neth, as 
chief engineer, has control of the operation of all these plants and is familiar with every 
phase of the work in every department. 

In 1902 Mr. Neth was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth M. Blair, of Waterbury, 
and they had three children: Marshall W., thirteen years of age; Paul, who died in infancy; 
and Katherine Blair, three years of age. 

Mr. Neth holds membership in the Congregational church, while his wife is a member 
of the Baptist church. In politics he is a republican, and fraternally he is connected with 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Red Men. He belongs to the Waterbury 
Country Club and is widely and favorably known in this city, where for three decades 
he has made his home. He stands as a recognized leader in the line which he has chosen 
as a life work, and his ability is not the result of college training, for he did not have the 
opportunity of advancing beyond the high school. Starting in business, however, he made 
it his purpose to learn from each day's experience and duties, and study and experience 
have constantly broadened his knowledge until today he is a power in his cliosen field 
where his comprehensive understanding of every phase of the business enables him to speak 
with authority upon anything relating to his line. 



HARRY A. DALBY. 



Harry A. Dalby, a well known resident of Naugatuck, where he is engaged in the 
banking business, being now treasurer of the Naugatuck Savings Bank, was born in Stouben- 
ville, Ohio, June 19, 1867, and is a son of Henry S. and Clementine (McMillan) Dalby, the 
former a native of Steubenville, while the latter was born in Washington county, Penn- 
sylvania, and came of Scotch-Irish ancestry. William McMillan and Margaret Rea, his 
wife, were born and lived in the parish of Carmony, County Antrim, Ireland. They emi- 
grated to America and settled in Fagg's Manor, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1742. 
They had two sons, one of whom, John, became the pioneer missionary of Presbyterianism 
in western Pennsylvania and was the founder of Washington and Jeflerson College at 
Washington, that state. Our subject is the great grandson of the other son of William 




HARRY A. DALBY 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 79 

McMillan. The Dalbys were an early family of Ohio. It was there that Henry S. Dalby 
followed the occupation of blacksinithing until 1849, when, attracted by the discoverj^ of gold 
in California, he made his Avay to the Pacific coast and while in that far western country 
he lost his eyesight. Returning to Ohio, his remaining days were spent in Steubenville. 

Harry A. Dalby acquired a public school education and when a youth of thirteen started 
as a Western Union Telegraph messenger and took up the study of telegraphy. After 
being active in the railroad business for six years he came to Naugatuck in 1887 and spent 
two years as a clerk in the Goodyear IMetallic Rubber shoe store. Later he went to New 
Haven and occupied the position of train dispatcher with the New Haven Railway Company. 
Since 1905, however, he has been identified with financial interests in Naugatuck, having 
on the 1st of February of that year been made teller of the Naugatuck Savings bank, with 
which he has since been associated. He served in that capacity until July, 1912, when he 
was made assistant treasurer, and in Jul}', 19]-4, he was advanced to the position of treasurer, 
in which capacity he has since served. His long connection with the bank has made him 
thoroughly familiar with every phase and detail of the business and he is well qualified for 
the executive position which he is now occupying. 

On the 8th of September, 1888, Mr. Dalby was united in marriage to Miss Etta A. Terrill, 
of Naugatuck, a daughter of Lester A. and Mary (Patterson) Terrill. Thej^ have one daugh- 
ter, Helen, who is a graduate of the Gushing Academy at Ashburnham, Massachusetts, of 
the class of 1909. 

Mr. and Mrs. Dalby are mfflnbers of the Congregational church. In politics he is a 
republican where national issues are involved but at local elections casts an independent 
ballot. He served for two years, in 1914 and 1915, as assessor of Naugatuck. He is well 
known in fraternal circles, belonging to Shepherds Lodge, No. 78, F. & A. M. ; Allerton 
Chapter, No. 39, R. A. M.; Waterbury Council, No. 21, R. & S. M., of Waterbury; Clark 
Commandery, No. 7, K. T.; and Evergreen Chapter, No. 22, 0. E. S. He is also a member of 
Centennial Lodge. No. 76, I. 0. 0. F., and he is loyal to the teachings of these different 
organizations, which are based upon a recognition of the brotherhood of man and the 
obligations thereby imposed. 



JOHN JOSEPH EGAN, M. D. 



On the roll of successful physicians and surgeons in Waterbury appears tlie name 
of Dr. John Joseph Egan, who has his residence and office at No. 30 Prospect street and 
also another office at No. 131 Baldwin street. He was born in Waterbury^ May 18, 1878, and 
is a son of John Egan, who came to Waterbury prior to the Civil war. The latter was born 
in County Kerry, Ireland, and after arriving in America was employed as a mechanic in 
some of the large manufacturing plants of Waterbury, his main connection, however, being 
with the Scovill Company'. He is now nearly eighty years of age. His wife, who bore the 
maiden name of Bridget Flaherty, was born in County Kerry, Ireland, and passed away 
in 1914. Mr. Egan had been previously married and by his first union had one son, 
Eugene, who became a well known athlete, holding the track championship for the state 
in the one-hundred-yard dash. Eugene Egan passed away a few years ago. Of the second 
marriage of John Egan were born six children, two sons and four daughters, of whom Dr. 
Egan was the fourth. All are living with the exception of the son Thomas, who was a 
machinist by trade. He joined the army at the time of the Spanish-American war 
and died in California just after the war closed and while still in the service. 

Dr. Egan attended the public schools of Waterbury and pursued his academic course 
in Villanova College at Villanova, Pennsylvania, where he studied for four years. In 
preparation for the practice of medicine, which he had determined to make his life work, 
he entered the University of Maryland at Baltimore and was graduated with the M. D. 
degree in 1907. He then spent one year in research for The Johns Hopkins at the 
Bay View Hospital of Maryland and in 1908 he ret'urned home, since which time he has 
been continuously, actively and successfully engaged in general practice in Waterbury. He 
has further qualified for his professional duties by various post graduate courses along 
special lines. In 1909 he pursued a course in diseases of the stomach in the New York 
Post Graduate School and 1915-16 he took special work on diseases of the I'ectum and 
intestines in the Bartholomew Clinic of New York city, in the New York Polyclinic and 
in the Bellevue Hospital of New York. He displays particular skill in treating stomach and 
intestinal diseases and is now rectal surgeon on the staff of St. Mary's Hospital. He 



80 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK A^ALLEY 

belongs to the Waterbury, New Haven County and Connecticut State Medical Societies 
and the American Medical Association. 

On the 9th of September, 1910, Dr. Egan was married to Miss Anna Agnes Healey, 
of Waterbury, who was born April 11, 1886, a daughter of Maurice Healey, who was 
an extensive dealer in barrels and general cooperage product's. He was born in County 
Kerry, Ireland, and died in Waterbury in 1903, while his wife, who bore the maiden name 
of Ellen Shane, passed away in 1905. Dr. and Mrs. Egan have two children: John 
Vincent, born May 15, 1912; and Maurice Francis, born February 25, 1915. 

Mrs. Egan is a member of the Daughters of Isabella and both Dr. and Mrs. Egan 
belong to the Immaculate Conception Catholic church. Fraternally he is an Elk and he 
finds his chief recreation in fishing. He has recently purchased and now occupies a splendid 
home at No. 30 Prospect street', which by reason of its environment and central location 
is in one of the most desirable sections of the city. 



GEORGE S. BISSET. 



. George S. Bisset was one of the organizers of the dry goods house of Grieve, Bisset 
& Holland in 1902 and remains active in its ownership and control. He was born in 
Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1864, and is a son of Peter and Agnes (Swapp) Bisset. He acquired 
a public school education and afterward served an apprenticeship to the dry goods trade 
in Scotland, where his ability along that line soon became manifest. Promotion followed 
from time to time until he became manager of an Aberdeen store, but' thinking to find 
still better opportunities in the new world, he crossed the Atlantic to Canada in 1889 and 
first located at Ontario. Later he made his way to Syracuse, New York, and in 1890 
came to Waterbury, where for twelve years he was in the employ of Reid & Hughes. In 
1902 he joined William G. Grieve and Lewis M. Holland in organizing the firm of Grieve, 
Bisset & Holland. They opened a dry-goods store in what is now the Chase building but soon 
afterward removed to Nos. 40-42 North Main street, where they bought out another 
lease. The building which they occupy has a frontage of sixty feet with seventy feet in 
the center and a depth of two hundred feet. They occupy the first floor and basement and 
employ fifty people in the conduct of their department store. The business has been care- 
fully organized and systematized and their interests are conducted in accordance with 
the most progressive methods. They have realized from the outset that satisfied patrons 
are the best advertisement and they have put forth every eft'ort to please the public. 
Mr. Grieve died March 31, 1914, the other two partners remaining active in the business. 

On the 5th of June, 1895, Mr. Bisset was married to Miss Arabella Walker, of Water- 
bury, a daughter of George and Julia (Dempster) Walker. Their children were: G. Walker, 
who is in school; and Mildred Agnes, who died at the age of two years and three months. 

The parents are members of the Congregational church and the political belief of Mr. 
Bisset is that of the republican party. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons and 
with the Red Men, and is loyal to the teachings and the beneficent spirit of those organi- 
zations. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new 
Avorld, for here he has found the business opportunities which he sought and in their utiliza- 
t'ion has steadily advanced until he now occupies a creditable place in the commercial 
circles of his adopted city, making his establishment a credit to Waterbury and an orna- 
ment to its business interests. 



HON. JOHN HURLEY. 



Hon. John Hurley, serving for the fifth term as a member of the state senate of Con- 
necticut, has long been recognized as a leader in democratic circles and in questions affecting 
the welfare of the commonwealth he displays a statesman's grasp of affairs. Actuated by 
marked devotion to the general good, he has received endorsement of his services in his 
frequent reelections. He was born in County Kerry, Ireland, May 17, 1852. His father, John 
Hurley, passed away there during the boyhood of his son and namesake and the Avidowed 
mother with her three sons and two daughters came to the new world in 1872. One son 
and one daughter had already crossed the Atlantic and were residents of Waterbury, where 
the other members of the family joined them. 

John Hurley has therefore been a resident of Waterburj' from the age of ten years. In 




HON. JOHN HURLEY 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 83 

his youth he attended night school and in the daj^time worked in the factory of the Water- 
bury Clock Company, thus continuing for fifteen years. Later he Avas for many years engaged 
in the retail liquor business and still later embarked in the wholesale liquor business, in 
which he yet continiu>s, being the local agent of the Ropkins Brewing Company of Hartford. 

Mr. Hurley has been married twice. He first wedded Margaret Fitzgerald, who died 
several years later, leaving two children: Josephine, the wife of Hubert Cooke; and John. 
Eighteen years ago Mr. Hurley wedded Katherine Crane, also a native of County Kerry, 
Ireland, and they have two children, Thomas and Mary. 

Mr. Hurley is a member of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic church. He holds mem- 
bership with the Moose, the Elks, the Foresters and the Hibernians. As indicated, he has 
long been an active worker in the ranks of the democratic party. He served as a member of 
the Waterbury board of aldermen from the fifth ward for eighteen years and while still 
occupying that position was elected state senator in 1906. He was reelected in 1908 and in 
1910 again became the candidate for the office but was defeated. In 1912, however, he was 
returned to the position and was reelected in 1914 and in 1916, so that he is the present 
incumbent and is serving for the fifth term in the upper house of the state legislature, 
where he gives thoughtful and earnest consideration to the vital questions that come up for 
settlement. 



LEWIS M. HOLLAND. 



Prominent among the energetic young business men of Waterbury is Lewis M. Holland, 
who has been a lifelong resident here. He was born on the 10th of January, 1875, a son 
of Hamilton Henry and Letitia (Gregory) Holland, the former a native of England, while 
the latter was of French descent. Coming to tlie United States in young manhood, Ham- 
ilton H. Holland made his way to Waterbury and for forty-seven years was associated with 
the Waterbury Clock Company, occupying the position of contractor for an extended 
period. His long association with the house indicated most fully his capability and the con- 
fidence reposed in him. He died in the year 1904, having for a long time survived his wife, 
who passed away in 1876. 

Lewis M. Holland acquired a public and high school education. He started out in busi- 
ness in the humble capacity of cash boy for the firm of Miller & Peck, remaining with their 
establishment for two and a half years. He afterward entered the dry goods house of the 
Reid & Hughes Company, with whom he continued for eleven years, and later was in 
the furnishing goods business for a short time. On the 16th of April, 1902, he became one 
of the organizers of the firm of Grieve, Bisset & Holland and has been active in the develop- 
ment of the business which in the course of years has become one of the leading dry goods 
enterprises of the city. 

Mr. Holland exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measui'es 
of the democratic party. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and 
with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has served for one term on the board 
of health and he is interested in all features of civic development and progress but has 
never been an office seeker, being t'horoughly content to do his public duty as a private 
citizen. 



HARRY C. POST. 



Harry C. Post, proprietor and principal of the Waterbury Business College, was born 
in Seneca county. New York. February 1, 1869, a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Kipp) Post, 
the latter deceased. The father is living on the farm on v.hich his son Harry was born in 
Seneca county and is seventy-eight years of age. He, too, is a native of Seneca county, 
born October 14, 1839. His paternal ancestors had removed to that county from New 
Jersey, in which state the family historj^ can be traced back to 1634, when the original 
immigrant, Cornelius Post, arrived from Holland. The name was originally spelled Pos. The 
mother of Harry C. Post was also born in Seneca county. New York, and came of Holland 
descent. 

After attending a country school near the home farm until he reached the age of 
sixteen years Mr. Post of this review entered the Geneva (N. Y.) Seminary, from which 
he was graduated at the age of twenty. He afterward taught in a country school of 

Vol. Ill— 4 



84 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Seneca county for two years and later completed a course in the Rochester (N. Y.) Business 
University, from which he was graduated in 1895. He subsequently taught commercial 
branches in a business college of Geneva, New York, for a year, and in 1896 came to 
Waterbury, where for the same period of time he had charge of the commercial depart- 
ment of the school of which he is now owner and principal. In 1897 he purchased the 
school which is conducted under the name of the Waterbury Business College and 
which he has managed most successfully. 

Originally it was known as the Matoon Shorthand School, having been founded by a 
Miss Matoon, w^ho was succeeded by George L. Harrington, who changed the name to 
that of Harrington Business College. It was rechristened by Mr. Post the Waterbury 
Business College. It is the pioneer commercial school of Waterbury. Its curriculum 
includes all branches of a commercial education, including shorthand, bookkeeping, type- 
writing, applied business correspondence, applied business English, commercial law, pen- 
manship, rapid calculation, etc. Its enrollment during the past twenty years has grown 
from less than one hundred to an annual enrollment of more than five hundred. The 
school has consistently followed an unusually liberal policy which has made it one of 
the leading institutions of its kind in Few England. By invitation it is a member of 
the New England Business Cbllege Association and is the only school in this section holding 
such a membership. It stands as the foremost school of the kind in Connecticut. Its 
graduates are winning success in various fields of business, the work being modeled upon 
the plan of giving the utmost individual training and individual assistance. Every pupil's 
work is closely watched and he receives help when needed, encouragement when necessary 
and intei'vention in the forming of incorrect business habits. In a word, the ideals of 
the school are high and its work is of a most practical character. 

On the 29th of December, 1897, Mr. Post was married to Miss Cora Roberson, then of 
Seneca county, New York, but a native of Chicago. They have four sons, as follows: 
Leland R., who was born July 15, 1900; Harold Benjamin and Donald John, twins, whose 
natal day was April 5, 1902; and Newton Kipp, whose birth occurred September 2, 1907. 

Mr. Post and his wife are members of the Second Congregational church. He is a 
Royal Arch and Knight Templar Mason, an Elk, a member of the Eastern Commercial 
Teachers' Association and of the New^ England Business College Association. He is also 
a member and treasurer of the Connecticut Business Educators Association, of which he 
was formerly president. Of the Waterbury Chamber of Commerce he is one of the directors 
and also of the Waterbury Young Men's Christian Association, and he is a member and 
director of the Waterbury Rotary Club. These associations indicate the variety, breadth 
and nature of his interests, while all who know aught of his professional career accord 
him high rank among the educators of the state. 



WILLIAM H. BRISTOL. 



William H. Bristol, inventor, manufacturer and the organizer of The Bristol Com- 
pany, now employing over four hundred people in the manufacture of recording instru- 
ments of every kind being put to over two thousand different uses, has in the conduct 
of this business contributed in substantial measure to the commercial development of 
Waterbury, his native city. Throughout his entire life he has been actuated by a spirit 
of progress and is constantly seeking for improvement in every field to which he has 
directed his attention and efforts. Born on the 5th of July, 1859, he is a son of B. H. and 
Pauline (Phelps) Bristol. The father was born in Waterbury and was a son of Hiel 
Bristol, who settled in this locality at a very early day. For many years B. H. Bristol 
was connected with the Platt Brothers and upon the organization of The Bristol Com- 
pany joined his son in that undertaking. 

William H. Bristol acquired a public school education in Naugatuck and was after- 
ward graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology with the class of 1884. He 
afterward spent two years in charge of the technical department of the Manual Training 
School for the Ethical Society of New York and later became a teacher in the Stevens 
Institute, in which he was appointed professor of mathematics in 1899. He there re- 
mained until 1906, when he resigned his position in order to give his entire attention to 
the business, although he is still retained on the faculty of the Stevens Institute as a 
lecturer. The Bristol Company, of which he is now president, was organized as a part- 
nership concern by W. H., B. H. and F. B. Bristol and was incorporated in 1894 for the 
manufacture of recording steam gauges and steel belt-lacing. Todav. however, tlie com- 



WATERBUKY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 85 

pany is engaged in the manufacture of recording instruments of every kind, their line 
being the most complete in the world. They own over seA'enty-five patents upon inven- 
tions of Mr. Bristol and these instruments are today made for over two thousand uses. 
They occupy a large plant, having one hundred and seventy-five thousand square feet of 
door space in buildings from one to six stories in height, which are equipped according to 
the most modern and progressive ideas of factory building. With four hundred highly 
skilled workmen used in production, their product is sent all over the world, adding to 
Waterbury's international fame as a manufacturing center. They have branch houses 
in many cities of the Union and various agencies in foreign lands, and their products are 
made known to the trade through a large number of descriptive and illustrated catalogues 
and trade bulletins. 

In 1884 Mr. Bristol was united in marriage to Miss J. Louise Wright, of New York, 
who passed away in 1888. In 1899 he wedded Elise H. Myers, of Jersey City. He is 
identified with many scientific societies, including the American Society of Mechanical 
Engineers, the American Institvvte of Electrical Engineers, the American Electro-Chemical 
Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American 
Society of Automobile Engineers. :\Ir. Bristol holds very high rank not only as a prac- 
tical business man and inventor but also as a scientist, and the productions of the 
company have established a standard in that line. Something of his ability, his mar- 
velous energy and his determination is indicated in the fact that he started out empty 
handed a quarts- of a century ago and is the possessor not only of enviable financial 
success but even more of an enviable name and place in the scientific world. 



FREDERICK W. LAWLOR. 

Frederick W. Lawlor, engaged in the real estate and insurance business, was born in 
Waterbury. September 27, 1870, and since entering his present field has gained a good 
clientage and built up a profitable business in his native city. He is conducting his in- 
terests under the name of the United States Realty Company, of which he is vice presi- 
dent and treasurer. His father, the late Michael J. Lawlor, who died in 1912, was well 
known locally as a representative business man. He was born in Queens county, Ireland, 
and in early manhood came to the LTnited States. After working in the coal mines of 
Pennsylvania for a time he removed to Waterbury, where" his remaining days were passed, 
covering more than a half century, he being eighty years of age at the time of his de- 
mise. He was three times married, the mother of Frederick W. Lawlor being his first 
wife. She bore the maiden name of Katherine Hickey, Avas born in Waterbury and died 
in 1881, her funeral being the first to cross the present Washington Avenue bridge. For 
his second vvife Michael J. Lawlor chose Margaret Collins, who proved to be a most excellent 
stepmother to Frederick W. and his two brothers, Charles and George, and his sister, 
Mary E., who afterward became the wife of Harry Hull but is now deceased. Mrs. 
Margaret Lawlor passed away and Mr. Lawlor afterward wedded .Johanna Keefe. His 
death, the death of his third wife and of his daughter, Mrs. Mary Hull, all occurred in 
the fall of 1912 within a period of eight weeks. 

Frederick W. Lawlor attended the Waterbury public and parochial schools and was 
graduated from a business college of this city. For about a quarter of a century he was 
in the employ of the Waterbury Watch Company in various capacities, beginning work 
there when seventeen years of age. Long before severing his connection with that com- 
pany, however, he had been engaged in conducting real estate operations and established his 
present office in 1904. In 1911 he resigned his position with the watch company and has 
since devoted his entire attention to his real estate and insurance business, winning a 
large clientage which is indicative of the fact that he negotiates many important realty 
transfers. In 1913 he organized and incorporated the business under the name of the 
United States Realty Company, of which his brother-in-law, E. J. Bouffard. of Worcester, 
Massachusetts, became president, with Mr. Lawlor as the vice president and treasurer. 

On the 18th of October, 1892, Mr. Lawlor was united in marriage to Miss Alice A. 
Boufl"ard of Waterbury, who is a native of Massachusetts. They have three sons, Harold B., 
Frederick D. and Ellsworth. A little daughter, Ethel, died at the age of nineteen months. 
The parents are members of St. ^Margaret's Roman Catholic church and ^Ir. Lawlor belongs 
to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Woodmen of the World. He is a republi- 
can in politics and is a member of the Waterbury Chamber of Commerce, being interested 
in all of its projects for the upbuilding of the city, the extension of its trade relations and 



86 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

tlie upholding of its civic standards. He has worked his way up in tlie business world and 
what he has accomplished represents tlie fit utilization of his time, his talents and his 
opportunities. 



ARTHUR B. HOLMES, D. D. S. 

Dr. Arthur B. Holmes, engaged in the practice of dentistry in Waterbury, where he 
has spent his entire life, was born on the 21st of July, 1883, and after acquiring a public 
school education entered the Philadelphia Dental College, from which he was graduated with 
the class of 1907. He has since practiced his profession in \Vaterbury, starting out as 
the associate of his uncle, Dr. William O. Beecher. Dr. Holmes had been connected with 
Dr. Beecher's office from the age of sixteen years and it was this which interested him 
in the profession. In March, 1915, Dr. Beecher suffered a nervous breakdown, owing un- 
doubtedly to overwork, and has since been unable to perform professional duties, so 
that Dr. Holmes succeeded to the practice of the firm, the partnership between them 
having existed from 1907. Dr. Beecher was one of the most prominent dentists not only 
of Waterbury but of the state and recognition of his ability came to him in his election to 
the presidency of the State Dental Society. 

Dr. Holmes was formerly president of the Waterbury Dental Society and he belongs 
to the Connecticut State Dental Society, the First District Dental Society of New York, 
the Northeastern Dental Association and the National Dental Association. He attends the 
conventions of these various societies and thus keeps in close touch with all that has 
to do with professional advancement. In politics he is a republican and in religious faith 
an Episcopalian. 

On the 22d of November, 1908, Dr. Holmes was married to Miss Isabel Dorothy John- 
son, a native of Hartford, Connecticut, and a descendant of early settlers of Vermont. They 
have three children, Arlene, Arthur B. and Eleanor. Dr. Holmes and his family are promi- 
nently known socially and he draws his practice from Waterbury's leading and substantial 
citizens. His clientage is very extensive and his ability enables him to meet successfullj^ 
every professional requirement. 



GEORGE E. JUDD. 



George E. Judd. banker, manufacturer and real estate dealer whose activities have 
been a valuable contribution to the upbuilding and development of Waterbury, was born 
in New Haven, Connecticut, December 1, 1837, a son of William Bruce and Maria (Edwards) 
Judd. The father was born in Bethlehem and the mother in Roxbury, Connecticut, and 
the former became a well known contiactor and builder, who, removing to Waterbury, 
continued his residence here until his demise. 

The public school system of New Haven afforded George E. Judd his educational oppor- 
tunities and privileges. He came to Waterbury in 1874, when a youth of seventeen years, 
and entered the employ of the Burcey Chemical Company. Later he was associated with 
the Naugatuck Railroad and in 1877 connected with the Waterbury National Bank, being 
appointed to the position of teller. In 1910 he became treasurer of the West Side Savings 
Bank. He has also conducted a real estate and insurance business since 1880, carrying 
this on as senior partner in the firm of Judd & Puller for the past twelve years. His 
interests are thus broad and varied, showing him to be a resourceful business man, alert 
to his opportunities and active and energetic at all times. Aside from his banking and real 
estate interests he is the president and treasvu'er of the Mattatuck Manufacturing Company, 
which he established about 1897 for the manufacture of upholstery hardware. He now 
manufactures t'he National spring-bed fabric and brass and steel novelties. This is one of 
the most important industrial enterprises of southern Connecticut, furnishing employment 
to more than six lumdred people. 

On the 18th of July, 1901, Mr. Judd was married to Miss Nina Cowles, of Oakville, 
Connecticut, and they have two children, Stuart E. and Eloise E. The parents hold 
membership in the Second Congregational cliurch and socially their position is an enviable 
one. Politically Mr. Judd is a republican, believing firmly in the principles of the party. 
He has membership with the Indeiieiident Order of Odd Fellows, the Waterbury Club and 
the Waterbury- Country Club. 




DR. ARTHUR B. HOLMES 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 89 

His plans of whatever nature are always \vell defined and he carries forward to suc- 
cessful completion whatever he undertakes. He has readily recognized and utilized oppor- 
tunities which others have passed heedlessly by and the basis of his successful accom- 
plishments ha's been determination, indefatigable effort and ready adaptability. 



THEODORE F. NUHN. 



Theodore F. Xuhn, of the real estate and insurance firm of Xuhn & Xuhn, was born 
in tills city, January 23, 1879, a son of Frederick and Emma P. (Meyer) Xuhn. The 
former, a native of Germany, came to the United States in 1859, when a lad of but four- 
teen years, and was thereafter a resident of Connecticut until his demise. He died in 
Waterbury, March 27, 1898, and is survived by his widow, who was boin in Bridgeport, 
the daughter of Leonard and Katherine Meyer. 

In the attainment of his education Theodore F. Xuhn completed the course in the 
Waterbury high school with tlie class of 1897. His father's death occurring soon after- 
ward, he continued the latter's business of tallow rendei-ing and fertilizer manufacturing 
for a period of about two years when he sold to Valentine Bohl. In 1900 he joined his uncle, 
the late Theodore V. Meyer, in establishing the Model Laundry and became secretary and 
treasurer of the company. The business was soon established upon a successful basis 
and was conducted by the firm of Meyer & Xuhn until the 18th of February, 1910, when 
fire destroyed the plant. Xot long afterward Mr. X'^uhn sold his interest to his uncle and 
from that time to the present has devoted his entire attention to real estate and insur- 
ance. In 1912 he was joined in partnership by his brother. Frederick L. X'uhn, at which 
time the firm of X'uhn & X'uhn purchased the real estate and insurance business at Xo. 50 
Bank street, which had been owned and conducted for many years by C. H. Hart, who 
removed to Seattle, Washington, and who had founded the business many years before. 
The firm of Xuhn & Xuhn has expanded its interests until it is now one of the leading 
real estate firms of Waterbury. 

On the 24th of Ajnil, 1907, Mr. Xuhn was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Freeman 
Martin, a daughter of the late Captain T. R. Martin, of Waterbury, who won distinction in the 
Civil war as captain of the Fifth Xew York Volunteer Infantry, Duryea's Zouaves. Mr. and 
Mrs. Xuhn liave two children: Elizabeth Irwin, born March 26. 1913; and Richard Martin, 
born May 6, 1917. The parents hold membership in Trinity Episcopal church and Mr. 
Xuhn has figured quite proniinentlj^ in political circles as a supporter of the republican 
party. He was alderman from the third ward in 1912-13 and commissioner of the board 
of public works from 1912 to 1918, serving one term under Mayor F. T. Reeves and two 
terms under Mayor Martin Scully. He belongs to the Rotary Club and also to the Water- 
bury Chamber of Commei'ce and he is in entire sympathy with every movement for the up- 
building and progress of the city, giving his support at all times to those interests which 
are a matter of civic virtue and of civic pride. 



CHARLES WALZER. 



Charles Walzer, president of the Waterbury Mattress Company, has been identified with 
this business since 1905 and became proprietor thereof in 1909. He was a little lad of but 
six years when with his parents he came to the new world, the family arriving in New 
York city in 1887. He is a son of Samuel and Rose Walzer and while spending his youth- 
ful days under the parental roof he acquired a public school education. His father estab- 
lished a mattress manufacturing business in Xew Yoik city and it was there that Charles 
Walzer learned the trade, acquainting himself Avith every phase of the business. In 1905, 
when about twenty-four years of age, he came to Waterbury and entered into partner- 
ship with D. B. Rosenfeldt who had conducted the business since 1891 under the name 
of the Waterbury Mattress Manufacturing Company. The partnership continued for four 
years and then, in 1909, ^Ir. Walzer purclsased the business, which he organized under the 
name of tife Waterbury ^Mattress Company. It was incorporated with Charles Walzer as 
secretary, treasurer and general manager, while Morris Walzer became president and 
R. L. Walzer vice president. The present officers are: Charles Walzer, president and 
treasurer; ^lorris Walzer, vice president; and R. L. Walzer, secretary. The factory is a 
two story building thirty by two hundred feet. Twenty people are employed, their 



90 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

skilled labor being utilized in the manufacture of mattress springs and couches, and the 
product is sold to jobbers and furniture dealers throughout New England. The trade has 
grown steadilj^ the production being now ten times as great as it was in 1909, when Mr. 
Walzer purchased the business — which speaks volumes for his business ability and enter- 
prise. 

In August, 1907, Mr. Walzer was united in marriage to Miss Rose L. Datz, of New 
York city, and their children are David, Morton and William. Mr. Walzer holds member- 
ship in tlie Independent Order of B'nai B"rith, the Independent Order of B'rith Abraham and 
is also a member of the Friendship Social Club. He concentrates his efforts and attention 
largely upon his business interests, which are continually growing under his wise manage- 
ment. He has ever recognized that indefatigable energy and persistency of purpose are 
the indispensable elements of success and he has utilized those qualities in the upbuilding 
of his trade. 



HIX F. COLLIER, D. 0. 



Dr. Hix F. Collier, an osteopathic practitioner of Waterbury located at No. 133 Main 
street, was born in Franklin, Kentucky, May 3, 1876. His father, Robert Hix Collier, a 
merchant, died during the boyhood of his son, Hix F. Collier. The mother, who bore the 
maiden name of Almeda Carter, was a native of Virginia and she, too, has passed 
away. The family comes of Welch and English ancestry. 

Dr. Collier was reared in his native city and after acquiring a high school education 
began working at the printer's trade in the office of the Franklin Favorite, of which 
his brother, John R. Collier, who was many years his senior, was proprietor. The latter 
was a boyhood friend of Opie Read, both learning the trade together in the plant of the 
Franklin Favorite Some years ago John R Collier passed away in Louisville, Kentucky. 
After devoting some years to the printing business Hix F. Collier took up the study of 
osteopathy and was graduated from the Southern School of Osteopathy in Franklin, Ken- 
tucky, with the class of 1902. Later that institution was absorbed by the school at Kirks- 
ville, Missouri. He began practice at Columbia, South Carolina, being the first osteopathic 
practitioner in the state. There he remained for seven years but since 1909 has maintained 
an office in Waterbury, where he is now accorded a very large and gratifying practice. 

On the 13th of June, 1914, Dr. Collier was married to Dr. Myrtle Catron, also an 
osteopathic practitioner, who was graduated from the school at Kirksville, Missouri, and is 
still active in the profession. Dr. Collier is a Mason and also an Elk. He belongs to the 
Waterbury Club and he is a member of St. John's Episcopal church. He belongs to the 
Connecticut State Osteopathic Society and to the American Osteopathic Association and 
he keeps abreast with a line of study which is engaging the attention of the most 
progressive members of the profession. 



HON. RICHARD T. HIGGINS. 

Hon. Richard T. Higgins is a well known citizen of Winsted. Connecticut, whose high 
position is indicated in the fact that he has been chosen as president of the public titilities 
commission. He was born in Washington, this state, September 24, 1865. the eldest son of 
Edward and Mary (Crowley) Higgins, both of whom were natives of Ireland but have now 
passed away. They became acquainted and were married in New Milford, Connecticut. The 
father, who was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, devoted his life to the occupation of 
farming and was called to his final rest September 22, 1901, at the age of sixty-three years. 
His wife was born in County Westmeath, Ireland, and passed away January 2, 1908. Both 
came to the United States in early life. They became the parents of three children, 
Catherine, Richard T. and Bernard E. The daughter became the wife of IMartin Dooley 
and both have passed away but four children survive them. Bernard E. Higgins is a well 
known lawyer of Torrington mentioned elsewhere in this work. 

Hon. Richard T. Higgins was but four years of age when his parents removed to 
Woodbury, Connecticut, where he was reared on a farm near the town of Woodbury. He 
pursued his earl,y; education in the public schools and later became a student in the Parker 
Academy, in the town of Woodbury, being there graduated with the class of 1883. He 
afterward received his collegiate education in St. Francis' College of New York city. He 




-yCLAU^^Ayf-J !/ /{/-t 




WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 93 

studied law in the office of Huntington^ & Warner of Woodbury and was admitted to tlie 
bar in May, 1890. In January, 1891, he opened a law office in Winsted, where he has since 
actively engaged in practice, occupying a prominent position in legal circles for a quarter of a 
century. He is a man of pronounced ability in handling cases, which he most carefully and 
systematically prepares, and is therefore well qualified to meet any attack of the opposing 
counsel. He is clear in his reasoning, logical in his deductions and seldom, if ever, at fault 
in the application of a legal principle. He has been accorded a very extensive clientage 
and colleagues and contemporaries speak of him in terms of high regard. 

Mr. Higgins has also figured prominently in political circles. He gives his allegiance 
to the democratic party and while he has not sought nor desired office as a reward for 
party fealty his public-spirited citizenship and his keen sagacity concerning public affairs 
have made his opinions of worth and of weight. He has served as a member of the lower 
house of the state legislature, filling that position during 1909, and was the democratic 
leader during that session. Previously he had served as coroner of Litchfield county from 
1892 until 1910, when he resigned to accept a position on the state railroad commission, 
to Avhich he was appointed by Governor Weeks. He was made chairman of the railroad com- 
mission in February, 1911, and in" September of that year the railroad commission went out 
of existence, being superseded by the state public utilities commission. Mr. Higgins became 
a member of the latter at its creation by appointment of Governor Baldwin and was at 
once elected its chairman and has continuously served in that position to the present time, 
having been reappointed by Governor Holcomb. a republican governor, during the legislative 
session of 1917 for another term of six years. Thus his service on the two commissions 
already covers seven years. He has undoubtedly acted in this capacity at great personal 
sacrifice, giving much attention to the duties of the position, notwithstanding the fact that 
his law practice would be much more worth while. On the 21st of June, 1917, Mr. Higgins, 
upon recommendation of the governor of Connecticut, was appointed by President Woodrow 
Wilson a member of the local exemption board for Division No. 19 of Litchfield county and 
was later made its chairman, and after the work of the first draft was practically completed 
in September, 1917, he resigned owing to the press of work in his office at the state 
capitol. He devoted his entire attention to his duties on the exemption board for two 
months. Besides his official service and his law practice he has in other ways been connected 
with public interests, having been one of the incorporators of the Winsted Savings Bank. 

On the 1st of September, 1898, Mr. Higgins was married to Miss Margaret Rose Bryan, 
of Winsted, who is a native, however, of Waterbury. They have an only son, Bryan Edward 
Higgins, born March 6, 1901, and now a senior in the Gilbert high school. 

Mr. Higgins is a member of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church. He is a past exalted 
ruler of the Elks lodge, in which he has a life membership, is a past grand knight of the 
Knights of Columbus and is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He is now 
a trustee of the Litchfield County Hospital, is a member of the Winsted Club, of the 
Greenwoods Country Club and the Fraternal Benefit League, of the Litchfield County Bar 
Association and the American Bar Association, his identification with all these showing 
the nature and breadth of his interests and activities. After all the practice of law is his 
real life work and from 1900 until 1912 he was corporation coiuisel for the town of 
Winchester but was obliged to resign because of his service on the public utilities commission. 
He also filled the position of prosecuting attorney of the town of Winchester for two years 
or from May, 1902, to April, 1904, and at one time he was coimty coroner, corporation 
counsel and prosecuting attorney, filling all positions at the same time. He served as a 
member of the fourth district school committee for two years and was chairman of the 
committee having in charge the remodeling of the courthouse in Winsted in 1905-6. He has 
been prosecuting attorney for the Connecticut Humane Society for nearly a quarter of a 
century. He is widely recognized as an able lawyer, quick-witted and resourceful, thoroughly 
familiar with the principles of jurisprudence and able in the application of such a principle 
to a point involved. 



HARDY MASSAM SMITH. 



Hardy M. Smith has been a resident of Waterbury from the age of fourteen years, or 
since 1879. His education was largely acquired in the public schools of Bridgeport and when 
still in his youth he learned the trade of a die sinker, at which he worked for more than 
three years. After completing his apprenticeship he aTjandoned the work, however, on 
account of his eyesight, which seemed to be aff'ccted by the strain put upon it. At the 



94 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

age of seventeen lie became a grocery clerk and his ambition and industry were manifest 
in the fact that before he was twenty-one he had a grocery store of his own at No. 161 
South Main street. In April, 1892, he closed out that business and became bookkeeper 
and secretary of the Waterbury Blank Book Manufacturing Company, of which he was 
one of the stockholders, while later he became manager of the business. He still retains 
his stock in that enterprise but on the 1st of October, 1915, he resigned his official position 
with the company to embark in the general insurance business, establishing his officQ at 
Xo. 108 Bank street. He handles a general line of insurance, representing some of the 
oldest and most reliable companies, and he has undertaken his work in this connection 
with the same thoroughness that has characterized him in other relations, his labors there- 
fore bringing to him deserved success. He is also the secretary and treasurer of the 
Sonnenberg- Skinner Company of Waterbury, one of the oldest and best known music houses 
of the city, established here more than forty years ago as the B. Schoninger Piano Com- 
pany, Avhich ultimately became the M. Sonnenberg Piano Company, and on the 1st of July, 
1912, was incorporated as the Sonnenberg-Skinner Companj^, since which date Mr. Smith 
has been secretary and treasurer although he does not give active attention to the busi- 
ness. In addition to his insurance business he deals in real estate and loans. 

On the 14th of June, 1900. Mr. Smith Avas united in marriage to Miss Gertrude J. 
Wedge, of Naugatuck, Connecticut, where she was born February 12, 1874, in the house in 
which she was married. In the paternal line she comes of Revolutionary stock. 



REV. ROBERT ELLIOTT BROWN. 

Rev. Robert Elliott Brown, pastor of the Second Congregational church of Waterbury, 
was born in Middleville, Ontario, Canada, December 17, 1873, and is of English and Scotch 
descent. His father was the Rev. Robert Brown, a Congregational minister who devoted forty 
years of his life to preaching the gospel. He was born at Caledon, Ontario, January 25, 
1833, of Scotch parents, both of whom, John and Jean (MacDonald) Brown, were natives 
of the land of hills and heather. They were of the Covenanter stock, believing in free 
worship. John Brown was a weaver, and for some time followed his trade at Paisley, Scot- 
land. Having arrived at years of maturity, the Rev. Robert Brown married Anna Hazeldean 
Unsworth, who was born in Liverpool, England, .January 25, 1836, being therefore exactly 
three years her husband's junior. She is now a well preserved lady of eighty-one years and 
makes her home with her son. Rev. Robert Elliott Brown. Her husband passed away January 
12, 1893. 

At the age of eight years Robert Elliott Brown accompanied his parents on their 
removal to Pilot Mound, Manitoba, where the family home was maintained for four years, 
during which period he attended school. The family lived also at Deloraine, Manitoba, for 
two years, where he was again a student. In both places he not only witnessed but partici- 
pated in the pioneer life of the west. When not in school he worked at farm labor and. 
in herding cattle and he saw the great prairie plains of Manitoba converted into a vast wheat 
field, dotted here and there with substantial homes. He was a youth of fourteen when the 
family removed to Sumner, near Tacoma, Washington, where he spent two years, and in 1889, 
when a youth of sixteen, went to Tacoma, where he pursued a course of study in the Tacoma 
Business College, earning his board and tuition by doing chores. He completed a course in 
both bookkeeping and stenography. In the spring of 1890 he went to Oak Harbor on Whidbey 
Island, Washington, where he spent six months, having there taken up a tract of land for 
another. He occupied a cabin thereon, living in it practicallj^ alone for the six months' 
period in order to hold the claim. For this service he received a salary of thirty dollars per 
month. He M'as then under seventeen years of age. He found plenty to do in clearing the 
brush and other work incident to the development of the place, so that he had no time to 
become lonesome. He did his own cooking and he had no near neighbors. Bear, deer and 
other wild animals were seen. Returning to Tacoma. he engaged in clerking for a time and 
at nineteen years of age became a teacher in the Tacoma Business College, from which he 
had previously graduated. He devoted three years to teaching bookkeeping in that institu- 
tion, after which he resigned his position and taught a term of country school at Dierringer, 
Washington, near Sumner. He thus earned enough money to enable him to enter Oberlin 
College at Oberlin, Ohio, where he became a student in the fall of 1895. He spent two 
years in the preparatory department and then four years in the college, being graduated 
therefrom with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1901. He earned his way through the entire 
period, acting as janitor, table waiter, farm hand, book agent, boat-house keeper and chaplain 






^^'Hl #v 





REV. ROBERT E. BROWN 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 97 

of the college dining hall. In a word, he did everything that would enable him to continue 
his course during those six years and thus displayed the elemental strength and purpose of 
his character. In the meantime he had determined to fit himself for the Congregational 
ministry and during the summer of 1901, although as yet having no license to preach, he 
acted as temporary pastor of a Congregational church at Castalia, Ohio. In the fall of 1901 
he entered the Yale Divinity School, determined to work his way through, which he did and 
was graduated with the B. D. degree in the class of 1904. He had two student pastorates 
during those three years, one at :Mount Washington, Massachusetts, and the other at Hope 
Chapel at Bridegport. 

Following his graduation from Yale, :Mr. Brown was ordained pastor of the Pilgrim 
Congregational church of New Haven, where he remained for eight years and then resigned 
to accept the pastorate of the Second Congregational church at Waterbury, succeeding the 
Rev. Dr. John G. Davenport, who is now pastor emeritus. Mr. Brown has remained 
in charge for six years and has one of the largest and strongest Congregational churches in 
all New England. He is doing splendid work here, for he adds to consecrated purpose an 
untiring zeal and indefatigable energy in support of the work which he has undertaken. 
His church with commendable patriotism has granted him a six months leave of absence on 
full pay in order that he may do Young Men's Christian Association Avork in France. 

On the 23d of June, 1904, Mr. Brown was married to Miss Mabel A. Millikan, of 
jNIaquoketa, Iowa, a member of the class of 1901 of Oberlin College. He has various interests, 
being identified with Phi Kappa Epsilon, a college fraternity, acting also as a trustee of the 
Okolona Industrial School of Okolona, Mississippi, and as a trustee of the Suffield School for 
Boys at Suffield, Connecticut. He is likeAvise a director of the Home Missionary Society, is 
a member of the Pastoral Supply Committee of New England and is president of the Yale 
Divinity School Alumni Association and chairman of the alumni committee. He is also a 
member of the New Haven Ministers Assocation, and he has membership in the Graduates 
Club of New Haven and the Country Club of Waterbury. He is a fluent writer as Avell as an 
eloquent pulpit orator and is the author of a volume entitled "Christian Certainties," which 
was published in 1917. Never content to choose the second best, he has followed in the 
course to which high ideals have pointed him. and while it would be tautological in this 
connection to enter into any series of statements showing him to be a man of broad 
scholarly attainments and wide learning, it is but just to say in a history that will descend 
to future generations that he is a man of strong sympathies who is closely studying life, 
its conditions and its possibilities. His own experiences have taught him how to sympathize 
with and assist those who must struggle to gain a start and he is continually reaching out 
a helping hand or speaking a word of timely advice and encouragement. 



MARTIN J. McEVOY. 



There is perhaps no one in real estate and insurance circles in Waterbury who is 
better known than INIartin J. McEvoy, long active in that field. He has also been identified 
with Waterbury's official life for many years and is now acceptably filling the office of 
assessor. He was born at No. 380 Grand street in New York city, November 10, 1873. 
His father and mother, both deceased, were former residents of Waterbury. The former, 
finton B. McEvoy, was born in County Queens, Ireland, as was the mother, who bore the 
maiden name of Mary Lawlor. The father came to the United States with his parents 
in his boyhood days, while the mother was a young girl when her father John Lawlor, 
arrived with his family in the new world. The ^McEvoy family settled first in New York 
city and removed to Waterbury in 1877, but the Lawlors at once took up their abode in 
Waterbury on coming to the United States. Finton B. McEvoy, who was a merchant 
tailor by trade, died in 1883 and his widow survived only a year, her death occurring in 
1884. Martin -J. McEvoy was the fourth in order of birth among five of their sons who 
are yet living, the others being Michael J., Finton T., Joseph P. and Francis P., all of 
Waterbury. 

Martin -J. ^IcEvoy in the acquirement of his education passed through consecutive 
grades in the public and high schools of Waterbury but put aside his textbooks at the age 
of fifteen years to become a wage earner, accepting the position of cash boy in a millinery 
store owned by Isidore Chase. Some years later he became a clerk in a clothing store 
and afterward accepted a clerkship in a grocery store. He became interested, however, 
in the real estate and insurance business in early manhood and has now steadily followed 
that pursuit for eighteen years, being one of the substantial and well known representatives 
of that line of business in Waterbury. His oflnces are in the Chase block and he is 



98 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

accorded a liberal clientage, for he has come to be recognized as an authority upon real 
estate questions, being thoroughly familiar with the property that is upon the market 
and its valuation. 

Mr. McEvoy has been active in local political circles, ranking high in the democratic 
party for many years. He served for two years on the Waterbury board of finance and 
in 1903 was appointed a member of the city board of assessors by Mayor E. G. Kilduff. 
He has since steadily served on the board, having been reappointed four times, and during 
the entire period of fourteen years he lias acted as secretary of the board. 

Mr. McEvoy is a member of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic church and 
belongs to Sheridan Council, No. 24, K. C. He is likewise a member of the Elks Lodge, 
No. 265, and he has memberships in the Waterbury Country Club and in the Chamber 
of Commerce, being in full sympathy with the purposes of the latter organization in 
relation to the iipbuilding of the city, the extension of its trade relations and the upholding 
of its civic standards. He enjoys motoring and outdoor sports and when leisure permits 
turns to these for rest and recreation. 



WILLIAM A. BUCKLEY. 



Among the recently established industries of AVaterbury is that of the Buckley Weld- 
ing Company, of which William A. Buckley is the secretary and treasurer. This busi- 
ness is the expression of modern scientific invention and workmanship along a line that 
would have been deemed absolutely impossible a few years ago. Mr. Buckley is yet a 
young man but has made for himself a creditable position in the business circles of 
Waterbury, his native city. He was born December 5, 1889, a son of William E. and 
Catherine (Dillon) Buckley. His father passed away in 1903 after a life devoted to the 
hotel business. He opened the Arlington Hotel at New^ Haven and was also long con- 
nected with hotel interests in Waterbury and was widely known. The mother survives. 

William A. Buckley was graduated from the high school of Waterbury. He then 
attended Villanova College near Philadelphia, where he pvn-sued a course in civil engineer- 
ing in connection with railroad construction for five years, after which he engaged in the 
contracting business on his own account for a short time. In 1915 he organized the 
Buckley Welding Company, with Ed O'Brien as the president, while Mr. Buckley became 
secretary and treasurer. They established business at Nos. 27-29 Thomaston avenue, 
where they have a most complete welding equipment capable of handling any kind of 
welding, such as cast iron, aluminum, steel and other metals. This equipment includes 
an acetylene torch which will cut through seventeen inches of steel if necessary. The 
company moves its equipment into factories, and there broken machinery is welded and 
similar repairs effected. The business has steadily grown under the wise direction of its 
officers, whose capability is based upon broad scientific knowledge and practical experience. 

Mr. Buckley is a member of the Catholic church and of the Knights of Columbus and 
is well known as a local leader in democratic circles. He served as factory inspector for 
his district in 1914 and a part of 1915, and in 1917 was made secretary of the congres- 
sional convention of his district. 



F. W. FRENCH. 



F. W. French, the president and organizer of the French Manufacturing Company, in 
1905 joined that group of progressive men who have developed the metal industries of 
Waterbury and thus promoted the material growth, progress and prosperity of the city. 
He was born in Orange, Connecticut, May 27, 1863, and is a son of Samuel H. and Sarah C. 
(Lyons) French. The father, who was a contractor and builder, is now deceased. 

After acquiring a public school education F. W. French started out in the business 
world to learn the machinist's trade witli the New Haven Manufactuiing Company and 
thus from a humble position has worked his way steadily upward, each year finding him in 
advance of the position which he had reached the year before. He spent three years in 
Bridgeport with the Bullard Machine Tool Company and in 1885 came to Waterbury. For 
eight years he was with the Waterbury Farrell Foundry & Machine Company, gaining added 
knowledge and experience day by day, and on the expiration of that jieriod he spent three 
and a half years with the Smith-Griggs Company. He was next with the Benedict & 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 101 

Burnhani Company for eleven years and his developing powers brought him to the position 
of superintendent of the seamless tube plant. While thus engaged he v>as ever holding the 
idea of starting in business on his own account and the year 1905 saw the fulfillment of 
his hope in the organization of the French Manufacturing Company, in which he was 
associated with Loren R. Carter, who became the treasurer, and George L. Jenks, who 
became the secretary of the new company, with Mr. French as the president. In 1912 Mr. 
Jenks retired and L. Eussell Carter became secretary of the company. Thej' built a factory 
at No. 128 Robbins street, forty by sixty feet, and with three employes began the business, 
the growth of which is indicated in the fact that they have had to make additions to their 
factory every two years and now have a three story building two hundred and sixty by 
eighty feet. Their manufactured product consists of seamless brass tubing in small sizes 
and fine gauges, seamless brass, copper, aluminum and other alloy tubing, together with 
various products made from seamless tubes, piano player hardware and copper electrical 
terminals. The development of their business is further indicated in the fact that they today 
employ one hundred and forty people. 

In 1883 ]Mr. French was married to Miss Lillian INI. Harris, of Great Barrington, 
Massachusetts, and they have a son, Leon H., who attended the Waterbury high school and 
later Gushing Academy of Ashburnham, Massachusetts, after which he entered business 
with his father. He married Ruth Slate, of Waterbury, and they h.ave three children, 
Dorothy, Olive and Fred W. 

In politics F. W. French maintains an independent course, voting according to the 
dictates of his judgment without regard to party ties. He has membership with Harmony 
Lodge, F. & A. M., and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also the encampment, 
but the greater part of his time, thought and energy is devoted to his business. He is truly 
a self-made man. owing his success entirely to his individual eff"orts since starting out in 
the humble capacity of machinist's apprentice. He is now at the head ©f a growing 
industry and his e9"orts are productive of substantial and gratifying results. 



LEROY BENTLEY HURLBUT. 

LeRoy Bentley Hurlbut. treasurer of the Mechanics Savings Bank of Winsted, was 
born in Goshen, Connecticut, February 18, 1884, a son of the late Clark Willis Hurlbut, who 
died in Brooklyn, New York, fourteen years ago, after having resided in that city for 
four years. He formerly was a resident of Goshen, Connecticut, and for a period made his 
home in Torrington, while still later he lived in Winsted. He was a railroad man, con- 
nected with the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in many responsible positions. 
He was once freight and ticket agent at East Litchfield, was freight agent at Torring- 
ton and passenger agent at the West Winsted station. In early manhood he wedded 
Georgiana Lavinia Bentley, who since his demise has become the wife of Frank W. Rossiter, 
of North Haven, Connecticut. 

LeRoy B. Hurlbut was educated in the schools of Torrington and of Winsted, re- 
ceiving a thorough training and thus becoming well qualified for life's practical and respon- 
sible duties. He left school at the age of sixteen years in order to earn his own 
living and entered the employ of the First National Bank of Winsted as messenger boy 
and general helper. He remained in that bank for seven years, gradually working his way 
upward from one position to another of greater responsibility. The First National Bank 
is situated in the adjoining building to the Mechanics Savings Bank, in which Mr. Hurlbut 
now occujjies the position of treasurer. He became connected with the latter institution in 
September, 1907, as a clerk and in 1911 he was appointed secretary of the bank. He 
was afterward made assistant treasurer and in April, 1917. was elected both secretary 
and treasurer, in which connections he still continues. His life record to this time 
covers thirty-three years, of which seventeen years have been devoted to the banking busi- 
ness in Winsted in these two banks, which for many years were housed in the same room, 
but since 1907 have occupied separate buildings in the Bank block on Main street. Mr. Hurl- 
but has become thoroughly familiar with the banking business in every phase; he is 
most accurate and systematic in all that he undertakes and his reliability and progres- 
siveness have been important features in the successful conduct of the institution of Avhich 
he is now an officer. The name of Hurlbut has been closely associated with banking interests 
in the Naugatuck valley for many years and LeRoy B. Hurlbut now has a brother, Ralph 
Willis Hurlbut, who is assistant cashier of the Citizens National Bank of Waterbury. 

On the 8th of November, 1905, Mr. Hurlbut was united in marriage to Miss Elsie Alta 



102 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Holman, a native of Winsted and tlie only daughter of Andrew and Lillie Holman. Mr. 
Hurlbut is a member of the Winsted dub and also of the First Congregational church. 
The principles which have governed his life are isuch as make for honorable manhood and 
his worth as a citizen and as a business man is widely acknowledged. 



THE STANDARD WIRE DIE COMPANY. 

The Standard ^\'ire Die Company was organized in 1914 with Frederick Quigley as 
president, Irving Spiers as vice president, J. P. Wall as secretary and H. W. Quigley as 
treasurer. They manufacture dies for drawing wire and diamond tools of all descriptions, 
including those for turning hardened steel pinions, rubber fiber, etc., with drills for 
drilling glass and eyeglasses and dies for gauges of from five ten-thousandths of an inch 
to one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter. They employ twenty highly skilled workmen and 
have factories in New York, Wojx-ester and Waterbury. 



GEORGE ALBERT LEWIS. 



George Albert Lewis, whose connection with the development of the rubber industry in 
Naugatuck placed him with its leading citizens, ever deserved the high position to which 
he attained as a business man and also in the regard of his fellow citizens. His life was 
actuated by high principles and stimulated by laudable ambition and during all the years 
of his residence in Naugatuck he enjoyed the high regard and the warm respect of those 
with whom he was associated. He was a son of Samuel J. Lewis and was born in Sharon, 
Connecticut, February 11, 1843. To the public schools of New Haven and of Middletown 
he was indebted for his educational privileges and after his textbooks were put aside he 
devoted four years to service in the employ of the M. & C. T. Camp Company of Winsted, 
Connecticut. With the outbreak of the Civil war, however, he became connected with the 
commissary department of the army in a clerical capacity and through that period was in 
the south. 

Mr. Lewis became a resident of Naugatuck in 1864 and since then his name has 
been inseparably connected with the growth of the rubber industry. The family name has 
always figured prominently in connection with the rubber trade, for his father was the first 
president of the Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe Company and with his removal to 
Naugatuck George Albert Lewis entered the emploj^ of this company in the capacity of 
bookkeeper. His marked business ability and enterprise, however, won him promotion and 
he advanced rapidly from one position of responsibility to another until he became the 
secretary of the company, later treasurer and finally president and general manager, which 
position he held for over thirty years. He was thus connected with the Goodyear Metallic 
Rubber Shoe Company until 1898. when he and his associates founded the Beacon Falls 
Rubber Shoe Company. He remained its president from that date until his demise and 
his wise direction of its interests constituted the most important element in its growth. 
There was no feature of the rubber trade and rubber manufacturing with which he was not 
familiar. He studied the question from every possible phase and standpoint and tJius gave 
evidence of one of his strong characteristics — the thoroughness with which he accomplished 
anything that he undertook. He also figured prominently in financial circles. He was the 
last of the original incorporators of the Naugatuck Savings Bank, of which he served as 
vice president from 1879 until 1896. He was also a most prominent factor in the management 
of the Naugatuck National Bank, having held the office of president from its organization 
until his demise, being reelected to that jiosition only a few weeks prior to his death. His 
wide experience and sound judgment made his service to both these banking institutions 
invaluable and his loss has been greatly felt among his colleagues and those business 
organizations. He was also identified with several other corporations of a semi-public 
character and in every undertaking with which he was connected his experience and judgment 
played an important part. 

On the 16th of May, 1867, Mr. Lewis was united in marriage to Miss Emma F. Lewis, 
who passed away March 6, 1899. There was but one child by that marriage, Tracy S., who is 
now the president of the Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Company. On the 20th of March, 1900, 
Mr. Lewis was married to ^liss Harriet F. Rossiter, a daughter of S. F. Rossiter. of Claremont, 
New Hampshire, and of this marriage was born a son, George Albert, Jr. 




jt-! , tuSi! n^/ziiins s -E-f f^y 



sJs^^o - O^ . P\<z^i^*j-M^ 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 105 

Mr. Lewis was long a consistent and faithful member of the Congregational church. 
Those who knew liim esteemed liim most highly because of his fidelity to every cause which 
he espoused and to every principle to which he adhered. He stood as a man among men, 
strong in his ability to plan and perform, strong in his honor and his good name. He and his 
father were pioneers in the rubber industry of Naugatuck and thus were most active in 
furthering the material development of the city. They brought about the growth of interests 
of the most far-reaching importance, furnishing employment to hundreds, and both were 
representatives of that class of men to whom opportunity is ever the call to action. 



JOSEPH D. HARTNETT, M. D. 

Dr. Joseph D. Hartnett, a practicing physician and surgeon of Winsted. was born at 
New Marlboro, Massachusetts, February 21, 1886, and came to ^^'insted with his parents 
v.hon three years of age. His father was the late John J. Hartnett, who died April 7, 1910, 
after devoting many years to the livery and trucking business. His widow, who in her 
maidenhood was ]Mary Sullivan, yet survives and both parents were natives of Ireland. 

Dr. Hai'tnett attended the local and parochial schools of Winsted until he reached the 
age of fifteen years, after which he pursued a course in the Winsted Business College, 
mastering bookkeeping, stenography and typewriting. He later spent one year as stenog- 
rapher and bookkeeper with the ^'ulcan Manufacturing Company of Winsted and afterward 
entered the employ of the Adams Express Company, while still later he was an employe 
of the Southern New England Bell Telephone Company, occupying that position for three 
years. He felt that that field did not ofl'er him the opportunities which he desired, however, 
for he was actuated by a laudable ambition and he at length determined to follow a pro- 
fessional career. Deciding iipon the practice of medicine as a life work, he then began 
studj^ing in 1907 under the direction of Dr. W. S. Hulbert and in 1911 he was graduated 
from the medical department of the University of Maryland after pursuing a four years' 
course in the medical college of that institution. He put his theoretical training to the 
practical test in fourteen months" experience in St. Francis Hospital of Haitford, where 
he occupied the position of house surgeon. This was a most valuable training, bringing 
him broad knowledge and experience which could never be as quickly gained in any 
other way as in hospital practice. In August, 1912, he opened an office in Winsted, where 
he soon acquired a splendid patronage and through the intervening period there have been 
constant demands made upon him for professional care. He is a member of the Litchfield 
County, the Connecticut State and the American Medical Associations and thus keeps 
abreast with the trend of modern scientific thought, investigation and methods of practice. 

Dr. Hartnett is a Roman Catholic in religious faith and is a member of the Knights 
of Columbus. He is likewise a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and 
the Loyal Order of Moose and is a member of the Winsted Chamber of Commerce, being 
in hearty sympathy with the plans and purposes of the latter organization in relation to 
the upbuilding of the city, the extension of its trade relations and the upholding of its 
civic standards. 



HON. LUMAN CATLIN COLT. 

For a half century Hon. Luman Catlin Colt has figured in the business circles of 
Winsted in connection with the Strong Manufacturing Company and he has also been 
an active factor in public affairs, doing everything in his power to advance the develop- 
ment and upbuilding of the city along material, intellectiuil, social and moral lines. His 
philanthropies are many and the work which he has done in connection with leading benev- 
olent institutions has resulted largely in ameliorating the hard conditions of life for 
the unfortunate. 

Mr. Colt is a native of Torringford, Litchfield county, Connecticut, born on the 20th 
of January, 1849. His father. Henry Colt, a farmer by occupation, passed away in the 
year 1876. The mother bore the maiden name of Chloe Catlin and died in 1882. Both the 
Colt and Catlin families have long been established in Connecticut. To the former famih' 
belonged the inventor of the Colt revolver. In the maternal line Luman C. Colt is de- 
scended from Jacob Catlin. who served in the Revolutionary war, and thus he came to his 
membership with the Sons of the American Revolution. 



106 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

After attending the public scliools of Connecticut, Luman C. Colt continued his educa- 
tion in the Wesleyan Academy of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and in 1868 came to Win- 
sted, then a youth of nineteen years. Since that date, or for a period of a half century, 
he has been connected with the Strong Manufacturing Company, a concern which is en- 
gaged in the manufacture of casket hardware and undertakers' dry goods. The business 
was founded in 1865 by David and Clark Strong, brothers, and some others. Henry G. 
Colt was its agent at the time of his death in 1897, when he was succeeded by Luman Catlin 
Colt as managing agent of the concein, in which capacity he has since continued. The 
Colt and Strong families are closely connected not only by business ties but also through 
marriage. David Strong was twice married and both of his wives were sisters of Luman 
C. Colt. Harvey L. Roberts, the secretary and treasurer of the Strong Manufacturing 
Company, is a cousin of Luman C. Colt, while Frederick Strong, its president, is his nephew. 
The business has reached large and gratifying proportions luider capable management 
and is one of the chief productive industries of this section of the state. 

On the 11th of October, 1870, Mr. Colt was united in marriage to Miss Virginia Tuttle, 
who passed away September 9, 1892, leaving three children : Charles Henry, Leila R. and 
George Tuttle. The two sons are both connected with the Strong Manufacturing Company 
and both are married. The elder son, Charles H. Colt, wedded Blanche Durlacker and they 
have become parents of three daughters: Virginia, Frances and Charline. Charles H. Colt 
resides with his family at Oak Park, Hlinois. The yovmger son, George Tuttle Colt, mar- 
ried Jessie Blackman and they make their home in Torrington, Connecticut. They have 
one son, John B. Charles H. Colt represents the Strong Manufacturing Company in the 
northwest, while George T. Colt is its representative in New England. The daughter, 
Leila R., is the wife of Timothy Hulbert, of Mount Vernon, New York. On the 30th of 
January, 1896, Luman C. Colt was again married, his second union being with Minnie A. 
Hill, of Unionville, Connecticut, who passed away June 9, 1906. 

In politics Mr. Colt has long been a stalwart republican and in 1893 he represented 
his district in the state legislature. He has also filled a number of local offices, the 
duties of which he has discharged with promptness and fidelity. He served as warden of 
the borough of Winsted for one term, was the first selectman for two terms and is one 
of the tiustees of the Gilbert school and of the William L. Gilbert Home. He is likewise 
a member and one of the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church and he is a director 
of the Young Men's Christian Association. He takes an active and helpful interest in all 
that 'pertains to the moral progress of the community and the upholding of high standards 
of manhood and citizenship. He belongs to the Winsted Club and is appreciative of the 
social amenities of life. At the same time he fully recognizes the duties and obligations 
whicli devolve upon him and is true and loyal to every trust reposed in him. His entire 
career has been characterized by a spirit of progressiveness and thus he has gained for 
himself the honorable position whicli he occupies in business circles and in other relations. 



WILLIAM W. MERTZ. 



William W. Mertz, president of the W. W. Mertz Company of Torrington and thus 
the chief executive head of a large department store, was born in Bennington, Vermont, 
August 30, 1863. His father, Jacob Mertz, a potter by trade, was born in Germany and 
came to the United States with his parents when but a year old. The grandfather, Conrad 
Mertz, located with his family at Bennington, where both of the grandparents spent their 
remaining days. Jacob Mertz was. united in marriage to Miss Caroline Wiese, Avho was born in 
Germany and came to the United States with two brothers and a sister when she was 
eighteen years of age, their parents having previously died in Germany, where their father 
served as an officer in the German army. 

William W. Mertz was a lad of thirteen years when in 1876 the family removed from 
Bennington, Vermont, to Hartford, Connecticut, where his parents, wlio had been married 
in Springfield, Massachusetts, spent their remaining days. In their family were five children, 
tliree of whom are living. Frank M. resides in New Haven, wliilc tlie sister is Mrs. Carrie 
Heyer, of Hartford. 

The other member of the family is William W. Mertz, who was a pupil in the public 
schools of Bennington and of Hartford. His early education also included a thorough course 
in a Hartford business college, in which he completed his studies at the age of eighteen. A 
satisfactory position not being then in sight, he was retained in the business college for a 
year as one of the instructors, and later he went to Bellows Falls, Vermont, where for two and 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 10!) 

a half years he was in the service of a manufacturing concern known as the Vermont Farm 
Machine Company. From Bellows Falls he removed to Torrington in 1884, and for four 
years he was general office man for the Turner & Seymour Manufacturing Company, manu- 
facturers of brass goods, iron castings, etc. 

On the 4th of December, 1888, Mr. Mertz was married to Miss Lizzie W. Lewis, only 
daughter of the late Walter S. Lewis, a prominent and well known dry goods merchant of 
Torrington and the founder of the business now conducted by Mr. Mertz, a record of whom 
appears elsewhere in this volume. He established the store more than fifty years ago, 
conducting it under his own name. In 1889 Mr. Mertz entered the store as general assistant 
and manager of the business. Mr. Lewis died in 1898, but even before that time Mr. Mertz 
had become a stockholder in the concern, which had been incorporated under the name of the 
W. S. Lewis Company. Upon the death of the founder the business was inherited by his two 
children, Mrs. Mertz and her brother, Charles W. Lewis. Later Albert Steiger, a well known 
merchant of Springfield, Massachusetts, purchased the half interest of Charles W. Lewis, at 
Avhich time the name was changed from the W. S. Lewis Companj^ to the Steiger-Mertz 
Company. Three years afterward Mr. Mertz purchased the interest of Mr. Steiger and thus 
became practically the sole owner, only a small block of stock being owned by others. At 
that time the firm style of the W. W. Mertz Company was assumed. Since Mr. Mertz lias been 
in control he has extended and widened the bvisiness until he now has one of the best 
department stores in the Naugatuck valley and without doubt the best outside of the city 
of Waterbury. The most progressive methods are manifest in the conduct of the business, 
while the strictest regard is maintained for the highest standards of commercial ethics. In 
addition to this business Mr. Mertz is vice president and a director in the Torrington Trust 
Company. 

Mrs. Mertz, who passed away August 6, 1917, was a member of the Center Congregational 
church, to which Mr. Mertz also belongs. It politics he is a republican and has served for 
four years on the borough board of burgesses. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and a 
member of the Mystic Shrine and he also has membership with the Benevolent Protective 
Order of Elks. In club circles he is widely known, being a member of the Torrington. 
Waterbury Country. Greenwoods Covintry and the Litchfield County Automobile Clubs and 
also the Automobile Club of America. He finds his chief recreation in motoring and golf 
and turns to tliis largely for entertainment when leisure permits. He is ruled by a spirit of 
modern progressiveness in all that he does. His affairs are carefully managed and he dis- 
plays sound judgment and wisdom in the conduct of his interests. He therefore ranks with 
the leading business men of his city and his progress has brought to him gratifying and 
deserved success. 



CHARLES WESLEY WINSLOW. 

Charles Wesley Winslow, clerk of the town of Winchester, in Litchfield county, Con- 
necticut, was born in Winsted, December 23, 1888. His father, William F. Winslow, was 
born in Ontario in 1858 and in 1887 he became a resident of Winsted. He was formerly 
superintendent of the William L. Gilbert Clock Companj' of Winsted but now resides in 
Danville, Kentucky, where he is engaged in tlie jewelry business, being proprietor of an 
attractive store there. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary E. Kinney, was of Revolu- 
tionary stock and was born in Dansville, New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Winslow were born 
two children, Millie Belle and Charles Wesley. The daughter is an optometrist by pro- 
fession and is now serving as one of the vice presidents of the National Association of 
Opticians and is also secretary and treasurer of the Kentucky Optical Association. 
Jeremiah Gibbs Winslow, the paternal grandfather of Charles W. Winslow, was a Methodist 
minister and his birth occurred in Canboro, Ontario, Canada, in 1828. He was formerly 
a carpenter and then entered the ministry. The Winslows are of Mayflower stock and 
direct descendants of Governor Winslow, of Massachusetts. The Winslows first settled in 
Massachusetts and members of this branch of the family later removed to Canada. 

In the public schools of Winsted, Charles Wesley Winslow began his education and 
later attended the Gilbert school of Winsted, being there graduated with the class of 
1906. He began preparation for the bar at Y'ale and was graduated in 1910 with the 
degree of LL. B. He then entered upon the private practice of his profession but his 
fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have kept him almost continuously 
in public office. He has always given his political allegiance to the republican party and 
is a stalwart advocate of its principles. He has served as prosecuting attorney of the' 



110 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

town court of Winchester since January, 1914. and is also assistant clerk of the superior 
court for Litchfield county, to which position he was called in March, 1915. He has been 
clerk of the town of Winchester since January 1, 1916, and holds all three positions at the 
present time. He is prompt and faithful in the discliarge of his public duties and his 
official record is a most creditable one. He is deeply interested in all affairs relating to 
general progress and improvement and his cooperation can be counted upon to further any 
movement for the general good. He is now captain of Union Hose Company, No. 1, of 
the Winsted Fire Department and he is a member of the Home Guard and a member of 
the town committee of the Connecticut State Council of Defense. 

On the 8th of July, 1915, Mr. Winslow was united in marriage to Miss Stella 
Jeanne Liotard. Her father was Edward S. Liotard, who was descended from the ancient 
French families of Bourbon and de la Eogere. He was born in Rogere in western France, 
his birthplace being now a scene of battle in the great world war. The name of Liotard 
is found several times in the official dictionary of history in France. In the maternal line 
Mrs. Winslow is descended from one of the old Connecticut families which was founded 
here in colonial days and was represented in the Revolutionary war and her grandfather 
participated in the Civil war. Her mother bore the maiden name of Clara C. Lynn. Mrs. 
Winslow is a graduate of the New Haven Normal School and for five years was a teacher. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Winslow hold membership in the Second Congregational church. He 
belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken the council degrees. He is also 
an Odd Fellow and an Elk and a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. He likewise 
has membership in the Winsted Club, while along strictly professional lines he is connected 
with the Litchfield County and Connecticut State Bar Associations. 



CHARLES HENRY LOUNSBURY. 

The Lcunsbury family has been represented in Seymour since 1877, but in early 
colonial days the name has figured in connection with the history of New England. Linus 
Lounsbury was one of the first settlers in the western part of Bethany, now Beacon Falls, 
Connecticut, and served as a soldier of the Revolutionary war. The old family homestead 
in Beacon Falls is still in the possession of some of his descendants. His son, Josiah Louns- 
bury, married Sally Lines, whose father held a commission under Governor Jonathan 
Trumbull in the Revolutionary war. Charles Henry Lounsburj^, Sr., son of Ransom Lounsbury 
and the father of Charles Henry Lounsbury, Jr., was born in what is now Beacon Falls, 
September 18, 1848. When Beacon Falls was organized in 1871 he became one of its first 
officials and was prominently identified with its public interests for many years. In 1877 
he -represented his district in the state legislature. It was also in the same year that he 
removed to Seymour and in 1881 he established business on the corner of Maple and Pearl 
streets. He was the first selectman, was also township agent from October, 1885, until 
October, 1890, and again from 1892 until 1895. While acting in that capacity he was 
instrumental in promoting many public improvements and later served on the board of 
assessors. He was also the first president of the chamber of commerce of Seymour. He 
served on the board of directors of the Seymour Trust Company, also the water company, 
and in 1911 was elected to represent his district in the state senate. He gave thoughtful 
and earnest consideration to all the vital questions which came up for settlement and his 
loyalty and progressiveness in citizensliip contributed much to the upbuilding of the 
borough. He died April 20, 1913, in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which 
he had long been a devoted member, serving as one of its trustees and its treasurer. He 
was also patron of Olive Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and was a very prominent 
and well known Mason. He belonged also to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. 

It was in 1877 that Charles Henry Lounsbury. Sr., was united in marriage to Miss Jane 
Titley, of Beacon Falls, a daughter of John Titley, a native of Wales, who in 1854 took his 
family to New York and located in Oneida county, whence he afterward removed to Beacon 
Falls. To this marriage were born seven children: Jessie, who died at the age of twenty- 
one years; twin boys who died in infancy; a daughter who died in infancy; Mary E., at 
home; Charles H.. of this review; and John T., who was born November 13, 1890, and is now 
in Ansonia with the Coe Brass Company. 

Charles Henry Lounsbury, whose name introduces this review, worked for his father 
in the store and in 1906 became a partner in the business, which lie has conducted since 
his father's death. He is one of the representative merchants of Seymour, active and 




CHARLES H. LOUNSBURY, Sr. 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 113 

energetic, and has ever recognized the fact that satisfied patrons are the best ad^'^erti3ement. 
He has worked diligently and persistently, putting forth every efifort to please his cus- 
tomers, and his reasonable prices and honorable dealings feature in his success. 

On the 16th of x\pril, 1907, Mr. Lounsbury was married to Miss Minnie Elizabeth Sim- 
monds, of Leadville, Colorado, and their children are: Thelma Elizabeth, born June 3, 
1909; Charles Humphries, born June 17, 1911; and Jane Margaret, who was born February 3, 
1914, and died in January, 1915. 

Mr. Lounsbury is identified with the Elks, with the Red Men, the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows and the Temple of Honor and has many friends in these different fraternal 
societies. He has held all of the chairs in the Red Men camp. Politically he is a republican, 
while his religious faith is that of the Methodist church, in which he was reared and to the 
teachings of which lie has ever been most loyal. His course reflects credit and honor upon 
a name which has figured prominently in connection with the history of Seymour for four 
decades. 



JOHN M. CURRIE. 



•John M. Currie, engaged in pattern making as a partner in the firm of Reynolds & 
Currie, is highly skilled in tliis particular field. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, January 
29, 1873, and is a son of John and Margaret Currie, who in 1887 came to the United States, 
settling in Waterbury. The father was a baker by trade but became connected with the 
Waterbuvy Buckle Company, with which lie was associated for many years, thus figuring in 
the manufacturing interests of the city. He died in 1913, having for two years survived his 
wife, Avho passed away in 1911. 

In the land of liills and heather John M. Currie obtained a public scliool education 
to the age of fourteen years and then accompanied his parents to the new world. In 
his youthful days he was employed by the Waterbury Buckle Company and at the age of 
eighteen entered the employ of George B. Scovill, with whom he learned the pattern- 
making trade. He was afterward witli the Waterbury Farrel Foundry & Machine Company 
for twenty-three years and in that connection steadilj^ worked his way upward, serving 
as assistant foreman during the last six years. He became associated with Henry J. 
Reynolds in organizing the present firm of Rej^nolds & Currie in 1916 and in the intervening 
period, covering u little more than a year, they have developed a very substantial pattern- 
making business. 

On the 12th of May, 1897, Mr. Currie was married to Miss Ruby Wilmot of Nauga- 
tuck, a daughter of Lucius Wilmot, engaged in the concrete business. Mr. and Mrs. Currie 
have three daughters, Muriel, Ruth and Eleanor. The parents hold membership in the 
Second Congregational church and Mr. Currie votes witli the republican party. He is also 
identified with Clan McAlpine, 0. S. C., and with the Foresters. He has many of the 
sterling characteristics of the Scotch race, including the determination and thoroughness 
which lead to the development of business ability, and witli these qualities as a firm basis he 
is winning success. 



JAMES P. DAVIDSON. 



Alert and energetic. James P. Davidson has made for himself an enviable position in 
the commercial circles of Winsted, being the senior partner in tlie firm of James P. 
Davidson & Son. proprietors of tlie Boston Store at No. 434 Main street. His plans are 
always well defined and carefully executed and his energy has been a forceful factor in 
accomplishing desired results. He Avas born in Scotland, January 13, 1845. His father, 
John Davidson, \\as a farmer. In early manhood lie wedded Susan Copeland and they 
remained residents of Scotland throughout their remaining days. Their son James P. is 
the only member of the family to come to America. He has one brother, William, who 
is living in Adelaide, South Australia, while two sisters have remained in Scotland. 

.James P. Davidson was reared upon a farm in his native country and received his 
education in the schools there. He came to the United States in January, 1867, when a 
young man of twenty-two years. He had previously learned the dry goods business in 
Aberdeen, Scotland, serving a four years' apprenticeship there. On reaching the new world 
he secured a clerkship in Boston, where he remained for two and a half years, and later 

Vol. Ill— 5 



114 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

spent three years in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1873 he embarked in the dry goods 
business on his own account at Westerly, Rhode Island, as a member of the firm of 
Davidson & Rich, their store there being known as the Boston Store. In 1882 Mr. Davidson 
sold his interest to his partner and removed to Winsted, where he has since conducted a 
dry goods store. He opened his establishment on the 15th of September, 1883, and 
called it the Boston Store. For more than a third of a century he has thus been closely 
associated with the commercial activities of Winsted and has long occupied a most prominent 
position in mercantile circles. Since 1888 the Boston Store has occupied its present location 
at No. 434 Main street and through all the intervening years has been one of the popular 
mercantile establishments of the city, drawing its patronage from a wide territory, covering 
a radius of from twenty-five to forty miles. In 1913 Mr. Davidson admitted his son, 
William P., to a partnership under the firm style of James P. Davidson & Son. The 
senior partner is today the second oldest dry goods merchant in Winsted. The policy 
wliich he has ever followed is one which will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny 
and his course at all times has constituted an example well worthy of emulation. 

In December, 1870, Mr. Davidson was married in Boston, Massachusetts, to Miss Marj' 
L. Gunn, who is also of Scotch birth, a native of Glasgow. She came to the United States 
in 1870 to become the bride of Mr. Davidson, with whom she had been acquainted for a 
number of years. Two children have been born to them: Isabelle Susan, who is now 
the wife of Alexander Davidson, of Aberdeen, Scotland, who althougli of the same name 
was not a relative; and William Pirie, who was born in Winsted, January 6, 1884, and is 
now his father's partner in business. The daughter's husband is cashier of the Northern 
Assurance Company of Aberdeen and to Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Davidson has been born a 
son, Ian Winsted Davidson. 

Mr. and Mrs. James P. Davidson have long figured prominently in the social circles 
of the city in which they reside. They are members of the Second Congregational church 
and their aid and influence are always, given on the side of progress and improvement. As 
a business man he has displayed those qualities which produce substantial results. Far- 
sighted and sagacious, he has closely watched every detail of the business and at the same 
time has given due prominence to its major points, keeping to the highest business methods 
and demanding of his sales people that every courtesy shall be extended patrons. His entire 
life commands for him the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been associated 
and such is his success that he has never had occasion to regret his determination to try 
his fortune on this side the Atlantic. 



DANIEL COLT. 



Business enterprise finds a progressive exponent in Daniel Colt, the president and 
treasurer of the large mercantile house of Colt & Comiiany, Inc., doing business at No. 
581 Main street, in Winsted, and through the steps of an orderly progression Mr. Colt 
has reached his present enviable position in commercial circles. He was born in Brookfield, 
Vermont, June 7, 1872, and is a representative of the well known Colt family that has 
figured prominently in connection with New England's history and development. His 
grandfather, Daniel Colt, was an own cousin of Samuel Colt, the inventor of the Colt 
pistol. Henry Colt, the father of Daniel Colt of this review, was born in Brooklyn, New 
York, and became a farmer. He was but four years of age when he removed with his 
parents to Vermont and in that state he devoted his attention to general agricultural 
pursuits, thus providing for the support of his famil3^ He married Jane L. Bigelow, of 
Brookfield, Vermont, who passed away about twenty years ago, but Mr. Colt is still living 
and yet makes his home in Brookfield. The children of that marriage were: Daniel, of this 
review; Wallace P., of Brookfield; and Ella, who is the wife of John M. Benham, also of 
Brookfield, Vermont. 

Daniel Colt was reared on tlie old homestead farm, early becoming familiar witli the 
best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He acquired a good grammar school 
education and at the age of eighteen years taught school for one term. He afterward went 
to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he entered the clothing store of Besse, Carpenter & 
Company, proprietors of one of the largest stores of that place. A year later he went to 
Derby, Connecticut, and accepted a clerkship with the clothing store of Allis & Company. 
Later he managed a clothing store at Athol, Massachusetts, for a year, and in 1898 he 
came to Winsted, where he established the present large dry goods and clothing store 
which he is now conducting under the style of Colt & Company, Inc. He is president. 



. WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 115 

treasurer and manager of this company, which is doing business at No. 581 Main street 
and whicli has one of the largest mercantile establishments of Winsted. They carry 
a large line of clothing and men's furnishings, also dry goods and ladies' and misses' ready- 
to-wear garments. It is the only store in Winsted that combines dry goods with men's 
furnishings. They have a large establishment, splendidly equipped, and the business is 
steadily growing. This is a close corporation, all of the stock being owned by the Colt 
family. Mr. Colt personally is the owner of the four-story brick block in which the busi- 
ness is carried on. The building is sixty-six by seventy feet, having a frontage of seventy 
feet on Main street. The first and second floors are used for the business and the third 
and fourth doors are used as offices and as halls. 

On the 26th of June, 1896, Mr. Colt was married to Miss Maude Linden Welles, of 
Meriden, Connecticut, and they have become the parents of five children, Stanley W., 
Spencer H., Evelyn J., Marion E. and Anna L. The eldest son was graduated from Yale 
College in 1917 and is now in the Plattsburg training camp. The second son, Spencer H., 
is a senior in the Gilbert school. 

jNIr. Colt is a member of the Cliamber of Commerce of Winsted and the family is very 
prominent socially, for his business position ranks him with the most prominent merchants 
of the city. 



WILBUR GRANT MANCHESTER. 

Public opinion places Wilbur Grant Manchester among the able lawyers of W^insted 
and his section of the state. He is also a prominent and active member of the prohibition 
party in Connecticut and his services in behalf of temperance have been far reaching and 
resultant. He was born in Winsted, where he still resides, on the 29th of July, 1860, a 
son of the late Edward Manchester, farmer, grain merchant, ice cream manufacturer and 
active business man of Winsted, who was highly regarded by reason of his personal worth, 
his prominence and his many substantial qualities. He passed away November 22, 1911, 
and is survived by his widow, who bore the maiden name of Mary Jennie Grant. She 
yet makes her home in \^"insted. She is a representative of the distinguished Grant family, 
her father, Harry McGill Grant, whose home was at Norfolk, Connecticut, being a distant 
relative of General Ulysses S. Grant. 

Wilbur Grant Manchester was reared in Winsted and was educated in the public and 
high schools of that place, while later he attended Riverside Institute at Lyons, Iowa, and 
Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He later entered Yale LaAv School, as he 
had determined upon the practice of law for his life work, and was there graduated with 
the class of 1896. From 1886 until 1894 he was a resident of the state of Florida, where 
he was engaged in orange growing and also in buying and shipping of oranges. His 
father at that time owned several orange groves in Putnam county, Florida, and in the 
vicinity of Palatka. Dtiring his stay in the south Wilbur G.' Manchester superintended 
the orange groves and marketed the fruit. The big "freeze" of 1895 destroyed the industry 
completely and the disaster to the groves ended his career in Florida. He then took up 
the study of law and since 1896 has practiced his profession in Winsted, his offices being 
located at No. 510 ]Main street, where he occupies a commodious suite of rooms adorned 
with one of the best law libraries in Litchfield county. He has never had a partner but 
has developed his practice, which has reached splendid proportions, independently. In 
fact, his clientage has become of such extent that it is difficult for him to care for it 
alone. He is a member of the Litchfield County and the Connecticut State Bar Associa- 
tions and is recognized by his colleagues and contemporaries in the profession as one of its 
ablest representatives in Winsted and Connecticut. The trend of his mind is naturally 
analytical, and he prepares his cases with thoroughness and care, while his reasoning is 
most clear and his presentation of a cause concise and convincing. 

Mr. Manchester is a prohibitionist in politics and is one of the most prominent and 
active members of the party in New England. His father was a leader of the party before 
him and was at one time the prohibition candidate for governor of Connecticut and was 
also a delegate to several of the state and national conventions. Wilbur G. Manchester 
has been the recipient of practically all the honors that his party could bestow in his home 
state of Connecticut. He has frequently been nominated at its conventions for high 
office and has several times accepted such nominations and made the race for official 
position when he knew that there was no possible chance of election. He thus, however, 
supported his principles and has devoted his time and money to the cause, which is steadily 



116 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

growing and which no one doubts will win triumphantly in the near future. His labors 
have been put forth at a great sacrifice of his personal interests, but he has never faltered 
in his purpose and has been an active force in producing much of the strong temperance 
sentiment that today prevails. He has lived to see his labors bear fruit, for the list of 
prohibition states is steadily being augmented and the temperance sentiment is steadily 
growing, so that he expects to see the day when the country will be largely liberated from the 
evils of intemperance. 

Mr. Manchester is also deeply interested in other matters of public concern. He is a 
trustee of the Gilbert school and is a trustee and secretary of the William L. Gilbert 
Home. He is likewise a trustee of the Winsted Savings Bank. He comes of a family long 
connected with the Methodists and his great-grandfather, Daniel Coe, was a minister of 
the Methodist church while his father and his paternal grandfather were also of that faith. 
Mr. Manchester likewise holds membership in the Methodist church and does everything in 
his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. 

On the 24th of November, 1885, Mr. Manchester was married to Miss Emma Elizabeth 
Meacham and they have one child, Mary Eleanor, who is a student in Mount Holyoke 
College. They lost a daughter, Gladys Meacham, at the age of fourteen and a half years 
after an appendicitis operation. 



WESLEY W. TOWER. 



Wesley W. Tower, who in the field of real estate is promoting many property' transfera 
and has built up a business of large and substantial proportions, was born in Cummington, 
Massachusetts, December 26, 1848, and is a representative of one of the early colonial 
families, the line of descent being traced down from John Tower, who came from England 
in 1637. Numerous representatives of the family are now found in many sections of the 
United States, especially in Massachusetts, and when John Tower came from England he took 
up his abode at Hingham, Massachusetts. There has been published by Charlemagne Tower 
of Philadelphia a genealogical record of the family in America in a volume that covers nearly 
seven hundred pages. 

Wesley W. Tower, a son of William and Mary (Stetson) Tower, came to W^aterbury 
in 1885 and for a quarter of a century was employed by the Waterbury Manufacturing 
Company in the capacity of foreman in the tool room, but since 1910 he has been engaged 
in the real estate business and has won many clients in this connection. He has thoroughly 
informed himself concerning property values and has promoted many real estate transfers 
which have been equally satisfactory to purchaser and seller. 

On the 1st of May, 1872, Mr. Tower was united in marriage to Miss Lucy M. Guilford, 
who was born in Cummington, Massachusetts, February 19, 1849, and they have one 
daughter, Flora A., who married Charles E. Finney of Waterbury and has two children, 
Marion Margaret and Ida Luella. aged twenty-one and nineteen years respectively. Mr. 
Tower is a member of the Masonic fraternity, of the Order of American Mechanics and of 
the Improved Order of Red Men. His has been a busy life in which have been found few 
idle hours and his intense and well directed activity has brought lum steadily forward. 
He was long well known in industrial circles and today has made a creditable place for 
himself among the real estate" men of the city. 



0. N. OSBORN. 



0. N. Osborn, treasurer and general manager of The Waterbury Wet Wash Laundry 
Company, was born in Oxford, Connecticut, February 12, 1879, a son of 0. C. and Adella 
J. (Andrew) Osborn. The father was born at Oxford, Connecticut, on a farm that has ' 
been in possession of the family for over two hundred years, and he became the owner 
of more than five hundred acres of valuable land and ranked with the most prominent 
agriculturists of that section of the state. He was a man of influence in public aflairs 
and was frequently called upon for official service. He occupied the position of town treas- 
urer, was also selectman, and for several terms represented his district in the state legis- 
lature, where he gave earnest consideration to the questions that came up for settlement 
and staiichly supported those measures which he deemed of worth to the commonwealth. 
Connecticut lost a representative citizen Avhen he passed away in 1905. His widow survives 




^^■ESLEY AY. TOAYER 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 119 

and spends tlie winter months in the home of her son, 0. N. Osborn, bnt passes the summer 
seasons at Oxford. 

O. N. Osborn obtained a public school education, supplemented by three years' study 
in Mount Hermon, ^Massachusetts, and one year in IMaryville College at Maryville, Tennessee. 
In 1900 he came to Waterbury and entered the employ of the American Brass Company as 
foreman, remaining until 1908. He then turned his attention to the laundry business, 
being connected with the New System Laundry at Xo. 21 Woodtick road, which he con- 
ducted until he organized The Waterbury Wet Wash Laundry Company, of which he became 
manager. This company Avas incorporated in 1913, its first officers being Edward P. 
Jones, president: Dwight S. Case, vice president; and Harold Case, secretary and treasurer. 
The officers at this writing are: Edward P. Jones, jn-esident; B. E. Cross, vice president; 
J. W. Osborn, secretary; and 0. N. Osborn, treasurer and general manager. The company 
began the erection of its present building in 1912 and occupied it in June, 1913. The build- 
ing is of mill construction, ninety-two by sixty-eight feet, and is equipped with every 
facility for doing first-class family laundry work, doing no starch work. They have five 
wagons and employ thirty people in the conduct of an extensive and growing business, 
taking work from all the surrounding towns. 

On the 30th of August, 1910, Mr. Osborn was married to Miss Josephine Helen Webster, 
a^ native of Hartford, Connecticut, and a daugliter of James Webster. She is a repre- 
sentative of one of the oldest and most distinguished families of New England, being of 
the same branch of the Webster family as Noah and Daniel Webster. 

'Sir. Osborn belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and gives his political 
support to the republican party, while both he and his wife are connected with the 
Episcopal church. He is widely and favorably known here and ranks w ith the representative 
and progressive business men. He holds to the highest standards in his work and the 
integrity of his business methods has won him the confidence and goodwill of all with 
whom lie has been brought in contact. 



CAPTAIN JOSEPH L. CARROLL. 

Captain Joseph L. Carroll, a hardware merchant of Winsted. whose enterprise and 
activity constitute an important feature in the commercial development of his city, has 
also been v/ell known in connection with militaiy affairs, having formerly been captain of 
Company M of the First Connecticut Infantry. Winsted numbers him among her native 
sons, for he was here born on the 9th of October, 1873, his parents being Patrick C. and 
Ellen (JNIalay) Carroll, who were both natives of Ireland, the father liaving been born in 
Tipperary, while the mother was a native of County Kilkenny. Prior to the Civil war 
they were married in Winsted, each having come to America in early life. They became 
the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living, namely: Dr. John J. Carroll, who 
resides in Naiigatuck. Connecticut; Mary, who gave her hand in marriage to .Joseph Grant, 
of Winsted; Rev. Richard J. Carroll, who presides as priest over a parish in South 
Norwalk, Connecticut; Patrick F., living in ^A'insted: Catherine A., also a resident of 
Winsted; Captain Joseph L., of this review; and Dr. Isaiah F. Carroll, of Stamford, Con- 
necticut. The parents lived to celebrate their golden wedding but both have since passed 
away. The father, who was a scythe maker, died at the age of eighty-three and the 
mother's death occurred in 1913, when she was seventy-six years of age. 

Captain Carroll has been a lifelong resident of Winsted and after acquiring his early 
education in the public schools and in St. Anthony's parochial school he attended night 
school in order to further promote his knowledge and thus better qualify himself for life's 
practical and responsible duties. He earned his first money by selling newspapers, as 
many another successful man has done. At the age of fourteen, or in 1887, while still 
of schoolboy age, he began clerking in the same hardware store of which he is now 
proprietor, at No. 11 Park Place. He proved capable and faithful and Avon advancement 
from time to time. Actuated by a spirit of laudable ambition, he saved his earnings until 
his industry and economy furnished him with sufficient capital to purchase this store, of 
Avhich he became the owner in 1899. He has been connected with the establishment as 
clerk and proprietor for thirty years. He has a well appointed store, carrying a large line 
of shelf and heavy hardAvare, and the integrity of his business methods combined Avith 
his earnest desire to please his patrons have secured to him a large trade. 

Captain Carroll belongs to St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church and fraternally he is 
an Elk. In politics he is an independent republican, for while he usually supports the 



120 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

party, lie does not consider himself bound by party ties. He has figured prominently in 
local military circles and for twenty years was a member of Company M, of which he 
served as an officer for ten years, holding the rank of captain for six years. He retired 
on the 22d of March, 1913, as a matter of deep regret on the part of the company, 
for he had greatly endeared himself to those who served with and under him. He is con- 
centrating his efi'orts and attention upon his business affairs now even more, his brother, 
Patrick F. Carroll, being associated with him in the ownership and management of the store. 



CHARLES SMITH. 



Charles Smith, now living retired in Watertown, was for a long period actively and 
successfully identified with agricultural pursuits. He was born J'ebruary 15, 1856, in 
Watertown, a son of Garry and Julia Ann (French) Smith, both representatives of old 
families early established in this section of the country. The father purchased a farm 
from Dr. F. Holcomb in 1841. This was a tract of one hundred and seventy-five acres 
and was devoted largely to dairying. Garry Smith continued upon the place and operated 
it with the aid of his son until his death, which occurred August 31, 1902, when he had 
reached the notable old age of ninety-six years. 

Giarles Smith was reared to the occupation of farming, early becoming familiar Avith 
the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops and the stock. He acquired his 
education in the district schools and also attended the Watertown Academy. After his 
father purchased the farm and Mr. Smith had attained a sufficient age to begin work in the 
fields he took his place behind the plow and aided largely in the development of the home 
property. He also became familiar with every phase of the dairy business and continued 
active in agricultural circles until a few months ago, when he retired from active business 
life. His place is known as the ISTestledale Farm, being nestled among the surrounding 
hills, and most beautifully located. Upon the property is the Smith pond, covering about 
thirty acres, and it is quite a resort for camping and fishing. Mr. Smith has a permanent 
home in Watertown, owning and occupying the old Hand residence on Main street. 

On the 1st of January, 1891, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Ella J. Hand, who passed 
away in 1901, leaving two sons, Irwin F. and Leon G. The former is now in charge of the 
home farm, having assumed its management when his father retired from active business. 
After losing his first wife Mr. Smith was again married, his second union being with Miss 
Grace Seymour, of Norwalk, Connecticut, whom he wedded September 15, 1903. 

Mr. Smith belongs to Watertown Grange, also to the State Grange and the National 
Grange. He is a member of the Episcopal church, in the work of which he has taken an 
active and helpful part, serving as one of its vestrymen for many years. His political 
allegiance is given to the republican party and he is a stanch advocate of its principles but has 
never sought nor desired political preferment as a reward for party fealty. His life has 
been quiet and unostentatious but the genuine worth of his character has been recognized 
by those with whom he has come in contact and throughout the community in which he lives 
he has won many friends. 



MAURICE J. REIDY. M. D. 



Dr. Maurice J. Reidy, a physician and surgeon of Winsted, familiar with all the latest 
scientific discoveries and modern processes of medical and surgical practice, was born in the 
city where he now resides August 19, 1884, the youngest son of Patrick and Ellen 
(Dillon) Reidy, who are mentioned elsewhere in this work. He spent two years in Holy 
Cross College in preparation for life's practical and responsible duties and afterward was 
for four years a student in Columbia University of New York city, where he pin-sued his 
course in preparation for medical practice. He was there graduated in 1910. winning the 
M. D. degree, and was afterward interne in the French Hospital in New York city for 
eighteen months. He has practiced continuously in Winsted since 1913 in association 
with his elder brother. Dr. David D. Reidy. He devotes his attention almost entirely to 
suigery and to the treatment of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat and he was an 
active assistant of his brother in the establishment of the Reidy Sanitarium in 1913, an 
institution which is a valuable addition to the hospital resources of this section of the 
country. He is likcAvise a member of the surgical stafl' of the Litchfield County Hospital. 




GARRY SMITH 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 123 

On the 8th of January, 1915, Dr. Reidy was united in marriage to Miss Mary L. 
Carey, of Winsted, and they have one son, Maurice J., Jr., who was born August 30, 1916. 
The parents are members of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church and Dr. Reidy belongs 
to the Knights of Columbus and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In politics 
he is a stalwart democrat but has never been a candidate for office. He belongs to the 
Winsted Club and to the Greenwoods Country Club, while along strictly professional lines 
he is connected with the Litchfield County Medical Society, the Connecticut State Medical 
Society and the American Medical Association, through the proceedings of which he keeps 
in touch with the trend of modern professional thought, research and investigation. 



HENRY J. REYNOLDS. 



Henry J. Reynolds, of tlie pattern-making- firm of Reynolds & Currie, was born in 
Waterbury, November 30, 1866, a son of Ransom S. and Emeline (Chatfield) Reynolds, the 
latter a native of Waterbury and the former of Woodbury, Connecticut. The paternal 
grandfather, Solomon Reynolds, was an early settler of Woodbury, possibly born there, 
and was a carpenter by trade. Ransom Reynolds followed the same line and also took 
up millwright work and pattern making, devoting his life to those activities. He is 
now living retired at the age of eighty-nine years. His wife has passed away. 

After leaving the high school of Waterbury, Henry J. Reynolds was employed for 
about three j^ears in clock and watch factories. He then took up pattern making, a trade 
which he followed with Manville Brothers as foreman in their shop for fourteen years. 
He Avas later connected with the firm of Blake & Johnson and with the E. J. Manville 
Machine Company, but eventually began business on his own account, organizing the firm 
of Reynolds & Cvn-rie July 1, 1916. They are located at No. 141 Maple street, where they 
are engaged in wooden pattern making and employ seven skilled workmen. They are en- 
gaged in general contract work, fiftj" per cent of their contracts coming from out of town. 

In 1890 Mr. Reynolds was married to Miss Susan Gopplet, of Waterbury, and they have 
two sons and two daughters: Elsworth, who is with the Colonial Trust Company; Samuel, 
a high-school pupil; Muriel, also attending high school; and Susan, who is in school. 

Mr. Reynolds is well known locally as an Odd Fellow, having been past grand of the 
lodge of Waterbury. He likewise holds membership with the Ancient Order of United 
Workmen and attends the Episcopal church. His political endorsement has been given 
the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. When a young 
man he served as a member of the town committee. He was also a member of the city fire 
department in the days of volunteer service and for a number of years was foreman of 
the hook and ladder company. He has ever been interested in tlie welfare and progress 
of Waterbury and manifests an attitude of public-spirited citizenship toward all questions 
of vital moment. 



ROBERTS G. HANNEGAN. 



Roberts G. Hannegan. whose ability has made for himself a creditable position in finan- 
cial circles of Waterbury. is secretary of the West Side Savings Bank. He was born July 2, 
1884, in the city where he still resides, his parents being John A. and Cliarlotte (Roberts) 
Hannegan, both of whom were natives of the Empire state. Removing to Waterbury 
in 1882, the father engaged in the tobacco business on South Main street. He died June 
5, 1910, and is survived by his widow. He was a member of the Foresters and bot'h were 
members of the Methodist church. 

In the attainment of his education Roberts G. Hannegan passed through consecutive 
grades to his graduation from the Crosby high school with the class of 1904. Throughout 
the intervening period he has been identified with the banking business. When his text- 
books were put aside he entered the Fourth National Bank, with which lie continued until 
1906, when he became associated with the West Side Savings Bank, which had been 
organized on the 30th of March, 1889. For eleven years he has now been active in con- 
ducting the business of this institution. In 1917 a removal was made to the corner of 
Bank and Grand streets in the Buckingham building, which was refurnished with new 
fixtures and modern bank equipment. Working his way steadily upward through merit 



124 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

and ability, Mr. Hannegan reached his present position as director and secretary in 1916 
and is doing much to shape the policy of the bank and extend its business connections. 

On the 16th of September, 1915, Mr. Hannegan was married to Miss Elsie Taylor, of 
Stafford Springs, Connecticut, and two children Avere born to them: Elsie, who died in 
infancy, and Elizabeth Taylor. Mr. and Mrs. Hannegan are communicants of St. John's 
Episcopal church, in which he is serving as a vestryman. He is prominent in Masonic 
circles, belonging to Continental Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M.; Eureka Cliapter, No. 42, R. 
A. M.; Waterbury Council, R. &. S. M.; and Clark Commandery, K. T. Of the chapter he 
was high priest in 1915. 

His military record is a most creditable and commendable one. On the 15th of January, 
1907, he became a private of Company A of the Second Connecticut Infantry and on the 2d 
of December of that year was promoted to the rank of corporal. On the 1st of August, 
1909, he was made sergeant and on the 14th of January, 1910, was honorably discharged. 
On the 30th of January, 1911, however, he once more joined the National Guard, enlisting 
as a member of Company H, Second Connecticut Infantry. Promotion to the rank of first 
sergeant' came to him March 23, 1911. He was commissioned second lieutenant January 
11, 1912; was commissioned captain September 30, 1912, and was mustered out of the federal 
service on the 9th of November, 1916, on which date he also resigned from the National 
Guard, having just completed active service at Nogales, Arizona, covering the summer of 
1916. On the 23d of April, 1917, he was made major of the First Battalion of the Fifth 
Regiment of the Home Guard of Connecticut. In the city election of 1917 Mr. Hannegan 
was chosen for the office of city treasurer and has since discharged the duties of his position 
with circumspection and that regard for the public welfare Avhich has characterized all 
his actions. His ability has brought him prominence not only in military and political 
but also in business circles and Waterbury ranks him with her representative men. 



EDWARD P. JONES. 



Edward P. Jones, of Winsted, president of the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce is 
a most active and progressive business man. His public duties and private interests make 
heavy demands upon his time and energies. In the present crisis he is proving adequate 
to the occasion and has taken the initiative in such work as has to do with the war 
conditions. His labors have been fruitful of splendid results and his entire course, character- 
ized by the loftiest patriotism, marks him as a man of the highest type of American 
manhood and chivalry. 

Mr. Jones was born at Barkhamsted, Connecticut, April 3, 1866. and is a lineal 
descendant of Captain Israel Jones, who served in the Rcvolutionarj^ war. Thomas Jones, 
the progenitor of the family in America, was a Welshman and on coming to the United 
States, settled in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He Avas born in 1598 and wedded Mary North. 
His death occurred in 1671. The next in direct descent was Benjamin Jones, who was born 
in Gloucester, Massachusetts, July 31, 1651, and died June 25, 1718. He participated in 
King Philip's war and "received for services at Marlborough Garrison, under Captain 
Brocklebank, one poimd sixteen shillings." He was also given a land grant for services in 
the Indian wars, consisting of fifty-six acres in Enfield, Connecticut. Besides this a dozen or 
more subsequent additions granted to him and to his sons in Enfield aggregated several 
thousand acres for goodwill and services. His son and the next lineal descendant was 
Lieutenant Thomas Jones, who was born in Enfield in 1680 and died November 4, 1763. On 
the 4th of April, 1708, he had married Mary Meacham. Lieutenant Jones was a man of 
no common ability. He was elected ensign and later, lieutenant of the Enfield Train Band 
and developed marked military power. His ability in other directions was also pronounced 
and he had much to do with shaping public thought and action in colonial days. He was 
also very prominent in the work of the church. Sixteen times he was elected to the oflice 
of selectman, was elected assessor nine times, town surveyor ten times, moderator of the 
town meeting fourteen times and on fourteen other occasions was chosen to minor offices. 

His son. Captain Israel Jones, was born in Enfield, March 18, 1715, and on the 29th of 
November, 1744, wedded Jemimah Clark. His death occurred December 28, 1798. He. too. 
was a man of prominence in Enfield, where he was elected to public office continuously from 
1738 until 1768, In the later year he appears as one of the committee to manage the aft'airs 
of the Barkhamsted land proprietors, the deed to the Jones farm being given in 1771. Captain 
Jones settled on his farm in Barkhamsted in 1759, being the first white settler in that 





^ <^c!^'<^*<j't:z^'~c^ 




0. 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 127 

locality. He was a lieutenant of the first military company of Barkhamsted, called for 
duty in October, 1774, and later he became captain. 

The next in the line of descent to Edward P. Jones was Samuel Jones, son of Captain 
Israel Jones. He was born in Enfield, July 31, 1749, and passed away March 29, 1822. The 
three brothers of Samuel Jones — Israel, William Clark and Isaac Jones — removed to the 
Western Reserve of Ohio in 1799, where their descendants are now numerous. With the 
removal of tlie three sons of Captain Jones to the west they settled in what is known 
as New Connecticut, in Trumbull coimty, Ohio, and there the descendants of the Revolu- 
tionarj^ ancestor have made a practice of holding a family reunion annually for many 
years, the thirty-third annual reunion having been held at Hartford, Ohio, on the 30th of 
August, IC 

Tb- grandfather of Edward P. Jones was Elijah Jones, a son of Samuel Jones. He was 
born on the farm in Barkhamsted, ^lay 1, 1783, and died July 7, 1850. He served for seven 
terms as a member of the Connecticut legislature. 

Edwin Pitkin Jones, the father of Edward P. Jones, was born on the old farm [March 
10, 1826, and on the 14th of April 1853, wedded Mary G. Coult. His death occurred 
February 16th, 1908, while his wife, who was born December 31, 1830, died May 20, 1910. 
She was a daughter of William Coult and a granddaughter of Dr. Amherst Coult Avho 
enlisted four different times in Revolutionary service, and served as a surgeon under Wash- 
ington in the Revolutionary wry. He also for a time commanded the naval forces at the 
mouth of the Connecticut river. The Coults in America are descended from Sir Peter Coult, 
of England, who served in the War of the Roses and who had seven horses shot from under 
him in one battle of that long conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster. For his 
services in that battle he Avas knighted and given a coat of arms, having on the siiield a 
colt's liead. The ancestral line is traced down from Sir John Coult, father of Sir Peter 
Coult, through John (I), John (II), John (III), .lohn (IV), to John Coult (V), who was 
born about 1625 in Colchester, England, and who died in Hartford, Connecticut, at the 
notable old age of one hundred and five years. He was the father of John Coult (VI) who 
Avas born in 1657, and died in 1750, at the age of ninety-three years, having moved to 
Lyme, Connecticut, and there established the Coult home. His son, Benjamin Coult, born in 
Lyme, Connecticut, in 1701, died in 1757. He was the father of John Coult, wlio was born 
May 27, 1725, and died May 27, 1784. The next in the line of direct descent was Dr. 
Amherst Coult, who was born July 27, 1759. He moved to Lyme, New Hampshire, and 
established the New Hampshire branch of the Coult family, and died January 25, 1830. His 
son, William Coult, was born .June 8, 1793, and passed away December 3, 1850. He was the 
father of Mary Georgianna Coult, who became the wife of Edwin Pitkin Jones and tlius 
were united two of the oldest families of Connecticut. Edwin P. Jones was a man of 
strong Christian character and was everywhere known as Deacon Jones. He operated the 
home farm and led a most active life. He and his wife were among the foremost workers 
and members of the Congregational church in their community for more than a half cen- 
tury and they did much to advance the cause of Christianity and made liberal contribution 
to the support of the church. Mr. Jones also represented his town for one term in the 
Connecticut legislature. To him and his wife were born four sons: Elisha W.. a resident 
of Winsted; Charles P., who died at the age of two years; Frederick H., who is living in 
Manchester, Connecticut; and Edward P., of this review. 

The last named, now prominently known as one of the foremost citizens of Winsted, 
was reared on the old home farm in Barkhamsted where Captain Israel Jones settled in 
1759. He pursued his early education in the district schools and in 1884, graduated from the 
high school of Winsted. When eighteen years of age he taught a term of school in Bark- 
hamsted, and later pursued a two years' course in the Williston Seminary at Easthampton, 
Massachusetts, graduating in 1886. In the same year he took up his abode in Winsted, 
where he has since remained, and for several years he was a partner of his elder brother, 
Elisha W. Jones, in the furniture and undertaking business, but in 1896 the partnership 
was dissolved, E. W. Jones retaining the furniture business, while Edward P. Jones took 
over the undertaking department. He has since conducted the business under his own name. 
His establishment had its inception about 1840, being founded by Royal Weirs in the days 
when every undertaker was also a cabinetmaker and made all of his coffins by hand. This 
undertaking establishment has been in continuous existence since that period and under the 
control of Mr. Jones, a large and profitable business has been built up. Mr. .Jones has been 
the secretary of the Connecticut state board of Examiners of embalmers since its organization 
in 1903, having been appointed to the position by all the successive governors since that 
time, so that every embalmer's license that has been issud in the state of Connecticut has 
borne the signature of Mr. Jones, as secretary. He has other important business interests, 



128 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

for since 1897 he has been the sole owner of the Winsted Steam Laundry, and he is also 
president of the Waterbury Wet Wash Laundry Companj'. His interests have thus con- 
stantly broadened in scope and importance and his business affairs alone would entitle him 
to representation as one of the leading residents of Winsted. His laundry business in Win- 
sted includes an immense plant and his patronage is drawn from a radius of about fifty miles 
both east and west. Mr. Jones is also one of the incorporators of the Winsted Savings 
Bank and vice president of the Memorial Library and is the vice president of the B. J. 
Harrison Son Company, a Winsted concern. 

Certainly no man in Winsted has been more active in promoting the borough's welfare 
than Edward P. Jones, for the past twenty years. He has done everything in his power to 
advance its interests and his energies and efforts have been productive of most effective 
and valuable results. He has aided largely in bringing various important business interests 
to the city and thus promoted its welfare. 

On the 23d of May, 1894, Mr. Jones was married to Miss Frances Isabella Bronson, of 
Winsted, a descendant of the Bronson, Bissell, Gaylord and Loomis families. Mr. and 
Mrs. Jones are parents of two living children: Roderick Bissell, who was born October 13, 
1898, and is a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps of Yale LTniversity; and 
Edward Payson. Jr., who was born August 23, 1900. The boys are descendants of thirteen 
of the original settlers of Windsor, Connecticut, and can trace their ancestors back to four- 
teen men who served in establishing the independence of the country. 

Mr. Jones is president of the Litchfield County Choral L^nion, a widely known musical 
organization that holds an annual musical festival in Norfolk, Connecticut, in June of each 
year. A description of this unique organization appears elsewhere in this work. He is also 
president of the Winsted Choral Union and thus figures very prominently in musical circles, 
doing much to promote the standards of musical tastes in this section of the state. 

Mr. Jones is vice president of the East Hartland Old Residents Association and treasurer 
of the East Hartland Cemetery Association, an association formed to beautify and care for the 
cemetery in East Hartland, where many of the Jones ancestors are buried. He belongs to 
the Second Congregational church, and for fifteen consecutive years was a trustee thereof. 
He is a Knight Templar Mason, has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite 
and is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. In politics he is a republican, believing firmly in the principles of the party, but 
he has never been a candidate for political office. Formerly he served as chairman of the 
board of relief of the borough of Winsted. He is perhaps most widely known through his 
public service. 

Mr. Jones is one of the directors at large of the Litchfield County Farm Bureau and his 
Avide experience along many lines, making him acquainted with the resources and possibilities 
of the state, has peculiarly fitted him for the important work which he is now doing to 
advance the defenses of the country through the conservation and development of its re- 
sources. His interests and activities are now largely concentrated upon the country's needs 
and he is doing everything in his power to uphold the welfare of the nation at this crisis 
in the world's history. He is a member of the Winsted Company of the Connecticut Home 
Guard and is also a member of one of the main committees of the State Council of Defense. 
He was president of the Winsted Chamber of Commerce for two years and prior to 
that time was its vice president for two years. He served for three years as vice president 
of the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, and in October, 1916, was elected to the presidency, 
being reelected to that office October 18, 1917, at which the delegates to the annual meeting 
pledged sixty-two thousand dollars to the Second Liberty Loan in addition to what they 
had already subscribed. At the present time he is keenly interested in everything that has 
to do Avithi the nation's connection with the world-wide war. During the winter of 1917 
Mr. Jones saw the necessity for increasing and conserving the food products grown in Con- 
necticut. He called a conference of forty of the state officials and leading agriculturists, 
and laid the matter before them. They were of the unanimous opinion that the matter 
sliould receive immediate attention. Acting upon their recommendation the directors of 
The Connecticut Chamber of Commerce directed Mr. Jones as President to appoint a 
committee of twelve men to whom was given the work of increasing and conserving the 
food supply of the state. Before this committee was two weeks old Governor Holcomb 
appointed the same men as the Connecticut Food Committee, making them practically state 
officials and giving them a state appropriation. Later they became a part of The Connecticut 
Council of Defense, and through their efforts thousands of home and community gardens 
throughout the state and thousands of acres of land were planted that would not have 
been had it not been for this committee. The Connecticut Food Committee was the first 
committee of its kind appointed in the United States during the war for this purpose. They 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 129 

have placed Connecticut in the front rank of those states that have formed a "real food 
line" in support of '"the fighting line." That Mr. Jones is studying deeply the questions 
which are of vital concern in the present hour is shown by a letter which was sent from his 
office to the clergj- of Connecticut, signed by him as president of The Connecticut Chamber of 
Commerce. The letter reads: 

"Expert food calculators toll us that the world is in want of food and that a crisis is 
confronting us. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, The Connecticut Chamber of 
Commerce in March appointed a committee to consider the subject of increase and conser- 
vation of food products. The work which this committee undertook was so broad and gave 
evidence of such ability that Governor Holcomb at once appointed them as 'The Connecticut 
Food Committee.' Later they became a part of The Connecticut State Council of Defense, 
which has charge of all the civilian activities connected with the war. 

"We all recognize that in the growing of vegetables and cereals for food there are two 
sets of factors. Over one, man has entire control; he must plant; he must cultivate; he 
must reap. Over the other he has absolutely no control — too much or too little sunshine, 
too much or too little rain, wind, hail or blight, all operate to increase or diminish the quality 
and the amount of the harvest. 

'Back of the loaf is the snowy flour. 
And back of the flour is the mill; 
And back of the mill is the wheat and the shower, 

And the sun and the Father's will.' 

"Our fathers believed in prayer and on all occasions of great need besought Almighty 
God both in their public and private devotions for those things which they felt were especially 
to be desired. May we not appeal to the same sourcfe of help and call upon him in this 
momentous time? 

"As president of The Connecticut Chamber of Commerce I am addressing you as 
ministers of God and leaders of the people, requesting you at your regular services on Sunday 
to implore the aid of Almighty God that we may have an abundant harvest this year, 
and also to place before your people the need and duty to so preserve and conserve the 
food products of the land that there may be enough for our allies as well as ourselves. 
Such prayer, it seems to me, should be continued each Sunday until the harvest has been 
gathered. 

"I am causing a copy of this letter to be sent to every clergyman in the state after 
consultation with the heads of several difl'erent churches and with their entire approval." 

Mr. Jones was the father of the movement inaugurated by The Connecticut Chamber of 
Commerce and The State Council of Defense resulting in the holding of a series of meetings 
in the interest of patriotism: One hundred speakers of state and national reputation being 
secured to address the meetings. These meetings were held in thirty of the largest towns 
and cities of the state. The idea has been highly commended throughout the United States, 
and in fact the example has been followed in many sections of the country. Mr. Jones 
is studying closely the situation with a view to giving to his country the best service 
possible. Back of him are several generations of ancestors who have been devoted to 
American interests. Their patriotic blood flows strongly through his veins and love of country 
seems to be the dominating force in his career at the present hour. He is putting forth 
every possible eff'ort, not counting the cost to himself, seeking to avail himself of every 
chance to further uphold the government in its policy along all the varied lines which 
will contribute to success in this great world war. 



GEORGE C. CASE, D. D. S. 



Dr. George C. Case, an active and successful dentist of Winsted, was born on a farm in 
the town of Barkhamsted, Litchfield county, Connecticut, June 11, 1876, a son of Eldridge and 
Lois A. (Rice) Case. The father Avas a farmer by occupation and followed that pursuit for 
a number of years but for the past third of a centiuy has lived in Winsted and for twenty 
years of that period held a responsible position with the New England Knitting Com- 
pany. He then retired to private life, spending his days in the enjoyment of rest which 
he has truly earned and richly deserves. He has now reached the age of seventy-seven 
years. His wife had passed away in Winsted in 1896, at the age of fifty-two years. 
In their family were two sons and a daughter: Arthur E., who is a laster by trade and 



130 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

is now in a shoe factory at Peabody, Massaclmsetts; Anna L., the wife of William R. 
Beers, of Middletown, Connecticut; and George C., of this review. 

Dr. Case has lived in Winsted from the age of eight years. He attended the public 
schools and was grfiduated from the West Winsted high school as a member of the class 
of 1893. A review of the broad field of business with its varied activities led him to the 
determination to make the practice of dentistry his life work and with that end in view 
he entered the dental department of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he was 
graduated in 1897. He has continuously engaged in practice in Winsted since that time, 
covering a period of twenty years. He completed his course in the Pennsylvania University 
before he had attained his majority, and while he has had two decades of successful prac- 
tice, he is still a comparatively young man. Throughout all the intervening period he 
has kept in close touch with the trend of modern professional thought, investigation and 
progress. He is thoroughly familiar with the most scientific jnethods of treating the teeth 
and displays notable skill in handling the delicate little instruments with which the den- 
tist performs his work. He is a member of the Connecticut State, the Northeastern and 
the National Dental iSocieties and in addition to his professional 'interests is a director 
of the Gale Electric Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. 

On the 4th of October, 1898. Dr. Case was married to Miss Sarah A, Granger, of 
Winsted, and they have become the parents of two children: Dorothy L., who was born 
August 2, 1899; and Catherine E., who was born March 11, 1912. The former is a senior 
in the Gilbert school. 

Dr. and Mrs. Case are members of the Second Congregational church and they occupy 
an enviable social position, while their own attractive home is the center of a culture<l 
society circle. Dr. Case is a Royal Arch Mason and also a member of the Council. He 
likewise belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a past noble grand, 
also a past chief patriarch of the encampment and a past district de^iuty of District No. 12. 
His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he is a stanch advocate of 
its principles, although he has never sought or desired office as a reward for party fealty. 



JUDGE ALBERT PORTER BRADSTREET. 

Judge Albert Porter Bradstreet, an attorney practicing at Waterbury, whose record also 
covers service as judge of the district court, was born at Thomaston, Connecticut, June 9, 1846, 
and was one of a family of four sons and one daughter whose parents were Thomas Jefi'erson 
and Amanda (Thomas) Bradstreet, the latter a daughter of Seth Thomas, a distingviislied 
clock maker, whose pioneer work in that field made him known throughout the world. On both 
sides Judge Bradstreet is descended from English ancestors, tracing his lineage directly back 
to (rovernor Bradstreet, one of the colonial governors of Massachusetts. Among his ancestors 
were those wlio served in the Revolutionary war and love of countrj' lias led Judge Bradstreet 
to intelligent devotion to the work of the Sons of the American Revolution. His father, 
Thomas Jefi'erson Bradstreet, was born at Topsfield, Massachusetts, April 7, 1807, and was 
graduated from Yale with the class of 1834. He then entered a theological seminary at 
New Haven, where he completed his course with the class of 1837. He next entered the 
Congregational ministiy, becoming pastor of the First Congregational church at Thomaston, 
Connecticut, where he remained for about a year, when throat trouble developed, making it 
necessary for him to give up the work of the ministry. He then turned his attention to 
farming for a while and later traveled for his father-in-law, Seth Thomas, in the interests of 
a large brass factory which the latter had established at Thomaston. The death of Mr. 
Bradstreet occurred at Thomaston, October 7, 1897, when he had readied the very advanced 
age of ninety years and six months. 

Judge Bradstreet, reared in his native city, was prepared for college under a private 
tutor and entered Yale in 1867, graduating on the completion of a four years" classical 
course with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1871. In 1873 he was graduated from the 
Columbia Law School of New York city with the LL.B. degree and returned at once to 
Thomaston for active practice, there remaining a member of the legal profession from 1873 
until 1882. While thus engaged he was called upon to represent Thomaston in the lower 
branch of the general assembly, in which he served in 1877-78. In 1881 he was chosen to 
represent the sixteenth senatorial district in the upper house, of Avhich he remained a member 
for two years, and while thus connected Avith the state legislature gave most earnest and 
Jielpful consideration to the various questions which came up for settlement. He has never 
changed his residence from Thomaston, still making his home in his native city, which is 




JUDGE ALBERT P. BRADSTREET 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 133 

only ten miles from Waterbury, where he follows liis profession. He was elected judge of 
the district court of Waterbury in 1882 and served either as judge upon the bench or as 
deputy judge continuously for fifteen years. In 1897 he retired from the bench and opened 
a law oflBce in Waterbury, where he has now engaged in practice for two decades, at the same 
time maintaining a law office in his home city. 

On the 4th of March, 1875, Judge Bradstreet was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. 
Parker, of Thomaston, who also comes of an old colonial family represented in the Revolu- 
tionarj^ war. Judge Bradstreet is a member of the Thomaston Club and he has membership 
with tlie Sons of the American Revolution and with the Congregational church. In politics 
he has always been a republican and while called upon to render legislative service, which 
he did because of a belief in the duty of every individual to give to his country such aid 
as is possible, he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, preferring to 
concentrate his energies upon his professional interests. He now belongs to the Waterburj-, 
the New Haven County and the Connecticut State Bar Associations and he enjoys in the 
fullest measure the respect and esteem of his contemporaries and colleagues in the profession 
because of his close conformity to its highest standards. 



WILLIAM HENRY DAYTON. 



William Henry Dayton, deceased, was one whose contribution to the world's work 
was most valuable. He ranked with the leading and honored residents of Torrington, 
but it was not merely his home locality that benefited by his efl'orts. He was regarded 
as one of the great inventors of New England and the worth of his work is conceded and 
recognized by all who know aught of him. He was born in the Daytonville district, now a 
part of Torrington, on the 28th of October, 1840, and his life record spanned the intervening 
years to the 6tli of jVIarch, 1916. He was a son of Arvid Dayton, who was born in Dayton- 
ville in 1814 and was a son of Jonah and Polly (Flint) Dayton. The father was a great 
lover of music and was a musician of much more than local repute. When but a boy in 
years he was responsible for organizing the first' band of Wolcottville. In 1840 Arvid 
Dayton began to build pipe organs and soon after turned his attention to reed instruments 
and for many years was engaged in business along that line. He was the invent'or of a large 
number of improvements which have been made on reed instruments in this country and 
his contribution to the world's work in that direction has been of great benefit to the art 
of music. He invented a new principle for tuning organs known as the "tuner's gamut," 
but unfortunately for him, failed t'o patent his invention and did not secure the financial 
reward which should have accrued to him as the result of his work. He was not only one of 
the earliest but also one of the most ingenious inventors in connection with reed organs 
in the entire country. The eff"ect of his labors is felt in constantly broadening circles and 
constituted a forward step in the world of music. Mr. Dayton was one of the leading 
citizens of Torrington in connection with its public interests and his death, which occurred 
in 1894, when he was eighty years of age, was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. 

His son, William Henry Dayton, was named in honor of William Henry Harrison, 
who was president of the United States at the time of his birth. He spent his youthful 
days in Daytonville, Avhere he attended school, and began his career as a workman in his 
father's organ factory. In 1886 he entered the employ of the Excelsior Needle Company, 
which had just been organized. His first position was a minor one but he rose rapidly 
through promotions to be master mechanic, in which capacity he served to the time of his 
demise. He was with the company from its inception and at the time of his death the 
business had grown to be one of the leading concerns of its kind in the world. Mr. Dayton 
was an expert in the use of tools, a thorough master of his trade and was considered 
one of the most skilled artisans in New England. He invented the Dayton swaging machine 
and much of the automatic machinery used by the Excelsior Needle Company. His 
swaging idea constituted the initial point for the development of the spoke and nipple 
business which forms an important part of the Excelsior needle business today. As a 
representative of the company he made many trips abroad to England, Germany and 
France and his ability and inventive skill and ingenuity placed him in the front rank among 
those who have upbuilded the industrial development of New England. 

In 1867 Mr. Dayton was united in marriage to Miss Clara Case, a daughter of Hosea 
T. Case, a druggist of Torrington. She passed away in September, 1876, leaving two children: 
Katherine, who became the wife of Dr. S. M. Hammond and died in 1911, leaving a 



134 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

daughter, Betty; and James, who is associated with the Wright-Martin Aeroplane Com- 
pany of New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

William H. Dayton was a member of Torrington Lodge, B. P. 0. E. He was also one 
of the organizers of the old Torrington Band and became its first leader. He always took 
the deepest interest in everything that peitained to public progress and improvement 
and in 1888 he joined the Torrington fire department, a volunteer organization, of which 
he became the first chief engineer. Year after year he was reelected to that position, 
which he filled at the time of his death. Throughout the entire period he always recom- 
mended the use of improved fire apparatus and endeavored to keep the department up to 
the highest standards. In 1888 he was elected a burgess of Torrington and served in 
that capacity until 1905, when he was elected warden to succeed George Workman, who had 
passed away. Mr. Dayton filled the position until 1912, having been a member of the 
board of warden and burgesses for twenty- four years, a record not equalled in the history 
of Torrington. ]\Iany improvements are directlj^ traceable to his efforts. He was head 
of the borough government in 1911 the year of the widespread typhoid epidemic, and he gave 
much of his time as a member of the relief committee and did valuable work for which 
lie will always be remembered. His daughter, Mrs. Katherine Hammond, was one of the 
first persons to die of the fever in that epidemic. He had a strong sense of duty in 
relation to public affairs and fully met every obligation that devolved upon him in this 
connection. He was a most useful and honored citizen of Torrington, was one of New 
England's foremost inventois and through liis eft'orts contributed to tlie world's capacity 
along business lines. 



ELI C. BAENUM. 



Eli C. Barniun. for twenty-seven years connected v.ith tlie Naugatuck Water Company 
as secretary, treasurer and general manager, in which connection he is rendering important 
public service to the borough in furnishing an adequate supplj^ of pure water obtained from 
six different reservoirs, has displayed excellent business ability in the management of this 
interest throughout the entire period of his connection therewith. Litchfield county numbers 
him as a native son, his birth having occurred in Kent township, December 14, 1844. His 
father, Beecher Barnum, was a son of Richard and Anna (Blakeman) Barnum, who were 
farming people of the town of Kent and had a family of six children, of whom Beecher, the 
eldest, was born in 1800 in Litchfield county. His mother's father and three of his brothers, 
members of the Blakeman family, served in the Revolutionary war. Beecher Barnum 
became a carpenter and millwright, although reared to manhood on his father's farm. He 
wedded Sophia Combs, a daughter of Eliud Combs, of Danbury, Connecticut, and his deatli 
occurred at Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut, in 1858. 

Eli C. Barnum was the youngest in a family of five children and his three brothers, 
Lafayette, Lewis and Marcus, all of whom were engineers, have passed away. The only 
daughter, Mary, became the wife of Levi Barnum, of Bridgeport. 

Eli C. Barnum acquired a public school education in Kent and Danbury, the family home 
being established at the latter place when he was ten years of age. A little later, however, 
they returned to Kent, and after the death of husband and fatlier in 1858, Mrs. Barnum 
removed with her children to Bridgeport. At a later period Eli C. Barnum went to Botsford 
Station, Connecticut, where for three years he engaged in clerking in the general store of 
Oliver Botsford. In 1864 he established his home in Naugatuck, where he has since 
remained. He secured a clerkship in the Andrews store and wiiile thus employed lie care- 
fully saved his earnings until his economy and industry had brought him sufficient capital to 
enable him to engage in business on his own account. In 1868 he turned his attention to 
general merchandising in connection with C. A. Hotclikiss under the firm style of Hotchkiss 
& Barnum, buying out the store of Frank Spencer & Sons. The partnership relation existed 
until 1873, when Mr. Barnum purchased the interest of Mr. Hotchkiss and remained as sole 
proprietor for twenty, years. In 1887 he erected a new business block on Church street 
and there conducted his store until 1893, when he sold out, having long been prominently 
identified with the commercial activity of Naugatuck and its consequent development. In 
the meantime he became associated wnth the Naugatuck Water Company, of which he was 
made secretary and treasurer in 1890. He has been tlie active factor in the development of 
this enterprise and the success which has attended his efforts is shown in the excellent annual 
report which he publishes each year. 

In 1868 Mr. Barnum was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Ward, a daughter of Loren 




ELI C. BARNUM 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 137 

and Emily (Hotchkiss) Ward, both representatives of old Naugatuck families. They have 
become parents of two children. Frederick W., a resident of Sheffield, is married and has 
two children, Harold and Hazel, who are twins. Earl M., residing in Naugatuck, is con- 
nected with the Waterbury Clock Company. He is married and has two daughters, Dorotliy 
and Elizabeth. 

In politics Mr. Barnum is a republican and keeps well informed on the questions and 
issues of the day but does not seek nor desire political preferment. However, his influence is 
always given on the side of progress and improvement and he stands for every measure that 
he believes will benefit the community. He has been an exemplary representative of 
Shepherds Lodge. Xo. 78, A. F. & A. M., since 1866 and he became a charter member of the 
Red Men. He attends the Congregational church, in which he has been an active and effectiA'e 
worker, and for thirty-three years he has served as church treasurer. He is a man true to liis 
honest convictions; loyal to his spoken word and faithful to every obligation that devolves 
upon him. 



CHARLES GEAVES AGARD. 



Charles Graves Agard, who for many years figured prominently in commercial circles 
in Torrington and is still a well known figure in connection with banking interests of the 
city, was born June 29, 1863, in Torrington, and is a son of Bradley R. and Sarah (Graves) 
Agard, both of whom came from good old Connecticut ancestry. The father was born 
in Litchfield. Connecticut, January 7, 1816, and was a son of Luman Agard, of Litchfield. 
In 1839, when about twenty-three years of age, he went to New York city, where he con- 
ducted a stove and tinware business at Broadway and Fulton street, remaining in the 
business there for a year. In 1840 he remoA^ed to Woicottville and established himself 
on East Main street in partnership with C. S. Church, under the firm style of Agard & 
Church. After a brief period there occurred a change in the partnership, George Church 
succeeding to the interest of C. S. Church, the firm thus standing for forty years. In 
1861 the business was removed to Water and Main streets. In addition to conducting this 
important mercantile house Mr. Agard became one of the directors of the Alvord Car- 
riage Company and was a trustee of the Torrington Savings Bank from its organization. 

In community affairs Bradley R. Agard took a most active and helpful interest. He 
was first selectman of his town from 1861 until 1871 and again from 1874 until 1881. 
His career as a public man and his interest in the welfare of Torrington deserves more than 
passing notice, for he never neglected an opportunity that enabled him to aid in promoting 
public progress or in advancing standards of citizenship. During the trying times of the 
Civil war and the subsequent period he was preeminently the leader in town affairs. When 
Torrington voted in April, 1861, to furnish arms and clothing for the volunteers, Mr. 
Agard was made chairman of the committee to make the purchases and take charge of 
the work. From thenceforward to the close of the war he devoted his time and energy 
to aiding the soldiers and their dependent families and acted as aid and counsel to many of 
these families, from whom came frequent calls for assistance. Mr. Agard was chosen to 
represent Torrington in the general assembly in 1862 and he again represented Torring- 
ton in the general assembly in 1879. He was a regular attendant at the Congregational 
churcli and generously supported its work. On the 3d of November, 1841, he wedded 
Mary A. Church, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Andrews) Church, of Southington. 
His wife died September 22, 1858, and their children were Arthur B. and Susan C, wife of 
Judge G. H. ^^'elch, of Torrington. In 1862 Mr. Agard married Sarah J. Graves, daughter 
of Judge Jediah Graves of Sherman, Connecticut, whose death occurred July 21, 1913. The 
children were Charles G. and Olive S., the deceased wife of C. W. Odell, of Philadelphia. 
She died in 1905. The death of Mr. Agard occurred January 6, 1890, and was the occa- 
sion of deep and widespread regiet. He had been a most loyal and progressive citizen, a 
leading business man, a faithful friend and a devoted husband and father. 

His son, Charles Graves Agard, acquired his education in the public schools of Tor- 
rington and in the Park Avenue Institute of Bridgeport. He embarked in business life 
with the Agard Hardware Company, which had succeeded to the firm of Agard & Church, 
formed more than a half century ago. He soon became treasurer and manager of the 
company and after the death of his father became, in 1890, sole owner of the business. 
Lender his administration the interests of the comjiany were developed along progressive 
lines and the business was very successfully prosecuted. For several years prior to dis- 
posing of his hardware store to George D. Lyford in 1916, Mr. Agard had owned it 



138 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

individually. In May, 1903, the plans for the present handsome brick structure known as 
the Agard Block were drawn and the erection of the building was completed in February, 
1904. Mr. Agard is still owner of that block and has other extensive real estate holdings 
in Torrington. He enjoys a large acquaintance in hardware circles in the New England 
states and was president of the Connecticut Hardware Association in 1895. He is the 
vice president of the Torrington National Bank and was one of the incorporators of the 
Torrington Savings Bank. His sound judgment and unfaltering enterprise have consti- 
tuted important features in business development and progress in this city. 

On the 20th of June, 1895, Mr. Agard was married to Mrs. Frank (Raymond) Lyon, of 
New York city, and they have a daughter, Marjorie G. Agard, who is prominent in social 
activities of the town. Mr. Agard has always been an ardent and enthusiastic supporter 
of the principles of the republican party and has shown a deep interest in local affairs 
and a desire to promote the welfare and upbuilding of liis native town. During two of 
its most prosperous years he was president of the Torrington Business Men's Association. 
He also served the town in the state house of representatives in 1909 and was a member 
of the committee on appropriations and the committee on contingent expenses. He proved 
a valuable factor in procuring legislation favorable to his town and to the county of 
Litchfield and was prominently instrumental in securing for Torrington its state armory. 
For many years he has been interested in military matters and as a prominent Knight 
of Pythias is on the brigade staff of the Uniformed 5,ank of that organization. Since its for- 
mation he has been the first lieutenant of the Torrington Transport Company of the Con- 
necticut Home Guard. He was one of the incorporators of the Charlotte A. Hungerford 
Hospital, is a member of the Torrington Club and of the Waterbury Country and Green- 
woods Country Clubs. He is likewise a member of the Bantam Lake Regatta Association and 
of the Morris Fish and Game Club. These associations indicate the nature and breadth 
of his interests which have compassed social activity, military affairs, important business 
connections and vital public matters. At all times he has been actuated by a spirit of 
progressivenes that has reached out along better lines for the benefit of the individual 
and of the community at large. 



THE WELTON AND GARRIGUES FAMILIES. 

The Welton and and Garrigues families of Waterbiirj- are among the oldest and best 
known families of this section of New Haven county. The founder of the Welton family 
in New England was John Welton, who came from England or Wales about 1667 and located 
with his family at Farmington, Connecticut. In 1679 he came to New Haven county, set- 
tling at Waterbury, where he spent his remaining days, his death occurring June 18, 1726. 
His wife, who before her marriage was Mary Upson, was also a native of England and 
came to America with her husband. She died in Waterbury in 1716. They were the parents 
of ten children. 

Their son, Richard Welton, was born in Waterbury, September 27, 1679, and is said 
to have been the first white male child born in the town. Here he grew to manhood and 
spent his life as a farmer, passing away in 1775. He w'edded Mary Upson, who was born 
March 5, 1683, a daughter of Stephen and Mary (Lee) Upson and a granddaughter of John 
Lee, of Farmington, Connecticut. 

Eliakim Welton, one of the nine children of Richard and Mary (Upson) Welton, was 
born January 21, 1715, in Waterbury, and became a large landowner on what is known as 
Bucks Hill. There he followed the occupation of farming throughout his entire life and at 
liis death on the 20tli of November, 1794, was laid to rest in Bucks Hill cemetery. He 
wedded Eunice Bronson, who was a daughter of Moses and Jane (Wiah) Bronson and a 
descendant of one of the first families of Waterbury. Their family numbered nine children. 

Richard Welton, of the fourth generation, was born October 10, 1743, on Bucks Hill, 
where he grew to manhood and devoted his life to general agricultural pursuits, becoming 
a landowner there. He died on his farm February 20, 1820. On the 27th of April, 1766, he 
had married Margaret Warner, who became tlie mother of two children and passed away 
October 19, 1768. For his second wife he chose Hannah Davis, who lived to the ripe old 
age of ninety-four years, her death occurring December 11, 1839, when her remains were 
interred in the Bucks Hill cemetery. She was the mother of seven children. 

Joseph Davis Welton, son of Richard and Hannah Welton, was born April 15, 1783, was 
reared on the homestead farm and was educated for the ministry, after which he was ordained 
a deacon of the Episcopal church December IS, 1802, and became priest of the church 




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WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 147 

December 33, 1810. He had charge of churches at Woodbury and Easton for a period of 
nine years but on account of impaired liealth he had to give up his holy calling and settled 
down to a quieter life. He located on the farm of his father-in-law, Victory Tomlinson, 
known as the Zara Warden farm, and there he conducted a private school, fitting young men 
for college. Upon that place he spent his remaining days, his death occurring January 16, 
1825, while he was still in the prime of young manliood. In St. John's Episcopal church in 
Waterbury there has been erected to his memory a baptismal font of carved marble, pre- 
sented to the church by Hobart V. Welton. Rev. Joseph Davis Welton was married in 
Waterbury to Eunice Tomlinson, who was born April 27, 1788, and died February 20, 1832. 

Their son, Joseph Welton, was born on the Victory Tomlinson farm May 15, 1814, and 
was one of four children. He acquired a good education and at the age of fourteen years, 
while still in school, lie made a careful survey and prepared an outline map of the Green in 
Waterbury Center which is still preserved and which furnished useful information for the 
Anderson history of Waterbury. He lived on the Wolcott road until 1836, when he removed 
to the west side of the Naugatuck river in the Bunker Hill district, where he followed 
farming and spent the residue of his days. As a business venture he and Leonard Piatt 
imported a large number of Norway spruce trees, which they planted, and some of these are 
still growing on the farm. His death occurred May 1, 1894, and his remains were interred in 
Riverside cemetery. In politics he was a stanch whig until the dissolution of the party, 
when he joined the ranks of the new republican party. He held membership in the Episcopal 
church and was well known and highly respected, his many excellent traits of character 
gaining him the warm regard of all. On the 20th of January, 1836, he wedded Mary S. 
Pierpont, a daughter of Seabury Pierpont, a representative of one of the best known 
families of Connecticut. They became parents of three children. Homer Heber married 
Ellen Jennette Garrigues and had three children: Julia A., who became the wife of Walter 
Warner; Joseph Dennison; and Edith J. The second of the family was Eunice C, and the 
younger daughter, Lucy A., born November 14, 1841, is now the wife of A. B. Pierpont. 

Eunice C. Welton was born in Waterbury, October 7, 1839, and became the wife of 
Orrin Scott. Following his death she married Lewis Garrigues. The Garrigues family from 
whom he was descended was of French extraction. The founder of the family in America 
was David Garrigues. who came to this country as an exile from France during a period of 
religious persecution there. He settled in Philadelphia and died leaving a large family, most 
of whom had adopted the religion of the Society of Friends. His son, Jacob Garrigues, was 
born in Philadelphia and became a resident of Hanover township, Morris county. New Jersey, 
Avhere he owned land and followed farming, devoting his remaining days to agricultural 
pursuits there. He had a family of nine children and four of his sons participated in the 
war of the Revolution. 

John Garrigues, son of Jacob Garrigues, was born on the old homestead in Hanover town- 
ship, Morris county. New Jersey, and made farming iiis life work. He married Elizabeth 
Shipman and they were the parents of six children, including Isaac Garrigues, who was 
born in Hanover township in 1798. There he grew to manhood and became a smelter and 
charcoal burner. He continued to make his home in Morris county until his death, which 
occurred in August, 1865. He was a member of the Presbyterian church and in politics was 
originally a Avhig and afterward a republican. In 1822 he married Sarah Sheppard, a daughter 
of John Sheppard, and they had a family of fourteen children : Mary Ann, who became the 
wife of George Griswold; David, who married Arminda L. Birch; Euphemia K., the wife of 
John Mesler; Isaac Newton, who married Caroline M. Twiss and is now deceased; Harriet, who 
died in childhood; Phebe, the wife of John Totton; Lewis; Cyrus, who married Hannah M. 
Douglass; Jacob Henry; Elizabeth Sarah, who became the wife of Jacob Van Slike; Charlotte, 
the wife of James Johnson: Horace, who married Maria Dailej^; Ellen Jennette, the wife of 
Homer H. Welton : and Aaron. The mother of these children passed away in 1883 at the home 
of her son, Jacob Henry, in Wolcott. 

Lewis Garrigues, son of Isaac Garrigues, was born in Hanover township, Morris county, 
New Jersey, in 1834 and was there reared to the age of sixteen years, after which he came 
to Connecticut, settling in the vicinity of Waterbury, where he learned the wood finishing 
business. In course of time he became engaged in fine wood working and finishing and for 
a period conducted business at Waterville as manufacturer of and dealer in fine wood mold- 
ings and kindred lines. He remained in that field of business sucessfully for many years, 
maintaining his home in Waterbury, where lie passed away December 22, 1907, his remains 
being laid to rest in Riverside cemetery. His political allegiance was given the republican 
party and he attended the Congregational church. He was married in Waterbury to Miss 
Julia Elizabeth Parsons, who died leaving two children : Alice B.. who was a successful 
school teacher in Wolcott, Thomaston and Bridgeport, is now a religious missionary of the 

Vol. Ill— 6 



148 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Pentecostal Society and is stationed at St. Johns, Newfoundland; and Albeit Parsons, a 
retired railroad man. For his second wife Mr. Garrigues married Eunice C. Welton, a 
daughter of Joseph Welton. She resides on Circuit avenue in Waterbury. She takes a 
deep interest in the growth and progress of the city as well as being much devoted to her 
family. Three children were born of that marriage. Mary L. became the wife of John 
Morrow and has two children: Helen, who died in infancy; and Richard Joseph, born April 
27, 1906. Gertrude, the second daughter, is the wife of Edward Croft and they had three 
children: Edward Welton, who died in infancy; Harry Packard; and Robert Wallace. 
Frederick Lewis, the youngest of the family, married Sarah Wilber Hayward and has one 
child, Eunice Welton. 



AUSTIN B. PIERPONT. 



Important property and business interests both in Connecticut and in Florida claim the 
attention of Austin B. Pierpont, a representative of one of the old and well known families 
of this section of the state, living at East Farms near Waterbury. He was born February 
11, 1849, on the farm which was also the birthplace of his father, Charles J. Pierpont, who 
wedded Mary Ann Warner. It was in colonial days that the family Avas established in 
Connecticut and Ezra Pierpont, the great-grandfather of Austin B. Pierpont, was a soldier 
in the war for independence. He was a public-spirited citizen, cooperating heartily in move- 
ments for the general good, and he served for a long period as selectman and in other local 
offices. He reared a large family, all of his sons operating farms in the town of Waterbury, 
while two of the number, Luther and Austin, loyally defended their country in the War of 
1812. The latter became a prosperous farmer and the owner of the property whereon occurred 
the birth of his son Charles and of his grandson, Austin B. Pierpont. He married Sally 
Beecher, of Waterbury, and they became the parents of seven children who reached adult 
age: Enos A., who became a farmer and butcher of Waterbury, where his death occurred; 
Ezra A., who followed farming and also engaged in the sale of oysters in the town of Water- 
bury; Minerva, who became the wife of Amos Moss, a farmer and carpenter of Cheshire; 
Jennette, the wife of Amos J. Beers, a wholesale fruit dealer of New Haven; William S., a 
carpenter of Waterbury ; and Ellen, the wife of Lorenzo Peck, a merchant of New Haven. 

Charles J. Pierpont gave his attention to farming and to the butchering business in 
Waterbury, where he spent his entire life. He married Mary A. Warner, a daughter of Jared 
Warner, a farmer of the town of Waterbury and a soldier of the War of 1812. Her grand- 
father was Justus Warner, a representative of one of the old colonial families. Following 
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Pierpont took up their abode on the old homestead, 
where they reared their family of six children: Charles J.; Austin B.; Ellen C, who became 
the wife of George W. Conner; Wilson L.; Merritt E.; and Mary A., wlio married Charles S. 
Miller. The family adhered to the faith of the Episcopal church and the father gave his 
political allegiance to the democratic party. 

The usual experiences of the farm bred boy fell to the lot of Austin B. Pierpont, who in 
his early youth attended the district schools and afterward taught school for one season. 
Subsequently he spent one term as a student in the Waterbury high school and later began 
working in his uncle's meat market at Waterbury. He was for forty-one years associated 
with the meat trade. Upon the death of his uncle Austin B. Pierpont purchased the business 
and sold not only to the citizens of Waterbury but also maintained an put of town delivery, 
continuing actively in the business for more than four decades. He afterward purchased the 
farm adjoining the one which he now occupies and which was purchased by his wife. His 
son is conducting these farms and marketing the produce from both places, making a 
specialty of the dairy business. In addition to their two farm properties in the town of 
Waterbury, Mr. and Mrs. Pierpont own considerable land in Florida, where they spend the 
winter months. They now have eight cottages there and also have several orange groves, 
their property interests in the north and south claiming tlio major part of the time and 
attention of Mr. and Mrs. Pierpont. 

Mr. Pierpont has been married twice. He first wedded Emeline E. Todd, of Southington, 
a daughter of Seth and Lucinda Barnes and the widow of William E. Todd. On the 16th of 
April, 1874, he married Miss Lucy Adeline Welton, who is mentioned in connection with the 
history of the Welton family given above. To them have been born three cliildren: Arthur 
J., who was born December 3, 1876, and died as the result of an accident when thirty-six 
years of age; Herbert Austin, who died in 1883, when five months old; and Morton Elbert, 




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WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 151 

who was born March 19, 1884, and is now occuijying the farm adjoining- his father's phice. 
There are also five living grandchildi'en. 

Mr. and IMrs. Pierpont are members of Trinity Episcopal church, which they assisted in 
organizing, making generous contribution toward the erection of the house of worship. In 
his political views Mr. Pierpont is a republican and lias twice represented New Haven 
county on the state board of agriculture. He has taken a deep and helpful interest iu 
all matters pertaining to public progress and improvement. He was master of Mad River 
Grange, has been vice president of the Wolcott Agricultural Society, president of the East 
Farms Cemetery Association and a trustee of the Mill Plain Chapel Society. He also has 
membership in Nosahogan Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., of Waterbury, and he has filled nearly all the 
offices in Ansantawae Encampment. His aid and influence are always given on the side 
of progress and improvement and his efforts along various lines have been far-reaching and 
beneficial. He is a business man of ability and, moreover, is a man of jjublic spirit Avhose 
cooperation can always be counted upon to aid in advancing the general welfare. 



ALEXANDER S. LYALL. 



Alexander S. Lyall, as a representative of commercial interests in Waterbury, needs no 
introduction to the readers of this volume, for through fifteen years he has been superintendent 
of the Reid & Hughes interests in Waterbury and for almost a third of a century has been 
connected with the firm. His present position includes not only the superintendency of 
the business but also the duties of vice president. 

Mr. Lyall is a native of Scotland, his birth having occurred in that country on 
the 9th of December, 1865. He was a youth of nineteen years when in 1884 he came to 
the United States after acquiring a public school education in Scotland and there learn- 
ing the dry goods business. For a year he resided in Providence, Rhode Island, and in 
1885 went to Norwich, Connecticut, where he was associated with the firm of Reid & 
Hughes until 1890, when he came to Waterbury with the same firm, wiiich appointed him 
to the position of superintendent fifteen years ago. In 1901 he was elected secretary 
and in 1915, following the death of G. F. Hughes, w-as chosen vice president. Actively 
managing the business for a decade and a half, his efforts have been an effective force 
in its upbuilding and the extension of its trade relations. He has ever recognized the 
fact that satisfied patrons are the best advertisement and has put forth every possible 
effort to please those who have given the store their patronage. 

In 1888 Mr. Lyall was married to Miss Louise L. Nichols, of Norwicli, Connecticut, and 
they now have a son, Harold M., who attended the Worcester Technical Institute and is 
now engaged in the automobile business in New York. Mr. Lyall votes independently, con- 
sidering the capabilities of a candidate rather than his party affiliation. He belongs to 
the Rotary Club, is an Elk and has membership in the First Congregational church. He has 
never regretted taking the step that brought him to the new world, for he here founa 
the opportunities which he sought and in tlieir utilization has advanced to a creditable 
place in commercial circles. 



PATRICIv J. DARCEY. 



No history of Winsted would be complete without extended reference to Patrick J. 
Darcey, who has been for many years active in control of public affairs, and over the record 
of whose official career there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. He has been 
actuated by an unfaltering devotion to the general good, and with a clear understanding 
of the needs and the possibilities of the city he has labored untiringly to advance its 
welfare and promote its progress along all lines that are of benefit to the community at 
large. He is now filling the office of first selectman and was previously warden of Win- 
sted. In business circles he is well known as proprietor of a large blacksmithing estab- 
lishment. 

Mr. Darcey was born in Winsted, May 15, 1866, and is the only son of the late John 
Darcey, who passed away in 1906. The father Avas born in County Tipperary, Ireland, 
and came to the United States in 1859. He was married in Lee, Massachusetts, in 1861 
to Miss Mary Shea, who still survives and resides in Winsted. It was in 1865 that the 
parents came to Winsted and the father, who was a blacksmith by trade, here established 



152 WATERBURY AND THE XAUGATUCK VALLEY 

a smithy. He was an expert workman in his line, having served his apprenticeship in 
Ireland. He founded the present blacksmith and general repair shop now conducted by 
his son, in 1868, and the shop, which is located at No. 455 Main street, has been co"n- 
tinuously in operation for almost a half century. This is one of the best known shops of 
the kind in the Naugatuck valley and the business has reached such proportions that 
it has long been a most prosperous and profitable institution. The business was carried 
on by father and son under the firm style of J. Darcey & Son for fifteen years prior to 
the father's death and since that time has been conducted by P. J. Darcey, who, however, 
still retains the old firm style. He was thoroughly trained to the business under the direc- 
tion of his father, developed marked skill in that field and thus his training has enabled 
him to wisely direct the efl'orts of his many employes. 

Mr. Darcey has figured very prominently in political circles as one of the leaders of 
the democratic party in Winsted and has been almost continuously in public oftice for 
the past ten years. He is now first selectman of Winsted, which under the present form 
of city government corresponds to the office of mayor. Under the former system of govern- 
ment he held the office of warden for four years and has tluis been most active in direct- 
ing the municipal policy. He has given to the city a businesslike administration, char- 
acterized by reform and progress, and he has been particularly successful in winning the 
cooperation of other city oflficials and gaining the approval of the citizens at large. 

On the 5th of March, 1890, Mr. Darcey was united in marriage to Miss Mary Gleeson, 
of Winsted, and they have become the parents of five children, three sons and two daugh- 
ters, namely: Mary, Katherine, John, James and Joseph. The eldest son, John, is now 
twenty-three years of age and is an expert blacksmith and is a petty officer with the United 
States Naval Reserve, where his services are used as a boss blacksmith. He is stationed 
at present in Newport, Rhode Island. Katherine, the second daughter, is now the wife of 
Mills T. Carter, of Winsted. James, the second son, is private secretary to the general 
manager of the Singer Sewing Machine Company at Bridgeport, thus holding a very re- 
sponsible position. 

Mr. Darcey and his family are members of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church and 
he is identified with the Knights of Columbus. He also holds membership with the 
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and is prominent among the Eagles of Winsted. 
being secretary of the local aerie, which position he has held since its organization in 1908. 
He is also the treasurer of the St. Francis Total Abstinence & Benevolence Society and has 
occupied that position since 1893. This indicates his stand upon the temperance question 
and at all times he advocates and cooperates with those plans and forces which are looking 
to the uplift of the individual and the betterment of the community at large. In a word 
he is a most progressive citizen and his official record has been faultless in honor, fearless 
in conduct and stainless in reputation. 



HENRY A. WELTON. 



Henry A. Welton is well known in the commercial circles of Thomaston as proprietor 
of one of its leading hardware stores. He was born in Bristol, Connecticut, May 27, 
1848, a son of Carlos and Maria (Peck) Welton. The father was a native of Burlington. 
Connecticut, while the mother was born in P'armington, this state. The father was a black- 
smith by trade and about 1850 removed to Waterbury, where he conducted a blacksmithing 
business as a member of the firm of Call & Welton. He later removed to Thomaston 
about 1860 and entered the employ of the Plume & Atwood Company, with which he 
continued until a few years prior to his death, thus taking active part in the industrial 
development of the town. 

Henry A. Welton, after acquiring a public school education, made his initial step in 
the business world. Following his mother's death, which occurred when he was a young 
child, he lived with his maternal grandfather in Farmington, Connecticut. There he 
attended the public schools and when twenty-one years of age he came to Thomaston, 
wliere he entered the employ of Elmer Olcott, with whom he continued for six months. 
He was afterward with the firm of Burr &. Stoughton for seven years and then embarked 
in business on his own account, feeling that his experience well justified the step. More- 
over, he had carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had brought him 
the necessary capital. He turned his attention to the grocery trade, buying out the store 
of G. P. Bennett and thus becoming a member of the firm of Potter «fc Welton. Two years 
later Henry F. Bradford purchased the interest of Mr. Potter and three years afterward 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 153 

Mr. Welton bought out the interest of his partner and conducted the business alone until 
1905 and then entered the hardware business, in which he still continues. He has the 
oldest store in the city and has been in business here for a longer period than any other 
merchant of Thomaston. He handles a large line of hardware and in catering to the 
public foUoAvs progressive business methods, Avhile reasonable prices and honorable dealings 
feature as factors in his growing success. He is also a director of the Thomaston Savings 
Bank. 

In 1875 Mr. Welton was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Waterman, of Farmington, 
who passed away in 1911. The children of that marriage were: Charles, who died at the 
age of seventeen years; Warren W., who is connected with his father in business and is 
married and has one son; Alice, the wife of B. P. Nace, of Thomaston, by whom she has 
two children; and Robert P., who is Avith his father in business. He, too, is married and 
has one son. 

Mr. Welton is a member of Union Lodge, No. 96, F. & A. M. He belongs to the Congre- 
gational church and in these associations are found the rules which govern his conduct and 
shape his relations with his fellowmen, for he exemplifies in his life the teachings of both 
fraternity and church. In politics he is an independent republican, usually voting with the 
party yet not hesitating to cast an independent ballot if his judgment so dictates. He 
has made for himself a creditable place in business circles and in the regard of his fellow- 
men, who recognize in him a citizen of sterling worth and a business man of thorough 
reliability. 



EDWARD MANCHESTER. 



Edwai'd Manchester, for more than a half century a prominent farmer and dairyman 
of Winsted, was born at Tolland, Massachusetts, .January .30, 1831, a son of Shadrack and 
Clarissa Anna (Coe) Manchester. He was descended from old Puritan stock. His immi- 
gi-ant ancestor, Thomas Manchester, was born in England, whence he emigrated to America, 
becoming a resident of New Haven in 1639, the year following the planting of the colony. 
He afterward removed to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, where his name is frequently men- 
tioned in the land records. John Manchester, grandfather of Edward Manchester, served 
for fourteen months in the Revolutionary war, joining the army as a private from Tiver- 
ton, Rhode Island; in 1777. In .June, 1778, he enlisted and served for nine months in 
the artillery under command of Captain Ebenezer Adams. He afterward did duty for a 
montli in Captain Ebenezer Slocum's Company, guarding the shores, and was for three 
months at Howland's ferry, in Tiverton, where he was also on guard duty. He married 
Phebe Stedman, of Newport. Rhode Island, who became a noted religious worker, and 
soon after their marriage they moved to Tolland, Massachusetts, where Mr. Manchester 
cleared a farm of twenty acres and also worked at the cooper's trade, which he had 
learned in early life. They reared a large family and reached an old age, being laid 
to rest in the cemetery adjoining the Methodist church at Colebrook River, Connecticut. 
Shadrack Manchester, their sixth child, took up the occupation of farming and also 
assisted in promoting religious work in his community. He was active in the building 
of the Metiiodist church at Colebrook River and his wife, who bore the maiden name of 
Clarissa Anna Coe, aided in organizing the Sunday school there. She was a descendant 
of Robert Coe, who was born at Thorpe-Morieux, in Suffolk county, England, in 1596, and 
who was descended from John Coo, 1340, the founder of the Hawkwood Chantries in 1412. 
Her grandfather. Ensign Jonathan Coe, was a Revolutionary soldier and the father. Rev. 
Daniel Coe, was a noted Methodist clergyman who established a number of Methodist 
churches. Through his mother Edward Manchester was descended from John and Pris- 
cilla Alden, who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower, the line being traced down through 
Betty Alden Peabody. Lydia Peabody Grenel, George Grenel. Phebe Grenel Spencer, Phebe 
Spencer Sweet, Anna SAveet Coe to Clarissa Coe Manchester. 

EdAvard Manchester Avas educated in the schools of his native toAvn and continued liis 
education in Hartland and Winsted, Connecticut. One of his teachers in the latter toAvn 
Avas Miles Grant, Avho afterAvard became perhaps the most noted clergyman of the Second 
Adventist denomination. Mr. Manchester also attended St. James' school, a private in- 
stitution, founded and taught by his uncle. Rev. Jonathan Coe. In 1857 he entered into 
partnership Avith his brother, Elbert ]Manchester, in Winsted, conducting a meat and 
provision business, but subsequently his brother enlisted for service in the Civil Avar as a 
member of Company F, TAventy-eighth Volunteer Infantry. In the meantime, on the 



154 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

22d of May, 1859, Edward Manchester purchased of his aunt, Mrs. Nelson D. Coe, the home- 
stead and farm on Spencer street which has been in the possession of the family for over 
a century and a quarter. He acquired more land from time to time until his farm con- 
tained nearly one thousand acres. New buildings were erected, including a creamery, 
which was the first in that region, and at one time he had over one hundred head of cows 
for dairy purposes. In the early '90s George E. and Harry G. Manchester entered into 
partnership with their father and t)ie business Avas gradually increased, a large wholesale 
and retail trade being developed, together with the manufacture of ice cream and the 
sale of grain, feed, fertilizer and potatoes. Mr. Manchester became one of the most 
prominent and successful farmers and dairy men of the county. He was one of the 
promoters of the Connecticut Dairymen's Association and was very active in advancing 
agricultural interests in the state for more than a half century. He was actuated by a 
spirit of progress in all that he accomplished and his methods constituted an example that 
many others followed, for his efforts were jJroductive of exqellent results. 

On the 16th of March, 1859, Mr. Manchester was united in marriage to Mary Jennie 
Grant, of the south end district of Norfolk, Connecticut. She was born July 1, 1839, a 
daughter of Harry M. and Sarah Ann (Richards) Grant and a descendant of Matthew and 
Priscilla Grant, who were among the first settlers of Windsor, Connecticut. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Manchester were born the folloAving children. Wilbur Grant, born July 29, 1860, 
is mentioned elsewhere in this work. George Elbert, born July 13, 1862, is also mentioned 
elsewhere in this work. Harry Grant, born January 21, 1868, won the Bachelor of Agri- 
culture degree in the Connecticut Agricultural College from which he was .graduated with 
the class of 1891. He became a member of the firm of E. Manchester & Sons and he is the 
vice president and one of the directors of the Connecticut Agricultural College. He was 
married August 1, 1894, to Hattie E. Drake, and they have a daughter, Helen Mary, who 
was born August 23, 1899, and is now a senior in the Gilbert school. Irving Edward is 
also mentioned elsewhere in this work. Randall Coe, born October 7, 1876, died August 
28, 1877. 

The death of Mr. Manchester occurred November 22, 1911. He was revered and beloved 
by his fellow townsmen in an unusual degree, for he possessed in large measure those 
qualities which in every land and clime awaken confidence and respect. His political alle- 
giance was early given to the republican party but in 1884 he became a supporter of 
Governor John P. St. John, the prohibition candidate for the presidency, and thereafter re- 
mained a consistent and loyal adherent of the prohibition party. He was its nominee for 
congress in the fourth congressional district in 1886 and the nominee for governor of the 
state on the party ticket in 1896. He was a faithful member of the Winsted Methodist 
Episcopal church, was a large contributor to the new church fund and was a member of 
the official board of his church for more than a half century, while during a large part 
of the time he was also one of the trustees and a teacher in the Sunday school. The extent 
of his activities made him widely' known and the course which he pursued gained for 
him the esteem and honor of all with whom he was associated. 



MORTIMER J. HEFFERNAN. 

Mortimer J. Heft'ernan is now living retired in Waterbury but for a long period wate 
actively connected with commercial jjursuits. He was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1838, a 
son of James and Catherine (O'Neil) Heffernan. The mother died in Ireland, after which the 
father came to the new world. It was in 1851 that Mortimer J. Heft'ernan crossed the 
Atlantic to the United States and took up his abode on a farm near Torrington, Connecticut, 
where he remained for a decade. He then came to Waterbury. wliere he has since made 
his home. His education was acquired in Torrington and he started out in the business 
world as a clerk in the grocery store of John Hart, of Waterbury, with whom he remained 
until the latter's death in 1865. Later Mr. Heft'ernan married tlie widow of Mr. Hart, Mrs. 
Bridget (Ryan) Hart, the wedding ceremony being performed in 1870. After the death of Mr. 
Hart he continued the business, of which he became proprietor, and remained active in that 
field of labor until 1905, when he retired. He conducted a substantial business as a dealer 
in feed, grain and groceries, etc.. and enjoyed a liberal ])atronage wliich brought 
to him the comfortable competence that now enables him to rest from further labor. Mrs. 
Heffernan passed away in 1907 and was laid to rest in St. Joseph's cemetery. By her first 
marriage she had the following children: Daniel, who is treasurer of the Manville Machine 
Company; Catherine, who is now the wife of Martin H. Brennan. of Waterbury; and Eliza- 




IMORTIMER J. HEFFERNAN 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 157 

beth, who is principal of the Welton school of Waterbuiy. The children of the second mar- 
riage are: Very Rev. J. R. Heffernan, 0. P., of St. Vincent's church of New York city; 
Loretta Agnes, who is the wife of James J. Murphy, of Terryville, Connecticut; and Mary T., 
who passed away November 4, 1916. 

When national questions are up for consideration Mr. Heffernan casts his ballot with 
the democratic party but at local elections, where no general issue is involved, he votes 
independently. He lias served in no public offices, preferring that his devotion to the 
general welfare shall be manifest in other ways. His influence, however, is always on the 
side of progress and improvement. He belongs to the Catholic church, is a member of the 
Holy Name Society and a trustee of St. Margaret's School. He is also connected with the 
Knights of Columbus and with the Foresters. Mr. Heffernan is now in the seventy-ninth 
year of his age. He has been a resident of New Haven county for more than half a century 
and while living a somewhat quiet life, devoted almost entirely to business, his sterling 
worth has gained for him the confidence and goodwill of those with whom he has been 
associated. 



RALPH W. ALLEN. 



Ralph W. Allen, of Winsted, is conducting business under the firm name of H. Allen & 
Son, dealers in coal and wood, at the corner of Willow and Rowley streets. He has been 
sole proprietor of the business since 1905 and in the intervening years has developed it 
into one of the profitable undertakings of this character in Winsted. A native of Maine, 
he was born November 4, 1882, and was brought to Winsted by his parents, Henry and 
Elizabeth (McAlpine) Allen, when he was but a year and a half old. His father was 
also a native of the Pine Tree state and established the coal and wood business now 
conducted by the son in 1893. He retired from active connection with the enterprise in 
1905 and spent his remaining days in the enjoyment of well earned rest, passing away 
in 1913. His widow was born in Scotland and yet makes her home in Winsted. Two 
of her brothers, James and John McAlpine, were formerly proprietors of a clothing store 
at No. 410 Main street in Winsted for many years. 

No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of life for Ralph W. Allen 
in the days of his boyhood and youth. Eleven years after his father had established the 
coal and wood business he was admitted to a partnersliip, becoming interested in April, 
1904. under the firm style of H. Allen & Son. In the fall of the following year he pur- 
chased his father's interest in the business and has since been sole proprietor, although the 
old firm name has been continuously retained. 

On the 14th of November, 1906, Mr. Allen was united in marriage to Miss Belle M. 
Arthur, a native of Maryland, by whom he has a daughter, Gladys Elizabeth, whose birth 
occurred on the 4th of April, 1908. 

Mr. Allen gives his political allegiance to the republican party and fraternally he is 
connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, guiding his life according to the teachings and purposes of those organizations. 
He has practically always been a resident of Winsted and that his life has been well 
spent is indicated in the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have been 
his companions from his boyhood days. 



HOMER G. FILLEY. 



Homer G. Filley, for thirty-eight years connected with the business interests of Water- 
bury, is president and treasurer of the Filley & Crane Company, conducting a furniture and 
undertaking business, being proprietor of an establishment which has had a continuous 
existence of sixty-eight years, the building occupied having been erected in 1S51. Mr. 
Filley is a native of New Haven, born in 1860, and is a son of ]\Iyron W. and Cleora 
(Gilbert) Filley. The father, who was a photographer, has passed away, but the mother 
is living. The Filley family was early established at Litchfield, while the Gilberts are 
also an old colonial family of Connecticut. 

After acquiring a high school education in New Haven, Homer G. Filley came to 
Waterbury in 1879. when a youth of nineteen years, and started upon his commercial 
career as an employe in the dry goods house of E. T. Turner & Company. In 1887 he 



158 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

became connected with J. M. Burrall & Company and soon purchased an interest in the 
business, which had been established in 1849 by J, M. Burrall and George Root under the 
firm style of Burrall & Root. In 1851 Mr. Burrall erected a building at No. 60 Bank 
street, where the furniture and undertaking business has since been carried on, for a 
time by the firm of Burrall & Root, by J. M. Burrall & Son and by J. M. Burrall & Com- 
pany. Mr. Filley more and more largely assumed the responsibility of active manage- 
ment as the years passed and in 1908 purchased the Burrall interests in the business. He 
then reorganized the business under the name of the Filley & Crane Company, which was 
incorporated October 8, 1908, with Mr. Filley as president and treasurer and Stephen T. 
Crane as secretary. The building is twenty-three by one hundred feet, three stories and 
basement, and when erected was the last building out on Bank street. The company now 
occupies an L in addition to the original building and carries a full and complete line of 
furniture and undertaking supplies. They also occupy another three story building 
across the alley which was erected in the '80s. This is today one of the oldest of the 
retail business interests of Connecticut and is the oldest in Waterbury carried on con- 
tinuously in the same building. They enjoy a liberal patronage, employing fifteen people, 
and the business methods of the house from the beginning have been such as would bear 
the closest investigation and scrutiny. 

In 1887 Mr. Filley was united in marriage to Miss Minnie E. Ford, of Torrington. 
They are members of All Souls Episcopal church and Mr. Filley also has membership 
relations with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while his political allegiance is given 
to the republican party. He is a substantial citizen whose life has been on*^, of continuous 
activity, in which has been accorded due recognition of labor. His interests are thor- 
oughly identified with those of Waterbury and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and 
cooperation to any movement calculated to benefit this section of the country or advance 
its wonderful development. 



HON. THOMAS DUDLEY BRADSTREET. 

With many of the forces which led to the material upbuilding, the political, social and 
moral progress of Thomaston, Hon. Thomas Dudley Bradstreet was closely associated and 
he had made for himself such a prominent place in the life of the community that the news 
of his death carried with it a sense of personal bereavement into many homes. He was 
born in Thomaston on the 1st of August, 1841, a son of the Rev. Thomas Jeff"erson Brad- 
street, who was born at Topsfield, Massachusetts, April 7, 1807, and was a son of Captain 
Dudley and Polly (Porter) Bradstreet. 

The Rev. Thomas J. Bradstreet was a graduate of Yale College of tlie class of 1834 and 
was ordained to the ministry of the Congregational church, after which he engaged in 
preaching for a period of eight years. On account of throat trouble he then had to resign 
his charge and he turned his attention to business life, becoming superintendent of the cotton 
mill of his father-in-law, Seth Thomas. Later he was made commercial agent of the Seth 
Thomas Company and so continued until his health again failed and he was forced to 
retire from commercial pursuits. He turned to outdoor life, hoping to be benefited thereby; 
and followed farming throughout his remaining days, becoming one of the well known 
agriculturists and leading citizens of Thomaston. In community afi"airs he took a deep 
and helpful interest, serving the town as selectman and as a member of the board of educa- 
tion for thirty-seven years. He was also chosen to represent his district in the state legis- 
lature, where he gave thoughtful consideration to the many vital questions which came 
up for settlement. He w^as also closely connected with the moral progress of the community 
and for a long period served as Sunday school superintendent. When death called him, he 
was laid to rest in the Thomaston cemetery, his memory being enshrined in the hearts of 
many who knew him because of his sterling qualities. He had married Amanda Thomas, a 
daughter of Seth Thomas, the founder and promoter of the Seth Thomas Clock Company of 
Thomaston. She was a woman of noble Christian character, a devoted wife and mother and 
a faithful friend, and when called to the home Iteyond her remains were also interred in the 
Thomaston cemetery. The four sons of the family were Thomas Dudley, Albert Porter, 
George Parker and Edward Thomas, the last named a physician residing in Meriden. 

Thomas Dudley Bradstreet acquired a public school education in Thomaston and later 
entered the Hudson River Institute at Claverack, New York. In his early boyhood he 
worked on his father's farm and at the time of the Civil Avar, being then about twenty-one 
years of age, he responded to the country's call for troops and joined the Union army. 





Ty^Js/y2:£A 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 161 

enlisting as a member of Company D, Nineteenth Regiment of Connecticut Volunteer Infantrj', 
with which he served as sergeant from August, 1862, until March, 1863, when he was honor- 
ably discharged on account of disability that rendered him unfit for further field service. 

Mr. Bradstreet was connected with the Seth Thomas Clock Company, founded by his 
grandfather, Seth Thomas, from 1873. He learned the different branches of the business 
and eventually became secretary of the corporation, which office he filled for a number of 
years and was then elected vice president and general manager in 1896, acting in the dual 
capacity continuously until 1914 or a short time before his death. During his connection 
with the business he won the high regard of his employes and the goodwill of the corporation. 
His diligence, determination, business ability and executive force were elements in the growth 
of the business and thus he furthered one of the most important productive industries of the 
valley. 

Mr. Bradstreet was married in Waterbury. Connecticut, on the 23d of March, 1864, to 
Miss Sarah Maria Perry, who is a native of Waterbury and a daughter of .Julius and 
Miranda (Carter) Perry, of Cornwall, Connecticut, the father a representative of the same 
family as the noted naval commodore and hero, Oliver Hazard Perry. Mr. and Mrs. Brad- 
street became parents of two children but the younger, a son. Perry Thomas, died at the age 
of two years. The daughter, Annie D., is now the wife of George A. Lemmon, a well known 
druggist of Thomaston. 

Mr. Bradstreet ever took a deep and helpful interest in public affairs and was widely 
known throughout Connecticut as a stanch republican who gave stalwart support to the 
principles of the party and did everything in his power to secure their adoption. In 1886 
he was elected to represent Thomaston in the state legislature and while a member of the 
general assembly served on the committee on cities and boroughs. In 1903 he was elected 
a member of the state senate, in which he was made chairman of the committee on cities and 
boroughs, and he also served as chairman on the labor committee and on executive nomi- 
nations. In 1905 he was reelected to the state senate and was made a member of its 
committee on railroads. In 1906 he was nominated by his party as its candidate for state 
comptroller, was elected to the office for a two years' term and was reelected in 1908 and 
again in 1910, filling the position for a period of six years with the utmost ability, honor 
and dignity. Mrs. Bradstreet has in her home the desk and chair which was used by her 
husband during his term of office and which she treasures highly. 

Mr. Bradstreet was a member of Thomaston Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and also took the 
degrees of the council and chapter and became a Knight Templar in the commandery at 
Waterbury and a thirty-second degree Mason in the consistory of Bridgeport. He also 
was a member of the Mystic Shrine. He belonged to the Hartford Club, to the Hartford 
Republican Club, tlie Thomaston Club, the Army and Navy Club of Connecticut, Russell 
Post, G. A. R., of Thomaston, the Seaside Outing Club of Bridgeport, the New England 
Society of New York and the Sons of the American Revolution, of which he was one of 
the board of managers. In 1912, when Dr. George H. Knight, who was a candidate for 
congress, passed away during the progress of the campaign, Mr. Bradstreet was nominated 
to fill the vacancy, and although he made a good run failed of election. He was at one 
time chief of the Thomaston volunteer fire department, thus serving from 1882 until 1897. 
He filled the office of president of the Thomaston Water Company and he was one of the 
organizers of the National Bank of Thomaston, of which he served as a director. There 
were few interests which had to do with public welfare with which he was not connected. 
During his service as comptroller he was made a member of the commission appointed to 
draft the public utilities bill. He was also a member of the committee for the erection of 
a memorial to Senators Hawley and Piatt and was a member of the Gettysburg celebration 
commission. His high position in public regard was the direct outcome of a life purposeful, 
useful and honorable. To know Thomas D. Bradstreet was to recognize his many good quali- 
ties. His face bore the impress of a high and honorable character. He had just celebrated 
his seventy- fourth birthday when on the 15th of August, 1915, he passed away and was laid 
to rest in Hillside cemetery. As the day with its morning of promise, its noontide of activity, 
its evening of accomplished and successful effort, ending in the grateful rest and quiet of the 
night, so was the life of Hon. Thomas Dudley Bradstreet. 

On the death of Mr. Bradstreet the Seth Thomas Clock Company passed the following 
resolutions : 

Thomas Dudley Bradstreet after many years filled with service to his country, liis 
state and his community, has departed this life. Loved and honored by his fellows in public 
and private station, he will long be held in affectionate remembrance. 

His death removes from the board of directors of the Seth Thomas Clock Company the 
last connecting link between the present generation and that of his grandfather, the founder 



162 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

of the business. For half a century he served this company in various capacities as director, 
vice president and chairman. 

By the organization in general he will be chiefly remembered as the head of the case 
shop, to which he devoted so many years of his life and which bears the impress of his 
personality and administration. By his survivors of the board of directors he will be remem- 
bered as their good friend and wise advisor, sympathizing with them in their labors and in 
their perplexities, giving counsel with frankness and tact. 

Free from all pride of opinion, or the condescension common in men of greater experience 
and age in dealing with their juniors lie gave his advice and his loyal support to his younger 
associates. Broad minded and without prejudice, he faced conditions honestly, and present 
need, not ancient precedent, determined his decisions. The unaffected and simple friendliness 
with which he viewed every man as his neighbor brought him a well deserved reward of 
friendship and goodwill. Without conscious effort but merely by virtue of his own genial 
personality he drew together that cloud of witnesses to his own kindly spirit — his friends. 
Among them the directors of this company desire to testify to their sincere regard for his 
high character and valued service and they here record this expression of their affection 
and mourning for their friend and counselor — Thomas Dudley Bradstreet. 

(Signed) 

Seth E. Thomas 
Arthur S. Hamlin 
W. J. Miller 
Mason T. Adams. 

The resolutions from the Thomaston National Bank were as follows: 

Whereas the directors of the Thomaston National Bank have lost one of their members 
by the death of Thomas D. Bradstreet, which occurred August 15th, 1915, now, therefore be 
it 

Resolved, that while we bow with humble submission to the decree of Divine Providence, 
Ave desire to record an expression of the deep grief we feel, as we mourn the loss of one who 
for sixteen years has been associated with us as a director in this bank. 

Resolved, that in the performance of his duties in this capacity, Mr. Bradstreet 
exhibited the same faithful devotion to the interests of the bank, which characterized him in 
regarding the interests intrusted to him in all positions which he- occupied, in private or 
public life. 

Resolved, that we commend with special emphasis the sterling traits of character which 
Mr. Bradstreet exhibited in all of his dealings with his fellow men, and which have won a 
state-wide commendation at the close of his career. 

Resolved, that a loss of a pleasant companionship with our deceased member, which 
extended over a long period of unbroken years, comes as a personal sorrow to each member 
of our board. 

Resolved, that these resolutions be spread upon the records of the bank and that a 
copy be sent to the family of the deceased. 



(Signed) 



James H. Doughty 
William T. Woodruff 
J. H. Eastwood 
C. H. Williams 
Kellogg Plume 
F. I. Roberts 



Directors. 



LYMAN P. CASE. 



Lyman P. Case, a druggist of Winsted, was born on a farm in the town of Barkhamsted, 
Litchfield county, Connecticut, July 21, 1865, and is the only son of Henry and Jane 
(Williams) Case, both of whom were natives of Litchfield county and have now passed 
away. The father was a machinist by trade. 

Lyman P. Case comes of Revolutionary svar ancestry. He removed to Winsted with 
his parents in 1876 and acquired a good grammar school education. He started upon his 
business career when a youth of sixteen by entering the drug store of D. and W. B. 
Phelps of Winsted, by whom he was employed for five years. He afterward spent four 
years in the drug store of Charles A. Raplye of Hartford, and on returning to Winsted he 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 163 

TDccaiiie head clerk in the drug store of W. H. Mills in the Opera House block. In 1901 he 
purchased his present drug store at No. 74 Main street and has since conducted the business 
with marked success. He purchased his store from the estate of T. Baird & Company and 
it is one of the oldest drug stores in Winsted and also one of the best. His business 
methods are thoroughly reliable and progressive and he has a well appointed establish- 
ment which is now liberally patronized. In addition to his other interests he is one of 
the incorporators of the Mechanics Savings Bank. 

Mr. Case has been married twice and has two sons, James L. and Frederick W., both 
of whom are married and reside in Boston, Massachusetts. His present wife was in her 
maidenhood Miss Anna Gaines, of Ghent, New York. She was a trained nurse before her 
marriage and did excellent work in her professional capacity. 

Mr. Case gives his political endorsement to the republican party and for three terms 
has represented his district in the Connecticut general assembly, being first elected to 
that ofhce in 1913, again in 1915 and a third time in 1917. During the last two sessions 
he was a member of the fish and game committee and was chairman of the shellfish 
committee. He greatly enjoys fishing and believes in wise game protection laws. Each 
season he goes on a fishing trip, spending the periods of vacation in that way. Fraternally 
he is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Improved Order of Red 
;Men and he also holds membership in the Odd Fellows lodge and encampment. 
He belongs as well to the Winsted Club and to the Litchfield Countj' Automobile Club, 
of which he is one of the directors. His interest in public affairs is indicated in his con- 
nection with the Chamber of Commerce of Winsted and his active cooperation in all of 
its well defined plans and projects for the upbuilding of the city and the advancement of 
its civic standards. His success is attributable in large measure to the fact that he has 
always continued in the same line of business in which he made his initial step and 
this concentration of purpose and close application have been basic elements on which 
he has builded his prosperity. He does with all of his might whatever his hand find^ to 
do and his thoroughness and persistency of purpose constitute an example that is well 
worthy of emulation. 



WILLIAM D. CHURCHILL. 



William D. Churchill, who is conducting a profitable business as a jeweler and optom- 
etrist at 436 Main street in Winsted, was born in Southington, Connecticut, January 28, 
1877, a son of Franklin Dwight and Jane Louisa (Blakeslee) Churchill both of whom were 
natives of Connecticut. The father was born in Bethany, this state, February 14, 1834, and 
the mother's birth occurred in Prospect, Connecticut, July 12, 1840. They were married 
January 3, 1862. at her home in Prospect, and for forty-seven years traveled life's jour- 
ney together, the death of Mr. Cliurchill occurring in November, 1909, while the widow sur- 
vived until September 3, 1915. They were the parents of three sons, all of whom ar^ 
living, namely: Arthur J. Churchill, who is a jeweler in New Britain, Connecticut; Frank 
B.. who is also a jeweler by trade and is now located in Tucson, Arizona; and William 
D., of this review. 

The last named was reared in Southington, Connecticut, and was graduated from 
the Lewis high school with the class of 1896. When twenty-two years of age he entered 
the Waltham (Mass.) Horological School, where he completed a full course in watchmaking. 
Later he spent seven years in the factory of the American Waltham Watch Company of 
Waltham, Massachusetts, and then went to Newton, Massachusetts, where he purchased a 
jewelry store in 1906, conducting the business for three years. He then sold out and re/ 
turned home on account of the ill health of his father, who was engaged in the cattle 
business, and Mr. Churchill of this review became manager of the business for his father. 
Soon after the latter's death in 1909 he took a course in the Klein School of Optics in 
Boston and was graduated therefrom as an optometrist in September, 1910. He then 
came to Winsted and on the 1st of October purchased from Cliarles H. Leonard the jewelry 
store at No. 436 Main street, since which time he has conducted the business in a capable 
and profitable manner. He has one of the leading jewelry stores in Winsted, carrying a 
large and attractive stock, and he also does an extensive business in optometry. In 1914 
he purchased the building which his store now occupies — a three- story brick structure 
thirty by seventy feet, the first floor being utilized for his jewelry business. He is thor- 
oughly skilled in the science of optometry and in that direction has won a liberal pat- 
ronage. 



164 WATERBURY AND THE NAIJGATUCK VALLEY 

On the 3d of October, 1901, Mr. Churchill was married to Miss Eva May Messenger, 
also a native of Southington, Connecticut. They hold membership in the First Congrega- 
tional church and Mr. Churchill is identified with the Young Men's Christian Association. 
Fraternally he is an Odd Fellow and is a charter member of the Winsted Club. He is 
likewise a member of the Chamber of Commerce and his various connections indicate the 
breadth of his interests and the scope of his activities. He stands for progress and im- 
provement along all lines affecting the general welfare of society and he is never so busy 
but that he can find time to cooperate in plans for the public good recognizing the obliga- 
tions and responsibilities as well as the privileges of citizenship. 



B. P. HUDSON. 



B. P. Hudson, assistant secretary of the Heminway & Bartlett Silk Company of Water- 
town, is thus identified with a business which had its inception in 1888 and which is now 
one of the leading productive industries of the Naugatuck valley. Thorough familiarity 
with the business in all its departments has well qualified Mr. Hudson for the duties and 
responsibilities that have come to him. He was born in Arkwright, Ontario, Canada, 
April 20, 1876, and is a son of Charles and Jennie (Glenn) Hudson, who in 1881 went to 
Ansonia, Connecticut. The father was a machine forger by trade and Avas there employed 
until 1888, when he removed to Watertown, where lie conducted a carriage and black- 
smith shop. After many years of active association with industrial interests he is now 
living retired in Derby, Connecticut. 

B. P. Hudson is indebted to the public school system for the educational opportunities 
which he enjoyed. He was a youth of sixteen when he entered the employ of the 
Heminway & Bartlett Silk Company in the humble capacity of oflfice boy. He proved in- 
dustrious and trustworthy and won advancement from time to time, woiking his Avay 
upward through the factory and afterward serving as traveling salesman upon the road 
for a time. He has been in all departments of the business and has thus gained com- 
prehensive and accurate knowledge of the manufacturing and also of the various i)hases 
of the trade in relation to the purchaser. In 1915 he was made assistant secretary of the 
company after having served for the five previous years as one of the directors. 

On the 7th of June, 1899. Mr. Hudson was married to Miss Mary Wheeler, of Water- 
town, a daughter of Eli and Estella (Saxton) Wheeler. The family was established in 
Watertown prior to the Revolutionary war and the ancestral line is traced back to Moses 
Wheeler, who came to Connecticut in 1640, settling in New Haven, where he passed away 
when more than one hundred years old. He operated the ferry at Stratford under grant 
from the king of England. To Mr. and Mrs. Hudson has been born a daughter, Elizabeth 
Jane. 

For several years Mr. Hudson served as a member of the fire district committee and 
he has ever been ready and willing to aid and cooperate in plans and measures for the 
general good. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and fraternally 
he is connected with Federal Lodge, No. 17, F. & A. M.; Granite Chapter, R. A. M., of 
Thomaston; and Columbia Lodge, No. 12, K. P. His religious faith is that of the Methodist 
church and its teachings have guided him in all of his life's relations. 

The spirit of enterprise and progress has actuated him in his business affairs and 
from the humble position of errand boy he has advanced steadily step by step until he is 
now assistant secretary of one of the important manufacturing enterprises of Water- 
town devoted to the making of silk hosiery, spool, embroidery and crochet silks, under 
the name of the Heminway & Bartlett Silk Company. 



GEORGE ARTHUR LEONARD, M. D. 

Dr. George Arthur Leonard, physician and surgeon of Waterbury, comes of Englisli 
ancestry, being a son of Arthur James Leonard, who was born in England but came to the 
United States with his parents when seventeen years of age, the family home being 
established at Hazardville, Connecticut, where the grandfather of Dr. Leonard engaged in the 
manufacture of powder in connection with the Hazard Powder Company, Avhich afterward 
sold out to the Du Pont people. Attaining his majority in this state, Arthur James 
Leonard then entered business life and for the past twenty-eight years has been foreman 




DR. GEORGE A. LEONARD 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 167 

of a large factory at Watervillc. He married Caroline Buck, who was born in London, 
England, and came to the United States in 1883. She is also yet living. 

Dr. Leonard at the usual age became a public school pupil in Waterbury and passed 
through consecutive grades to the high school. He put aside liis textbooks there in 1901 , 
when seventeen years of age, and soon afterward matriculated in the Maryland Medical 
College of Baltimore, from which he was graduated in 190.5. He had not yet attained hi? 
majority, so that he could not be licensed to practice. For one year thereafter he served in 
the Franklin Square Hospital of Baltimore and in 1906 was licensed to practice medicine 
in Waterbury. He opened an office in Waterville, a suburb of the city, where he continued 
from April 1906, until December, 1907. and at the latter date opened an office in Waterbury. 
For the past three years he has been associated with Dr. E. H. Johnston, their office being 
located at No. 18 Abbott avenue. 

On the 8th of October, 1907, Dr. Leonard was married to Miss Elmina Clarke Dennison, 
of Waterbury, and they, have two sons: Hugh Dennison, born October 19, 1908; and Morton 
Arthur, born July 9, 1911. Dr. and Mrs. Leonard hold membership in Trinity Episcopal 
church and fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias. He belongs to the New 
Haven County, Connecticut State and American Medical Associations, the Association of 
Military Surgeons of the United States Army and through the proceedings of those societies 
as well as through private reading is kept informed concerning the latest discoveries relating 
to medical and surgical practice. He does not hastily discard old and time-tried methods the 
value of which have been proven but is always ready to adopt new ideas which promise 
to advance professional interests and efficiency. He has been commissioned first lieutenant 
in the Medical Corps, U. S. A. and will join the forces abroad in the spring of 1918. 



MICHAEL J. BERGIN. 



Michael J. Bergin, a druggist of Waterbury, conducting business at No. 697 East 
Main street, was born January 4, 1883, in the city where he makes his home, his parents 
being Matthew and Mary (Kenney) Bergin. The father was also born in Waterbury, the 
family being long represented here. He was employed by Rogers & Brother for a long 
period and passed away in March, 1905. 

The educational opportunities enjoyed by Michael J. Bergin were those afforded by 
the public schools and he started out in the business world as clerk in a drug store. 
He found this pursuit congenial and has continued in the same line throughout his re- 
maining days. 

In 1905 Mr. Bergin was united in marriage to Miss Mary Fitzpatrick, of Waterbury, 
a daughter of Jeremiah Fitzpatrick, and they have three children, Catherine, Rita and 
Cecelia. The parents are members of the Sacred Heart Catholic church and Mr. Bergin 
belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Woodmen of the World. His political en- 
dorsement is given to the democratic party, which he has supported since age conferred 
upon him the right of franchise. He was elected alderman of the first ward in 1915 
and assumed the duties of that position on the 1st of January, 1916, so that he is the 
present incumbent. He is interested in local politics, in matters of community concern 
and in all questions that affect the welfare of city, county and state and endeavors at all 
times to support those measures which are calculated to promote public progress. 



EDWARD M. PHELPS. 



Edward M. Phelps, a retail grocer doing business at No. 633 Main street in Winsted. 
was born in the town of Colebrook, Litchfield county, Connecticut, March 33, 1871. His 
fatlier, IMartin Luther Phelps, a farmer by occupation, died in 1887 at the age of sixty- 
seven years. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Susan Maria Munson, is living in 
Winsted. She is a native of Massachusetts, while Mr. Phelps was born in Connecticut. 

Edward M. Phelps, spending his youthful days upon his father's farm in Colebrook, 
ipassed his boyhood in tlie usual manner of the farm-bred lad, who works in the fields 
through the summer months and attends school in the winter seasons. He remained upon 
the farm until he reached the age of twenty-five years, when in 1896 he came to Winsted, 
believing that he would prefer a commercial to an agricultural career. He acquainted him- 
self with the grocery trade as an employe in the store of Charles Smith, for whom he 



168 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

clerked for about three years. In 1900 he embarked in the grocery business on his own 
account at 613 Main street, beconting a member of the firm of Deming & Phelps, his 
partner in the undertaking being Howard B. Deming. Mr. Pheli^s purchased the interest 
of his partner in 1907 and has since continued the business alone. In 1913 he removed his 
store to No. 633 Main street, where he has a strictly modern establishment, carrying a 
large and carefully selected line of staple and fancy groceries. In fact his establishment 
is one of the best in Winsted and his patronage is very liberal and well deserved. He has 
ever recognized the fact that satisfied patrons are the best advertisement and he has 
therefore put forth earnest efi'ort to please those who have given him their trade. 

On the 2d of February, 1905, Mr. Phelps was united in marriage to Miss Alice Eliza- 
beth Stone, of Hanover, New Hampshire. Politically Mr. Phelps is a republican but has 
never been a candidate for office. He supports and attends the Second Congregational 
church and he holds membership in the Masonic fraternity, belonging to lodge, chapter 
and council. He is also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he be- 
longs to the Winsted Club, which he joined on its organization, becoming one of its 
charter members. He is likewise an active and influential representative of the Chamber 
of Commerce, of which he is now serving as the vice president, and he is deeply concerned 
in many movements which are looking to the welfare and upbuilding of his city, to the 
extension of its business relations and to the advancement of its civic standards. 



E. M. GRILLEY. 



E. M. Grilley, vice president, treasurer and general manager of the Waterbury Jewel 
Company, is numbered with those whose knowledge of and capability in the line of w^atch 
manufacturing place them in the expert class. Thoroughly trained, his entire business 
experience has been along the line in which he is now engaged, and with him each day has 
marked off a fullfaithed attempt to grow more and to know more. His steady advance- 
ment, resulting from individual effort, constitutes a stimulating example to the ambitious 
youth. Mr. Grilley was born in Thoraaston, Connecticut. February 8, 1879, a son of Myron 
W. and Emma (Pratt) Grilley. The father has been with the Plume & Atwood Company 
in the fine wire drawing department for the past half century. He is a son of Marshall 
J. Grilley, who during his active life was superintendent of the Plume & Atwood mill at 
Thomaston, occupying that position for fifty years or until his death. Both Marshall J. 
and Myron W. Grilley were soldiers of the Civil war, the former serving with the rank ot 
captain. 

E. M. Grilley acquired a public school education in Plymouth and in Thomaston and 
started upon his business career as errand boy with the Seth Thomas Watch Company. 
He afterward learned the tool making trade and became a specialist in the escapement 
department of the Seth Thomas Watch Company and for five years was foreman of that 
department. He afterward came to Waterbury with the New England Watch Company 
to assist in the development of the lever escapement in -Tune, 1906, and in 1911. associated 
with F. G. Neuberth, he organized the Waterbury Jewel Company, which was established 
February 8, 1911, and was incorporated on the 18th of February, 1915. At the incorporation 
F. G. Neuberth became president, and H. M. Werner secretary, with E. M. Grilley as vice 
president, treasurer and manager. With the withdrawal of H. M. Werner from the company 
R. F. Neuberth became secretary. The business was first conducted on Burrall Court, where 
they remained until December, 1913, when they removed to the A. C. Campbell building, 
there continuing until June 17, 1916, when they established business at 31 Canal street, 
occupying the two upper fioors of the Standard Tool & Machine Company, building. The 
growth of their patronage is indicated in the fact that they now employ sixty people. Mr. 
Grilley instituted the business alone and after six weeks employed an assistant, increasing 
the number of his employes from time to time. The company manufactures all kinds of small 
instrument jewels, together with talking machine playing points. The output is the 
expression of a high grade of mechanical skill. The work is based on processes devised by 
Mr. Grilley and theirs is the only company in the United States doing this grade of work. 
The company also manufactures small recording instruments, including a gasoline register 
for automobiles and a golf register for golf scores. They have a complete tool department 
and take special work in tool making. Mr. Grilley came to Waterbury to develop the 
lever escapement for the New England watch and developed the first ladies' lever escape- 
ment watch produced. His business has enjoyed a steady and satisfactory growth and is 
the expression of exjjcrt mechanical knowledge along his line combined with executive force. 





E M. GRILLEY 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 171 

On the 9tli of October, 1901, Mr. Grilley was married to Miss Rosa H. Kaiser, of 
Thomaston, a daughter of Raymond Kaiser, and thej' have one child, Myra, now two years 
of age. Fraternally Mr. Grilley is connected with the Foresters and with the Knights of 
Pythias. His political support is given to the republican party and his religious faith is 
that of the Episcopal church. His has been an active life, his attention and energies dii'ected 
always along a certain line, and this concentration of effort and of purpose has brought 
excellent results. 



H. E. THOMPSON. 



H. E. Thompson, manager for the Watertown Lumber Company, his official position 
being that of secretary and treasurer, was born in New Britain, Connecticut, April 1, 1881, 
a son of Edward W. and Ella M. Thompson, the former a druggist of New Britain. He 
obtained a high school education in his native borough and afterward spent two years as 
a student in Cornell College at Ithaca, New York. He then turned his attention to the 
drug business, in which he continued for a brief period, and afterward was witli the 
American Hardware Company of New Britain for two years. He next turned his atten- 
tion to the lumber trade and was first employed by the Naugatuck Lumber & Coal Company 
for two years. He afterward spent two years with the Brass City Lumber Company of 
Waterbury and then started in business as one of the organizers and officers of the Water- 
toAvn Lumber Company, which was incorporated in 1907 with A. A. Schumacher, of 
Waterbury, as president, D. E. Tryon as secretary and Mr. Thompson as the treasurer. Mr. 
Tryon resigned in 1914 and R. B. Bronson beca?ne vice president, Mr. Thompson assuming 
the duties of secretary and treasurer. The company has three acres on the railway tracks, 
constituting their lumberyard, whicli is the only one in Watertown. They handle lumber 
and masons' supplies and have a well equipped mill, in which they manufacture inside trim. 

In October, 1913, Mr. Thompson was married to Miss Ada B. Lewis, of Watertown. 
He belongs to Delta Kappa Epsilon, a college fraternity, and has membership in the Con- 
gregational church and in the Watertown Lawn Club and the Watertown Golf Club. His 
political endorsement is given to tlie republican party, but his attention is concentrated upon 
his business affairs and his close application and energy are bringing to him a substantial 
measure of success. 



GEORGE W. KILMER. 



George W. Kilmer, entering business circles at the ago of fourteen years, is now 
proprietor of a large paint and wall paper store at No. 544 Main street in Winsted. He 
was born in Albany, New York, June 8, 1870, the only son of William H. and Hattie 
(Catlin) Kilmer. The mother passed away when the son was but a year old and the 
father afterward married Lydia Kilmer, a distant relative, who proved a good stepmother, 
but she, too, died when George was but a young lad. The father afterward wedded Char- 
lotte Hurlbut, who survives her husband, William H. Kilmer passing away about ten years 
ago. He was a painter and paper lianger by trade and was founder of tlie business now 
conducted by the son. His enterprise, however, was very small in proportion to that carried 
on by George W. Kilmer, as he employed but one or two assistants. He removed with his 
family to Winsted when his son George was a small boy and continued his residence here 
until his demise about a decade ago. 

George W. Kilmer acquired a gotd grammar school education in Winsted and afterward 
learned the trade of painting and paper hanging under the direction of his father, beginning 
Avork when fourteen years of age. Upon his father's death he took up the business, which 
he has since developed to large proportions and which is now conducted under his own name. 
He carries a large stock of wall paper of the latest designs and does an extensive contracting 
business in that field. His enterprise and progressiveness have carried him into important 
business relations and his patronage is very extensive. He started out. however, in a 
small way when his father died, conducting his business in a barn on Elm street. Later he 
removed his stock to a small storeroom on Main street and six years ago occupied his 
present quarters at No. 544 Main street, where he has one of the best paint and wall 
paper stores in the state of Connecticut. His room space is thirtjf by sixty feet and the 
shelves which cover three sides of the store are filled from floor to ceiling with his exten- 



172 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

sive stock. In busy seasons he employs from twelve to fifteen men, paintei's and paper 
hangers, who are needed in executing the contracts which Mr. Kilmer receives and he 
has built up this flourishing business in the short space of ten years. At the time of his 
marriage he had but twenty dollars to his name, one-half of which he gave to his wife, 
while with the other half he started in business. From that humble beginning he has 
steadily advanced and his position among the leading merchants of the city is most 
creditable and enviable. 

It was on the 4th of September, 1908, that Mr. Kilmer wedded Miss Mary J. Mathew- 
son and they have two children, Hattie and Charlotte. Mr. and Mrs. Kilmer are members 
of the Methodist Episcopal church and the former belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. 
He is interested in those things which work for moral progress and for civic betterment 
and his influence is always on the side of advancement and improvements 



THERON NASH BRONSON. 



Theron Nash Bronson, who is proprietor of a real estate and insurance business at 
No. 512 Main street in Winsted, was born at Winchester Center, four miles from Winsted, 
on the 8th of May, 1884. He is a son of the late Wilbur M. Bronson, formerly a well 
known citizen, who passed away in 1903. The father was prominent in both business 
circles and in connection with public aflfairs. He was a member of the coal and lumber 
firm of Bronson Brothers for many years and displayed marked enterprise in whatever he 
undertook, whether for his personal gain or for the benefit of public interests. His wife 
bore the maiden name of Susan S. Nash and is still living at Winchester Center. They were 
married about 1880 and became the parents of five children: Marjorie A., who is the wife 
of Thomas C. Brett, of West Haven, Connecticut; Theron N., of this review; Wilbur B.; 
Robert L.; and Helen M. Bronson. Wilbur B. and Robert L. Bronson are both members of 
the One Hundred and Seventh United States Infantry. 

Theron Nash Bronson was graduated from the Pratt Institute of Brooklyn, New 
York, in 1906, after completing a course in architecture. He later spent one year with an 
architectural firm in New York city and subsequently devoted eight or ten years to archi- 
tectural and engineering work with various firms in difl'erent states. The year 1911 found 
him in Salem, Oregon, whither he had gone because of his health. Later he was employed 
with the architectural firm of White & McMahon, of Hartford. In December, 1916, he pur- 
chased the real estate and insurance business of Gilbert L. Hart at No. 512 Main street. 
He now gives his entire attention to this and has won an extensive clientage. 

On the 24th of June, 1916, Mr. Bronson was united in marriage to Miss Alice E. 
Babb, of Springfield. Massachusetts, who was born in Winsted, Connecticut, her parents 
being Frank O. and Edna (Jessup) Babb. Mr. Bronson belongs to the Congregational church 
at Winchester Center and he is a member of the Winsted Home Guard. 



JOHN LYMAN PIERPONT. 



John Lyman Pierpont, deceased, who for many years was a well known wholesale 
meat dealer of Waterbury and one of its most public-spirited citizens, was born at the 
old Pierpont homestead. East Farms. February 10, 1849. He was a descendant of one of the 
oldest and best known families of the Naugatuck valley. The ancestry is traced back to 
Robert Ale Pierpont, or Robert of the Stone Bridge, who went with William the Conqueror 
to England. One of his descendants, another Robert Pierpont, was created Earl of King- 
stone in 1628. He had two brothers, including William Pierpont, who was the father 
of James Pierpont, the latter becoming the founder of the American branch of the family. 
His two sons were John and Robert. The former became a resident of Roxbury, Massa- 
chusetts, and married Thankful Stowc. Their son, James Pierpont. was born January 
4, 1659. and was graduated from Harvard College in 1681, becoming pastor of the Center 
church 01 New Haven on the 2d of July, 1684. He was married October 27, 1691, to 
Abigail Davenport, a daughter of the Rev. John Davenport. She passed away February 
3, 1692. and on the 30th of May. 1694, James Pierpont married Sarah Haynes, a grand- 
daughter of Governor Haynes. Her death occurred October 27. 1696, and James Pierpont 
was married July 6. 1698, his third wife being Mary Hooker, a granddaughter of the Rev. 
Thomas Hooker, of Hartford. 




)l<-r-H.^ ^ / /UUlJC-l/^i^y^ 






WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 175 

The first of the Pierpont family to locate in this section was Ezra Pierpont, who wedded 
Mary Blakeslee, a native of North Haven and a daughter of Isaac Blakeslee. Her death 
occurred September 28, 1827, and Ezra Pierpont passed away January 7. 1842. They were 
the parents of five children, including Austin Pierpont, who was born May 19, 1791. He 
became a landowner and farmer at East Farms, Waterbury, and there the greater part of 
his life was passed. On the 20th of February, 1813, he wedded Sally Beecher, a daughter 
of Enos Beecher. and they became the parents of nine children. 

Enos Augustus Pierpont, the eldest of their family, was born at East Farms, January 
8, 1815, and attended the district schools while spending his youthful days upon the 
home place. He took up agricultural pursuits but later turned his attention to the 
butchering business and became the first retail meat dealer in Waterbury. The enterprise 
proved a successful one for a considerable period. He entered into partnership with 
Charles Scott and later his sons, John L. and Edward A. Pierpont, were associated with 
him in the profitable conduct of the business for more than a third of a century. He 
made his home at East Farms, where he cultivated a tract of land, adding many improvements 
thereto, and upon that place he passed away March 10, 1883, his remains being interred 
in the East Farms cemetery. His political allegiance was first given to the whig party 
and afterward he joined the ranks of the newly organized republican party. His religious 
faith was indicated in his membership in St. John's Episcopal church. He was a man 
noted for his honesty and integrity and his many upright traits of character as well as 
his devotion to his home and family. No better indication of his character and the high 
regard in which he was held can be given than by quoting from the Waterbury American 
of March 15, 188.3, which said: "As the years roll by, the living links that bind the Water- 
bury of the past with the present are one by one giving way, and soon those who were 
connected with the country village of Waterbury fifty years ago. and Avere the active 
citizens of that day will have all been 'gathered to their fathers' by those who, in their 
turn, shall follow them. In the death of Mr. Enos A. Pierpont, one of the old-time citizens 
has been removed, and his familiar face and pleasant greeting will be missed by the older 
residents of Waterbury. For more than fifty years he had been an active and useful citi- 
zen, following his vocation from early manhood up to within three weeks of his death. 
At one time he was, we believe, the only marketman and butcher in Waterbury, and, by 
faithful attention to business and honest dealing, had secured a competence which all through 
these years has been used with modest and unassuming liberality. It is said of him, that 
in all the time he had been in business he had never refused to furnish his customers or 
the poor when thej^ were unable to pay. His hands and heart were ever open to the call 
of the poor and suffering, or the church of which he was a faithful and devoted communicant 
for more than forty years, and of which he was a vestryman for nearly thirty years. He 
also, many times, represented St. John's parish at the conventions of the church. Mr. 
Pierpont was born at East Farms (where his father and grandfather lived before him) 
in 1815, and died March 10, 1883. He was twice married and the father of six children. 
A good man has gone to his rest, leaving an example of honesty, integrity, industry and 
Christian charitv worthy of all imitation. It would seem that something more than a 
mere passing notice should be made of the death of one who was 'to the manor born,' 
and who has been so long and honorably identified with the business of his native town." 

Enos A. Pierpont was married twice. He first wedded Ann Morse, who was born in 
Cheshire and died in 1844. her grave being made in East Farms cemetery. She was a member 
of the Episcopal church and a lady of many excellent qualities. By that marriage there 
were six children: David Watson, who died in Waterbury; Sarah, who died after reaching 
womanhood; Eunice, who passed away in young womanhood; Edward A.; John L. ; and 
Harriet Amelia, who resides on the old homestead. For his second wife Enos A. Pierpont 
chose Abiah Morse, a sister of his former wife, and she passed away in 1889, her remains 
also being interred in East Farms cemetery. She, too, was loyal in her devotion to the 
Episcopal church, in which she long held membership. 

Edward A. Pierpont, the only living son of Enos A. Pierpont, Avas born on the old 
family homestead and was educated in the public schools and in Bassett's select school. 
His youthful experiences were those of the farm bred boy and in young manhood he 
broadened his experiences by spending some years in the west. Later he became associated 
with his father and brother, John L., in the retail meat business and for many years was 
member of the firm of Pierpont Brothers Company, wholesale meat dealers, which business 
was successfully conducted until 1904. when they sold out. Since that time Mr. Pierpont 
has resided at the homestead, where his sister, Harriet A., also lives. He married Miss 
Minnie Upson. 

John Lyman Pierpont, the youngest son of Enos A. Pierpont, was educated in the local 

Yo\. Ill— 7 



176 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

school and pursued a business course in a commercial college at New Haven. He was 
reared upon the homestead farm and Avas associated with his fatlier in all the latter's 
enterpiises during the father's active business life. Aftei his father retired from business 
jn 1871, Mr. Pierpont and his brother Edward successfully continued the business at 
Exchange Place for a period of ten years, after which they disposed of their retail interests 
to William Riether. They then became engaged in the wholesale meat business and 
through their strict attention to their interests and reliable business methods they built up 
an extensive trade, establishing one of the leading wholesale meat houses in the Naugatuck 
valley. John L. Pierpont was thvis engaged until 1904, when the business was sold and 
from that time on he gave his attention to real estate dealing. He bought the Baxter 
farm at East Farms, near the place where he was born, and this he developed, dividing it into 
building lots and becoming an extensive real estate operator in tliat section of the city. 
His house, now occupied by his widow, he erected as a home for himself and family, but 
only three weeks after it was completed he passed away. The Waterbury & New Haven 
electric line crossed his property and he built the Pierpont station for the accommodation 
of the public in that vicinity. 

Mr. Pierpont was ever a most public -spirited citizen, devoted to the welfare of his 
community and at all times cooperating in well defined plans and movements for the 
progress and upbuilding of the district in which he lived. He was keenly interested, too, in 
the moral welfare and held membership in St. John's Episcopal church. He was broad 
minded and liberal in his views, a man of tolerance and kindly spirit and was much devoted 
to the welfare of his family, his life record being largely the expression of an ideal relation- 
ship of husband and father. His political endorsement was given to the republican party 
and he was ever a good citizen. He died May 22, 1910, and was laid to rest in Mill 
Plain cemetery. Many friends mourned his loss and among them were his associates in the 
Masonic fraternity, for he was long an exemplary representative of Harmony Lodge, A. F. 
& A. M., and Clark Commandery, K. T. 

In 1877, in Waterbury, Mr. Pierpont was united in marriage to Miss Julia H. Thompson, 
who was born in Eockville, Tolland county, Connecticut, a daughter of William C. Thompson, 
and they became the parents of one child, Lily A. During their married life Mr. and 
Mrs. Pierpont made their home on North Willow street in Waterbury and since her 
liusband's death Mrs. Pierpont has occupied the residence which her husband built at East 
Farms. She is a lady of keen perception and sound business judgment and since the 
death of Mr. Pierpont has successfully managed the real estate business which Mr. 
Pierpont founded and developed. Success has attended her efforts and she gives much time 
and attention to the business. She built the Baxter station opposite her home and her 
activities in the real estate field have been effective in promoting public progress in 
many Avays. 

Mrs. Pierpont was formerly a member of the Episcopal churcli but in 1900 she adopted 
the Christian Science faith promoted by Mis. Eddy and in the work of the church she 
takes a most active and helpful interest. She became a member of the Church of Christ 
Scientist in Waterbury and was reader there for several years. She is widely recognized 
as a lady of liberal culture and broad intelligence whose activities along all lines have been 
most wisely directed, bringing splendid results. 

Lily A. Pierpont, the only child of John Lyman and .Julia H. (Thonipsuii) Pierpont, was 
born in Waterbury and was graduated from St. Margaret's school, after which she studied 
for a year in New Haven at Miss Livermore's school. She next went to Boston, where she 
studied kindergarten^ work at the Lucy Wheelock Kindergarten School, and on completing 
her course returned to Waterbury, becoming kindergarten teacher in St. Margaret's school 
arid its first teacher in that branch of work. At the end of five yeas of successful teaching 
her health became so impaired that she was forced to give up her kindergarten work. She 
took up the study of Christian Science and adopted its teachings, like her mother and aunt, 
and was ever after a faithful member of the church and a firm believer in the doctrine 
of divine healing. Her innate culture and high attainments made her greatly beloved and 
(me of her marked characteristics was her devotion to her parents. She passed out of this 
life July 17, 1914, and was laid to rest in Mill Plain cemetery. She had been vice presi- 
dent of St. Margaret's Alumni Association and active in its work. She was extraordinarily 
fond of art and literature and after her deatli her mother presented to the East Farms 
school over three hundred volumes of which she had been the possessor — a gift which was 
greatly appreciated. 

Mrs. Pierpont's father, William C. Thompson, was a shoemaker in liis younger days 
and later engaged in the butchering business, making his home at Rockville, Tolland county, 
where he passed away while still in the prime of life. His wife, who bore the maiden 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 177 

name of Fannie West and was a daughter of Jabez and Fannie (Balch) West, made her 
home in after years in Waterbury with her daughter, at whose home she passed away. 
She, top, was a member and firm adherent of the Christian Science church and gave to it 
much thought and devotion. She had two children: Mary Fannie; and .Julia H., the wife 
of John Lyman Pierpont. The former resides with her sister, to whom she is much devoted. 
For many years she was an invalid but took up the teaching of Christian Sciene, in which 
she became a firm believer, and has been restored to health. She has adhered to that faith 
since 1886 and was the first Christian Scientist in Waterbury and a charter member of its 
First church. In community affairs the sisters exert a helpful influence, especially in those 
social circles where culture and refinement are accepted as passports to good society. 



HENRY ISAAC BRONSON. 



Prominent among the alert, energetic, farsighted and progressive business men of 
Winsted is Henry I. Bronson, a successful merchant who carries on business under the name 
of the G. H. Alford Estate. Under that name he is conducting one of the largest stores 
of his city and the spirit of advancement actuates him at every point in his career. 
Opportunity has ever been to him the call to action — a call to which he has never failed 
to make ready response. 

Mr. Bronson was born in the town of Winchester, February 22, 1867, and is a son 
of Isaac A. and Emma (Talmadge) Bronson. The father was born June 9, 1820, and was 
the youngest of a family of thirteen children born to Isaac Bronson. Henry I. Bronson is 
descended from one of the oldest, most numerous and most prominent families of the town 
of Winchester and the Naugatuck valley, the family name being inseparably interwoven 
with the history of this section of the state. 

In early life Mr. Bronson spent four years in Montana, prior to entering upon his 
business career in Winsted. He became an employe in the hardware store of George 
H. Alford at Nos. 385, 387 and 389 Main street, following the four-year period which he 
had devoted to ranch life in the west. He continued to clerk for Mr. Alford until the 
latter's death on the 4th of July, 1910, after which he became manager of the business, 
which includes furniture and undertaking. This Avas then conducted under the name of the 
G. H. Alford Estate and after a few years Mr. Bronson purchased the business. It was 
established by Mr. Alford in the early '70s and Mr. Bronson has been connected with the 
business for twenty-seven years. This is one of the old commercial landmarks of Win- 
sted, and as a mark of respect to the founder and his former employer ]\Ir. Bronson has 
retained the old name. The store covers three numbers on Main street, is three stories 
in height and he carries a splendid stock of hardware and furniture as well as undertaking 
supplies. His stock is secured from the most progressive manufacturers and shows the 
latest designs turned out. 

On the 20th of August, 1902, Mr. Bronson was united in marriage to Miss Anna Donald- 
son, a native of Kingston, New York, by whom he has three children, as follows: Donald 
Isaac, who was born -June 15, 1905; Gertrude, whose birth occurred in May, 1907; and 
James Henry, born in May, 1909. Mr. Bronson built a house of the bungalow type at No. 
95 Hinsdale avenue, which is a splendid home and reflects credit on the owner and city, 
it being modern and complete in every detail. Fraternally Mr. Bronson is a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also of the Benevolent and Protective Order 
of Elks and he is eligible to membership in the Sons of the American Revolution. His 
entire course reflects credit and honor upon an honored family name and in business circles 
in Winsted his position is an enviable one. 



CORNELIUS L. MALONEY. 



Cornelius L. Maloney, Avho is engaged in the undertaking business in Winsted, was 
born at Mill River. Massachusetts, December 8, 1879, his parents being Patrick and Julia 
(McAuliffe) Maloney, both of whom were natives of Ireland coming to America in early life, 
and were married in Massachusetts. In 1885 they removed with their family to Winsted, 
at which time their son, Cornelius L., was but six years of age. Here he has since 
remained and in St. Anthony's parochial school he pursued his education, continuing his 
attendance until he reached the age of sixteen. He then made his entrance in the business 



178 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

world, being employed by the New England Knitting Company for two years. He subse- 
quently spent two years in the employ of the Strong Manufacturing Company, after which 
he became a clerk in the clothing store of M. Cohn and Sons. There ho continued for 
three years and afterward spent two years as manager of the clothing store of George 
C. Rank. In 1905 he went to Boston, where he spent a few months in a men's furnishing 
goods store. He next returned to Winsted on accoimt of the illness of his brother, the 
late Dennis J. Maloney, who was an undertaker. Mr. Maloney of this review took charge 
of his brother's business and conducted it for him until the latter's death on the 4th of 
May, 1906. Following his brother's demise he took over the establishment as his own and 
he has since carried it on. In the summer and fall of 1906 he completed a course in the 
Renouard School of Embalming in New York city and was licensed by the state of Con- 
necticut to practice embalming, his license being secured in October, 1906. He is a member 
of the Connecticut State Embalmers' Association. 

In November, 1910, Mr. Maloney was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Calnan, of 
Derby, Connecticut, by whom he has three daughters: Elizabeth, Catherine and Frances. 
Mr. Maloney and his family are members of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church. He is a 
past exalted ruler in the Elks lodge of Winsted and is a member of the Winsted Club. 
He also is a member and treasurer of Coiu't Highland, Foresters of America; a member 
of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and was for many years foreman of Hook and Ladder 
Company No. 1, Winsted Fire Department. In community affairs he takes a deep and 
helpful interest and his patriotic loyalty is a recognized factor in his career. He is serving 
as a member of the school commission of the town of Winchester and is a member of the 
State Council of Defense, in which connection he is putting forth every effort to bring 
Connecticut into active harmony with those interests which are intendt^d to further the 
welfare of the coiuitry in every particular, to conserve its supplies, to promote its 
strength and maintain its standards as one of the great world powers fighting for the 
democratization of the world. 



EUGENE ALLEN PENDLETON. 

Eugene Allen Pendleton, a Waterbury citizen who has been identified with various 
business activities and whose life record covers service during the last year of the Civil war, 
following an enlistment when but eighteen years of age, was born at Stow, Ohio, October 
26, 1845, a son of John Handy and Phebe (Shepard) Pendleton, both of whom were natives 
of Connecticut. At the usual age he entered the public schools of his native town and after- 
ward spent a year in Hiram College of Ohio. He was a lad of eighteen Avlien, on the 10th of 
March, 1864, he responded to the country's call for aid, enlisting as a private of the Ninth 
Ohio Independent Battery, Light Artillei'y. He participated in the battles of Atlanta, 
Franklin and Nashville, together with several skirmishes Avith guerrillas, and following the 
close of the war was honorably discharged at Cleveland, Ohio, July 25, 1865. 

It was in the year 1866 that Mr. Pendleton came to Waterbury, where he has made his 
home for more than a half century. He spent two years in connection with the City Manu- 
facturing Company and later was connected with T. F. Judson in the conduct of a dry goods 
business under the firm style of Judson & Pendleton. A year later he accepted a position 
with the Elton Banking Company and so continued from .lanuary, 1869, until the company 
went out of business in 1877. He continued as assistant to J. S. Elton in the management of 
his private investments until July. 1879. when he became also an accountant with the Water- 
bury Brass Company, and later was head of the clerical force of that company. In the late 
'90s he left the Brass Company and has since been identified with J. S. Elton in the control 
of his private affairs. He also served as a director of the Waterbury Gaslight Company from 
January, 1897, to January, 1911, when he resigned that position. 

Mr. Pendleton was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Elizabeth Knight, a daughter 
of Di'. Flam C. Knight, and they became the parents of two sons and a daughter, Lewis 
Wayland, Lucy Elton and William Knight. After attending the Waterbury high school 
the sons entered business and are now with the Waterbury Brass Company, the elder 
married Leona Gray, while the younger wedded Barbara Mintie of Waterbury, and has 
one child, Eleanor K., born October 24, 1914. 

Mr. Pendleton served as a member of the school board of Waterbury in 1898 and 
1899, receiving the second highest vote of the seven members elected. He has ever been 
ileeply interested in matters of civic progress and improvement and his influence has 
been a factor in the upbuilding of Waterbury's business interests. He has always main- 




EUGENE A. PENDLETON 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 181 

tained. the deepest interest in the welfare of his old army comrades and he is the autlior 
of two volumes, one of which is entitled "Personal Histories," written concerning members 
of the Grand Army of the Republic of Waterbury and of Wadhams Post, No. 49, in which 
organization he has held many offices, including that of commander. He has been historian 
of the post for many years and the volume covers the personal history of many of its 
members, in which connection he has done especially fine work. The other volume is 
known as the "Post Album" and includes photographs of over two hundred of the post 
members. These two have been presented to the Mattatuck Historical Society by vote 
of the post. The books remain, however, in Mr. Pendleton's possession and he adds to 
the records continuously, keeping them up to date. They are done in his own hand- 
writing, both volumes having been specially prepared. The book in which personal 
liistories are written was a gift to the post and cost one hundred and fifty dollars. It is 
about twelve and a half by seventeen inches in dimensions. The album was also made 
especially for the purpose intended and both are of the greatest historical value. 



THURLOW H. BRONSON. 



Life is many-sided and there are varied demands made upon the individual for activity 
along many lines. Meeting every requirement, Thurlow H. Bronson has come to rank 
^vith the . representative and valued citizens of Winsted. where through his business con- 
nections he is widely and favorably known, being the vice president and general manager 
of the Winsted Hardware ^Manufacturing Company. He was born in :Middlebury, Connecti- 
cut, July 11, 1873, a son of Eli Bronson, a farmer, who has also been prominent in con- 
nection with public afl'airs, serving in the state legislature for several terms as a member 
of the house of representatives. At the time of the Civil war he put aside business and per- 
sonal considerations to espouse the cause of the Union and went to the front to defend 
the stars and stripes. He was born in Middlebury, Connecticut, and is still living at the age 
of seventj'-four years. He is a member of the well known Bronson family wliich includes 
Silas Bronson, the founder of the Bronson Library, and others who have left their impress 
upon the public life of the community in many ways. His wife, who bore the maiden name 
of Bessie Andrews Wheaton. is living at the age of seventy-one years. ^Irs. Bronson is 
very active in church, club and similar movements that have to do with the moral and 
civic progress of the community. She is also a very able business woman. Both are 
still active and vigorous and have been prominent in the affairs of ]\Iiddlebury during the 
past half century and have contributed in time and money to all measures that mean public 
betterment. Thurlow H. Bronson was the third in a family of eight children, five sons 

and three daughters, all of whom are living with the exception of the eldest daughter, 
Mary, who passed away at the age of twenty-one years. The seven surviving younger 
children are as follows: Wlieaton Andrews; Thurlow Hine, of this review; Paul Phillips; 
Helen Rex, who is the wife of Frank A. Waters of Middlebury; Marshall Emerson of Nau- 
gatuck; Connecticut; and Hazel Eckford and Howard Eli Bronson, both of Middlebury. 

Thurlow H. Bronson is the only representative of his family in W'insted. He was 
educated in public and private schools of jNIiddlebury and put aside his textbooks when a 
youth of sixteen. He then went to New Haven, Connecticut, where he served a four years' 
apprenticeship at the machinist's trade in the machine shop of George M. Griswold. When 
twenty years of age he Avent to Niagara Falls, New York, Avhere for three years he was 
superintendent of the Francis Hook & Eye Company. Wlien twenty-three years of age, or 
in 1895, he came to Winsted, where he has since made his home and throughout the inter- 
vening period he has been identified with Winsted's manufacturing interests. He was 
first employed as superintendent of the Winsted Metalliform Company and continued as 
such for four years. That concern occupied the same plant that is now used by the 
Winsted Hardware Manufacturing Company. From 1899 until 1910 Mr. Bronson was super- 
intendent of the T. C. Richards Hardware Company, a large manufacturing concern of 
Winsted, and in 1910, in connection with his brother-in-law, Stuart B. Camp, he pur- 
chased the factory site and water riglits of the present Winsted Hardware Manufacturing 
Company and at once organized and incorporated the business as it is now. Mr. Bronson 
became the jiresident, with Mr. Camp as treasurer and A. A. Griffin as secretary. This con- 
cern manufactures upholstery hardware and bathroom fixtures, brass and nickel plated 
goods and also makes a specialty of sheet metal and wire products. The undertaking has 
grown and prospered as the years have gone by and is now one of Winsted's most im- 
portant industries. IMr. Camp has since sold his interest to J. S. Frazee and E. A. Frazee, 



182 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

the former now being the president, Avliile the latter is treasurer. J. S. Frazee is a resi- 
dent of Brooklyn and is not active in the plant. Mr. Bronson is now vice president and 
general manager and the interests and direction of the business devolve in large measure 
upon him. 

On the 7th of October, 1904, Mr. Bronson was married to Miss Helen Miranda Camp, 
a daughter of William L. and Nellie (Brown) Camp, the former deceased. The father was 
at one time a leading merchant of Winsted and was also selectman and warden of the 
borou'gh. Mr. Bronson is a stalwart republican in politics but has never been an aspirant 
for office. He belongs to the Home Guard, to the Chamber of Commerce and to the Win- 
sted Club, associations which indicate much of the nature of his interests outside of business 
He cooperates in all well defined plans for the welfare of the community and believes in 
maintaining the highest civic standards. 



ULYSSES G. CHURCH. 



Ulysses G. Church, practicing law at the Waterbury bar and now serving as a member 
of the civil service commission of Connecticut, was born at Chaplin, this state, November 
23, 1869. His father, the Hon. Julius Church, a farmer by occupation, served in the Con- 
necticut general assembly. He was born at Mansfield, Connecticut, and was a son of 
Morris Church, a representative of one of the old New England families whose ancestry 
is traced back to Richard Church, who came from England in 1630 and, following his trade 
of carpentering, built the first church at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Ulysses G. Church 
is also a direct descendant of Abner Church, who was a Minute Man in the Revolutionary 
war, and he also comes of Revolutionary ancestry in the maternal line. His mother was 
Marcia Minerva Turner, a direct descendant of Dr. Philip Turner, surgeon general in the 
army of General Washington. Another of the ancestoi-s in the maternal line was Roger 
Conant, the founder of Salem, Massachusetts. 

Ulysses G. Church attended the public schools of his native city to the age of sixteen 
years and then prepared for college at Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, from 
which he was graduated in 1891. He afterward entered Yale and in 189.5 was graduated 
from the academic department Avith the Bachelor of Arts degree. With broad literary 
learning to serve as the foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional 
knowledge, he then became a law student and in 1897 was graduated from the Yale 
Law School. At Mount Hermon School he won the Cambridge prize, awarded for general 
excellence, and in both the Yale academic and the Yale Law schools he was an honor graduate. 
Admitted to the bar in 1897, he spent one year in the law office of Arvine & Beers of 
New Haven. In 1897 he enlisted in the First Division of the Connecticut Naval Reserves 
of New Haven and his training was received aboard the Maine, the sinking of which ship 
in Havana harbor has placed its name indelibly upon the pages of American history. 
During the Spanish-American war he served in the United States navy on patrol duty 
along the New England coast. 

Mr. Church came to Waterbury in 1899 and has here engaged in the practice of 
law, winning a good clientage of an extensive and important character. He is a member 
of the Waterbury, Connecticut State and American Bar Associations aiid holds high rank 
among his colleagues and contemporaries in the profession. 

On the 21st of December, 1899, Mr. Church was married to Miss Mabel SpalTord 
Lincoln, of Cliaplin, Connecticut, who had been an acquaintance and schoolmate of his 
boyhood. They have one son, Richard Lincoln, born December 17, 1913. Mr. Church is 
well known in various public and semi-public connections. He is a member of Camp No. 
13, United Spanish War Veterans, and the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Harmony Lodge, 
No. 43. F. & A. M., which is the oldest Masonic lodge of the Naugatuck valley and of 
which he has been secretary for several years. He has also attained the Knight Templar 
degree in Masonry and he is an Odd Fellow and an Elk. He has been a member of the 
grievance committee of the New Haven county bar for ten years. He belongs to the 
First Congregational church and in politics he is a republican, taking a most active and 
helpful interest in promoting the welfare and success of his party. For ten years he 
was chairman of the republican city central committee and for the past eight years has 
been a member of the republican state committee. From 1906 until 1914 he served as 
prosecuting attorney for the district court of Waterbury. oi for two terms of four years 
each, making a most excellent record in that position. He is now a member of the state 
civil service commission through appointment of Governor Holcomb in 1915. He has 




ULYSSES G. CHUECH 



WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 185 

never been a seeker for public office and in fact has never been a candidate for an elective 
office. His positions have all come to him bj; appointment and entirely unsolicited. He is a 
man of broad interests whose ideas and activities are of a most sane, lielpful character, 
contributing toward progress and improvement along many lines. 



JAMES McALPlNE. 



James McAlpine was a very prominent business man and citizen of Winsted and in 
his death the community lost one whose worth was widely acknowledged. He was born in 
Stirling, Scotland, May 15. 1851, a son of John and Catherine (Dunsmore) McAlpine. The 
father Avas a tailor by trade and spent his entire life in Scotland. Avhere lie passed away 
in 1863. 

James McAlpine was reared in the land of hills and heather and there learned the 
tailor's trade in his youthful days. In 1869 he decided to cross the Atlantic to the United 
States, hoping to have better business opportunities in the new world than he felt he 
could secure in his native country. He was then but eighteen years of age, but he possessed 
courage, determination, ambition and industry. Making his way to Winsted, he here spent 
the remainder of his life and became a prominent factor in the affairs of the community. 
He was first employed as a journeyman tailor by James A. Bushnell, with whom he re- 
mained for eight years, his long retention being an indispiitable proof of his capability 
and fidelity. He was desirous, however, of engaging in business on his own account and 
in 1877 he opened a tailoring establishment, of which he remained the head until his 
demise. In 1883 he admitted his brother. John McAlpine, to a partnership and under the 
firm style of McAlpine Brothers they purchased the Young America Clothing House at 
No. 410 Main street. The firm then conducted a large clothing and men's furnishing goods 
business and also engaged in tailoring until 1915, when the partnership was dissolved 
and James McAlpine retired from active connection with the business. He was also 
identified with several other Winsted enterprises which contributed to the material prog- 
ress and upbuilding of this section. He was one of the founders of the Morgan Silver Plate 
Company, of which he became the vice president, so continuing until his demise. He was 
also president of the Dowd Printing Company and was financially connected with other- 
business concerns. 

Mr. McAlpine was married December 5, 1905, to Miss Fannie Osborne and they be- 
came the parents of a son and a daughter, John Paul and Catherine Dunsmore. Mr. McAlpine 
was a prominent and active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and served on its 
board of stewards. The story of his life is the story of honest endeavor crowned with 
success. His purposes were always well defined and, with a clear conception of both the 
difficulties and possibilities presented, he so directed his efiorts that he obviated the former 
and utilized the latter to good advantage. While with him. throughout his life, his family 
was always first, public interests were also near his heart and he cooperated in many 
well defined plans and movements for the public good. His demise occurred on the 7th 
of March, 1917. 



HON. EDWARD LEO REIDY. 

Hon. Edward Leo Reidy, postmaster of Winsted, is a native-born citizen, his birtli 
having occurred January 27, 1865. His parents were Edward and Bridget (LaflFan) Reidy, 
both of whom were natives of Ireland, the former having been born in County Kerry and 
the latter m County Limerick. The natal year of the father was 1837 and of the mother 
1882. The parents met in Winsted and were here married on New Year's Day of 1860. 
Edward Reidy. Sr., was a man of liberal education and taught school in Ireland before 
coming to the United States. After reaching Winsted he learned the trade of a brick and 
stone mason and later became a contractor and builder in stone and brick work. He lived 
to the age of seventy-four years, passing away on the 7th of March, 1912, while his wife 
reached the age of seventy-six, her demise occurring on the 4th of February, 1908. They 
were the parents of nine children, seven sons and two daughters, of whom Edward L. of this 
review was the third. Of this family seven are still living, namely: Michael B. ; Edward 
L., of this review: Ellen, who is the wife of Frederick Barreuther; Jane; Maurice J.; 



186 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Richard A.; and Daniel F. All are residents of Winsted with the exception of INIichael 
B., who lives in Naugatuck, Connecticut. 

Edward L. Reidy has spent his entire life in Winsted and was educated in its parochial 
and public schools. In early life he learned the trade of a stone and brick mason under 
the direction of his father, having become an excellent workman in tliat field before he 
was twenty-one years of age. He continued to follow the trade for a quarter of a century 
and for several years was foreman for Joseph F. Carey, a well known contractor. In that 
connection he assisted in building the present Methodist Episcopal church, the Litchfield 
County Hospital, the new dormitory at the Gilbert Home and many other important 
brick structures in Winsted. In 1908 in partnership with William L. Canty he formed the 
firm, known as Canty & Reidy. conducting a fire insurance agency. In January, 1910, 
Mr. Reidy took over the entire business and conducted it with success until January 1, 1917, 
when owing to his arduous duties as postmaster he disposed of the same. He carried 
on this enterprise in addition to his other business and official activities. 

From his boyhood Mr. Reidy lias been interested in local democratic politics and in 
May, 1902, he was elected a burgess, in which position he served for a year. In November, 
1902, he was chosen a member of the general assembly of Connecticut and was reelected 
in the fall of 1904 his fellow townsmen thus giving evidence of tlieir appreciation of his 
first term's service and their recognition of his ability. He served during the sessions of 
1903 and 1905 and gave thorough and earnest consideration to all vital questions which 
came up for settlement. In October, 1909, he was elected selectman and filled that position 
for one year. In 1912 he was appointed deputy sheriff of Litchfield county, which position 
he resigned to become postmaster on the 1st of February, 1915, when he was appointed by 
President AVilson. He is now occupying that position, the duties of which he discharges 
with promptness and fidelity. The work of the office is methodically and systematically 
conducted and a high degree of efficiency has been maintained. 

Mr. Reidy is a member of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church and fraternally he is 
connected with the Elks, being a charter member of Winsted Lodge, No. 844, B. P. 0. E. 
He served for five years in the Connecticut National Guard as a member of Company I, 
Fourth Connecticut Regiment, being both a private and non-commissioned officer. He has 
been a member of the town committee of the democratic party for several years and is 
untiring in support of the party principles, doing all in his power to advance the cause. 
"He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce of Winsted and cooperates in all of its well defined 
plans and measures for the public good. He is likewise a member of the Winsted Club 
and socially has a wide acquaintance, while his marked characteristics make for personal 
popularity. 



HARLOW A. PEASE. 



Harlow A. Pease is president of one of Torrington's well known business concerns, 
the Torrington Building Company, the operations of which extend not only over Connecticut 
but over almost the entire New England states and into New Jersey and New York. Mr. 
Pease was born at Alford, Massachusetts, August 20, 1868, the only son of Henry Pease, 
a merchant and grist and sawmill owner, who died when his son HarlcAV was but two years 
of age. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Emily M. Higgins, still survives and is 
living at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, at the age of seventy-seven years. Mr. Pease has 
one living sister, Sarah L., now the wife of Fred De Bell, of Great Barrington, Massa- 
chusetts. 

Harlow A. Pease was reared in Alford and in Great Barrington, ]\Iassachusetts, the 
public schools of those towns afl'ording him his educational opportunities. He left school 
at the age of eighteen years and in April, 1888, when nineteen years of age, came to Tor- 
rington, where he entered the employ of the Hotchkiss Brothers Company as an apprentice 
at the carpenter's trade. He continued with that firm until 1902. in which year he 
became one of the organizers and incorporators of the Torrington Building Company, 
which is today one of the best known contracting firms in the state of Connecticut. Mr. 
Pease has continuously served as its president and as its directing head has contributed 
in very marked and substantial measure to its success. They do a general contracting 
and building business, specializing in heavy construction of brick, stone and steel materials. 
The business covers all of the New England states save ]Maine and New Hampshire aiid 
the company has also been accorded many large and important contracts in New York and 
New Jersey. Associated with Mr. Pease as officers of the company are: Howard J. 




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WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 189 

Castle, treasurer; W. B. Waterman, secretary; and C. E. Bloom, vice president. The nature 
of the work undertaken by the company is indicated by the fact that within the last 
four years tiiey have erected the American brass casting shop and rod mill, the Torrington 
high school, the Westmore grammar school, the Elks' clubhouse at Torrington, the office 
building of the Torrington Manufacturing Company, the isolation building at the Charlotte 
Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, several of the recent additions to the Hendey Machine 
Company's plant, also of the Union Hardware Company and others. All of these are in 
Torrington. Outside of Torrington they have done equally important work, building 
additions to . the plant of the Plume & Atwood Company of Thomaston, several additions 
to the Cliasc Rolling ]\Iills, also to the plant of the American Pin Company and of the 
Berbecker & Rowland Company of Waterbury. Mr. Pease is vice president of the Berlin 
Brick Company of Berlin, Connecticut, and a director of the Torrington Trust Company. 

On the 1st of June, 1893, Mr. Pease was united in marriage to Miss Josephine A. 
Hotchkiss, a daughter of the late Edward Hotchkiss of Torrington, and a sister of Edward 
H. Hotchkiss. They have two children: Ralph Hotchkiss, who was born February 17, 1895; 
and Marion Amanda, born April 30, 1902. 

Mr. Pease is a member of the Center Congregational church and also belongs to the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Torrington 
Club and the Greenwoods Country Club. He is also a member of the transport division 
of the Connecticut Home Guard. In politics he is a stalwart republican with firm belief 
in the principles of the party bvit he does not seek or desire office, preferring that his 
undivided attention shall be given to his business affairs, which have constantly grown 
in volume and in importance and which have placed him in the front rank among the 
leading contractors and builders of Connecticut. 



ALBERT W. HUMMEL. 



Albert W. Hummel, who is engaged in the practice of law in Waterbury as a member 
of the firm of Hummel & Hummel, was born in Austria-Hungary, July 37, 1889, and was 
the youngest of the children of Wiebert and Theresa (Kaiser) Hummel. Coming with his 
parents to the United States, the family home was established in A^^aterbury in 1S93, 
when he was a lad of four years. He became a pupil in the public schools and was gradu- 
ated from the Crosby high school with the class of 1910. While a student there he played 
on the football, basket ball and baseball teams and served the football team as cai^tain 
and coach. In the fall of 1910 he entered the law department of Cornell University 
at Ithaca and was there graduated with the LL. B. degree in 1913. He then became the 
law partner of his elder brother, Erail Hummel, under the firm style of Hummel & 
Hummel, and through the intervening period of four years has been actively engaged in 
practice. 

Mr. Hummel belongs to the Waterbury Bar Association. He is also a member of St. 
Cecelia's German Catholic church. In politics he is a republican and fraternally an Elk. 
He belongs to the German Turnverein Vorwaerts and his chief recreation is sought along 
the line of gymnastics and general athletics. 



JOHN McALPINE. 



John McAlpine is a retired merchant of Winsted wlio for a long period figured as 
one of the representative and respected business men of the city. He was born in Stirling, 
Scotland, April 14, 1858, and came to the United States in 1870, when a youth of but 
twelve years, joining his brother James, who had previously crossed the Atlantic. He has 
since remained a resident of Winsted where he learned the tailor's trade in the establisimient 
of J. A. Bushnell and after acquainting himself thoroughly with the business he was 
admitted to a partnersliip by his brother imder the firm style of McAlpine Brothers, an 
association that was maintained for nearly a third of a century. They had one of the 
leading clothing and tailoring establishments of Winsted and their afl'airs were wisely and 
carefully managed. John McAlpine was also one of the founders of the Morgan Silver 
Plate Company and was long one of its directors. He succeeded his brother to the presi- 
dency of the Dowd Printing Company and remains in that position. 

On the 8th of January. 1890, Mr. McAlpine was married to Miss Xellie A. Gage, of 



190 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

Winsted, the only daughter of the late George S. Gage. They have one son, James George 
McAlpine, who was born July 3, 1893. He was graduated from the Wesleyan University 
of Middletown, Connecticut, in 1916 and is a bacteriologist. He has now enlisted for mili- 
tary duty in the Bellevue Hospital Unit and is awaiting orders to go with that unit to 
France. 

Mr. McAlpine belongs to the Methodist Episcopal cliurch. in which he is serving as a 
trustee, and he is also identified with the Young Men's Christian Association. Fraternally 
he is a Royal Arch Mason. He has been active in the business life of Winsted for a third 
of a century but retired in 1915 to enjoy the fruits of his former labor. His course has 
ever been characterized by strict integrity and commercial honor and iiis record proves 
tliat success and an untarnished name may be won simultaneously. 



HARRY W. PERKINS. 



Harry W. Perkins is now living practically retired in Waterbury, although for some years 
he was actively identified with its manufacturing interests and later with general agricultural 
pursuits. He was born in Waterbury, March 4, 1883, a son of William H. and Ella L. 
(Grilley) Perkins. His great grandfather Benonia Perkins, became the founder of the 
family in New Haven county, establishing his home in Bethany, where he engaged in 
farming until his death. His son, William Perkins, was but nine mjnths old at the time 
of the removal from Gilbertsville, Otsego county, New York, where he was born, to New 
Haven county. He acquired his education in the schools of Bethany and was fifteen years 
of age when he came to Waterbury, then a small town giving little evidence of its future 
rapid development. In Waterbury and in Prospect he learned the carpenter's trade and 
became a prominent contractor and builder of the Naugatuck valley. On attaining his 
majority he entered into partnership with Archibald and Elisha Rice and received con- 
tracts for the erection of several prominent buildings of Waterbury, including the Scovill 
House, the First Congregational church and the Scovill factory. He had the record of 
erecting nine houses in ten days in Waterville. He also engaged in the manufacture of 
sash and blinds at City Mills and he became a large landowner, having property at 
Lakewood, now known as Perkins avenue, and also at Waterville. He was a recognized 
leader in democratic circles and took a deep interest in all public affairs, political and 
otherwise. For thirteen years he filled the office of selectman, being elected on both demo- 
cratic and republican tickets — a fact indicative of Ids personal popularity and his marked 
capability in office. For five years he was first selectman. His influence was ever on the 
side of progress and contributed much to the material, educational, political and moral 
welfare of his community. He died in Waterbury in 1875 and w^as laid to rest in Riverside 
cemetery, in the second lot bought in this cemetery. He held membership in the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows and guided his life according to the teachings of the Episcopal church, 
of which he was a communicant. In early manhood he wedded Mary Tuttle, daughtei- 
of John and Elizabeth (Judd) Tuttle, and following her demise he married Almira Jerome, 
of Waterbury. 

William H. Perkins, who was one of the four children of William Perkins, Sr., was 
born in Waterbury, November 3, 1848, and after attending public and select schools in 
his native city continued his education in the Episcopal Academy at Cheshire and in the 
New Haven Military Institute under General Russell. He took up the carpenter's trade, 
which he learned under D. H. Meloy, a well known architect and builder of Waterbury. 
In 1887 he established his home on Bucks Hill, now Perkins avenue and engaged in the 
cultivation of the Holt farm, where he added many extensive and modern improvements, 
erecting a fine residence and all the necessary barns and outbuildings for the shelter 
of grain and stock. He made an artificial lake which was well stocked with fine fish and on 
which he had a pleasure boat. Fine cattle, fancy dogs and chickens were bred on his place 
with much success and won him more than local fame. He was equally widely known as a 
fisherman and all his life displayed great interest in manly sports. He was one of the 
promoters of the Monitor Base Ball Club, of which he became catcher, and he was also 
catcher for the Waterbury Baseball Club, both clubs holding at times the state championship 
during his association therewith. He never ceased to feel the deepest interest in the 
national game and was considered an authority upon any qviestion in dispute relative 
thereto. 

In Waterbury, William H. Perkins was united in marriage to Miss Ella L. Grilley, a 
native of this city and a daughter of Albert Grilley. They became parents of three 





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WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 193 

children: Alice E., now the wife of William E. Johnson, of Wolcott; Harry W. ; and 
Mary E., the wife of David E. Williams. The parents were members of St. John's 
Episcopal church and ^Ir. Perkins belonged also to the Mad River Grange. In politics 
he was a democrat but never active in political circles. He passed away in 1903, while 
his wife survived until August 6, 1913. both being laid to rest in Riverside cemetery. 

Harry W. Perkins acquired his education in private schools of Waterbury and of 
Litchfield and made his initial step in the business world as an employe of the Connecticut 
Company of Waterbury. He afterward entered the employ of the Scovill Manufacturing 
Company, with which he was connected for seven years and then returned to the Perkins 
homestead, which had been splendidly developed by his father and which comprises one 
hundred and sixty acres of land. Hereon he is engaged in farming and is an extensive 
cliicken raiser, although practically living retired. His interest in progressive agriculture, 
however, is manifest in his supervision of the place. 

On the 11th of January, 1905, Mr. Perkins was united in marriage to Miss Anna E. 
Hodapp. a daughter of John Hodapp, of New Brunswick, New Jersey. His political endorse- 
ment is given to the Republican party and he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, 
with which he has been associated for about four years. He belongs to St. John's 
Episcopal church of Waterbury and in the social circles of the city occupies a most 
enviable position, having a wide acquaintance throughout the county in which his entire 
life has been passed. , 



HON. EDWARD M. O'BRIEN. 

Hon. Edward M. O'Brien, attorney and postmaster of Waterbury, was born in that 
city, June 23, 1885, the only son of Terrence C. and Margaret (Carey) O'Brien, the former 
a well known retired merchant and business man of Waterbury. The son prepared for 
college at Mount St. Mary's preparatory school of Emmitsburg, Maryland, and received 
liis academic training in Niagara College of New York. He then took up the study of law in 
Georgetown University at Washington, D. C, from which he was graduated with the LL. B. 
degree in 1909. In June of that year he was admitted to the bar, after which he entered 
upon the practice of law in Waterbury, where he continued to follow his profession until 
1913, when he was appointed clerk of the city court of Waterbury by Judge William E. 
Thorns. While acting in that position he was on the 26th of January, 1915, appointed post- 
master of AVaterbury by President Woodrow Wilson and took charge of the office on the 
1st of March, so that he is the present incumbent. 

Mr. O'Brien maintains his membership in the New Haven County Bar Association, the 
Waterbury Bar Association and the Connecticut Bar Association. He is also a member of 
of the Waterbury Chamber of Commerce. His political allegiance has always been given to 
the democratic party and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, his membership 
being in St. Margaret's parish. Fraternally he is an Elk. He is fond of baseball, football 
and all manly outdoor sports and is a progressive, wide-awake young man who is exerting 
considerable influence over public affairs in' Waterbury. 



WILLIAM E. FULTON. 



The wise utilization of his time, talents and opportunities has brought William E. 
Fulton to the creditable position which he occupies in the business circles of Waterbury. A 
natiA'e of Brooklyn, New York, he acquired a public sch(^ol education and at the age of seven- 
teen years started in business life. It was in January, 1873, that he arrived in Waterbury. 
having been offered the position of assistant bookkeeper with the firm of Holmes, Booth 
& Haydens. This opportunity came to Mr. Fulton through A. S. Chase, who was president 
of Holmes, Booth & Haydens. In 1877 he entered into business relations which have brought 
him in the course of years to the presidency of The Waterbury Farrel Foundry. Since 
joining the company in 1877, or forty years ago, Mr. Fulton has contributed much to the 
development and upbuilding of the business. In 1910 he became vice president of the 
Manufacturers National Bank and still continues in that position. 

In October. 1877, Mr. Fulton Avas married to Miss Ida E. Lewis, a daughter of Edward 
C. Lewis. Tlieir three sons were Lewis Edwards Fulton, deceased. William Shirley Fulton 



194 WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 

and Irving Kent Fulton. William Shirley Fulton is now vice president and treasurer of 
the company, Avhile P. F. Bannon is superintendent and D. C. Griggs is the secretary. 

Mr. Fulton is interested in various lines of activity which have to do with the upbuilding 
and development of the city. He has realized the duties and obligations of citizenship as 
well as its privileges and as the years have gone on he has contributed much in judgment 
and in active labor to those interests which are seeking to upbuild Waterbury and promote 
its civic standards. For forty years he has been a well known factor in its industrial 
circles and he is ranked Avith those whose productive industries have been a factor in the 
business life of the city. 



HON. WILLIAM H. SMITH. 



A man of public spirit identified with the material, intellectual, political and moral 
progress of Oakville. passed away when William H. Smith was called to his final rest on the 
8th of July, 1914. He was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, March 1, 1840, his parents being 
Seymour and Betsy (Wood) Smith of that place. The family resided for a time at 
Worcester, Massachusetts, and from 1863 until 1866 in Sharon, Connecticut, but in the 
latter year located in Oakville, Connecticut. In Worcester the father had established a 
hardware specialty manufactory, in which line of business he continued in Sharon, and 
upon settling in Oakville purchased the old plant of the Wlieeler & Wilson Sewing Machine 
Company, in which was manufactured the first machine of that firm. In the meantime the 
son, William H. Smith, having grown to manhood, became his father's associate and 
partner in the business, and under the firm style of Seymour Smith & Son they began 
the manufacture of prvuiing shears and other hardware specialties in Oakville. The 
business association between father and son was maintained until 1904. when Seymour 
Smith was called to the home beyond and the business was then continued by W. H. Smith 
Smith and his two sons under the old firm name of Seymour Smith & Son. W. H. Smitli 
remained at the head of the business until he, too, was called from this life. 

In 1863 William H. Smith was united in marriage to ^liss Catherine E. Cole and they 
became the parents of three children: George H., Ella R. and William R. Mr. Smith 
was devoted to the welfare of his family and found his greatest happiness in promoting 
their interests. He Avas at the same time a public-spirited citizen and felt it to be his duty 
to serve his town to the extent of his ability in any possible way. He filled several town offices 
in a most commendable manner, serving for a number of years as a member of the board 
of relief, while in 1887 he was called upon to represent his district in the state legislature, 
where he gave earnest and careful consideration to all vital questions coming up for settle- 
rnent. He belonged to Federal Lodge, F. & A. M., and he attended the Watertown Congre- 
gational church. He was, moreover, a man of broad views and was in sympathy with 
all the different movements which were organized to uphold moral progress. He reached 
the venerable age of seventy-four years and four months and by reason of his manly, 
upright life he left behind him the priceless heritage of an untarnished name and a memory 
that should serve as a blessed benediction to all who knew him. 



GEORGE H. SMITH. 



George H. Smith is now treasurer of Seymour Smitli & Son, Incorporated, of Oakville, 
an a representative of the family in the third generation to carry on this business. He 
was born in Sharon, Connecticnit, October 17, 1864. a son of William H. and Catherine 
(Cole) Smith. He was in his second year when his parents removed to Oakville, where 
he enjoyed the opportunities off"ered by the public schools, while later he continued his 
education in the Watertown Academy. He was afterward in business witii his father, 
whom he joined when age qualified him foi' such activities, entering into the conduct and 
management of a business which had its inception in ]85;2. The name of the founder, 
Seymour Smith, giandfather of George H. Smith, has always been maintained in the firm 
style. Under a partnership connection as Seymour Smith & Son the business was carried 
on for forty years and on the 31st of December. 1912, was incorporated as Seymour 
Smith & Son, Incorporated. At tliat time George H. Smith was made treasurer and so 
continues. The company is engaged in tlie manufacture of pruning implements which 





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WATERBURY AND THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY 197 

are shipped widely. The present officers are: William R. Smith, president; Ella R. 
Smith, secretary; and George H. Smith, treasurer. The employes number thirty. 

In 1888 Mr. Smith was married to Miss Annie Scott, of Watertown, a daughter of 
Frederick Scott, a retired farmer who has now reached the notable old age of ninety years. 
He was born in Watertown, a son of Chester Scott, who was with the Wheeler & Wilson 
Sewing Machine Company and was associated with Major Kingman and William Warren 
in perfecting the sewing machine. Later Chester Scott went to Ohio but returned to 
Watertown, where he passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have a son, Harold H., who 
attended high school in Watertown and in Waterbury and then entered his father's 
factory, where he is now superintendent, being of the fourth generation in the management 
of the business. He wedded Mary New, of Bethlehem, Connecticut, on the 20th of June 
1917. 

George H. Smith is a member of Federal Lodge, No. 17, F. & A. M., and exemplifies in his 
life the beneficent spirit of that organization. He holds membership in the Congregational 
church and in politics is a republican where national principles are involved but at local 
elections casts an independent ballot. 



WILLIAM R. SMITH. 



William R. Smith is of the tliird generation connected with the business now conducted 
under the name of Seymour Smith & Son, Incorporated, of which he is tlie president. 
For fifty-one years Oakville has numbered this enterprise among its manufacturing concerns. 
Born in Watertown on the 9th of August. 1874, he is a son of William H. and Catherine 
(Cole) Smith, mentioned elsewhere in this work. He acquired a public school education 
and was graduated from the Waterbury high school with the class of 1893. He then entered 
his father's factory, thoroughly learning the business in every de